The Minden Lions Club is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, marking a century of service to the community through projects supporting eye wellness, youth recreation, and civic engagement.
The club was first organized in the fall of 1925 and received its official charter on November 12 of that year, according to Webster Parish historian John Agan in his Echoes of Our Past column, “Minden Lions Club Celebrates 75 Years,” published in the Minden Press-Herald in 2000.
The first meeting was held November 5, 1925, in the dining room of the Imperial Hotel in downtown Minden with 20 charter members in attendance. A formal Charter Night was later celebrated on December 10, 1925, with civic leaders, families, and guests from surrounding communities.
The original officers included J.E. Harper, president; R.H. Lee, vice president; J.L. McInnis, secretary-treasurer; and several directors. Members represented a cross-section of Minden’s business and professional community, from educators and attorneys to merchants and railroad workers.
From its earliest days, the Minden Lions Club was active in community service. Its first projects included teaming with the Department Club to place highway signs at entrances to Minden and supporting recreation for local youth. In 1926, the Lions took over summer operations of the City Natatorium in Wilson Park, later helping establish playground equipment there.
One of the most notable early endeavors was the Lions Boys Band, which performed in Minden’s City Park and traveled to nearby towns. The club provided uniforms and instruments, building a tradition of supporting youth activities that continues today.
The club has also been active in statewide Lions projects, including the Lions Camp for Crippled Children, and remains well known locally for fundraisers such as its semi-annual Chicken Charbroils. The group also collects eyeglasses and holds eye screenings to aid vision care efforts.
Founded in Chicago in 1917, Lions Clubs International grew quickly across the United States and abroad. By 1927, just two years after Minden received its charter, the organization had 60,000 members in more than 1,100 clubs.
Today, the Minden Lions Club continues as a vital part of civic life, carrying on its long tradition of service while celebrating a century as one of the community’s longest-standing organizations.