Letters: R Town

 

July 21, 2022



To the editor:

One could assume that ever since I became Mayor of Royal things have really gone to the wayside.

Starting with the failure of the year 2020, then our elevator exploded, and most recently on July 5 our town was seriously compromised by a derecho.

Go back to a few days before the 5th. I had just approved the proof for the annual horseshoe tournament T-shirts that the Royal Lions Club puts on each year for Royal Fun Days. I came up with “R Town” late last year and wanted to work it into the T-shirt, because I thought it was catchy and a clever play on words. Welcome to “R Town,” or everyone is welcome in “R Town,” you get the idea.

Back to the evening of July 5. The sky looked crazy and there were reports of a storm moving in. I made it home before a short burst of torrential downpours, and sat down with my family for dinner. The lights dimmed a few times and the wind came up. We finished our meal and as we were cleaning the table, tree limbs started to fall outside our front windows. We gathered near the bay window and watched tress fold over all around us. Then the lights went out and the trees continued to drop. As fast as it started, it was over.

Judging by what we could see in our corner of town, I knew we needed to see how the rest of the city faired. By the time we had manually opened the garage and backed out onto the partially-blocked streets, people were already coming out of their houses to check on their neighbors and getting to work on their own yards.

It didn’t take long for me to find Sherman.

Our “town man” was already clearing streets to make way for emergency vehicles reporting to town for gas leaks and downed power lines. Many other people were mobilizing vehicles to help remove debris and clear paths before daylight was completely gone.

That evening I met with Sherman and other members of the community to discuss our plans for the following day. That next morning, the Royal Café offered free breakfast for anyone who stayed out and help with the initial cleanup the night before. Starting at 6:30 a.m., volunteers started showing up and the cleanup began. Citizens of Royal, friends of the community, and complete strangers came together and got to work following a Bobcat and a dump truck. Two days later “R Town” looked like it had a skinned knee, instead of a broken leg.

Royal is currently in the process of burying underground power lines with Alliant. Their sub contractor, Micheals, needs to be recognized for the amazing effort they extended to us during the cleanup process. They took it upon themselves to go to individual homes and remove fallen trees with their equipment at no cost to the homeowner, or the city. Black Hills Energy and Alliant were amazing to work with through emergency locates and neutralizing potentially harmful situations. The Royal Telephone Company provided a free lunch for any volunteers and the Royal Lions Club provided dinner that evening. Again the next day and the day following volunteers showed up to take care and restore “R town.”

Last weekend we hosted our annual Royal Fun Days celebration and our town looked even better than before. We were able to celebrate in comfort and style because of this amazing community and our citizens. I may be partial to Royal, but I think you would be hard pressed to show me any other community that can measure up to Royal citizens and their spirit.

As mayor of the great city of Royal, I would like to thank Sherman Neilsen for his never-ending love for this town. If Royal was a castle surrounded by a moat, Sherman would be the night watchman – he would hold the key to the gate. Royal is safe under his watch.

Additionally, Tanner Neilsen, Travis Santage, Laef Lundbeck and Dan Swanson all deserve a humble thank you as well as many other volunteers that provided their time or vehicles or even just water and a smile.

Thank you to everyone who helped Royal get back up. Royal is truly “A Prince of a Community.”

Josh Toft,

Mayor of “R-Town,”

Royal

 
 

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