CORRESPONDENTS: Ramona
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
The month of May is the most abundant month for news, and so it was no surprise for me when I realized — after I'd submitted my already-lengthy column to the Marion County Record — that I'd forgotten some essential May news: graduations! Three Ramona teens graduated May 18 from Centre High School — Steve Antoszyk, Bryant Brunner, and Ida Saadon.
When I walked by the graduates to deliver presents and offer congratulations, I asked the Ramona kids what their plans were for next year. Bryant Brunner said he was going to Butler Community College. His father, Mark Brunner, was standing near by.
"You mean he's not following his dad in the cattle business?" I teased. Mark just smiled, and said that his son is proficient in the field of computers and technology, so he's pursuing a different career path than he did.
Steve Antoszyk is heading to Manhattan Tech for the next couple of years. And Ida Saadon is going to Singapore to college — she's already left, in fact. She and her mom, Rohani Alcorn, left the Wednesday after graduation to get Ida all situated in her new academic home.
Singapore is quite familiar to Ida — she and her mom were living there until Rohani met Billy Alcorn on the Internet. Billy and Rohani carried on an e-mail courtship and then Rohani took the plunge and got on an airplane to come visit Billy. The rest is history — she came to the United States with Ida, she married Billy, and they moved to Ramona. (This is the condensed version of the story — a couple of years ago, I wrote the whole romance story, so I won't repeat it.)
Graduations touched many people's lives here in town. Betty Stenzel's granddaughter, Nikki, graduated too. The Stenzels and Saders were lifelong Ramona residents until the Saders moved to Tampa a few years back, to be near daughter, Lori.
When I walked into the Makovec household a week before graduation, Marissa was all organized — her life requires great organization because not only do they attend the numerous parties they're invited to, but Marissa is often catering and baking cakes for many of them.
There on one of Marissa's kitchen counters she had neatly laid out all the invitations (they had received 10 by this time) and the gifts they were giving to each. Gail and Marissa had even set their "party itinerary" because there were so many parties, it required them to be organized or they'd miss something.
Rohani Alcorn was cooking days before Ida's graduation party, which was held at the Ramona Senior Center. "I tried to tell her that cake was enough," chided her husband Billy, "but no, she had to make a full-course dinner!" The food was impressive and folks enjoyed some of Rohani's Asian cuisine.
Another "May happening" that I forgot to report had to do with Memorial Day weekend. Don and Kathy Matkins did a great thing for Main Street Ramona, which we'll all be enjoying for years to come.
At the May city council meeting — Kathy is a council member, and Don is maintenance person — I casually mentioned a dream of mine. I imagined the Main Street of Ramona having a flag on each and every building. "Wouldn't it be grand to see flags on every building in Ramona," I said, and then added, "Well, wouldn't it be wonderful to see flags, even if it was just on all the Main Street buildings," knowing it would take a generous person to buy some flags, if that was going to happen.
A few days later I got a phone call from Kathy Matkins. "Don and I have bought 23 flags — enough for every building on Main Street," announced Kathy, "and Don will put them up tomorrow."
Wow! What a gift! And it turned out it took dedication, too, because the Kansas winds came up right after Don got all the flags a-flying, and whipped them so hard that some of the poles got bent.
The next morning, Don was out fixing the flags. "I figured out a way to reduce the stress," he said, in his usual "can-do" way.
Those flags will be flying again for our 4th of July celebration. Blessings on Don and Kathy — what a gift we received when they moved from Salina to Ramona. In small towns, the arrival of even one couple can change the course of the town.
This is true of another relatively new Ramona couple — Byron and Julie Noeth. They serve on our 4th of July planning committee, and last year came up with the two-mile Redneck Run on the morning of the 4th. The idea was a winner, right out of the gate!
This year, as I created the calendar of events for Ramona's 4th of July party — Redneck in Ramona — I marveled that another dream had come true: we have events happening all day long.
The day begins with the two-mile Redneck Run at 8 a.m. To get your collector's Redneck Run T-shirt before the run you must be registered by June 27. Call the Noeths at 258-4086. The Noeths create the funniest trophies for this event. And if you dress like a redneck for the run, there's a trophy for this as well.
From 8-9:30 you can get a yummy country breakfast at the senior center of Biscuits and Gravy. The donations are divided between the senior center and the park improvement committee.
The Redneck Olympics begin at 10 a.m. Come test your redneck strength with the car starter shot put, toilet hoop shoot, hubcap toss, watermelon seed spitting, and beer-bottle bowling.
Don and Kathy Matkins are responsible for bringing two new attractions to Ramona — a dunk tank and an inflatable kiddie fun house, which features two water slides.
An art show, showcasing photography and watercolor paintings by Ramona kids, will be on display all day at the Dirt Gambler's museum. Pat and I will be offering free art classes to Ramona kids (grades 3-8) the week of June 23-27. The goal is to teach the kids how to see Ramona in an artistic light.
Pat and I had decided to give these classes as our gift to the community; we had also dreamed of teaching photography and getting disposable cameras for kids who didn't have access to a camera, but decided we couldn't afford that this year.
Then a miracle happened. Sheriff Lee Becker stopped by the office one morning to check with me about a vandalism issue we had in town. We got to chatting and I told him about the art program we planned for the summer.
Sheriff Becker asked if we needed some funds for supplies, and I shared our dream of having cameras for the kids. "The Marion County Sheriff Department has funds from the drug prevention program for events like this," he said. "We'll send you $100 for art and photography supplies."
I literally jumped up and down! And there was more. Sheriff Becker divulged that he was a photographer and captures many area weddings and also takes family portraits.
"Would you come and teach the kids about photography?" I asked. "You bet!" he quickly replied.
I get excited just writing about this story, because it reminds me of the power of synergy and what we can all create when we work together. Come and see "Window on Ramona," on July 4. And if you have kids grades 3-8 and you have a Ramona address, and they want to attend the free art/photography class, call Pat Wick, 965-2621 by Friday.
Concessions will be available beginning at noon July 4.
The park will be filled with activity beginning at 2 p.m. July 4 with horseshoe competitions led by Ronnie Hanschu (965-7277), three-on-three basketball led by John Antoszyk (965-2643), and the Guys' & Gals' Toy Show, coordinated by Jeannie Goza (366-0931) and her son, Luke Ricketts.
The toy show will be great fun — push, pull, drive, or haul your toys to Ramona. Trophies will be awarded within these classes: cars and trucks, motorcycles, marine, ag-related, all-terrain, un-motorized, and off-road vehicles. Of course, if your "toy" is decorated "redneck" you have even greater chances of winning a trophy! We'd like everybody in the show also to be in the parade.
The senior center cakewalk, led by president Darlene Sondergard, will begin at 5 p.m. on Main Street. Many of the best cooks in town are already planning the cakes and cookies that will be featured there.
The parade begins at 7 p.m. Ramona gives fantastic prizes for floats ($50, $30, $20), single entries ($30, $20, $20), kids (cash, soda, candy), and floats from neighboring towns are eligible for the town spirit prize of $25. Registration for the parade begins at 6 p.m. in the park.
After the parade you'll be entertained by Jack Emig and Jesse Nelson. They actually have music going on Main Street all day long! Jonas Frantz of Tampa will offer Belgian horse and wagon rides, and the favorite pie eating contest for kids will happen, along with a new redneck attraction — Spam carving for adults!
Mayor Pat Wick and vice mayor Art Stroda are creating a "You Might Be Redneck" street game — complete with game course made of old tires — and the object of the game is for teams of four to collect vital redneck items — fly swatter, skillet, recliner, dog.
"Our dream is to get a team of four people from the neighboring towns — Hope, Tampa, Burdick, Durham, Lincolnville, Lost Springs, Herington — to come and compete against a Ramona team for 'Most Redneck Town' trophy," said Mayor Wick. "There's a yummy prize for the winning team," she continued, "homemade summer sausage from the Main Street Café in Durham."
The Redneck Rockets (fireworks) is the grand finale to Ramona's 4th. Dan and Connie Smith team up with Tampa State Bank to create a first-rate fireworks show. This year, for the first time, we'll have it set to music.
And that's the news from Ramona, where we try to limit Redneck behavior to the month of July, and a traffic jam is two parked cars and a dog in the road.
