Coach Hendricks poses with one of his former players, Gary Vine. (Courtesy Photo)

This year’s Princeton Onion Festival commemorates one of its founders, former Princeton High School football Coach Jackie Hendricks, who died last October at the age of 80. 

A longtime member of Lions Club International, Hendricks and fellow Lions Larry Abbott and James Southard came up with the idea of the Onion Festival as a new way to raise money.

“Our old fundraisers for many years were beginning to not be able to support the number of students that we had that were in need of eyeglasses, so we came up with something bigger,” Abbott said.

The first Onion Festival was held in 2004 and Abbott said they didn’t know at the time whether it would take off. 

“We’d kicked the idea around before we got brave enough to try it,” Abbott said. “We knew it was going to be a big undertaking, but Jackie said we could do it and we did.”

Abbott said the Lions Club was very pleased with the support it got from the club and the community. “It has really helped us to do more things than just the eyeglasses, like the Angel Tree.”

This year’s Onion Festival begins Saturday, April 15, with check-in at 8 a.m. for a Fun Run and 5K run starting at Jackie Hendricks Stadium. There will be a 3-on-3 basketball tournament from 9-10 a.m. and a craft and vendor show from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and a cornhole tournament with check-in at 10 a.m.

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By Bob Wieland | [email protected]