The final hurrah

They’ve hidden Easter eggs, frightened visitors at haunted houses, celebrated July 4 with a bang and planned the village’s sesquicentennial event.

They’ve conducted fundraisers and reinvested in the community.

Now, after nearly 26 years, those who are part of the Ewing Young Members Club are ready to relax and let the next generation of leaders organize the fun.

It’s been a lot of work, organizers say, but it’s time to let younger community members take charge.

In 1993, a group of men started the Ewing Young Men’s Club.

Greg Thramer, one of the club’s founding members, said approximately 25 people were initially involved.

Connie Kaczor, whose husband, Terry, was also involved, said the organization held community social events, including dances, in “the early days.”

“They got it off to a good start,” Kaczor said.

For several years, the men - and the women who support them - were involved in community activities.

Vicki Bollwitt, who serves as the organization’s secretary, said, “We got tired of telling them how to do everything and not be members.”

Her comment drew laughter from members who were present during an interview for this article.

That’s when one word in the organization’s name changed from “men” to “members.”

The rest, as they say, is history - or herstory - depending on who you speak with.

Over the years, Bollwitt estimated more than 60 people have participated in the organization. Currently, 34 individuals comprise the membership rolls.

Many community members assist, but choose not to join.

Originally, the village’s community club organized some events, including the annual Easter egg hunt, Little Miss Ewing pageant and the annual celebration known as “free days.”

Eventually, responsibility for the FunFest celebration, held Memorial Day weekend, landed on EYMC’s plate.

The group added other activities, including a Christmas lighting contest, ham and turkey giveaways, the local punt, pass and kick competition and a haunted house, which was open two to three nights.

“That was a lot of work and a lot of fun,” Thramer said.

People would be lined up down the street, waiting to enter, according to Bollwitt.

Kaczor said members would spend six Sundays preparing the haunted house.

"We’d get ideas, tear stuff down, build walls, it was fun,” Bollwitt said. “It’s still my favorite thing we’ve ever done and it was probably the hardest work we’d ever done.”

Especially when you had to go back in the house by yourself and it was quiet,” Thramer joked.

At the time the organization took off, most members had young children.

Kaczor credited family members - grandmas, aunts and cousins - for stepping up to watch and care for the children.

Thramer and wife, Carm, balanced pregnancies and EYMC responsibilities at least two times.

“We had babies when this happened. When we started Fun- Fest, you would have to get your babysitter three months ahead of time, because all the kids that would babysit were going to Fun- Fest,” she said.

Sometimes, the babies went with mom and dad to take tickets or run the rodeo.

“Our kids gave up a lot because we were always working and, as they got older, they were usually helping,” Kaczor said.

At the time, FunFest featured three days of non-stop action, including a rodeo or bull riding, two dances, parade, golf events and a breakfast.

Representatives from the organization would travel to Clearwater or Page to retrieve bleachers to place around the arena.

“We would have a ton of people parking cars,” Bollwitt said.

"When Sunday afternoon would come, we were tired,” Kaczor said.

Then, they’d make a run to the local mini-mart, grab bags of chips and plop into lawn chairs in front of one of the member’s house and hash out the weekend, making note of what did and did not work.

Several events the organization has sponsored came about from similar discussions.

Like the Fourth of July celebration.

Bollwitt said group members were attending a barbecue at their residence when Terry Kaczor mentioned the organization should be doing something for the town.

His comment served as a catalyst to start the Fourth of July celebration.

Bollwitt said the next year, EYMC had activities set up in the park.

That first celebration featured bobbing for golf balls.

“All the women made bowls and bowls of Jell-O,” Bollwitt said.

They filled a kid’s swimming pool with the gelatin, tossed in a few golf balls and a classic game was born.

“I can still see Shayla Funk getting a golf ball, spitting it back in and going after it again,” Bollwitt said.

More belly laughs emanated from members sitting and reminiscing.

Other activities at early celebrations included turtle races and water balloon fights.

Kaczor said it took two hours to fill balloons.

"We’d have games for the kids, horse shoes, water fights, a hot air balloon and baseball games,” she said.

Bollwitt said they spent a lot of days ahead of time making buckets of potato salad for the barbecue.

“It was fun,” she said.

Organizing activities costs money. In its infancy, the organization would “pray we would earn enough money to cover the checks,” according to Bollwitt.

“There were a lot of people who donated money because it was the only way we could keep going,” she said.

The organization hit the jackpot when they hired Mr. Hand as entertainment.

“It was our first big thing where we made money,” Bollwitt said. “We’ve worked hard for 25 years to raise money.”

Funds raised have been reinvested in the community.

According to Kaczor, group members have been planning to make the 150th celebration as reasonably priced as possible, for all to enjoy and participate.

Besides the FunFest celebration, the group’s biggest projects are the championship sign, erected in Schmidt Park, and welcome sign and flag poles along Highway 275.

They have also built ramps at homes of the elderly, assisted with improvements at the football field, erected fencing along the school yard and purchased the first decorations for the light poles.

Many times, the group worked silently behind the scenes to benefit the community they call home.

“We always had a project,” Kaczor said.

This year, the 150 plus-one celebration, is the group’s last hurrah. Planning began in October 2019 and resumed in 2020 as pandemic restrictions eased.

Then what?

“It’s the ta-da for the young kids,” Kaczor said. “I think they’re excited. They’ll do great.”