Burnikels are in Hall of Fame

Lime Springs - Butch and Dorene Burnikel have been honored for their years of service to the community of Lime Springs with the 2019 Times Plain Dealer’s Hall of Fame award.
The couple has been active in the area since the early 1960s. When hearing of their award, their first reaction was disbelief. 
Dorene said, “It was a real surprise. It was nice.” 
Butch added, “It really was a surprise. It came as quite a shock.” 
The couple was married in 1962 and have been together for 57 years this coming June. About their amazing, long life together, Dorene smiles, “We were lucky.” 
Butch explained they both grew up in Cresco and moved to Lime Springs in 1965. They have four children, Jeff, Randy, Dennis and Carla and seven grandchildren. 
They were business owners and used their situation to support the local organizations. They both have been officers in the Community Club and led in many of their events.
After high school, Butch worked in construction a few years and in 1963 started to work at Peter Produce. In 1988, he bought out the feed mill part of business. “I walked in the door and walked out 48 years later!”
For 28 years, Dorene worked in the cafeteria at Lime Springs Elementary School. She explained, “I grew up in the restaurant business. My folks (Ray and Lucille Ollendieck) owned different restaurants since I was 10 years old. They had the Park View and Highway Inn in Cresco and Silver Grill in Riceville. It’s gone now. I worked for Peggy (Kulow) at Town & Country (in Lime Springs) and helped at Cresco Country Club for six years. And we catered at the same time I was at the school.” She also worked at a jewelry store. 
Now they both help out at their son Jeff’s bar, The Dam Bar & Grill in Lime Springs. 
Besides work and home life, the couple has kept busy over the years trying to make their town a better place to live.
Butch was an assistant Boy Scout leader for 15 years and also helped out the Cub Scouts. He was on the fire department for 33 years and at one time was fire chief. 
Dorene was one of the organizers of the Fireman’s Ladies Auxiliary. She is always giving her talent of cooking to be in charge of local food events, such as the chili lunch for Christmas in Lime Springs, the Sweet Corn Days food stand, the Mother’s Day Luncheon and many more. 
She and Charlene Gates were the go-to people to get the kitchen and dining area organized when the Community Center was being built.
Ordering t-shirts for Sweet Corn Days has been a task headed by Dorene for many years. She has come up with the designs, handled the orders and many times stored all the shirts at her house, selling them from there and at Sweet Corn Days. 
Before St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Chester closed, the couple was very involved. Butch was on the church council, taught CCD and was Eucharist Minister.
Butch offers to aide in any local endeavor, including allowing the use of his buildings for storage and the constructing of Moo Mobile shakes. 
He was an instigator in storing and helping to construct the famous sweet corn float made from milk jugs . . . not once, but twice. 
Before the annual Sweet Corn Days celebration, the Burnikels were instrumental in helping and chairing some tractor pulls. The first pulls were in front of A&K on a flat bed. Without one of the new-fangled skids used today at pulls, Butch had to improvise. 
Dorene laughed, “They didn’t have a way to [add weight to the pulling skid], so they just took a wagon. Beforehand, men would say their weight and as it went by, they would step on! They took their word for it. It was fun. They could never get by with that now. These were just the old farm tractors.”
Butch agreed, “The old farm tractors are more fun to watch.” 
Dorene said, “When we first started, we had our kids to help us, too.” Their children still help when they come for the town’s annual festival, Sweet Corn Days. 
After the small tractor pull by A&K, Butch recalled, “We started out as a sanctioned pull located by the swimming pool. At that time, there was no volleyball court.” One year, the event was rained out. They could not pull but still had to pay the bills. 
When Sweet Corn Days, started there was no official title, just being referred to as Flea Market Day. The corn was grown locally by Harry Kitchen, Walt Harwood and Ernie Tibbals, and everyone went out and picked the corn. Then everybody came in to husk it. 
There is no season that escapes the helpful hand of the Burnikels. Butch helps beautify the city of Lime Springs by putting up and taking down the Christmas decorations and taking charge of the flower pots. He enjoys much of his time watering the lovely hanging planters in town. He noted, “Taking care of the flowers is my job. I get the plant baskets to Plantpeddler in February, and they are ready to be put up by Memorial weekend.”
One of the many hats Butch has worn over the years is red, triangular-shaped and has a fuzzy ball on the end! For several years, he dressed as Santa for the town’s Christmas celebration.While he was chatting with the kids, Dorene made sure there were sacks of candy goodies for the children. 
When Burnikels aren’t busy doing something productive for the town, they relax by spending time on the lake with their family.
Butch stated, “We have a place by Mankato, Minn. where the grandkids have had fun over the years.” He also loves to golf. 
Dorene’s hobbies are reading and crocheting. She got started on the Parish shawls but has not yet finished. 
Her future hopes include, “Getting up to the cabin more. As long as we are healthy. Everyday there is something to do, and we are not getting bored.” 
While volunteering, the couple admits to making many friends. Dorene noted, “We get to know a lot of people. If you need your friends, they are right there.” 
Friend Beverley Copeman said of the Burnikels, They are good volunteers. They are always pleasant and nice.” 
Sue O’Kada said they were excellent cooks. Lonnie Hampe added, “My husband and Butch are good friends. They put up the Christmas decorations and flowers every year. They are very involved in Sweet Corn Days and very good cooks.” 
These two winners have dedicated hours and hours of behind-the-scenes work for the community without asking for a thing. 
The nomination letter for the Hall of Fame award stated in words of truth, “The couple has given freely of their talents for the town of Lime Springs for the majority of their lives and deserve to be recognized for their service.”
Their time for recognition is April 9 at the Expo Center in Cresco. To get tickets to the event, contact Howard County Business & Tourism.
 

Cresco Times

Phone: 563-547-3601
Fax: 563-547-4602

Address:
Cresco TPD
214 N. Elm Street
Cresco, IA 52136

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