Swimmers taking a break from strokes in the water will rest comfortably around the Hamilton pool courtesy of funding for chaise lounge chairs from the Warsaw Lions Club. Hamilton Mayor, Bocephus Casey, who accepted a check from the Lions for $2,500 on Tuesday, Aug. 13, noted that the pool is “21 years old now, going on 22,” and there were “beautiful chaise lounge pool chairs for the longest time,” but they were plastic and the combination of chlorine and the sun caused them to crack over time.
The Hamilton Park Board disposed of the deteriorating chairs until “the next thing you know, we had none. And it was a real problem,” he said. “People were complaining and the Lions Club said, ‘We will buy you 18 new pool chairs.
’ And that’s exactly what happened.” Casey is pleased that “next year, we’re going to have 18 new pool chairs around the pool. Thanks to the Lions Club, which is about the only club around still doing good things because they’re a real club.
” Casey continued, “The Girl Scouts in Hamilton have disbanded. The Boy Scouts have disbanded. There’s no Lions Club in Hamilton.
The Kiwanis is down to two people, so, basically, they’re going to disband. Church groups are going away.” Groups are “going away and the only one around that I know about that’s just still kicking and strong is the Lions Club,” he stated.
Casey and this correspondent discussed the remarkable impact of 16 men in a town of less than 1,500 people. He commented that he is proud that six or seven of those men were in his high school class, and clarified that he was including the two classes above and below the class of 2001 in this group. Noting that his parents’ generation was working primarily to “pay the bills,” Casey appreciates that, “people in my age group out of Warsaw and Hamilton are starting to get to the point where they can afford to spend the time to do community service, and that’s what you’re seeing.
” Warsaw sent 45 children to the pool for swimming lessons this summer. Casey appreciates that he and his children waited for the swim bus at Ralston Park and enjoyed lessons at the Hamilton Pool. He is pleased that opportunities for lessons and recreational swimming continue to be available to area residents and noted that “the only reason we’re able to keep it going is because of the City of Hamilton and Warsaw schools.
” Casey values the leadership demonstrated by his friends’ fathers who served in the fire department, and his stepdad who was a member of the Warsaw Lions Club. He fondly recalled when the Lions Club sponsored a child’s fort at the fairgrounds, “an amazing thing” built with treated lumber featuring a stockade, exterior walls with points at each corner, and walkways all the way around the top. “We could look over it.
It had this huge tower in the middle, like four stories with a pole, and it was all made by hand,” he said. Casey continued, he and his friends “were not old enough to swing a hammer, but we were running screws and nails, yes, to help dads. We were building it.
And then we played in it, and then the generation or two after us...
it was falling into disrepair, and we weren’t old enough to be in that position (to fund and make repairs to the fort).” Casey is grateful to the Lions Club for assisting the Hamilton pool, and to the 16 members who keep it going. He cherishes childhood time in Geode Glen and values the Lions Clubs’ funding for the new walking trail project.
“I grew up in Geode Glen,” he reflected. His mother, Patty McLaughlin, owns property in that area, “so that was my backyard.” Casey expressed deep gratitude for two friends’ leadership and contributions to the Warsaw community, “Stu (Froman) was the best man in my wedding.
” Commenting that Froman is a good guy and dad, he noted that their friendship extends back to kindergarten. He is pleased with Cass and Brandon Grunewald’s success and that Froman and the Grunewalds are getting things done. “And, now I’m in Hamilton, trying to get things done.
” He is getting things done. Casey noted that he has to stay busy and that people have gratefully commented on his habit of picking up trash every morning during his walks. In serving as Hamilton’s mayor, in his work as a park ranger with the Hamilton Park District and Aquatic Center, and when he entertains crowds locally and in Iowa as a singer/songwriter, Casey is always getting things done.
Congratulations and gratitude go to the Hamilton Park District, the Warsaw Lions Club, and Casey for their successful endeavors in support of local youth and families. Casey appreciates that the Warsaw Lions Club shares his value of leading by example. He commended them for their generosity to the Hamilton Park District and other groups and joins in their excitement in hosting their 11th Fall Classic on Saturday, Oct.
5 at the Bott Center. Doors open at 4:30 p.m.
Tickets are $50 per person or $90 per couple and include a meal and free drinks. They can be purchased at Hill-Dodge Bank, 210 N. Sixth St.
, and RePete Candle and Coffee Bar at the corner of Sixth and Clay in Warsaw, and will be available through Oct. 4 or until they are sold out. A live auction, silent auction, and various raffles are planned throughout the evening.
As demonstrated by their generous donations – in the last 10 years, the club has raised over a million dollars in support of various local projects – all proceeds stay in the local communities. Plan to attend this highly anticipated, fun event..
