Each summer, thousands of visitors from all over Texas come out to enjoy the spring-fed San Marcos River, and the San Marcos Lions Club is expecting another busy summer this year.
The club began preparations for the 2019 tubing season recently with a day of restoring, painting, stocking and cleaning at the tube rental at 170 Charles Austin Drive.
Worn, weathered counters were repaired and repainted with a fresh coat of Tyrian Purple, rental lockers were scrubbed clean, signs for the tube rentals were rehung and a second-floor storage area that houses hundreds of yellow tubes that are all hand-inflated by volunteers for use at City Park, stood stocked and ready for use.
Lion John Bilodeau repaints the purple countertops at the tube rental booth.
The Lions were helped by members of the San Marcos High School Leo club as well as members of Boy Scout Troop 112. Last week Lions worked to inflate the tubes and tie each one with a mesh bag. In May, those yellow tubes will be the most common sight along the stretch of river from the launch down to Rio Vista Park. And those yellow tubes for many are a symbol for the sunny future of the community as 100 percent of the proceeds from the tube rental go back into the community through donations to charitable organizations.
The Lion's Club Tube Rental opens on weekends beginning May 4, and will be open seven days a week all summer starting on Memorial Day. The hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., but on late night Thursday, they are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Lions Esther Henk, Don Arlege and George Laktas fill tubes with air.
The San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce is holding a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for the Lions Club Tube Rental on Thursday, May 9 at 11:15 a.m. to mark the beginning of tubing season in San Marcos.
The San Marcos Lions are part of the Lions Club International, the world’s largest service organization with over 1.4 million members worldwide. The San Marcos Lions Club’s donations fund dozens of local charities and scholarships for San Marcos High School students every year. The club meets every Friday at noon at the San Marcos Activity Center. To learn more, visit the San Marcos Lions Club's website.
