Birthday celebrations a success
Russ Morgan, russ@emporiagazette.com
Monday, October 10, 2011
Two local towns just finished celebrating big milestones, and for both communities the weekend turned out to be a success.
Faced with competition from sporting events and questionable weather, the towns of Lebo and Admire both celebrated their 125th anniversaries this weekend. By all accounts, both commemorations were well-attended, with attendees enjoying a wide range of activities.
While both communities set their celebrations for the same weekend, there were some differences. Lebo, which turned 125 on Thursday, kicked off four days of activities that evening with opening ceremonies at the Lebo Baptist Church. The birthday party continued Friday with Karaoke at the Heidi Inn, followed by a full day of events Saturday starting with a bake sale in the morning, historical demonstrations and displays and a parade.
“It drew in a lot of people,” said Lebo resident and former mayor Nancy Watkins. “I think it was a real success. And it was good to see, since people have put so much work into planning it.
Other events included a vintage fashion show and a BB gun competition where shooters could compete for turkeys.
The Lebo celebration drew to a close Sunday with a community church service in the morning followed by a historical walk through Lincoln Cemetery at the edge of town. About 30 residents showed up to the cemetery to share memories of the town and hear Ida Wilson talk about interesting aspects of the town and its people.
According to Wilson, the land for the cemetery was purchased for $600. The first person to be buried there was an infant named Anna Kipp. Records show that right now there are 2,999 people buried in Lincoln Cemetery.
“So if anyone wants to volunteer to be number 3,000 ...” Wilson said to laughter, and added that the town hopes to host another cemetery walk in the spring.
The northern Lyon County town of Admire also celebrated its 125th birthday, with a full day of events running into Saturday evening.
The day began with a community breakfast at 7 a.m. followed by a 5K run/walk and bicycle race. The day also included a rededication of the Clayton Memorial Sundial, which was stolen last year and was replaced with a sundial donated by the Stan Sommers family in Emporia. During the celebration, the city was presented with a plaque commemorating 125 years from State Rep. Peggy Mast.
“The whole day went great,” said Admire Mayor Richard Gould. “There were a lot of cars in town, there was a lot of activity. There were a lot of really cool things going on. It was a very big success.”
One highlight of the Admire celebration was a parade before noon led by the Big Red One Calvary Honor/Color Guard. Gould said the parade was a big hit.
“We had a large number of people participating in the parade,” he said. “Probably about 40 entries. Everything went off very well.”
After the parade the event featured activities such as an antique tractor pull, food from numerous vendors, a show demonstrating frontier life and a history presentation from a group of youngsters. The night closed with a barbecue supper, fireworks, a show by the Tallgrass Express String Band and a dance.