The annual membership drive for the Ada Music Boosters is continuing throughout the fall. A flyer was mailed to all Ada households in June and the Boosters encourage residents to return it with a contribution toward this year’s fund-raising drive.
With the help of the Ada community, the Music Boosters enhance music education and the performance-based programming for the Ada Exempted Village Schools.
The Music Boosters purchase choir robes, band uniforms, instruments, music, Varsity Singer costumes, which support Ada’s state and regional award-winning winter guard, marching band and show choir.
Ada officials figure that 54 million gallons of water fell inside the 2-mile square village limits on Tuesday. In a 30-minute period Ada experienced 1-½ inches of rain.
David Retterer, Ada mayor, reported that figure at Wednesday’s Community Improvement Corp. (CIC) meeting.
“A lot of people are calling the village about the rain. The projects we’ve handed in the past 20 years have enabled us to put in a lot of drainage,” he said, adding that without those project there would be lots of water with no where to go.
“Now we can get rid of water and we believe we are doing it responsibly,” he added.
Here, a mother mallard takes refuge, away from the photographer with her ducklings, under a large willow in the retention basin on West Campus.
The basin is usually dry in mid-July, but Tuesday's downpours filled it to overflowing. My rain gauge reported nearly three inches of rain within a couple of hours in the early afternoon with a third brief gusher an hour later pushing the total past three inches in a short period of time.
Adaites welcomed Wednesday's sunshine as water receded. (Monty Siekerman)
Heavy thunderstorms Monday night. Periods of pouring rain on Tuesday. A severe thunderstorm watch was in effect into Tuesday evening.
All this, after a record wet June in nearby Lima, where 12.67 inches of rain fell. It was the wettest single month since 1901, according to the National Weather Service.
Ada residents may be asking themselves, “Is it time to build an ark yet?"
Farmers may want to petition Noah for a spot in the hold for their corn and soybeans. Many area fields show rows of yellowing plants.
With all the makings of a small-town evening out, Ada residents enjoyed Music on Main Friday night at the downtown depot park.
LOTS OF PHOTOS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY.
Elements of the evening included a Kiwanis Club chicken barbecue and live music by Common Thread - with Kevin Plaugher, Ada native.
The evening also included free ice cream from Dietsch's - your choice, chocolate or vanilla. There were a half-dozen local vendors displaying and selling their products inside the depot and some V-8 cars on display that love to chug gas.
Several downtown businesses were open, including Ada's newest, Gallery of the Arts.
