ELSMORE — Elsmore Ruritan Club, which has been serving the Elsmore and Savonburg areas for 48 years, will sponsor the 46th annual Rural-Town Days this weekend. ELSMORE DAY and the golf tournament serve as the Ruritan’s largest fundraiser of the year.
The bulk of the activities run Saturday in downtown Elsmore, while the golf tournament is planned for Sunday morning at Cedarbrook Golf Course in Iola.
Saturday’s activities begin bright and early with arts and crafts booths set up in the Elsmore community building. Additionally, flu shot and tetanus shots will be offered by the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department.
The Main Street parade, with a theme of “Elsmore Ruritan: 48 and doing great!” kicks off at 11 o’clock.
The parade will honor the club’s charter members. Martin Henderson, Max Ludlum and Eugene Wolf were among charter members who formed the Elsmore Ruritan on April 17, 1967. All three remain honorary members.
A barbecued pork dinner follows at noon in the community building. Prices are $7 for adults, $5 for children 5-12 and $3 for children 4 and under.
Children’s games, including turtle races, bike races, egg toss and ball throw, begin at 1 o’clock. A baby contest for youngsters 1 year old and younger will be at 2 p.m.
Bingo games follow at 3 and lead up to the free bean feed at 4 p.m. Participants must bring their own kettle or table service.
A merchant prize drawing will be held during the bean feed. It is a free drawing but winners must be present to win.
A cash prize drawing will end the afternoon’s proceedings. Tickets are $1 each and winners need not be present.
The evening’s fun features a street dance, with music courtesy of the Country Rebels.
Rural-Town Days coincides with Elsmore’s citywide garage sales. A huge selection of used books are available in the southeast corner of the community building. All books are free for the taking.
During the day antique farm equipment will be on display show and a petting zoo will be set up. Bake sale items and concessions will be available, including homemade ice cream. John Barker will entertain folks with his musical selections.
The scene shifts to Cedarbrook Sunday for the golf tournament. The four-person scramble begins at 9 a.m.
Entry fee is $40 per person. A meal is available to golfers. To register for the tournament, call Loraine Price at 754-3487 or Cedarbrook Golf Course.
Proceeds go toward a number of projects including donations to Marmaton Valley school activities, awarding college scholarships, giving Christmas gift bags to area senior citizens and schoolchildren, sponsoring Allen County Fair trophies, helping with cleanup around the Bourbon State Lake and hosting a dog and cat vaccination clinic.
The 33 Ruritan members aided the city of Elsmore in its development of a children’s playground and in renovating the community building to house a fitness center. The club’s latest project is aiding the Humboldt Ministerial Alliance in a monthly distribution of food to area families.
The club keeps a food pantry supply to supplement the food drives whenever necessary. The club adopts several area families around Thanksgiving. A drop box for non-perishable food items will be available at the concession stand in the fire barn. Festivalgoers are encouraged to help their friends and neighbors by bring a canned food item.
Festival celebrates Ruritan
