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Meanwhile, back at the Ranch….

Well, much to my surprise, in spite of the long stretch of real winter that we have experienced, turns out that the rest of the world has not been hibernating at all. I guess it was just me. Our recent meeting in mid February gave me an opportunity to catch up a bit on company news. We were all pleased to note that construction has begun on the new Walt and Ann Ritenburg Memorial Repair Shop building agreed upon last Fall. We should note that the project, the idea, actually, was initiated by Walt himself. Looking back, it should surprise no one that one of our Founding Members wished to insure the continuing success and viability of our thriving organization. Anyone who has spent much time in or around our organization is well aware that Walt and his family have been an integral part of the operations from day one. Both as individuals, and as a group, we are much the richer for it. The new repair facility (give me a little time, we’ll come up with a catchy nick-name for it) is located next to our Caretaker’s house, in close proximity to our North Gate and drive entrance. The structure will serve us for years to come, by providing a secure, enclosed facility to service, build, and maintain the many and various pieces of machinery that is required to keep our operations working. Unlike most of our current buildings, this one will be available and operating all year round when needed. It’s an asset that will serve us well.

The project, begun as it was in the dead of winter, is still in the early stages, of course, and construction can be a gruesome business in January. Cheryl Ziola was kind enough to brave the elements and return with a few photos of the crew, depicting some of the obstacles they encountered at the beginning. Pretty much any construction job starts with somebody digging a hole, and when you dig a hole on or near the Showgrounds, you’re pretty much guaranteed to find a rock. If you do all this in January, the hole and the rock will be frozen together. Further, if you use heavy equipment, it’s gonna’ get stuck. You get the idea. It hasn’t been a picnic, but once begun, a job’s half done, they say.

A couple of early photos below illustrate my point… (click individual photos to enlarge)

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