A Nearly Accurate History of Sunrise Beach
By Dick Hart (deceased)
Written for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the City in November of 1998
recovered and updated in 2005 and continued by others (I hope, hjs)
Page 3 of 19
straight out that there would be no fire department if it were not for
the ladies. I also suggested that they might kick a few rear ends and
get their husbands out to the meeting. Wound up that they, the ladies
themselves, began to show up; started dragging hoses around and
driving those trucks down that steep hill; made their husbands so
ashamed that they soon followed.
The Auxiliary also had humble beginnings. Their first meeting was held
February 1, 1971. There were a total of 11 members present!! What a
difference 25 years make!! During that meeting they reported an
income of $109 by way of a bake sale which they promptly donated to
the Fire Department. By the following September, they had raised
enough money to donate $1387 to the department. The first President
was Maxine Hester, Vice President Rose
Mangleberger,
Secretary/Treasurer Flo January. Connie Scales became President in
October, and by the end of the year there were 60 members. They had
their first Christmas party at the Sunrise Marina. Somewhere during
that time one of the members, wonderfully outspoken
Shirley
Wiseman stated, "Come to our Bazaars and we'll come to your fire."
That sorta stuck as a slogan. I remember when there was a gentleman
named Ken Hardy who was always the leader in pre-sales of tickets to
the annual bar-b-que. He would always tell people that if they didn't
buy tickets; we won't put out your fire!!! Anyway, the only members
from that first meeting (that I can remember) who are still around (not
necessarily living on the beach) are Lavada Boies, "Cookie" Walker,
Alice Leifeste. Faye Holland and Opal Thompson. All the presidents of
the auxiliary since that first year are listed in that wonderful cookbook,
Sunrise Beach is Still Cooking. (Great recipe for carp on page 61, sic).
These ladies took on so many projects that it boggles the imagination.
Cake sales, bazaars, suppers, breakfasts. flea markets, ice cream
socials, picnics, barbeques, cookbooks (now in about its umpteenth
printing). crafts, and on and on. There is no point in my attempting to
recall the officers of the auxiliary that followed. there are simply too
many. It can only say that there were many and that their
contributions were considerable as were the contributions and efforts
of the members whose numbers have grown through the years. As I
mentioned above. all the presidents of the auxiliary are listed in the
cookbook. For so many years the Auxiliary performed all duties to the
fire department in a most exemplary fashion. They were additionally
called upon for nearly all civic functions. They formed a distress
committee which originally was to aid victims of fires but was
extended to a "distress" committee to bring in food during family
crises such as deaths and illnesses. It was just the right thing to do if
something needed doing. ask the ladies. Suffice it to say, any words
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