Beloved bus driver retires; Harvest Club senior citizen connections formed

UNION GROVE, Wis. – On a cold December morning around the corner from Community State Bank in Union Grove, you could hear a voice: “This is a 60-passenger bus. It can hold a lot of people.”
As dozens of people get onboard, it’s soon evident Lumpree Brown’s bus holds much more than passengers. Brown, a Badger Bus driver, proves his trips are more about connections than destinations.

The Harvest Club
The backstory:
“I was a lonely soul. I didn’t know how to interact with people because I was alone,” said Helen Schattner.
Schattner didn’t get out much after her husband died. But when she heard about the bank’s Harvest Club everything changed.

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Jenny Braun is the Director of Special Events for Community State Bank. The bank has offered nearly 100 Harvest Club outings over the years; most fill up within a few hours of being posted.
What they’re saying:
“The club means to me social interaction, staying alert, having a reason to get up in the morning,” Schattner said.
“The Harvest Club is a 55 and older travel group. They sign up for monthly trips,” explained Braun. “Some of them don’t even care what it is or what trip it is – just to get away and meet new people.”

“We were on the mystery trip two years ago,” Tom Stone said from a seat on the bus.
Tom and Arlene Stone were strangers and single when they hopped aboard and took off for an unknown destination. It ended up being a love connection: the couple got married a year later.
“We both had long marriages, our spouses had passed away. Now we are having a great time together enjoying this trip,” Tom Stone said.
The driving force behind Harvest Club
All these stories bring us back to the driving force behind it all.
“It’s been a blessing. Meeting all these people, getting to know them,” Brown said from behind the wheel.

There’s an emotional revelation that Brown is slowing down.
Saying goodbye, for now:
“Tomorrow [December 14th, 2024], I’m retiring. Tomorrow is my last day,” Brown said.
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After 52 years – first driving semis, then driving for Badger Bus, Brown said it’s time for a change of pace.

“Do you see yourself getting in the passenger seat now?” FOX6 News asked Brown.
“Um, I’m not a good backseat driver – or rider,” Brown responded.

“[Lumpree’s] still a young chicken,” laughed 91-year-old Harvest Club member Carl Daniels.
What’s next:
Brown still has many more miles ahead of him. The 78-year-old turned in his keys with the best gift of all: knowing that each connection made on the bus was just as much a part of his own journey.
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