SAN MARCOS, Texas -- Families across the state are spending their Memorial Day weekend in San Marcos floating the river and enjoy the sun.

• Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to tubing season
• San Marcos Lion's Club raises money with tube rentals

Wendy Morales is visiting with 17 members of her family, a trip that's become tradition.

"I really enjoy family time, so I'm excited to spend the day with everybody," said Rebecca Rodriguez.

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to tubing season and also one of the busiest times to visit.

"It's really relaxing. It's really hot outside. If you want to be outdoors, just take a nice float down the river," said Robert Li, UT student.

While the visitors relax, the San Marcos Lion's Club is hard at work.

"We have one other fundraiser. It may contribute one-half of 1 percent. This is it," said Mark Jalufka, General Manager of Lions Club Tube Rental.

Memorial Day weekend begins the club's summer fundraising efforts. One-hundred percent of the money they raise from tube rentals will be donated to various community groups. The employees have been preparing for this weekend for the past few weeks. Their tube rental stand will be open seven days a week until the end of September.

"We support organizations that support the river. We support organizations that support the kids, that support the schools. What we do is very important to the San Marcos economy overall, also to the kids that work here, but even more so to the organizations that we support,” said Jalufka.

Last summer, they rented out about 49,000 tubes, raising thousands for local organizations. This weekend is crucial for raising money, but it will likely be topped by a few weekends in July before tapering off. Jalufka said he expects Sunday to be the busiest day on the river.