The Northwestern Ruritan Club met for its monthly
dinner/meeting on Aug. 11 at Northwestern High School.
President Jamie Bowman called the meeting to order and
welcomed members and guest Sam Morrison. The group joined in singing “America,”
and the invocation was given by Jim Johnson. The dinner was served by the school
cooks.
The July meeting minutes were approved by email and were
sent to members who missed the meeting. Treasurer Chuck Beck’s report was
approved subject to audit. Thank-you notes were received from Will Hamey, Isaac
Beun and Kelli Kearney for their scholarships.
Beck reported the next mailing of packages for the
Huskie Brigade will be Nov. 15, following the November club meeting. Beck also
reported the next roadside trash pickup on Route 301 from Pleasant Home to
Lattasburg will be Aug. 12.
Bowman reported the next Parade of Flags will be put out for
Patriots Day on Sept. 11. He is pleased the new flags are holding up well.
Kevin Keener said they have a goal next year to
cover at least one cemetery (probably the Mohican Church Cemetery) in the Northwestern
Local School District with Wreaths Across America on veterans’ graves by
Memorial Day. They estimate there are 300 veterans buried in the many
cemeteries in the school district. The wreaths cost $17 apiece. Keener hopes to get other groups involved in the project.
The next dinner/meeting will be Tuesday, Sept.
2 at 6:30 p.m. at Greg Long’s Military Museum in Wooster. The normal date was changed due to
the Wayne County Fair and Labor Day. A potluck meal will be served at the museum, followed by a brief meeting and tour. Arrangements were made by John Ertl of
the Citizenship & Patriotism Committee.
The directors will meet at 6 p.m. in the museum.
The program for the evening was by Jerry Payn, with PowerPoint
slides on President-elect Abraham Lincoln’s travels through Ohio. He traveled by
train in February 1861 on his way to Washington City to be inaugurated as president.
The train made many stops at villages and cities. Lincoln gave many impromptu
speeches to the crowds who came out to see and meet him. He eventually became
very fatigued and almost lost his voice. Payn read several of his speeches
during the program. Lincoln had emphasized he bore no malice to the southern
states that had already seceded from the Union.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned with
the Pledge of Allegiance.
