Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Names on the Rosalia Season’s Greeting board are starting with room still available for more names to be added.
“It’s kind of been a staple of the community for as long as people remember,” said Sarah Birrenkott, Rosalia Lions Club secretary.
Names of family, pets, businesses and passed loved ones are given their own plaque on the club’s greeter board. Each shingle costs $5 and those proceeds go to help the Lions Club provide aid to people in the area of Rosalia, Malden, Pine City and Plaza.
Birrenkott said proceeds from the project are used for two $500 scholarships to deserving seniors and also help residents with eye glasses and those in need of hearing aids.
The club is also responsible for decorating the town and hosting pictures with Santa,which took place Dec. 2.
“I want to keep these traditions alive,” Birrenkott said. While she has moved from her hometown of Rosalia to Spokane, she still stays active in the community with other club members. She noted that Rosalia has so much good history; it has “good bones” and she wants to keep it viable and going for the current and future generations.
She noted after Rosalia was by-passed by the highway the town started to struggle. She wants the traditions she knew to keep going. She pointed out the lamppost decorations were handmade by a man who is now deceased. Freshening them up and using them helps keep his memory alive.
The club is trying to push to get more names for the greeter board to better provide for the community, but also to generate more interest in the service club.
“We would just love new members,” Birrenkott said. While she has moved from town, her brother, Matt Solbrack, is still a resident and active member of the Lions Club. He is club treasurer and solicits for names on the board.
“Lions Club is not just for the older generation,” said Birrenkott. Several members have moved from the area, so they hope to attract more members to keep the group viable and vibrant. There is no age range requirement.
The club generally meets the first Saturday of the month at the Harvester Restaurant.
Rosalia Lions have a long-established location to sell ice cream to fair goers.
“We’re just constantly adding names,” she said. Once made, shingles are stored at the Solbrack farm for possible repeat use. When a new name comes in, Birrenkott and Solbrack usually are the ones making the new shingle.
Hole in the Wall Pizza and Rosalia Coffee both collect names and money for the greeter board.
While the wooden greeter board has been a standard through the years, the Lions Club also looks to the future with plans to purchase an electronic reader board.
Jana Mathia is a reporter at the Whitman County Gazette.
Reader Comments(0)