Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

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Akins. lola C. Grim. Leola Mae Harvey. Ruth Elda
Henry. Howard C. Porter. Thelma L. Porter. Charles L.
Thompson, Hubert Underwood. Mary E. Underwood
and Sarah T. Weaver.
Prison City Camp I225 was host for the 50th
Anniversary Convention. held April 25. 1970. in the KP
Hall.
The National Royal Neighbors of America Home is
located at Davenport. Iowa. and is the only retirement
home of its kind. It is a 3-story. brick edifice. atop a high
bluffoverlooking the Mississippi river.
Most of the RNA memorabilia has been donated to the
Jones County Historical Society. The present officers
are Oracle. Eleanor Smith; Vice Oracle. Ina Haverly;
Recorder. Atha Jensen: and Secretary. Sarah Parks.
Starlighters II
submitted by Robert Furino
It was on an autumn evening in I974 that
Starlighters II was given birth. It came into the world as
the brainchild of Ron Ketelsen. a junior at Monticello
High school. The idea of a community theatre in
Monticello had been all but dead since the demise of the
Starlighters. an organization which has produced
plays there from 1951 through I957. Not until Ketelsen
provided a new spark. did the idea rekindle.
His initial move was to enlist the support of Bob
Furino. a senior at Upper Iowa University. Bob had
been student-teaching at Shannon Elementary in
Monticello where Ron was acting as a student-aide. The
two of them had begun what was to become a long
friendship while working there. Fortunately for them.
one of the teachers at Shannon was Emil Prull. a former
Starlighter. Ron convinced Emil that if the new
community theatre was to have any chance to survive.
it needed a well-respected member of the community as
one of its leaders. Emil proved very willing to help. and
tumed in many hours of elbow grease and essential
advice during the formative period of the organization.
Prull's home was the location for the first official
meeting of the group on the night of February 6th.
I975. It was then that the first Board of Directors was
fonned. Prull was elected president and Ketelsen
received the nod as vice-president. Betty Wagner.
editor of the Monticello Express. was elected secretarytreasurer
of the new community theatre. The balance of
the new Board consisted of Furino. Maxine Taylor
Marek. a teacher at Monticello High school; Janeece
Olinger Lasley. a teacher at Carpenter Elementary in
Monticello; and Nancy Stevens. a reporter at the
Monticello Express. This group went by the title of
temporary board and was to control the organization
until a permanent board could be elected after
membership increased.
Planning was begun toward a spring dinner theatre to
be held at the Community Building. The Board decided
to present three separate one-act plays rather than
attempting a full-length production. This action
resulted from the concern that the community theatre
needed to start small and build upon experience.
instead of possibly taking on more than it could handle
and destroying itself in the process.
To enhance the chances of initial success.
publicity was needed to increase public awareness of
the group's existence. A proposal surfaced that a
permanent name be adopted before any publicity
would be arranged. This led to a lengthy discussion
with many suggestions being made. Finally. Bob
Furino proposed that the group be named Starlighters
II since the goal was to carry on the tradition of twenty
years before. The proposal received unanimous
support. and so the new Starlighters ll was christened
in Monticello.
The first production was a dinner theatre consisting
of three one-act plays: "The Comhusk Doll". a drama
directed by Esther Gilbertson: "The Shock of His Life".
a comedy directed by Jan Hoag: and "Sparkin". a
comedy directed by Florence Kenny Flannagan. The
production was a success as large audiences packed the
auditorium of the Community Building on all three
nights.
Starlighters II continued as a highly successful
theatre troupe. putting on ten productions over the
next three years.
The history of this organization took a significant
turn. however. when early in I978 representatives
from the Anamosa Community Theatre met with
members of the Starlighters II Board of Directors.
inquiring whether or not their organization could
combine forces with Starlighters ll. The Directors of
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Starlighters II, Jones
County Community Theater
presented theirfirst show in
their new theater in
downtown Anamosa Feb.
26. 27 and 28. and March 4.
5 and 6. I988.
Bob Furino. as the hero
Charlie. is being admired
by cast members of "The
Foreigner" by Larry Shue,
and directed by Ron
Ketelsen. From left: Elaine
Daily. Jayson Stover.
Ruthanne Weideman and
Shawn Carr. (AJE photo by
Pat Worden Sutton)
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