Howard Fire Company members parked the large number of vehicles tight and close to make certain no one had to walk far to get into the Yearick Center on Saturday, Feb. 10.

The Howard Area Lions, most wearing bright yellow aprons, have been providing their annual Sweetheart Dinner since 1981.

This year’s attendance shows that everyone who came was ready to shake off winter and get out and about for fellowship and a good, hearty meal.

Lion President Steve Barnes welcomed the dinner guests at noon and thanked all of the Lions who were there “to serve” the dinner.

TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS Members of the Gates family dined at a table together during this year’s Sweetheart Dinner. Tom and Charlotte Gates, front row, have been married 67 years. The couple along with their daughters, Amy and Cindy, enjoyed the Sweetheart Dinner with Sam and Shirley Gates, of Howard, who have been married 57 years. Joining the Gates brothers was their sister, Judy (Gates) Stiffler, who traveled all the way from Winchester, Va., to partake of the Lions meal.

The Lions motto is “We Serve” and this meal is just one of the many things the club does throughout the year to serve their local community and the residents that live there.

The Howard Scouts of Troop 353 were there, too, doing a “Good Turn” for their community.

Following the pledge to the American flag, Lion member Bob Patishnock said a prayer, blessing the food, those who prepared it and those who would be eating it, before the dishes of delicious foods were handed to those seated at the tables.

Seniors over the age of 60 were the majority of those in attendance, some with their sweetheart spouses and others simply there with friends to enjoy the event. Platters of ham and turkey, bowls of mashed potatoes, green beans and noodles were part of the hot foods that were dined on. Dinner rolls and coleslaw were also provided.

Nearly 250 individuals dined on the festive meal this year.

TAMMY COAKLEY/THE EXPRESS A host of Howard Area Lions wait in line for their bowls and platters to be filled to serve guests at the 2024 Lions Sweetheart Dinner at the Yearick Center in Howard on Feb. 10.

Pies of various flavors, most donated by the men — and often baked by their own sweethearts — were cut for the dinner guests to enjoy for dessert.

Howard Area Lions Club has four female members thus far and this year those “Lady Lions” had the delightful duty of slicing the many flavorful pies that are donated for the meal.

According to Lion Jay Pletcher who has helped with nearly all of the Sweetheart Dinners over the years, “it used to take about three days to pull the meal off. We’d start on Thursday night putting the turkeys in to roast all night. Then we’d be back in the morning to take them out and slice the meat and slice about 70 loaves of bread. We’d put the hams in the ovens on Friday and then be back about 4 p.m. to slice the hams and help the set up crew with the tables and chairs.”

Most of the time there were about 100 pounds of both turkey and ham for the meals, Pletcher recalled, of the past years when Lion members did all the cooking themselves.

Men like Lester Burd, Kenny Stine and George Boone were just some of the names mentioned as being the Lion’s kitchen workers.

TAMMY COAKLEY/FOR THE EXPRESS Part of the crowd who attended the Howard Area Lions Sweetheart Dinner is pictured.

“We always made sure we had plenty of food because we never knew how many were going to show up on Saturday to eat,” said Pletcher.

Last year and again this year the club has opted to have the meal catered. Enough food was prepared for some 350 guests to eat their fill, and the leftovers will be eaten by the Lions at their monthly business meeting this week.

“Not much goes to waste,” said Pletcher with a chuckle.

After the meal, 11 raffle ticket winners were drawn, each winner receiving a $50 cash prize, before the crowd dispersed leaving the Lions and their young Scout comrades to tackle the clean-up afterwards.

Howard Area Lions Club was chartered in 1976 with 63 men signing the charter then. Only a handful of those original charter members are still living today, but yet there is a current membership of about 90 involved with the club. Howard Area Lions is always looking for new recruits to join the club and continue the Lions tradition of serving others.