Winton Old Timers

Reminding all Winton Old Timers that the reunion is always on the last Sunday in September. Reminder cards were mailed out, but you don't need to receive a card in order to attend.
No reservations are taken, just show up at the Winton Middle school around 10:00 a.m. or soon after and pay the $8.00 at the door for your lunch ticket. Lunch will consist of large chicken nuggets from Foster Farms, baked beans, KFC coleslaw, dinner roll, coffee, iced tea and dessert.
Come early and munch on snacks before lunch and visit with other Winton Old Timers. People from out-of-town always show up; usually some out-of-state and even Canadian people show up.

Don't consider yourself an Old Timer? The 1964 graduates from Winton Grammar School are being encouraged to attend, so there will be some younger ones there also.
So, come out and have a good time.

Fall is Here

The Winton Old Timers reunion has come and gone. We had a total of 200 attend this year. Down from prior years, but still everyone seemed to enjoy it.
Pictured above are the 90+ guests; from the left: Gene Hill, Clifford Jantz, Edna Jantz, Curtis Jantz (Edna's husband), Wilma Arnold, Leona Eason and Elsie Koehn.
Leona is 102 this year and was again the oldest one in attendance. She is doing great!
I got a chance to take a few pictures, but still I missed some people I would have liked to have a picture of. A few people came late.
I finally got the September/October newsletter printed. We have one long story in it this time.
Maybe our members will decide to send in their memories now. They can see that we're having a hard time filling the pages. The long story is interesting to me and I hope to a lot of others. If not, I'll probably hear about it.
Two weeks ago I traded in my 2001 red Dodge Stratus for a 2013 Toyota Prius. I really like the way the new car drives. It gets good gas mileage, today when I got home from church it said I got 58+ miles per gallon. I guess that 10.4 gallon tank full of gas will last a long time. Especially when I just drive around Atwater. Then it runs off the large battery a lot. The large battery is under warranty for ten years. The rest of the car for 2 years.
Tomorrow my sister and I have appointments in Turlock. We go every month so our reflexologist can keep our blood flowing!! lol
The Atwater United Methodist Church had an Estate Sale in Ballico a couple of weeks ago. It was out in the country, so didn't get as much traffic as we usually do, but we did o.k. It was fun. Another lady and I were the cashiers and when we weren't busy, we did a lot of visiting. The time went fast and we had a very enjoyable time.

Winton Old Timers -- September 29

The Winton Old Timers Reunion is right around the corner. The committee will have one last meeting to finalize the many details.
It's always the last Sunday in September. Please put this on your calendar and try to attend. No reservations are taken, pay for your meal ticket at the door.
I know of one cousin who will be there from Canada and who knows who else will show up? We never know who will surprise us with their presence.
Most of the people come early; arriving at 10:00 a.m. to have more time to visit with friends and relatives they haven't seen in a long time. Others come after church services. Coffee and snacks will be available before lunch is served at 1:00 p.m.
Pictures of the Old Timers from prior years will be shown on the overhead screen. My cousin Norm will be there again to take pictures of this year's attendees.
Members from the Winton Historical Society will be at a table to take your dues for the October 1, 2013 thru Sept 30, 2014 time period. Dues are $10.00 per year which includes 6 newsletters mailed out every other month. It includes historical facts; stories from people who live in Winton or used to live here. The stories are from the past years of the Winton you used to know.
Back issues of the past year Winton Hometown News will be available for $1.00 each. Older copies will be free. Not all are still available, but for $5.00 you can have all 44 issues of the newsletter on CD in the PDF format. This is very handy because you can do a name or word search with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader which can be downloaded from the Internet if you don't already have it.
Do you need a copy of the Winton Centennial Recipe Book? Available for $15.00. Souvenior mugs with a picture of the Winton Depot are now only $4.00 each.
Rosalie and I decided to sell the rest of the "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" history books for $25.00 each. Original price was $35.00, so here's your chance to buy extra books as gifts for children, grandchildren or friends. Christmas will be here in a few short months.

New DSLR

I had an exciting day Saturday. My friend Pat drove us to the Camera Center on 9th Street in Modesto. I finally decided to splurge and buy a new digital single lens reflex camera. I've been thinking about that for a few years, but couldn't justify it to myself. What would I take pictures of?
I started taking pictures of the tombstones at the Winton District Cemetery, but I didn't feel that was a good enough reason. Then I thought about the Winton Old Timers. Every year I am at a table either selling something or collecting dues for the Winton Historical Society. I would like to mingle with the people and see who all is there. I don't get a chance to visit with the out-of-town people that I rarely get to see. In fact I don't even know who all is there until I see them in a picture that Norm has taken of them. So, having a nice camera and helping with taking pictures was my excuse for investing in a new camera.
Another reason, I am the editor of the "Winton Hometown News" for the Winton Historical Society. I asked one Old Timer for his memories of the good-old-days in Winton, he said he and his friend talk about them at the Winton Old Timers, but that I am never around. So, that is going to change next year!!! Yipee.

The camera I bought is a Nikon D5100 and the lens is a 18mm to 270mm zoom. Quite a long focal length and I read some negative things about that. The pictures may not be as high quality as with an 18 to 55 for instance. But you have to outweigh that with the convenience of not having to change lens if you need both a wide angle and a telephoto.
I don't expect to be professional, but I do like good quality pictures.

The first picture was taken at the 18mm, wide angle setting. The second picture was at 50mm and the third one at 100mm. I like a little better depth-of-field than what you see in the 3rd picture. Guess I'll have to take it out of "automatic" and use the manuel setting for a smaller aperture opening. The last picture was taken at the high end of 270mm telephoto setting. I was standing in the same spot for each picture. Just trying it out and see what I can do with it. The pictures come out at 4928 X 3264 pixels, which is a large file. I cut it way down before uploading these. I know I have a lot to learn.

Winton Old Timers 2012

This is one of 105 pictures that Norm Giesbrecht took at the Winton Old Timers reunion on September 30.
You can see the rest of them at flickr. We had ten 90+ guests this year. There were several out-of-state people there; from Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Arizona and Florida. And maybe others. Those are the ones I know about.
I was collecting dues for the Winton Historical Society again this year. Someone else will take my place next year, because I get my wish to be able to mingle with the people and take pictures. Norm will be there too so we'll be sure to have some good shots.
I'm really excited about buying a new digital single lens reflex camera and practice with it before the next Old Timers reunion next September.
What will I practice on? Well, the tombstones at the Winton District Cemetery; my cat Maggie, not sure what else. Maybe a close-up of a flower or two. Anyway, it sounds like lots of fun and I can hardly wait to get my hands on an SLR camera. (It's going to be a Nikon D5100.)

Winton Old Timers -- Good Time Had By All

I managed to take a picture of the table set up at the Winton Old Timers last Sunday. This year, the placemats had pictures of the old original Winton School on Walnut Avnue. The focus was on the Winton School because it was 100 years old this year. The original building (2 school rooms of it) was completed in late 1912 and after Thanksgiving vacation, the students picked up their books and walked from "the garage" on the corner of Santa Fe and Winton Way to the new school building on Walnut Avenue, just west of the current Winton School District Office.

Later I was kept pretty busy taking dues for the Winton Historical Society. My cousin, Norm Giesbrecht was there with his professional DSLR camera and he was our official photographer again this year. Norm does a great job and lets me post the pictures on flickr each year. Norm also takes pictures at weddings, so he has a lot of experience. I don't have the pictures from 2012 yet, but you can find pictures from the previous years here.
All the pictures are given to Randy Heller each year on a CD and he shows them at the Winton Old Timers luncheon on the overhead screen. Everyone seems to enjoy that.
We had a good turn-out. Could have been better, but some of our regulars were not able to make it this year. We did have new people though, and that was fun.
Rosalie was in charge and she knows how to keep everything organized. Randy was the MC for the day and all went well.
Leona Eason was the oldest woman there at 101 years old. She looked great and was more spry than the other 90+ seniors. Her brother, Curt Jantz was again the oldest man. Another brother was visiting from Kansas. I didn't get his name, (probably Chester) and although younger than his siblings, he was also over 90 years old.
Also over 90 this year was Wilma Arnold, Mildred (Wedell) Dysart, Patricia Olmos, Edna Gilbert and two more whose names slip my mind at the moment.
On display were Winton School class pictures blown up to 8x12. You can see them in the background in the picture below.
The school has class pictures (not group pictures) from the 1960s, they were in binders and people were looking through those as well. One lady said she wished she had more time with those because her children were in them. I believe I have most if not all of them on my computer. Maybe we'll blow some of those up for next year. It'd be nice to know which ones people wanted to see.

Here is Ivaleine Cooper at the school books display table. She had first grade readers from every decade beginning with the McGuffy books, the Dick and Jane books, and up to the present.
It was a good day. Everyone we talked to said they had a good time.

September 30 -- Winton Old Timers

This is the sign Randy Heller had made for last year's Winton Old Timers' Reunion. This year the luncheon will be Sunday, September 30. It's always the last Sunday in September. Registration and visiting begins at 10:00 a.m. Tickets, $8.00 each are sold at the door. No reservations are taken. Lunch is served at 1:00 p.m.
This all takes place at the Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue, between Almond Avenue and Gertrude.
This year the focus is on Winton School. The original school building was completed 100 years ago. The Monday after Thanksgiving vacation in November, 1912, the students picked up their books and walked to the new school building on Walnut Avenue. Prior to that, school was held in "the garage" on the corner of Santa Fe and Winton Way.
The Old Timers committee is working on displays to remind us all of our school days in the good-old-days in Winton. Thirty-three class pictures have been enlarged and will be on display. Most of these were taken after 1950, so these are not in the "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" history book and have not been seen by a lot of people.
School books and other items related to grammar school will also be on display.
Members from the Winton Historical Society will be there to collect the $10.00 annual dues which includes the "Winton Hometown News" newsletter. The newsletter is printed and mailed every other month with stories from Winton residents and those who used to live in Winton. The $10.00 dues covers the months of October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013.
If you are new to the Winton Historical Society, the last two years of the newsletter will be available for $1.00 each. Older newsletters are offered free of charge. Not all are still available, but a CD with all 38 newslettes in the PDF format can be purchased for $5.00 each. The CD is searchable with the Adobe Acrobat Reader which is a free download.
There are still some "Winton Centennial" recipe books availabe for $15.00 each. A wonderful gift for anyone on your gift list.
It's full of 650 GOOD recipes, 9 vintage pictures and information about your hometown.
Also available at a reduced price are the souvenir mugs with a picture of the Winton Depot. They now sell for $4.00 each or 4 for $15.00. A bargin price for sure.
A few "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" history books will be available for $35.00 each.
Plan to attend the Winton Old Timers reunion and enjoy visiting with friends from Winton. It's always a pleasant surprise to see who shows up. Many are out-of-town people you don't expect to see.

Winton Old Timers Coming UP

This is a picture of "Black Magic Woman" that I took in 2008 at the Superstition Iris Gardens in Cathey's Valley. It was too expensive back then. $50.00 for one plant. This year the price was down to $9.00, so I bought it and now a small start of it is planted in my back yard. It's exciting to have new and beautiful Iris flowers.
Yesterday was the Winton Historical Society's meeting. We meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 1:30 in the CLEO office. Six of us met for lunch first at the Tequila Cafe. The meeting was fun, had a bigger than usual crowd. Nice to see everyone.

I have uploaded more pictures from the Winton District Cemetery recently. There are 721 pictures at flickr now. Click here to browse through them. The photos are also separated into sets by letters of the alphabet. The pictures in each set are now alphabetized.
Some of the photos have a little more information under them.
There will be more photos added each month. I hope the pictures will be helpful to genealogists, especially those not living in the area.
We have one more committee meeting for the Winton Old Timers before the luncheon on the last Sunday of this month, September 30. If you're a Winton Old Timer, or just remember the good times and your good friends from Winton, come join us.
We meet at the Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue, between Almond and Gertrude. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. Lunch tickets sold at the door. $8.00, no reservations. Eat at 1:00 p.m.
The tall Cypress trees in the picture are right across the street from the school.

Last Sunday's Old Timers

Above is the sign that Randy Heller put up in the park by the firehouse. Very nice sign to alert people to the Winton Old Timers reunion that was happening the following Sunday.
People brought their antiques to show. They were on display on the stage. The white butter churn with the long handle, the spinning wheel, the chair and high button shoes belong to Don Morgado. The quilts belong to Carolyn Wiens.
In the next picture, the old school desk belongs to the Winton School District and is usually in the district office where they hold their school board meetings. The dishes came from Ivaleine Cooper and also the doll, which belonged to her mother. I believe the clock belongs to Ivaleine also. The bonnet displayed above the doll case belongs to Carolyn Wiens.
John Esau brought in his big wheel bike. He says he can still ride it, but we didn't insist on a demonstration.
People enjoyed looking at the antiques and the large pictures of downtown Winton, taken in the 1950s.
Some of our regular Old Timers weren't able to make it this year to the reunion. We hope to see them next year. We did have quite a few new people, so we still had a good crowd.
The doll sitting in the rocking chair is Ivaleine Cooper's. The burlap bag looking thing is something a beekeeper uses and it either came from the Cooper family or the Varner family. The binder filled with old dress patterns is Carolyn Wien's. Most of the patterns came from Aunt Bertha Dirks.
There was a lot to see.
Last of all, was the birthday cake with "Happy Birthday Winton" on it. I don't think many people got to see it. The picture in the middle is the monument that the Clampers made for the community of Winton and which was dedicated in March of this year, commemorating Winton's Centennial. The monument is located next to the fire station in the Burbank park in Winton.
Everything on the cake was edible, including the picture.

Winton Old Timers, Sunday Sept. 25, 2011

Picture taken last year by Norm Giesbrecht.
This Sunday (Sept. 25) is the annual Winton Old Timers reunion.
This year is special because it is also Winton's Centennial year. Several people are bringing large antiques to display on the stage. Rosalie had nineteen 12x18" pictures printed of Winton, taken in the 1950s, these will also be displayed. The pictures are not in the "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" book so they will be new to a lot of people.
Reminder postcards were mailed out to people who attended in recent years, but you don't need to receive a card to attend. Are you a Winton Old Timer? Or do you know Old Timers from Winton? Then join us this Sunday at Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue, between Almond and Gertrude Avenues.
Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. Lunch is served at 1:00 p.m. Tickets for adults are $8.00 which includes Rizzonelli's chicken breast, KFC coleslaw, Agnes' Baked Beans, dinner roll, coffee, iced tea or lemonade. This year we are having birthday cake for Winton's 100th birthday. People 90 years old and older will be honored.
Norm Giesbrecht will be there again to take pictures for us. Pictures from prior years will be shown on the overhead screen.

Members from the Winton Historical Society will be there to collect the dues for membership. The annual dues are for October 1, 2011 through September 30, 2012. For $10.00 per year, members are mailed a newsletter every other month with stories from the "good old days" about people of Winton or people who used to live in Winton.
We will be selling back issues from the last 3 years for $1.00 each. All 32 newsletters are available on CD in the PDF format for $5.00. What's neat about having the newsletters on CD is that you can do a search with the free Adobe Acrobat reader (a free download)and find the article you're looking for or just search for specific names, etc.
Hardcopies of the newsletters that are from 2008 or older are free. If you can't make it to the Winton Old Timers, but want to join the Winton Historical Society, send a check for $10.00 payable to WHS and mail to PO Box 554, Winton, CA 95388.
We encourage people who are interested in Winton history to attend our meetings on the first Tuesday of each month in the C.L.E.O. office on Winton Way at 1:30 p.m.

The Winton Historical Society will also be selling the "Winton Centennial" recipe books with 650 delicious recipes in a binder format with a picture of Winton's first Thanksgiving on the cover. Other vintage pictures of Winton are inside on each divider. Books sell for $15.00 each or $20.00 if mailed within the U.S.
The Souvenir coffee mugs with a picture of the Winton Depot are now only $5.00 each. Available at the Winton Old Timers, but not available for mailing.

Winton's first history book, "Memories of Winton, 1911-1950" will be there this Sunday. Available for $35.00. This hardback 530 page book with 750 pictures can be mailed within the U.S. for a total of $40.00. Checks payable to Lorraine Richards, mail to 59 La Playa Way, Atwater, CA 95301.

Old Timers 2011

Today some of us met at the CLEO office in Winton to get the reminder cards ready to mail for the Winton Old Timers Reunion. Back row is Agnes and Rosalie; front row: Ivaleine, Avanell, Wilene, Wanda, Marilyn and Carolyn.
The tradition of Winton's annual reunion was started 51 years ago. It's held on the last Sunday in September, which this year is September 25.

The location is the Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue, between Almond and Gertrude Avenues, across from the cemetery.
Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. This gives people more time to visit with old friends and new acquaintances.
Lunch is served at 1:00 p.m., which allows people to attend church first if they wish.
When you register, purchase a lunch ticket for $8.00.
Lunch will be chicken breast from Rizzonellis, KFC coleslaw, Winton Old Timers' baked beans, dinner roll, and dessert. This year dessert will be birthday cake to celebrate Winton's 100 years. Beverages include coffee, iced tea and lemonade.

This year the Winton Historical Society will have their "Winton Centennial" recipe book for sale for $15.00 and the coffee mugs with a picture of the Winton Depot for $5.00.
Some back issues of the "Hometown News" will be available for $1.00. All the back issues can be purchased on CD in the PDF format for $5.00. This year there are 32 newsletters on the CD.
Members of the Winton Historical Society will also be collecting the annual dues at this meeting. Dues are $10.00 per year, which includes 6 newsletters with stories about Winton people from the 'good old days' mailed out every other month.
Still available is Winton's first history book, "Memories of Winton 1911-1950" written by Rosalie Heppner and Lorraine Richards. This hardback book with 530 pages and 750 pictures is $35.00.
After mailing the postcards, six of us met at Josie's Mexican American Grill in Atwater for lunch.
We hope to see a lot of Winton Old Timers this year. Come out and help us celebrate Winton's 100th year.
You don't need to receive a postcard to attend the Old Timers. The postcards are just reminders sent to people who attended in the past. Put it on your calendar and come out and mingle with old friends.

Winton Old Timers committee

SEPTEMBER 2010 IS THE WINTON OLD TIMERS' 50th ANNIVERSARY!!
The committee met today at the Winton School District office.
The three people in the back row are: Agnes Luker; Rosalie Heppner and Randy Heller, Superintendent of Winton Schools.
Front row: Cathy Hill; Marilyn Colburn; Hank Dacuyan; Carolyn Wiens; Lorraine Richards; Avanell Nelson and Wilene Nelson.
Rosalie has it well organized. The menu will be the same as last year: chicken breasts from Rizzonellis (Atwater); cole slaw from KFC (Atwater); baked beans, prepared by volunteers; apple pie from Jantz Cafe (Atwater); ice cream cups for pie ala mode - yum! and beverages; iced tea, lemonade and coffee.
The date is September 26, 2010 (last Sunday in September) at the Winton Middle School, on Cypress Avenue, between Almond and Gertrude. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m., lunch is served at 1:00. Come early and visit with old friends. Tickets sold at the door: Adults $8.00; children under 12, $4.00.

Winton Old Timers reunion

The Winton Old Timers reunion was Sunday, Sept. 27. The weather was great, the turn-out good, even though some of our regulars couldn't make it this year. The ticket count was for 229, but when the money was counted, there were 241 adults attending. Everyone said they had a good time. The food was tasty and the people happy to see old friends.
The oldest man and woman were brother and sister this year. Leona Eason was back at age 98 this year and her brother, Curtis Jantz at 91 was the oldest man in attendance.
Yvonne Schmidt was again the person who traveled the farthest, coming from Alabama to be with her Winton family.
To see pictures of this year's reunion go to flickr. Click on 2009 Winton Old Timers. Sets for prior years are also there. You can click on each individual picture to bring up a larger view and see if anything else is written, or you can click on "Detail" and view it that way. If you find a picture you would like to save to your computer, click on that picture, then click on "all sizes" choose the size they recommend and decide where on your computer you want to save it. Our photographer this year was Norm Giesbrecht.
We collected 75 recipes that day. We now have 497 recipes. More will be coming in. Is this going to be a great cookbook or what?
The Winton Old Timers is always the last Sunday in September, so keep that in mind for next year.
The September / October newsletter has a story, "Growing Up In Winton," by Nancy Gregory, a local girl who grew up to be a professional writer. Regretfully she died of Cancer in December of 2007.
The Winton Hometown News is published every other month. For $10.00 per year dues to the Winton Historical Society, you get 6 issues of stories and articles of bygone days in Winton. The annual dues are due on October 1 of each year. Many people pay their dues at the Old Timers. The September / October newsletter which was just mailed out is the first one of our 2009-2010 year. People who sign up late will be sent back issues. Address for the Winton Historical Society is PO Box 554, Winton, CA 95388.

Winton Old Timers, the Day Before

Some of the committee members met at the Winton Middle School today to set up for the Winton Old Timers reunion tomorrow. (Sunday, Sept. 27).
Pictured is Agnes S. mixing up her Easy Bake Beans. She promised to share the recipe with us for the Winton Centennial Cookbook.
The troops were there to set up 37 round tables for tomorrow. We are preparing for nearly 300 people. We never know how many or who will show up, but there are always people from out of state, as well as other towns in California.
My cousin, Norm is going to take pictures for us this year. I'm so happy for that, he takes really good pictures.
If you are a Winton Old Timer, come out and see some old friends. More info at a previous post.

Reminder

This picture was taken at the 2007 Winton Old Timers Reunion.
Don't forget, this Sunday, September 27, is the 49th annual Winton Old Timers Reunion. Be sure to attend and visit with old friends.
Come early. Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue, between Almond and Gertrude Avenues.
Lunch is $7.00, pay at the door. Lunch is served at 1:00 p.m.
Don't forget to bring your recipes for the Winton Centennial Cookbook.
See you there!!

Winton Old Timers

The committee for the Winton Old Timers met yesterday to plan the upcoming 49th reunion. It will be held on September 27, the last Sunday in the month. No reservations are needed or taken. The cost of the lunch has not changed; $7.00 for adults; $4.00 for children under 12 years old and children under 4 are free.
The menu will be chicken breasts from Rizzonellis in Atwater, (I hear their chicken is delicious) this will free Randy from having to cook the chicken outside on the grill. He will be able to mingle with the people and enjoy the day.
The Cole Slaw will be from KFC (no one can duplicate their recipe) and Agnes will fix her famous baked beans. (I missed her beans last year.) For dessert, apple pie from The Jantz Cafe will be served, along with a cup of ice cream.
Now, how great is that? Sounds delicious to me. Coffee, iced tea and punch will be self served.
Registration starts at 10:00 a.m. and dinner is served at 1:00 p.m. Come early and visit with old friends.
There will be a prize for the oldest man and oldest woman and also for the one who travelled the greatest distance. All those 90 years and over will be given a gift.
(The first Winton Old Timers reunion was held in 1961 at the Winton Hall. The original hall building, pictured, was burned down in 1957.)

The Winton Historical Society will have a table set up for people to pay their annual membership dues in the society. A newsletter is sent out every other month with historical articles and stories along with reminiscing tidbits. An old picture or two is always included. Six issues a year, a bargain for $10.00 per household. Where else can you revisit the good-old-days in Winton?
We look forward to gaining new members. A meeting is held the first Tuesday of each month in the C.L.E.O. office in Winton. Everyone interested in the history of Winton is welcome to attend.
The Winton Historical Society had coffee mugs made with a picture of the old Winton Depot on them. They will be sold at the Winton Old Timers reunion. Cost is $7.00 each.

Don't forget to bring your recipes for the Winton Centennial Cookbook. Or email them to wintoncookbook@aol.com Or mail them to Winton Historical Society, PO Box 554, Winton, CA 95388.

The Winton Old Timers reunion is held each year in the Winton Middle School on Cypress Avenue in Winton.
Pictures from the last 3 years of the reunion can be seen here. Click on the set of your choice. Old Merced post cards can also be found there.