Lions feed firefighters to thank them for their service to the community
Members of the Northeast Lions Club commandeered the Minnesota Firefighters Hall and Museum, 664 22nd Ave. NE, to conduct some club business and feed some hungry firefighters on June 11.
Lions manned the grills behind the building, including one, Tony Buda, who’s also a firefighter. More than a dozen local firefighters sat down to steaks and all the fixings, receiving an example of The Lions Clubs International motto: We Serve.
A large number of the Northeast Lions club’s 72 members were on hand to celebrate the city’s first responders, whose engines parked in front of the museum occupied most of 22nd Avenue NE (firefighters always bring their vehicles with them while on duty).
As the meal and business items wound up, the sound of drums came from outside the meeting room. The Edison High School Alumni Marching band came down Washington Street in formation; they crossed the museum’s parking lot and marched their way into the room playing under the direction of trumpeter Dan Kuch. The meeting ended with a rousing medley of New Orleans “Mardi Gras” music.
Asked about other Northeast Lions’ projects, former club president Heidi Zaworski said, “We are a major supporter of Art-A-Whirl and My Very Own Bed, and the Minnesota 100 Club as well. We financially support and deliver Meals on Wheels monthly, offer free KidSight Vision Screening, and support numerous food shelves in Northeast and St. Anthony Village.”
She added that the NE Lions bought new band uniforms for the Edison Marching Band and packed care bags for homeless youth for the Emma B. Howe YMCA, and sent holiday cards and care packages to veterans with the Mission Projects.
They recently cooked and served the food at the Minneapolis Police Department’s Second Precinct Open House.
Blind Lizard Motorcycle Club host a cookout annually on Nicollet Island
Another grilled meal took place just five days later.
For one day a year, the Nicollet Island intersection of Nicollet Street and Maple Place, among the oldest streets in the city, is ground zero for a shaggy, upbeat gathering of wheeled-transportation enthusiasts.
On Fathers’ Day, June 16, a couple hundred riders and friends got together for food and motorcycle admiration.
The machines jammed together on the cobblestones came from Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S.A., and they ranged from show quality to not so much. There were lots of bicyclists, too, and a surprising number of dogs, considering how they must have gotten there. The crowd included all ages, but the demographic definitely skewed baby boomer.
The event was the 48th annual meet-up of the Blind Lizard Motorcycle Club, and there were no admission fees or reservations needed. The only rule for vehicle admittance is, “Three wheels or less.”

Left, Northeast Lions Tony Buda (front) and Marty Zaworski cooked up steaks and chicken for Minneapolis firefighters.

Minneapolis firefighters seemed, in a good way, a bit overwhelmed with all of the food choices. The Lions entertain firefighters annually as a way of saying thank you for their service to the community.

Members of the Blind Lizard Motorcycle Club gathered on Nicollet Island for a barbecue, which has been an annual event since the 1970s.

A line of some 200 motorcycles contrasted starkly with the island’s Victorian-era homes.