Christmas Lighting and the "Watertower"

     We continue with more memories from Larry Lindmark, BHS-63. Larry wrote, "while growing up in Boone, I don't remember any community Christmas lighting ceremonies. Many communities today have a special tree that they light the day after Thanksgiving to kick off the Christmas season. The last two towns where we have lived, Viroqua, WI. and Red Wing, MN., have a lighted parade on the Friday night after Thanksgiving. Some years ago, Boone did start having a tree lighting ceremony. Is that still done? I lived in the southeast part of Boone where Aldrich Ave. and Garst Ave. had the typical small colored lights on trees and bushes, but the big display was in front of Mrs. Gibson's, the high school art teacher. She and her family always had a large, painted nativity scene set up in the 1100 block of Garst."
     On another subject Larry wrote, ""The Watertower," that was the place to be for any aspiring baseball player from the age of 10 to 13. Day in and day out, players from around town would come to the Watertower to play ball. Johnny Morton was the closest, living right across the street behind the backstop, which was put up with the help of his family. Sandy Mahood, BHS-64, lived a block away. Jeff and Jerry Johnson of Kalamazoo, MI stayed with their grandmother each summer only a block and a half from the ball site. Balls hit inside the Watertower fence were an automatic out (I believe). Each ball had to be retrieved by sliding under the fence. Then, down the right field line, if a ball was hit hard enough, it would bounce across the street into a neighbor's yard. The man of that house would sometimes scamper out and pick up our ball and retreat inside the house. An outfielder had to be positioned so that he was the last line of defense before we lost another ball into that neighbor's yard. Years later, I saw an auction at that "right field" house and wondered how many of our baseballs were in the garage waiting to be auctioned off. From West Boone to North Boone to all around town, how many of these, "Fields of Dreams" did we have in years gone by?"
     Larry, in answer to your question, "yes, we continue to have the tree lighting and lighted parade etc." By the way, the "Watertower" Larry was referring too is the one on First Street in the southeast part of town. Reviewing other "older" ballpark sites, the Kornerman remembers neighborhood games somewhere near 16th/17th and Monona where I, Bill Nordstrom, Bud Furst, Gerald LeMaster and others would gather. Then too, there was a site near 10th and Monona where Gary Grosnickle and I hit some tremendous home runs?"
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     Boone Connected Deaths: John Smeltzer Sr., 89, Milford. Former administrator, teacher and coach at both Napier and Madrid..........Joanne Mapes, 61, Perry. Boone area survivors include daughters Jennel Clarke of Boone and Andrea Streigle of Ogden and son, Adam Runge, of Boone...........Karen Thornburgh, 73, Woodward. Survived by daughter, Shelle Arentson of Boone........Michael Lynch, 70, rural Ames.Was active in Boone County Fair...........Douglas Short, 69, Des Moines. Madrid HS-64. Worked for John Deere, as a farmer, and construction owner.............Stanley Reed, 91, Boone. BHS-42. Boone County mechanic. Boone area survivor is his wife, Irene............Henry William Tripp, 88, Napier HS. Was a Boone/Ames area farmer and played in several area bands............Evelyn Srigley, 86, Boone. Worked at Woolworth's and Boone Blank Book Company. Boone area survivors include sons Randy and Rick Srigley both of Boone...........Mildred Jay, 89, Boone. Boone area survivors include a son, David Jay of Boone, and daughter, Jamie Blomgren of Ames among others...............................Shawn King, 54, Boxholm.Perry HS-79.Worked at CDS, Cargill, Allied Construction.Boone area survivors include her husband, Scott, and step-son, Robbie King, both of Boxholm and sister-in-law, Brenda King Reimers of Boone..........Patricia Ankenbauer, 81, Ogden. Jamaica HS-52.An  insurance secretary, worked at the newspaper in Grand Junction, worked for Northern Natural Gas and farmed with husband, Wayne, in the Jamaica/Beaver areas..........Jim Rasmussen, 92, Jefferson. Boone area survivor is a sister-in-law, Iola Whitver, of Boone...........Frances Nagle, 95, Saylorville. Born in Boone. Parents were Harold and Elizabeth Waldo............Mike Gregory, 39, Woodward. Born in Boone. Boone area survivors include his parents, Rick and Janet Gregory of Woodward.......................Johnny Weber, 67, Ames. Formerly of Boone.
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