Remembering Winfield Community Building

WINFIELD — Memories abound relating to the community building in its heyday. People who were teens in the ‘60s and ‘70s remember the dances that were a big part of their social lives during those years. The following are memories from those very people of their time spent in the community building.

Many of these memories included music and dancing.

Jewel Schultz recalled, “That’s where they had dances in the basement and kids bought their records to share.”

Sara Beth Tandy Schur remembers, “Square dancing and community movies in the late ‘70s.”

Those dances were especially memorable for Linda John who remembered her first dance with a boy in the basement of the community building.

“I did my first back flip there,” Carol Trees Flether said.

Kevin Dunsmore remembers going to dances when his sister, Pat (Dunsmore) Fricke attended the high school dances, and their parents were chaperones. Charlotte Widmer Lilliedahl also remembers the sock hops held after the ballgames.

Betty Klopfenstein Metz remembers taking dance and tumbling lessons at Sherrie Lord’s dance classes. Jennifer Rebacca Lemke also remembers taking tumbling lessons there.

“Sherrie’s son also came along and did homework and took a couple of classes,” Lemke commented.

Tina Olson recalled the dances and recitals, Santa’s visits and standing in-line to get a paper bag with an apple, orange, peanuts, and hard candy. Movies before the Easter Egg Hunt is also one of her memories.

Tammy Jo also remembers the movies before the Easter Egg Hunt along with junior high dances.

She commented that “It was always packed,” when the Girl Scouts had a bake sale upstairs in the community building.

Danielle Black remembers the Girl Scouts had a sleepover there once a year.

“Pinewood derby competition was held there too,” Kathy Garris recalled another use for the community building’s basement by Cub Scouts.

While many of the memories for the community building revolve around the whole community, Sharalyn (Nolan) Johnson said she remembers her mom renting the kitchen to cook meals for out-of-town guests that came to attend the wedding of her daughter Gary Johnson.

These are just a fraction of the many memories of people who had access to the community building in their youth. There are many more unspoken memories that could be included, but these will have to represent the some of the many memories people have tucked away.