BOONE, N.C. — As the gates open of The Lion’s Club Fairgrounds all you can see is debris everywhere.

“It’s a mess,” said President Sonny Cook.

A mess that Cook says is filled with memories. He has been a member of The Lion’s Club for thirty years. He was in the U.S. National Guard, and in 1992 was asked to join the club. Now, he is their president.

“A civic organization, and we serve projects for the visually impaired,” Cook said.

When storms rolled through the area, he did not expect to see this much damage. The roof was torn off the building. Debris was thrown everywhere. The spot for the animal auctions was torn apart with sections of it ending up on the other side of the building.

“Some of the ceiling tile is from out of the den. Blows everything everywhere,” Cook said.

Emergency Management Coordinator Daniel Fox says the fairgrounds is the worst damage in the county.

“You can see the hole where it tried to pick the roof up and set it back down,” Fox said.

Cook hopes they are able to come back even stronger than before.

“Build back bigger and better, new and improved. We will see how that works,” Cook said.

If you would like to help the Lion’s Club you can contact them on their Facebook page.