The Lovely Lulubelle By:Tyrone Heberer

Tyrone riding the family donkey Lulubelle.

I was born in 1940, in the apartment above the Wander Inn Tavern and Bowling Alley. Later, I set pins at the bowling alley for $3 a night. Pins were set by hand and bowling balls were set on the gutter ramp and rolled back to the individual bowling. I began setting pins when I was 16, but this was not my first job. My first job was hauling manure for Ashmore Farms in Covington at the age of 14. 

One of my first memories of living and growing up in Okawville was when I was 8 years old. I got to ride our family donkey, Lulubelle, in the first ever Wheat Festival Parade held in 1948. Lulubelle was there for many childhood memories. My brother once took her up town and stopped at Seibert’s grocery store to buy Lulubelle an ice cream cone for 5 cents. Everytime we took Lulubelle uptown after that, she would stop in front of the store and not move until we got her an ice cream cone. One time my brother didn’t have any money and he was crying outside the store because Lulubelle would not budge.  A gentleman felt sorry for him and gave him a nickel to buy the ice cream so Lulubelle would move!

Lulubelle  was also used to provide trash pick-up for the neighborhood in Pinch. For 25 cents, we (the Heberer boys),  would pick up your trash and haul it away. We rode in the wagon while she hauled us and the trash to the city dump approximately 1½ miles north of town. 

Lulubelle also provided transportation for us to get to Covington to visit our grandparents, George and Mary Garbs. We were kind enough to stop in front of Zetzsche’s school to let her rest for a while. The one-way trip to Grandma and Grandpa’s was 8 miles.

Lulubelle was purchased for us by Uncle Louis “Fritz” Garbs in 1948.  She was a part of our family until I was a sophomore in high school, then she became ill and passed away. My Uncle Fritz instilled a love of horses in me. Throughout the years, I participated in many Wheat Festival parades and provided numerous buggy rides at the Heritage Days. 

I attended grade school in the four-room school house that was located where the current Okawville Fire Department is.  I also attended High School in Okawville where I met my wife, Dolores. We both were members at St. Peter’s UCC and that is where we were married. While we had to move away for employment, there was never a day we didn’t wish we could be back in Okawville. After seven years, we were able to make our way back to the town to raise our three children here. All of our children and grandchildren were raised in Okawville. It has been a wonderful blessing to raise our family in Okawville as we have countless memories to forever cherish. Okawville will continue to be a great community for people to live.

The Heberer family and friends in the 1952 Wheat Festival parade.