Ogden Reporter (July 15, 2013)

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Ogden Reporter The

DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING A VIBRANT COMMUNITY VOLUME 138

OGDEN, IOWA 50212 - WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2013

Enjoy “Seussical” the musical Notes from Director Dave Larsen Tickets are now on sale at VisionBank in Ogden for the Ogden Community Theatre production of “Seussical.” The performances will be at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday July 26 and 27. There will also be a Sunday afternoon matinee July 28 at 2 p.m. Performances will be in the air-conditioned Ogden High School Auditorium. All seats are reserved and are priced at $8 and $10. Ogden Community Theatre would like to give a big thank-you to our sponsors. We have had an incredible response from the business community as well as private citizens. Your support is appreciated. Cayli Graham and her artistic crew have created a magical place on our stage. The pit orchestra promises to be a very professional group, with Jana Higgins and Jan Froning on keyboard, Mikayla Maves, Katie Fillmore, and Laura Britton on woodwinds, Nate Newhard on percussion, Olivia Johson on trumpet, Jeremy Britton on trombone, Ally Fillmore on bass guitar, Jim Dunn on guitar, and David Emerson on violin. Now for an OCT history lesson. “Music Man” was the first musical in 1985. All four shows were sold out and the temperature outside for our opening night was over 100 degrees. The auditorium was not air-conditioned. It did cool off for the rest of the performances. “Oklahoma” in 1988; “Guys and Dolls” in 89; the flood year 93 “Brigadoon”; 94 “Annie”; 95 or 96 was “Fiddler on the Roof”; 97 “The Sound of Music”; “Grease” in 1998. “State Fair” in 99; “Music Man” for the second time in 2001; “Annie Get Your Gun” in 2002; “Oliver” in 2003; “Charlie Brown” in 2004; “Cinderella” in 2005; “Beauty and the Beast” in 2006; the second “Oklahoma” in 2007; “Aida” in 2008; “Children of Eden” in 2010; and finally “Seussical” in 2013. Nineteen shows, 19 families, 19 unforgettable summers - we remember all of you. We now have airconditioning, professional sound, and new lights. Come see our show be a part of the history that is Ogden Community Theatre.

Veterans in Fun Days parade Last week we ran a picture of the Ogden Fun Days veterans float. Veterans riding in the parade were John Fisher, Merlin Paulson, Paul Jensen, Dayle Heldt, Paul Hagen, Ray Henriksen, Brian Heck, Jim Heck, Ron Newberg, Don Crouse, Duane Townsend, Merle Winterfeld.

Name winners of summer reading program

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Every town needs a John Ellis A great hometown ambassador retires from Ogden Telephone Company after 42 years by KATHY PIERCE OGDEN REPORTER STAFF

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lthough the community will still see his friendly wave and genuine smile about town, John Ellis will no longer be wearing shirts embroidered with the words “Ogden Telephone Company.” For 42 years he proudly displayed his company’s name. Ellis recently retired as General Manager of Ogden Telephone Company. A retirement open house is being held in his honor Sunday, July 21 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Leonard Good Community Center. “The telephone company was an excellent place to work and a great experience for me,” said Ellis of his almost life-long career. Except for six years of working in his dad’s bakery following high school graduation, Ellis has been at the Ogden telephone office. Not going into the office everyday is quite a change for Ellis. But his co-workers and the public is what he’ll miss the most. “I won’t get to see these people every day.” When Ellis was hired May 15, 1972 as an outside plant technician there were only three employees besides himself: General Manager Gerald Anderson, bookkeeper Helen Coler, and technician Jerry Pharaoh. “It was pretty basic back then,” commented Ellis. “ We didn’t have cable TV or Internet - just the telephone. And you couldn’t own phones. You had to lease. Back then you knew everybody in the community because you went to their homes to do service work. But, due to advancements in technology, we have seen a big change in customer service.” He notices there is less and less face-to-face communication. Ellis explained how at the time, the telephone company was an open wire plant. There were eight party lines and very few private lines. Because of shared phone lines local calls were limited. Conversation timing cut the connection after six minutes. Ellis recalled that in 1973 the company was in the process of burying the entire exchange when an ice storm struck, taking down poles and lines throughout the entire area. “We worked through the night running jumpers to the houses,” he said. “It was a huge job. What a mess. We spent a month getting everyone hooked up.” With buried wires workers no

longer needed to climb poles. “I can still climb,” said Ellis. “I still have my hooks and belt.” Heights, he said, were never an issue for him. Gerald’s son Tim, after working as a co-op student during the summer months, joined the staff full-time in 1974. In 1983 the company installed its first digital switch and went to all single-party lines. “We added a whole suite of calling features including call waiting, caller ID, call forwarding, 3-way calling and speed calling.” Dial-up internet (a term that makes people cringe this day and age) was acquired in 1985, welcoming their customers to the age of internet access. They purchased a cable TV system three years later. A new cable TV “head end” installed in 1999 allowed Ogden Telephone to expand its line-up to 160 channels, and according to Ellis gave their customers a much better experience and better pictures. And that was the year Ellis was promoted to General Manager upon the retirement of the elder Anderson. The change to high speed DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) in 2002 was a major upgrade for internet users. In his final year at the helm, Ellis witnessed a changeover to broadband that would offer IP (Internet Protocol) to rural customers and unlimited speeds over the fiber

Making omelettes for an afterprom brunch.

NUMBER 11

Nomination papers now available Ogden Community School District nomination papers are now available for two (2) at-large seats for school board candidate. Minimum number of signatures required is 27. The first day to file was Monday, July 8, 2013. Deadline is Thursday, Aug. 1, 2013 at 5 p.m. with the board secretary. Please contract Kris Van Pelt at 515-275-2894 or kris.vanpelt@ ogden.k12.ia.us for further information.

Will John Ellis slow down now that he is retired? If his brisk walk down main street is any indication, it is doubtful.

Bulldog pitcher Preston Church is a member of American Legion Baseball’s Carroll Merchants team that won the state baseball championship in May. American Legion Baseball is an amateur athletic league made up of more than 5,400 teams across the U.S., including Canada and Puerto Rico. His team plays in the regional tournament Aug. 8-12 in Fargo, ND. Winner will play in the Legion World Series Aug. 16-20 in Shelby, NC. Joining Church on the team are two Boone players, Dusty Moran and Chris Kelley.

optic cable. The technology allows multiple signals and traffic types to be transported simultaneously. Looking forward to . . . Discovering Iowa. Ellis said that for a number of reasons, he and his wife Linda took very few vacations over the years. “I want to get out and do some one-day and two-day trips,” he said. “There is so much to see here. And I’m sure I’ll be involved in volunteer activities.” He has several woodworking projects in mind as well. Even as a full time employee Ellis was a very active member of the community. He was a volunteer fireman for 10 years. For several years he assisted with economic development projects as part of Ogden Rural Main Street. Ogden Fun Days benefited greatly over the years from his generous donation of time. As an Oktoberfest co-chair his wife often called on him to assist with Ogden’s fall celebration. The two have recently embraced “Relay for Life” a cause near and dear to their hearts. Of course he will continue to support his beloved Bulldogs. Well past the graduation of his two athletically

Church’s amateur team wins state

John and Linda hosting a Christmas open house at the telephone office. active children, Ellis can still be seen at Ogden sporting events. You can always count on him for a pair of tickets to the pre-game booster dinners. And when Ellis speaks of his hometown, it is with great pride. He has lived here for 50 years, raised his children in Ogden and will continue being its greatest ambassador.

Vote for your favorite quilt Quilt blocks have been designed and sewn by participants in the eighth annual quilt block contest with the theme “This Fair’s for you.” Each quilter received the same yardage of four different fabrics to sew into a quilt block using an original or established pattern. Boone County fair go-ers will QUILT BLOCKS Continued on page three

Walls going up on new medical clinic

This summer’s reading program “Dig Into Reading” was a huge success with over 100 kids signing up for the reading program and 65 participating. According to the staff at the Leonard A. Good Library, it was a fun and wild month with a cave and sandbox for the children to play in along with crafts on Wednesdays and Thursdays. A visitor from the Blank Park Zoo brought animals one day for the children to see. This year’s top readers were: Brady Van Sickle - kindergarten; Isabella Reutter, first grade; Ella Keenan, second grade; Halley Saffeels, third grade; April McGriff, fourth grade; Alyssa Larson, fifth grade; Allexus Keister, sixth grade. A special thanks to Clark’s Food Mart, The Lucky Pig Pub & Grill and The Well for their donations. Certificates and zoo tickets can be picked up at the library.

The foundation is poured and contractors are in the process of framing in the new medical clinic here on Walnut Street. Watch

the Ogden Reporter next week for an update on this communitywide project. -Ogden Reporter photos

It’s BBQ time - enter the outdoor cooking contest at Boone County Fair An outdoor cooking contest designed to promote Iowa meat is being planned by the Boone County Farm Bureau. Contest chairman Bret Pierce says you don’t have to be an expert chef to participate; you just need to enjoy cooking outdoors with quality Iowa meat. This is the 50th year for the Iowa

Farm Bureau cookout contest. Farm Bureau’s cookout contest is open to any Iowa resident age 13 years or older. Farm Bureau or affiliated company employees are not eligible. Contestants can compete in one of the following six categories: beef, pork, lamb, poultry, turkey, or

combo/specialty. Combo is a recipe combining two or more meats from the eligible meat categories. Specialty includes domestically raised meats including venison, goat, and fish etc., excluding wild game. A Cookout Champion will be named, and awards will be given to winners in each cooking category.

Special recognition will also go to winners of the showmanship, youth and team cooking categories. The county contest will be held during the Boone County Fair Saturday, July 20, 2013, with judging at 3 p.m. The Cookout Champion, along with all first place category winners and winners of the showmanship,

youth and team awards will have the chance to compete in the state finals at the Iowa State Fair Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2013. Anyone interested in entering the County Farm Bureau cookout contest should contact the county office at 1520 South Story Street in Boone or call 515-432-1435.


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