Millersburg Lions sell chicken to aid projects
“Somebody has to do it” was Scott Brown’s attitude as he donned the chicken costume to help lure drivers into the chicken barbecue event put forth by the Millersburg Lions Club on Saturday, May 14.
Reports of a giant chicken escaping from a local farm on Saturday, May 14 near Millersburg have been greatly exaggerated.
That big chicken was none other than Millersburg Lions Club member Scott Brown, who donned the bright costume to help entice people to stop by the parking lot at Commercial & Savings Bank in Millersburg to pick up some hot barbecue chicken or even a whole meal.
“Somebody’s got to do it,” Brown said.
The Millersburg Lions Club set up shop on a warm morning and had their chicken barbecuing on the rack, sending a savory aroma around town.
The fundraiser has gone well for the Lions the past two years, and this year proved to be no different as hungry travelers dropped by to pick up their meals drive-thru fashion. Many Lions volunteered their morning to prepare meals, make chicken and deliver orders to drivers.
According to President Dale Obringer, the Lions are just now getting into the heart of their fundraising effort, and he said they have several projects on tap for the coming year.
At the top of the list is the Holmes County Hero banners the Lions are making and hanging all around Millersburg to celebrate the county’s veterans.
“It’s an exciting project, and we are privileged to honor our local veterans through the project,” Obringer said. “We sold 41 banners that will honor our veterans. We sold so many that we ran out of lamp posts and had to figure out where to hang them. We will end up using utility poles and whatever we can find.”
Obringer said the Lions would like to express a deep appreciation to Millersburg Electric, which volunteered to hang the signs that were higher than the Lions wanted to climb.
In presenting this project, the Lions Club members reached out to the community for photos of any service member who is currently serving in the armed forces or is a United States veteran, whether living or having passed away.
“It’s a great project,” Obringer said.
As for the chicken barbecue, the funds raised will be put to immediate use. Obringer said they have had a series of recent requests for financial support from various people and organizations, and the chicken barbecue funds will help provide funding for those requests.
In addition, the funds will continue to provide glasses for those who might otherwise struggle to purchase eyeglasses.
That program entails people donating eyeglasses they no longer want or need to the Lions Club, which will in turn have them refitted and with a new prescription and donate them to people who can’t afford glasses.
It is a project the Lions have done for many years.
Obringer said glasses can be dropped off at Rodhe’s IGA and at Commercial & Savings Banks around Millersburg.
The other nice part about the chicken barbecue is it takes place in the Commercial & Savings Bank parking lot on North Washington Street, where plenty of people got to see them at work, including Brown, who donned a chicken costume and encouraged people to stop in for chicken.
Obringer said that type of exposure helps pique the interest of people, many of whom may not know what the Lions Club is all about.
“We’ve been here in Millersburg a long time, but there are still a lot of people out there who don’t understand everything we do,” Obringer said. “Our main focus is the eyeglass program, but we also help provide in many other ways and even reach out into third-world countries to help people there.”
Millersburg Lions Club serves all of Holmes County, and anyone who would like to become a member may do so by calling any of the members or by calling Obringer at 330-231-5969 or finding him on Facebook.