Community

A Lions Club facelift

Fundraiser today in Rapid River

RAPID RIVER -- In the midst of a makeover is the Rapid River Lions Club’s building at 10465 S. Main St. Today, Saturday, a fundraising cookout is underway between 2 and 5 p.m.

Located next to the Post Office and across from the Swallow Inn, the venue is used during community events like the Memorial Day celebration and the annual snowmobile show of the Rapid River Relic Riders.

Though there had reportedly been talk earlier this year of selling the clubhouse, a surge of effort from community members has been working to fix up the old place and continue to make it available for club-related events and more.

As the colors of Lions Club International are royal blue and golden yellow, a mockup of what a building remodel could look like included features and trim in those colors.

The first step in that direction was when Dave Shope, local resident and club member, offered to paint the building’s handrail “Caterpillar yellow.”

Brickwork and a roof replacement were jobs that also needed to be done, but it turns out that just one little item of upkeep -- like making a railing the color of a tractor -- can help kick off a full renovation project.

Shope, president of the Rapid River Relic Riders, encouraged fellow snowmobile enthusiasts to help save the Lions’ clubhouse: “We can’t lose this venue,” he said.

In August, the 17th-annual Rapid River car show was a fundraiser for the capital campaign to improve the Lions Club. About $4,000 was raised for the building project at that event.

Using some of the Lions Club’s existing funds and thousands of dollars donated by the community, the club purchased materials to replace the South Main Street building’s roof. A work bee was held on Wednesday this week to complete the job.

Thanks to the efforts of a number of volunteers -- specifics to come later -- the Rapid River Lions Club now has a new roof, with OSB sheeting underneath and royal blue 26-gauge metal roofing on top.

Now with the roof fixed, the next phase will be to remodel the hall’s interior. Some work on that has begun — bathroom fixtures were replaced — but Shope hopes to be able to carry out a “major facelift” on the interior over the winter.

To help raise funds, the Lions Club are holding a cookout today, Saturday, Oct. 24. Meat purchased from Frapp’s in Escanaba will be cooked on a refurbished charcoal grill, said Shope. The meal is on donation, with the hope that people who attend pay what they can.

Raffles will also be part of the event, which will occupy downtown Rapid River between 2 and 5 p.m.