This year’s Miami Lions Club hog roast will not only include cash prizes for the traditional raffle, but a homemade quilt made and donated by a patriotic Marshall woman.
Dora Narron, whose son Billy Joe Narron is fund-raiser chairman of the club, pieced a “Stars and Stripes” quilt inspired by a surge in patriotism in the days after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, which she donated to the club to be added to the raffle.
“I had the sampler book before Sept. 11 and wondered what I was going to do with it,” Narron said. “But I started making it Sept. 11. I decided right then I was going to make it for the Lions Club. They’re always helping people.”
Although Narron said she only did the piecing of the quilt, she relied on a friend, Margie Drew, to do the batting and quilting for her at a reasonable price. But Narron did not stop at one quilt. She made two “Stars and Stripes” quilts and gave one to her sister, Betty Coleman, and one to the Lions Club.
“I had four brothers in the service already, back in the ’40s,” said Narron, explaining that she was full of pride for her country even before the Sept. 11 attacks. “I wouldn’t be caught in anything but red, white and blue. I love the Fourth (of July) and I love everything about America.”
Narron immediately knew she wanted to give the quilt to the Lions Club because she was reminded of all the ways the members work to help the community and meet individuals’ and families’ needs.
Billy Joe was the first Lions Club member to hear about the quilt and he was quite pleased with his mother’s efforts and willingness to provide an extra prize for the hog roast.
“She has four children and she’s made us all quilts,” he said. “But one morning she told me she was making this one and was giving it to the Lions Club.”
The drawing at the hog roast usually presents people with an opportunity to win cash prizes, but thanks to Narron, the grand prize will be the choice of either the quilt or $200.
The results of Narron’s donation are already showing her son said. “I’ve sold a lot of tickets,” he said. “I’m way ahead of how I’d been in ticket sales in years past. ”
Billy Joe could not remember how many years he has been a member of the Miami Lions Club, but every year he is the main ticket salesman, going around to everyone he sees and asking them if they would like to purchase a ticket. No one is a stranger to Billy Joe. He even sells tickets to people from surrounding states when he attends auctions.
Robert Latimer, program chairman of the Miami Lions Club, said the club was shocked, surprised and thrilled to receive Narron’s quilt. He said the hog roast has been the club’s primary fund-raiser since the club was chartered in 1987.
“This is the first time we’ve had any prize like this,” Latimer said, proud to be able to give away the quilt in a few weeks. “But all the proceeds will go toward activities in Miami and Lions Club projects.”
Tickets are available for purchase from any Miami Lions Club member. The cost is $1 per ticket or $5 for six tickets and tickets for a meal at the hog roast are $6 in advance, $7 at the door. The hog roast will be from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 27, in the gymnasium at the Miami R-1 School.
