Bad weather stayed at bay and runners and walkers united as the Oakdale Lions Club hosted the 25th Annual Don Osborne Memorial Run on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The club was delighted by a number of 99 registered runners for the one mile and 89 runners for the 5k distance.

“It’s the biggest turnout we’ve had in a while,” event organizer Alan Graham shared with the crowd, just prior to the distribution of medals.

Graham also noted that the event had seen a sizeable increase in sponsorship, bumping up from close to 10 to over 20 sponsors this year.

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the event and acknowledge Osborne’s family, a quilt from past T-shirts was made and presented to the family.

“Don Osborne, who was a Lion, began this to get large print books for the library,” Lions Club President Craig Johnson shared with the group, “and it just kept going.”

Five Osborne family members, representing three generations, were in attendance as participants of the race and to accept the quilt.

Oakdale Lions Club is a 501c3 and utilizes all the funds raised through such events to go straight back to the community. Some of their projects include: the Christmas Shopping tour, local scholarships, vision screening, pancake breakfasts, flag displays and staffing Oakdale Community Sharing.

For more information on the Oakdale Lions Club and future events, visit www.e-clubhouse.org/oakdaleca