At First Congregational Church last week, workers ripped the old roof from the building. This week, new roofs should be on the church, the parsonage and the garage. In addition, the church soon will sport vinyl siding, according to John Evans II, moderator at First Congregational.

“We’re almost done with it,” Evans said. “About 80 percent of it’s done right now. There was minimal damage to the church, compared with the other church here in town.”

Members of that other church, Tonganoxie Assembly of God, recently have been meeting in a large Sunday school classroom at Tonganoxie Christian Church. The Assembly of God church, at Sixth and Church streets, was decimated in the tornado.

“It’s all coming together,” said Waneta Karriker, whose husband, Herman, is pastor at the church. “We’re thankful for all of the support of the people in town and the help that’s been given to us. We never thought it would happen to us, and it’s been an eye-opener. Maybe we’ve all realized how we appreciate any kind of help. Anybody can make a difference if we all pull together.”

Now, the focus is on rebuilding the church. A few weeks ago, a structural engineer determined the building could be reconstructed on-site.

“He said he could find no structural damage to the basement at all,” Mrs. Karriker said. “Our plans are to build at the same location the church was.”

For now, she is working with an architect and winding her way through the process of obtaining city permits necessary for reconstruction. It’s difficult to know when construction could start.

“I would like to say yesterday, but we have to be realistic,” Mrs. Karriker said. “I would have hoped within two months of the storm that we would have been under way. But I would say we’re several months away from starting to build.”

She is heartened at the outpouring of offers to help with construction.

“I know that there’s a purpose for this to happen,” she said. “I think our congregation has drawn closer together not that we were far apart. Everybody is willing and ready to help in any way that they can. It’s going to come to pass.”

At the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds, work has started in hopes of preparing the buildings for the fair, which begins Aug. 8.

“Everything is moving along,” said David Todd, chairman of the Leavenworth County Fair board. “The hog barn is almost complete, and they’re working on the show barn.”

During the past few weeks, Todd said, the fair board has received donations to help finance construction, so members of the board agreed to establish the Fairgrounds Building Fund at First State Bank and Trust in Tonganoxie.

Members of the fair board and the Tonganoxie Civic Club have agreed to help sponsor a Tonganoxie Twister 2000 Bull Buckout, which will feature bull riding on the opening night of the fair. The two groups plan to use their proceeds for tornado relief. The fair board will funnel its money into the fairgrounds, Todd said. And Chris Donnelly of the Civic Club said that group hasn’t decided exactly how to use its funds.

“We really hope that turns out to be a successful event,” Todd said.

Another group that hopes to help with the fairgrounds effort is the Happy Helpers 4-H Club. Thad Rose, an employee of KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo., whose daughter, Morgan, is a club member, has organized a fund-raiser for the club, which will donate proceeds to the fairgrounds.

Rose has produced a Tonganoxie tornado video that he is providing for a minimum donation of $30.

“My reasons for doing this were kind of selfish, at first,” Rose said. “I was making it so I could have a personal copy for myself. But then I saw it as something that could help out. I was in Happy Helpers, and my grandparents (Russell and Alma Rose) helped start the club.”