Small beginning for new service club

Roger Varley

A new service club made its debut in Zephyr on the weekend and the launch went flat: flat as a pancake that is.

Quincy Huntley deposits a bite of homemade pancakes into daughter Parker’s mouth (as baby Zach looks on) at the newly-minted Zephyr Lions Club’s pancake breakfast, held last Saturday morning. Photo by John Cavers

Chad Mills, president of the new Zephyr Lions Club, said as many as 90 people showed up in the first hour at the Zephyr community hall last Saturday to enjoy a free pancake breakfast. While the current six members of the new club interacted with visitors, the kitchen - and the pancakes - were handled by a crew of volunteers.

"We're over-the-moon happy with the pancake attendance," Mills said.

Mills said the new club, which started three weeks ago, will actually be a branch of the Udora-Leaskdale Lions Club until such time as it reaches 20 members. But the small number of members isn't stopping the Lions from having big plans. They plan to make themselves known at the Farmers’ Market, Christmas craft sales, Breakfast with Santa and other events.

"We want to do a lot of work around the community hall," Mills said. "We need a new sign for the hall and we want to have road cleanup days."

Mills said the average age of his members is around 40, but the club would like to attract young people with a new way of doing things and new events. To start the club, the Lions opened a cornhole league to raise funds.

While the new club goes through its growing pains, it will be working with Lions clubs in Udora, Pefferlaw, Uxbridge and others in the area.