The Kennedy Mansion in Canton, SD, sticks out from all the other residences in town. Built in 1917, it has been a fixture in the community ever since.
Many of the residents at Good Samaritan Society-Canton grew up admiring it. Thanks to the generosity of current owner Kris Wathier, they were able to enjoy a picnic on the front lawn.
“When the new owners came in, they came up with the idea of the garden party reminiscent of days back when the house was actually built,” said Good Samaritan Society-Canton Activities Director Kathy VanKley. “Of course, [being] right across the street, we just found our way straight to it. It was just welcoming.”
Wathier has lived in Canton for about a year since moving from Sioux Falls.
“There’s a lot of good families here that have been here a long time,” said Wathier. “It’s a community where kids still respect their elders and everybody goes to the ball game. It’s just close-knit.”
Having had parents live at Good Samaritan-Prairie Creek, Wathier saw an opportunity to connect with her neighbors across the street through hosting the garden party on June 13th. Complete with china and decorations from the mansion’s golden era and a fiddle player to boot, the party provided scenery straight out of an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
“It’s important that the residents feel like they are still part of the community because they’ve known the people that work here, they know the families, they know the schools and keeping them connected to what’s happening in the community is one of the best things that we can do,” said VanKley. “I think it meant a lot because [the mansion] was for the rich families in town and many of us had not had the opportunity to actually be on the grounds.”
Wathier hopes the success of the party keeps the door open for future events with Good Samaritan and other local nursing homes. To her, it’s just part of being a good neighbor.
“I think we need to reach out to our neighbors and get to know them and help each other,” said Wathier. “There’s a lot of things a community benefits from when people interact with each other. It’s easy to just ignore people but sometimes if you see somebody that maybe has a need, it’s important to reach out to them and just be friendly.”
