Lori McDonald | The Tribune
The 12th annual Seymour Noon Lions Club’s Pig in the Park and Family Fun Fair will feature plenty of activities for all ages.
Meals will be available at the host house, whether you’re craving a pulled pork sandwich, a pulled pork burger, or a hot dog. You can also satisfy your sweet tooth with an ice cream.
At the nearby softball field, the Jackson County Tornadoes will take on the Monroe County Sluggers in a Special Olympics softball matchup.
In the park, bounce houses will be set up for children, local organizations will have booths with activities and information, and live music will entertain the public.
The event is scheduled for noon to 4 p.m. Aug. 20 at Gaiser Park on the south side of Seymour.
Lions club secretary Christy Nolan said in previous years between 500 and 1,000 people have come through the park during the event.
“The park is being used, and that’s what we want to see. We want to see more activity in city parks,” he said.
Proceeds from the event are used by the Lions Club for their charitable work, which ranges from awarding scholarships to local high school students to donations to local non-profit organizations to providing free eye exams at local nurseries, preschools and schools.
Nolan said the club views the Pig in the Park portion as a fundraiser and the Family Fun Fair portion as community service.
“When they talk about this, they’re not just supporting the Lions Club,” he said. “They’re supporting the community because that’s where all our revenue goes back to.”
Dinner includes a choice of pulled pork sandwich, pulled pork burger or hot dog with baked beans, fries, dessert provided by Pewter Hall and a soda or bottled water, all for just $7. Sandwiches and hot dogs will also be sold individually.
Club treasurer Brad Nolan does all the pig roasting.
“We already have two hogs. They take them to the processor on the 18th, and Brownstown Frozen Food Locker, they’re the ones doing the processing for us. They’re giving the processing,” Christy said. “Sometimes, we have bought (pigs) in the past. Most of the time, we can get someone to donate or raise enough sponsors to cover it.”
The Lions Club accepts members from the community until the day of the event. A donation of $150 to $249 results in 10 meal tickets, name on event poster and mention in event advertising. A donation of $250 or more will earn you 20 meal tickets, your name on the event sign, and mention in event advertising and other Lions Club events for the calendar year, which will run until to July 30, 2023.
Also during Pig in the Park, the Boys and Girls Club of Seymour will be selling ice cream.
“We buy the ice cream for them and give them all the profits,” Christy said.
The Special Olympics softball game is new to this year’s event. In the past, the Seymour High School archery team set up targets on the softball field and let the kids shoot bows. The past two years, however, the team has not been available to do so, so the Lions Club reached out to the local Special Olympics program since their softball season is underway. There is no cost to attend the game, which starts at noon.
The Special Olympics will also be among the organizations set up with booths at the event. It will have cornhole and petanque available to the public, along with information about Special Olympics and free rubber wristbands.
The Lions Club is looking for other organizations to set up booths.
“Anything as a program that they would like to put out there for the kids, we would love to have them there,” Christy said. “Our only condition is that there are no sales in the park that day, except for our dinner and that they bring an activity for the kids to do.”
The installation of the stand will be from 10 to 11:30 and groups are asked to stay for the duration of the event. They must provide their own canopy, tables and chairs. There will be limited access to power so please contact the club via their Facebook page if required.
