Did you know that July is National Ice Cream month? So many Fourth of July celebrations involve making and eating ice cream that it makes sense that this month would be dedicated to one of America’s favorite treats.

Everyone has a favorite flavor (chocolate or vanilla), a favorite style (soft-serve or hand-dipped) and a favorite container (cup or cone). Once upon a time, I worked in an ice cream shop, and it was one of my favorite jobs. There’s something magical about serving people ice cream, because it makes them instantly, innocently and blissfully happy.

It is my mission to spread such bliss this summer, so I’ll be serving free ice cream on Tuesday, July 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Gallery. Look for posters in the library that say “Custard’s Last Stand.” Appropriately, my display cases this month feature information on General George Custer and his infamous Battle of Little Big Horn.

There are two Staycations coming up in July. On July 12, we’ll be heading to Greensburg to take a Greentown tour and also explore the world’s largest hand-dug well. If time permits, we’ll be visiting the round barn just a few miles out of Greensburg. The library will provide transportation as well as admission to the Greentown tour and the Big Well. I still have a couple spaces left, so call me today at (785) 625-9014.

The second Staycation will be July 26 to Abilene. We’ll be visiting Dwight Eisenhower’s Presidential Library and Museum as well as Eisenhower’s childhood home. For lunch, we’ll head over the Brookville Hotel for some family-style fried chicken! Again, the library will provide transportation as well as admission to the museums. Lunch, which will cost about $15/person will be your responsibility.

The third installment of my summer movie series will be on Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. I’ll be showing “Paper Moon” starring Ryan and Tatum O’Neal. Made in 1972, this film includes scenes from Hays, McCracken, Gorham and other nearby locales. It’s a Kansas classic. If you’ve never seen it, this is the perfect opportunity. There will be free popcorn, soda and candy.

Don’t forget about my Photo Scavenger Hunt! Clue sheets are still available at the library’s front desk and under the Kansas Room tab on our library’s webpage. Ten clues will lead you to ten locations around Hays. Have your picture snapped at each of these locations and you could win a prize, compliments of the library. I’ve had a lot of clue sheets taken, but not a lot of photos submitted, so be sure to enter your photos for your chance to win! If you need help with some of my clues, don’t hesitate to call or email me ([email protected]).

Last month, I lamented the lack of rain. This month I’m celebrating the inches of rain we received in June. Multiple times over the last few weeks, I’ve stood at my windows to watch the rain. The humidity reminds me of summer in Missouri, but I wouldn’t trade the humid air for anything right now. Let’s hope the rain keeps falling, filling Big Creek, Cedar Bluff and watering gardens everywhere!

The Kansas Room is located in the basement of the Hays Public Library and is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and by request.

Lucia Bain is Kansas Room Librarian at the Hays Public Library.

Television, newspapers, magazines and the web are filled with images of starving children – skeleton-like figures crouched like dogs on their haunches while their mothers wail in anguish. Sometimes these pictures from such far-away places as Sudan, Ethiopia or Somalia also include children eating bread, bowls of rice and other staples that may have come from food produced on the fertile land of Kansas farmers and their counterparts across the United States.

The idea for food aid for these hungry people originated 60 years ago in Kansas. Named Food for Peace, this program started as an outgrowth of our country’s foreign-aid policy.

Here’s how it all began. A few years after the conclusion of World War II, the United States implemented plans to help countries devastated by the war. The Marshall Plan in Western Europe became the cornerstone of this newly emerging program.

While some of the funding was used for reconstruction, other monies were  used to help feed starving people left homeless and unemployed by the war. During this same period, the United States enjoyed bumper crops and began stockpiling huge commodity surpluses.

In September 1953, Cheyenne County Farm Bureau – in northwestern Kansas – held a countywide policy development meeting. In that meeting, Peter O’Brien, a young farmer and rancher, suggested that it would make more sense to give aid in the form of food items than in the form of money.

Cheyenne County Farm Bureau drafted a foreign-aid resolution that called for exporting grain to other countries. The northwestern Kansas farm leaders believed that if underdeveloped countries were able to secure food they would become major buyers of U.S. commodities once they became more prosperous.

The Kansas farmers also saw this as a “sure-fire” method to help reduce grain inventories and increase shipments of U.S. agricultural products that could generate more business for American processors, packers, shippers, railroads and ocean vessels.

The county Farm Bureau resolution became a state resolution at the Kansas Farm Bureau annual meeting and later part of the official policy of the American Farm Bureau Federation. In 1954, Kansas Sen. Andy Schoeppel sponsored legislation known as Food for Peace that passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by Kansas’ own native son, President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Since its beginning in Cheyenne County, Kan., Food for Peace has gone through many changes. It remains, however, a key ingredient in our overseas plan to aid countries with food rather than money.

Food for Peace has worked in more than 150 countries and provided food assistance to more than 3 billion people since 1954.

In 2013, Food for Peace provided approximately 1.1 million metric tons of food aid valued at approximately $1.4 billion in 46 countries. It also provided $577.6 million in grants in 29 countries for local and regional purchase of food commodities, food vouchers and cash transfers under the Emergency Food Security Program.

Using food for humanitarian relief programs helps everyone. Without Food for Peace and the output of Kansas producers and their counterparts across the United States, millions of people will continue to go hungry.

It is only fitting we pay tribute to the Farm Bureau leaders in rural northwestern Kansas for planting this fertile seed that has grown to feed people and peace around the world.

John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.

Dear Dave,
My husband has a great job, and I love my work and schedule as a substitute teacher. However, he wants me to take a full-time position so we can build more wealth. The only debt we have is our house, and we’ve already saved and invested a lot of money. What’s your suggestion for this situation?
Marie

Dear Marie,
First and foremost, you two have a responsibility to take care of each other and your own household. It sounds like you’re doing that pretty well. So, if he wants you to take a full-time job only to build more wealth, I think that’s a bad idea.

Wealth is for quality of life, and quality of life includes giving. It also includes a safe and stable future. But if you have to surrender the joy in life to do that — to build extra wealth or build at a different pace — well, to me that’s just wrong. Contentment has nothing to do with how many hours you work or how many zeroes are in your bank account. Contentment has to do with your state of being. It’s connected to your sense of gratitude, happiness and your priorities. The idea that contentment is on the same spectrum as ambition? No, it’s not.

I don’t think you should take on a job or a schedule you hate just to pay off your house a couple of years earlier. I wouldn’t do that, and I don’t recommend you do it either. People should do something with their lives they find enjoyable and they’re called to do. Now, if your kids are going hungry and your bills aren’t getting paid, then you do whatever it takes. But in this case, Marie, you’re happy and you guys are in a great place. I’m sure your husband is a great guy, but I think he’s wrong on this one.
—Dave

Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He has authored five New York Times best-selling books: Financial Peace, More Than Enough, The Total Money Makeover, EntreLeadership and Smart Money Smart Kids. His newest best-seller, Smart Money Smart Kids, was written with his daughter Rachel Cruze, and recently debuted at #1. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 8 million listeners each week on more than 500 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.

If there was a radio version of the “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette” TV show in which contestants compete for your favor, it would probably be a lot like the next few months when candidates for the Kansas House of Representatives ask for your vote.

The candidates are on their best behavior, and try to be as appealing and friendly as possible to convince you that they are the ones you want to send to Topeka to manage your government—and essentially your life in Kansas.

There’s good reason for you to take a hard look at the qualities you want in your representatives. You don’t have to marry them, of course, but you will be wed to them and their ideas for government for at least two years.

So, even though you probably have a real life and responsibilities, it’s time to start thinking about those key questions you’ll want to ask those candidates.

Party affiliation? That’s probably the beginner for the primary election season but even at the primary level, if the candidate is on your doorstep or chatting after the 4th of July parade or wandering the grounds at the county fair, you ought to find out all you can that matters to you about your party’s candidates—and even the other party’s candidate for your decision in November.

Have kids or grandkids or neighborhood kids in school? You probably ought to consider where the candidate is on financing public education. Do you think that the local youngsters are getting a good education—especially those with special needs? You’ll want to hear the candidate’s opinion of your local schools and whether they have enough money to handle the kids, or not enough, or know. Or, if you feel the schools don’t make best use of their finances, does your potential representative have a better idea?

Yes, there will be candidates who know less about public education and how it is financed and managed than you do. “I don’t really know” might be the answer you get, but public education takes more than half of the state’s budget and it’s probably reasonable to find out the candidate’s inclination for financing schools.

If abortion or guns are your hot buttons, of course, get the candidate to be specific. An endorsement by an association is a start, but if those are big issues for you, press a bit to find out whether the candidate leans the right way for you.

Taxes? Nobody except those 190,000 Kansans who don’t pay state income taxes at all because of previous legislative action thinks taxes are too low. But, you gotta also figure that it takes some money to run the state and provide the services you want. So, be cautious about a candidate who just talks about cutting taxes without some sort of link to providing services you specifically want.

There are, of course, local issues that will be important to have a champion for during the Legislature—maybe it is a new off-ramp from the highway or a plan to make sure that your town doesn’t run out of water. If your neighbors are talking about a specific issue, see where the candidate goes with it.

But the real key may be asking that candidate why he/she decided to spend the summer running for election to a job that pays less than $20,000 to winter in Topeka. Is there something here that makes sense to you locally or some grand design that sounds like it was pulled off an Internet website?

This election probably ought to be a workout for voters just as it is for candidates. It’s OK to be picky, and it’s OK to present your issue to the candidate and see whether he/she will represent that issue for you under the dome.

And, the nice thing about this Bachelor/Bachelorette derby is that it could be on radio…because it doesn’t matter how cute they are. Your representative is your voice in the Legislature.

Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.

C’mon people — it’s just 45 words!

We’ll even give you the Twitter version: Freedom of Religion, Speech, Press, Assembly, and Petition.

There, a whole lesson in what it means to be a citizen of the United States — and the answers to some the questions on the actual test that you have to pass to become a citizen.

Perhaps that’s why 29 percent of respondents to the 2014 State of the First Amendment survey, released today, couldn’t name one — they don’t have to. Those of us living in the U.S. enjoy its protection of our core freedoms by virtue of living here.

And while it’s valuable to know what the five freedoms are — once again: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition — it’s even more important to know how we can use them, and how to defend them if someone means to restrict or take away those basic rights away.

Clearly we care about the freedoms — for many years in the annual national survey of adults, conducted since 1997 by the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center, respondents have said by a ratio of about two to one that the First Amendment does not go too far in the rights it guarantees. This year, 57 percent said the amendment has it right, while 38% disagreed. (The remaining 5% refused to respond or didn’t know how they felt).

Of course, those of us in the “First Amendment business” are worried about this year’s 38 percent who said it does go too far. That means about one-third of our fellow citizens would rein in one of our basic freedoms — freedoms which we have preserved essentially intact since 1791.

It appears that the news media and the concept of religious liberty are most at issue:

While just 33 percent of survey respondents said the news media tries to report the news without bias, 80 percent said it’s important for the news media to act as a watchdog on government, and a majority (54 percent) does not favor court orders forcing journalist to reveal their sources.

61% of those responding said that religious-affiliated groups should be required to provide health care benefits to same-sex partners of employees, even if the group opposes same-sex marriages or partnerships, while 54 percent said businesses providing wedding services should be required to serve same-sex couples even if the business owner had religious objections to such marriages. But 66 percent also said that since the Supreme Court has held that corporations, like people, have certain free speech rights, corporations similarly should have certain religious rights.

Those who advocate for fewer limits on student free speech in public schools likely are pleased to see a major uptick in support for student newspapers being able to tackle controversial subjects without prior approval from school authorities. This year, 68 percent said they agree that no approval should be required, while just 27 percent disagreed. In 2001, just 40 percent supported the idea of no approval, while 58 percent said it was needed. Also noteworthy, in 2001, 36 percent strongly opposed students reporting on controversial subject matter without prior OK. This year, only eight percent were strongly opposed.

Similarly, asked if high school students should have the same freedom to exercise their First Amendment rights as do adults, 78 percent said “yes,” while only 19 percent said “no.”

This year’s survey shows that the highest number of respondents could identify “speech” (68 percent) and “religion” (29 percent) as two of the five freedoms — both highest in the history of the survey — but the numbers were the same as in 2013 for “press” (14 percent) and lower for assembly (7 percent) and petition (1 percent) than last year.

This year’s survey demonstrates that more Americans are backing free expression in areas of our society that have not always enjoyed popular support, from students to same-sex couples. And while people may not see journalists today as unbiased, there’s still great endorsement of the role of a free press, from being a “watchdog” to the use of confidential sources in performing that role.

Knowing our freedoms is a good thing. Supporting them, using them and protecting them — and renewing our commitment to those efforts as we celebrate our nation’s independence once again — are even better.

Gene Policinski is chief operating officer of the Washington-based Newseum Institute and senior vice president of its First Amendment Center. [email protected]

There’s no height requirement for exercising your free speech rights.

There’s no figurative “You must be this tall” sign to qualify for First Amendment protection. Nor is there an age requirement.

As our nation prepares to celebrate freedom on the Fourth of July, it’s a good time to remember that even our youngest Americans are citizens as well. Just as government is barred from limiting adults’ free speech, public schools should have very little latitude in limiting the freedom of speech of young people.

That’s why the results of the new State of the First Amendment Survey conducted by the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center are so encouraging.

A full 78 percent of those surveyed said they believe high school students should have the same freedom to exercise their First Amendment rights as adults do.

In addition, 68 percent said public school students should be allowed to report on controversial issues in their student newspapers without the approval of school authorities, up from 40 percent when the question was asked in 2001.

There appears to be a growing recognition that in an era in which digital and social media give everyone the means to instantly communicate views to a global audience, attempts by school administrators to control the expression of young people are archaic and often destructive.

High school students have been disciplined for comments posted about their public high schools on their personal Facebook and social media accounts. Yet no one would ever suggest that adults could be fined or arrested for the sexist and racist comments that proliferate on media comment boards.

There’s similar condescension toward student media by principals who seem to view high school newspapers as an arm of the school administration.

Under the pivotal U.S. Supreme Court decision of Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeir, school administrators do have the authority to censor student newspapers to address legitimate educational needs, but too often that interference is driven by other impulses.

In one recent example, Neshaminy (PA) High School has been embroiled in controversy because the high school administration insists that the students use the word “Redskins,” the nickname of the school’s teams. The student editors refused, saying they believe the word to be a racial slur.

When a student wrote an opinion piece disagreeing with the editors’ policy, the newspaper staff agreed to publish it, but would only run the offending word as “R_______,” just as their professional counterparts do with other racially-charged words.

Astonishingly, that wasn’t good enough for the school administration, which suggested not using the full word violated the complaining student’s First Amendment rights. Really? Does that mean all epithets are fair game? And what about a letter questioning the administration’s competence? Is that also a must-run?

One irony is that the Supreme Court specifically noted that biased or prejudiced content could be censored by a school administration. What happens when a school administration is trying to put the racially insensitive content back in?

The purpose of a student newspaper is to inform a school community and give young people the hands-on experience of publishing the news. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything goes. Student journalists should be held to professional standards of fairness, accuracy and taste, which also means setting standards and applying them, as the students did so admirably in Neshaminy.

I had the opportunity last week to visit with a dedicated group of student newspaper advisors attending the Reynolds High School Journalism Institute at Arizona State University. I asked a number of the advisors about what usually prompted censorship by a school’s administration.

It’s the fear of an angry phone call from a parent, they said. Rather than run the risk of offending anyone, administrators play it safe and suppress potentially controversial content.

The new survey suggests that principals might want to rethink their strategy of avoiding a single complaint. After all, the survey suggests that for every irritated parent, there are tens of thousands of others who believe wholeheartedly in America’s core value of freedom of expression for all. Maybe it’s time for them to pick up the phone.

Ken Paulson is the president of the Newseum Institute’s First Amendment Center and dean of the College of Mass Communication at Middle Tennessee State University.

When combines are making rounds in local fields and trucks are lined up at the elevators, you can be sure that it’s time for meals to be taken to the field.

Whether you’re cooking for a harvest crew or packing food for a picnic or family reunion, you can trust that your carried meal will be safe to eat and enjoy by following a few simple “rules of the road.”

At warm temperatures, food poisoning bacteria can begin to multiply.  During hot summer temperatures, they can multiply very quickly and cause illness. Keeping hot foods hot and cold foods cold will keep your harvest meals safe to eat.

Keep cold foods cold

Keep perishable cold foods such as salads, lunch meats and deviled eggs in a cooler. The cooler should be well-insulated and packed with ice or freezer inserts.

To help the cooler do its job, put it in the passenger section of the car. It’s much cooler than the trunk. Be sure to put it in the shade when you reach your destination.

Other cold tips:
▪ Wash and sanitize a couple of milk jugs; fill with water and freeze. When taken to the field, the ice melts leaving cold drinking water, and the ice helps keep food cold during transport.

▪ Freeze ice in small plastic containers or butter tubs for water jugs and iced tea. These larger pieces of ice don’t melt as quickly.

Keep hot food hot

If you can keep your hot food at 140 degrees or warmer, it should stay safe from harmful bacterial growth. You have a two-hour “window of opportunity” to safely deliver, serve and eat the meal and get the leftovers back into refrigeration. If foods, especially meat and dairy products, have been out for longer than two hours– especially in hot outdoor temperatures– it is best to dispose of them.

Use another insulated food chest or thermos for transporting hot food. A thoroughly cooked casserole will usually stay safe and warm if you insulate it well. If you don’t have a second chest, try several layers of aluminum foil, followed by newspapers and a towel.

Other hot tips:

▪ Prepare a dish in an electric skillet. Unplug it, cover with a towel and it will stay hot while taken to the field.
▪ Try transporting hot, juicy food (that might spill) in your pressure cooker or sealable slow cooker. The rubber seal on these appliances will prevent drips and spills.

More tips for harvest meals

▪ Harvest is not the time to try that exotic new recipe. As you plan menus from old favorites, be sure you have all ingredients on hand.  This eliminates last minute trips to the store.

▪ Cook large batches of basic foods like rice, macaroni and browned hamburger. Use for casseroles, side dishes, simple suppers, etc.  Cool large quantities of food quickly in a shallow layer and use within two to three days, or freeze in meal-size portions to use later.

▪ Be sure your harvest meals include plenty of fruits and vegetables. Juicy chunks of melon, grapes, sliced tomatoes, baby carrots or a marinated vegetable salad will provide a refreshing side dish that tastes great, is high in important vitamins and minerals, and provides fiber to counteract digestive troubles from too many hours in a combine or truck.

▪ Take a thermos or lidded bucket of warm water, a wash rag, soap and a towel. The chance to wash up will be appreciated by those in the field, and will prevent the transfer of dirt, germs or chemicals from dirty hands while eating.  Pop-up hand wipes are also a good alternative.

▪ Keep a box packed with paper plates, silverware, cups, toothpicks, salt & pepper and napkins so these items are always ready to go.

One final reminder: If you’re bringing meals to the harvest hands, be sure you know which field they are in!

Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.

American students, and particularly girls, have “Best Friends Forever.” But not like here in China. Today is graduation day and about 8,000 undergraduate students will assemble in a large new stadium in the South Campus for this massive ceremony. (You can think of Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University as almost two Kansas State Universities combined.)

This massive ceremony is the climax of exactly four years for every one of the students. But they have had their caps and gowns for over a week and everywhere I walked, I saw clusters of students posing in full academic regalia in front of their department building.

“Tong xue” is the Chinese word for classmate. It means much more than “classmate” does in English. Our students spend an average of five-and-a-half years in college, with six out of 10 changing majors at least once. But absolutely every Chinese student spends exactly four years to get their degree.

All four years they live in the same dormitory room—six to a room. The block of about ten rooms (sixty students) are all in the same major, and they live in this block all four years. They travel to their classes as a group, similar to U.S. middle school students. Generally, 60 or 120 students attend each class. Each group of 60 elects one student leader who is in charge of coordinating them. This “class monitor,” for lack of a better name, has heavy responsibilities as a go-between with faculty. If a student is not showing up in class, the teacher calls the class monitor to get the absent student back in class. They select this class leader among their classmates during their first few weeks of compulsory military training before their freshman year begins.

When I taught two entomology clusters in spring of 2012, the provincial government announced an extended weekend vacation (grave-sweeping festival) that canceled Monday classes on short notice. Instead, we would meet the following Saturday. I asked, how will all the students know of this last minute switch? They will know, I was told. Every one of them showed up.

This tight-knit class organization was also useful when, literally on a moment’s notice, they diverted to a new classroom when an overhead PowerPoint projector broke down in the prior class.

Cellphones and messaging is phenomenally cheap in China. Every student has a phone and they use a group messaging system “QQ” to stay continually in touch. But unlike American students who think they are part of a network with their distant friends they rarely see, through Facebook or other media formats, these students live together and eat together and attend class together every day. They are one big family for four years.

The class that begins together and stays together pretty much graduates together. I asked one student if any drop out. In a group of sixty, yes a few will not be in graduation today. Although they passed the gao kao test at the end of high school, and usually with high scores to enter this university (this is a Rank 1 school), a few do not have the “right stuff” to complete college. There are personal emergencies back home. A few have what we would call nervous breakdowns. This school also must take a quota of students from the impoverished areas of Xinjiang, Tibet, Inner Mongolia, etc. These students often have lower scores and have more difficulty.

Failure in classes—when parents and grandparents have sacrificed so much to get their student to college—can generate terrible feelings of shame. A few students drop out and return home to forever live a poor life where their failure is never spoken but everpresent. A few cannot face this and jump from the tallest campus building, although thankfully, this is becoming less common.

Such bad outcomes would be more common, but this 4-year comradery provides a family support for many students. They help each other get through. Thus in four years, these classmates have formed bonds that we rarely see except perhaps in fraternities and sororities, or the dedicated resident hall communities at Harvard, etc.

This graduating class will have classmates that will be special forever. Even though they disperse across China, they will keep in close touch. If they are in businesses that supply each other, the arrangements will be mutually advantageous.

Much more than in the West, classmates in China will be best friends forever.

A solid majority of Americans now support equal treatment for same-sex couples despite religious objections, according to the State of the First Amendment survey released this week by the First Amendment Center.

Sixty-one percent of respondents agree that the government should require religiously affiliated groups that receive government funding to provide health care benefits to same-sex partners of employees — even when the religious group opposes same-sex marriage.

And 54 percent of the public agree that a business providing wedding services to the public should be required to serve same-sex couples, even if the business owner objects to gay marriage on religious grounds.

These findings are consistent with the dramatic rise in public support for gay marriage — 59 percent in a recent ABC News/Washington Post survey (75 percent among those under 30).

What’s somewhat surprising, however, is the strength of that support in the face of religious objections. When the first legal same-sex marriage was performed in Massachusetts ten years ago, conservative religious groups were able to mobilize voters to approve laws and constitutional amendments in many states — including deep blue California — banning gay marriage.

Now the tide has turned — not only in the courts (bans on same-sex marriage in Indiana and Utah were struck down just this week), but also in the court of public opinion.

While gay marriage remains unpopular in some red states, many conservative politicians and religious leaders have toned down the rhetoric as the public continues to migrate toward support for marriage equality.

Early in the debate, religious objectors to same-sex marriage appeared to enjoy broad public support for their efforts to secure religious exceptions to laws prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation. That may no longer be the case.

A defining moment came earlier this year in Arizona when the conservative governor vetoed a bill that would have made it possible for religious business owners to seek an exemption from providing wedding services to same-sex couples.

Lost in the Arizona debate were the nuances of the proposed law: It would only have allowed businesses to make a claim for religious accommodation — but with no guarantee of the outcome.

In the mind of the public, however, the Arizona legislature was attempting to legalize discrimination against gay couples in the name of religious freedom. Rather than be labeled the “no gays allowed” state, the Chamber of Commerce and many Republican leaders joined LGBT rights groups in the successful campaign to persuade the governor to veto the bill.

As the Arizona outcome suggests, discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is fast becoming politically and socially unacceptable. For a growing number of Americans, the movement for marriage equality is all about equal treatment under the law.

Of course, religious groups have a constitutional right to oppose gay marriage and to refuse to perform same-sex weddings. And as long as we uphold the First Amendment, that will continue to be the case.

But when religiously affiliated groups receive tax dollars to deliver social services or when wedding providers open their doors to serve the public, most Americans now believe gay couples should be treated just like everyone else.

In the battle over equal treatment for same-sex couples, it’s all over but the shouting.

Charles C. Haynes is director of the Religious Freedom Center of the Washington-based Newseum Institute. [email protected]

It’s been a while since you heard from me, but I haven’t fallen off the earth just yet! I’m just like each of you — extremely busy with everything under the sun.

I have a couple of quick updates and notes for you. First off, please join me in welcoming Jenette Lewis to our Chamber family. Jenette is the new manager at the Ellis Days Inn. Stop in, say hi and welcome her to the gang. Jenette is currently seeking great people to fill some housekeeping jobs, so if you know someone that would like some extra cash and a great job, send them Jenette’s way!

Next, a huge thank you goes out to the Prayer & Action Mission Teams that have been working very hard in the Ellis community. We appreciate everything that you have done while here, and I hope each and every member of the teams knows that they are making a difference each day in someone’s life and, again, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

This Friday at 7 p.m., the Ellis Baptist Church will be showing the movie, “God’s Not Dead.” Make plans to come and enjoy a great show in downtown Ellis!

July 1 is the official opening day for Big Creek Floral & Gifts. I’m so excited, I can hardly wait. Come to Ellis to welcome Jim and his new business and while you’re here, make a day of it. Visit the museums, eat lunch at one of our tasty restaurant options, and have a great time in Ellis.

Well, I said it would be quick, so I guess that’s it for now. Off to the next item on the list of things to do!

Have a great day everyone!

By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development

LUCAS — Have you ever visited a community that is flushed with pride – and I mean that literally?  Today we’ll learn about a rural community which is a center of grassroots art. The community’s latest project involves, well, a toilet.

As we learned last week, Rosslyn Schultz is the director of the Grassroots Art Center in Lucas, Kansas. The center features distinctive and unique works of art, usually created by retirees with no formal artistic training. These quirky works of art annually attract thousands of people from all across the nation and beyond.

One visitor said, “I could see these foil-lined walls with recycled sculptures in New York or California, but not in the middle of Kansas.”

With all those visitors, something was needed: Public restroom facilities. While working on a grant, the community held a public meeting at which public restrooms were identified as a top priority.

But in keeping with Lucas’s role in grassroots art, people also said, “It can’t be a normal restroom. It’s got to be quirky.”

That led to plans for what has now been described as the world’s most artsy public toilet.  With help from a creative architect, several years of work from lead artists Mri-Pilar and Eric Abraham, and thousands of volunteer hours spearheaded by the Grassroots Art Center, Lucas hosted a grand opening celebration of its new public restroom on June 2, 2012. What is the new restroom like? Well, it’s quirky.

The restroom is set in what is called the Bowl Plaza which is shaped like a giant toilet with an oval shape sunk into the ground so that people can sit on the edge. A six-foot porcelain artistic creation shows swirling water with items individuals have accidentally dropped into toilets. The 14-foot mosaic “lid” is always up. Inside the giant “tank” are sanitary facilities for men and women. A mock concrete giant toilet paper roll sits nearby and unfurls into the sidewalk. There’s a giant hubcap handle created by Bob Mix, Great Bend grassroots artist. Maybe you can jiggle it to stop the imaginary water running.

The entire facility is a monument to mosaic grassroots art. Murals made with recycled materials are incorporated throughout the bowl plaza. The ladies’ room is highlighted by a woman’s tresses cascading on the walls, decorated with a refined feminine mosaic motif. The men’s room is decorated with miniature cars, trucks, tractors, fishing, toys, game pieces, and more.

The fun didn’t stop there. For the grand opening, and as a way to help defray the costs, the group auctioned off the opportunity to be the first person to flush the new toilet. The winning bid was $430, and that person got the honor of the first official flush. In fact, the top bidders were treated like royalty – literally.

“We crowned `em,” Rosslyn said. Paper crowns and flowing capes were given to the top bidders who walked to the bowl plaza in a formal procession. Of course, that makes this activity a, um, royal flush.

“It was kind of like a military wedding where the bride and groom walk under a line of drawn sabers,” Rosslyn said. “Only we were holding up plungers and toilet bowl brushes,” she said with a smile.

As was hoped, all this fun generated lots of attention. The guest register at the Bowl Plaza shows that visitors have come to this art attraction from 50 states and 47 countries — very impressive for a community of 427 people. Now, that’s rural.

For more information, go to www.grassrootsart.net.

Have you ever seen a community flushed with pride? Lucas, Kansas should be proud of its role as a grassroots art center. We salute Rosslyn Schultz and the people of Lucas for making a difference with offbeat creativity and fun, even in providing a public restroom.  Some comments left by visitors are:  “Bowled me over,” “Going in style,” and “Super duper pooper!”

And there’s more. One artist in Lucas has made a big success out of tiny things. We’ll learn about that in the conclusion of our three-part series next week.