Lions and Peaches and Chickens, Oh My!!

The Lions Clubs of Georgia are wonderful organizations. Although I am not a Lion, I know much about their work. I know that they have well over 1 million members through their international affiliates, that they do much charitable work with youth and with persons who are vision impaired. I am familiar with their broom and mop sales, their Lighthouse for the Blind, and their walk for diabetes awareness. How do I know all of this? My dad is a Lion.

My father has been a lion for….well….for a looong time. I can’t tell you how many Lions brooms and mops we have had over the years. I don’t know how many chicken and barbeques that he has participated in to raise money for the Lions. Many international youth traveling with Lions International have stayed in my parents’ home over the years. I have seen first hand the good that the Lions Club does.

There is one other thing I know about the Lions Club. From 1968 until 1985, the Lions Clubs of Georgia was the sponsor of Peach Bowl.

The Peach Bowl was originally created as a fund raiser for the Lions Clubs of Georgia. Unfortunately, the games during this period had lackluster attendance and revenue, and even worse media coverage. During this era of the bowl, it was played at the old Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. Old Man Winter never seemed to comply with the bowl, and it was always cold, wet, rainy and muddy. The Lions Clubs of Georgia struggled to cover the costs of the bowl.

In 1986, the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce took over the bowl, and with the completion of the Georgia Dome, the game was moved indoors in 1992. The attendance began to improve, and the media coverage of the game improved as well. In 1998, Chick-Fil-A joined as a sponsor of the game, and it became known as the Chick Fil A Peach Bowl.

Now, here we are in 2007. The Bowl has once again changed its name to “The Chick-Fil-A Bowl”, and the game between Auburn and Clemson was sold-out in less than 48 hours. It is the only game on television during prime-time on New Years Eve. And the payout to the two schools will be approximately $6 Million total. This is a far cry from the days of the empty, cold, wet, muddy Peach Bowl at Fulton County Stadium.

But maybe the Peach Bowl needed the rain and cold and mud in the beginning, in order to enjoy the healthy success it has today. Those of you who read your Bible will remember that Jesus took some mud and put it in the blind man’s eyes in order to restore his sight. In fact, that’s where we get the phrase “Here’s mud in your eye!” when toasting someone….It’s to their health….to their vision. The main mission of the Lions Clubs of Georgia….the original sponsor of the Peach Bowl.

War Eagle!

WJLaneSr