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The
Official Newspaper of Manchester and Delaware County, Iowa
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
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Fire station addition, remodel passes
by Latisha Sand |
The Manchester Fire Station will be getting an addition and remodeling parts of the existing station thanks to Manchester voters.
A special election was held on Tuesday, July 31 for a bond issue for the station and 72 percent of voters voted ‘yes.’ However, only 702 out of 3,424 eligible voters voted for the election, making it only a 20.5 percent turnout.
“We are really glad for the support of the community,” said Manchester Fire Chief Dennis Meisgeier.
According to Meisgeier, the next step will be sitting down with the architect of the project and specifying plans for the project before bids are taken. The early start date for the project could be this November or the first part of spring in 2008.
In order to get ready for the election, the volunteer firefighters went door-to-door and held an open house at the station.
“We had a lot of good questions and feedback during that,” said Meisgeier. “At the open house people saw that there is a shortage of space.”
Currently the station has six trucks in five bays with a Jeep and a boat being stored in a garage behind the station.
“The station doesn’t have space for firefighters to safely train and respond to emergencies,” said Meisgeier in a recent Letter to the Editor published in the Manchester Press.
The addition will include three additional bays and enlarging the meeting and training area. The station does not have to purchase land for the project, as the new bays will be constructed in the existing parking lot.
The $800,000 general obligation bonds issued by the city, donations and reserve funds will pay for the project. The bonds will be paid for over a period of 20 years.
“During the construction, the meeting room and office equipment will be moved to another location,” said Meisgeier. “The trucks will be staying in the existing bays and the response to calls should not be delayed.”
Manchester Mayor Milt Kramer was happy with the results.
“I’ve very pleased with the outcome,” he said. “It shows a continued interest of city residents in having a well trained, well equipped fire department.” |
Country Cruisers’ 15th year
by Ken Boesenberg |
The Country Cruisers Car Club is in it’s 15th year and is going stronger than ever.
The club came about back in 1992 when Andy Coleman was looking for something to spice up the Hog Wild Days celebration. He contacted Fuzzy Durey and Durey along with some friends that were into cars set out to help Andy and put together a car club.
Now 15 years later with 28 members the club is one of the largest supporters of Special Olympics in Manchester.
Along with their support of the Special Olympians they also help support Operation Santa Claus, the Delaware County Food Pantry and a number of other worthy causes in and around the Manchester area.
The club holds regular monthly meetings at the Community Center.
During June, July and early August the meeting schedule picks up as they get ready for their annual car cruise.
This years cruise will be on Saturday night, August 11th. Cars will begin to assemble at E-Z Pickins around 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. By the time the cruise gets rolling there will be in the neighborhood of 600 cars involved in the cruise.
“We have been hovering right around the 600 car count for the last several years,” said Country Cruisers Car Club president, Fuzzy Durey.
“We have come a long way since our first cruise which had around 60 cars in it.”
The club still has a member or two that were in the first car club to be formed in Manchester. They were known as the Manchester Modifiers. |
PHOTO SUBMITTED
Members of the Manchester Modifier car club during the summer of 1960 with the trophies they were going to present at their first auto show. Pictured are, from left to right - John Hansel, Jerry Klein, Jim Corcoran, Larry Childs, Vincent Manternach, David Eibey, Francis Childs, and Robert Timmerman.
KEN BOESENBERG / Press
Three original members of the Manchester Modifier Club along with current some current members of the Country Cruisers Car Club, from left to right - Dennis Haas, Fuzzy Durey, Verdeen Waterman, Bob Timmerman, Jerry Klein, and Jim Corcoran. |
The Manchester Modifiers were organized in May of 1959 and held their one and only car show in the summer of 1960.
Original members of the Modifiers still active with old cars today include Jim Corcoran and Bob Timmerman.
Jim was the president of the Manchester Modifiers some 48 years ago. Other officers were David Eibey, vice-president; Jerry Klein, treasurer; Fran Lebansky, secretary; and Melvin Nelson, reporter.
Other members included John Hansel, Larry Childs, Vincent Manternach, Francis Childs, Robert Timmerman, Kenneth Roth, Roger Satterlee and Noel Freeze.
There have been many changes in the cars that are now entered into shows, compared to those of nearly 50 years ago.
However, there is one thing that remains constant, a group of people with a huge passion for cars.
The main purpose of the Manchester Modifiers was to have a very nice two day car show.
This years festivities for the Country Cruisers Car Club will be spread over three days.
On Friday (August 10) the club will get together in the parking lot of Corcoran Furniture for their Friday night Premier car club show starting at 6:00 p.m.
The show first got started in the parking lot of EconoFoods in 1996.
On Saturday (August 11) the 600 car cruise will take place with the first cars slated to pull out of E-Z Pickins at 5:30 p.m.
Following the cruise there will be an “After the Cruise Street dance downtown in the area where the First Friday at Five celebrations take place. The dance is a joint effort with the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce and will get started at 9:00 p.m., it will feature the music of Richie Lee & the Fabulous 50’s.
On Sunday (August 12), annual Car Show will be held at the Delaware County Fairgrounds with registration taking place from 8:00 a.m. to noon.
There will be around 150 cars on display, making this one of the finest car shows around.
Trophies will be awarded to the top three placewinners in each class of competition. Participants in the show will be doing the judging.
“We have had cars at our show in the past that have went on to win some very high national
honors,” stated Fuzzy Durey. “We are expecting to have some very high quality cars here again this year.”
You can come early and enjoy an omelette breakfast prepared by the local Boy Scouts.
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Enjoy aerobatics at this year’s air show
by Latisha Sand |
The third bi-annual Fly-In/Drive-In Air show will be held on Sunday, Aug. 12 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“The show will start at 1 p.m.,” said Marty Kelzer, Manchester’s Building Inspector. “Before then we are offering helicopter and airplane rides and food supplied by the Cattlemen’s.”
Also at the show will be experimental aircraft, military vehicles including the National Guard’s Blackhawk helicopter, static displays, Ultralights, remote controlled aircraft, flying exhibitions and formation flight.
“We are paying tribute to our veterans,” said Kelzer. “There will be a military set-up and display at the airport with the local legion providing the flag rising and retiring.”
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LATISHA SAND / Press
The National Guard’s Blackhawk Helicopter will be on hand as this year’s Fly-In/Drive-In Air show is paying tribute to veterans. |
As for the air show itself, there will be four performers: Susan Dacy, Darrel Massman, Joe Dooley and Alan Henley.
Dacy, with her “Big Red” Bi-Plane, will have a “ground level, hard charging, ‘Barnstorming American Performance’ [that] provides…excitement, noise and lot of air show smoke,” according to www.airshows.com. Dacy has over 20,000 hours of flying time with her “Big Red.”
Dooley, the ‘Flying Irishman,’ has performed at Manchester air shows before. He will provide a high energy, low-level aerobatics show with his Pitts Special.
Massman is best known for his aerobatic flying in his custom built PANZL and Henley, the team leader of the famous Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, will be performing in his World War II North American Advanced Trainer.
The air shows and the fly-in breakfasts, which are held opposite years, were ideas formed about six years ago when the airport committee wanted to get more activities held at the Manchester Airport.
The committee started with a fly-in lunch and the next year held an air show, which only had one act. Two years after that they had another air show with two acts. This year there is a total of four acts for the people’s enjoyment.
“Each year, every air show kind of grows,” said Kelzer. “The airport committee thanks all of the donations that came in that made this air show possible.”
Admission for this year’s air show is $3 with children 10 and under free. The proceeds from the fly-in breakfast and the air show will be going toward the 2009 air show. |
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