Come to the old Bunker Hill School house on any given Thursday and you will find the over 100-year-old property humming and buzzing with activity.
The former school, turned community building, continues to host community activities while most of its peers sit empty or have been destroyed. Credit goes to the efforts of some pretty dedicated ladies in the Bunker Hill Community Club.
No one knows for sure just how long there has been a Bunker Hill Community Club, but historian records and newspaper articles at the school point back before 1939. According to Debbie Ziemianin, they got the use of the property "by hook and by crook."
She recalls that the old schoolhouse was so cold that before each meeting someone would have to come early in the morning to light the old stoves.
Arlena Painter turned over the historian duties to Dora Latty, but still has the designation of being the longest running member of the club.
"Both my parents went to school at Bunker Hill and my grandmother would put flour on the kids so it didn't show that they were part Indian," Painter said.
Now whether that worked or not isn't clear but family roots go back many decades for most of the ladies that faithfully come to quilt every Thursday.
Several of the ladies are related through various ancestors and three of the women recall coming to club activities at a young age. Ziemianin, acting and apparently the longest running president, is one of those women who sat at the feet of skilled quilters most of her life at the little community building.
Donna Hobbs and Mary Lou Lewis, also were raised with the sound of chattering women and a myriad of colorful materials being turned into wonderful creations to be prized for generations.
One of the newest members, Pat Hanke, of Anderson, visited just once before joining.
"I just fell in love with these girls, they are good people," she said.
The community building sits quietly waiting for events that range from Saturday sing-alongs, the occasional reunion to the annual quilt show. The newest building on the property is where the ladies buzz and hum and hem their craft, hoping to raise funds to pay for the repairs to their beloved building after a freak winter lightening strike knocked out the furnace, well, quilting machine and phone.
Much credit for the new building is given to Clara Miller, who quilted and enjoyed the fellowship of her friends. Miller was tragically killed in a car accident and having no children, her nieces and nephews understood what this quaint little place meant to her.
They donated her furniture and appliances to the club, most of which were auctioned off to help raise funds for the new building. Her picture hangs on the wall and a stone bearing her name sits in the future flower garden in front of the old schoolhouse.
On average about 13 ladies attend on any given Thursday. There isn't a membership fee, but the ladies donate to what they call the "Flower Fund" which is the emergency pot that helps offset little things that come up. The ladies also do custom quilting, either by hand or machine; charges starting at $150.
When asked what was important about this weekly get together perhaps Ziemianin puts it best.
"This is an chance for older retired ladies to get out once in a while and visit," she said.
Bonnie McCool adds that it is nice to come meet people because it's good company. Dee Dee Lewis agrees that sometimes in retirement you don't have something to look forward to like you did when you worked. Getting together to quilt serves a purpose for these ladies.
Lunch approaches and the ladies set aside their projects and clean the table off for the weekly potluck dinner. Like a lot of folks in the Midwest, the ladies hold each others hands as Bonnie leads them in prayer.
After the blessing is given and dishes begin around the table, McCool points out that country women always used to get together to visit, share meals and sew.
"But I guess people are just too busy now-a-days," she said.
Marilyn Smythia passed corn casserole as she discussed with Hobbs how they were related, which prompted a couple other discussions of family relations around the table.
While enjoying the meal, John Hobbs stopped by to surprise his wife with a plant, birthday cake and card. The ladies all decided that Donna should wear the birthday hat and then she passed it on to Latty, whose birthday was in March.
Clearly these ladies know the real meaning of social, it means building lasting friendships and keeping quilting, a dying art, alive for future generations.
With the meal over and the cake tasted, the ladies cleared the plates and quickly returned to their work. Judy Rickett holds up her quilt top for opinions on adding another border and quickly the storage doors come open to reveal layer upon layer of material.
The ladies have worked hard to make several quilts to raffle off at the annual Quilt Show and More which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 17 and from noon to 4 p.m. May 18. Proceeds go for repairs and general upkeep of the historic old schoolhouse.
There will be door prizes, quilts on display, handmade items for sale, demonstrations and food for the annual event. In fact, anyone with a quilt to show off can bring it to the event as part of the display and share it with the public.
For information on the club, to donate material or funds, call Brenda at 417-451-3771. For raffle tickets now on sale, contact Dee Dee Lewis at 417-223-4835.
Community on 04/10/2014