Evening Lions bring good food, good times to Chamber coffee

By Rick Kennedy, managing editor
The Hope Evening Lions, spiritual cousins to the larger Hope Lions Club, were the hosts of Hope/Hempstead County Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee, bring food and folks aplenty into the Chamber’s downtown office Wednesday morning.
There were plenty of familiar Lions faces and names from John Griffin to Judy Phillips to John Collier to Charlene Davidson as well as public officials like County Judge Jerry Crane and Justice Steve Atchley.
The Hope Evening Lions operate separately from the well-known “Lunchtime Lions” or the main Hope Lions Club, although both work together on a variety of projects, most notably the Lions Christmas Auction and the delivery of Christmas baskets. The Hope Evening Lions have long provided the food concession for the annual auction, known for their tasty servings of chicken and dumplings, chili, homemake soups and desserts. In 2017, the Evening Lions also added toys for young children to the Christmas basket deliveries.
Together, the two groups make Hempstead County home to one of the largest collection of Lions Club members in the state of Arkansas.
The Hope Evening Lions are also sponsoring the 2019 Jonquil Festival’s 5K run/walk in March, just as they have the past few years.