Kansas Snapshots by Gloria Freeland - December 26, 2025

Keats Christmas - a celebration of community

Husband Art dropped me off at the door of the community center, and then left to search for a spot to park. Judging by the the number of vehicles, I knew there was a good crowd inside.

When I entered, friend and local Lions Club member Mel Nudson was there to greet me.

"Glad you could make it," he said, taking my coat and hanging it up for me.

"Me too," I responded.

I wasn't sure whether I would feel well enough to attend the annual Keats Community Christmas dinner and cantata. My first chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer earlier in the month had put a dent in my appetite and I was feeling a bit shaky.

But everything looked so festive, I had to smile. Some tables were decorated with red, green, and white wrapping paper, while others had place mats that resembled Christmas candies. Centerpieces included Santa hats and jars filled with sprigs of greenery and holly. Animated chatter from all corners of the room was a clear sign that people were enjoying the camaraderie of connecting with neighbors and friends.

We had waited to go until we knew most people would be through the buffet line, not knowing how much stamina I'd have. As I waited near the door for Art to come in, it appeared all the tables were full. But Lions Club President Rich Webster came to greet us and soon another table was being fitted with place settings.

Art scurried off to fill a plate for me. What appetite I have has been altered some, so he returned with a somewhat eclectic selection - green beans, yams with brown sugar, macaroni and cheese, and gelatin salads. It all looked good.

He then filled his own plate with ham, mashed potatoes, salads, green beans, and a roll. He returned later to get mincemeat pie and cookies. Mincemeat pie is one of his favorite desserts, especially during the holidays.

We chatted with Rich, who said he had recently put together a book with photos about the Lions Club's history. He and Art talked about the late Klaus Haas, who was the first president of the club. Art knew him from 1991, when he came to our door soliciting donations for some local cause. Klaus told Art he was from Mölln in northern Germany, sure Art didn't know where that was. But in another of those small-world things, he did, as we had stayed there the previous spring.

Throughout the evening, friends stopped by to wish us happy holidays.

We were among the more than 100 community members from Keats, the Wildcat Valley, and beyond who had gathered Sunday, Dec. 14, for the annual event. It began in the late 1980s as a Christmas smorgasbord sponsored by the church and later included participation by the Keats Lions Club, which was chartered in February 1979. Now, Lions Club members furnish ham, potatoes, green beans, and rolls, and others bring side dishes, including corn, broccoli-rice casserole, gelatin salads, fruit plates, relishes, brownies, cookies, pies, and other desserts.

Many people are involved in helping with the event. Donise Peterson, one of the organizers, said a lot of the meal is done in advance by about eight to 10 people from the club and the church. Volunteers set up all the tables and decorate them as well. Many others pitch in to help in the kitchen and to clean up afterward.

Lea Westervelt, another organizer, said in earlier years, the main dish was turkey and gravy, but a days-long electrical outage in the area in 2007 meant the groups changed to ham because it was easier to cook on short notice.

During the Covid pandemic in December 2020, the groups did a drive-through lunch with the same basic menu and did it as a fund-raiser to support the food pantry in nearby Riley. More than $1,000 was raised in that effort.

Sharrie Peterson initially organized the cantata with a community choir about 25 years ago. Nancy Schurle has now been directing for 10-12 years. This year, 21 people signed up to participate, which included attending four rehearsals beforehand. She said the program is a grouping of songs with spoken passages between that tell a story from the Bible. The ones she has directed are a mixture of original and traditional songs. This year's program included a portion of Handel's Messiah, as well as a couple of original pieces.

Every pew in the church was full, so the performance was streamed to the large screen in the community center so people could watch from there as well.

Mel, who was a member of the choir, had joked earlier that it would sound OK because a lot of the accompanying music was recorded.

In a small community, choices are very limited and so we attended with a forgiving ear. But that proved to be unneeded as we both found it to be much better than OK. Some of the numbers touched my heart, and before long, the tears started streaming.

After the cantata, Santa and Mrs. Claus appeared with bags of candy for young and old alike.

This celebration was another by this little town that often surprises me. It has monthly potluck suppers, lasagne dinners, pulled-pork-sandwich lunches, biscuits-and-gravy breakfasts, parades, ice cream socials, and more. The Keats Christmas dinner and cantata, which kicked off our holiday season with good food, inspirational music, and community spirit, was just the culminating event of this year.