It’s overdue time to toss a bouquet to the Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post l765.
Auxiliary member Sherry Maddox organized and ran the entire show on Veterans Day. She had great help from her Auxiliary sisters. Members and helpers put up and took down the flags around the Courthouse Square, which they also do on Flag Day, Memorial Day and the 4th of July. They participated in the morning program at the high school. June Bowers lined up the World War II veterans, cars with the name of the veterans in placards on the out side, and their drivers, for the parade. It was a rush in adrenalin for us old guys.
The Color Guard, dressed in classy red jackets, is everywhere when it counts. It takes part in the Memorial Day programs at Rulo and Steele Cemeteries.
It marches in the Cobblestone Festival parade and the Richardson County Fair parade at Humboldt. It is on hand for funerals such as those for lst. Lt. Jacob Fritz and Sgt. Nicholas Nolte, who gave their lives in Iraq. Members decorated the tables and served the meal at the Veterans Day supper. They prepared the meal for those who want to attend after the Memorial Day program at Steele Cemetery.
On the opening day of school at Middle School members stage a flag ceremony and lead the Pledge of Allegiance at Middle School. At both Middle School and Sacred Heart they hold flag-burning ceremonies, demonstrating the proper way to dispose of the flag.
The Auxiliary sponsors a Patriotic Team essay contest, giving the participants topics to write about. It sponsors Voice of Democracy contest for high school youths.
It presents Christmas gifts to veterans in our nursing homes. The gals sell the replica flowers on Poppy Day, the proceeds going to wounded veterans.
Putting it one way, our very active VFW Auxiliary peddles patriotism.
And does it all first class.
Vicki Zeigler is president of the Auxiliary which has approximately 120 members.
When it comes to patriotism I’m not overlooking the Falls City Ceremonial Honor Guard, which also performs an emotional, great service for family and friends at veterans’ funerals. Instead of tossing a bouquet their way, how about esteem for what they do?
In our community we talk about corn and soybeans and farmer friends tell me this year’s harvests were “better than they thought they would be.” Restaurant talk is of some 200-bushel corn and 50-or maybe even better beans. Great, all the way around.
Albert Rieschick brought me a newspaper article from Olympia, Wash., which should open lots of eyes when it comes to agricultural production. It reported that Washington is the nation’s apple producer, growing about 60 percent of the U.S. crop. But here’s the eye opener: harvested apple orchards were worth $l5,400 per acre in 20l2.
You have to be pretty much an old timer to remember when apple orchards in the Shubert, Verdon and Falls City areas were big producers with trainloads of apples going elsewhere. They all were wiped out by the deep Armistice Day freeze of l940.
Sometime back, Bob Williamson of rural Dawson, sent us a Journal clipping concerning the 1886 Richardson County Agricultural and Mechanical Association Fair being held at Salem, the forerunner of the County Fair at Humboldt. We have been unable to put a date to when the clipping appeared, but it had to be after l984. Bob had found it in a l963 platbook which had been found in the wall of a house being razed.
Lewis C. Edwards’ History of Richardson County noted that the fair, “held at this beautiful place annually from the very earliest of times and was the best attended in the state and the meetings held afterward were looked forward to with the greatest interest.” It cost $l.50 to enter exhibits if one was not a member of the society and the admission fee was 25 cents a person and the same for a horse. First place brought $12. “Diplomas were given for such as the best threshing machine and best washing machine to be decided by a washing match to be held on the grounds.”
A business offered $l0 “to the young lady under 17 years of age, living in Richardson County, who will wear the neatest, nicest, calico dress made by herself.” And if you owned a fast jackass you could win $25 in the half-mile mule race.
Thanks for the clipping, Bob.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.