Grand Junction Lions Club's 97th Carnival and Parade aids local nonprofits

The Grand Junction Lions Club is holding its 97th annual raffle, carnival and parade on Saturday, with a 2 p.m. parade followed by a free carnival and a 4:30 p.m. raffle at the Grand Junction Convention Center. The club says proceeds will support local projects and will fund $120,000 in grants to ten area nonprofit agencies.

The Grand Junction Lions Club is hosting its 97th annual raffle, carnival and parade on Saturday. The parade carries a theme called Get on Board and will begin at 2 p.m. at Seventh Street and Main Street, moving west along Main Street to Second Street. A free carnival and a raffle will follow at the Grand Junction Convention Center later that afternoon. The club reports that money raised will be used to support community projects and organizations. Event details: - The parade starts at 2 p.m. at Seventh Street and Main Street and ends at Second Street. - The free carnival opens at 4 p.m. at the Grand Junction Convention Center (159 Main Street); tokens are available and the carnival will run until prizes are gone, estimated around 6:00–6:30 p.m. - The raffle is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., with more than 150 prizes valued at over $35,000; examples listed include a custom ring from Thomas Hunn Jewellers, Colorado Rockies tickets, a $400 American Furniture Warehouse gift card, and suite seats to a Denver Nuggets or Colorado Avalanche game. - Raffle tickets can be purchased from organization members or online at www.gj-lions.org. - For its 97th year, the Grand Junction Lions Club plans to fund $120,000 in grants to ten local nonprofit agencies, including Monument Little League, Roice-Hurst Humane Society, Lions Kidsight, Mesa Youth Services and Partners, Museums of Western Colorado, Messiah Lutheran Church, Fruitvale Elementary, D51 Foundation, GJHS Marching Band, and Mesa County Search and Rescue. - The club reports it has donated nearly $9 million to more than 500 nonprofit projects and organizations in Mesa County over its history. Summary: The event combines a parade, free carnival and raffle to raise funds for local nonprofits, with the club planning $120,000 in grant awards to ten agencies. The parade, carnival and raffle are scheduled on the same Saturday, with the raffle set for 4:30 p.m. Details about the timing and process for distributing the grants are undetermined at this time.