4th of July Dunk Tank A Soaking Success

Submitted by Jim Lehman

Ron Coleman, who knows a thing or two because he’s seen a thing or two, having so splendidly absented himself from the debunking, decided to capitalize on his cameo Skype appearance at the Debunking handover (which was the start of his Rotary Presidential Year) by directing his first Rotary event of the year via remote control, sending now Past-President Bonita Ramos to helm the set-up for our annual July 4th Dunk Tank in Memorial Park. (We haven’t forgotten Paul Steffen’s 2007 Ferris Wheel Alternative 4th, oh no—the Clarifier forgets nothing—we mention it to keep history alive, and to note that he at least was on site to launch his presidential year.) Now, if you know CHS Principal Dr. Brett O’Connor, you understand he doesn’t need a lot of directing (No, you don’t have to point it out to School Superintendent Jim Elsasser: he already knows), and he (Brett) is the Chair of the July 4th Dunk Tank, so Bonita, who in her work life is a supervisor, got to be one of the team members putting it all together. Oh, and she brought the pop-up with its front awning, which provides such welcome shade! Chris Shaner brought chairs, Tom Shelley engineered the new and improved dunk tank, as well as its conveyance: for those who don’t know, our dunk tank was stolen for its trailer—we got the tank back, and Tom built a custom trailer for it, one that is very unlikely to be targeted again. Anita Hughes brought the cash box and a supply of small bills, Dan Kentner a cooler full of chilled bottled water, Pat Hauducoeur brought the booth decorations, and they were all joined by Rich Laughton, Jerry Tambe, Jeff Bonhus and Tom Shelley, Ron Murphy, Sam Mowbray, Brett and his son to complete the booth and tank set-up. Sign-ups for the opening 10am-noon time slot included Roger House, Chris Shaner, Mike DeWees, Jerry Tambe, and Bernadette Kendall, and the noon-2pm volunteers included Bobby Hyde, Susie Ilsley, Dennis Smith, Dan Kentner, Jim Lehman, and Owen Keavney. Tressa Kentner and Ken Johnson were spotted at work as well. Tear down at 2-3 pm brought Bonita Ramos, Sam Mowbray, Tom Shelley, Brett O’Connor and his son and many of the set-up crew back into action, along with Harry Sparrow and John Howland and the crew from noon to 2. Special thanks to Natalie and Emma DeWees who did a great job rounding up the softballs after each client—and some went far afield!—and to Mike DeWees, who delayed his departure for a stint at the Claremont Educational Foundation booth to take a special request seat on the dunk tank plank for someone willing to pay extra for the privilege.
It was a near-perfect day for the dunk tank, hot but not brutally so, and the lines to sit on the plank were often longer than the lines to throw! In an informal debriefing as we waited for the tank to drain, brainstorming ideas included charging sitters as well as throwers, and having 2 dunk tanks—one for the kids who were this year’s biggest clientele on both sides of the target, and a second for adults. We could get some city notables to sit on the plank (it has happened in the past), publish the schedule and watch the lines grow! John and Elizabeth Tulac again hosted a Rotary viewing station for the parade at their home on Indian Hill, and the entertainment continued into the later afternoon. Thanks to all who helped to make this a memorable 4th!