Ramona: Bathrooms in the park take shape
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
Back in 2005, several city council members began talking about a dream to build bathrooms in the Ramona City Park. During 2006, the group — the Ramona Park Improvement Committee — held many fund-raising events to bring this dream to life. One such event even had the support of Thrivent, the fund-raising arm of Trinity Lutheran Church.
When Jim Brunner died, his sisters and brother wanted to give a gift in Jim's honor — something that would improve the town, since Jim lived here on Main Street all his life.
"Consider the park project," urged Pat Wick, Ramona's mayor, and the family agreed to contribute a large sum for the building structure.
The concrete slab and sewer line had been put in place several months ago and the committee pressed on, raising the rest of the funds needed to buy the materials for the structure. During the last weekend in April the framing began and what a great sight it was.
The building endeavor was led by city councilman Art Stroda, with help from Art's brother-in-law, David Staatz, and Tim Steinborn. City council members Jayme Brunner and Jeannie Goza, one of the instigators of this dream, were on hand to help throughout the weekend, along with Tonya Stroda.
The rainy weather has put a damper on the building's progress, but no matter what, the bathrooms will for sure be ready for Ramona's big 4th of July celebration when the park is heavily used for horseshoe and basketball competitions.
Speaking of the 4th of July, the planning committee — Mayor Wick, council members Kathy Werth, Jeanie Goza, and Art Stroda, former mayor Connie Smith, senior center president Marlene Anduss, Ramona's newest citizens, Julie and Byron Noeth, and myself — met April 23 at the Ramona Café to create this year's stellar celebration.
The Noeths proposed adding an early morning two-mile fun run to the festivities — Julie is a runner — and we've playfully called it the "Chicken Run" since the theme for the 2007 4th of July is "Down on the Farm."
After the fun run the Park Improvement Committee will be holding a fund-raising breakfast (they have lots of ideas for the city park). The horseshoe and 3-on-3 basketball competitions will begin at 3 p.m. in the city park, and at 5 p.m., the concessions will be open — and they were fantastic last year! We'll have DL Concessions from Herington, the Knights of Columbus offer sausage, and Jirak Farms will have their amazing corn (if mother nature keeps the growing season on track).
The senior center cakewalk will happen at 5 p.m., along with a tractor show. Jeanie Goza is in charge of the tractors (785-366-0931) so plan now to bring your tractor to Main Street Ramona on the 4th of July!
The parade will happen at 7 p.m., and everybody who lives in rural Kansas should have lots of ideas on depicting "Down on the Farm." I'm already working on gathering prizes for the parade — $50 for first place float! The parade is followed by corn eating contests, the farmyard relay, and live music for your entertainment.
Dan and Connie Smith orchestrate the fireworks display in Freedom's Field, and every year it gets more fantastic.
It's a common comment after the last blaze of light in the sky and folks are leisurely walking to their cars or homes, to hear people say, "This is the way the 4th of July was when I was a kid — this was wonderful." Plan now to wander the streets of Ramona on the 4th of July — where quaint and charming are part of the fun.
On the same weekend the bathrooms were being erected in the city park, there was action just south and across the street on the property that was once the Sader residence. This land was purchased a year ago by the family of Annie Sader with the intent of taking down the dilapidated house and putting up a memorial to a beloved mother, grandmother, and aunt.
Ronnie Hanschu and Lisa's son, James Weber, along with James's friend, Ryan Richmond, spent the weekend hauling away the debris of the old house. Then Lisa and her cousin Kodi Kelsey of Marion arrived to rake and clean up after the house was removed.
"Billy Alcorn came with his equipment to break up the foundation rock," said Lisa. "Art Stroda came from his building project in the park to offer a broom and shovel and help sweep the street clean in front of the house. Jeannie (Goza) offered refreshments, Ben Thompson came over and the neighbor across the street, Irene Beames, came and sat on the foundation stones with us to visit and reminisce. We were in no hurry to go anywhere."
And she continues, "Last week Tim (Steinborn) mowed the lawn around the fallen house. All this help and support — this is what hometown life is all about!"
By Sunday evening other relatives had joined Lisa, Ronnie, and Kodi at the land on the corner of 4th and C in Ramona: Lori Moldenhauer and her daughter, Nikki, Frankie and Anna Mae Stika from Tampa, Karen and Mike Mowat from Marion, and Lyal Sader of Salina.
"We discussed what we wanted to create as a family memorial and gathering place. My sister, Lori, came up with the idea of turning the well walls into a barbecue fire pit and we'll use some of the foundation rocks for benches. Everybody is very excited about having a place to gather in Ramona," concluded Lisa.
The day after the big cleanup at the Sader land I saw Frankie Stika with the weed eater cleaning up around the property. "It's great to see you in Ramona again," I said to Frankie. I was comforted seeing Frankie working in Ramona again — he used to be the city maintenance man in Ramona and he and Anna Mae lived here most of their lives.
The Ramona spring tea was May 12. Eighty-five women were scheduled to arrive for the Apron Caper to eat all the goodies that Pat and I have prepared. We started baking last week in preparation for this annual event, so what a delight for my sister and me to attend another annual tea where our only job was to eat!
The event was Victorian Day April 28 in Waterville. I'd been the highest bidder at a recent silent auction and came home with two tickets to this annual event, which offered much more than just tea. There were home tours, Opera House entertainment, displays featuring hats, tools, quilts, and trunks and a special program at the town's little schoolhouse. Tooltime Tim drove us to the Waterville event, and while he didn't want to take in the tea, he did try one of the buffalo burgers offered at the community center. "Isn't it grand to be walking up to this gorgeous Victorian home for tea, knowing that we're not the ones in the kitchen?" I said to my sister. We stood on the shiny painted gray porch of this elegant Victorian listening to live flute music float out the front door to greet us. As we waited along with other guests we were handed a pair of cover-ups for our shoes — the kind nurses where in surgery — so that our shoes wouldn't harm the elegant inlaid flooring in the house.
After being seated at a small table in the dining room, a plate of goodies — with the typical tea sandwiches and fancy things like Neapolitan cakes and scones — was delivered to each of us. What a playground for the taste buds. Now I know the fun that our guests have when they come to Ramona on Mother's Day weekend.
On the weekend of April 21 some of us in town were attending weddings. Postmaster Kathy Werth was in Abilene for her step-dad's wedding. Kathy has called Ralph Morton "Dad" since she was a small child. "My sister and I were two and four years old when Ralph married our mom, Marilyn," said Kathy, whose mother died a couple of years ago.
"My sister and I both participated in the Catholic wedding — we read scriptures," said Kathy. Ralph's son was his best man. "He drove 1,300 miles on a new Harley-Davidson that he bought, driving from Las Vegas to Abilene," said Kathy.
I was attending a wedding in Topeka the same weekend. My cousins — Joe and Janet Fike — had a son (Josh) getting married and I couldn't miss this event. I've known Josh since he was a little guy and he'd come to Ramona to spend time with his grandmother (Naomi Fike, who was my dad's sister).
I would have attended Grace and Josh's wedding even if they weren't relatives, just because I knew it would be an artistic and stylish affair. This was evident the moment the invitation arrived (invitations that Grace made — she has a degree in interior architectural design).
We women attend weddings to see the dresses, the colors, and the decorations at receptions. My eyes and senses were delighted at every turn at this wedding. The bridesmaids' dresses were pale blue and the maid of honor champagne. The fascinating textures of table runners and gorgeous bouquets on tables were all orchestrated, if not made by Grace. The pictorial display around the reception room was Grace's handiwork too.
"Oh, she's been working on this for months," said the groom's mother, Janet Fike, who was heavily involved in creating things for the wedding reception herself. Janet and some of her cooking friends made these amazing chocolate truffle-like treats that were made of cream cheese and ground-up Oreo cookies and then dipped in chocolate. I made a meal of these before I ever reached the buffet line.
I chuckled when I got a chance to speak to the groom and convey my delight in all the reception decorations. "Grace has changed it all a couple of times before we reached the final week of preparation," Josh said with his characteristic patience.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that the reception was held at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka? Between nibbling on food and visiting we could take in the amazing historical displays at the museum for free.
"Janet and I were both talking about how our mothers would have loved seeing this wedding," said Joe Fike after the wedding. "Now, we'll be getting ready for the next wedding in July." Joe and Janet have three sons and their oldest son is getting married in July — then all three sons will be married.
And that's the news from Ramona where a traffic jam is two parked cars and a dog in the road.
