Ramona: It s reunion time and town suffers population explosion
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
Read this statement and then guess what it describes: "We played games, ate, visited, got reacquainted, took pictures."
Yep, you guessed it — it's reunion time!
The person who gave this description was Marlene Anduss, who owns The Ramona Café with her husband, Reign. They closed the restaurant for the weekend so they could attend the Gaede family reunion, which is Marlene's side of the family.
The Anduss' granddaughter, Krystal Jolly, was in charge of the reunion this year. "Her mom, Roxanne, helped her," added Marlene. "Next year it's our daughter Marsha who's in charge and I'll probably be helping her. We're going to try some new things next year in hopes of getting the attendance up."
Our Ramona guesthouses (we have three now) have been filled every July weekend with reunions of one kind or another. Jim and Marilyn Anderson had their kids and grandkids at Cousin's Corner and Jake's Place on the weekend of the 16th. While the Andersons live in Hope, their family has enjoyed staying together at our houses and we cook Sunday breakfast for them, and Jim and Marilyn come and join them.
The Tajchman family had their reunion on July 22 at Marion County Lake. The children of Pete Tajchman took over our Cousin's Corner guesthouse for about a week, not only attending reunion, but seeing friends and going on excursions around Ramona as they relived childhood memories. Robert and Mary Tajchman were here from Colorado, Patricia and Wayne White from Florida, Patricia's twin brother, Patrick, came from Marion, Clarence Tajchman and his daughter, Clarissa and grandkids, Kailee and Cameron were here from Texas, and Donald and Pauline Tajchman visited from Great Bend.
One of the Tajchman's wrote in the guest book, "We had a little reunion of our own with brothers and sisters. This is a great place and feels like home. We had lots of food, laughed, relaxed, and had time to catch up on each other's lives."
Vickie Jirak of Ramona attended the Tajchman reunion with her boys. Her mother, Teresa, also of Ramona, was there too. The reunion is held every two years. "There used to be lots of folks at the reunion — that was a long time ago when the reunion was mostly the descendants of Tajchman brothers, Pete and Lou," explained Vickie. "Pete was the dad of all the Tajchmans who stayed at your guesthouse, and Lou was my grandpa. Those two families lived across the road from each other here in Ramona so we had lots of connection." As the years went by Vickie said the reunion was enlarged to include other branches of the Tajchman family, and then there were so many people — people you didn't know — that it changed the feel of the reunion.
"I take my boys because I think it's important to know your ancestors and to show them respect," said Vickie. "I remember going to reunions and seeing my aunt Adeline, (that's the mother of the Tajchmans who were at your guesthouse). I had memories of her from my childhood — now they're all gone."
Vickie's twin sister, Jackie, couldn't be at the Tajchman reunion. "But she's here now!" said Vickie, "and we're having a little family reunion of our own. Sunday night we grilled over at Mom's. But we're together all the time," she says laughing, "so I don't know if that's news!"
Vickie's brother, Clay, and his wife, Candace, also of Ramona, couldn't attend the reunion either, because they were on vacation in Colorado.
"My parents and my sister and her family are all from Arkansas City and they were on vacation with us, along with our daughter Chelsey and her friend Alyssa Luna," said Candace. "We had a rather rigorous schedule because we had lots of places to visit. We stayed in a cabin at Woodland Park and then went into Colorado Springs, took a cog rail ride (that's something like a train/trolley) up to Pike's Peak, visited the Garden of the Gods and Cave of the Winds."
But the memory of the trip was the white water rafting. "That was quite an experience," pronounced Candace. "I went to bed that night about 9:45 and my sister (who's two years younger than me) said, 'Someday I'm going to remind you of this night — when you weren't quite 40, and went to bed before 10 o'clock with Icy/Hot rubbed all over your body!'"
The next morning Candace could hardly get out of bed. "The sorest muscle was somewhere in my foot," laughed Candace, "because I had it curled under anything I could find inside the boat, in hopes it would keep me from flying out!"
When Candace saw the pictures taken of the trip (you know, the ones they hope you'll buy), she and her sister were the front paddlers. Her sister said, "Candace, you don't even have your oar in the water — it's in the air!"
"But I didn't fly out!" Candace retorted. "Clay told me later that he couldn't really enjoy the trip because he was worried about me or my folks flying out and needing to be rescued."
The teenagers loved the adventure and were ready to do it again the next day! Chelsey and Alyssa were in the boat with the cute 20-year-old guide that they couldn't take their eyes off of. "But 20 or not, cute or not, nothing's that lovely to look at, to go through that experience again!" laughed Candace.
On July 29 the Jirak family had their reunion in Tampa. Mike and Glenda Jirak were in charge and the theme was the 1950s. The best dressed "50s" family was awarded a prize. "There were 12 Jirak kids so there's lots of family. That's how a reunion should be!" enthused Steve's wife, Vickie.
I love hearing new ideas for reunions (my sister and I are writing a book about the subject) and the Jirak family has one that's great. Six months out from the reunion they did a "Greatest Loser" competition, patterned after the reality show on television where folks lose weight. "People paid $50 to join the competition," said Vickie, whose husband, Steve entered the competition. "Every week the competitors had to e-mail their weight and each month the person who lost the most received a small prize."
But the big payoff was at reunion where $900 was at stake. When the winner was announced — drum roll please, sound the trumpets — the Jirak Big Loser winner was Ramona's own, Steve Jirak, who lost 60+ pounds!
Steve lost no time in declaring what he was going to do with the $900. "He's building a 'man's room' out in the shed," said Vickie, with laughter. "You know what that is, don't you?"
I had to admit I didn't. "Well, he's putting a big television (better than the one in the house) and a couch out in this special room so he and his brothers have a place to watch TV when they're together — and they don't have to listen to us women!" Vickie says with her infectious laugh.
Vickie won something herself at the Jirak reunion. "I played poker and profited $10," she said.
After reunions it's off to camp. "Seth is at camp with his cousins in Lyons this week," continued Vickie, "and next week it's Catholic Conference in Wichita. Then Jackie leaves for home and we have to start thinking about school. Summer's over, then, and I'm sad. I love having my kids at home."
The Utech family was in Ramona for their family reunion this past Saturday. Dolores Siggs rented all three of our guesthouses as a gift to her family and then had various siblings and their kids inhabiting them. "We had a grand time. We were so comfortable and it was so peaceful," said Dolores.
We were especially excited to have the Utechs staying with us because our newest house — one we call Harvest House at 411 E — was Erich Utech's home here in Ramona, We bought the house in October 2005, and after giving it a new look inside, we opened it to customers on Memorial Day weekend.
We're trying to call the house, Harvest House, because Erich's family, along with others in the community, formed the Turkey Creek Threshing Company in 1918. But when just Pat and I are talking about the house we call it Erich's House or Sonny's House, because that was Erich's nickname.
The Utechs had their meal at the Lutheran Parish hall and my sister and I were invited to join them, along with Tony Meyer, who's an "honorary Utech" because he and Erich were best friends and farming buddies.
Of the seven living Utech siblings, six were at the reunion: Junior and Bill from Topeka, Dolores from Goddard, Edna from Tampa, Erna from Osage, and Fred from right here in Ramona.
Fred and Marguerite's daughter, Jeanetta Hanschu and her family were there, of course, along with one of Jeanetta's brothers, Garland. I sat across from Garland and his wife, and it was fun to finally meet the adult to match the "kid picture" that hangs at the Dirt Gambler's Museum of Garland and his brother, Marlon — scrunched up in a little Red Flyer wagon and hooked up to a calf that was pulling them across the yard. Garland was in front "steering."
As part of their afternoon entertainment, the Utechs toured the Dirt Gambler's Museum where many members of their family can be found.
The pictures sparked stories. "The year was 1948, and Junior and I were on the Ramona basketball team," said Bill. "I was #23 and Bill was #21," said Junior. "The Herington team was in a higher league because they were a bigger school," continued Bill, "and although they were a league above Ramona, we had spare time and wanted to play a game with Herington."
The people in Herington were wondering why Ramona would want to play them. "They're going to get skunked! It's a waste of time," folks said.
"But when the game took place, we beat 'em!" said Bill with triumph. "I remember some of the older folks from Herington leaving the game with tears in their eyes."
"And I think I scored the winning basket," added Junior.
The Utechs continued on to The Barbershop Gallery, where my sister showed them around.
For Pat and me, it was just a joy to see Utechs of several generations roaming the streets, taking pictures, making memories.
And that's the news from Ramona, where a traffic jam is two parked cars and a dog in the road.
