By Elaine Rassel
It doesn’t seem possible that the month of August is here already! Cherokee and Plymouth County fairs are over with but there seems to be a “fair” at plenty of other towns! Marcus Fair is unique in that there is no charge to take the fair in. If you want to spend a dollar at the gate and purchase a ticket that could get you $100 in return (if your name is drawn), that is the only mention of money.
By next week, on Wednesday evening (Aug. 11) a the king and queen for our Sesquicentennial will be announced along with judging of beards, etc. Thursday through Sunday (August 12-Aug. 15) the Marcus Fair will continue. After this fair, it isn’t long before school starts!
Our sympathy to the families of Bonnie Irwin. Bonnie was a very good seamstress. More than one girl walked down the aisle or went to prom after Bonnie made sure the dress fit. May she rest in peace until we meet again.
I went to make some cookies that ended up with a “kiss” decorating the top. I looked for this recipe and found one but it had peanut butter in it. I don’t remember Grandma’s cookies having peanut butter in it. Peanut butter is my least favorite and I have to be desperate to have a sandwich with it on! I made the cookies and passed them on. I had put a few in a container for Steve, but when I went to get them, the container was gone. No one in my household say they like peanut butter, so where were the missing cookies? Later on Zachary said, “I sure didn’t think there was that much peanut butter in that last batch of cookies you baked!” That told me who ate them even though peanut butter is not his favorite!
I found a recipe box of Mom’s and thought maybe this recipe would be in it. The first recipe she had was for baked beans. The ingredients had beans you soaked overnight. I moved on to the next recipe that was for Salad Dressing. I really looked at this one. When did Mom ever make this dressing calling for 16 cups sugar, 8 cups vinegar, 1 gallon of salad oil_the rest of the ingredients were large size? I had found her recipe box when she was head cook at school many years ago. No wonder the ingredients were “large” in size!
There was a chocolate chip cookie recipe that was “24” times the original one. It made 800 cookies! All her recipes were either typed or neatly written and went into great detail_even the number of pans used were mentioned. I cannot imagine trying to cook for that many that ate hot lunch; even having to know how many “times” the original recipe had to be used. All of their cooking was from scratch. They had to make their own bread or rolls that went with each meal. All these menus had to be kept as the president of the school board at that time came to the house to look over the meals that were going to be served next. (Times have changed! This was the time when board members visited classrooms unannounced as well as the president checking on hot lunch meals.) There was a State inspector that came to the school (whenever least expected) that checked out the menus and the kitchen the meals were cooked in. This job would not have been for anyone who wasn’t capable of all the forementioned in the job.
In looking for information on Casey’s first store opening, I came across (August 6, 1992 newspaper) where Pine Grove was having an open house. On Friday, August 7, the family of Melvin and Margaret Dorr will be having an open house celebrating their 50 year ownership of the farm now known as Pine Grove.
The celebration will also recognize the employees, especially Robert Kranig and family. The Kranig’s have been part of the family for twenty-five years. Other employees being recognized for lengthy faithful employment are Mike and Dan Swartz and Larry Garvin.
Friends and families of the Dorr’s, Kranig’s, and the Pine Grove’s other employees are invited to join in an evening of food and fellowship.
The festivities, beginning at 4 p.m., will take place at Pine Grove Farm, 3 miles north of Highway 143, 2 miles east on C-36, and _ mile north. Food and beverages will be served.
The Dorr’s children and their families will be home for the weekend. They, too, would like to have old friends and classmates stop by the farm to visit. Of special interest will be a display of the machinery Bob Kranig has built during his employment with the Dorr’s.
One of the recent newspapers had a new article on the nursing home in Sioux City that was listed as one of the 10 worst ones in Iowa. There’s a new manager of this nursing home and she wanted to let the public that changes have taken place and everything is supposed to be okay now. (I would hope that this nursing home is still being checked out for the residents’ sakes.)
In writing up the Casey’s article, I couldn’t help but think of all the cigarettes and beer that was bought by someone who had a legal identification. Outside and around the north corner of the store would be the person/persons that were going to use it. (A neighbor said she could sit and watch the exchange. It wouldn’t have been any good to call the police as the people in question would be long gone.) Sometimes they would meet and exchange on a road and proceed with a party. The clerks could not be responsible for what was going to happen when the identification was good. That was one of the bad memories of this store.
Remember to keep in your prayers and thoughts those who have lost loved ones to death, are trying to find a job, struggling to make ends meet, or or still distant from their family. Count your blessings.
I will leave you with this quote from Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer: “Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.”