Seaforth Lions Club marks 100th anniversary of community service
BY CATHY ELLIOTT
On Dec. 5, 1924, the first meeting of the Seaforth Lions Club was held.
The charter members of the club were 25 community-minded men and their first order of business was to establish the Seaforth Lions Park and Pool in 1925. Two acres of land, which contained an abandoned limestone quarry through which Silver Creek flowed, was leased by the club for a period of 50 years at an annual rental of $20. A small white house was located at the northeast of the property where the current picnic pavilion sits. It remained on the property until 1965, when it was dismantled.
Using shovels, club members dredged the quarry of years of silt, built a dam and created an attractive swimming hole, complete with a raft and a diving board.
Then, in 1928, the Seaforth Lions purchased the property they had been leasing.
Cleaning the swimming hole increasingly became more of a problem, so, in 1935 a retaining wall was built on the south bank, the north bank was edged with a stone wall and the swimming area was cemented to create a two-level pool that measured 80 feet by 100 feet. Drilling a drainage hole into the rock fissures facilitated easy water removal for cleaning.
This new pool was officially opened in late August of 1935. A fence separated the shallow and deep sides of the pool. In order to qualify to be in the deep end of the pool, swimmers had to swim unassisted across Silver Creek and back.
By 1940, the Lions Club had purchased an additional six acres, which allowed for parking. A hardball diamond was built in 1948 with Lion President James M. Scott having the honour of turning on the lights, mounted on 60-foot-high wooden poles, for the first time.
A small clubhouse was built with change room facilities and lighting for the pool was installed.
In 1942, a new clubhouse, measuring 100 feet by 26 feet, complete with change rooms, showers and a refreshment booth was made possible by donations from admirers of the work of the Seaforth Lions Club.
By 1954, the flow and quality of the water in Silver Creek decreased and it was decided to build a completely new pool. In 1955, the rock base in the park was blasted to allow for the building of a 100-foot-by-45-foot cement pool, complete with the filtration plant, sun decks and protective enclosures. The $48,000 to build the pool was raised by province-wide sales of raffle tickets on cars (which were permitted in those days), government grants and donations from local residents. Jim Sills was the first swimmer in the new pool.
In 1961, a children’s wading pool was built with funds provided by the families of deceased Lions members as a permanent memorial to their dedication and work with the Seaforth Lions Club. The wading pool was closed in 2022 when public health rules dictated that it must have a filtration system and fence, which were cost prohibitive for the Seaforth Lions Club.
Three years later, in 1964, a 36-foot-by-86-foot picnic pavilion in the park was completed by the club at a cost of $12,000. The pavilion provided a sheltered area for picnics, dances, penny sales and bingo during the Summer Carnivals.
The centennial year of 1967 marked the addition of a new flood-control dam, park entry gates and repairs to the clubhouse in the park.
By 1980, the 25-year-old pool was experiencing leaks and water loss. Changes in ministry requirements covering the operation of public pools meant that a larger circulating pump and updated chlorination equipment was needed.
Since the main concrete tank was in good condition, engineers advised that renovations of the existing pool could probably be done for less than one third the cost of a new pool.
A 60-foot wooden light pole at the hardball diamond, weakened by age, crashed to the ground during a windstorm. Facility safety dictated removal of the other poles. In addition to the pool renovation, a new ball diamond with lighting on metal poles provided a modern facility for ball.
The cost for the projects, in excess of $150,000, was raised through provincial grants and a Seaforth Lions Club fundraising campaign.
With the relocation of the ball diamond to its current location in 1980, an area for playground equipment was available. In 1984, Seaforth Lions Club members purchased the equipment and assembled it in the park to make a play area for children.
The two-bridge system for pedestrians entering the park required winter removal so that it wasn’t damaged by debris and ice flow. A higher, continuous bridge design was built in 2000, along with a new dam system to better control flooding in the park.
In 2006, the issue of accessibility to the pool saw another phase of changes. The filtration system was moved from under the deck of the pool’s shallow end to an above-ground structure abutting the pool deck. Steps to the pool deck were replaced with a ramp and a hydraulic lift was installed to allow those with mobility issues access to the pool.
The east end (deep end) wall of the pool was replaced, new underground piping was installed and a new cement deck was poured. The $225,000 needed for this project was raised through a provincial Trillium grant and community fundraising with Main Street merchants holding a “Cash for Splash” event.
Over the past 99 years, tens of thousands of swimmers have taken lessons and enjoyed recreational swimming at the Seaforth Lions Pool.
In 1927, the club began the first of many annual fundraisers to support the park and local needs. A mammoth Halloween Frolic was held annually until after the Second World War. Early in the evening, hundreds would assemble at the Seaforth Lions Park for a huge bonfire. The Seaforth Highlanders Band then led the crowd, many dressed in costume, to the Palace Rink, where the games of chance and contests were held, prizes for costumes and comic events were awarded and there was free candy for all. There was a large dance floor and an orchestra.
The great depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s saw the Seaforth Lions Club step up to provide the joys of Christmas to local children. Parcels of warm clothing, toys and food were delivered to many homes to assure a Merry Christmas. The Lions set up a big Christmas tree at the corner of Main and Goderich Streets. Children climbed up the wooden platform to meet Santa Claus and receive a stocking filled with fruit, candy and a toy. Annual Christmas visits to Huronview Home for the Aged began in these early years and continued for decades.
Since 1977, the Seaforth Lions Club has been bringing Santa Claus to Seaforth with their annual parade. Lion Ross Ribey organized the first night-illuminated Santa Claus parade in the province in 1987.
In 1935, the Seaforth Lions Club began its Summer Carnival at the park; an annual fundraising event that would last for 48 years. From 7-11 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night during the week after August Civic Holiday weekend, the Summer Carnival drew hundreds of people. Carter’s Midway Rides (ferris wheel, merry-go-round, swings) were all made by Mr. Carter. Two large tents housed the penny sale and bingo, while a third smaller tent was the food booth. The talent contest drew contestants from all over.
Attractions cost a nickel, a dime or a quarter. Each night after closing, Mr. Carter and Lions A.Y. McLean and Bob Beuttenmiller counted the money in the pool pump room. The Seaforth Lions Club received 15 per cent of the revenue. The best-attended years generated as much as $6,000, which was a sizeable amount.
After the carnival closed, local children scavenged through the grass for coins dropped from the bingo and crown and anchor games.
Proceeds from the carnival were used for park improvements and donations to sports groups, the hospital and the arena were also made. In the years before national healthcare, many disabled children in the county needed medical care that their families couldn’t afford. The Seaforth Lions Club Crippled Children’s Committee pioneered holding clinics so that scores of young people received orthopedic treatment and surgeries.
Lions Clubs have been “Knights of the Blind” since 1925 when Helen Keller made the request. In 1984, the Seaforth Lions Club sponsored a seeing eye dog through Lions Canine Vision Canada. In recent years, the club sponsored a hearing ear dog, which was matched with a local woman. Service dogs through Lions Foundation of Canada are provided at no cost to the recipient through sponsorships from Lions Clubs.
In 1990, membership was opened up to include men and women and Cathy Elliott joined the club, having been a Seaforth Lioness for many years. Currently, the Seaforth Lions Club has 18 members, three of whom are women.
The Seaforth Lions Club’s main fundraising activity is now in its 54th year. In 1970 and 1971, a raffle draw was held with a car, purchased for $1,200 from McLaughlin Motors, as the top prize. The raffle draw was changed to an elimination draw the following year, with cash prizes awarded. Our elimination draw has sold out every year (with the exception of 2020, when COVID-19 pandemic restrictions prevented the draw from being held) and we expect our 2025 draw to be no exception.
The unwavering support of Seaforth and the surrounding community has been the key to the Seaforth Lions Club’s ability to provide events, facilities and aid to our residents for 100 years. Our membership numbers have declined over the years, but our commitment to our community remains strong. The Seaforth Lions are proud to have provided a century of service and look forward to carrying on this tradition.
Seaforth Lions... We Serve.