In the City: Chief Cook and bottle washer

LIMA — If you went to the Sertoma Pancake Day, there's a good chance you saw Bob Cook flipping your pancakes. Show up at Square Fair, he's back stage schmoozing with the talent and making sure everyone's happy. Stop by any Downtown Lima event and he's serving your drinks, setting up your table, or just sticking around to clean up after you.In other words, Cook does a little bit of everything from pretty near everyone.“People ask and I'm happy to help. What can I say, I don't say ‘no' a whole lot,” Cook said. Cook was born and raised in Lima, graduated from Lima Senior High School and went right to work. Eventually he landed at the Tom Ahl car dealerships, where he's worked for almost 29 years as a salesman and manager.Ask anyone who knows him and they'll tell you Cook is a born salesman in all the best possible ways, quick with a joke, shamelessly persistent and more than a little full of bull. As it happens, those are the same characteristics that make him a great volunteer.“It's all about building relationships. I like people. I like to be out there with them, wherever that is,” Cook said. Cook's service as a volunteer with Square Fair began nearly 25 years ago. A friend asked him for help tearing down after the annual festival. He dragged along his then-girlfriend. A year later, the two were married and he continued to drag her back. His wife, Lesley, is a teacher in St. Marys who spends an inordinate amount of her time either helping out or manning the house in his absence.“I've been dragging that poor woman to things as long as she's been with me. My wife, God love her, she's put up with a lot,” Cook said. A lot of unique experiences too. The Cooks have worked pretty much every job at Square Fair, but are best known as the king and queen and hospitality. It is their job to make sure the entertainers' sometimes ridiculous requests are met. That means spending time with a quarter-century of festival entertainers, from The Turtles to CCR and a whole lot more.“For me, that's the real fun part. A lot of these people — not all of them, but a lot — are just genuinely nice people. It's made for some great stories, not all of them I can repeat,” Cook said. In addition to Square Fair, Cook sits on the board of Downtown Lima Inc., the Downtown Lima Marketing Committee, has been a member of the Sertoma Club for 24 years, helps out with the Shawnee Band, and chips in just about anywhere else people ask. Downtown Lima Director Aubree Kaye has been the one asking Cook to help out recently. He sits on her board, helps out at its major fundraisers and taps into his enthusiasm for Lima history and trivia as a guide for the annual Lantern Tours.“Bob is a fantastic volunteer who has an enthusiasm about Lima and its history. He's proud to be from Lima and is an asset to the community,” Kaye said. “As a Lima Lantern Tour guide, Bob recounts Lima's folklore and amusing stories. Downtown Lima Inc. is lucky to have him.”The one time you might catch Cook at a loss for words is when you ask him why he gives up as much of his time as he does. Ultimately, his reason is simple: It's the right thing to do.“I suppose it sounds corny, but I was born and raised in this town. I want to see this town have fun. I feel like I should give back for the life and the career this town has given me,” Cook said. “When it comes down to it, I'd like to think that when I'm dead and gone, people will say ‘Bob Cook, he did something.'”