Yelm Lions Club to host summer full of family-friendly activities with bingo, Movies in the Park and more

As the weather continues to heat up and summertime nears closer and closer, you can count on Yelm Lions Club for free, family-friendly activities to take your children to this summer, including the return of a community favorite — Movies in the Park — and the second iteration of bingo during one of the city’s biggest weeks of the year.

Christina Garcia, Yelm Lions Club president, told the Nisqually Valley News on Wednesday, April 29, that the organization will be kicking off its summer activities this year during Prairie Days weekend in June.

Specifically, Yelm Lions Club will host Prairie Days Bingo from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, inside of the Yelm Community Center. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of each round, and special gift certificates to local businesses will be awarded to the blackout bingo winners.

“We did that last year and it was a big hit. We’re looking forward to kicking off Prairie Days with that event again this year,” Garcia said. “That event will be free to all community members. We’ll also have concessions for sale there inside of the community sale with hamburgers, hot dogs, chilli, sodas — all that stuff.”

After bingo concludes, action from the Yelm Lions Club will continue during Prairie Days on Saturday, June 27, when the annual Movies in the Park series returns and kicks off. The movie, Encanto, will begin at sunset — but there will be karaoke available for attendees to sing, beginning around 5 p.m.

Garcia specified that the family-friendly games before the movies are hosted by local Boy Scout Troop 268.

“We partner with the City of Yelm and they asked us if we would start our first movie on Prairie Days weekend this year just so we can have an option for families that evening,” Garcia said. “We want to give a huge thank you to Scout Troop 268. We couldn’t have facilitated these movies without them. They help with setup. They help with teardown. They’re out on the field with the families before the movies doing all kinds of fun activities. We appreciate our scout troop.”

The full Movies in the Park schedule includes: Encanto on Saturday, June 27; The Sandlot on Saturday, July 11; The Princess Bride on Saturday, July 25; Ratatouille on Saturday, Aug. 8; and How to Train Your Dragon on Saturday, Aug. 22. Each movie begins at sundown.

Garcia wanted to give a big shoutout to the local businesses and non-profit organizations who have made financial commitments for Movies in the Park this summer, including: One Net Yelm, Yelm Farm and Pet, Timberland Bank, Wilcox Farms, Olympia Federal Savings, Yelm Family Medicine, Yelm Veterinary Hospital, Tim’s Pharmacy, J&I Power Equipment, T&P Auto, and Whitewater Orthodontic Studios. She noted that Anytime Fitness has given Yelm Lions Club a “generous” gift basket each year to use in the raffle event during the movie activities.

“The City of Yelm allows us to use Longmire Park at no charge for the Movies in the Park Events so the public can enjoy these events and we love our partnership with the City. Living Water Church in Yelm allows us free access to a storage unit to keep our equipment safe throughout the year,” Garcia said. “Thank you so much to all those who volunteer, provide in-kind sponsorships, and those who give financially. It’s also super fun for businesses to see their logos up on the big screen prior to the movie events.”

Garcia added that the support from local businesses and organizations allows Yelm Lions Club to keep moving forward each year with Movies in the Park.

Each month, Yelm Lions Club looks to bring members of the community closer together by offering “Souper Sunday,” a free community breakfast on the third Sunday of each month at the Carlson Cabin. The event will run from 9:30 to 11 a.m.
This month, Souper Sunday is set for Sunday, May 17. Attendees can expect a warm, home-cooked meal with their attendance. The meal itself is always free.

There is also a Facebook group titled “Souper Sunday Yelm, WA” where community members can learn more about becoming involved with the event or the Yelm Lions Club itself.

Lastly, Garcia highlighted that the Yelm Lions Club’s historic Carlson Cabin is available to rent for the public. You can email yelmlionsclub@hotmail.com to receive your rental application.

Additionally, she said the cost to tent the cabin is $100 per hour with a two-hour minimum, followed by $50 an hour for each subsequent hour. There’s an additional $200 cleaning and damage deposit, however, it is refundable.

She noted that the cabin can be used for events of up to 50 people. Specifically, Garcia said the Carlson Cabin has previously been a strong setting for events like graduation parties, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, family reunions, weddings and receptions.

“We’ve done things like that where you have a small group of people, up to 50, and the prices are really reasonable to rent,” Garcia said. “We do some cabin rentals throughout the year, but we would love to do more. It helps us to cover the utility expenses of the cabin.”

She added that the Carlson Cabin currently charters local Boy Scout Troop 268 and allows them to meet at no cost each week at the Carlson Cabin. A local Girl Scout troop is also allowed to meet at the cabin at no charge twice a month.

“Something as simple as renting the cabin for an upcoming birthday party helps to keep that space available for our scouts who rely on that space. It’s really essential and important, and the cabin isn’t free,” Garcia said. “Every building has costs associated with it. We have a water bill and a power bill — same as everyone else. Renting the cabin for events like that helps keep the space running for the groups that need it.”