Four

PARADES, CELEBRATIONS,
AND ORGANIZATIONS

The North Liberty Junior High band is pictured here marching in the town’s Memorial Day parade in the late 1950s. Jo-Joe’s Grill is visible in the background on the left. Members of the band included Jerry Walters, Bob Kranitz, Howard Snyder, Barbara Raunce, Carol Raunce, Sandy Nelson, Sharon Stump, Kay Mulvaney, Susan Steel, Marylee Loucks, Sheryl Heim, Ann Hay, Diane Clark, and Jerry Gorby. (Courtesy of Gloria Nelson Kranitz.)

During the week of July 31 through August 5, 1956, Walkerton celebrated the town’s centennial. As shown in this photograph from that week, business owners decorated storefronts to a evoke a nostalgic feel. Certain days were dedicated to celebrate children, teens, old-timers, and farmers. The highlights of the week were the centennial parade on Saturday and the pageant on Sunday. Special guest Dr. Harold C. Urey spoke on Saturday evening. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

The planners of the 1956 centennial celebration shown here are, from left to right, (first row) Francis Gindleberger, Neil Downey, Amybelle Wardman, Esther Cecrle, Dr. Vonna Wolfe, Claude Houser, Charles Finch, and Marty Malstaff; (second row) Dave Lawrence, Bob Awald, Newt Williams, George Hershberger, Guss Verkler, Howard Sexton, and Mavin Stahly; (third row) Fr. Anthony Letko, Wayne Burch, Clyde Chapman, Robert Barton, Ray Nusbaum, and Faunt LeRoy. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

For nearly three decades, friends Sam Smith (left) and Dale “Jerry” Nelson of North Liberty drove a team of horses that pulled a variety of historical wagons in local parades. The men participated in Walkerton’s centennial parade, various Fourth of July parades, and the opening of the Indiana Toll Road in South Bend. Smith and Nelson are pictured here before a parade in the 1950s. (Courtesy of Gloria Nelson Kranitz.)

Area couples organized the Dixie Walkers, a popular square dancing group, in 1965. For decades, the club entertained audiences at festivals, parades, and at Miller’s Merry Manor nursing home. Members of the troupe pictured here in the 1960s are, from left to right, Edna and Neil Downey, Fred and Millie Daniels, and Anne and Jim Daley. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

The annual Fourth of July parade has always drawn large crowds in North Liberty and featured a variety of different entries. In 1961, this float for Bob’s Record Shop won first place in the float competition. Gloria Nelson sits atop the float, which is pulled by a truck driven by store owner Bob Balsley. (Courtesy of Thomas Peterson.)

Members of the Liberty Township 4-H Club ride on a hay wagon in the 1961 North Liberty Fourth of July Parade. The wagon is being pulled by a tractor driven by Bob Kranitz. (Courtesy of Thomas Peterson.)

The Lakeville Lions have always been an important part of local parades. Here, the Lions throw out candy to the crowd during the 1961 parade. (Courtesy of Thomas Peterson.)

The North Liberty Silo Company, operated by the Clark family, got into the spirit of the space race of the 1960s. In 1961, the men used the top of a silo to create this unique spacecraft complete with a flashing light on top. The next year, they used a hydraulic lift to raise and lower the craft as it traveled along the parade route. (Courtesy of Thomas Peterson.)

The North Liberty Silo Company also advertised in-ground pools, which they sold in the early 1960s, during a parade. The company ended up installing several of the pools around town. (Courtesy of Allen Balsley.)

Band uniforms, often made of wool, made for a long parade for dedicated marching band participants during hot summer parades. The North Liberty High School Band is shown marching in one such parade in the late 1970s. (Courtesy of Gloria Sheneman.)

In 1976, the citizens of the United States celebrated the country’s bicentennial. Weekend-long activities in North Liberty included a pageant at Town Park, a beard and mustache competition, and a bicentennial dress contest. The “most original costume” award went to Janet Stombaugh, of North Liberty; while “best dressed family” went to state representative Richard Mangus and his family, of Lakeville. At the parade, which was held on Monday (since July 4, 1976, fell on a Sunday), there was a tie for the grand prize between the Boston Tea Party float, created by the Hamlet Bicentennial Committee, and this magnificent float created by the North Liberty United Methodist Church. On the float, Rev. Gaylord Salzgaber stands next to a replica of the church’s original building from the 1800s. The church, as it looked in 1976, follows. The float reads: “1776 By the Grace of God 1976.” (Courtesy of the author.)

Dressing up as famous Americans was a common theme during the country’s bicentennial. The Walkerton Bicentennial Parade featured Brett Mollenhauer (foreground) as Benjamin Franklin, Jeff Baker (right) as Thomas Jefferson, and Rodney Wagner as Uncle Sam. (Courtesy of Rebecca Mollenhauer Andrews.)

Members of the First Brethren Church prepared for the parade in front of the North Liberty Bowling Alley in 1976. Those pictured include Peggy Cole (holding baby Jennifer Cole) and Brian Harris (ringing the bell). (Courtesy of Brian Harris.)

When more businesses thrived in the downtown area, bell-ringing for the Salvation Army kettles could be heard on the streets of Walkerton during the holidays. From left to right are Harvey Steffan, Craig DeMyer, Margaret DeMyer, and Mel Alwine (Santa). (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

Members of the Liberty Township Fire Department helped an Easter Seals girl in need in the mid-1960s. Pictured here are, from left to right, (first row) Ivo Peddycord, Don Kuber (Santa), the unidentified girl, and John Gouker; (second row) Bob Rauen, Donnie DeLange, Roy Wolf, Mel Gouker, Bill Doan, Stoney Stoneburner, Kent Palmer, and Mel Gouker Jr. (Courtesy of Bryan Albright and the Liberty Township Fire Department.)

The Walkerton chapter of the Order of Eastern Star was instituted on March 15, 1905, with 17 petitioners. In 1955, the chapter celebrated its golden anniversary under the leadership of Elizabeth Orcutt with 320 members. This picture, taken at the OES popcorn stand at the Walkerton centennial in 1956, includes (in no particular order) Bonnie Steinke, Iris Jones, Elizabeth Steinke, and baby Juanita Steinke. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls is a youth service program for girls associated with the fraternal organization of Freemasons. The group teaches young women, from ages 11 to 21, about leadership skills and the importance of community service. Pictured on a July 4, 1966, float in North Liberty are, from left to right, Sheryl Bauman, Pam Franklin, and Kathie Nelson. (Courtesy of Kathie Nelson Sheneman.)

Organized in 1860, the Masonic Lodge of North Liberty is one of the oldest continuously run organizations in the area. These Masons gathered in 1977 to appoint DuWayne Burch as Worshipful Master. From left to right are (first row) Kenny Wagner, Don Blad, Burch, and Jim Menges; (second row) James E. Olson, Nelson Saylor, John Sheneman, and Richard Sumpter; (third row) James A. Olson, Chuck Rupel, and Harry Whitmer. (Courtesy of DuWayne and Becky Burch.)

DeMolay was the Freemasonry’s organization for young men ages 12 to 21. As a fundraiser, the North Liberty chapter held a car bash in Town Park each Fourth of July. Participants took turns hitting a car with a sledgehammer. The car was always featured in that day’s parade prior to the event, seen here in 1982. As with Rainbow, dwindling membership caused DeMolay to end locally in the 1980s. (Courtesy of DuWayne and Becky Burch.)

Many young girls were Bluebirds before they reached the age at which they could join the Campfire Girls. This 1966 image shows a group of Bluebirds from North Liberty. From left to right are (first row) Mandy Albert and Nancy Sheneman; (second row) Terri Clark, Jackie Tadlock, Brenda Springman, and Chris Salyer. (Courtesy of Nancy Sheneman-Noffke.)

In the early 1950s, the Walkerton Lions Club became the sponsor for the town’s Boy Scouts. The troop is shown here while camping in front of the town’s bandstand. The old Walkerton train depot is visible in the background. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

By the mid-1950s, the Walkerton Lions Club wanted to provide a space for the Boy Scouts to assemble. Someone suggested a rustic 24-foot-by-24-foot square cabin, but Lillian Johnson, wife of Harry Johnson (who was then president of the Lions Club), asked what would be done for the girls of the community. A compromise resulted in the construction of this 100-foot-by-32-foot Walkerton Youth Building, which was dedicated in 1957 and still stands on Washington Street. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

Branson Hiatt said that the youth building “is a lasting reminder of what everyone working together with a common goal can accomplish.” Walkerton Lions Club members Clyde Chapman, Paul Guard, Ted Hostetler, Jim Reed, Lee Frailey, and Leo Savoie used their talents to construct the building. These members shown laying the sidewalk are, from left to right, Louis Moschell, Harlan “Buck” Kepcha, unidentified, unidentified, Jim Howard, Bob Barton, Hiatt, Emmet Eiler, and Mel Alwine. (Courtesy of Walkerton Area Historical Society.)

North Liberty merchants founded the annual Potato Creek Festival in 1978 as a way to highlight local businesses. In the early days, Rev. Gaylord Salzgaber led the festival, which featured contests for children, a popular ice cream social, crafts, and the Tater Trot, a five-kilometer race that later became known as the Spud Run. The festival is pictured here in the early 1980s. (Photograph by and courtesy of Verla (Nelson) Burgener.)

A frequent stop for festival attendees was this elephant-ears stand run by Howard “Pork” Borton. Pictured here in the mid-1980s are, from left to right, Clarice (Weber) Bulla, Lawrence “Frisk” Bulla, Minnie (Nelson) Snyder, Borton, Helen (Nelson) Snyder, Bertha “Bertie” (Fair Sousley) Bulla, and Russell “Abe” Bulla. (Photograph by and courtesy of Verla (Nelson) Burgener.)

Classic-car owners needed a place to park after Fourth of July parades. Terry Harbaugh, owner of R/T Service Center on State Road 23, offered the use of his parking lot free of charge. From this, the car show was created and added to the Potato Creek Festival. In later years, the car show was taken over by Steve Lane and moved to his gas station, which is shown here in 1987. (Courtesy of Terry Harbaugh.)

Frankie Sheneman sports a T-shirt bearing the Potato Creek Festival logo in this August 1979 photograph. The festival has changed dates over the years, and in 2010, it merged with the Greene Township Lions Strawberry Festival. It is now known as the Potato Creek and Lions Strawberry Festival. (Courtesy of the author.)

Well-known residents Paul and June Stump celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 7, 2012. Paul retired from carpentry and farming, and June retired after 24 years of working as a secretary at Washington High School. In this image from the 2014 North Liberty Fourth of July parade, June drives their Oliver tractor as Paul throws candy to the eager crowd. The Stumps purchased the tractor, brand new, in 1954. (Photograph by and courtesy of Tricia Sheneman-Davenport.)

What better way to celebrate one’s 100th birthday than riding in a convertible during the North Liberty Fourth of July parade? That’s just what Gladys Sheneman did to celebrate her centennial year in 2014. Gladys remained well known in the town long after she retired from her and her husband’s chicken business (see page 15), working for years at Harvey’s in North Liberty and as Mrs. Claus at Stuntz & Hochstetler Pines in Walkerton. (Photograph by and courtesy of Tricia Sheneman-Davenport.)