Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - August 16, 2024
103 years young!
Last month, I attended a 103rd birthday party, complete with a potluck supper with salads of all kinds, sliced veggies, lasagna,
and of course, a decorated cake. Although temperatures hovered near 100, everyone was in a festive mood, talking about the weather,
catching up on each other's news, and commenting on the old photographs sprinkled in the center of the rectangular tables set with
green and white tablecloths.
But this birthday party wasn't just for anyone. In fact, it wasn't for a person at all! It was for an organization that began in
July 1921 - the Silver Creek Beneficiary Club (SCBC), based in Keats, Kansas.
I'm a "newbie," joining in 2022, yet I feel as though I've been in the club for a long time because its members are so welcoming.
During my working years at Kansas State University, the five-mile drive between my home in Keats and "Manhappiness" - as it's
affectionately known - was a great way to either gear-up for the coming work day or chill out after it was over. The curving road,
flanked by the Flint Hills and farmers' fields, is so peaceful.
But while I've enjoyed living in Keats, I really didn't "get out and about" in the community. In the early years, I combined work
with shuttling our two daughters to and from school activities in Riley. That was followed by helping my parents after they moved
to Manhattan from our farm in Marion County.
Phyllis Walters and I already knew each other as she and my mom grew up in Morris County and both attended the same church where my
great-uncle was the pastor. So when she invited me to an SCBC meeting after I retired, I thought it would be a great way to get to
know my neighbors a bit better.
The club's name springs in part from the original members living near a small brook that flows into Wildcat Creek. The "beneficiary"
part was best captured in 1976 by member Grace Blodgett, daughter of Nora Beck, one the six founding members. In a Manhattan Mercury
article from that year, she said:
... The main idea the women had in forming a club was to do anything they could to help someone. Members rally to help when a
neighbor or even someone a neighbor knows has a fire, has illness in the family, or just needs a helping hand. ...
SCBC member Mary Pauli's recent chronicle about Wildcat Township mentioned the club's activities over the years have included making
quilts; providing boxes of cakes, cookies, fruit and cigarettes to World War II soldiers; making Valentine's Day gift bags for
shut-ins; and supporting the Keats Park with flower-bed maintenance.
But they also have a lot of fun. Karen Dillon grew up on a farm northwest of Keats, but work took her elsewhere for a number of
years. She recently joined the group.
"The Silver Creek Beneficiary Club is a highlight each month," she said. "One of my favorite things about SCBC is learning about and
from each other."
Like Karen, I enjoy getting better acquainted with members. The roll call facilitates that goal. It always includes a question such
as: What was your favorite doll or toy? What were your great-grandmothers' names? What country would you like to visit or re-visit?
Who was your first-grade teacher and where did she teach? What is a favorite family holiday tradition?
I asked Phyllis, whose mother-in-law Violet was also a member of the club, some of her favorite memories:
I have been a member for almost 60 years (since 1966) and look forward to each month getting together with friends and neighbors and
working with people that I would not otherwise have the chance to get to know better. My good friend Mary Jo Hageman invited me into
the group; her son and my son were best of friends and they still talk today about the club meetings. ...
... Those club members were of a different generation and I was one of the younger ones so they would tell stories unheard of today.
They were happy members and it was a special day when they attended Silver Creek Beneficiary Club.
Kathleen Sinn has been an SCBC member for more than 60 years. She remembers the story writing the group did one year.
A member wrote the first chapter and read it to the group and passed it to another member who wrote another chapter. This continued
for several months, and the stories were very entertaining.
When I joined, I was new to the community and joining the club helped me get to know many.
The 1980 "History of Wild Cat Valley" by members of the Wildcat Extension Homemaker Unit included some of SCBC's early history:
... The motto, "Let’s Go," was chosen, colors green and white and club flower - carnation. The club was to meet the first Thursday
of the month, and each member was assessed 25 cent dues per year. ...
The club meetings ... have gone ... from programs such as running incubators, feeding baby chicks, butchering and canning meat, to
programs more fitting for our day such as crafts and making tray favors for hospitals. Automobiles have taken the place of the horse
and buggy. The dues have gone up from 25 cents to $1. ...
Inflation has reared its head here, just as it has other places. Today's annual dues are $10.
In its early years, gatherings were usually at members' homes, but today most are held in the Keats Community Center. A recent one
was at Melinda Bowen's, and she demonstrated how to make terrariums, using glass containers of different sizes. Other program topics
have included the history of area churches, how to paint with acrylics, and tips on doing genealogy. Few of these topics will
revolutionize the lives of club members, but sometimes small things can be very helpful. In that 1976 article, member Muriel Beck
commented she "still uses information on patching overalls from a demonstration given years ago."
That 1976 article concluded with the following:
The club members seem to still be having a wonderful time. "And I think it's going to go right on," Blodgett said.
It's now almost 50 years later and her prediction has proven to be true. Happy 103rd, SCBC!
