From the roadside of U.S. 12, passersby might look over at the Edwardsburg Sports Complex and see a large, boldly painted statue rendering of a lion.

Belonging to the Edwardsburg Lions Club, the lion is not merely a decoration for the ESC, but a symbol of community outreach, according to Lion’s Club members.

The Edwardsburg Lions Club teamed up with the ESC to build an open-air community picnic pavilion on the ESC grounds. Though construction on the pavilion is still underway, the Lions Club has placed a lion statue, which originally debuted at the Memorial Day parade, next to the pavilion to celebrate the work that the club does in the community.

“We wanted the pavilion to be recognizable,” said Dan Bailey, who spearheaded the pavilion project for the Lions Club. “We thought that purchasing a life-size lion would be a good way to communicate that this is a Lions Club project.”

The project also serves as part of a local celebration for Lions Club International’s 100th anniversary. Local clubs all over the country have been taking on projects to celebrate the anniversary.

For the centennial anniversary, members of the Edwardsburg Lions Club knew they wanted to build a community pavilion, as the group used to have one near Section Street, but it was torn down around the time the school administration building was erected.

Bailey said the club has been tossing around the idea of creating a new pavilion for years, determining where to build it and raising money for the project. Construction on the pavilion began last summer is looking to be completed soon.

“This was something we wanted to do this for the community,” Bailey said. “We were looking at different parks where we could put a pavilion in, but it just happened that the sports complex was looking for donations to put more things on their property.”

Once the club decided to put money into the ESC and the pavilion project, the Lions Club sought out donations to make the pavilion a reality. Though Bailey said the Lions Club donated the largest portion of money to the project, several other community members, businesses and organizations also contributed money and labor to the pavilion project.

For their part, representatives of the ESC said the sports complex was pleased with the project and is excited to see the completed pavilion, which will be available to rent out as soon construction finishes.

“We were planning to do the exact same thing, so we are working with them to make this pavilion,” said ESC Director Jennifer Mackling. “It’s all very exciting. [The lion statue] definitely has some wow factor. We’ve already gotten a lot of questions about it, and once it’s ready, it will be a really nice spot for groups and families.”

Lions Club members said they were happy to work with the ESC on the pavilion project, as they believe working with local organizations and providing things for the community is part of what has made Lions Club International successful since 1917.

“We wanted to make something that the community can use and take advantage of,” Bailey said. “This is all for the community and to show kind of what the Lions Club does in the community.”