How It All Started...
Spanning over four decades, the Cortland Lions Club, eager to serve attitude, has a strong tradition of being the Town’s silent partner in making Cortland a better place to live. Chartered on December 10th, 1973 with 34 members, meetings were held in Town Hall. At first most events like the annual Pancake Breakfasts, Chicken Barbeques, Diabetes Awareness and Candy Day were al
so held at Town Hall. Throttle forward to the fall of 1977, the Cortland Lions Club joined sixteen other Clubs to establish the Lions Fishing Derby. Averaging roughly 500 youth and adults with special needs in attendance, 2010 marks the 34th year of this remarkable event. Held every year in July at Lake Shabbona, we bring out our Pontoons and teach the kids how to fish. In 2008, the original pier was torn down and a new pier was built. The 14 clubs that built the original pier, and a few more clubs that support the derby, raised $30,000 needed to build the new pier. Lions also physically helped build the new pier. Around 1980, the Robinson Farm in Cortland went up for sale and the Town purchased 4.5 acres. In coordination with the town, the Lions Club members helped to remove old buildings, leveled and seeded the grounds for future usage. Two years later in 1982, we celebrated the construction of the Lions Shelter as an open air shelter with a cement floor complete with picnic tables and a grill. We started a fund seeking help where people could purchase a “per-foot” section in memoriam of loved ones in hopes to complete the four walls. During this time, along with the Town of Cortland, many people donated trees to decorate the field. Four years later in 1986, the shelter was completely enclosed and became known as the Lions Den. Taking much pride in the park as a whole, the Lions Club paid for the installation of the other (open) shelter by the baseball diamond. As with any community based organization, we have run the cycle from young members to older members back to a newer generational mix of older and newer members. Eager to Serve, is a reflection of the depth of commitment our members started with and continue today. As the town grows, so does the club with newer events while continuing to maintain the mission of being the Town of Cortland’s silent partner in making Cortland a better place to live. The Lions Den is rented out almost every weekend from Spring through Fall for private events and is available to anyone. Drive by during the week, you will see groups like the Cub Scouts, the Dekalb Senior Center and the Lions Club using the facility. Feel free to contact us to use the Lions Den or to join our efforts. We welcome new ideas and new members with open arms. To download a membership application, please click here.
