Weyauwega event set for Sept. 14-15
By Angie Landsverk
For Don and Bev Morgan, Horse & Buggy Days is all about horses, old cars and family.
“I think it brings families together,” she said. “I know our kids will all be up here. It brings families back to the area.”
Don admits he misses the days when steam engines were a big part of the celebration.
“There used to be steam engines coming to town, which people loved,” he said.
These days, he especially enjoys seeing the horses and older cars in the parade.
This year, the couple will part of the parade as well.
The Morgans are this year’s Horse & Buggy Days king and queen.
Activities
The 58th annual Horse & Buggy Days will take place Friday and Saturday, Sept. 14-15, in downtown Weyauwega.
It is sponsored by the Weyauwega Area Chamber of Commerce.
On Friday morning, Don and Bev will attend the Horse & Buggy Days Royalty Breakfast, at Crossroads Care Center.
The Weyauwega Police Department will host a movie for children at 6 p.m., in the community center.
Cowboy and Buffalo Stomp will play in the beer tent at 6 p.m.
There will also be a singles pool tournament, with a 100 percent payout.
Saturday will begin with a 7:30 a.m. pancake breakfast, hosted by the local American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts.
There will be polka music, and the vendor fair will begin at 9 a.m.
The 11 a.m. parade will be followed by more music.
There will be activities for children.
A doubles pool tournament, with a 100 percent payout, will begin at 1 p.m.
There will be wrist wrestling at 3 p.m.
Cat 5 will begin playing at 8 p.m.
People may visit the Weyauwega Area Chamber of Commerce’s website at www.weyauwegachamber.com for further details.
The Morgans
Don and Bev have been congratulated by numerous area residents since word got out they were chosen to be this year’s royalty.
Actually, this is not the first time they were asked to be the Horse & Buggy Days king and queen.
“They asked us a few years back,” Bev said. “At the time, we didn’t accept.”
She said they thought there were others older than them who should serve as king and queen before them.
“This time, we thought we’re older now,” Bev said.
Tim Dietzen, president of Weyauwega’s chamber asked them to be this year’s king and queen.
“I said, ‘Tim, for you, I’ll do it,’” Morgan said.
It is fitting for Don and Bev to serve as this year’s royalty.
They celebrated 60 years of marriage in February.
Bev is the daughter of the late Harvey and Stella Wendt.
She grew up on a large farm by Sunset Curve and went to school in Weyauwega.
Don was born in Poy Sippi and attended Berlin High School.
The couple met at the legion hall.
Accordion lessons took place there.
“His sister was kind of dating my instructor,” Bev said.
Don was told there was a girl he should meet in Weyauwega.
That girl was Bev.
The year the couple married is the same year they took over a Sinclair station in Poy Sippi.
A move
In early 1965, they bought the Sinclair bulk route in the Weyauwega area.
They started renting the Sinclair station at Sunset Curve and soon bought a home in Weyauwega.
That was followed by buying the Sunset Curve station.
In 1972, Bev was waitressing at the hotel in Weyauwega when they were asked about their interest in purchasing the restaurant at Sunset Curve.
They did, with Bev running it for 27 years.
Shortly after Bev retired in 1999, they sold the restaurant to a car dealership.
When Don retired in 2007, their daughter, Sheila Dorsett, took over the service station at Sunset Curve.
She had worked with her parents in both the restaurant and the station.
Don and Bev raised their five children in Weyauwega, and all of them continue to live in the area.
The Morgans have seven grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, with two more great-grandchildren on the way.
Don was involved in local government.
He served as an alderman from 1970 to 1974 and also from 1997 to 2007.
From 2007 to 2013, Don was Weyauwega’s mayor.
He also served on the Waupaca County Board from 2010 to 2014.
Don belonged to various service clubs.
Years ago, he worked with several others to establish the Tri-County Power Boat Alliance.
Bev was part of Weyauwega’s election board.
“I was the chief inspector quite a few years,” she said.
The Morgans are known for the many RV trips they took throughout the country.
“We have friends all across the United States,” Bev said.
After 26 years of traveling via RV, they decided to sell their motorhome this year.
“We’re going to do things around here in the area that we haven’t done,” she said.