Members of the Kiwanis Club of Griffin gathered Wednesday for a barbecue lunch at the Kiwanis Fairgrounds, with the start of the fair just days away.

As members and guests lined up for barbecue, club Secretary L.V. Skipper handed out trophies to representatives of businesses that supported the Kiwanis Kids’ League, which provides summer baseball, fall soccer and a Cub Scout troop for handicapped children.

The recipients included Hollberg Properties, the Ladies Auxiliaries of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, RegionsBank, First National Bank, Georgia Business Association, United Bank and the Westbury Law Office.

After, Skipper asked City Manager Kenny Smith, who is also the outgoing president of the Kiwanis Club of Griffin, if he had anything to say.

“Let it run,” Smith said. “Come to the fair!”

Smith said the purpose of Wednesday’s meal was to kick off the fair, which starts on Oct. 8, and also to show off the new building.

“We wanted to be in here so everybody could see how the building’s progressing,” he said.

Elmer George was among those attending the event. He has been a member of the Kiwanis Club since 1942.

“I remember when we built the first building,” he said. “Shortly thereafter, it rained every day of the fair.”

This meant the club did not make money from the fair, so every member had to sign a bank note to pay for the building.

“We have advanced to the point now we have this building,” he said.

He said in the intervening years, the club has grown a great deal.