The new star of the season

A new era was ushered in Wednesday night when the Asotin Lions Club flipped the switch on the Christmas star shining over the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

The star is now the Asotin club’s responsibility, and judging by the cheers from the crowd who gathered to see it glowing, the transfer went well.

“We were presented with this opportunity when the Clarkston and Lewiston clubs merged this year,” said Ty Aiken, of the Asotin club. “Due to their age and membership, they were no longer able to do it, but they wanted it to stay in Asotin County, especially since it’s on the same hill as the ‘C.’ We were happy to take it on.”

Aiken and other Lions Club members and supporters met at Riverport Brewery to visit, eat chili and countdown to the lighting, which took place at 6 p.m. They plan to continue making the lighting a festive event in years to come.

“We’re also going to do some updates,” Aiken said. “If we’re not making it better, we’re falling behind. Next year, we’ll be able to control the star and Easter cross with our smartphones.”

Barry Pemberton, president of the Clarkston Lions Club, said the merger with Lewiston is going well, and they’re looking for more members. The combined group has been working together on fundraising events, and now meet at the Lewiston clubhouse.

“Our numbers had dwindled down, and the same thing was happening in Lewiston,” Pemberton said. “We’ve met and worked together, parking cars at events, like the demolition derby. We were there on the night of the greatest traffic jam in the history of Lewiston.”

Earlier this year, Clarkston sold its clubhouse on the 600 block of Sycamore Street to Nelly Broadcasting. Jim Nelly, who was at the lighting event, said it’s being remodeled into a retail space.

He and other Lions were pleased to see the star shining once again on the Lewiston Hill. The star has been a holiday fixture in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley since the 1950s. The Clarkston Lions Club took over the project from the Clarkston Jaycees in the ’70s.

Randy Servatius, who has been a Clarkston Lions Club member for 38 years, has helped maintain the star and cross and plans to continue. He recently transferred to the Asotin chapter.

“We usually light it on the night of the parade, but this room was already booked for Saturday,” he said. “Next year, it will probably be back on parade night.”

Pemberton said all donations for the star and cross have been transferred to Asotin for maintenance and operation. Over the years, the community has shown strong support for both features, he said.

“We feel fortunate to have the star and cross,” said Todd Clovis, a 22-year member of the Asotin club. “It’s a good club. We do a lot of fun events, and we have really good community support.”

The Asotin Lions Club, which was chartered in 1946, has about 25 members, and Scott Stoll is currently serving as president. New members are welcome, Aiken said.

“We make it easy to do something good for the community,” he said. “We make it fun so people want to come.”

Rob Setlow, of Clarkston, transferred to the Asotin chapter from Whidbey Island. “They’re really active, and they get things done,” he said.

Jim Reiner, of Clarkston, said it’s a good mix of “farmers and cowboys, bankers and businessmen. It makes interesting conversation, I can tell you that.”

Donations for the star and cross can be sent to the Asotin Lions Club, P.O. Box 175, Asotin, 99402 WA.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.