Readers get 'rest of story' on Ramona residents
By JESSICA GILBERT
Ramona correspondent
(785) 965-2621
You've probably forgotten, by now, that the last Ramona column (Sept. 17) ended in a "cliff hanger." I'm not fond of stories that "leave you hanging" whether on TV or elsewhere, but every now and then there just isn't room enough in the newspaper to put all the Ramona news.
My last column ended with amusing stories told by Dal Beisel, from Salina. Dalford grew up in Ramona and recently came to visit with his wife, Phyllis.
The story that needs the "ending" is about Chester Lawson, who was both the principal and the band leader at Ramona High School, and was fond of making long speeches during band practice. Dal thought the speeches were terribly boring, so he decided to create some excitement.
"I had a homemade sling shot and some BBs in my desk," said Dal. "I took a BB, put it in my slingshot and aimed straight at the bass drum. Ping! Put a hole right in it." The hole in the bass drum didn't seem to ruin the drum's performance, but every time someone hit that drum, the BB began to dance!
Despite this auspicious beginning in the musical world, Dal went on to become quite a musician. He played accordion, sousaphone, baritone, french horn, bass, and trumpet. He even played in a band with another of Ramona's notorious citizens — Jakie Brunner.
"I played accordion at cake walks with Fred and Jake Brunner," said Dal.
This past Friday afternoon a regular "convoy" of trucks and sleek silver horse trailers were seen coming across the railroad tracks on the edge of town. They by-passed our downtown metropolis, heading west and north for their destination — Tracy and Yvonne Brunner's ranch north of Ramona.
The occasion was the Cow Camp Ranch Cutting Competition which was held this past weekend.
"We had 120 competitors on Saturday and almost 100 on Sunday," said Tracy Brunner, organizer of the competition.
The Cow Camp Ranch competition is sanctioned by the Kansas Cutting Horse Association. "We follow the association's rules," said Tracy "and the association also determines who is eligible to compete." The event also is approved by the National Cutting Horse Association.
This is the first time the competition has been held in September. The two previous ones were held in July. The heat made competing so challenging, the Brunners decided to try September instead.
"We were blessed with great weather this year, and a wonderful turnout," said Tracy. "Many competitors have asked us to make it an annual affair."
The cutting competition even had an entry from Ramona! Yes indeed, Yvonne Brunner, added a new dimension to her role as host — she entered the competition!
Riding a horse from a friend and fellow-competitor, Cleon Parkin of Coldwater, Yvonne entered the rookie class of the competition and won first place on both days.
I was in the audience on Saturday when she competed for the first time. As she rode into the enclosure and approached the cattle, I heard myself utter, "Beauty has just entered the ring!"
I smiled seeing Yvonne on horseback and in her element — over the years I've heard stories about Yvonne and her career as a barrel racer and now I stood on the sidelines watching her venture into something new.
The competition clock began to tick the moment Yvonne crossed the line to select the steer to separate from the herd. Once the steer was chosen, and Yvonne lowered the reigns, the judging started, and from that moment forward Yvonne could not guide the horse except through leg signals.
Two minutes and 30 seconds later, when the buzzer rang and the competition ended, Yvonne was smiling radiantly and uttering exclamations like, "Amazing! Absolutely wonderful! Oh my!" She looked like somebody who'd just ridden a thrilling amusement ride and was ready to get in line to do it again!
In addition to being a fine equestrian, Yvonne Brunner, also is an artist — her medium is semiprecious stones, Austrian crystals, and sterling silver. Her art is jewelry.
On Sept. 18 Yvonne hosted a "trunk show" at the Cow Camp office, and more than 30 guests came throughout the evening to enjoy cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and view her latest jewelry designs.
If you'd like to see Yvonne's new jewelry designs, you can stop by her studio. "Just call me," said Yvonne. And if you're thinking about Christmas — "Don't wait till the last minute," urges Yvonne. Santa's elves remind you that stunning creations take a little time.
Warren and Paula Fike were in Colorado Sept. 16-23, attending the annual reunion of servicemen who served on the aircraft carrier, the USS Antietam.
But before the official Antietam reunion ever began, the Fikes enjoyed a little reunion of their own with their friends, Harry and Betty Engledow from Marion, Ill., whom they first met at the Antietam reunion in 1989.
The night before the foursome departed, I went to the Fike's house to get a picture. When I arrived, Warren was sitting on the back porch polishing two pairs of shoes — they almost glowed in the dark.
"Does this remind you of your service days?" I asked. He smiled and replied, "Unfortunately, these shoes will never measure up."
The USS Antietam reunion began Sept. 17 in Colorado Springs, and included treks to Garden of the Gods and the Air Force Academy, Pike's Peak, and the Flying W Cowboy Ranch. The Fikes were still in Colorado when their granddaughter's baby shower was held here in Ramona at the Lutheran parish hall on Sept. 21. The baby shower for Iris Pauly of Wichita was hosted by Hannah Jirak (sister-in-law to Iris) of Ft. Collins, Colo., Glenda Jirak (Iris's mom) of Glade, and Carrie Olson of Kansas City.
Iris and Luke Pauly's baby girl is due in November. "The baby should wait to be born on Nov. 10 so she can share her birthday with her great-grandpa Warren," said Paula with a grin.
This past Sunday evening, Ramona held the first-ever, Ramona Block Party. It was an idea "whose time had come," I guess, because three of us in town were thinking about it all at the same time — Norma Bird, Mayor Connie Smith, and me. And within a few phone calls we had an event underway.
More than 130 Ramona residents arrived at the park — from town and country — and even those who farm here, and have another residence elsewhere — like Bob and Margaret Harris and Greg Stenzel.
B.J. Riddle and his mom, Miriam, from Texas, who come to Ramona a couple times a year, and stay in their legacy home — Leon Bura's former residence — enlivened the party. B.J. and Miriam arrived Sept. 20th — B.J.'s project was getting the house re-roofed.
When people first arrived at the park on Sunday evening they were handed a card with questions on it — the object of the game was to find people who matched the statement, like: "Find someone who was born and raised in Ramona."
My sister thought this was a pretty straightforward question, when she designed the little quiz, but come to find out, the only person at the party who was actually BORN IN Ramona (and not in the country or a hospital) was Al Sondergard.
"Find someone over 80 years of age." That one sent everybody over to the table where the older generation had set up camp. "It was a nice way to get acquainted," said my mother, Martha.
"The food was WON-DER-FUL," said Gertie Schubert the morning after the party. "The music (presented by Bob and the Boys of Newton) got an A+++; it just drew everyone together."
"There just wasn't anything at the Block Party that got an F," concluded Gertie, who has given some Fs in her days as a teacher.
Indeed, the party was stellar — and a testament to team effort. The supper (sloppy joes, potato salad, baked beans, fresh corn on the cob, and dessert) was hosted by Ramona-area businesses and organizations: Cow Camp Inc. and another farming family provided the beef, the rest of the meal (and all it takes to serve one) was provided by Cousin's Corner Bed & Breakfast , DC Trucking, Deines Farms Inc., Makovec Construction, Magician's Ink Publishing, Norma's Attic Antiques, the Ramona Cafe, the Ramona Improvement Committee, Tatge Mfg., the California Sisters, and the Trinity Lutheran Church (which provided tables and chairs).
A sense of "family" pervaded the park, with younger residents getting meals for the older, or helping them navigate the bumpy terrain of the park. Some residents, like Jim Brunner, weren't feeling well enough to even attend the party, so Bob Thornhill decided to hand-deliver plates of food so they could at least "taste" the party.
City council members — Angel Harold, Kathy Werth, Reign Anduss, Jeannie Weber, Pat Wick, and Mayor Smith — set up tables, registered guests, and helped Marissa Makovec, Marlene Anduss, and Norma Bird serve the food.
Marion County Sheriff Lee Becker took time to attend the gathering and speak to us about the new Neighborhood Watch program that Mayor Smith plans to start. The sheriff was even seen helping some of the newcomers in town with the scavenger hunt.
Jeannie Weber's scavenger hunt introduced folks to the history of Ramona while they hunted for clues leading to $35 in prizes that Jeannie donated.
"The scavenger hunt was great," said Merv Deines, who was recruited by his granddaughter, Shelby. The kids on the "Hot Tamale" team (they had to name themselves) were smart to get Merv involved since many questions required some knowledge of history.
"The hunt reminded me of the good ol' days," said Merv, as he chased around town with the younger generation. The Hot Tamales won second place in the hunt.
The "Chiefs" team — Cahn, Steve and Mikael Antosyk, Justin Deines, and Ben Thompson — won the first prize of $25.
While the kids (and some kids-at-heart) ran around town hunting for clues, others stayed settled in their lawn chairs, with blankets wrapped around shoulders and legs, and reveled in the music of Bob and The Boys.
"Oh the music was so great," said Frances Hanschu. "If I'd had a partner, I would have danced." Frances' partner, Clinton, was unable to attend because he stays in Salina for dialysis.
"It was wonderful to see the folks from the country," said Betty Ohm, who used to keep in touch with farming families at her cafe in Ramona. "When I saw the Deines children Sunday evening, I was surprised how they'd grown."
"You should have one of these parties once a month," enthused Tony Meyer. Robert Makovec upped the ante even further, "You should have a block party every Sunday evening."
"So when's the next event?" queried Vickie Jirak, "Whatever gets us all together — it's great!"
The planning committee for the very successful Ramona Block Party was Norma Bird, Mayor Connie Smith, Reign and Marlene Anduss, Jeannie Weber, and the California sisters.
"And we couldn't have pulled it all off without the help of Tooltime Tim," adds my sister, acknowledging that even though Tim doesn't like committee meetings, he works to make the events happen.
"Tim fetched and shucked 24 dozen ears of corn, made name badges for the sponsors and donors, hauled tables and chairs, chauffeured senior citizens to the park, and stayed through the cleanup until the last pot was put away," said Pat.
Every successful town venture involves so many people — from Paul, who mowed the park, to Kathy Werth's friend, Don, who helped set up and tear down for the party as if he'd lived here all his life.
And was it worth all the effort? "You bet!" said Reign Anduss, who had a full house at the Ramona Cafe for Sunday dinner and immediately set to work preparing sloppy joes for 130.
Speaking of events — there's one happening in Ramona this weekend! On Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., a citywide garage sale will be held in Ramona, organized by Jeannie Weber. Jeannie will have a map of the town showing where all the sales are located. "Come and explore our little town," says Jeannie. "You just might find a treasure."
Collin Bailey and Paul Jones were sitting on Collin's porch last week, when a coyote came strolling through the park, and sat down in the intersection of 4th and D. "He shook his head," said Collin, "and looked down the streets in every direction." Collin hollered at the coyote and it went running off toward the elevator.
This prompted Collin to say that I should change my closing by-line about traffic jams in Ramona — which I will do this week only.
And that's the news from Ramona where a traffic jam is two old guys sittin' on the porch and a coyote in the intersection.
