Harvey County visitors create traffic jam in Ramona
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
On Monday at lunch time the Ramona Café was filled to the brim! "Monday is usually our 'slow' day," said Marlene Anduss, who runs the café with her husband, Reign. And a couple of months ago Marlene had an idea on how to increase the flow of customers on Mondays when she saw a newspaper ad for Harvey Interurban, a tour company in Newton.
"Would you contact them and see if they'd be interested in bringing a tour to Ramona?" Marlene asked me one day. I must admit I was skeptical that folks would sign up for a bus trip to little 'ol Ramona, especially when I saw tour schedules that included the Kansas State Fair, Arts & Crafts Fair in Hillsboro, and Prairie Rose Chuckwagon Supper.
But then I took heart when I saw that Al's Café in Lost Springs was on the list, and so was the Durham Café — so why not Ramona! I called Harvey Interurban and then I sent information about the restaurant and the Dirt Gamblers' Museum. "We'll put you on the tour list in January," said Trevor Foreman, who creates the tour schedule.
On Monday, when the tour bus rolled to a stop in front of the Ramona Café, my sister and I were there to greet folks, dressed in costumes from the 1800s. (You know, in a small town, you use everything you got to turn an everyday thing into an "event!") We told folks about traffic jams in Ramona and while there wasn't a dog in the road on Monday noon, the arrival of a bus with more than a dozen folks, certainly did qualify as a traffic jam.
When the busload of guests walked into the Ramona Café, the first thing to meet the eye was Marlene's scrumptious pies, lined up on top of the deli case. And the scent of meat loaf and mashed potatoes greeted the senses as folks got their first whiff of the "special" for the day.
Reign and Marlene soon discovered that their lunch guests were not all strangers. "We knew Virgil Friesen, the driver of the bus," said Reign. "And Elma Harms from Newton — we went to school together in Lehigh, and Emogene Mull is another friend from our days in Newton," added Marlene. Marlene explained that her husband was born and raised in Newton. While I was supposed to be helping Marlene and Pat deliver drinks and salads to the tables, I got caught up visiting with folks. I learned that Harvey Interurban is really part of the Harvey County Agency on Aging. "Besides trips like this to restaurants and the like, the bus takes folks shopping and can be scheduled for medical appointments, too," said Chris Zuelke of Newton. "I'm scheduled for three excursion trips this month."
Chris moved to Newton about a year ago from Illinois. "I like small towns," admits Chris. "In Illinois, I lived there many years and never knew my neighbors. I've lived in Newton for a year and know everybody around me. People watch out for each other in small towns. Why the other night my neighbor called and said, 'Your garage door is up. I want to go to bed — so close your garage door!'" Evidently Chris's neighbor couldn't get a good night's sleep until the garage door was secure.
After lunch the group came over to the former bank building for a tour of the Dirt Gamblers' Museum. While I think that the museum is most meaningful to folks who have roots in Ramona, I've discovered that the stories represented in the museum — about the switchboard, the egg and butter night, the servicemen, harvest time, old-time fashions, school memories, toys — one or more of these aspects will strike a chord in everyone's life and bring back memories they've experienced or heard stories about.
As I stood in the military corner, holding Allen Beisel's picture, and telling the wonderful story of Allen's life and his service buddy, Ken, who came to Ramona to remember him, I saw tears in some folks' eyes and I knew this story was bringing up personal memories held near and dear to the heart.
And speaking of Allen Beisel — some of his cousins dropped by the museum Friday. Betty Beneke of Lincolnville and her brother, Marion Frobenius from McPherson. Betty's husband Eldon and Marion's wife Dorothy also were along on the excursion.
It was Betty who first saw the military corner in the museum and contacted other relatives and said, "We need to get a picture of Allen in the Dirt Gamblers' Museum."
Before the foursome left the museum, Marion Frobenius handed me his business card. I chuckled as I read it. In addition to the usual info, like address and phone, his card listed his passions in life: Fishing, Traveling, Entertaining Grandchildren, Too busy to work, No worries, Buyer and Seller of Avon bottles."
"So how big is your Avon bottle collection?" I asked Marion. "I have over a thousand bottles," he replied. His wife Dorothy is a collector, too — she collects windmills.
I had an immediate visual of Marion and Dorothy's home — the inside filled with Avon bottles in every nook and cranny and the house surrounded by windmills. And then Dorothy added, "I collect miniature windmills!" Even so, Dorothy admits the house is getting full. "When we die, who knows what the kids will do with it all," she laughs.
Rick and Barb Hanschu had a hallmark event this past weekend — the marriage of their son, Doug. "So tell me about your son's wedding on Saturday," I said to Rick Hanschu later in the week. "They got married," replied Rick in his typical, straightforward manner. "No, I want to know things like the color of the bridesmaid's dresses," I replied.
"I don't know the color — if I tried to describe it, I'm sure I'd get it wrong. Here — talk to my wife," said Rick, as he handed the phone to Barb.
Doug Hanschu married Amber Svitak Saturday in the First United Methodist Church in Manhattan — Doug's and Amber's "home" church while attending Kansas State University.
Doug and Amber both graduated from K-State in December; he with a degree in industrial engineering and she with her degree in biology. Amber has been accepted into optometry school in St. Louis and will start classes in the fall. Until then, the couple will live in Manhattan.
But back to the wedding. "Did anything unusual happen, something sentimental, something you've never seen at a wedding before?" I probed, trying to stimulate Barb's memories of the occasion. "Nothing that unusual that I haven't seen at other weddings," said Barb, and then she paused and chuckled, "Except that Tucker threw up on the back row — poor Jill, she felt so bad!"
Leave it to the kids to make indelible memories — often it's the ring bearer who gets bored and sits down on stage, the flower girl who is too scared to walk down the isle, or the Bible boy who faints (that happened at my wedding). This time it was sweet little Tucker with an upset tummy.
The wedding reception was held at the Wareham, an old theater in Manhattan. "Where you'd normally see theater seats there were tables," explained Barb, "and the stage became the dance floor. It all had a lot of character."
The newlyweds had taken dance lessons in anticipation of their wedding. "They even learned the polka for Amber's grandparents," said Barb.
"So, was watching your son get married different from seeing your daughter get married?" I asked Rick and Barb.
"You bet!" exclaimed Rick. "This was my little boy getting married!"
"Oh yes!" replied Barb. "When my daughter got married, my son-in-law couldn't replace me. But for my son
Isn't life amazing — with every experience there's such a myriad of emotions. And I must admit that I'm forever curious about what people experience as parents — being "child-free" in this lifetime, I have to vicariously experience the "wonders" of parenthood.
Oh, I almost forgot an important detail — the bridesmaid's dresses were burgundy. "Burgundy and champagne were the wedding colors," confirmed Barb. Knowing such info does make a difference; imagining a wedding without knowing the colors is like watching the Rose Parade on a black and white TV.
One of my favorite shows in the days of black and white television was the Andy Griffith Show and the escapades of Mayberry RFD. I was thinking about Mayberry on Monday evening during city council meeting when Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker was speaking to council members about establishing a Neighborhood Watch program.
While the world isn't as simple as Mayberry RFD anymore — Sheriff Andy Taylor never had to worry about meth labs and Barney never discovered a drug stash — we still have some of the finer parts of Mayberry, like concerned, kind neighbors, and a sheriff who wants to know the people in the communities he patrols.
"People paying attention and being alert — that's what helps us stop crime," said Sheriff Becker. "If you see anything suspicious, call. If you have a concern, call. We'll check it out."
Mayor Pat Wick commented that in Ramona, there's already a form of Neighborhood Watch since folks just naturally observe their neighbors' lives. "It's why I wanted to live in a town the size of Ramona," said city treasurer, Jim Thompson, who moved to town with his wife and five children from California last summer. "I want people to know my kids and if they see something inappropriate to call them on it."
Jim recently added another dimension to his busy life as father, husband, city treasurer, and house remodeler. He's now a bus driver for Centre School District. "Mr. Evancho asked if I was interested," said Jim, "and I took the classes to get the license and certification. Last week I became the official driver for the Ramona route. It's great — my kids just walk out the door and get on the bus. Plus, now, I can keep an eye on 'em."
And that's the news from Ramona where there's at least three cars, and now a bus, around the Thompson house — they'd have a traffic jam on the corner of 5th and B, except that there's no dog in the road
