Though the hall closed to other events, the Crystal Lake Lions Club had its annual fundraiser at D’Andrea a week before the fire, providing steaks for more than 600 people to cook on grills outside. The event was safely run every year, with firefighters and police participating, and with the leftover charcoal safely stored overnight and disposed, Lions Club officer Randy Funk said. The fundraiser raised about $10,000 to help buy a dog that could detect low blood sugar for a local 13-year-old boy with diabetes.
