Free event is Saturday, July 27, at Fox Pointe
BY MELANIE JONGSMA
LANSING, Ill. (July 1, 2019) – With food vendors, craft booths, kids games, musical entertainment, and adult beverages, the first-ever Lansing Lions Summer Fest will be similar to Autumn Fest, but it’s condensed into one summer day instead of three autumn days. Saturday, July 27, from 3:30–10:30pm, Summer Fest is on the Fox Pointe schedule.
For the community
“I want us to be involved in the community,” said Lions Club President Eric Himmel about the motivation behind the event. The Lions Club has long been known as a financial supporter of such institutions as LARC and the Lansing Fire Department, and their international efforts include bringing eyeglasses to Mexico. But Himmel has been encouraging his fellow Lions to be more personally and visibly involved in Lansing. Summer Fest will be a good start.
Lion Jeff Keister is co-chairing the event with Lion Bert Rivera. As owner of Jack’s Sports Pub, Keister has worked with Little Giant, a local 1960s pop/rock band, booking them for monthly performances at Jack’s on Saturday nights. He thought they would be perfect for the family-friendly fun the Lions want Summer Fest to be. Little Giant will begin their Summer Fest concert at 7:00pm on the Fox Pointe stage.
“Free fun and neighborly camaraderie” are the buzz words Himmel uses to describe Summer Fest. He envisions kids running around the expansive Fox Pointe lawn while their parents shop the booths and enjoy food from Boz Hot Dogs and Lynnie Ques BBQ.
For the Lions
By being visibly involved in Lansing, the Lions are hoping the community will get a better sense of the various ways the club lives out its motto, “We Serve.” “Not enough people know what we do,” Himmel admitted, citing a few examples: “We sponsor TF South bowling, we sponsor a Little League team, we sponsor a Boy Scout troop.” He wants the club to continue those financial investments in the Lansing community while also rolling up their sleeves and getting personally involved.
For the future
If things go well at Summer Fest 2019, the Lansing Lions Club plans to make this an annual event, always on the last weekend of July. They have designed Summer Fest as a much less labor-intensive undertaking than, say, a Steak Fry, which will give them more freedom to meet people, enjoy the event, and build relationships.
Summer Fest will take place rain or shine on Saturday, July 27. “But pray for no rain,” says Keister.
Fox Pointe is located at 18138 Henry Street in Lansing, Illinois.
Do you have contact information regarding reserving a craft booth?
I will email you Lion Eric’s contact info. He has been largely responsible for organizing the event.