The 25th annual Norfolk Community Day was held on Saturday, June 3 at the Holmes Bus complex in town. Sponsored by the Norfolk Lions Club, the family-friendly event included participation by area groups and organizations, and included food, entertainment, and historical displays.
The Norfolk Lions Club estimated attendance at close to 2200 people over the course of the day, despite a brief rain shower. Participants enjoyed musical and dance performances, contests, and food cooked up by Norfolk firefighters. Rides on the trains, bouncy houses, and a country-fair environment kept both children and adults entertained.
Community Day co-chair Patti McCarty said this year’s bouncy house activities were free, in honor of the event’s 25th celebration. In addition, beginning at noon, the Lions held hourly raffles for $25 prizes. The winners were Jean Petrone, Adele Lemanger, Matthew Clemon, and Rachael Soun.
The Norfolk Cultural Council contributed a mock village, representing notable Norfolk structures.
Don Hanssen, past Master of Ceremonies for Community Day, and current organizer for the kids’ games, said the original idea for a community day came from Lion Scott Dittrich.
“He thought the Lions should organize a town gathering like in the old days, where everyone came to play games, socialize, eat, and have fun,” shared Hanssen. “He called the event ‘Old Tyme Day.’”
According to Hanssen, the Lions scouted out several locations around town for the event, but finally approached Dick Holmes of Holmes Bus Company, who embraced the idea and offered up his property. In keeping with the theme, the Lions tried to limit the activities and food to things with “Old Tyme” significance, like games from the 1900s, a dunk tank, candy apples, popcorn, and lemonade. Eventually the Lions renamed the event “Community Day,” which gave them more flexibility.
Hanssen says that in the past twenty-five years, the Lions have had to cancel Community Day only twice due to rain.
Community Day is a significant fundraiser for the Norfolk Lions, with every penny raised going back into Norfolk charities. The Norfolk Lions Club is a non-profit organization made up of men and women dedicated to serving the community of Norfolk and promoting the mission of Lions Club International. The Lions Club International is the world’s largest service club organization with more than 1.4 million members in approximately 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas around the world.
Issue Date:
July, 2017
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