FEBRUARY 2019
FEATURE STORY:
Celebrating the Season of Love
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Wilson has goals as city’s new mayor Jermaine Wilson was announced as the mayor of Leavenworth in a January meeting of the Leavenworth City Commission, becoming just the fifth African American to serve as mayor in the city’s history. In this Q&A, he talks about his background, his community service, his time in elected office and Black History Month, which is celebrated each year in February.
1. What did it mean to you to be announced as the mayor of Leavenworth? I was excited knowing that change and unity was taking place in our community.
2. What are your goals as mayor? I want to continue to bring hope to our community, establish a landlord and tenant conflict resolution program, bring in family focused businesses and improve road conditions. We need neighborhood watch programs to help work with law enforcement to reduce crime.
3. What are the biggest challenges facing the city of Leavenworth? We need higher paying jobs, road improvements, mental health services and a reduction in drug usage and crime.
4. What is Unity in the Community and why did you create it? Unity in the Community is a movement to unite the community, serve those in need and bridge the gap between citizens and law enforcement.
5. How have the challenges of your youth shaped who you are today? I experienced being someone I wasn’t and failed. Learning from my mistakes helped me to identify who I was as a person. I experienced rock bottom. I wanted something different and the only other place for me to go was up and I became successful by making that decision.
6. What does Black History Month mean to you? Black History Month is a way to honor those in history who have made the sacrifices and carved the path for me to be able to stand where I am today.
7. Who are your role models? Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, TD Jakes, Tony Evans and Barack Obama are among my role models.
– Mark Rountree
TABLE OF CONTENTS Wilson has goals as city’s new mayor...................Pg. 4 Celebrating the season of love..............................Pg. 7 Small business spotlight: Gronis Hardware........Pg. 10 Actors take the stage...........................................Pg. 13
LEAVENWORTH COUNTY
4 Leavenworth County Living
Brought to you by Leavenworth Times 422 Seneca Leavenworth, KS 66048
Jermaine & Jessica Wilson
Leavenworth County Living 5
Becca and Matt Meinert will be celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together as a married couple.
Celebrating the season of love By MARK ROUNTREE mrountree@leavenworthtimes.com
Becca and Matt Meinert had been a couple for the last two years before tying the knot in Leavenworth last November. They recently spent their first Christmas together as a married couple and soon will celebrate their first Valentine’s Day as a married couple. “It’s more special now that we are married,” Becca said. “I hope he brings home some wine.” February is the season of love, and there are numerous ways to celebrate. The Women’s Community Y will host its 12th annual Chocolate Event. This year’s event is slated from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Feb. 16 at the Heritage Center, 109 Delaware St. The event is an annual fundraiser for the Women’s Community Y.
Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. One of the more popular attractions at the event is always the chocolate fountain. There will be all sorts of chocolate dishes including chocolate chili. There will be raffles, door prizes and a photo booth. Harpist Wujeong Duncan will perform. “People like it because we have a lot of variety,” said Shallon Grammar, director of children’s programming at the Women’s Community Y. Money raised at the event will support the organization’s early learning programs. Advance tickets can be purchased today at the Women’s Community Y, 520 S. Broadway, or through the organization’s website,www.womenscommunityy.com For more information about the event, call 913-682-6404.
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Chocolate will be featured at Leavenworth Main Street’s Alive After 5 event. For the Love of Chocolate! will be held at about 20 merchants in downtown Leavenworth on Feb. 7 from 5-8 p.m. This would be a great way to indulge your sweet tooth and get some chocolate treat for your sweetheart. Participants will have an opportunity to visit the stores and sample a wide variety of sweets. Fathers can celebrate with their daughters at the annual Daddy and Me Sweetheart Tea. The event will be held from 1-3 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Riverfront Community Center, 123 S. Esplanade St. The event is for girls 9-under and their fathers. Attendees are encouraged to dress their best. There will be many opportunities to have photos taken.
Leavenworth County Living 7
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Small Business Spotlight: Gronis Hardware NAME OF BUSINESS: Gronis Hardware, Inc. OWNERS: Joan, Beth and Mike Hall ADDRESS: 511-17 Cherokee St. PHONE: 913-682-8576 WEBSITE: wwwgronishardware.com NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 7 HOURS: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday
1. What is a brief history of your business? John D. Gronis purchased the business from Mr. Ousler. It was known as Ousler’s Implement in 1940. The store’s name changed to Gronis Hardware and Seeds in 1940. In 1968, John’s younger sister, Josephine, and her husband, Delmar Poell, bought the hardware store from him and in 2000, Delmar’s daughter, Joan, took ownership of the store after Delmar’s passing. Her son, Michael, and her daughter, Beth, became co-owners several years after that. John Gronis served in the Army in World War I in France. After coming back to Leavenworth, he sold insurance before buying the hardware store. Delmar worked for John during the day and the federal prison at night before buying the store from John. Joan has worked at the store since 1971 and still works today.
2. What makes your business unique? We have a great respect for customer service. That is most important. We also have a huge inventory and purchase from about 50 suppliers. So the saying is “If Gronis doesn’t have it, you don’t need it.” If you love old-fashioned hardware stores – there’s not many left – you will love our store. We hear that from new customers who love coming in and marveling at the selection of merchandise. We also have people that don’t live in Leavenworth who come to see us because they have heard about us.
3. What are some of the most popular items in your store? I would say most are dictated by the seasons. In the spring, it’s garden seeds, lawn care items, Stihl power equipment and Toro lawn mowers. Then summer, it’s items for projects. In fall, it would be weather proofing. We sell a lot of houseware items for the holidays and have the area’s best selection of cookie cutters. This time of year, it’s ice melt, snow blowers, snow shovels and sleds.
4. Why is downtown Leavenworth a good place for a small business? The convenience of being close and easy to get to, the ease of parking and getting right in the door without a long walk and the events the city and Main Street promote give the people activities to do and the sense of community from the store owners.
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5. How important is it that people shop in downtown Leavenworth? It is very important to keep a thriving downtown. It will add to the tax base. Every item sold brings in sales tax to improve the community. Downtown is the heart and soul of the town. – Mark Rountree
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Actors take the stage By MARK ROUNTREE mrountree@leavenworthtimes.com
The local theater season is right around the corner, and local thespians are ready to hit the stage. The River City Community Players will kick off another season Feb. 22 with the showing of “Gilligan’s Island – The Musical.” It begins another busy season at the Performing Arts Center, 500 Delaware St. The next show will be “Rex’s Exes” in April. That will be followed by “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,” a children’s show in late May and early June. Another youth production will be “School House Rock Live! Jr.” in late August and early September. The musical “Mamma Mia!” will be shown in late July and early August. That will be followed by the murder mystery “Dial M for Murder” in late October and early November. The annual Christmas show, “Saving Mr. Wilson’s Christmas Tree Farm,” will be in early December. For more information about the theater, visit www.rccply.com or call 913-651-0027. Theater students at the University of Saint Mary will present “James and the Giant Peach” Feb. 14-16 at
Xavier Theatre on campus. Students will perform “Steel Magnolias” in April. For more information about the department, visit www.stmary.edu/ theatre or call 913-758-6152. Local high schools also will be hitting the stage this spring. Leavenworth High School theater students will present the “Madrigal Feast” on Feb. 23 in the high school cafeteria during the Feasting with the Foundation celebration. Later in the spring, the students will perform at Haymarket Square in an outdoor performance as well as a musical and the Senior Showcase production.
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