ABOVE: Families and friends take time to enjoy their breakfast together while others wait in line to get their meal during last year’s fly-in breakfast at the airport in Fairmont. This year’s Lions Club Fly-In Breakfast will be 7 a.m. to noon Sunday, June 23, at the Fairmont Municipal Airport. Besides the breakfast, weather permitting, there will be plane rides, an air show and more. Come out for a good meal and help support a civic-minded group that does much good for the local community and beyond.

By Vanessa Schultze

Sentinel Staff Writer

Lions do Breakfast and More

FAIRMONT — The Lions Club is taking flight, offering a breakfast that’s bound to be first class. The annual Fly-in Breakfast will be take place 7 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sunday, June 23, at Fairmont Municipal Airport, 2159 E. Blue Earth Ave., gluing you on the edge of the seats with a delectable breakfast meal and an aircraft show to keep your eyes on the sky.

Curtis Nelson is a Lions Club member and has been a loyal member of the Lions Club for 52 years. Nelson has been a member since founding the Fly-in Breakfast, which has persisted as an event, and one of the longest fundraisers, in Martin County for more than 45 years, excluding 2020, when COVID-19 began.

The breakfast event is one of the Lions Clubs largest fundraising events. Proceeds from the Fly-in Breakfast support hearing, sight and diabetic research centers located at the University of Minnesota. The Lions Club strives to be involved with civic matters while also supporting the less fortunate in the community. The club has had several projects and notable achievements since its establishment in 1956.

“The Lions Club is thankful for the people who come every year,” Nelson said appreciatively. “It’s a fun project to work on.” The Fly-in Breakfast traditionally serves hundreds of guests annually. Nelson is excited and expectant to see even bigger crowds on Sunday.

Until the day of the Fly-in Breakfast, Lions Club members do their best to spread the word about ticket sales to support the health centers as mentioned. Should one desire to support the club, but be unable to attend, they may choose to make a free-will donation toward the club in place of a ticket.

Meals served will include sausage, eggs, bacon, toast, milk, coffee, juice, and more to leave you and your taste buds more than satisfied.

The Fly-in Breakfast is an outdoor, weather-dependent event. Predictions for Sunday, June 23, describe the day to be sunny with partly cloudy skies. Rides on the planes for breakfast guests will be accessible to attendees depending on the weather. The prices for plane rides are yet to be determined but are typically around $25 based on the previous years costs. Tickets for the event cost $8 in advance and $10 at the door for adults. For children, ages 6 and up, prices are $4 in advance and $5 at the door. Airshow pilots and children under the age of 6 eat free.

Becoming a Lion means being capable of serving and giving back to the community, in addition to assisting the less fortunate nationwide and experiencing personal growth during time as an official Lions Club member. Annual membership to the Lions Club costs $75. The club meets the first and third Monday of each month. Following the Fly-in Breakfast, the Lions Club will host a ring toss game at the Martin County Fair in August. More projects are to be determined in the future. For further information, visit the Fairmont Lions Club website at www.fairmontlionsmn.org.