Archive: Around Town

The Lansing Lions 4th of July Barbecue in Myers Park has been part of the local landscape for countless years.  This isn't just any chicken barbecue -- it's the Mother of All Chicken Barbecues.  The Lions will be grilling 1,600 chicken halves to eat at the park or take home.  Tents will house local groups like the Lansing Historical Association and Cub Scouts as well as a flea market.  This year the DixieKats will be playing Dixieland Jazz.

The barbecue takes place this Sunday at 11am Myers Park rain or shine.  Lansing Lions President Hurf Sheldon says that the event will run until the chicken is gone, usually around 3:30pm.  The lunch will include salt potatoes, beans, and applesauce.  The Lions will also have the traditional cake wheel, for which Sheldon says they are still soliciting cakes.  They will also hold raffles each hour, and sell the Lions Club brooms and 'Lansing Throw' blankets.


The DixieKats Dixieland Jazz band will be playing in the band stand, which, by the way, the Lions Club built and donated to the Town of Lansing in 2008.  The band plays a variety of traditional Dixieland and Bayou Gumbo, including music made famous by Louis Armstrong, Pete Fountain, King Oliver, Dr. John, Randy Newman and the Neville Brothers.  Music is a recent addition to the event, donated by the Lansing Community Council, which is also responsible for three other Myers Park projects: the new Myers Park Playground, reassembling Lansing's 1791 log cabin, and the Lansing Harbor Festival, scheduled this year for August 14th.

The Lansing Lions use the money raised by the barbecue to fund a myriad of projects including local service projects, a speech and hearing clinic, recognition of local students, sports teams, and music and drama, scholarships for five graduating Lansing High School seniors, and local seniors organizations, among many others.  The service club has donated several pavilions in Myers Park, donated and renovated the Lansing Community Center, planted pine trees along Myers hill road and in front of the Lansing Community Library, and the American Flags you see on Route 34B on holidays.

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