Third Ravenwood Winter Festival Held Despite Bitter Cold

The third Ravenwood Winter Festival was held Saturday despite bitterly cold conditions. Falling temperatures and high winds were there all afternoon, with wind chills as low as they were during the Worth County/South Holt game in the football playoffs.

Ed Wiederholt opened his auto body shop, and plenty of people took advantage. Organizers set up two fire pits so that people could keep warm; there were plenty of people at Tuck Point. 

There were several Santas present, and there will be some debate about who the real Santa was. One such person, on the NEN 4-H float, looked like Baylie Busby. Brian Sobotka brought out his carriage. Ms. Bonifas rode the seventh grade float. The Nodaway County Republican Women put together a patriotic float for the 2024 election season.

There was a drive-thru at the park afterwards, with the Ravenwood Christian Church putting together a live nativity scene. The NEN junior and senior classes held food fundraisers. There were carriage rides in Ravenwood Sunday evening when the weather was nicer.

The following were the light contest winners:

Large – 1st, Scott & Billie Shunk; 2nd, David & Susie Nelson. 

Small – 1st, Charlie & Kathy Brand; 2nd, Helen Fare; 3rd, Sheldon & Christy Scadden; 4th, Halo Salon & Spa (Claudia Patterson). 

The following were the parade winners: 1st, Smalltown Grinchmas, built by the Runde Family; 2nd, Wiederholt Families’ Santa Stable & Reindeer; 3rd, 7th Grade Santa’s Workshop.

Huge Crowd Saw Grand Opening of Ravenwood Creamery in 1928

Hundreds of people attended a grand opening for the Ravenwood Creamery on April 30th, 1928, the Worth County Tribune of May 2nd reported. A delegation from Worth County attended. The Tribune wrote the following report:

The formal dedication of the Ravenwood Creamery at Ravenwood Tuesday was considered a success from every standpoint. The day was ideal and a large crowd listened to the speakers with interest. Mr. Salzer of Bedford was the first speaker and made a fine talk. State Dairy Commissioner E.G. Bennett was the second speaker and also made a fine walk. No wonder that these men could talk – if you had seen the good things that the women of Ravenwood and the surrounding country had to eat – you would of known that they ought to have made a good speech. The Maryville Chamber of Commerce furnished the ice cream and the coffee was furnished by the businessmen of Ravenwood.

Geo. Hemshrot, the butter maker, was on hand explaining all the details of the working of the little plant. Mr. Gates was also busy telling us about the creamery.

Mr. Gates said they had received 2,100 pounds of cream that made 840 pounds of butter – and say, Mister, it was fine butter. Mr. Gates told us that the plant cost them around $11,000 to complete. They have 100 shareholders. The music was fine. A jersey cow was auctioned off at the close of the exercises and she brought $114.

Attending from Grant City were J.L. Dawson, Chas. McLaughlin, E.E. Yetter, Roy Wyman, Thornton Pitney, Sim Elliott, Jim Hoey, L.J. Elliott, D.C. Simons, L.M. Willhite, Dr. L.F. Thompson, Mr. & Mrs. J.E. Wyman, Manuel Bressler, W.E. Hotaling, and H. Miller.

Area Election Results for April 5th, 2022

All results are unofficial. By law, results cannot become official until Friday at 12 noon.

Grant City Sales Tax

Yes 119, No 44. Passed.

Proposition Tigers

Yes 270, No 266. Failed; needed 4/7. Results include Independence Township.

Worth County School Board

Josh Fletchall 333, Ashley Rush 256, Brad Maudlin 379. Results include Independence Township.

Worth County Road & Bridge Levy

Yes 410, No 118. Passed.

Allendale Village Levy

Yes 26, No 1. Passed.

Sheridan Mayor

Ashley Rush 20, Barry Lyle 2, Candy Martin 1, Rick Morrow 1, Butch Thomas 1, Jim Bullock 1, Chris Fletchall 1.

Sheridan City Council

Mary Jo Riley 16, Candy Martin 15, Rodney Martin 2, Gary James 2, Dan Barnett 2, Jeff Blaine 2, Larry Dowis 1, Ashley Rush 1.

Village of Worth

Adam Downing 4, Nick Combs 3, Stacie Downing 2, Thor Downing 2, Angel Roush 2, Linda Hubbard 2, Alicia Combs 1, Gene Bowen 1, Joe Gardner 1, Selina Gardner 1, Montana Lykins 1.

Northeast Nodaway School Board

Karl Wilmes 156, Kenna Florea 137, Randa Doty 109. Results include Worth County.

North Nodaway School Board

Krista Barcus 182, Jerime Bix 119, Kane Oberhauser 212.

North Nodaway Proposition PFK (Progress for Kids)

Yes 184, No 95. Passed.

Ravenwood Mayor

Bryan Sobotka 50, Bill Stephenson 29.

Citizens Bank and Trust Bank in Ravenwood to Close

Citizens Bank & Trust announced Tuesday, February 15th that they would be closing the bank in Ravenwood, the Maryville Forum reported Thursday. March 18th will be the final day of operations. The building will be sold to the City of Ravenwood, which will convert it to a new City Hall. The bank at Burlington Junction will also close.

Power Goes Out in Ravenwood Twice in One Week

Power went out in Ravenwood twice in one week. The cause was a blown transformer. The first time, last Tuesday, it was replaced with a used transformer. However, on Sunday morning around midnight, the used transformer blew, causing the power to go out again. The electricity flickered off in Sheridan, but came right back on. Evergy had to send a crew clear from Kansas City to work on the transformer, which arrived at 5:11 am that morning.

At first, the estimated restore time for Ravenwood was 2 pm that afternoon. But then the sourcing changed, pushing the restore time back to 5 pm. The restore time was then pushed back later because due to mud from recent rains, the new 30,000 pound transformer was a challenge to set. Service was restored to Ravenwood later that evening.

Ravenwood to Hold Christmas Decorating Contest

Ravenwood is offering a Christmas Light Contest this year. To register, please call or text (660) 254-3898 or (660) 254-1460 by December 1st. There is no entry fee. First prize will receive $250; second prize will receive $150, and 3rd prize will receive $100. Judging will take place December 12th. You must live in Jackson Township. The event is sponsored by the Ravenwood Fall Festival Committee and the Ravenwood CBC. 

4,000 People See Fallen WW1 Soldier Buried at Ravenwood in 1921

One of the biggest gatherings ever in Ravenwood saw 4,000 people turn out in September 1921 to see the remains of David Hunterson, son of Dr. & Mrs. D.J. Hunterson, returned to Ravenwood to be buried. Hunterson was killed in action on September 21st, 1918. Over 4,000 attended the service, which was held at the Ravenwood United Methodist Church. Hundreds accompanied the carriage to Oak Lawn Cemetery, where he was buried. The carriage was drawn by six black horses.

New Auto Dealership Opens Near Ravenwood

NEN grad Marshall Coffelt has opened a new auto dealership near Ravenwood. It is located on 26331 State Highway MM southwest of Ravenwood. They are open every Monday through Friday from 5 pm to 9 pm. His phone number is (660) 853-2415, and his website is located at www.nwmo-usedcars.com. “I should be able to save my previous clients and new clients some big money by not being in a big town. I look forward to working with my old clients/friends again as well as gaining a few in this new venture,” he posted on Facebook Sunday.

1978 Parnell & Ravenwood Business Roster

In 1978, the Hopkins Journal, trying to expand its circulation in the face of declining population, expanded its coverage to include Burlington Junction, Northeast Nodaway, and other places. They did a congratulatory ad for the Northeast Nodaway Girls Basketball Team, which won one of several state titles that year. The following businesses in Parnell and Ravenwood sponsored the ad:
Ben’s Fabric Shop, Parnell; Best Bi Market, Parnell; Breit Standard Oil, Parnell; MFA, Ravenwood; Nelson Dozing, Ravenwood; Nodaway Skelgas Service, Ravenwood; Platte Valley Bank, Ravenwood; Sherry’s Grocery, Ravenwood; Treese Plumbing & Heating, Ravenwood; Burch’s Service, Ravenwood; Bodle Body Shop, Ravenwood; Roy Moore Insurance, Ravenwood.

In 1980, Ravenwood Firm Ran Booming Fur Trapping Business

In 1980, there was a booming fur trade in Nodaway County and Platte River Kennel & Fur, a husband and wife team consisting of L.D. “Buck” and Marjorie Carroll, took full advantage. Raccoons fetched as high as $30-50, with an average of $14 a pelt. Muskrats were valuable too, bringing in $4.50 a pelt. Margaret Nelson, who wrote for the Hopkins Journal at the time, did a feature in the December 25th, 1980 issue.

Raccoons were valued for their length and condition. A coon that was 33” or longer was more valuable. One that was run over was less valuable, because of the damage to the pelt. Animals caught in warmer weather were less valuable, because the fur was more likely to slip off the hide.
The Carrolls would sell the pelts to brokerage houses, which would sell them internationally. They would go to Greece, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, Sweden, Canada, and even the USSR, with which the US was at the height of the Cold War.

There were all sorts of animals that were trapped in Nodaway County. There were beavers, coyotes, foxes, possums, minks, and even skunks. In Nodaway County alone that year, trappers took 5,096 muskrats, 7,932 raccoons, 1,157 coyotes, and 680 beavers. Occassionally, there are black coyotes as well.

Many of the animals listed are seen as nuisances. Charles Smith said that recently, a raccoon came onto his porch at his Pickering home, climbed up the railing, and up the side of his house beside the air conditioner, leaving a bunch of mud in the process. And coyotes frequently go after pets and livestock. One time, back in the late 1980’s, there was an epic  hunt for a coyote as Richard Swaney chased one from the edge of Bedford clear to Route K just west of Grant City.

Tuck Point Bar and Grill to Open in Ravenwood

Tuck Point Bar and Grill is coming to Ravenwood. They have been fixing up the building across the street from the Fire House and the former Barn Door Opry Building. It will be owned and operated by Colby Wiederholt. They have gotten bathrooms completed, the pool table and juke box are in, point of sales systems are in, and the menu has been finalized.

They will have tenderloin, various chicken sandwiches and cheeseburgers, patty melts, a Western Burger, a Philly Cheesesteak, and a specialty item known as The Heater, which is a burger wrapped in pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, and spicy onions.

Appetizers and sides include Santa Fe Chicken Egg Rolls, cheese balls, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks, and spicy onion scoops.

Ravenwood Park Keys Requested

The Ravenwood Park Board has requested that any individuals that are not coaching baseball or softball teams this year to please turn your keys in for the buildings at the Ravenwood Park. You may turn them in here at the front office at the High School or you can turn them in to Shane Adwell. His contact number is 937-2625 (@ home) or 816-261-6390 (cell). The keys will be stamped "Park" or have a code on them. Please contact Shane for the code identifier.

Ravenwood United Methodist Church to Have Fish Fry

The Ravenwood United Methodist Church will hold its annual fish fry on Friday, April 1, 2011 from 5:00 to 7:30 P.M. at the church fellowship hall in Ravenwood, Missouri. The menu will include fish, baked potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, cheesy potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, hot rolls, desserts and drinks. Prices are: adults, $8.00; children 6-12, $4.00 and preschool children eat free.

The proceeds from the dinner will go to the mission and outreach of the church.

For more information, contact David Primm at 660-937-3166 or 660-582-9394.

NEN Community Library Opens for Summer

The Northeast Nodaway Community Library opened in Parnell and Ravenwood for the summer with more books and expanded hours for patrons to come. On Mondays, both the Ravenwood and Parnell buildings will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. These hours will be effective April 28th. Starting May 28th, the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 12 noon in Ravenwood and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Parnell. On Saturdays, starting on April 26th, the hours in both school buildings will be from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.
Mary Alice Staples of the library said that the hours would make it easier for people to remember which building was open. "Last year, people were confused about which building was open when," she said. She said that an increased number of volunteers helped, as there are now over 30 volunteers working for the library, as opposed to 23 last year. "And we haven’t even talked to the parents about volunteering," she said.
In Ravenwood, the 8th grade was having a story hour for children there. They worked during their art time to make story bags which have books and activity kits for children that parents could check out. For instance, one book called "The Green Eyed Monster" has costumes that kids can play with and make themselves look like monsters.
The library is funded through a service learning grant and offered many different offerings for both adults and preschoolers.