Jimmy Dee and the Fabulous Destinations have agreed to play the Friday night dance at Hays High School as part of the Kansas Special Olympics Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament this weekend.

The tournament, which will begin on Thursday, March 19 and conclude on Saturday, March 21, will feature a variety of skills competition and tournament play at gyms throughout the city.

Click HERE for schedule.

Jimmy Dee, which was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame last March, will donate its time to play from 7-9 p.m. in Gym A at Hays High School.

“We approached Kansas Special Olympics almost a year ago and asked if we could play,” drummer Bill Gasper said. “The band thinks it’s a great event and is excited to have the opportunity to perform in front of the athletes.”

The band originally formed in 1975 in response to a nationwide nostalgia phase that followed the release of the movie “America Graffitti” and the television show, “Happy Days.” Featuring hits from the 1950s and 1960s, the group of musicians from Victoria became one of the most popular groups to perform in western Kansas.

The band went their separate ways in the 1980s but reformed in 2000 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the formation of the group. The band continues to go strong today, playing limited engagements throughout Kansas.

Since its decision to reform, the band has released three albums. The first, “Round Trip” was followed by “Summer Fun – Dang Near Live” and “Totally Live.” Another album “Still Alive” is currently in the works and will be released soon.

Related story: Local law enforcement set to help kick off Special Olympics.

WILSON LAKE — An overturned semi has led to a road closure, according to the Russell County Sheriff’s Office.

There were no injuries reported in the accident on Kansas 232 near Wilson Lake dam. Travelers are being asked to take an alternate route as haz-mat teams are on site to clean up oil spilled during the accident.

Check Hays Post for details as they become available.

It was a great way to start spring break for Hays students who could be seen around town wearing flip flops and shorts Monday.

The second day of spring break, Tuesday, people were wearing jackets.

Monday’s high temperature in Hays reached all the way to 90 degrees, a new record for March 16, according to the K-State Agriculture Research Station.

The previous record high was 85 degrees set in 2012.

A cold front moved through Monday evening, causing the overnight low to drop to 32 degrees, a difference of 58 degrees.

The official first day of spring is Friday, March 20.

Submitted

Local nonprofits earned over $25,000 at the Heartland Community Foundation Match Madness event on March 10. Area benefactors donated over $16,000 to endowment funds held at Heartland, those contributions were matched with an additional $9,000 directly from Heartland.

“We’re really pleased with the participation in Match Madness and the support these nonprofits garnered from their donors,” said Heartland President Brandon Prough. “Every dollar donated was matched with an additional 54 cents contributed by our Foundation.”
Over 17 funds grew their endowments while also earning a matching donation from Heartland when donors contributed.

“We started seeing donors at a steady pace in the morning that continued throughout the day,” said Heartland executive director Tammy McClellan. “This was a great opportunity to share the benefits of developing endowments with our partner organizations. It would be great to make Match Madness an annual event in our communities.”

The top four organizations earning contributions include the Damar Community Historical Foundation, Hays Arts Council, Stockton Community Fund and the Hays Area Children’s Center.

Participating organizations were able to choose how to receive their matching funds. The majority of fund holders asked to be given their match for immediate use on projects slated for the current calendar year.

The 17 nonprofit funds participating in Match Madness included: Hays Arts Council Fund, Hays Area Children’s Center Fund, Damar Community Historical Foundation, Hays Recreation Commission Youth Programs Fund, USD 489 Foundation Fund for Educational Excellence Fund, Plainville Community Foundation Leadership Fund, Plainville Community Foundation Youth Fund, Hays Dog Park Fund, Coronado Area Council of Boy Scouts of America Fund, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Ellis County Fund, Leadership Hays Fund, Leadership Hays Children’s Fund, Kansas Next Step Fund, Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Development and Civic Engagement Fund, First Care Clinic Fund, Hays Community Theatre Fund, and the Stockton Community Fund.

The Heartland Community Foundation, serving Ellis, Rooks and Trego counties, was established in 2007 and is one of 12 affiliates of the Greater Salina Community Foundation. All endowed contributions made to Heartland in 2015 will qualify for additional matching contributions from the Kansas Health Foundation. For more information contact Tammy McClellan, executive director, at (785) 621-4090.

FHSU University Relations

Advance tickets for the 49th annual Fort Hays State University rodeo will go on sale April 1 and can be purchased at three locations in Hays — the service center in FHSU’s Memorial Union; Orscheln Farm & Home, 2900 Broadway Ave.; and Vanderbilt’s, 2704 Vine.

Ticket prices are $8 for adults in advance or $12 at the gate. Children are $5 in advance and $8 at the gate. FHSU students are admitted free with the Tiger ID card.

Nearly 500 student athletes from 27 different colleges from across Kansas and Oklahoma will converge on the Doug Philip Arena the weekend of April 17-19 in an effort to qualify for this summer’s College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. The Doug Philip Arena is located on Golf Course Road, a half mile west of U.S. Highway 183 Alternate.

Times for each day are 7:30 p.m. for the Friday event, 1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Competitors accumulate points throughout the college season en route to advancing to the CNFR, the “Rose Bowl” of college rodeo. Fort Hays State is a member of the Central Plains region, whose season is made up of 10 different rodeos. There are 11 regions nationwide, and the top three competitors in each region in each individual event, as well as the top two teams from each region, qualify for nationals.

As of March 9, Windom sophomore Jacob Willems was ranked 12th in bareback riding for Fort Hays State, and Onaga sophomore Matthew Rezach was the 15th-ranked competitor in team roping header. As a team, FHSU’s men were ranked 14th and the women, 13th.

The Fort Hays State rodeo is sandwiched between the other two remaining circuit events for the 2014-15 season, both in Oklahoma — April 9-11 at Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford and April 23-25 at Panhandle State University in Guymon.

HAYS — Rural fire companies are on the scene of a grass fire in the 1300 block of 220th Avenue.

Fire crews are entering the pasture on Golf Course Road to work the fire.

Initial reports indicated the fire was a quarter of a mile long.

Fire crews also reportedly were concerned about a number of hay bales near the fire.

Check Hays Post for more as details become available.