HUTCHINSON— Country chart-toppers, up-and-coming superstars, legends of disco, and iconic rockers will all descend on Hutchinson to headline the musical lineup at the 2018 Kansas State Fair.
The Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand will showcase some of Kansas’ favorite artist and events — every single evening of the Kansas State Fair. From iconic Poison rocker Bret Michaels to country sensation Trace Adkins, there’s something for everyone.
Tickets are on sale now, with an “early bird” deal that waives the $5 per ticket processing fee if you purchase by May 10. Prices include gate admission for the day of performance if purchased by Aug. 20.
Visit www.kansasstatefair.com or follow the fair on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for additional concert announcements, and up-to-date information about your favorite events.
All shows begin at 7:30 p.m., except the Outlaw Truck and Tractor pull, which starts at 3 p.m.
Here are the shows:
Friday, Sept. 7 – KC and the Sunshine Band, $5/$10
Saturday, Sept. 8 – Dan + Shay, with special guest Cassadee Pope $25/$35/$60
Sunday, Sept. 9 – Josh Abbott Band, with special guest Blackhawk, $15/$30/$45
Monday, Sept. 10 – Demolition Derby, $7 all general admission age 13 and up; 12 and under free
Longtime Sharon Springs, Kansas, resident Rita J. Cowles, 78, passed away Thursday, April 26, 2018 at her home in Sharon Springs.
Rita was born on August 10, 1939 in Frankfort, Indiana to Harold C. and Hazel M. (Steen) Ashley. She was one of two children. As a child, she grew up and attended school in Frankfort, and graduated from Frankfort High School in 1957.
On September 18, 1959, she married Marion Michael Cowles in Sharon Springs. To this union, three children, Michael, Michele and Marc were born. She was a housewife and was involved with various activities and organizations throughout her life, including Order of Eastern Star and the Weskan Bible Church.
Preceding her in death were her parents, Harold C. and Hazel M. Ashley, and her mother and father-in-law Helen J. Cowles and Marion Asa Cowles Jr.
She is survived by her husband Michael Cowles of the home in Sharon Springs, her three children; Michael W. Cowles and Debra D. Collins of Colby, KS, Michele (Joe) Noark of Ballwin, MO, and Marion Marc Cowles of Ness City, KS; five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and one brother William O. Ashley of Edinburgh, IN.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 30, 2018 at 10:00 AM MT at the Weskan Bible Church in Weskan with Pastor Tim Cress officiating. Burial will follow in the Sharon Springs Cemetery, Sharon Springs, KS. Visitation will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2018 from 5:00 to 7:00 PM MT at the Koons-Russell Funeral Home in Sharon Springs.
Memorials are designated to the American Cancer Society or the Sharon Springs Public Library and may be left at the service or mailed to Koons-Russell Funeral Home, 211 N. Main Ave., Goodland, KS 67735.
PAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday for the December 2016 murder of his wife.
In February, Jacob Ohnmacht, 27, Larned, admitted to the crime after his wife 21-year-old Kayla Parrett threatened to leave him, according to court testimony. He had told law enforcement he found her hanging in an outside garden shed.
Ohnmacht- photo Pawnee Co.
The physical evidence at the scene, however, did not support the defendant’s story of a self-hanging, according to an investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, the Pawnee County Sheriff’s Department and Coroner Dr. Lyle Noordhoek.
At the plea hearing, Ohnmacht told the Court that when he came home on the night of the murder, his wife confronted him outside and an argument ensued. He said when she started walking away from him he just snapped, grabbed a rope and started strangling her. He then told the Court she went limp in a matter of seconds. He later called 911 telling them to send an ambulance as he had just found his wife hanging.
Ohnmacht was originally charged with of intentional murder in the second degree, three counts of felony Interference of law enforcement and one count of misdemeanor Interference of law enforcement. Under Kansas law voluntary manslaughter is defined as knowingly killing of a human being committed upon a sudden quarrel or in the heat of passion.
The victim’s family was consulted throughout the plea negotiation process and were present in the Courtroom at the time of the plea. Six family members made statements to the Court at the
sentencing hearing.
The defendant then read a statement requesting the Court for a reduced sentence to allow him to be out of prison for the high school graduation of his son, who is currently 6 years old.
After hearing the statements of the families and defendant, as well as arguments of counsel, District Judge Bruce Gatterman denied the request by the defendant for a downward departure and
sentenced Ohnmacht to standard sentence of 216 months prison for the voluntary manslaughter conviction and an additional 6 months for felony inference with law enforcement.
In running the counts consecutive, Judge Gatterman noted that the defendant’s lie to law enforcement had allowed him to remain free six months longer than had he acknowledged his role in Kayla’s death from the beginning.
As part of the plea agreement, the defendant also agreed to waive any right of appeal for his voluntary manslaughter conviction and additionally agreed to waive a pending appeal from his August 16, 2017, conviction for criminal threat related to texts regarding spitting in a law enforcement officer’s pizza.
“My heart breaks for the victim’s family as there is no sentence that will truly feel like justice for the death of Kayla. In my negotiations, I wanted, however, to ensure there would be a legal closure for the family. The waiver of all appeal rights by the defendant reaches that end,” stated Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett in response to why his office agreed to reduce the charges.
The case was designated as a domestic violence offense and Ohnmacht will be required to register for a period of 15 years as a violent offender under the Kansas Offender Registration Act
following his release from prison. By operation of law he will be able to earn up to 15% goodtime credit.
The defendant remains in the custody of the Ford County Jail pending transfer to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
ANDERSON COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident during a chase by law enforcement just before 5:30a.m. Friday in Anderson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Suzuki motorcycle driven by Luke Lennon Rea, 21, Ottawa, was being pursued by the Anderson County Sheriff and was attempting to pass a semi.
Upon passing, Rea lost control of the motorcycle when a tire went off the right shoulder. The semi ran over Rea and the motorcycle.
Rea was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics. The semi driver William D. Metcalf, 57, Dallas, Texas was not injured.
The Anderson County Sheriff did not report what prompted the chase.
A high-stakes gambit initiated by Kansas lawmakers Thursday could prove to be the checkmate move that blocks Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer from imposing new Medicaid eligibility restrictions.
Lawmakers are on the verge of passing a bill that would force Gov. Jeff Colyer to back off on tighter restrictions for Medicaid or losing federal funding for the program. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Colyer wants a four-year extension of the federal waiver that allowed the state to privatize its $3 billion Medicaid program and re-name it KanCare in 2013. It currently covers more than 420,000 low-income, elderly and disabled Kansans
Early in the legislative session, lawmakers added language to a budget bill to stop Colyer from seeking federal approval for the eligibility changes. But they worried that the governor could still use his line-item veto to strike the proviso and move forward with KanCare 2.0.
To prevent that, the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Thursday approved an amendment authored by Republican Sen. Vicki Schmidt that ties all Medicaid funding to the survival of the proviso.
“The governor could still line-item veto (the proviso), but the consequences would be dire,” said Sen. Laura Kelly, the top Democrat on the committee and a candidate for governor.
A veto, Kelly said, would “un-fund our entire Medicaid program.”
Colyer’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
At issue are Colyer’s proposals to impose lifetime benefit caps for some KanCare recipients and to require that others work or undergo job training to maintain their eligibility. Federal officials consistently rejected such restrictions since the inception of Medicaid in the mid-1960s.
But the leaders installed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by President Donald Trump reversed that policy as part of an effort to lessen dependency on government assistance programs.
“People moving off of Medicaid is a good outcome,” Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in defense of work requirements at a January press conference at the White House.
“We hope that means they do not need the program anymore, that they have transitioned to a job that provides health insurance or that they can afford insurance on their own,” she said.
Critics of the tighter restrictions say Medicaid’s primary purpose is to provide health coverage to low-income, elderly and disabled people — not vocational services.
“There is no independent data that shows that work requirements do anything except reduce the number of people who get health care,” said Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat running for governor.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
The crash happened around 4:30 a.m. Friday in Harrisonville, which is about 30 miles south of Kansas City. Police say the truck was pulling a trailer with 80 to 100 head of cattle.
A man and woman in the truck were taken to a hospital with minor injuries. Police say the surviving cattle were rounded up and taken from the scene in trailers. Police say some are expected to be looked at by a veterinarian. It’s unclear where the cattle were going.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. It caused major traffic delays on northbound Interstate 49.
Coleta Elizabeth Haberman, 91, passed away April 25, 2018, at Woodhaven Care Center, Ellinwood. She was born July 13, 1926, at La Crosse, to Joseph and Rosa (Herrman) Schafer. Coleta married Francis Joseph Haberman November 19, 1952, at Liebenthal.
Graduating from Sacred Heart High School, Wichita, and Fort Hays State University, Coleta had been a resident of Great Bend since 1961, moving from the Heizer area. She was a teacher for 34 years, starting her career at District #45, rural Barton County, continuing at Heizer School District, then retiring from Lincoln Elementary School, USD 428, in 1988. Coleta was a member of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick Catholic Church, Great Bend, Altar Society, Daughters of Isabella, Pilot Club, and Pi Kappa Pi Sorority. She enjoyed dancing, crossword puzzles, playing bridge, mission trips, and above all, time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Survivors include; husband, Francis Haberman, of the home; one son, David Haberman and wife Elaine of Hays; one daughter Debbie Tracy and husband Geoffrey of Great Bend; two sisters, Leola Gottschalk of Hays and Ann Dechant and husband Virgil of Leawood; six grandchildren, Audrey Rummel and husband Jeff, Joseph Haberman and wife Breanna Ellison, Kimberly Georgeson and husband Wesley, Jacob Haberman, Matthew Tracy and wife Letecia, and Spencer Tracy; and eleven great grandchildren, Nathan Rummel, Jesse McDougal, Jared Rummel, Jade Rummel, Jet Georgeson, Stella Georgeson, Whitley Georgeson, Aiden Tracy, Christopher Tracy, Carver Tracy, and Declan Tracy. Coleta was preceded in passing by one brother, Berthold Schafer; and two sisters, Rose Mary Simpson and Geraldine Schafer.
Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 1, 2018, St. Patrick Catholic Church with Father Don Bedore officiating. Interment will follow at Great Bend Cemetery, Great Bend. Visitation will be 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday, April 30, with an Altar Society Rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a Vigil with a D of I Rosary at 7:00 p.m., all at Bryant Funeral Home. Memorial funds have been established with Holy Family School Endowment Fund or KU Alzheimer’s Disease Center, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
BARTON COUNTY — A 13-year-old student is in juvenile detention following an arrest Thursday for an alleged school threat in Hoisington.
Authorities arrested the boy off campus after USD 431 officials learned of the alleged verbal threats to shoot students at school, according to Police Chief Kenton Doze.
Police did provide additional security at the school Thursday and USD 431 canceled a track meet due to safety concerns, according to Doze.
WASHINGTON – The United States Olympic Committee has announced the 2018 winners for the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games, recognizing Team USA’s outstanding performances and awe-inspiring achievements from the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 in the following eight categories:
Female Olympic Athlete of the Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods – Chloe Kim, snowboarding
Male Olympic Athlete of the Games – Shaun White, snowboarding
Olympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow – U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team
Olympic Coach of the Games – Jason Cork, cross-country skiing
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Games – Oksana Masters, Nordic skiing
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Games – Dan Cnossen, Nordic skiing
Paralympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow – U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team
Paralympic Coach of the Games – Gary Colliander, Nordic skiing
The awards were presented during a live recording of the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games ceremony, held Thursday at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C. The awards show – which featured NBC sportscaster Mike Tirico as host – will be televised as a 90-minute feature for the first time ever, and will run from 6-7:30 p.m. ET May 12 on NBCSN.
The six athlete and team award winners were determined by online fan voting at TeamUSA.org/Awards, where nearly 600,000 fan votes determined 50 percent of the final tally. Members of the Olympic and Paralympic family – including an esteemed panel of Olympic and Paralympic journalists – accounted for the other 50 percent. For coaching awards, National Governing Bodies selected their nominees and the winners were determined via selection committee.
Female Olympic Athlete of the Games, presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods Chloe Kim (Torrance, California), snowboarding In her first Olympic Games, Kim nailed a 98.25-point victory lap run in halfpipe after posting a 93.75 on her first run to secure the gold medal. She is the youngest woman from any nation to win a gold medal in snowboarding.
Male Olympic Athlete of the Games Shaun White (Carlsbad, California), snowboarding With an impressive 97.75-point final run to claim gold, White became the first snowboarder to ever win three Olympic gold medals and is the first American man to win gold medals at three Olympic Winter Games. He now owns the second most gold medals among U.S. men in Olympic Winter Games history.
Male Paralympic Athlete of the Games Dan Cnossen (Topeka, Kansas),Nordic skiing In his second Paralympic Games, Cnossen medaled in each of the six cross-country and biathlon events he entered, winning one gold, four silvers and one bronze. He also made history as the first American man to win biathlon gold at the Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games.
Olympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team For the first time since 1998, Team USA defeated rival Canada for the Olympic gold medal in women’s ice hockey. The U.S. women bested the four-time Olympic champions, 3-2, in a shootout after tying the game with 6:21 remaining in regulation.
Female Paralympic Athlete of the Games Oksana Masters (Louisville, Kentucky), Nordic skiing After fracturing her right elbow three weeks prior to the Paralympic Winter Games, Masters overcame unsurmountable odds to win five medals (two golds, two silvers and one bronze) in biathlon and cross-country competition. She left PyeongChang as the most decorated athlete on the team and in the history of the Para Nordic skiing program.
Paralympic Team of the Games, presented by Dow U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Powered by the late shooting heroics of Declan Farmer, Team USA claimed an unprecedented third consecutive gold medal at the Paralympic Winter Games with a thrilling 2-1 overtime victory over Canada.
Olympic Coach of the Games Jason Cork, cross-country skiing As a coach for the U.S. National Cross-Country Ski Team and the personal coach of two-time Olympian Jessie Diggins, Cork was instrumental in leading Team USA to its first-ever Olympic medal in women’s cross-country skiing and the first U.S. gold medal in the sport. In addition to the historic gold medal in team sprint, Cork also guided Diggins to three individual top-five finishes – the best-ever for an American woman in Olympic cross-country skiing (prior to the gold medal).
Paralympic Coach of the Games Gary Colliander, Nordic skiing With Colliander’s biathlon expertise, the U.S. Paralympic Nordic Skiing Team concluded the PyeongChang Games in record-setting fashion with seven biathlon medals. Prior to the PyeongChang Games, the U.S. had only garnered one biathlon medal in Olympic or Paralympic Winter Games history. He also coached the team to nine medals in cross-country races, bringing its event total to 16 medals – including six golds.
Building Dreams Award, presented by USG Tom Kelly, vice president of communications at U.S. Ski & Snowboard In a career that has spanned 32 years and nine Olympic Winter Games, Kelly has dedicated his life’s work to telling the incredible stories of Team USA athletes and highlighting the historic milestones that have made U.S. Ski & Snowboard a perennial power on the world’s biggest stage. In a pioneering move that reimagined media coverage at the Olympic Games, Kelly was the mastermind behind the USOC’s Managing Victory tour, which is designed to help Olympic medalists capitalize on their success and promote their sport in the immediate aftermath of their podium performance. Now a cornerstone of both summer and winter versions of the Games, Team USA celebrated the sixth installment of the program at the PyeongChang Olympics, which also marked the final Games for Kelly in his current role with U.S. Ski & Snowboard.
Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award Kristi Yamaguchi, 1992 Olympic gold medalist (figure skating) Yamaguchi embodies the word champion, both in her athletic achievements and dedication to giving back to the community. Since being crowned the women’s figure skating Olympic champion in 1992, she has continued to define excellence and inspire others through many philanthropic efforts. Yamaguchi’s personal motto inspired her to establish the Always Dream Foundation, which aims to support disadvantaged children in her native Bay Area. Later, she launched the Always Reading program, which focuses on the development of early childhood literacy skills by integrating e-tablets, digital and traditional books in the classroom. Yamaguchi also established the Always Dream Play Park, offering play equipment designed for children with disabilities, and the Always Striving scholarship, awarded annually to an individual or pairs figure skating team that reflects the dedication, potential and character of an Olympic hopeful.
About the Team USA Awards presented by Dow, Best of the Games
Formerly known as the USOC SportsMan, SportsWoman and Team of the Year awards, the Team USA Awards began in 1974. The impressive and diverse collection of past winners represent nearly 30 sports on the summer and winter Olympic and Paralympic programs. Their collective accomplishments tell the inspiring story of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic movements throughout history. Beginning in 2014, the Team USA Awards began recognizing the incredible performances of Team USA athletes and teams during the Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information on the Team USA Awards, visit TeamUSA.org.
Scroll to the bottom for a map of garage sale locations. Hays Post offers FREE garage sale listings weekly. Having a sale next weekend? Click HERE for details.
1207 Hickory Street Victoria, KS
Day and times: Saturday April 28, 2018 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Items for sale:
Tools
Mens work shirts
Chenille bedspreads
Oreck vacuum cleaner
Creamery weigh scale with weights
Two burner Coleman camping stove
Door handles
Sperry Adult shoes size 8M
Boys bike 20″ – Nexi brand
Boys Cowboy Boots size 10 – Old West brand
Glider Rocker – green
Books – children and adult
Jars – gallon and 1/2 gallon
Victoria Knights Yearbooks – years 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984. 1985, 1989, 1993
Victoria Knights Prom Glasses – years 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996
Aluminum Storm Windows with built in screens – outside measurements – one 32″ x 34 1/2 “, one 32” x 38 3/4 “, one 27 1/2″ x 34 3/4”.
Window shades – two 37 1/4″ x 60″
Bedding
Kitchenware & Canisters
Toys, Games & Puzzles
Baby Clothes – girl & boy
Mens caps
Mens winter coats
Cross stitch and books
Vintage hard sided suitcases
Travel books, guides & maps
Styrofoam cooler
Cabbage Patch doll heads – blonde and brunette
Home Decor
Tripods
New homemade potholders
New homemade baby blankets
Holiday decorations – 4th of July, Christmas & Easter
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609 S. Broadway, Plainville
Items for sale: Cleaning out the garage estate sale held in conjunction with the Plainville City Wide garage sales. Hundreds of tools, wheel barrow, lawn cart, shovels, post hole diggers, oil filters, sprayers, etc., & lots of misc.. Too many items to list.
Day and times: 8:00 am to ??? Sat. May 5th
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207 W. 33rd. St.
Multi-Family Garage Sale
Friday, April 27
7:30 am – Dusk
207 W. 33rd St.
Some of the items for sale include: fans, heaters, deep fryer, pitchfork, bedding, table linens, glassware, bricks, landscape boarders, girls bat bag, bread maker, gliders chairs, curtains, drill bit index case, girls toddler clothing, men and women’s clothing, home decor, kitchen items, toddler bed, full/queen bed rail, toys, etc.
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1322 Golden Belt
Friday, April 27 from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Items for sale: Holy Family Elementary uniforms (Parker/size 12-14), women’s clothing (XL), boys youth clothing (medium/large), toys, books, kitchen items (toaster, bread machine, white Corelle dishes, Calphalon cookware, etc.), antiques and collectibles, McDonalds toys from the early 1990’s that are still NEW in packaging, Wilton cake pans (the shaped pans from the 70’s and 80’s including Disney, Sesame Street, etc.), miniature dog figurine collection, LOTS of miscellaneous!!!!!
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SUBMIT your free garage sale listing where it will be SEEN! Deadline is noon each Wednesday, but, hey, we’re flexible here at Hays Post. Click HERE to submit your weekend garage sale.
KU Wind EnsembleLAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Music and Reach Out Kansas Inc. present the world premiere of Kevin Walczyk’s Symphony No. 5 “Freedom from Fear: Images from the Shoreline,” a monumental work that crosses centuries and musical genres to speak to the courage of displaced people.
KU’s premier bands, the Wind Ensemble, conducted by Paul Popiel, and Jazz Ensemble I, directed by Dan Gailey, will perform the piece in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
Roy Schmeidler, Hays, is a member of the trombone section.
In a rare fusion of wind and jazz ensembles, the four-movement piece flows among varied musical styles, including classical, Delta Blues, jazz improvisation, Syrian folk music and the voices of a soprano and boy soprano.
The Wind Ensemble has been described by The New York Times as “one of America’s most esteemed concert bands” and made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2013. Since then, it has performed for President Obama and in 2017 was one of nine college ensembles selected to perform at the College Band Directors National Association biennial conference.
Jazz Ensemble I was named DownBeat magazine’s Best College Big Band in the Graduate Division in 2015 and received the Outstanding Performance Award in the same division in 2017. The group performed at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City in 2016 and was one of six college bands to perform at the 2017 Monterey Next Generation Jazz Festival.
A Pulitzer Prize- and Grawemeyer-nominated composer, Walczyk drew inspiration for “Freedom from Fear” from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s 1941 State of the Union address “Four Freedoms,” which identified freedom from fear as a fundamental human right.
The work’s four movements unify around images of displaced peoples on the shoreline, spanning from the Old Testament to today. “Freedom from Fear” references the biblical story of Jochebed relinquishing her infant son Moses; the 1943 Life magazine photograph of three World War II soldiers lying dead on a South Pacific beach during the Battle of Buna-Gona; Civil Rights Era wade-ins on the segregated beaches of Biloxi, Mississippi; the 2015 photograph, “Humanity Washed Ashore,” of 3-year-old Syrian refugee Aylan Kurdi, whose body was found on a Turkish beach after his boat capsized; immigrants arriving at the Statue of Liberty; and Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, “The New Colossus.”
“This piece finds a universal truth among different countries and different societies throughout history,” Popiel said. “There’s an element of loss, sacrifice and separation that goes beyond immigration and into something deeper.”
When composing “Freedom from Fear,” Walczyk was struck by Life magazine’s explanation for publishing the photographs from the Battle of Buna-Gona, which were the first images of dead American servicemen in World War II to be published by the American media: “The reason is words are never enough. The eye sees. The mind knows. The heart feels. But the words do not exist to make us see, or know, or feel what it is like, what actually happens…”
Walczyk aims for “Freedom from Fear” to similarly affect the audience.
“I want to give the audience an experience that will transcend the images and the writings about the images,” he said. ‘I want it to be an emotional experience.”
The piece was commissioned by Reach Out Kansas Inc., which through legacy projects such as “Freedom from Fear” aims to create transformative works that will impact the world for generations. Washington, D.C. — where national policy is created and home to embassies from around the world — was selected as the site for the world premiere with the hopes to inspire more reasonable discussion.
“The primary objective is to raise the discourse to a higher level so that all sides can be heard in a meaningful manner and out of that comes more reasonable policy,” said Jim Zakoura, president of Reach Out Kansas Inc. “The music is a vehicle that serves that end.”
Prior to the world premiere of “Freedom from Fear,” the afternoon performance will feature “Palos Nuevos: The Jazz/Flamenco Project” with the KU Jazz Ensemble I. Composed by Gailey and choreographed by Michelle Heffner Hayes, “Palos Nuevos” emulates the flamenco tradition of dialogue between dancer and musician and the practice of trading fours in jazz improvisations. The suite features Hayes, chair of the KU Department of Dance, performing the “baile” (dance); Steve Leisring, professor of trumpet, playing the ‘cante’ (voice); flamenco guitarist Beau Bledsoe as the “toque” (guitar); and Brandon Draper, KU music lecturer, performing on percussion. “Palos Nuevos,” is another legacy project of Reach Out Kansas, Inc.
“I hope people who come to this concert walk away with a musical appreciation for how different cultures can combine to create something new and exciting,” Gailey said. “And with an appreciation that music is a narrative and a mirror of what’s happening in our society.”
Tickets for the concert are $25 and are available at the Kennedy Center Box Office, by phone at (202) 467-4600 and at kennedy-center.org. More information on the “Freedom from Fear” project can be found at https://music.ku.edu/ku-kennedy-center.
Kansas students are listed below. The full list of participants is available online.
Colin Wreath, Andover
Megann Lawrenz, Baldwin City
Justin Harbaugh, Emporia
Theodore Musick, Garden City
Roy Schmeidler, Hays
Luis Matos, Kansas City
Josie Jones, Kansas City
Taylor Webb, Lawrence
Courtney Nottingham, Lawrence
Grace Clark, Lawrence
Sam Boyd, Leawood
Lauren Walbert, Lenexa
Jacob Hemenway, McPherson
Sophie Solomonson, Olathe
Andre Womack, Olathe
Noah Zoller, Olathe
Tamieka Melançon, Olathe
Zach Frieze, Olathe
Nicholas Wright, Olathe
Cameron Harris, Overland Park
Michael Svoren, Overland Park
Angela Fornelli, Overland Park
Abigail Sigler, Overland Park
Jonah Pellegrino, Overland Park
Ben Cooper, Overland Park
Deacon Ridley, Overland Park
Ian Warshaw, Overland Park
Deborah Hass, Shawnee
Kenzie Kimble, Topeka
Alex Price, Topeka
Alex Frank, Topeka
I first met former Governor Bill Avery in December, 2003. He served Kansas in Congress and then as governor in the mid-1960s.
His start in Kansas politics came in the early 1950s when, as a young farmer, he was a leader of the “Stop the Big Dam Foolishness” campaign to thwart flood control dams on the Kansas River’s tributaries in north-central Kansas. In the midst of those efforts, motivated by rural concerns over prime farm land taken for flood control through eminent domain, spring floods tore through the area and Bill changed his mind. I greatly admired Bill’s willingness to change his mind, based on the facts.
Dr. Mark Peterson
Ultimately, that mental quality cost him his job as governor. As governor, he recognized deeply embedded problems in Kansas’s antiquated tax policies. He acted to make the system more efficient and less subject to tax avoidance tactics. The voters rewarded him with defeat, but he expressed no remorse and loved every moment he spent as governor. He told me, “Nobody remembers who their congressman was, but everybody knows the governor.”
Bill Graves was one of the most beleaguered and abused chief executives the state has had in the modern era, and most of the abuse came from an insurgent, virulent conservative intraparty uprising. Movie star handsome and an effective communicator his life changed when his father essentially destroyed young Bill’s plan for the future. Bill expected to take over Graves Trucking from his father when he finished college and settle in Salina as a hometown big fish. Dad sold the company, called Bill in Lawrence to tell him about the change in plans and provoked a period of deep melancholy in the younger man. He recovered, and committed himself to public service. Former Kansas Secretary of State Jack Brier took an interest in his career and Bill became part of the “statehouse family.”
In the 1990s, conservative Republicans were feeling their oats. The success of the Reagan Administration, enthusiasm about Newt Gingrich’s Contract with America, and their broad and deep loathing of the Clinton Administration moved conservative elements in the Kansas Republican Party to depict Bill Graves as all that was wrong with moderate Republicanism. Through some of the hairiest legislative sessions Kansas had had since the Populist days at the end of the 19th Century, Graves kept his composure. He crushed a primary challenge from the state party chairman in 1998 and finished his two terms in office with high public popularity despite the enmity of many GOP activists. I remember him emotionally describing how he came to realize just how much ordinary citizens were moved to have the opportunity to meet the governor and share a little bit about their personal lives.
Both of these men, and many others, demonstrated a reverence for the offices of trust they held, a decency toward the people who put them there, as well as most of their opponents, and a courtesy of manner and speech that seems almost foreign or antique in the contemporary culture of vulgarity, crudity, and coarseness. I miss the influences of these men in this time. Indeed, all of us miss their civility, decency and commitment to the state of Kansas.
Dr. Mark Peterson teaches political science at the college level in Topeka.
