Ramona: Population doubles during scarecrow season
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
Our front room has so many scarecrows sitting on chairs and leaning against the walls that when I get up in the middle of the night for a drink of water and see their shadows in the darkness, all the company momentarily startles me.
Then in my groggy sleepiness I remember that the entities filling the living room aren't ghosts who've come to visit, but simply our collection of scarecrows that are waiting to go up all around town.
It's scarecrow season in Ramona — something that happens in October — and because we have several properties in town, we have to make quite a few scarecrows. And then there are our aunts and uncles who have houses here and can't put up a scarecrow, so we make one for them.
And of course we've made a likeness of Tony Meyer, Ramona's oldest citizen, that even after we've put him up in Tony's front yard, I'm still startled when I drive down the street at midnight and see his effigy holding onto a walker. My first thought is, "What's Tony doing out at this time of night," and all this after we put up the scarecrow!
My sister and I decided this year that we'd make our scarecrows more permanent — meaning we'd sew all the parts together — so they last from year to year and withstand the Kansas weather. By the time we're finished we'll have made 20 scarecrows or more.
Pat wanted to make some kiddie scarecrows this year and we didn't have any children's clothes in our costume stash anymore. So we headed to a used clothing store where they have most everything for a buck, and $67 later we emerged with bags of jeans, shirts, dresses, hats, shoes.
We did get a bit carried away, but then we justified the expense because some of the clothes would be used when the kids came for the scarecrow workshop that was held Sept. 17 in Ramona.
The workshop was a stellar success and it was so much fun working with the other adults in town to create a memorable and creative event for Ramona's children. Pat and I brought hay, clothes, brooms, and mops for body parts. Jeannie Weber arrived with bags of clothes, old wigs, and other paraphernalia to make scarecrows look realistic.
When Art Stroda rolled into the city park with his truck and trailer I literally jumped for joy because Art unloaded two power saws to cut boards for making scarecrows. He had wood in his trailer and screws and power tools in his truck. He set up a mini-woodworking shop right there in the park.
When the children arrived they stopped first to see Art and decide on the height of their scarecrow. Pat helped the children stuff their scarecrow and make an appropriate head. Jeannie showed the children how to make the faces, and Shelia Mercer, mother of five of the children, and myself, were scurrying to help the dozen or more youngsters stuff and assemble the body parts.
"What a hoot it was to see the kids hold up their scarecrows for a group picture," said Wick. "Some of them were holding on by a leg and didn't even reach the waistline of their creation."
By noon all the creatures were finished and Art loaded them in the back of his trailer and together we had a caravan around town, as Art erected the children's creations so they'd withstand the Kansas winds.
The morning was one of the most gratifying — what fun it was working together on a community project.
By the time you read this column we'll have held another workshop Saturday in Lincolnville. All of this hoopla is in preparation for the Scarecrows on Parade that will appear in Ramona, Lincolnville, Tampa, Lost Springs, and Burdick. Scarecrows start going up in earnest Oct. 1 and will all be in place by Oct. 15 when the event is judged.
The Ramona seniors met Sept. 15 for their monthly luncheon. Because the Sondergards had an anniversary Sept. 6 they got to be first in the dinner line. I asked Al and Darlene what they did for their anniversary. "We went to Abilene," said Darlene. "It was neat and kind of romantic for an old couple to go out by themselves," she says laughing.
Last week Darlene, who is the senior center secretary-treasurer, and Marlene Anduss, president, went to the Senior Fair held in Salina at the Bicentennial Center. "It was really a good program," said Darlene. "The presentations were all about things pertaining to seniors."
Darlene's favorite presentation was by the keynote speaker, author Don Larson, from Livermore, Calif., and one-time Peabody resident. "Mr. Larson gave everyone a copy of his paperback book, Prairie Tides," continued Darlene. "He talked about what we all need to do to live our lives with purpose."
Martha Ehrhardt had a visit Sept. 17 from her sister, Anna Schimming of Herington, who turned 99 that day. Anna's daughter, Janice Plank, of California, also was here visiting her mother on this momentous birthday. The trio was in Martha's backyard and perched on a couple benches in front of the chicken coup, visiting while watching the chicken's antics.
This adventure was made possible by new sidewalks behind Martha's house. That home improvement took place Sept. 13 when Tooltime Tim took off work and Pat and I joined him to pour cement. The three of us had poured mom's front sidewalks last year, so we figured we could do the backyard too, but fortunately Tim asked Jim Thompson and Ron Nelson to come and assist, otherwise, in the heat, we might have solidified in that cement as permanent statues!
Don and Norma Bird went to see the musical performance of Beauty and the Beast Sept. 15 at the Salina Community Theater. "It was a really good show," said Don. "So good that they're adding two more shows."
Don had a birthday in September and his family gathered for a cookout. "Any spectacular gifts this year?" I asked Don. "Norma gave me a pair of boots for riding my motorcycle," said Don. I wondered why we hadn't seen Don on his new obsession. "I've got to fix the clutch and I'm waiting for a tool to come in the mail," said Don. "When that's fixed, I promise to ride by your house."
Donita and Dennis Ryff recently were seen planting mums beside the newly-painted sign at Trinity Lutheran Church. Well, actually Donita was doing the planting and Dennis was fetching tools as best he could while maneuvering two crutches. "What happened to you?" I asked out my car window when I drove by.
"Awhile back I was cutting limbs on a tree and a rather large limb fell on me," said Dennis. "And you didn't tell me so I could write up the story!" I teased.
The Ryffs, along with other church members, are continually making improvements at the church and parish hall in preparation for the 100th anniversary celebration Oct. 9 in Ramona. Their endeavors are inspiring all of us to get the town ship-shape, too, so we look as sharp as the church premises when all the guests roll into town.
The other day Lisa Hanschu said something to me that got me thinking. "When my Grandma Sader lived in town, Ramona was considered a jewel of a little town," said Lisa.
Recently the Sader family bought the property that was once Grandma Annie's here in Ramona, and their dream is to do their part to make Ramona a jewel once more. I think of that every time I'm mowing lawns or weed-eating ditches. If we each thought of our homes as a jewel, what would it look like?
And that's the news from Ramona where we celebrate a more simple and gentle era, and a traffic jam is two parked cars and a dog in the road.
