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Goessel Showcases Antique Farming Methods

By
Guest Columnist
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Richard Shank
Columnist

As the sun rose over Goessel on Friday, August 1, it was time to launch the 53rd annual Threshing Days Celebration. 

Trucks hauling antique tractors were arriving in the Marion County town early in the morning in advance of the 9 a.m. opening. 

I remember playing basketball for Solomon High School in the 1960s, and we made an annual visit to Goessel to play the Bluebirds in what was always a tough game. 

Goessel, founded in 1874, has a proud Mennonite heritage. As the story is told, there was a large migration of German Mennonites from Russia who settled in central Kansas during that time and established several small villages, including Goessel. 

Today, Goessel sits along Highway 15 approximately 10 miles north of Newton. The Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church opened its doors in 1886 and sits one mile north of Goessel. The tall and imposing wood structure painted white is located on grounds that are nothing less than pristine. 

Arriving shortly after the event’s opening, the grounds looked much like a sea of aging beauties otherwise known as antique tractors. As an Oliver tractor owner, it was special to view three Model 60s parked side by side, owned by Jim Blough from nearby Hesston. Jim is the area’s foremost expert on everything Oliver and has made multiple trips to the Shank farm to do his magic while repairing some of the Shank’s golden oldies. I always pay him and buy lunch too in hopes he will be willing to return. 

Oliver was not the only brand exhibited. I grew up atop a Farmall H, so it was good to see one totally restored at the Goessel show. Donavan A. Schmidt from Newton, made this tractor, manufactured in 1947, look, perhaps, better than it did on a showroom floor 78 years ago. 

No antique tractor display would be complete without some John Deeres. The company that saw its origin nearly 200 years ago in 1837 in Illinois, has produced its share of classic tractors. The row of John Deeres included a Model 70 and Model R.

No show would be complete without a few corn binders that converted fields of Capricorn and Atlas into shocks. Next, farmers and their crews stood the shocks grouped together into what resembled a Tipi. The Shank’s old International Harvester binder remains on the farm, backed into a barn lean-to, and looks like it could still produce a shock or two but know it will never be called on for further duty. 

The one-way plow was invented in a barn near Plains, Kansas, and reputedly revolutionized the farm during the 1930s, so it was good to see one on display. 

To study the past 100 years as it pertains to harvesting wheat, visitors saw everything from a threshing machine, pull combine and a Massey Harris Model 26 self-propelled combine with a 12-foot platform. 

Inside a shed on the grounds were two trailer loads of wheat stocks awaiting a threshing demonstration scheduled for the event’s second day. 

For lunch on this Friday at noon, visitors were invited to dine at the Goessel Grocery and Deli and from all indications no one left hungry. 

Tractors were not the only display item. A row of antique pickups and trucks was attracting a lot of attention as well as a white Chevy Impala car. I was unable to determine if it was a 1962,63 or 64 but it was well preserved like new. 

And, no antique show would be complete without a sulky rake with a seat in the middle. Not so fondly, I remember sitting on the seat when my dad was picking up loose hay while receiving orders on raising and lowering the levers. 

And, believe it or not, there is a market for old calendars which highlights antique tractors as there were several dozen for sale. 

Thirty-two sponsors signed up to support the event including Midway Motors, Mid-Kanas Coop and AG 360. Saturday events included a 9:30 a.m. parade through the downtown of Goessel, a corn binding demonstration and a Pedal Tractor Pull. 

Driving out of Goessel, I could not help but think about the significance of events like Threshing Days to life in rural America. Summer events and celebrations define the character of towns like Goessel.  For 53 years, hundreds of volunteers have worked tirelessly to make this event happen.  

Speaking for the thousands of people who drive to Goessel from other Kansas towns and states to attend, please know your efforts are appreciated. 

Kudos to Goessel for what you have accomplished and may you have many more Threshing Day Celebrations. 

 

Lovina Offers a Peak into One of her Typical Days with a One-Day Dairy

By
Guest Columnist
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0

Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight

4:30 a.m. The alarm rings, time to get up.  My husband Joe gets ready for work while I pack something for breakfast, which he’ll eat at break. He doesn’t want to eat this early. It seems by the time he gets all his medicine taken he isn’t hungry. 

5:10 a.m. Joe leaves for work.  

6:00 a.m. I walk over to daughter Loretta and Dustin’s house. Dustin is leaving for work. Loretta and the boys are still in bed. Seven-month-old Kylie wakes up and I change her diaper and make a bottle for her. I lay her back in her bed after some snuggles. I take a nap on the recliner. 

7:30 a.m. Byron wakes up but goes back to sleep on the recliner with me.  He will be 2 on August 7th.

8:10 a.m. Denzel, 3, wakes up and smiles when he sees I’m there. He crawls onto the recliner with Byron and me. 

8:30 a.m. The boys want to get up and ask me to get them “cocoa milk” which is actually Nestle’s Quik and milk. I brought a mug of coffee along, but I decided to make myself a glass of chocolate milk. Both boys stand there and smile like it’s funny to see Grandma drinking chocolate milk with them. I hardly ever drink any, but it does taste good for a change.  I remember daughter Elizabeth saying that Grandma Coblentz always added more chocolate to their milk than I did. I think maybe I might be doing the same for my grandchildren. It’s so easy to spoil them. I help Loretta into her mobility scooter, and Kylie is ready to get up, too.

9:15 a.m. Loretta and I, and the children head over to our house. Daughter Lovina decides to come over bringing a few dozen eggs from their chickens.

9:45 a.m. Breakfast is pancakes, smokies and fried eggs. After breakfast, Loretta and Lovina stuff banana peppers with cream cheese and shredded cheese and wrap with bacon. This will be for tonight’s supper at Dustin’s. After that, Lovina heads back home.   Benjamin mows our pasture field. He didn’t have to work today. I mix up bread dough for 12 loavf bread. I have to take some to church on Sunday and make extra for us.

The boys want to go over to “visit” Daniel Ray and Verena. Daniel and Verena fill the kiddie pool with water for the boys to play in and cool off. The boys think it’s funny to throw water at Verena. They laugh when Verena acts all surprised that she is wet now. They must have inherited that “Coblentz blood” and the love to throw water at someone. Haha!

1:00 p.m. Joe is home from work. The boys are glad to see Grandpa is home. I put the risen dough into bread pans. I make a light lunch for everyone who wants to eat. 

2:00 p.m. Dustin is home, so Loretta heads home with the children. She has a wagon hooked behind her scooter for the boys and Kylie to sit in. The children will be ready for a nap when they get home. 

I bake the bread, and while that is baking, I do other jobs around the house. 

6:30 p.m. We sit around the grill while Dustin makes supper on the grill. Daniel and Lovina come over to join us. Daniel Ray and Verena have his family at their house for supper tonight. After the dishes are done, we play some games before heading home to bed. 

Saturday was a great turnout for the South Bend book signing. Many thanks to everyone who stopped by. You have no idea how your encouraging words help. Writing the column doesn’t pay much, and sometimes life is so busy that it’s hard to find time to write. After meeting and talking with everyone, it gives motivation to keep writing. May God bless your kind hearts. Also, thank you for buying cookbooks, which helps more than you know. I also want to thank my daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Tim and grandchildren T.J. and Allison for going with me. The children’s highlight was looking out the back door of the booth and seeing the trains go by. A thank you to the Farmer’s market staff for their hospitality! This is a great market held indoors, rain or shine. Last but not least, a great thank you to my good friend Ruth, who made it possible for me to be there. Without her I don’t think I would still be penning this column. Bless her heart!

God’s blessings!

ZUCCHINI GARLIC BITES 

1 cup shredded zucchini (squeeze out excess moisture)

1 egg

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese 

¼ cup breadcrumbs 

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon oregano 

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine zucchini, egg, parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs and seasonings. Shape into small balls and place on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper. Bake in a 400-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden and firm. Makes 6

Just a Little Light: Then I Remembered E. P. McKee

By
Dawn Phelps
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0

Dawn Phelps
Columnist

It was a hot, muggy day in Columbia, Tennessee, the town of my birth.  Just rolling down a car window let in a blast of hot air like a furnace that had been turned up to 95 degrees!  

The year was 1983.  I graduated from nursing school that spring and was weary from studying.  For some time, our family of four had looked forward to a trip to Tennessee and other southern states.  Our first stop was in Columbia.

I also wanted to get reacquainted with one of my relatives in Tennessee, my sweet Uncle Jones, a gentle older man bursting at the seams with musical talent.  To hear him play “Darktown Strutter’s Ball” on the piano was a real treat!

I knew that Uncle Jones had lived at a boarding house in Columbia for many years.  I thought I had a general idea where the boarding house was located, but the town was considerably larger than when we were there last.  So, after driving up and down streets, we realized we were lost and needed help.  

My husband Ralph headed the car into the driveway of a very small house to turn around.  There was an older gentleman sitting on the porch.  Before we could back out of his driveway, the gentleman got up from his seat and made his way toward our car.

My husband asked the man if there was a boarding house in the neighborhood.  The man knew where the boarding house was located and gave us precise directions.  But before we went on our way, the man asked, “Would you like a drink of water?”   

We gently tried to decline his offer, but he quickly headed toward his house and went inside.  He soon returned with two glasses of water complete with ice cubes.  The water was offered in glasses that jelly had been sold in.  If you are older, you may have drunk from a “jelly” glass while growing up.

He handed the two glasses to us in the car, turned around, and proceeded back into his house again.  He returned with two more glasses of ice water for our daughters Melody and Misty.  Mmmm, mmmm!  What a wonderful treat on such a stifling hot day!

We were taken aback by such gracious hospitality—true southern hospitality.  We finished our water, returned the glasses, and thanked him more than once.  Before leaving, I asked him, “What is your name?”  

And he replied, “E. P. McKee.”  I liked the sound of his name—E. P. McKee.  

Using Mr. McKee’s directions, we did find my Uncle Jones, and we visited him.  But the memory that stands out most vividly from that hot day was Mr. E. P. McKee’s simple act of kindness that cost him only a few ice cubes, water, and a little energy and time.  

Even this summer, on an especially hot day, when I’m craving a cold, icy drink of water, I still remember that day and how good that drink of water tasted.  The memory is still as crystal clear in my head as my glass of cold water!  

And I remember the friendliness and hospitality of the people of Tennessee with their slower southern drawls and polite “Yes, Ma’ams” and “Yes, Sirs.”  More than likely, by now, Mr. McKee has met his Maker, yet my memory of him remains!  

Sometimes the simplest kindness can leave a lasting impression and memory behind.  Many people in this world could use a smile, a kind word or deed, and something as simple as a cold glass of water.

The Bible says that we if give a cup of water “in my name” it is as “unto Him.”  E. P. McKee willingly gave four glasses of ice-cold water to four thirsty Kansans in 1983, a reminder of what a gift “a cup of water” can be to thirsty travelers. 

Yes, over forty years later, I still remember E. P. McKee and his kind gesture.  I hope he is having a good time in heaven.  And I still like the sound of his name—E. P. McKee!

  

[email protected]

Lettuce Eat Local: A IS for Apple

By
Guest Columnist
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0

Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

There are a lot of things you find yourself saying to your children that you never anticipated. Words that we can assume have never been strung together before — except perhaps by other parents — come out of our mouths, spoken appropriately for the situation at hand but also are so weird. What on earth, you wonder, as you shake your head. 

I of course can’t think of many examples right now, but dirty feet and boogers feature prominently as topics. I do have a four-year-old boy, so I shouldn’t type out a lot of the ones I can remember. But most are just random and unexpectedly necessary, like “Why are you kissing that plastic bag?” “Yes, this is dead cow pizza,” “I guess Jesus might have been fatter than that dog,” “Next time don’t put the watermelon down your dress,” and “No, I know Kiah’s head is soft and warm, but we did not take it off and put it in the microwave.” Or of course, the classic “please stop putting ketchup on your ___ (insert any food item or body part here).” 

Lately I’ve been having to tell Kiah with unforeseen regularity that things are not Papa, an apple, or Bob. What? Your brother is not an apple. Papa (Grandpa) is not in the fridge! And who even is this Bob guy? 

She is hilarious, and she knows it, so she knows when she’s being silly. At least I think so most of the time, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. We can’t see what all is going on in her 21-month-old brain, and I’m sure her inferences make sense to her. 

The kids helped me pick “apples” off our plum tree last week, and clearly Kiah wasn’t far off with her designation of the fruit even though she was simultaneously completely wrong. I don’t have any idea where her fascination with Bob came from, but she named her golden retriever stuffie Mav and we go along with it, so really, why shouldn’t she name her little pink chair Bob? [Every time she walks around giggling and calling random things Bob, I have to respond in that annoying voice, “Bob? Bob? I don’t know no Bob!” — any other VeggieTales fans know what I’m talking about?]

I thought Ki hadn’t been listening when I was reading a library book to Benson, but she came tearing over to jab enthusiastically at the page, yelling “Papa!” That one made sense, since the character’s name was Papa Pirate: humorous, too, since it is rare that I compare my father-in-law to a bushy-black-haired seafaring pirate with crazy gold teeth, flowing beard, and glistening sword. It made less sense a few days later in the middle of a completely un-Papa-y book when I had to tell her, “No, Papa is not a dragon,” regardless of her insistence and glee. At least the other people in the store enjoyed hearing me say it. 

As she continues to exercise her growing vocabulary, Kiah will continue to entertain us, I’m sure. Even the way she says all these words is incredibly endearing — I wish you could hear her adorable inflection with apple (ap-pbbbbbul!). I’m biased, I know, but even after all the pirate and dragon talk, so is Papa (and Bob, I can only assume). 

 

A is for Apbbbulsauce Candy

CANDY is of course another of Kiah’s favorite words, so why not call this apple-y snack candy? I saw this unusual recipe in one of my cookbooks from the 70s, and this seemed like a good excuse to make it; I changed a few things, and if I make it again, I’d modify it to use plain gelatin to reduce sugar and dye — but we’ll have to see what Bob says about it first. Appropriately, Kiah declined to try it and wanted an apple instead.

Prep tips: we used strawberry gelatin because that’s what I had, but this could work with a variety of flavors. 

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup sugar

3 oz strawberry-flavored gelatin [1 standard package]

1 cup finely chopped pecans

Heat applesauce and sugar in a small saucepan; boil for a couple minutes. Remove from heat and dissolve in jello, then stir in pecans. Pour into an 8×8” dish, cover, and chill until set. You’re supposed to be able to cut it into cubes, but it was still soft and sticky for me; so I guess it’s spoon candy? 

Taco Salad Casserole

By
Debbie Dance Uhrig
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0

Grandma Betty’s Taco Salad Casserole was always a hit when the grand kids came to visit. In typical rural style this easy peasy recipe can be enlarged to feed guests quite easily. Tonight I made a double of the recipe. Most of it traveled, some to our son’s home and another large portion to a friend recouping from surgery.

As I recall mom always had the ingredients on hand to make this casserole in the event of unexpected company. Tonight after doing a double batch I was out of several items in the kitchen.

This week we sold my Ford Flex. Besides cooking a double of this recipe, a double of a fresh vegetable salad, and a dozen cinnamon rolls, we spent the day detailing the car. It’s actually something I enjoy! Tonight the old gal is a tired camper, but I’m ready for a girls road trip tomorrow that will be refreshing and fun. Like many of you, the temperatures dropped and we made haste while the heat wasn’t so intense.

The last time I ran this in a column was 2016. I gave some easy tips to switch this recipe out to a chicken taco casserole. For the pasta perhaps use a penne, cream of chicken soup versus mushroom, maybe pepper jack cheese instead of cheddar, throw in some green chilies and maybe corn and still use the taco seasoning, or make up your own set of spices. Ervin says we should do the chicken later this week simply because I have a great deal of chicken in the deep freeze. We eat beef, but I tend to use chicken more frequently.

This dish will also freeze without much change in structure. Do something fun this week and try something new! Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Taco Salad Casserole

(Serves 8-10 persons)

1 ½ lbs. Burger, fried, drained

1 cup or more finely chopped onion

12 ounces noodles, cooked and drained, al dente

1 can cream of mushroom soup

15-20 oz Petite tomatoes

1 envelope of taco seasoning

2 cups of shredded cheese at least!

Fry the burger and onion together, draining if necessary-

While the meat is cooking boil the pasta, just until al dente stage.

Drain pasta, and combine meat/onion mixture, tomatoes, mushroom soup and taco seasoning packet. Select baking dish and spray with vegetable oil. Pour in half the casserole mixture and top with half of the cheese. Fill with remaining casserole and then place the rest of the cheese on top. Bake in 350 degree oven until hot and bubbly. Could serve with sour cream and cilantro sprinkled over the top. Add an interesting salad and dinner is served.

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