Newtonia bounces back after May 10 tornado

(The following is my column for this week's Newton County News.)

More than four months have passed since tornadoes ripped through Newtonia and the evidence of those storms is still nearly everywhere you look.

When I visit my parents’ home, I can look in any direction and see the destruction. To the south, the house which I remember being the home of the late Doc and Bernice Hailey when I was growing up in Newtonia in the 1960s and 1970s, has a huge chunk out of the roof and side and the grass and weeds in front of the house stand well over six feet tall.

To the immediate west, the house that Jim and Grace Harris lived in is still standing, but their carport and the small barn in the corner of the property are just remnants of that bygone era.

The next building on that side of the street, the home that for so long belonged to Russell and Flora Patterson is shattered beyond repair, a gaping hole offering a complete view of the inside. The large barn beside the house was also taken by the violent winds.

While my parents’ home looks great on the outside, something that could not be said in May, the work to repair the damage inside is ongoing.

It will take a long time, if ever, for the people of Newtonia, nearly all of whom were victimized by Mother Nature that night, to fully recover from the financial and emotional losses they suffered that night.

In the news coverage that occurred immediately after the tornado, much of the attention, and rightfully so, was centered on the damage that was done to the historic Ritchey Mansion, simply known as the Mansion House, and serving as the home of Ragtime Bob Darch when I was growing up.

The Newton County News and Neosho Daily News were in Newtonia Saturday as the city made its official comeback with the 33rd annual Newtonia Fall Festival.

The Ritchey Mansion, repaired after being damaged in the storm, was open for tours, and its historic grounds were dotted by Civil War re-enactors with the occasional accompaniment of a cannon blast.

The Newtonia Community Building, which also suffered storm damage, was open once again as the Newtonia Betterment Association, including my mom Joann Turner, served meals.

Booths were spread out around the area and across the street; children’s games were being played. During the afternoon, our band, Natural Disaster, played, not that important an event except for our drummer.

It was the first time John Scott of Newtonia had played drums for us since May 10, the night when his drums, his house, and his possessions, including his photos of his late wife, Ruth, were taken away by the tornado. John had a new set of drums, and like the rest of Newtonia, bounced back with style.

For a time it looked as if the weather might play a role once more, though in a more benign fashion, as forecasters predicted rain throughout the day.

Sprinkles came from time to time, but the heavier rain, thankfully, stayed away until the festivities ended.

The city still has a long way to go before it can put May 10, 2008, behind it, but on Saturday Newtonia residents sent notice that they don’t intend to roll over and let the city die.

There were no television cameras or government officials in Newtonia Saturday. The real successes of life sometimes don’t lend themselves to a minute and 30 seconds or a staged press conference.

It would have been easy for city residents to use the tornado as a success to sit home, sulk, and thing about the way things used to be.

The Newtonia Betterment Association and the residents of my hometown decided on a different path. On Saturday, they paid tribute to a grand past, and began creating new memories.

It takes more than a tornado to keep Newtonia down.