Rosenbooms to lead Hartley Summer Celebration parade

A lifetime of community involvement has earned Mort and Karen Rosenboom one of Hartley's biggest honors.

The Rosenbooms were named grand marshals of the Hartley Summer Celebration parade set for Saturday morning. While both Mort and Karen said they didn't prefer the limelight, they were humbled by the selection.

"It's an honor," said Karen.

Both Mort and Karen grew up in the Hartley area. Mort started farming north of town in 1965, while Karen was a schoolteacher at Albert City-Truesdale, and later Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn. She also coached cheerleaders at H-M-S.

"They were good years and there was good staff," she recalled. "It was fun."

Mort and Karen were married at Trinity United Church of Christ in Hartley and have since served on the consistory. Karen also taught Sunday School for several years.

"You know how it is in a small town – you just do whatever needs to be done," she said.

Mort is an original shareholder at Meadowbrook Golf & Country Club and also served as a Lions Club member for several years, where he fondly recalls annual calendar sales.

"I sold hundreds and hundreds of those," he said with a laugh.

Additionally, Mort played a role in the community events that evolved into Summer Celebration.

"Back then we had something called the Farmers Fling where we collected $10 from farmers around the area, and then we'd treat the city people to a meal of beef, pork, lamb and refreshments at the golf course," he said. "Then we got the Thresher's Bee going, which grew to be a pretty big event here in the summer."

Karen remembers the Thresher's Bee as a moneymaker for her cheerleading squads, who sponsored carnival games for local kids.

"We made pretty good money from it to buy uniforms and go to camp," she said. "I liked it because the girls were doing something for themselves and also for the community."

The couple also played a role in founding the Parade of Trees, which used to be housed at Ed Harders' seed building next to the post office. Back then, the money raised was used to pay for a traveling artist to visit H-M-S.

"That was one of those things where we saw other communities doing it and thought it was something we could do here," Karen recalled. "But then we actually had to do it."

A lifetime of fond memories and strong relationships will be at the forefront of the couple's minds when they lead Saturday's parade. For the Rosenbooms, the Hartley community is their family.

"It's almost like having different families. I had my school family, our church family, and our actual family," said Karen. "It has been a lot of fun living here and we have enjoyed it."

Mort agreed, and said the sense of community in Hartley is second to none.

"The closeness of the town and the many, many friends we've made over the years have made it special for us here," he said.