Lions Club International parade colors downtown

July 9, 2:15 PMMinneapolis Cultural Events ExaminerJoua Lee

Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Minneapolis Cultural Events Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Lions delegates waved international flags during the parade.

The Lions Club International parade swept through downtown Minneapolis on Tuesday. About 10,000 Lions delegates from over 100 nations and across the United States marched down Nicollet Mall in elegant traditional dress. Bystanders stopped to watch in awe as the colorful group walked and danced through the street.

Before the parade was to start, Lions from Tennessee, dressed in checkered skirts, danced on top of a float. Four young girls from Hong Kong put on make-up in preparation for a dragon dance. Lions from South Korea fanned themselves with traditional fans with red, yellow and blue swirls. A group of Lions from Egypt gathered to pose for a picture as they stood in long traditional robes complete with beaded lace and golden headbands. A local Lions group from Hamel, Minnesota blasted songs from Disney’s “The Lion King” as they drove their lion float down the street. The parade was complete with cheerleaders, dancers, floats, and a band.

Ben Siame, the district governor of a Lions group from Zambia, Africa, attended with seven of his peer delegates. His group sat in the shade along Washington Avenue in traditional Zambian green dresses with yellow, red and purple lining. They discussed their efforts to serve deserving groups in their home country. Their group has executed an eye-screening program and is in the process of constructing a hospital for optical health in Kitwe, in the Copperbelt Province. They are also involved in diabetes screening in less fortunate villages.

Lions Club International is a global volunteer organization that serves peoples in need around the world. The larger organization has 45,000 clubs and 1.3 million members across the world tackling issues such as disaster relief, shortage of education, lack of clean natural resources, health issues, and starvation.

This parade was part of a five day conference held in downtown Minneapolis. This conference was the 92nd conference to date which consisted of seminars, outings, appreciation ceremonies, and voting for new international officers.