Fourth of July food stand provides funding

The last column, I wrote was "Annual McGennis Youth Center report out," published April 23, after just receiving The McGennis Youth Center Annual Report for 2012. It was handed out at the recently held annual board meeting. This is a continuation of discussing the annual report.

The cover includes two photographs of the Fourth of July food stand which was at the Rich Hill celebration. This continues to be popular at the event. I believe the stand has been at the Rich Hill celebration every year since the youth center board was organized and started raising money.

The stand is much more organized than when it was first started and has better facilities. There are several individuals who put a lot of work into the food stand.

In the report, one section is devoted to the food stand. The report says: "Manned by volunteers, this stand sells hamburgers, hot dogs, pop 'walking tacos' and other items to the large crowd that fills Rich Hill on the 4th. Our profit for the stand this year is around $4,200."

Board members are urged to take a shift working in the stand. "It can be a hot tiring job, but if we spread the work around, it's not so bad, in fact it can even be fun!" You do not have to be on the board to volunteer to help out on this event by working a shift. I am sure if you can help out the board will welcome you in sharing in the fun.

It was reported in the annual report by Virginia Habjan that Chad and Kerry Duncan had resigned as caretakers and the new caretakers are Colby and Audrey Sisson.

While the term caretaker is used by the board, I think of them more as supervisors. The position is more than being a caretaker. That is included, but they also have the responsibility of supervising the help and volunteers. They also oversee the activities at the center and do the scheduling.

Colby is a school teacher at Hume and Audrey works at the Prescott Nursing Home.

As a summary on the usage of the center there were 22 reservations for the east shelter house, 5 for the west shelter house, 8 for the barn and 1 for the church. There were an estimated 25 involved with the fishing derby. There were 441 people in the reservation book, which did not include swimmers, fishing patrons or picnic patrons. One person parked a camper overnight. There were also 4-H and scout overnight camping activities.

A special thank you was extended to the Youth Services Department of the Rich Hill Youth Development Program. They assisted and helped with moving picnic tables, trash cans and general clean up for the auction/barbecue.

The Annual Barbecue report was written by Randy Bell saying, "Friends of the McGennis Youth Center enjoyed a beautiful afternoon for a barbecue on Sunday, Sept. 30. Neil Steiner of Flaming Lantern served a meal of smoked brisket and pork, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and rolls. Members of the board and community provided a delicious smorgasbord of cakes for dessert. Courtney Mumma and Jeff and Droz provided horse drawn wagon rides, and Debbie Balk headed up the children's games. A new feature this year was a triathlon event which included tasks such as hay throwing and roping. The Spencer boys from Hume provided some roping instructions, as several young men from the community participated in the competition. The dinner hour this year featured former caretaker Dan Divine. Mark your calendar now for Sunday Sept. 29 for this year's barbecue."

The Annual Auction report was written by Katie Bell-Abend, auction chairperson, saying, "The many supporters of the McGennis Youth Center who attended this year's Annual Auction and Barbecue enjoyed a beautiful day, delicious food and a fun filled afternoon of activities, Former caretaker Dan Divine provided music during the dinner hour, Local auctioneer Marvin Swickhammer, assisted by Charlie Johnson and Bob Wingate, guided bidders to a record-setting $8,083. The Mad Hatter Raffle, featuring a shotgun donated by Bell Farms and hats donated by Bell Photography, once again generated a large portion of the auction total. Schlyer Designs also provided a beautiful diamond necklace and 10 bracelets up for bid so that the ladies could take part in the raffle as well. The Annual Auction and Barbecue is an excellent opportunity to enjoy the center. We very much appreciate all of the donations and bidders who made the day such a huge success."

Representing Vernon County on the board are Greg and Eugenia Brocka, Scott and Jennifer Byers, Den and Jane Westerhold, Jim and Wendy Barton, Debbie Balk, Scott and Tina Sudkamp, Amanda (Liles) Pollock, Virginia Habjan and Bonnie Teel.

The annual report is a brief summary of the youth center and the board. There are a lot of people enjoying the center in a variety of ways. All of this is made possible by the support and effort of many people. New things and events are being added to the program this year including the play will be held again. It is a thrill to realize that the traditions of the center are being continued.

The Mary A. McGennis Agricultural Park and Youth Center depends on financial support from private sources. Contributions are always appreciated and may be sent for the youth center to Katie Bell-Abend, treasurer, 122 N Fayette St. Rich Hill, MO 64779.