5/20/2015 10:55:00 AM No one certain how to solve loss of community identity Mary Johnson, supervisor of the cookie outlet store, stands last fall among the soft-bake and wafer cookies made at Ripon’s two ConAgra cookie factories. Shock and heartbreak. That seemed to be the pervading feeling across Ripon Monday as news crept across the community that the cookie factory, which has been in Ripon for generations, will close. “It’s quite a shock; it’s quite a blow,” said Laurie Kasuboski, the founder and face of Cookie Daze, a festival dedicated to Ripon’s identity as Cookietown USA. “I’m shocked and in disbelief because I have friends who work there,” Mayor Gary Will said, noting he could hardly believe how quickly the fortune of the plant had turned. “Last summer, they were working seven days a week, almost around the clock they were so busy.” “I was completely surprised, much like a lot of people were,” said Jason Mansmith, executive director of the Ripon Area Chamber of Commerce. “I didn’t have any prior information or was aware of anything that was coming down.” As the city’s primary business and tourism organization, Mansmith is keenly aware of how important a role ConAgra, and specifically the cookie factory and outlet store, play in the community. “That particular location [the cookie outlet store] draws in a large amount of people for the city of Ripon. Even on the pass-throughs [individuals who are just passing through Ripon] ... they always include a stop at the cookie outlet. As far as a tourism destination, that’s a big hit,” he said. The loss of the cookie factory, though, strikes at the heart of Ripon’s cultural identity. In 1996, then Gov. Tommy Thompson officially named Ripon “Cookietown USA,” a moniker that Ripon residents and visitors alike have embraced. “That’s the toughest pill to swallow,” Mansmith said of this identity. Read the full story in the May 21, 2015 edition of the Ripon Commonwealth Press. Related Stories: • FINAL STORY -- Cookietown no more: 300 jobs will be lost as the main plant will close by end of this year