Don Lasher started volunteering at the food booth in 1975, when he was in high school, later joined the Ridgefield Lions Club in 1982, and every year he and his family proudly serve at the Clark County Fair

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

This is its time to shine, this 10-day stretch in August.

The Ridgefield Lions Club is synonymous with the Clark County Fair, with a food booth in the concessions area that raises more money for the club than any other event every year.

And this is their time to shine, this 10-day stretch in August.

Don Lasher, his wife Sandy, and their grown children Lindsey and Jeff are synonymous with the Clark County Fair and the food booth.

For Lindsey and Jeff, it is all they have ever known this month.

For Don, who grew up in Ridgefield, cooking a Lions Burger or serving a drink from the booth or simply cleaning off the counter, has been an honor of his since 1975.

Yes, 1975, around the time when the concession area at the Clark County Fairgrounds opened.

Don even remembers when the Lions Club had a stand in the walkway of the fairgrounds, before the concession area was built.

Don Lasher is a lifer, and he has life-long memories of serving with the Lions Club, serving at the fair.

“The food booth and the Lions have always been important to my family,” Don said. “My wife or kids can easily run the booth. They have worked all the jobs in the booth over the years. I am very proud of my wife and kids, making it easier on me. There are times I wouldn’t have made it without them.”

Lindsey and Jeff live out of the area now, but they always return to Clark County for the fair. It’s a family tradition.

Since 1975, Don said he has missed two, maybe three fairs. He was a teenage volunteer in the 1970s, then joined the Lions Club in 1982.

These days, he is the club’s fair manager and co-treasurer.

He has put the past two decades of fundraisers on a spreadsheet, and by his calculations, the food booth at the fair has accounted for almost 60 percent of the money raised by the club.

Don covers the night shift at the fair every year. At 66 years old, he notes how tough it is to go to bed at 1:30 or 2 in the morning for this stretch. But one can hear in his voice that he is also proud of that fact. He might be getting up there in age, but the food booth still needs him, and he is still willing and able.

With his decades of experience, he also knows when to prepare for a rush of people as well as the slow times. When the grandstands fill up for a 7 p.m. performance for a concert or truck racing, the food booth can get a little quiet, for example.

Don also coordinates all the volunteers and comes up with a schedule. In all, there are 390 shifts to fill. Remember, a lot of Lions Club members are older and many cannot stand on their feet for more than a few hours at a time.

The club also asks for volunteers from the high school. The club is getting about 50 teen volunteers these days. In its heyday, that number was closer to 200.

But the Lions Club and the Lasher family make it work. Every year.

Last year, the booth cooked 4,000 burgers in the 10-day run. 

“The booth provides many young adults the ability to volunteer and get work experience whether it’s working the cash till, running orders, learning how to cook 400 burgers and fries orders a day,” Jeff Lasher said. “We happily support these young adults learning life skills and the importance of being a member of your community and ways to give back to make an impact.”

And they do it to give back to the community of Ridgefield. This past school year, the Lions Club handed out more than $40,000 in scholarships to graduating seniors. The club has also donated money to the school’s Knowledge Bowl program, a nationally recognized club. Plus sports teams and other clubs are supported by the Lions. Beyond school, there is support for the blind, for the deaf, and programs for people in need, such as food drives and local food banks.

On a sign on the wall of the food booth:

“Lions members — volunteers working together for the betterment of our community and the world. Consider becoming a Lion.”

This year, the volunteers are dedicating their hours to Cliff Clark, a proud member of Lions Club who passed away unexpectedly this winter. The Lasher family said Clark was “instrumental” in the food booth’s mission.

For those looking to volunteer in the future, go to: https://www.ridgefieldlions.org/

Don Lasher says he will continue volunteering as long as he can.

This 10-day stretch every year is chaotic and it doesn’t even end when the fair ends. On the Monday following the fair, there is another hectic day of administrative work.

Maybe a few days after the fair, Don Lasher can breathe a sigh of relief.

“Then it’s time to catch up on yard work or other stuff around the house that I put off for the fair,” he said.

The Lions Club and the Clark County Fair are the priorities come early August, though, for a man who has dedicated his life to both.