The Pilot News - A blast from the past for Culver’s future

Ginny Bess Munroe, one of the principle organizers of this year’s 1950s-themed event, says she and others involved in the effort are “thrilled” with the $45,000 the auction raised. “To put this in perspective,” she explains, “in past years, we’ve raised between $32,000 and $35,000.”
Besides signifying Herculean efforts on the part of Munroe and other volunteers, this year’s numbers clearly display the generosity of a community whose members didn’t let the economy dictate their impact.
“The Culver Boys & Girls Club seems to draw support from every aspect of the community,” noted CBGC board chairman and one of the emcees of the evening’s festivities. “The restaurants, the lake community, the town community, the Academies, and the wide variety of people who attend our annual event. It continues to impress me every year just how much support there is for the…club. It’s very gratifying for all of us who are involved in this organization.”
A crowd of around 300 – many in 1950s style attire -- filled the floor of the Culver Academies multi-purpose building, which was decorated in period fashion, including several vintage cars from the day. As in years past, a wide array of desirable items, supplied this year by over 170 individuals or businesses, were available for auction, and bidding was strong and steady. According to Munroe, all of Culver’s local restaurants participated in donating food, as did some individuals in the community including Julie and Danny Cowell, Kathleen Kline, Joan and Larry Bess, Angie Bess Martin, and Grant Munroe.
Of course, all eyes were on the highlight of the evening, the hula hoop contest featuring a number of Culver’s best known and beloved figures. All told, hoopers – who sought financial “sponsorship” from donors leading up to, and during, the event – raised $3,200 in one night during the auction event.
“The hula hoop contest was a big hit and brought an entertainment element that we’ve never had at our events,” says Munroe. “We weren’t sure how we were going to do the hula hoop contest, but once we got participants to agree to it, we knew we’d have a big hit on our hands. It truly humbled me to see the chief of police (Wayne Bean), chief of the fire department (Mike Grover), our town manager (Michael Doss), the president of the town council (Sally Ricciardi), Dusty Hendricks from the lake community, Emily Ryman and Danny Cowell from Culver Academies, a state representative (Nancy Dembowski), local citizen and Tri Kappa member (Jessye Gille), a school principal (Albert Hanselman), and one of the kids from our club (Jordan Green) hoop to ‘50s music, all in the name of fun and for a cause.”
And, she adds, the hooping portion of the evening was a bit hit. “The crowd loved the hula hoop contestants. I had so many people comment to me about how much fun it was to see them. I truly want to thank each of them for bringing entertainment to our evening.”
By evening’s end, Elvis impersonator and singer/celebrity emcee Quentin Flagg – who performed music to hula hoop to during the contest – announced Culver Summer Schools’ Emily Ryman as the winner, with Bean as first runner up, Cowell in second place, and Grover in third.
“We are thrilled we got such a large crowd to kick off summer,” beams Munroe. “And we are grateful for the generosity of everyone who attended. Just when you think the economy will affect your ability to raise funds for your program, along comes the Culver community to prove that even in a bad economy, giving is possible.”