Notes from the President April, 2018

Introducing – Our
Notes updating you on current projects, future
plans, and exciting possibilities, from
Jeff Walker, President
PO Box 109, Fredonia, KS 66736
620-212-8309
oldironclub@gmail.com
Mark Your 2018
Calendars:
January 28 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
February 25 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
March 11 – KS Heritage Series – 2 pm
April 22 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
August 5 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
Sept. 16 – Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
Sept. 27-30 – Old Iron Days
October 21– Full Club Meeting – 6:30 pm
December 1– Full Club Meeting – 6:00 pm
Christmas Party, Auction, and
election of Officers and Board Members
New Club President!
After leading the Old Iron Club since its inception in 1999, Byron
Githens retired as club president and turned the reins over to newly elected
president, Jeff Walker. At the December, 2017 meeting, Byron reviewed the
origins of the club, starting with a small tractor show led by Mike Myers at
Fredonia Homecoming in the 1990’s. At some point in the mid ‘90’s, Byron
took that over. After 20 some years of leadership, Byron welcomes stepping
into a new phase of his club membership, with great confidence in Jeff’s
ability to lead us forward into the next 20 years and beyond.
Jeff Walker is no stranger to farming, hard work, and rural life. A
native of the Altoona area, he grew up in a farming family with a dairy. His
first job off the farm was at age 13, working at the 15th Street Market in
Fredonia. Those of you of a “certain” generation will remember this grocery
store. After a period of working at Frankenberry Farms, Jeff joined what is
now B-W Meat Processing Plant, where he has been for 30 years.
Jeff and his wife Pam Brown Walker have 3 children – Ethan and wife
Kate, Ely and wife Liz, and Lindsay. Pam is active in many areas of the
community, working for the Wilson County Conservation District and NRCS.
Jeff and Pam are members of KMPA – Kansas Meat Processors Association.
Jeff is excited for the challenges of continuing the great things that
the club is all about, and also looks forward to what is possible in the future.
Congratulations, Jeff! And THANKS to Byron for bringing people
together to make this club happen!

Join us April 22 - Club Meeting

The first club meeting of 2018 will be held
Sunday, April 22, at 6:30pm at the Town Hall. Potluck.

Have you ever looked at our club website? www.oldironclub.org

Leanne will present the highlights of the newly designed site. The original site was published about 10 years
ago and, while it contained updated information, it was time for a re-do to make it more user friendly with an
updated look. What do you know that will contribute to our historical record of our rural heritage? We’d love
to add more information to the site! Whether you are a computer user or not, you’ll enjoy learning about the
information the public has access to through our website.

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Notes from the President April, 2018

Use AmazonSmile to Support the Old Iron Club

What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support the Wilson County Old Iron Club
every time you shop at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low
prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that
Amazon will donate .5% of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization. Every little bit
counts.

How do I select Wilson County Old Iron Club when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile, smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization
to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Type in “Wilson County Old Iron
Club” then hit the “select” button. It’s that simple! Amazon remembers your selection, and then every
eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile, go to Smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or
mobile device.

Which products on AmazonSmile are elibigle for charitable donations?

You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail
pages.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List,
wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

In addition to shopping locally whenever possible, many

of us shop online frequently and use amazon.com.
Please consider using AmazonSmile as an automatic way
to contribute to the Wilson County Old Iron Club.

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Notes from the President April, 2018

Board & Officer Elections Held at December Meeting

Board of Director members serve 2-year terms, with no term limits. At the end of 2017, the terms of Johnny Eck and Justin
Gorton expired. After many years of service on the board, Johnny decided not to run for re-election. Justin Gorton chose to run
again, and there were several other club members who willingly agreed to have their names placed on the ballot. Rod Meckley
and Annette Cranmer was elected to serve on the board. Thank you to all who agreed to be nominated. Following the Board of
Directors election, the board position held by Jeff Walker was vacant and, as per Club Bylaws, the board filled the unexpired
term, selecting Justin Gorton.

The Board of Directors are: The club officers are:

Connie Vail Jeff Walker, Club President
Tom Vorhees Rod Vorhees, Club Vice-President
Rod Meckley Leanne Githens, Club Secretary
Annette Cranmer Joni Vorhees, Club Treasurer, Board Secretary
Justin Gorton
and the 4 club officers

Wheat Binding Will Be

Happening Before You Know It!
Calling All
Rock Hunters!

Wilson County Old Iron Club is partnering with the

Have you ever been curious about how the
wheat binder works? Plan to be a part of
this year’s wheat harvest. Tom Vorhees
and Justin Gorton are in charge of the
wheat harvest and would love to have you
experience it with them. If you are
willing/able to pitch bundles during the
harvest, call Tom (485-4392) or Justin (330-
5541) and let them know so they can
contact you when the harvest is going to
happen.
Many of the charter members recall the
late Charlie Lewis teaching us how the
binder works. As one who actually farmed
with a binder, Charlie’s expertise was
invaluable. Experience a bit of yesteryear
by being a part of this year’s harvest!
Fredonia Tourism Committee to help celebrate Fredonia’s 150th
Anniversary. Being members of the “Fredonia Kansas Rocks!”
Facebook page gave us the idea to paint our own rocks and hide
them. 150 of them to be exact and we need your help.
On April 22 at 4 pm bring your children, grandchildren
and Great Grandchildren to the Club meeting hall for a few
hours of painting to help us get our project started. Our rocks
will have our logo on them so they will be easily identified, help
us get them ready to be hidden. At least one rock hidden will
hold 150 reasons you will want to take a picture and post it on
the Facebook page, as it will be worth $150 in cold hard
cash! We will also have some that will be worth free admission
to the show, free ice cream, or a free Old Iron T-shirt. Many
more prizes will be rewarded based on the rock you find.
Come help us do some
painting before the full club
meeting; everything will be
furnished. Put on your painting
shirt and we will see you at 4 pm.

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Notes from the President April, 2018

New Board Members: No Strangers to 2018 Kansas

the Fun and Work of Old Iron Days Heritage Series
Both Rod Meckley and Annette Cranmer know the sense of
accomplishment that comes along with the exhaustion after
our 4-day show. Rod demonstrates the art of chair caning, and
Annette is part of the corn processing crew.
This year’s series was all
about our natural resources -
– how the resources impact our daily lives, and how we
affect the resources by the choices we make.
If you missed these programs, you missed something
good! Special
thanks to Pam Walker for her work in organizing this
series.

“Water in Kansas: Past & Present” - Rex Buchanan

“The Challenges and Joys of Prairie Living” – Jane Koger
Rod lives in Neodesha and works for Cessna in Independence,
“Water: Why Is It So Difficult to Conserve?” – Matt Sanderson
KS. He has worked with his hands all of his life, is very creative,
and working with wood is a passion for him. Woodworking Each year we aim to present topics of local, regional,
mentors were an important influence in developing his skills, and/or statewide interest. Often this includes historical
and now he enjoys teaching his grandson, his son-in-law, and
Boy Scouts with various projects. Rod started to repair
information and how it relates to our present lives. The
furniture and had to teach himself how to cane in order to board is looking for ideas for next year’s Kansas Heritage
finish a chair. Rod loves Old Iron Days – it gives him a chance Series. Please let a board member know the topics you
to learn more about the old ways and keeping the past alive. are interested in learning more about.
His wife, Mary, is the public librarian in Neodesha, and can
often be found helping at the front gate during the show.

Apparently Annette is
always behind the There are plans underway to put doors on the south and
camera and not in front
of it, so we’ll have to
north sides of the sawmill building, and to add a secure
make due with a photo of entrance to the east side. This will provide for increased
her father, and her storage possibilities, as well as protect the sawmill from
granddaughter!
the elements.

Annette Cranmer, daughter of Johnny and the late Alice Eck,

grew up in Fredonia. She held the position of Wilson County
Treasurer for a time, and then worked in Wichita and Topeka
before returning to work at LMI in Fredonia. Family ties have
always been important to Annette and Old Iron Days provides
an opportunity to work alongside her family in the corn
processing demonstration. The rock painting/hunting project
is one of Annette’s great ideas to get people involved and build Maintenance needs – what are you aware of that needs
excitement prior to the show. to be taken care of now or before the show? Let a
board member know so that we can put our “best foot
Welcome to the Board, Rod and Annette!
forward”!

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