Omena Fire House before renovations
When women get left behind, things happen.
Omena’s fire station was built on land donated by the Society of Jesus in 1963 to the Leelanau Township specifically for a fire station. It was big enough for one fire truck and had barely functioning bathrooms.
Omena Firehouse during renovations
About that time, the men of the village were meeting at the Harbor Bar across the street to play poker, and the wives began to feel left out. They decided to meet at the Fire Station pulling up chairs next to the fire trucks for coffee and euchre while their men were thus occupied.
It wasn’t long before they started having speakers come to their gatherings. Then fundraisers like bake sales and white elephant sales soon followed which funded scholarships, Cancer Society, Red Cross and local charities as well as the annual Christmas Party at Cottage 21 at the State Hospital.
By 1976 these women were calling themselves Club 21. There were 25-30 members by this time, and they wanted a better place to meet than next to the fire trucks. They wanted a Community Center added on to the fire house.
The group had saved some of the money that would be needed for that, and David Viskochil went to the Leelanau Foundation for the remainder of what was needed, pointing out that they were supposed to help with Omena Projects. They said yes.
The ladies got their community center, the village got a fire house worthy of this historic little village, and eventually they got working bathrooms all because the ladies of the village were left behind on poker night.
Sally Viskochil
Marsha Buehler
Omena Firehouse updated