Monthly Planning Meetings

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, November 2 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website is updated continuously. All of the committee meeting minutes are posted, along with photos of activities we’ve done so far.

We are still working on getting a new design for t-shirts and sweatshirts, which will say “Home Town Pride Since 1875.”

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that she would like to sell pre-orders for the cookbook during this year’s Christmas Walk. She will have the recipes to the printer in January and the books should be done a month or so after that.

Work on the history book is ongoing. We would like to include information about area country schools and the Mormon hand cart trail that passed through this area. We are still waiting on business and family histories. They can be uploaded to the website, or brought to The Anita Tribune.

Cheryl McCaskey gave an update on the story books. The colorings books are ready to go to the printer.

We participated in Halloween this year by putting up a scarecrow, along with the library. We also handed out candy for “Trunk or Treat.”

The “Painting with Kendra” event to be held October 22 was canceled due to lack of interest. The proposed mural on the side of the Tribune was discussed. The coloring contest that was held in conjunction with the Fall Festival was successful, with 26 entries.

For new business, banners to put on Main Street light poles were discussed. We will have a tree at the Tour of Trees as part of the Christmas Walk this year.

We now have our gambling permit and are planning a quilt raffle. See the story with details elsewhere in this issue of the Tribune.

Ideas were discussed for a fundraiser after the first of the year. This was tabled until the next meeting, which will be held Thursday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Anita Public Library. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m. 

Ann Thelen presented the Treasurer’s report, as Melissa Johnson was absent. 

Old business: Lisa Josephsen reported that the website is running smoothly. 

100 more cookbooks have been ordered, and several were sold at the Fall Fest earlier in September. You can still buy your cookbook at the Anita Public Library. 

The history book committee did not meeting in September due to illness. Business profiles are complete and the deadline for family histories passed a few days ago. 

Annette Kraus Raubvogel is creating a full-color graphic for a sticker that will be for sale. Janet Maynard is working on getting a Christmas ornament available for sale later this year. Some discussion was held on what company to go with and how much to charge. Jessica Andersen and the CAM art students will be helping on various projects. 

The bouncy houses for the celebration are booked. The SEQ music fundraiser to be held on Sept. 28 was canceled due to lack of interest. 

Bob Petersen, an Anita High School graduate, has volunteered his services in tech support and other areas. He has contacted Omaha and Des Moines TV and radio stations about our celebration in the event they would like to do a feature story. He would also like to get some “Burma Shave” signs up along the roads leading into town, advertising the Sesquicentennial. He also suggested several ways we could honor Anita’s veterans during the celebration. 

We discussed reordering SEQ t-shirts. The SEQ committee and various volunteers will be staffing a few CAM concession stands throughout the winter as a fundraiser. Other fundraisers discussed were a music bingo or music trivia contest, a style show with refreshments, and a drone photo sales event. 

The SEQ committee will have a booth at Lake Anita during the Tour de Lake Anita bike ride. We discussed participating in Trunk or Treat again this year, as well as having a booth at a proposed car show to be held Oct. 19. 

The fundraiser meal date has been rescheduled for March 1. More details will be released at a later time. 

We talked about having a booth during the Christmas Walk on Dec. 8, to sell ornaments and cookbooks. 

Our October meeting date will be announced later, but will be held at City Hall at 6 p.m. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Wednesday, July 24 at 6:00 p.m. 

Melissa Johnson presented the Treasurer’s report. 

Old business: Lisa Josephsen will be adding pictures from the last tea party to the website. 

144 cookbooks have been sold. You can still buy your cookbook at the Anita Public Library. We are planning to have more printed. 

The history book committee met on July 22 at 6 p.m. at the City Hall. Business profiles are nearly complete. If you would like to have your business included, please contact the Tribune as soon as possible. If we don’t receive anything, only your business name will be mentioned. Family histories are coming in slowly. Deadline for this is September 1. We are also working on getting organizations’ histories collected. Ads are being sold for the back of the book. 

The pancake breakfast that was to be held on Sun., Aug. 4 is cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. 

The committee will have a float in the Whaletown parade and a booth in Bandshell Park during the celebration. Merchandise and raffle tickets will be for sale. 

Arrangements for the fundraiser meal on September 21 are ongoing. Details will be available later. There will possibly be a raffle and silent auction that night. 

A Blackstone grill raffle tickets have been selling well of late. A winner will be drawn on Sunday, Aug. 4.

A discussion was held on arrangements for the celebration. We will have several food trucks coming that weekend. Some events will include a wood carving demonstration, several bounce houses for both kids and adults, axe throwing, car show, photo ops, a fun run, horseshoe pitching demonstration, a historical movie shown and more. We have checked into prices for banners announcing the celebration and for other purposes. 

The Anita quilt has been completed and is being stored. 

New business: Dee Harrison will follow up with the Anita Post Office for the procedure to set up an SEQ postmark 2025. 

Our August meeting date will be announced later, but will be held at City Hall at 6 p.m. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, June 27 at 6:00 p.m., along with some members of Town & Country and the Anita Fire Department. We are planning to coordinate with them on several aspects of the celebration.

Ann Thelen presented the Treasurer’s report.

Old business: 

A few changes have been made to the website.

Cookbook sales have slowed, but we have a few events coming up where they will be available for purchase. You can still buy your cookbook at the Anita Public Library.

Quite a bit of progress has been made on the history book. We will meet on July 22 at 6 p.m. at the City Hall. Family histories are coming in slowly. Deadline for this is September 1. We are also working on getting organizations’ histories collected.

The children’s tea party fundraiser has been put off until next spring.

The SEQ quilt is being assembled. Individual quilt blocks are being published in The Anita Tribune.

A pancake breakfast fundraiser will be held on Sunday morning, August 4 at the CAM High School. We are waiting on The Pancake Man to confirm that he can come.

The fundraiser meal has been moved to September 21. There will possibly be a raffle and silent auction that night.

A choir/band reunion fundraiser is being planned by Jody Rudolph and Matt Russell to be held on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Anita United Methodist Church. Rehearsals will be held through that day for past Anita/CAM students who would like to participate. The concert that night would be a free will donation fundraiser.

The “That’s My Pan” fundraiser order deadline is July 10. Order your pans and give them as wedding gifts!

A Blackstone grill has been purchased for our raffle. We will be selling tickets at Produce in the Park in Atlantic, at the Steak Fry and on our website.We hope to ride in the Exira 4th of July parade to advertise our event.

Ann has located 13 1975 Centennial dolls so far. We would like to display them during the 2025 celebration, along with some pictures from the 1975 doll give-away.

The schedule of events is slowly coming together. A lot of good ideas for things for the kids to do were discussed.

Our next meeting will be held Wednesday, July 24 at City Hall at 6:00 p.m.  EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, May 23 at 5:30 p.m.

Ann Thelen presented the Treasurer’s report.

Old business:
A few changes have been made to the website.

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that 121 out of the 200 cookbooks have been sold. You can still buy your cookbook at the Anita Public Library.

The history book continues to progress. We met on May 20. With the businesses’ deadline passed, we’re moving on to the family section, with a deadline of Sept. 1 for families to submit their histories. The history book committee will meet again on June 17.

The next fundraiser tea will be for children and will be held July 13 at the library.

All the quilt block kits have been returned! Ann showed us a picture of them arranged as a finished quilt and it will be beautiful!
We have someone commissioned to do the quilting. The blocks will be published in the paper soon.

It was discussed having a pancake breakfast on the Sunday morning after the Steak Fry. This was discussed at our last meeting and there are more details to be ironed out.

A choir/band reunion fundraiser is being planned by Jody Rudolph and Matt Russell to be held on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Anita United Methodist Church. Rehearsals will be held through that day for past Anita/CAM students who would like to participate. The concert that night would be a free will donation fundraiser.

Ann has located 12 1975 Centennial dolls so far. We would like to display them during the 2025 celebration, along with some pictures from the 1975 doll give-away.

The horseshoe pitching demonstration/contest is a go! It will be held at Lake Anita State Park.

We have been communicating with Jon Jordan about a fun run, which will possibly be held on the last day of the celebration, location to be announced.

Our fundraiser meal, planned for June, has been postponed to September. There may be a silent auction during the meal.

If the CAM North Elementary School is demolished, there’s a possibility that we may be allowed to sell some of the bricks as a fundraiser. The school may also allow us to use some of the furniture, trophies, etc. for a museum during the celebration.

New business:

It was planned to have a “Fundraising Night” at a later date. A meal would be served and all the things we have for sale as well as raffles for various things would be featured. Other fundraisers were also discussed.

There are a few fundraisers in the works. 

Food trucks were discussed for the celebration.

Our next meeting will be held June 27 at City Hall at 5:30 p.m. EVERYONE IS WELCOME TO COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, April 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Ann Thelen presented the Treasurer’s report.

Old business:

The website is still functioning well.

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that the cookbooks have been selling well. Pre-orders can be picked up at the library, and they can also be purchased there.

The history book continues to progress. We will meet again on May 20. Deadline for businesses to submit their histories was April 14. There are still several we haven’t received.

The second tea party fundraiser was held on April 20 at the Community Center. It was a big success and we have received lots of good comments. The next tea will be for children and will be held July 13 at the library.

It was decided that we don’t have the funds or time to apply for grants for murals. Having small ones made was discussed. We may have a larger one done after the celebration.

24 quilt block kits were handed out and 19 have been returned. We have someone commissioned to do the quilting. The blocks will be published in the paper soon. It should be a nice, commemorative quilt when finished.

It was discussed having a pancake breakfast on the Sunday morning after the Steak Fry. More on this later.

A choir/band reunion fundraiser is being planned by Jody Rudolph and Matt Russell to be held on Sept. 28, 2024, at the Anita United Methodist Church. Rehearsals will be held through that day for past Anita/CAM students who would like to participate. The concert that night would be a free will donation fundraiser.

Ann has located 10 1975 Centennial dolls so far. We would like to display them during the 2025 celebration.

New business:

It was planned to have a “Fundraising Night” at a later date. A meal would be served and all the things we have for sale as well as raffles for various things would be featured. Other fundraisers were also discussed.

A fun run is still in the works for the celebration, as well as a horseshoe throwing contest.

Our next meeting date, time and location will be announced later. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, March 28 at 5:00 p.m.

Ann Thelen presented the Treasurer’s report. Deidra Christensen has been working on a budget.

Old business: The website is still functioning well. 

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that following the proofreading session held March 9, the cookbook was sent to the printer. There’s a possibility they could be here in time for the April 20 tea party.

The history book is progressing. The deadline for businesses to have their information in is April 14. We have received several already. Work is being done on the history of the last 25 years. Next, we will be working on gathering information from the various organizations in town. It's coming together!

The second tea party fund-raiser is coming up on April 20 at the Community Center. Ticket sales are going well. A future tea party may be for children. 

Having murals done on the sides for two buildings was discussed. A grant is available with a May deadline to apply.

Quilt block kits have been handed out. Ann brought in the finished ones, and they are great, featuring designs from around town. Once they are all in, they will be put together for a finished quilt.

New business:

Banners were discussed. We need to fabricate a bracket so they can be hung. A fundraiser dinner is still being discussed, and it was proposed to have a pancake fundraiser breakfast on the Sunday morning after the Steak Fry this year.

We will be getting our schedule of events finalized in the near future.

Deanna Andrews presented some information on trips that could be given away as a fund-raiser.

Our next meeting date, time and location will be announced later. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita City Hall on Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website is still functioning well.

The Whale of a Town vinyl stickers are now in and for sale at the Anita Public Library.

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that 24 pre-orders have been placed. We decided to order 200 books. A few members of the committee will proofreading it on March 9 from 9-11 a.m. at the library.

The history book committee met on Mon., Feb 19 at City Hall decided on an outline for the book and assignments for various sections were made. Someone will be coming around to all the businesses with a form that will help them write up a history. We would like to have family histories also. The next history book committee meeting is March 18 at 6 p.m. at the City Hall.

The quilt raffle was a success. Lisa McAfee of Anita was the lucky winner.

The second tea party fundraiser will be held April 20 at the Community Center. Ticket sales will begin soon. Watch this paper for more details. Preparations for a quilt block contest are being made.

Having murals done on the sides for two buildings was discussed.

We will be preparing a budget and a finalized schedule of events soon.

New business:

It was decided that the Sesquicentennial Committee will have a float in the Whaletown parade in August. We have some banners that were purchased some time ago that we would like to get hung up on Main Street. A fundraiser dinner is still being discussed. A committee will be formed for this.

A singing event is being organized for Saturday, Sept. 28 – “Sing in a Choir Day.” The concert will be a free will donation. More on that later! A fun run is still in the works.

Fundraising ideas were also discussed. There will be more quilts raffled off, a puzzle night, and possibly a trip given away.

Our next meeting date, time and location will be announced later. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, January 25 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website is still functioning well. 

The coloring books sold well and more will be ordered. Ann Thelen ordered some vinyl stickers of the bear holding the whale. They are very cute and will be for sale soon. We also have a few stuffed whales available. Merchandise is for sale at the library.

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that several pre-orders have been placed. A few members of the committee volunteered do proofread it. She is shooting for June to have it at the printers.

Work on the history book is ongoing. We are still waiting on business and family histories. They can be uploaded to the website, or brought to The Anita Tribune. A form will be distributed to Anita businesses so their histories can be included.

Another tea party fundraiser is planned for April, along with a quilt block contest. A fundraiser meal was also discussed, with a possible silent auction at the same time. Watch this paper for more details when the time comes.

For new business, banners to put on Main Street light poles were discussed. It was decided to use some that the town already has that state, “Welcome to Anita.” They are still in very good shape and would save us the cost of new ones.

We will be preparing a budget and a finalized schedule of events soon.

Our next meeting will be held Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 p.m. at the Anita Public Library. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, November 2 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website is updated continuously. All of the committee meeting minutes are posted, along with photos of activities we’ve done so far.

We are still working on get-ting a new design for t-shirts and sweatshirts, which will say “Home Town Pride Since 1875.”

Kay Stork, our cookbook chairman, said that she would like to sell pre-orders for the cookbook during this year’s Christmas Walk. She will have the recipes to the printer in January and the books should be done a month or so after that.

Work on the history book is ongoing. We would like to include information about area country schools and the Mor-mon hand cart trail that passed through this area. We are still waiting on business and family histories. They can be uploaded to the website, or brought to The Anita Tribune.

Cheryl McCaskey gave an update on the story books. The colorings books are ready to go to the printer.

We participated in Hallow-een this year by putting up a scarecrow, along with the li-brary. We also handed out can-dy for “Trunk or Treat.”

The “Painting with Kendra” event to be held October 22 was canceled due to lack of interest. The proposed mural on the side of the Tribune was discussed. The coloring contest that was held in conjunction with the Fall Festival was suc-cessful, with 26 entries.

For new business, banners to put on Main Street light poles were discussed. We will have a tree at the Tour of Trees as part of the Christmas Walk this year.

We now have our gambling permit and are planning a quilt raffle. See the story with de-tails elsewhere in this issue of the Tribune.

Ideas were discussed for a fundraiser after the first of the year. This was tabled until the next meeting, which will be held Thursday, December 7 at 5:30 p.m. at the Anita Public Library. PLEASE COME AND SHARE YOUR IDEAS!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, September 28 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website is now available to purchase coins, buy your “Painting with Kendra” tickets, submit your family history and make donations. Our tech team has been working hard!

Kay Stork is working on organizing recipes for the cookbook. The cookbook should be available for sale by Christmas 2024.

Merchandise was discussed.  We are hoping to get sweatshirts for winter and also shirts with the “Small Town Pride Since 1875” theme on them. Coins can now be viewed online. There are a few garden stakes left. These may be reordered next spring. Koozies are for sale. The small rubber whales have been selling well. We will be reordering them. All merchandise is available for sale at the library.

Work on the history book is ongoing. We would like to include information about area country schools and the Mormon hand cart trail that passed through this area.

Cheryl McCaskey discussed the story books. She had an example of a coloring book that may be sold later.

Our booth at the Fall Festival was successful. We sold lots of merchandise and handed out coloring contest sheets.

The upcoming “Painting with Kendra” event will be held October 22. Tickets are available through the website or at The Anita Tribune. Ann Thelen will handle the refreshments.

We now have our gambling permit and are planning a quilt raffle in the future. More information about this will be available later. We also discussed raffling a fire pit, grill, processed hog, or a catered meal.

Mural ideas were discussed. The CAM art instructor attended the meeting through Zoom. The students are enthusiastic about helping out. We also discussed putting small banners on the light poles, or a large one in Bandshell Park.

We are working with the Anita Public Library on a scarecrow for the contest on Main Street. We also plan to participate in Trunk or Treat on October 29.

The next meeting will be held Thursday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, August 24 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website will soon be capable of having people submit family histories and pictures online. Merchandise will also be available online.

The deadline to submit recipes for the cookbook has passed. Kay Stork will be sending these to the printer. She reported that she got lots of recipes and some are from former staff of the Anita/CAM North Elementary School.

Merchandise was discussed.  The shirts and other merchandise sold well at the Steak Fry. We are hoping to get sweatshirts for winter and also shirts with the “Small Town Pride Since 1875” theme on them. Coins can now be viewed online. There are a few garden stakes left. These may be reordered next spring. All merchandise is available for sale at the library.

Work on the history book is ongoing. We have access to many old pictures for this purpose. Patti Parker is still working on interviews with longtime citizens. Soon it will be possible for people to submit business and personal profiles online.

Cheryl McCaskey discussed the story books. She would like to include people’s memories of old times in Anita. We also discussed coloring books.

A large raffle was discussed again this month. Research still needs to be done on a possible trip and/or grill giveaway in the future.

We will have a booth at the Fall Festival on September 23. We will be handing out some coloring pages for a kids’ coloring contest. Stuffed whales and t-shirts will be given for prizes.

A fundraiser is also scheduled for October 22 from 2-5 p.m. at the Anita Community Center – painting with Kendra Sorum. More details will be released later.

The whale that was used in the past in parades has been located. We will possibly use it in the future. The two murals were discussed. An art class at CAM is looking for projects and expressed interest in helping.

The next meeting will be held Thursday, September 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, July 27 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website will soon be capable of having people submit family histories and pictures online. Merchandise will also be available online.

Recipes for the cookbook are still being submitted and must be in by August 1. We had a good response to the Tea Party held July 8 and received lots of comments, on the food in particular.

Merchandise was discussed. There are still a few t-shirts left at the library. Koozies, coins and whale garden stakes can also be purchased there. The garden stakes are selling well. We will have a table during the Steak Fry where donations can be received and some merchandise will be available.

The history book was discussed. Several members have been working on various aspects of Anita’s history. A sample of family and business histories will be on the website so people will know what to include in their own.

Cheryl McCaskey hopes to have the story books available for Christmas 2024. A coloring book was also discussed.

We will have a parade entry in the Whaletown parade August 5.

Various large fundraisers were discussed. Some raffle ideas were a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, a grill, Hawkeye or Cyclone packages, etc. Quilts could also be raffled off. A fundraiser is also scheduled for October 22 from 2-5 p.m. at the Anita Community Center – painting with Kendra Sorum. Details will be released later.

The next meeting will be held Thursday, August 24 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met at the Anita Public Library on Thursday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m.

Old business: The website was discussed and soon it will be capable of having people submit family histories online. Kay Stork discussed the cookbook. Recipes are still being submitted and must be in by August 1. Hopefully the cookbook will be available by the Christmas Walk of 2024. The tea party plans are finalized; the party will be held Saturday, July 8 at the Community Center.

Merchandise was discussed. There are still a few t-shirts left at the library. Koozies, coins and whale garden stakes can also be purchased there. New t-shirts and coffee mugs will be available soon.

The history book committee met June 21. An outline for the book has been sent to the printer. It will include history from the last 25 years, as well as from farther back in our history.

Story books were discussed. Cheryl McCaskey is in charge of this project. Some will be fiction, some non-fiction. New fundraisers were also mentioned.

The next meeting will be held Thursday, July 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the library. ALL ARE WELCOME!

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee met Thursday, June 1 at the Anita Public Library.

Old business was discussed. The Anitawhaleofatown.org went live on May 2. Check it out! Approximately 75 recipes have been submitted for the cookbook. Recipes need to be emailed to ckstork@gmail.com by August 1. There are 20 tickets still available for the tea party, which will be held July 8 at the Community Center. The menu and raffle items were discussed. Merchandise was discussed. Denise Zimmerline has been handling the coins. They are done and ordered and should be available after July 1.

Whaletown garden stakes will also be available soon.

T-shirts with the theme “Small Town Pride Since 1875” are in the works.

The history book committee will be holding a separate meeting soon to organize. Others are working on storybooks, some of which will be about Anita’s history.

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Anita Public Library. We will be discussing the schedule of events and budgeting. Everyone is welcome to attend!

A Sesquicentennial meeting was held Thursday, April 27 at 5:30 p.m. at the Anita Public Library, with a small group in attendance in person, as well as electronically. REMEMBER – Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings. We will need lots of people to help out with the activities during the celebration!

The meeting began with the treasurer’s report. A debit card will be obtained to make it easier to make purchases for fundraisers, etc.

The Sesquicentennial website is now up and running. Go to anitawhaleofatown.org, where you will be able to purchase a number of items such as tea party tickets, clothing, souvenirs, etc. New things will be added as we go along.

OLD BUSINESS:

Deadline for cookbook recipes is August 1, 2023. The cookbook will contain recipes from the Anita schools as well as other goodies. The tea party is planned for July 8. See more details in a separate story. T-shirt sales are open until May 11. Souvenir Koozies and coffee cups will be available in the future. A painting party with Kendra Sorum is being planned for October 2023. Interviews with some of our older residents are being conducted by Patti Parker, to be included in the history book. Storybooks pertaining to events in Anita’s history are in the works. We hope to get some of the high school history students involved in this project. Murals are being planned to be painted on the sides of at least two buildings in Anita.

NEW BUSINESS:

Denise Zimmerline has done research on getting coins made, similar to the ones that we had at the Centennial in 1975. The steering committee will be meeting in the near future to determine a budget for each of the events planned. We have scheduled “Chris Cakes” to come and serve pancakes on the last day of the celebration, Sunday, August 3, 2025. Tattoos and pins and possibly a cardboard cutout to be used as a photo opportunity were discussed. These things may be available at this year’s Steak Fry in August.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the CAM High School. Please come if you can! 

The Anita Sesquicentennial Committee held their monthly meeting on March 23 at the Anita Public Library.

The theme poll is now closed and results were as follows: Small Town Pride Since 1875 received the most votes at 66; A Whale of a Celebration, 19; 150 Years and Still Growing Strong, 17; Our Story is Still Unfolding, 6; and Remember, Celebrate, Thrive, 4. So “Small Town Pride Since 1875” will be theme of our 2025 celebration!

The tech subcommittee gave their report. Our website still needs some information added, but will be up and running soon. We are using Google Workspace to store all of our information in one place.

Fundraising events were discussed. A tea party is planned for July 8, 2023, at the Anita Community Center. There will be a limited number of seats, so watch this paper for further details in future editions. Painting with Kendra is tentatively scheduled for October. We hope to set t-shirt sales going again. Quotes were obtained for vinyl decals. Mini-books about Anita’s history are being worked on. Progress is being made on a cookbook. Prepaid orders will be taken later this year, with plans to distribute the book for the fall/holiday season of 2024. History book plans are still ongoing.

For new business, it was discussed doing a mural, possibly on the side of the Mailander Law Office building. A music committee is being set up to schedule musical events throughout the celebration.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, April 27, when we hope to set up a tentative schedule for the celebration. Everyone is welcome to attend!

The February Sesquicentennial meeting was held virtually only due to the bad weather. Attending via Zoom were Ann Thelen, Cheryl McCaskey, Kay Stork, Shaun Rydl and Patti Parker.

President Ann Thelen opened the meeting with the treasurer’s report. We received our non-profit status on February 6 and our Iowa Sales Tax permit on February 2.

A website has been established for everyone to access for information. Our domain name is anitawhaleofatown.org.

The tea party that was going to be held on April 22 has been postponed; a new date is yet to be determined. Another fundraiser that will be held at a later date will be a group painting party with Kendra Sorum.

T-shirt sales will be opening again soon. Koozies will soon be available, also. Ann has been pricing clings from CenPro, Alexis Boes and Christa Wessling.

We have been pricing mini-books for fundraising. George Marnin has an idea for a book about a little blue whale named Anita that lives under the green bridge. Cheryl McCaskey is writing a book about a girl named Anita, whose uncle founded our town.

Kay Stork has gathered many entries for the Sesquicentennial cookbook, many being Anita school recipes. We also talked about possibly copying or reprinting Carole Parker’s handwritten cookbook that contains Anita trivia with each recipe.

We are establishing a sort of Who’s Who for Anitans past and present. Kay Stork has interviews in her possession that high school students did with residents of the nursing home, and Patti Parker will do interviews with people from Anita. We will also be inviting folks to share their family stories and will announce loose guidelines for submissions very soon.

Our contest for the 2025 theme is in full swing. Thanks to Deidra Christensen and Deanna Andrews, boxes have been placed in Anita businesses to vote, as well as the online voting on our Facebook page. The entries are as follows: “A Whale of a Celebration,” “Small Town Pride Since 1875,” “Our Story is Still Unfolding”, “150 Years and Still Going Strong” and “Remember, Celebrate, Thrive.”

Shaun Rydl is researching the possibility of having one or multiple BBQ contests for fundraising. He said the key to a successful event is sponsorship. We talked about the possibility of sponsors such as our local locker and/or Pork Producers or Cattlemen’s Association. We could have an amateur and/or professional cook-off. We talked about checking with The Market on Main to coordinate with the   Sept. 23rd Fall Fest.

Shaun Rydl also suggested having a bird-dog competition. He is currently doing some research on these events, and will also consult with Paul Hansen about this. We also talked about a gun raffle, as we learned from the Adair Sesquicentennial Committee that this was a big money-maker for them.

We have at least one quilt we would like to raffle and hope to get more to raffle for the Sesquicentennial cause. We thought one way to do this would be to ask the Anita Library if they would be willing to display one. Another idea Ann mentioned was having a wine and cheese event, possibly through the Elk Horn Winery. She is going to make contact with them.

We are still pursuing the possibility of having “Burma Shave” type signs for people coming in to town from all four directions. Bob Petersen had mentioned early on that he does know the regulations required, so we will be tapping into his knowledge. We already have wording for such signs.

Our next meeting will be March 23rd. We will send everyone the details of time and place.

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