Lions are ready to fill you up with fruit

Oak Harbor Lions Frank Votry, Bill Miner and president Terry Lacey, from left, are ready to fill bags with peaches, plums and nectarines during the club’s third fruit sale of the year. Stone fruits aren’t all the club has for Whidbey Island tastebuds — jalepeños, onions and tomatoes are available for the freshest of homemade salsas. Shopper Michele Reagan says the Lions always have “fabulous” produce. The produce is priced by the pound or by the box. And club members are happy to load cars with boxes. Marlene West was raised in Yakima and supports the Lions’ sale “Because everything is as fresh as possible.” “Every dollar raised here, stays here,” Lacey said Thursday. “It all goes to our community projects.” Those projects include eyeglass programs, scholarships and Camp Horizon for disabled kids. While the Lions got 8,000 pounds of just-plucked produce, what doesn’t sell will be trucked to Help House. The Lions will be at Safeway’s parking lot on Highway 20 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. It’s a great way to get Eastern Washington-ripe fruit without hitting the gas pedal. If you aren’t in the mood for fruit, wait a few months: Christmas tree sales start the day after Thanksgiving.