Yesterday, the Frankfort Lions Club held the yearly Wurst Fest, and I want to thank all of my friends who came. The Wurst is a fun time to raise money for the club charities account. We cannot help the community without funds, and it is your generosity that keeps our momentum going. The Lions International by-laws stipulate that all monies derived from the public must be returned to the public. The Frankfort Lions faithfully keep that resolution, whether it is for street signs, a village snow plow, or food pantry support it comes from your donations; thank you. At the same time, if we want to treat the members to dinner, or to have fun, we pay for it out of pocket. Mostly we have internal fund raisers which we keep separate from the charities.
I managed to hold the line on the quantity of alcohol I imbibed so I am not tired today. As I write this I am thinking of how many house in the house details remain unfinished. My list of baby steps will aid me in getting things done.
My project this summer was to build a house inside my house by converting the totally unoccupied basement into a living space. I finished on time and the move-in took place. Now when I visit my shop I take a path through three rooms laden with furniture. I still have a few more tasks to complete before the space is completely finished. I need a new light switch, two more electrical outlets, and a closet ceiling light to install. As that is being worked on I will be filling open spaces between my shop and the new living space to stop dust from covering everything; about two months at the rate I am going.
My shop is a very well defined space, and it now has everything that doesn’t belong in a clean living space stuffed into every corner and in between the machines. I think the task of cleaning and organizing my shop will entail more work than the entire house in house project did. In the meantime, none of my art projects are being worked on. Such is life, and when change comes it sometimes becomes nerve racking and calamitous.
This evening I will attend my Lions Club yearly fund raiser dubbed the “Wurst Fest.” The past two years I avoided the crowds to steer clear of Covid, but this year Covid be damned. I need a night out drinking beer while eating bratwurst and kraut with my friends. Maybe I’ll build up enough steam to dance to the ooompa music too.
The curtain goes up at six tonight, and the show begins. Frankfort Lions present their annual Wurst Fest. I like to call it the “BEST Wurst Fest.” This is the club’s major fund raiser for the year. We have many more lessor drives to make money but the Wurst fuels our charities throughout the year. So many people not familiar with Lions ask me “just what do the Lions do?” My response is a lot, then I proceed to rattle off the list.
What do Frankfort Lions Do?
Typical Activities by month:
January— Winter Games on the Green
KidSight Vision Screenings begin
February– KidSight Vision Screening
Sights and Sounds Raffle for Lions Illinois Foundation (LIF)
March Community Showcase
Blood Drive
Information Table
KidSight Vision Screening
Adult Hearing & Vision screening
Diabetes Awareness
Lighthouse Demonstration
Adult Vision Screening at Founder’s Center
April Easter Food Distribution: Buy, Pack, and Deliver Food to 25 families
Bunny Breakfast-KidSight Vision Screening
Earth Day Clean Up
Birdies for Charity, LIF
May Kick off for Wurst Fest Raffle tickets
Clarendale Vision and Hearing Screening
Lincoln Way Scholarship Presentation
June Wurst Fest Raffle Tickets
Nominate Club Officers
July Movies on the Green, Pop corn distribution
Sponsor Library Youth Group in Lions Peace Poster Contest
Wurst Fest Raffle Tickets
Club Election
President’s Night BBQ
August Rib Fest Water Soft Drink Sale
PD Night Out Against Crime, Water Distribution and presence
Kick off OASIS second support group for vision impaired people
Farmer’s Market Raffle Ticket Sales
Camp Quality-Cook-Serve Lunch
Wurst Fest Raffle & Dance
September Labor Day Parade, Distribute flags
Raffle Prize Dinner
PD Health Fair-Vision and Hearing Screening
Diabetes Awareness at Silver Cross Hospital
October Trunk or Treats, Distribute candy treats
Candy Day Collection on Street Corners for LIF
November Collect money at Jewel for TG turkeys and food
Thanksgiving Food Dist: Buy, Pack, and Deliver Food to 25 families
December Polar Express/Park District
Collect Money @ Jewel for Christmas Food
Christmas Food Dist: Buy, Pack, and Deliver Food to 25 families
Christmas Gift Distribution for kids in need
We add to the list as new needs are identified. I have chosen to leave off the names of people with serious impairments or conditions who we have helped in the interest of their privacy. During the year we contribute to over fifty community organizations and/or organizations that help our residents: Where there is a need there is a Lion.
If you want to join the fun and help Lions to serve come on out tonight to the Chamber of Commerce Wine and Beer Garden located at the corner of Oak and Kansas in historic Frankfort. The Wurst is a German themed social gathering featuring German food, German beer, and German music keeping with the German heritage of the community. The highlight of the evening is the raffle. If you were lucky enough to buy one of the two thousand $20 raffle tickets you may win one of seven cash prizes, the largest being $10,000. That same ticket gets two people entry into the venue for an evening of fun and camaraderie, not to mention a buzz from the delicious German beer.
The Lions kick off the much greater community Fall Festival, recently rated as the third best Craft and Arts Fair in the United States. With over two hundred and fifty thousand people attending over the three day Labor Day weekend. This fest is run 100% by volunteers from the village.
Lion Grumpa Joe is throwing a big party this Thursday evening 28 August 2014, for anyone 21 years old or older between 6:30 and 11:00 p.m. at Oak and Kansas Street in Historic Frankfort, Illinois. I’m calling it the Best Wurst Fest ever! You are all invited. Admission is by invitation only, and an invitation is a mere twenty dollars. The sawbuck gets you a chance to win a 10,000 dollar jackpot and gets two people into the party. Oh, I almost forgot, if you wait until Thursday night to buy a ticket at the door the invitation fee goes to twenty-five bucks. If you aren’t a party person, you can still buy the ticket to get a chance to win the jackpot because you don’t have to be there to win. Isn’t that a great idea, or what?
The food offered will be genuine German bratwurst sandwiches, with what else but sour kraut? If you are not hungry, and still wish to fill your need for salt, we offer authentic German twisted bread sticks lovingly called pretzels. Wash it all down with some fantastic imported German Warsteiner Pilsen beer. It is the rich creamy kind with a thick tall head like they pour in Munich, Heidelberg and Frankfurt during October Fest. If you can’t stand bratwurst, pretzels, or beer, I’ll have pizza, and soft drinks. If you can’t stand eating, I asked the famous Peter from the Bier Stube restaurant to entertain you while we wait for Die Musikmeisters Band to play oom-pah songs so we can all do the German Polka and Chicken Dance the night away.
I guarantee your friends will ask you on Friday morning if you had a good time last night because you will look like you have a package on.
Click the button below to get your admittance to the party, I added a $1.00 service fee so the entire sawbuck goes to charity.
Your ticket will be at Will Call in the Lions Wurst Fest Beer Tent ticket booth on Thursday night 28 August 2014. Please bring a printout of your PayPal receipt and a picture i.d. to verify your age and donation.
Remember, my invitation goes to everyone including your friends, relatives, neighbors, or the guy you sit next to on the train coming home from work, and the beauty of it is that one ticket gets two people through the gate, now is that beautiful or what?
