Living in Leavenworth County

In Rose Anne Sachse’s 89 years she has seen a lot of change in the world — and her own life. There are things however, that remain solid as a rock in Rose Anne’s life — her faith, family, reading, letter writing, coffee and of course — rum cakes.
When she answered a newspaper ad for a summer school teacher when World War II was raging and there wasa shortage of teachers, she began teaching at the age of 18 in a one-room schoolhouse with 16 students in Mitchell, South Dakota.
"One of the students was my 13-year-old sister," says Rose Anne. "I taught for two years and loved all of it. I played games at recess with them because there weren’t that many students so we needed everyone. It was difficult because some of the girls would bring movie magazines to school and hide it in their math books."
After teaching in South Dakota, she and a girlfriend decided to move to Denver, where her life would change dramatically. She was working as a receptionist for the Sisters of Charity who owned a hospital. 
When Mike Sachse, an Atchison and Lowemont native and Kansas State graduate who was working as a civil engineer in Denver asked her to marry him she said ‘yes.’ A few weeks before they were to be married he got a phone call from Leavenworth County and was asked to come back to the area and become the county engineer.
"My husband traveled all over for the Navy and when he returned he decided that Leavenworth was one of the best places to live in the whole world," says Rose Anne. "I remember each time that I had a baby people that I didn’t know very well would come to visit me. It’s the people that make you like a town. It doesn’t have anything to do with the quality of the grocery stores or how many stores there are. It has everything to do with your relationships in the stores or the community. There are lovely people in Leavenworth."
Their first abode was an apartment in 1956. But they dreamed of finding a big house in the country and filling it with children. When they heard about an 80-acre farm that was for sale they immediately put a $10,500 bid on it, and despite the fact there was no electricity or running water, they were delighted when they found out they got it.
They slowly renovated the house and raised five children there. She still lives there. "I still love the farm and living in the country," says Rose Anne.
When she moved to Leavenworth as a newlywed she was feeling lonely since she knew few people. "I remember ladies in Denver having coffee groups so my friends and I decided to give it a try. We started with some farm wives and served cookies, but we learned to serve a hot loaf of bread or different coffee cakes. The coffee group met frequently for years and we still all stay in touch."
Rose Anne is determined to stay active, and keeping her mind engaged is something that comes naturally to her. She visits the library often. She is a dedicated reader and she reads fast. She flies through two to three books each week.
"My mom would read to us kids every night," says Rose Anne. "She would read poems or stories from the ‘Lives of the Saints,’ or sometimes she would make up a story for us. We memorized poems growing up and most are still with me today. I can spend hours reading poems and have taught all my grandkids to appreciate them. We like to recite them together or just read them out loud."
She also believes that she has too much to be thankful for to not start the day thanking the Lord, so she attends Mass at Immaculate Conception/St. Joseph Church every single morning. "It helps to give all your cares to the Lord. You feel like a new person. I love daily Mass, and I don’t think that I could make it without it."
The thing she is most thankful for in life is that her parents followed Jesus Christ as Catholics.
It was at a church bazaar about 20 years ago that Rose Anne overheard people raving about a rum cake that someone had baked and brought to the event. She tracked down the woman who had made it and asked her if she would share her special recipe. Rose Anne has been making them ever since for myriad events and celebrations, including birthdays and new neighbors. She made 58 rum cakes last year alone and has no intention of slowing down on production.
While she has seen some dramatic technological advances in her lifetime, Rose Anne is still a devoted hand-written letter writer and she loves visiting the post office. "My family knows I love to check the mail," says Rose Anne. "I’m a letter writer. Letters were very important to my mother. She taught me to just write what you are doing. You don’t need to tell them something big. Talk about what’s in the present, what you would say if the recipient were sitting across from you. If you are having a bad day, it’s OK to say that. I still write a few letters a week."
As she approaches her nonagenarian years Rose Anne is keen on retaining her happy quality of life and she urges others who are approaching their golden years to ensure their own peace of mind and happiness by doing something for somebody else. "Find a neighbor that needs help and stop in to ask them what you can do for them. Open your heart to your neighbors even if you don’t know them very well. I found out that my neighbors are great people."
Rose Anne has learned many thing over her nine decades — most importantly, love and kindness get you a long way.

By RIMSIE MCCONIGA
rmcconiga@leavenworthtimes.com
Copyright 2018 GateHouse Media, LLC. All rights reserved

Shrine Park bargain in the 1950's

Try your luck for a buck.

The future of IMAC HS

The building that once housed Immaculata Catholic High School has a new owner.

Exact Investment Group recently purchased the building, previously owned by the Archdiocese of Kansas City, Kansas, for an undisclosed price.

The building will be re-purposed into a high-end residence space, according to Caleb Buland, a representative of Exact Architects, who will design the project.

He said plans are under way to construct 25 loft apartments with on-site amenities, four offices and 40,000 square feet of fitness space.

He said the lofts will have space for about 50 to 75 occupants. He said rent will start at about $750 per month.

Buland said construction should begin by the end of this year.

He said the working name for the re-purposed building is Leavenworth Downtown Lofts and Gym.

“We are trying to put a unique, fun space in downtown Leavenworth,” Buland said. “This can be one of our best projects in Leavenworth.”

Exact Architects also was the designer for the Ben Day Lofts, The Broadway Residences and the Carnegie apartments and art gallery.

Buland said plans are to redesign the gymnasium into fitness space that would include a basketball court, fitness rooms, an aerobics center and a juice bar.

He said “operating partners” are welcome to host their training and exercise classes in the facility.

The building at Sixth and Shawnee streets had featured Catholic secondary education before closing at the end of the 2017 spring semester.

Buland said Greenamyre Rentals will be the property manager.

By MARK ROUNTREE / mrountree@leavenworthtimes.com

How would you rate this burger?

Just like Elvis, crumbly burgers have left the building. However, if you’ve got a tank of gas, they’re still within driving reach. There’s five Nu-Way locations in Wichita, Kansas, and another in Leavenworth, Kansas at 510 Shawnee St. 
For the uninitiated, Nu-Way served loose meat sandwiches (Maid-Rite was popular competitor) topped with mustard and pickle made on a custom cooker developed by founder Tom McEvoy. And, yes, they were called sandwiches. Let the burger-sandwich debate commence.  

(Courtesy of Kansas City Memories: Facebook Group)

Loose meat sandwiches are made with ground beef on a soft white bun. The beef hasn’t been pressed into a patty, but instead has been piled on in a fashion akin to Sloppy Joe’s sans sauce. Both however can wreck a dress shirt with equal aplomb. Nu-Way Drive-Ins were here in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s at 2515 Swope Parkway, 4627 Independence Ave., 10503 Independence Ave., 48th and Prospect, 3205 Main St., and 48th and Main. For close to two decades, there was a location at 6348 Troost Ave., but all of the Nu-Ways were closed by 1975.
The first Nu-Way opened in 1930 at 1416 W. Douglas in Wichita and it’s still operating. They make their own root beer, served in frosty mugs, and onion rings alongside the crumbly burgers. The success of the burger stand in Wichita led to expansion in Hutchinson, Kansas, and here in Kansas City. Nu-Way briefly returned in the 1980s with locations in the Ward Parkway Center and the Blue Ridge Mall. 
“We just closed all of them up because we simply couldn’t run them from out of town,” owner Neal Stong told The Wichita Eagle back in 2010. 
If you’re looking for loose meat sandwiches right this very moment, Runza (out of Nebraska) in Mission, Kansas, Mugs Up in Independence, Missouri, and In A Tub in Kansas City all serve their take on a crumbly burger/pocket/taco/sandwich.
© 2017 Public Television 19, Inc. (KCPT)

Homer’s celebrates 86th birthday!

In 1931, Homer McKelvey opened a root beer stand in Leavenworth. He soon expanded the menu to include food.
Since then, the business at 1320 S. Fourth St. has been an institution in the First City of Kansas.
Rick Jackson, current owner of the restaurant, said Homer’s Drive Inn is the oldest restaurant in Leavenworth – and one of the oldest in the state of Kansas.
“Homer’s is pretty special for Leavenworth,” Jackson said.
The venerable establishment will celebrate its 86th birthday Friday night.
Jackson said approximately 100 cars, trucks and motorcycles will participate in a show at the restaurant from 5-8 p.m.
He said Linn Street to the south of the restaurant will be closed during the event. The alley north of the restaurant also will be closed.
The restaurant has room inside for 36 patrons, but waitresses will be outside of the restaurant taking orders and serving food.
There is no admission fee but food will be available to purchase.
People who have a car, truck or motorcycle in the show will be given a coupon for a free hamburger and fries.
By MARK ROUNTREE / mrountree@leavenworthtimes.com

Let's Hear From You

Let us know what's going on in your life. Tell us about your family. Mates, kids, grandkids, even the "great" ones. Got none of those? Then let us know about your friends and/or activities. At the very least tell us what part of the world you're living in. We know you're out there somewhere!
Just click on "comments" below to read what others have to say or to add your own "two-cents worth". We're looking forward to hearing from you!

Memorial Day

The Council on Aging’s Spring Tea 2016

From left to right; Helen Gallagher, Barbara Taylor-Burgess, Marilyn Murray (IMAC Class of 1955), and Janet Rovinski were all winners in the Spring Tea Mad Hatter contest.

Charley McGlinn - IMAC HS Class of 1959

This year’s inductees into the Immaculata High School Hall of Fame represent service and influence in the lives and communities of the people they’ve served.
Monsignor CharlesMcGlinn, a 1959 graduate of Immaculata and highly respected priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas will be one of those honored at the school’s annual event May 16 at the University of Saint Mary with a Mass, reception, dinner and program. 
Monsignor McGlinn,“Charley” to his family and friends, graduated from Immaculata in 1959 after serving as president of its student council and being named to the All-Area football team in 1958. 
The path he then chose led him to the unique life of a Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, his 1967 ordination coming at a time of great change and upheaval in the church as well as in the country.
Born the second oldest of six sons to John and Margaret McGlinn, he grew up in Leavenworth, attending Immaculate Conception Grade School, now Xavier. He
maintained his strong ties to Immaculata, following the football exploits of his brothers and nephews at IMAC.
Monsignor McGlinn recalled that as a newly assigned priest in Kansas City, Kansas, he became involved in the Civil Rights movement, especially after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
It was during this time, he said, he learned the meaning of poverty and racism, noting he marched in the Memphis garbage workers’ strike amid  tanks armored personnel carriers and machine gun nests along the city’s streets.
Locally, he had worked to start a hot lunch program at the Catholic school
associated with his assigned parish in a very poor area of KCK.
Monsignor McGlinn balances his religious life with many outside interests. He and his brother, Patrick, are the official vintners in an informal family winemaking venture. The Carlos and Patricio Vineyard was established in 1970 when the two brothers first converted their fondness of family, faith and love into an Irish wine.

Is Cursive Writing Useful?

Cursive writing may have once been a common subject in elementary schools. But it's no longer commonly taught in the Leavenworth public schools.
The president of the Leavenworth Board of Education thinks it's still an important skill for children to learn.
"I don't pursue a lot things," Board President Nancy Klemp said. "I am going to pursue this."
The issue was raised during a Wednesday meeting of the Leavenworth Board of Education by Superintendent Mike Roth after Klemp had brought it to his attention.
Roth said cursive writing is not specifically being taught in the school system.
The superintendent said district officials will gather information about what other school systems in the state are doing in terms of cursive writing. He said they also may look at national data about the issue.
"We'll put together some data for you," he said.
Roth hopes to have the information ready for next month's school board meeting.
Roth is in his first year as superintendent of Leavenworth public schools. He previously served as the superintendent of the Clearwater school district.
According to Roth, cursive writing also was not being taught in the Clearwater schools
Cursive writing is taught at Xavier Catholic School in Leavenworth, according to Principal Evie Porter.
In a telephone interview Friday, Klemp said to some children, cursive writing may appear to be a foreign language, and they may not care whether they can read it. But she believes it's important for people to be able to read cursive writing.
She said many old manuscripts in museums are written in cursive.
"To me, it's just part of our heritage," she said.
Klemp said she sent a card to a granddaughter with a message written in cursive.
"My granddaughter said, 'Grandma I can't read this,'" Klemp said.
The board president said she has received a number of emails from people who believe cursive writing is important.
Klemp said she would like to see cursive writing incorporated into the curriculum at the Leavenworth public schools.
If only one teacher instructs children how to write in cursive, the students may forget it if it's not required in other classes, Klemp said.
"All of the teachers have to be on board with this," she said.
The Leavenworth Times

UPDATE May 21, 2015
Elementary school students will start learning cursive writing next year in the Leavenworth public schools.
Superintendent Mike Roth made the announcement during Wednesday's meeting of the Leavenworth Board of Education.
When the issue of cursive writing was raised during a school board meeting last month, Roth said that form of writing is not specifically being taught in Leavenworth public schools.
School board President Nancy Klemp argued in favor of teaching cursive writing.
Roth announced Wednesday that cursive writing will be taught in some form by the spring semester of the next school year. He said school officials felt they would be too rushed to try to start teaching it at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year.
Board members were not asked to vote on the issue.
The superintendent later said the details are still being worked out, but cursive writing likely will be introduced to students in the third grade and followed up in grades four and five.
"We will have it implemented in all four grade schools," he said.
Roth said many important historical documents are written in cursive.
If students are not taught cursive writing, they may have a difficult time reading these documents, he said.
Board member Loyal Torkelson said cursive writing is a good motor skill.
Following the meeting, Klemp said she was pleased that cursive writing will be taught next year.
The Leavenworth Times

Les Novelettes Club

Les Novelettes Club, a local nonprofit charitable organization, was founded in 1950. Cathy Lang has been a member of the club since 1984.

1. What is Les Novelettes and can you tell us about the upcoming fundraiser?
Les Novelettes Club was organized on June 30, 1950. The club's constitution was written between 1950-1954. The motto chosen was "Unity for Progress." The aims were to provide scholarships that would support the educational endeavors of local high school students heading toward a higher institution of learning. One other very important component of this club was and continues to be lending charitable aid to the community. One of our proudest achievements was raising funds that resulted in the purchase of band uniforms for the students at Warren Middle School. This year the club will celebrate its 65th anniversary at a fundraising event to be held at the Heritage Center, 107 Delaware, in Leavenworth on Saturday from 7-11 p.m. There will be dinner, dancing and live entertainment. The attire is semi-formal and the tickets are $50. For ticket information, please call 913-306-7079 or 913-306-4680.

2. What has been the club's primary mission over the 65 years of its existence? What are a few of the success stories of scholarship winners?
The club's primary mission over the past 65 years and beyond is to continue in its efforts to encourage and support the educational aspirations of our youth. To date, Les Novelettes has awarded thousands of scholarship dollars to 153 graduating seniors from Leavenworth, Lansing and Immaculata High Schools. Three additional scholarships will be awarded in May for a total of 156. There have been many success stories through the years, some of which have been featured in my "Walkin' the Talk" column for the Leavenworth Times. Many of our recipients are living their dreams in some of the most coveted professions.

3. What are some of the ways that Les Novelettes has made a difference in the lives of many young men and women in our area?
Through leading by example, it appears that many recipients have adopted our conviction in the concept of "Paying it Forward" which is the firm belief of repaying the generosity of others by giving something of value to someone else. Through their professions, they have gone on to honor the generosity of this community while serving as military leaders or becoming an integral part of the health care system or dedicating their skills to education, etc. And so it goes that Les Novelettes' ability to ease the financial burdens of so many is directly related to the benevolence of this community.

4. How has the club changed over the decades and what are members still committed to?
Over time, Les Novelettes became more determined and committed to expand the scope of its fundraising abilities. In order to reach out to broader funding opportunities, the club applied for and received a 501(c)3 charitable status. As a result, local businesses and private donors could realize the advantages of a tax deduction. Club members will continue to invest their leadership and commitment to our youth by modeling basic values and a personal responsibility for good deeds. As our motto indicates, we have been "United" for 65 years and our "Progress" has become legend.

5. How can residents who are interested in joining Les Novelettes find out more and how can people who are unable to attend the fundraiser make a donation to the club?
Names of candidates for membership and a brief biography are brought to the club through the present members and if there is a vacancy, a selection is made from among the list of candidates. Donations to the club can be made at any time either by contacting a member or by mail at P.O. Box 877, Leavenworth, KS, 66048.

Les Novelettes Club celebrated its 65th anniversary at a dinner/dance/fundraiser Saturday at the Heritage Center. 

– Rimsie McConiga of The Leavenworth Times

End off an era

Ron Booth said he likes the Norman Rockwell way of life. The owner of The Corner Pharmacy said his business captures the spirit of Rockwell's paintings. Employees know customers by name, and the owner can be found working behind the pharmacy counter. 
"I enjoy serving people," he said. 
But Booth said he works long hours and "vacation" is a foreign word to him. And after operating The Corner Pharmacy for 34 years, he is retiring. The downtown Leavenworth business, including its soda fountain and lunch counter, will close at 6 p.m. Tuesday. "It's time for me to slow down a little bit," said Booth, who has worked in the pharmacy field for more than 40 years. Two other longtime pharmacists, Bob Blanke and Tom Clark, also will be retiring as The Corner Pharmacy closes. The pharmacy's prescription files have been sold to the CVS Pharmacy in Leavenworth. 
The Corner Pharmacy is located at Fifth and Delaware streets. Booth said there has been a pharmacy at that corner for more than 140 years.He said it's the oldest pharmacy in Kansas to have operated at one location. "It's been a part of the Leavenworth community for a long time," he said. Booth purchased the business in 1981. "It was a struggling pharmacy," he said. He changed the name to The Corner Pharmacy. In 1985, he purchased the AXA building where the pharmacy is located. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. "I restored the building," he said. In 1988, he purchased a neighboring building where he expanded the pharmacy's soda fountain and lunch counter. When Booth purchased the business, he could document that a pharmacy had been operating at that location since 1871. But he later was given a copy of a newspaper article indicating there had been a pharmacy at that corner since 1869. Even though there has been a pharmacy at the corner for more than 140 years, the AXA building did not open until 1905. 
Booth said The Corner Pharmacy is not being forced out of business.  He acknowledged that it is challenging to operate an independent pharmacy, but he said The Corner Pharmacy has remained a strong business. "We're going out at the top," he said. Even though Booth said he is ready to slow down, he will miss operating the pharmacy. He said The Corner Pharmacy has been his passion. "Outside my family, it's everything to me," he said. 
Booth will continue to own the building where The Corner Pharmacy is located. "I'll still be a part of downtown," he said. He hopes the soda fountain and lunch counter will re-open under the operation of a new owner. And he hopes to rent out the remaining pharmacy space for another retail business.
By JOHN RICHMEIER  jrichmeier@leavenworthtimes.com

The Old Man remembers the Mehl & Schott Drug Store at that location.  It had been there since 1888 and was the first place he was every employed.  This was in 1950s when he earned his 50 cents an hour manning the tobacco and candy counter while waiting to be sent out on a bicycle to deliver prescriptions and other items to the homes of customers of the store.  

"Wadsworth"

Click HERE for a quick tour...

Stepping back in time to ‘The Big Store’

“Like bees to a hive,” the Leavenworth Times reported in April, l893, “curious crowds milled inside and out the store from 7:30 to l0:00 to behold the store windows and enjoy a promenade through five floors of the immense new Ettenson, Woolfe & Co. building.  A band played and the Leavenworth chief of police with six officers were on hand to control the throng.”
Early newspaper advertisements told of “an arc light of 100 candle power directing the way to the basement devoted to crockery. 40 gas jets and 28 arc lights illuminated each floor. Counters offered dry goods, clothing from lace to jeans, furniture and carpets.”
The expansion, including 70,000 square feet of floor space, at a cost of $50,000, resulted from a devastating fire a year earlier. Numerous advertisements from that time picture the business as The Big Store.
Imagine the excitement that prevailed in Leavenworth back then with the opening of such a grand department store.
Henry Ettenson had emigrated to America at the age of 16, in 1866, to avoid compulsory military duty required of all Russian citizens. For two years he was a peddler in New York, selling matches, and described himself as a wholesale lumber merchant.  He learned the English language through interaction with his customers.
Ettenson arrived in Leavenworth in l868 and worked as a peddler with a wagon for two years, before opening a store at 214-216 So. 5th. By 1880, along with sons, Charles, Moe, and Benjamin, the Ettenson tradition was firmly grounded in the essential virtues of success, thrift and honesty.  The thriving business was known as the GREAT DAYLIGHT STORE. The store was relocated to 5th and
Cherokee, remodeled in 1881, and included four floors, a mansard roof, elevator, and steam heating.
When B.B.Woolfe became his partner in 1888, the business became known as Ettenson, Woolfe, & Co.
Tragedy struck in 1938 when a cyclone toppled a portion of the uppermost
floor into the street resulting in the death of a man seated in a parked
car. At this point the entire top floor was removed.
By the late l940s, the business was sold and became known as the B.R. Phillips Furniture Store and remained in business for more than 10 years.
During WWII, a parachute factory operated in the upper floor. In 1953,
Leland Winetroub operated a business known as Lee’s Furniture, on the
southwest corner of 5th and Cherokee, and expanded in 1963, to the former Ettenson-Phillips location.
While the words “The Big Store,” painted on the west wall of the building, have always been legible over the years, evidence of bygone days has recently emerged, when John Peterson, the current owner, began the process of removing siding from the rest of the building to reveal the original character of the building itself, which had been covered over years ago during the modernization of many downtown buildings.
In his lifetime,Henry Ettenson had also owned a store in Hill City, Kan., and the old Elms Hotel, the bottling works, and nearby springs, in Excelsior Springs,Mo. Upon his death in 1909, his estate was estimated at three-quarters of a million dollars.
Leavenworth businessmen agreed, “he knew the worth of advertising using daily ads to attract customers.”  One ad quoted, “Time is Money.”
In 1911, “through the munificence of Henry Ettenson, Al Rothenberg, B.Haas, B.B.Woolfe, and Abe Rosen, a chapel, walls, gates, and stone tablets were built at Mt. Zion Cemetery.”
Mary Ann Brown | Leavenworth County Historical Society
Information provided by Joan Cooper LCHS, July 10, 2013
Sources: 140th edition Leavenworth Times,1888 and October, 1909;
Ettenson album, and Jewishvilkaviskis.org.

Click HERE to see more on The Big Store.

Eunice Eichhorn Alexander - LHS Class of 1958

Eunice has lived in Leavenworth since birth and has been involved with several organizations. She is married and has a wonderful family, who all live in this area. Her husband, Francis Alexander Jr. (LHS Class of 1957) and family ran Leavenworth Glass for many years before retiring in 2008.  She is now the Activities Director of the Heritage Center in Leavenworth.  Please call her (913-682-2122) if there is anything she can do to help you enjoy the activities at the Center.

Heritage Center - Leavenworth

The way we were in 1956

This was brand new in 1959...

It replaced this beauty...

Still on guard on Spruce

Click HERE to see what he used to guard...

Lula Sparks Dillon - LHS Class of 1957

The efforts of one local group could soon be making a difference in people’s lives across the world.
On June 17, John and Marcie Ricklefs of Kansas City, Mo., will depart for their latest trip to Kenya to volunteer to help with a health clinic for some of the poor, rural communities in the area.
John said they have gone to Africa each year since 2007. The original idea came from Evoline Achacha, who the Ricklefs met through a small group at their church, First Baptist Church of North Kansas City. When Achacha earned her licensed practical nurse degree, she told John and Marcie she planned to return to Kenya to fulfill a promise.
“I promised my mother before she passed away that I would do a health clinic for the people of my village,” John said Achacha told them.
Because of the inaccessibility of medical care in those areas and a lack of clean water and other resources, John said the clinics have proved as popular as they are necessary.
“We saw 1,200 people in four days,” during one of the trips, John said.
They never go empty-handed, often carrying as many medical supplies as they
can afford to pack on their plane and giving about everything they take with them away during their trips.
This time around, they’ll have plenty to share because of Goin’ Sewin’, a group that meets every two weeks at the Council on Aging. Barbara Regnier (LHS Class of 1967), the coordinator for the group, said she proposed using the skills of the group members to help the Ricklefs out on their mission. Together, Goin’ Sewin’ produced about 360 items for the Ricklefs to take with them to Kenya. They include pillowcase dresses, blankets, lap pillows and some small purses. John said during their last trip, he and his wife took about 60 similar items to the small village in Kenya to give away. The supply was “woefully” short, Marcie said. But the impact of gifts like that cannot be overestimated, John said.
“You can’t imagine the joy that these kids have to have something nice, something that is new to them,” he said.
Though some groups have in the past offered to give supplies for the trips, John said they have yet to receive a gift on this scale.
“This year, there will be a lot more smiles,” Marcie said.
Goin’ Sewin’ has been meeting to sew together for close to 10 years and their work for the Ricklefs was not the first service-related project. Regnier said the members worked hard to complete their contributions.
“Even though not everyone could be at Goin’ Sewin’ every two weeks,
everybody pitched in and did their best,” she said.
Lula Dillon, a longtime member of Goin’ Sewin’, said she is happy to help with those efforts. She agreed it helps the members connect, in this case and with past service projects, with people in places the members may never be able to go. It also helps her stay sharp, she said.
“It’s something that occupies our time and makes us feel needed,” Dillon said.
In this case, they will get to see some of the fruits of their labor — John, a photographer, said he plans to take plenty of photos from the trip.
Copyright 2012 Leavenworth Times. Some rights reserved

Jews in Leavenworth

On this site the first Jewish place of worship in the state of Kansas was built. After a large Jewish community established residence in Leavenworth City, Kansas Territory. Temple B'Nai Jeshurun was constructed in 1866.  Initially, the first group of Jewish worshipers assembled in the home of Jonas Wollman, prominent Leavenworth businessman, in 1852.  The congregation was formally organized with about 45 families living here in Leavenworth, in May 1859. The original frame building was razed in 1916 and replaced by the present structure. It served as a place of worship for the Jewish congregation of Leavenworth until the 1970's. Its presence affirms the American principles of freedom of religion and assembly.

Read more >> The Topeka Capital-Journal...