LeMars Semi-Weekly Sentinel
October 25, 1921
SHOW COMMUNITY SPIRIT
HUSKING BEE HELD TO HELP OUT SICK MAN
Community spirit was evidenced in a practical manner on Friday when neighbors gathered at the home of John Penning and held a regular old fashioned husking bee. Mr. Penning has been on the sick list for several months and unable to keep up the work on his farm. Fifty teams and eighty huskers invaded the corn field at day break and by two o’clock had the sixty acres husked and cribbed. The corn is estimated at a yield of fifty bushels to the acre. The ladies of the neighborhood fed the crew at a fine dinner, ninety-five dinners being served.
John and Albert Winkel, of Ashton, cousins of Mr. Penning, came down to take a hand in the husking bee.
After completing the husking job at the Penning place, fifteen teams went to the farm of Jake Berkenpas and helped husk his corn, Mr. Berkenpas having put in a lot of time the past few months helping out on the Penning place.
Harry Gaspar went out from LeMars and took photographs of the teams and workers in the corn field.
Note: John Penning died on 14 Nov 1921.
================*** Here's a FUN NOTE about this Husking Bee. In 2022 one of the Original copies of the GASPAR photo has been found in an attic. The Picture is labeled as:
"A Husking Bee at the home of John Penning, Oct. 21st, 1921"
"2600 bushel in 7 1/2 hours"
"Gaspar Photo"
. .. Some of the men in the pic are listed/names written down on a separate piece of paper found with the photo. Perhaps someone viewing the Picture can Match Up a Name to the correct man in the photo? There are 51 names listed, however there are 74 men pictured in the Gasper photo!
Below List -- transcribed by L. Ziemann, 7/14/2024
| First Name | Surname |
| Frank | Becker |
| Bert | Criswell |
| Roy | Deegan |
| Roy | McArthur |
| Irving | McArthur |
| Wm. | Cook |
| Henry | Werley |
| John | Hinde |
| Floyd | Becker |
| Wm. | Moir |
| Dunk | McArthur |
| Jake | Berkenpas |
| Floyd | Moore |
| Harvey | Buss |
| Tom | Reese |
| Frank | Weber |
| Elam | Chapman |
| Earl | Chapman |
| Henry | Berkenpas |
| Wm. | Reese |
| Henry | Darville |
| Grant | Chapman |
| Art | Detloff |
| Clarence | Moore |
| Al | McArthur |
| Ira | Lancaster |
| Henry | Detloff |
| Oscar | Haviland |
| Fred | Reese |
| Henry | Zimmerman |
| A. T. | Hawkins |
| Lehrman | |
| M. J. | Lancaster |
| Jim | Degan |
| Chas. | Witt |
| Wilbur | Criswell |
| Rob | Chambers |
| Lige | Marrs |
| John | Reeves |
| Henry | Winkle |
| Doc | Penning |
| Z. | Rayburn |
| John | Osborne |
| Bill | Penning |
| Harry | Buss |
| Albert | Lundgren |
| John | Walkup |
| Frank | Falk |
| Frank | Perry |
| John | Winkle **cousin of dec'd |
| Albert | Winkle **cousin of dec'd |
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