Goodman Community Betterment Club is Proactive
Saturday was a busy morning for the Goodman Community Betterment Club.
Club members met at the Redneck Restaurant in Goodman and, over some quick cups of coffee, planned their itinerary for the morning.
Group spokesman Kent Hartman said the group would be traveling to four businesses that morning — one new, and those which had changed ownership recently — to promote and show support for them and to present each of them
with the American flag.
Hartman said the club thought presenting flags to these businesses would be an appropriate gesture since Flag Day was approaching on June 14.
The first business on the list was the Redneck Restaurant at 207 N. Roy Hill Blvd. A flag was presented to the new owners, John Ervin and Karen Sprenkle of Neosho. Ervin and Sprenkle took over the Redneck Restaurant last October. “I came from 16 years in the casino business where I was a manager and put together a surveillance system,” Ervin said.
Ervin said only a few changes have been made to the menu at the Redneck Restaurant since he and Sprenkle bought it.
Sprenkle said she has years of background in the restaurant business, having helped her parents who owned restaurants.
The next stop was Goodman Tire and Auto at 127 S. Roy Hill Blvd., owned by Gerrod and Meghan Sprenkle. This business changed hands from the original owner, Paul Sprenkle, Gerrod’s father, who owned and operated the business for almost 36 years.
Gerrod Sprenkle said business is good and the location is convenient, which draws customers from as far away as Joplin, Neosho and Southwest City. When asked what he likes best about his business, Sprenkle replied that he likes the people they serve.
Goodman Tire and Auto is open 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Then on the agenda was Goodman Meat Processing at 125 N. Roy Hill Blvd., owned by Mark Knight. Knight said he and his son, Corey, operate the business together.
Knight complimented the Goodman Fire Department saying, about a year ago, there was a fire at the front end of the building and due to the quick action of the fire department the building was saved, the front end was rebuilt and he was back in business again.
Knight said the hours of the meat processing plant are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Knight said people can call the plant and he is willing to meet them there. “We accommodate the people,” Knight said. “We deal with real good people here.”
Fourth and last on the agenda, the group traveled to Tammy’s Cafe at 898 State Highway 59, which is a new business owned by Tammy Godbey and her husband, Mike. It is a family-operated restaurant. The staff includes Tammy’s mother, Shirley Crowder, who they all call “ma” and Tammy’s sister, Cindy Cook.
Tammy’s Cafe opened April 26, 2015. Godbey said she has managed restaurants since 1985.
There are sit-down tables inside so customers can eat there as well as a walk-up window outside for carryouts.
A few of the customer favorites at Tammy’s Cafe are biscuits and gravy, hamburgers, meat loaf and their homemade pies, shakes and sundaes.
Tammy’s Cafe is open 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturdays.
As well as promoting the businesses in Goodman, the Goodman Community Betterment Club, which currently has 8-12 active members, provides help where it is needed, including helping fix the roof on the senior citizens’ building, putting in a concrete pad for the bicycle rack at the elementary school, keeping the Harmon Cemetery cleaned up, assisting with needs at the city park, putting shelter at the ball park to cover the barbecue area, Hartman said.
Hartman said the annual Goodman Christmas Parade is a big event on which the Betterment Club works very hard to make happen.