Lions ready to complete ‘Century Project’

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

The poles are up, now they’re just waiting for the flags.

The Charles City Lions Club is celebrating 100 years of service in the community with its “Century Project,” which is an update and makeover of the Central Park flag pole and landscaping.

“This is a way for the Lions Club to give back to the city of Charles City,” said club member Michael Brown, who added that the project is entirely financed by money raised by the Lions Club, along with a cultural grant from the city.

The Lions will celebrate their 100th anniversary in the community on May 3, 2021. To honor the occasion, three flags will be raised on the site on the west side of Central Park — a U.S. flag, an Iowa flag and hopefully a brand new Charles City flag. Between now and the ceremonies in May, the Lions are planning on raising a U.S. flag, provided they can find someone to take care of it.

The preparation work has been completed by Jeff Otto, a Lions Club member and owner of Otto’s Oasis in Charles City. There was initially a contest planned to choose a Charles City flag, and the Lions wanted to get school kids involved in the design, but all the complications with the COVID-19 pandemic have slowed that process.

The Charles City Lions Club is currently about 50 members strong. The service group works to support the community by providing eyeglasses for students in the local school district, raising money for hearing aids, community projects, Eagle Scout projects, the school lunch program, TLC: The Learning Center, the Food Bank, the Fine Arts Century Club, the Sports Complex and numerous other groups.

One of the bigger projects recently for the Lions has been its “Flags Over Charles City” which offers the citizens of Charles City an opportunity to have a U.S. flag placed in their yard on specific patriotic days throughout the year.