Lion Peter Minnelli with the winners of the Lions’ Canada Day drawing contest themed “What Makes Canada Special?”
Westport Lions Roar
By Lions Peter Minnelli and Bob Reddick
Under a cloudless sky, calm water and a perfect combination of temperature and sun, hundreds of people gathered at the Westport Lions Beach to celebrate Canada’s 157 birthday. The day began at the beach with Lions members decorating the clubhouse and setting up beach toys and games for the children. The celebrations kicked off for the Lions with a Canada Day bike parade, where the Westport Lions, along with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 542 Colour Guard, Westport Councillors, and the Westport Fire Department, led a large group of participants showcasing their red and white-decorated bicycles.
Starting at noon, one of the largest crowds ever enjoyed the Lions’ beach and the music provided by Tom Gard of All-Star Karaoke. Artist Jessica McTavish of Pixie Pie Face Painting delighted a steady stream of young people all afternoon. To satisfy the hungry crowd, Lion members and volunteers served nearly 400 free hotdogs, freezies and drinks generously provided by Ragu and Raman Sharma of Circle K.
This year there was tremendous interest in the Westport Lions Canada Day Drawing Contest. Over 85 entries were received from children aged 6 to 12. “We were overwhelmed and delighted by the response,” said organizer Lion Peter Minnelli. This year’s theme was: What makes Canada Special? The entries were judged on artistic merit, originality, and creative use of Canadian symbols. The drawings were judged by a panel of former elementary teachers who were impressed by the high quality of the entries. They also had a difficult time picking the winners.
The winning artists were: Milo Richard, Colton Heise, Cameron McAra, Alexis Korenis, Taggan Brown, Charlotte Mustard, Julliya Morris, Kenny Mulville, Johnny Mulville, Hadley Lynn, James Stevenson, Isla Rexworthy On, Evelyn Murray, Penny Blair and Braelyn Charles.
Special certificates and prizes, courtesy once again of Vanilla Bean, were handed to each winner at the Canada Day celebrations at the Westport Lions Beach. The winners’ drawings, two in each age category, were also displayed at the Lion’s Den.
On June 30, The Cove hosted a Canada Day kick-off party featuring 80s Enuff, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to an appreciative Lions Club.Susie McCullough won the 50-50 draw and generously contributed part of her winnings back to the Lions Club.
The winner of the Westport Lions $1500 Cash Draw was Joe Obermeyer from Hamilton, a long-time club supporter. The second prize of $500 went to Westport resident Kathy Suffel. Additionally, Tom Mulville, Joey Grunig and Donna Garland all from Westport won $50 each.
Westfest
As a way to express gratitude to the community for its continuous support, the Westport Lions Club will be hosting Westfest at the Westport Lions Beach on Saturday, July 20, from noon to 4:00 p.m.The Bob Burtch Blue Grass Band will be providing the music. Admission is free, and food and beverages will be available. The club thanks Josh Doornekamp owner of OAarde Engineered Construction for sponsoring the event.
Westport Lions Club 