Ramona
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
Reign and Marlene Anduss get the "spirit of Christmas award" in Ramona this year because they opened the Ramona Cafe between lunch and supper Saturday for a decorating party where kids and adults got together to make "bird-riendly ornaments" for Ramona's town Christmas tree.
While Al and Darlene Sondergard were stringing cranberries, Jeannie Weber was showing kids how to make popcorn garlands.
"It's a lot of fun," said Jeannie, "because whatever breaks you get to eat!"
The neighboring table had, by far, the messiest endeavor of all, and also the one most enjoyed by the kids — putting peanut butter on pine cones and rolling the cones in birdseed.
My sister, Pat, suggested using spoons or knives to apply the peanut butter to the pine cones, but within seconds the kids' fingers were reaching inside peanut butter jars to get the "glue" for the birdseed. Minutes later their entire hands were covered in peanut butter and seed. They were having a ball and peals of laughter punctuated the party.
Virginia Bentz added the finishing touch to the pine cones with a wire for hanging and some holly for decoration, and the older kids would dash to the tree, climb ladders and hang the edible goodies on the large evergreen tree on the south end of Main Street.
I turned around and saw two youngsters, with hands covered in seed and peanut butter, heading for the bathroom. "Wash your hands in this bucket," I suggested, "so the Andusses' bathroom sink doesn't clog up."
"Oh, I'm not worried," replied Reign. "They can't hurt anything."
Not only was Reign a gracious host, but he played Santa at the conclusion of the party, giving each child a little memento of the day.
My sister, Pat found some great bird whistles that hold water and when you blow on the whistle it chortles like a bird. When 18 youngsters started blowing it sounded like a flock of birds had landed in Ramona.
While Santa was preparing to make his entrance, Mikayla Antoszyk was commissioned to be Santa's elf and count the kids. When Santa came out of the restaurant, and started walking toward the Christmas tree, third grader Mikayala announced, "The kids are all lined up in front of the tree — from youngest to oldest!" That girl is one organized elf!
When five-year-old C.J. Thompson saw Santa approaching he was very excited and he came running up. He took one look at Santa's face and then at his tennis shoes and he proclaimed, "It's just Reign! I can tell by his face and his shoes!"
After the town tree party it was such a lovely day we just had to keep decorating. Pat and I started putting lights on the barbershop where Santa's getting a shave, and across the street Jeannie Weber put the finishing touches on her display at the Cheers II building which includes Santa and Mrs. Claus making a list and checking it twice, while elves in the other window are piling up presents. (We haven't addressed the issue of how Santa can be two places at once — getting a shave and working with Mrs. Clause)
"What about the senior center — who's decorating that building?" asked Jeannie. Within minutes she had a ladder and the Sondergards produced the decorations. Chet Mercer was recruited to climb on the roof and hang the lights and his wife, Shelia, helped Jeannie and the Sondergards string lights and garlands.
I joined Alan and Virginia Bentz in their pasture and helped them cut down 46 small cedar trees which they hauled into Ramona past week. Betty Ohm loaned us buckets (with red and green stripes, no less) for propping the trees here, there, and everywhere, and Paul Jones distributed them up and down Main Street Saturday morning.
Decorations are beginning to appear. "I haven't even started decorating yet," lamented Kathy Werth, Ramona's postmaster. Last year by this time Kathy and Don Matkins had lights everywhere and kept adding more as Christmas approached. But this past week Kathy has been in Salina as her father had open heart surgery.
"Dad's supposed to go home today," said Kathy on Monday. "Now Don and I need to start putting up our lights." Don was seen hard at work Monday evening.
Even our bed and breakfast customers got in the act. "Is there anything I can do while I wait for the other hunters to arrive?" asked Mike from Wisconsin. "They won't be here for a couple of hours and I can't stand to sit still." I didn't need to be coaxed.
"You bet! Just grab that tall ladder and help me put lights up on Tony Meyer's house," I replied.
Before long Mike had met several Ramona families as we worked our way down Main Street.
All this frenzied decorating is in preparation for the Festival of Lights which occurs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18. This year, for the first time, Ramona is having a decorating contest and three out-of-town judges will be deciding on the best decorations.
Another highlight of the evening is the live nativity in Ramona's park. The Holy Family is being portrayed by Chet and Shelia Mercer and making this extra special is the fact that Shelia is pregnant — with twins! Some of the shepherds are father-son duos from Ramona like Lynn and Nick Kleiber and Steve and Jacob Jirak. Everyone in the cast of characters is from Ramona.
Christmas is my favorite time of year for singing and so once more I will be the singing angel for the nativity in the park. I'm also working with a Ramona youngster to be a young singing angel — Brandon has a voice like a Vienna Boy's Choir member so that should be fun.
Pat's getting costumes ready, Tooltime Tim's putting up the guiding star in the park, and folks are getting their houses sparkling with lights so you have something to look at when you drive through town.
The Festival of Lights is a great time to visit Ramona. Come early and have supper at the Ramona Café, which opens at 5 p.m. On this one day the Andusses will have the restaurant open a bit longer — until 7:30 — so guests who come to view the lights and see and hear the nativity can stop for a piece of pie and coffee afterwards.
And that's the news from Ramona where we're hoping you'll come visit us all on Dec. 18, and if y'all do, we'll certainly have more than two parked cars and a dog in the road. How grand!
