HOWARD LAKE LIONS NEWSLETTER
(Web site: www.thorsonconsulting.com/lions)
(E-mail:  hllions@ll.net)

February  2001

Thanks to Lions Terry and LaNette Thorson on the superb meal at our January 4th meeting and to the SLAM group from HLWW High School on the excellent meal at our January 18th meeting.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, February 1st at our regular meeting place at 7:00 P.M.  No one has volunteered to cook the meal that night.  If you are interested, please let Lion Steve Weber know by this Friday (1-26) so it can be put in the H.L. Herald next week.  Lion Steve can be contacted at 543-3567 (H) or 543-3471 (W). If there is a meal, the meeting will be at 7:30.

Our second meeting will take place on Thursday, February 15th also at our regular meeting place.  There will be a Board of Directors’ meeting that night at 6:30.  The business meeting will be at 7:00 P.M.  No one has volunteered to cook for this meeting.  If interested in cooking the meal for this meeting, please let Lion Steve know.

Our Lions club will once again be sponsoring a radar run on Howard Lake on Saturday, February 17th.  The hours will be from 10:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M.   Lions Vern Lemke, Mike Main, and Chris Bickmann are the co-chairs.  We need as many members as possible to help that weekend.  Please be there.

CONVENTION NEWS:

There were a total of twenty-one members from our Lions club, three members of the H.L. Lioness club, and two guests who were in attendance at the MidWinter Convention held at the Marriott in Bloomington.

The new District-Governor will be Lion Al Roberge and the Vice-District Governor will be Lion Gary Johnson of the Buffalo Lions.

Lion Nancy Main received an International Award (the fourth highest award) for her work with the Quest program.  Congratulations to Lion Nancy on this prestigious ward.

Two winners from our club’s Drug Awareness Poster Contest took first place at the District Convention.  One of the winners was Kristal Sawatzke, a 7th grader from HLWW High School.  She took 1st place in the grades 6, 7, and 8 division.  Kristal is the daughter of Doug and Jenelle Sawatzke of Waverly.  The other winner was Brooke Kubasch, a 2nd grader from St. James Lutheran School in Howard Lake.   She took 1st place in the grades 1 & 2 division.   Brooke is the daughter of Aaron and Patricia Kubasch of Winsted.  A third poster winner (Amanda Kubasch) finished a very close second in the grades 3 & 4 division.  Congratulations to our winners.

Thanks are in order to Lion Chris Bickmann for his excellent work at lining up rooms and meals for the MidWinter Convention.  Lion Chris put in many hours on this project.  Thanks again. Also, thanks to all the Howard Lake Lions who helped out at the Hospitality room at the convention this past weekend.  A special thank you goes to Lions Bernie & Judy Rohling, and Catherine Brezina for chairing this event.
One final item from the convention: At the Sunday morning brunch, International Director Scott Rennels of Jonesboro, Arkansas quoted:  “There is a new definition of courage – listening to the Howard Lake Lions singing karaoke.”  (You had to be there to see it.)

Due to the fishing contest (sponsored by the Sportsmen’s Club) on February 10th, our bowling party at the Park Tavern Lounge & Lanes has been changed to Saturday, March 10th from 2:00 until 5:00 P.M.  SW Bus Company from Willmar will still be our mode of transportation.  We will be leaving HL (behind Gerry’s Super Valu) at 12:45 P.M.  From the Park Tavern, we will be going to Mystic Lake Resort & Casino for supper and other activities.  We will be returning back to HL at approximately 11:00 P.M.  If you are still interested in going, you can sign up by attending one of our meetings in February or the first meeting in March.  Another way is to call Lion Steve Weber @ 543-3567 (H) or 543-3471 (W).   Sign up will be on a first come-first serve basis.  We are allowed to bring up to sixty people.  The cost of the bus ride will be $8.00 per person (minimum) for one bus or $12 per person for two buses.  Spouses/significant others and friends are also invited to come along.  The deadline for signing up is March 1st  (this might be extended).  Hope to see you all there.

Our club will be having a Super Bowl party on Sunday, January 28th at our meeting place.  The fun starts at 3:00 P.M.  The meal that day will be potluck.  Spouses/significant others and friends are also invited to come that day.  Hope to see you all there.

We received a thank you card from Riley Hoheisel who was one of the winners in our Christmas Lighting contest held in December.  He stated in his card that the 1st place money he received will be donated towards his son Trevor’s scholarship fund here at HLWW High School.

The trophy that we won as the top donator in September at the Heel-n-Wheel for Hearing & Service Dogs of Minnesota has finally arrived.

Our club will once again be selling bicycle helmets at a booth at the H.L. Expo on Saturday, March 24th from 9:30 A.M. until 2:00 P.M.  If you are interested in helping out that day, please contact Lion President Dan Judd.

The Howard Lake Lioness will be sponsoring a pancake breakfast at the Howard Lake Legion on Sunday, April 8th (Palm Sunday).  The hours for this event will forthcoming in next month’s newsletter.  Help from our Lions club will be greatly appreciated.

The 5M Multiple Convention will be held in Duluth on May 4, 5, and 6.  If interested in attending, please contact Lion President Dan Judd.

Congratulations are in order for Eric Mapes, son of Jason & Wendy Mapes.  He recently graduated from basic training in the Army at Fort Knox, Kentucky.

Happy birthday to the following Howard Lake Lion members who will be celebrating a birthday in February: Gary Hagemann (2); Tammy Rienke (4); Shelly Reddemann (7); Erin Judd (12); Bernie Rohling (23); and Dan Oestreich (24).
 
 
 
 
 

LION JACK OBERPRILLER

Our sympathies go out to the family of Lion Jack Oberpriller who passed away on Saturday, December 23rd.  Lion Jack was very active member in our club. He was also a charter member back in 1978.  He served two different years as President of our club.  He also served as vice-president, Lion Tamer, director, and was on the gambling committee.  He was also active in almost every function or fundraiser that our club was involved in.  Among the many events or functions Lion Jack was involved in was our softball tournaments in the summer, radar runs in the winter, game feeds, fish fries, fishing contests, and Easter Egg hunts. Also, if a local family would be displaced because of a fire, he would make sure that the family would have a place to stay until they got their lives back together.  He epitomizes what a Lion is all about.

At our January 4th meeting, following the Pledge of Allegiance, Lion President Dan Judd said a prayer for the family of Jack Oberpriller. He will be greatly missed. On a related note, a cash donation from Myron and Lucy Lahr was made to the Howard Lake Lions in memory of Lion Jack Oberpriller.

Also, our sympathies go out to Lions Roy and Darlene Klugow.  Lion Darlene’s sister passed away over the weekend in Virginia.  Please keep your thoughts and prayers for the family.