By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post

With Halloween right around the corner, kids in the Hays area have a chance to show off their costumes before the big night on Oct. 31.

The annual Mall-O-Ween Kid Fest is Sunday, Oct. 29, at Big Creek Crossing in Hays. The event is sponsored by Big Creek Crossing and the Fort Hays State University Collegiate DECA, an on-campus organization that prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management.

The event will feature games, a kids costume contest and an inaugural pet costume contest for families with cats and/or dogs.

Send your favorite costume pictures to Hays Post’s first Halloween Photo Contest for a chance to win even more prizes!

Registration for the kids costume contest will begin at 11:30 a.m., the contest will start at 12:30 p.m. and will be judged by the Tiger Debs dance team of FHSU.

Games will take place from 1 to 3 p.m. after the costume contest. Chelsie Andrews, the Mall-O-Ween Committee chair for FHSU Collegiate DECA, said the games are put on by various FHSU student organizations.

“The games are hosted by nonprofits or student organizations on campus, and it is a fundraising event for them,” said Andrews. “Each organization comes in with their own idea for a game and then kids purchase a ticket for $1 and go around and play at the different booths that the organizations have set up.”

Registration for the pet costume contest opens at 1:30 and the contest will be at 2.

For more information, you can check out the event on Facebook.

————————

The annual Sternberg Museum Halloween Spooktacular, in collaboration with Eagle Communications, is Tuesday, Oct. 31, at the Sternberg Museum in Hays. This is an opportunity for young children to dress up in their costumes and get off to a safe start to Halloween. There will be multiple booths for the kids to experience as well as complimentary candy and toothbrushes for the trick-or-treaters.

“The event is for elementary school age kids but we tend to get the younger kids,” said Darrah Steffen of the Sternberg Museum. “It is more like an alternative to trick-or-treating and a safe place for the kids to come so that they’re not out on the streets.”

The event will run from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and will be hosted by Eagle TV. The parade of trick-or-treaters will be replayed on Eagle Channel 14 and 614, now broadcasting in high-definition. DVD’s will also be available for sale after the event.

Send your favorite costume pictures to Hays Post’s first Halloween Photo Contest for a chance to win even more prizes!

Three Hays teams will play this weekend as the Pride of Kansas Football League season winds down. The league consists of 12 cities spanning from Burlington, Colo., to Ulysses, and from Norton and to Ellinwood.
 
The tournament started last Saturday and played through the weekend. Three of the five Hays teams made championship games. The fifth grade team made the third place game.
 
This Sunday, all games will be played at Lewis Field. Games kick off at 9am, and the last game is scheduled to start at 5pm.
 
The Hays teams play at the following times:
 
Hays Gamblers (5th grade) vs Colby for 3rd place at 10:30am
Hays Oilers (3rd/4th combined) vs Great Bend for 1st place at 2pm
Hays Gamblers vs Hays Outlaws for the 6th grade 1st place at 5pm
 
Also, at approximately 3:15 p.m., the PKFL will present an award to the family of Scott Clark who was killed in auto accident in August for Scott’s years of volunteering (spanning two decades) with Hays football as a coach. 

— Submitted

Hays USd 489 Superintendent John Thissen congratulated the Master Teacher nominees for this school year at the school board meeting Monday.

The nominees were Jerold Harris, Hays High School; Kim Schneweis, Hays Middle School; Christine Weber, Rockwell; Jessica Groff, Wilson; Kim Schmeidler, Roosevelt; Jody Dinkel, Lincoln; and Dayna Crawford, O’Loughlin.

Schneweis was honored as the USD 489 2017-2018 Master Teacher of the Year.

“Thank you for your dedication to our students and to the teaching profession,” Thissen said.

The Hays Police Department responded to 7 animal calls and 10 traffic stops Wed., Oct. 25, 2017, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Suspicious Activity–500 block W 32nd St, Hays; 7:47 AM
Suspicious Activity–3800 block Butterfield Rd, Hays; 9:27 AM
Assist – Other (not MV)–200 block E 21st St, Hays; 9:28 AM
Drug Offenses–1000 block Fort St, Hays; 9:28 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1300 block Allen St, Hays; 9:55 AM
Traffic/Driving Complaint–2200 block Wheatland Ave, Hays; 10:03 AM
Drug Offenses–2900 block Vine St, Hays; 12:36 PM; 1:12 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9/24 5 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9/19 5 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9/15 5 PM
Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay–100 block W 12th St, Hays; 9/1 5 PM
Theft (general)–400 block W 6th St, Hays; 2:30 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–200 block of E 11th St, Hays; 4 PM
Abandoned Vehicle–300 block W 12th St, Hays; 4:17 PM
Suicidal Subject–300 block E 23rd St, Hays; 4:29 PM
Warrant Service (Fail to Appear)–2000 block Metro Ln, Hays; 7:43 PM
Juvenile Complaint–1200 block Fort St, Hays; 8:04 PM
Disturbance – General–400 block W 11th St, Hays; 11:46 PM
MV Accident-Property Damage–2200 block Canterbury Dr, Hays; 11:53 PM; 11:57 PM

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post

With the continued spike in vehicle burglaries in Hays, local law enforcement officials are asking the public for help.

According to Hays Assistant Police Chief Brian Dawson, there have been 70 vehicle burglaries reported since Sept. 1, with 58 of those reported in October alone.

The person or persons who are committing the burglaries are not breaking windows out, according to Dawson, instead they are looking for vehicles that are left unlocked.

Dawson said people should “make sure that they are locking their doors, on their homes and vehicles, obviously don’t leave any valuables in sight in a vehicle, because if it’s worth it that might go the extra effort to smash that window.

“They’re definitely going out looking for these vehicles with unlocked doors,” he added.

Dawson said the majority of the incidents have been reported in the south and southwest part of town, although there have been reports throughout Hays.

In recent months, Hays averaged about six vehicle burglaries a month but law enforcement officials believe the latest string of burglaries is a concerted effort by those responsible.

According to Dawson, cash has been the most reported item taken but backpacks and electronics have also been taken.

The Hays PD also received the report of a home burglary Tuesday morning in the same area of a vehicle burglary in the 2700 block of Thunderbird Drive.

Dawson said they do not know if they are connected but they are “not ruling that out” because of the vehicle burglary in the area. But they are encouraging people to lock the doors to their homes as well as their cars.

According to Dawson, the residents were at home at the time of the burglary.

The Hays PD has ramped up its patrols in the early morning hours, Dawson said, but they are also asking that people report anything suspicious.

“If anybody has any information or has observed anything suspicious or just not sure about, please call,” Dawson said. “It’s going to be tips from the community and stuff like that that is really going to help us out here.”