The Cadmus Grange Hall remains a landmark on Kansas Highway 7 three miles south of the Linn-Miami county line. (Google screen capture)
The Cadmus Grange will celebrate its 150th anniversary this Saturday, July 22, at the Grange Hall at the intersection of Kansas Highway 7 and 2200 Road, three miles south of the Linn-Miami County line.
The daylong event begins with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. and ends with a dance to the sounds of Big Rick and the Soul’d Out Band.
Morning activities will include several guest speakers with George Pretz, a dairy farmer and Miami County Commissioner talking at 8 a.m.; Janice Gatlin, who will talk about the history of the Cadmus Grange at 9 a.m.; horse farrier Lloyd Tollet presenting at 9:30 a.m., former world champion bareback bronc rider Ron Williams at 10 a.m.; and Jake Jockel, a decorated saddle bronc rider at 11 a.m.
Beginning at 8 a.m., the Cadmus 4-H Club will hold a bake sale, then from 9 a.m. to noon 4-H club members will show some of their projects as a warm-up to the Linn County Fair that begins Aug. 5.
A corn hole tournament with a $10 entry fee runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Pulled-pork sandwiches will be served for lunch from noon to 4 p.m. along baked beans, coleslaw, chips and cake.
At noon the Cowboy Band takes the stage to perform until 1:30 p.m. They are followed by a performance by Rob Callahan from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Then at 6 p.m., Big Rick and his band take the stage to finish out the day.
Organizers suggest free-will donations to help sponsor the event.
The annual Cadmus Grange picnic dates back to the first picnic on July 21, 1873, when members celebrated the signing of the local charter. It became an annual event for the Cadmus community, always on July 21 but eventually moving to the Saturday closest to that date every year.
The original Cadmus Grange Hall was on the upper floor of a store building that was built in 1901. That building burned in 1905 after being struck by lightning, and after meeting in a local church for several years, the current Grange building was completed in 1936.
The Grange was initially connected with a store that supplied area farmers and their families, and as such it became a hub of community activities. At one time the Cadmus Grange had a band, a drill team, and a choir. It was also the one of the first Granges in the state to have a juvenile Grange for young people.
In 1951, the Cadmus Grange was recognized by the Kansas Cooperative Association as the oldest cooperative in continuous operation in the United State.
Janice Gatlin, one of the speakers at Saturday’s event, is expected to share more information about the Grange organization in the state and in the nation.
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