L-R: Lindsey
Eichelberger, Patt Lentfer, Chris Nichols, Chris Warnick, Ashley Kassik,
Valerie Poppert, Holly Ackland, Justina Yound, Juli Kment, Idonna Pendleton,
Jennifer Griffith, Victoria Verhage, Ian Hrasky, Janet Bartels, Vicky Thompson
FILLMORE
COUNTY - The “Odegeo. . .Leadership for Fillmore County” class visited various
places for their October History and Tourism session on October 16th.
The group first traveled to the Strang Museum
where Janet Lentfer told some interesting stories of the items housed in the
Museum. The next stop was the Ohiowa Auditorium where Carol Kapperman told the
history of the Auditorium and all the events that take place now at the
facility. The class enjoyed snacks provided by Vicky Thompson and coffee at the
Ohiowa Café which was sponsored by Waddell & Reed.
The group traveled to the Maple Grove Barn
near Tobias where Bob and LaDean Endorf took the group on a tour of the historic
Maple Grove Sales Pavilion and Farrowing Barn that was built in 1912. They also told stories about some of that
other buildings on the farm that were built in that same era.
The next stop was the Milligan Public
Library. Shirley Brunkow met the group and told interesting stories of finding
information on the soldiers that were killed in the crashes while training at
Fairmont Army Airfield during World War ll, showed a short video about the search
for the soldiers produced by NBC and explained the markers that were erected in
honor of the soldiers killed in those crashes.
The group also took time to hear about the history of the Milligan
Auditorium given by Scott Oliva and how it is still a vital part of the
community today
The
class enjoyed a pizza lunch that was sponsored by First Bank of Utica-Milligan,
Farmer & Merchants Bank, Milligan Insurance Agency and Oliva Insurance
After
lunch the group went to St. Stephen’s Catholic Church were Agnes Anderson told about
the historic church that features 44 stained glass windows.
The group met Doug Rung at the Historic World
War ll marker for the Fairmont Air Field on Highway 81 and he gave some history
of the base. The group then drove around the Airbase. From there the group went to the Fillmore County
Museum where the Fillmore County Historical Society board members answered
questions about the two facilities; the Fairmont Creamery Building/Ashby
Building and the McClellam Drug Store. The class enjoyed ice cream sundaes at
the historic soda shoppe. The ice treat
was sponsored by the Fillmore County Farm Bureau.
The last stop of the day was at the Geneva
Auditorium that was built in 1915. Cindy
Callenius, manager of the Cinema Association, told the group the Rialto II
theater that is run by volunteers with just one paid part-time staff, herself.
Many upgrades to the theater have been made including the new digital program
used for showing movies, new seats and new curtains.
The day was wrapped up with Brandy VanDeWalle
talking to the group on “Being a Leader”.
Persons interested in learning more about the Odegeo.
. . Leadership for Fillmore County should contact the Fillmore County
Development Corporation at 759-4910 or email lentfer.fcdc@genevamail.com
