The Foothills Lions Club came into existence 50 years ago and to celebrate this milestone they held a very special Charter Night Anniversary celebration on April 30th.

The event was held at the Legion in Turner Valley and was very well attended by over 100 people. The District Governor for Lions District C2, Hazel Hiebert, was in attendance along with Past International Director, Lion Bill Weber.

The Head Table was piped in by Hope Roberts; Lion Tyler Bray was the Master of Ceremonies and the Head Table was introduced by Lion Barry Crane. After toasts, Foothills Lions Club President, Diane Bray, gave a welcoming speech followed by Mayors, Kelly Tuck of Turner Valley and Sharlene Brown of Black Diamond. Greetings from our Federal Member of Parliament, John Barlow, were extended.

The Head Table:

(l to r) Cathy Anderson, 2nd Vice District Governor; Tim Haight; Gail Haight, 1st Vice District Governor; Diane Bray, Foothills Lions Club President; Tyler Bray, Master of Ceremonies; Hazel Hiebert, District Governor District C2; Bill Baux, Council Chair Multiple District C; Donna Baux; Joan Weber; Bill Weber, Past International Director.

The Prime Rib dinner was expertly served by the Police Cadets from Eden Valley under the guidance of RCMP Constables, Jason Barber and Larry McDonald.

Awards and presentation were made following dinner.

Lion Don Ward received the International President’s Certification of Appreciation for his 53 years of service to the Lions.

The Foothills Lions Club was presented with the Certificate of Congratulations for 50 years of Oursarnding Service to Mankind.

Lion Tyler Bray received the award for Outstanding Zone Chairperson.

The two remaining Lions members, Bill Price and Floyd Buck that originally formed the Foothills Lions Club in 1966 were invited to share some of their memories about the club from the early years. Bill Price is still a resident of Black Diamond and Floyd travelled from British Columbia to attend the evening.

The Legion Hall was beautifully decorated thanks to the vision and hard work of Janice Galarneau and the Coat Check was perfectly executed by members of the Foothills Search & Rescue.

Following dinner and the awards the group was entertained by “Over the Moon” – a group of three musicians, led by vocalist Suzanne Levesque, from Longview with Craig Bignell and Dave Hamilton.

The entire evening was filled with good conversation, interesting speeches and a very real sense of Community.

Please enjoy the photographs courtesy of Lion Ben Pond and Pam Jones (Gazette Editor) and the video by Tanya Thibodeau (Gazette Publisher).

Some Candid Shots