Martha Becker, seated in chair, reads to Georgia the dog, along with her daughters Lanie, 11, left and Bella, 4, right, on Thursday afternoon at the Humane Society of the High Plains.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
A family of three reads to a dog Thursday at the humane society as part of jointly sponsored program by the humane society and the Hays Public Library.
More than 100 kids and adults sat next to dog cages and curled up with cats Thursday at the Humane Society of the High Plains to read to animals.
Officials from the Humane Society and the Hays Public Library, which co-sponsored the event, said they thought the reading program benefited both the animals and the children.
Sara Schoenthaler, HPL early literacy librarian, said reading out loud helps build literacy skills.
“I think one of the big benefits is reading aloud and working on verbal language in a way that isn’t intimidating or frightening to the kids, because it can be scary when you are asked to read in front of the class and you are not good at reading,” Schoenthaler said. “This is a way students can read to animals. Maybe they can start doing it more. They can start coming out here more and really work on their verbal skills.”
A girl pets a cat as she reads her book Thursday at the humane society. The program was meant to give kids more confidence reading aloud.
Schoenthaler said the library was very impressed with the turnout. The library provided books for the event, although some children brought their own books. Youth of all ages from preschool to teens participated.
Betty Hansen, shelter manager, said shelter workers have found the animals seem to be more calm when people sit in front of their cages and talk to them.
“It would give the kids the reading and the dogs the company,” Hansen said of the project.
“The animals seem to love it,” she added.
Even though the shelter was swamped with many more people than it expected for the event, Hansen said she thought the dogs seemed to be more calm as the children read to them.
Hansen said the event also helps promote the humane society and its mission of encouraging responsible pet ownership and adoption.
A girl reads to two puppies at the humane society. The puppies fell asleep as she read to them.
Both Schoenthaler and Hansen said they were interested in repeating the reading program. However, in the future the program would likely require registration, so the shelter is not inundated with so many people all at once.
Kori Poe, 9, Hays holds a cat during a reading event Thursday at the humane society.
Artist Jason Lamb works on a landscape mural on the west wall of Professor’s, 521 E. 11th St.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
After a long spring spent prepping the west wall of Professor’s, a landscape is slowly starting to emerge.
Artist Jason Lamb volunteered to paint an exterior mural on the length on the Professor’s Classic Sandwich Shop & More building at 521 E. 11th in Hays.
Lamb, who moved to Hays less than a year ago and lives across the street from Professor’s, has little formal training as an artist.
His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all painters, and his father made a living as a house painter, a trade his dad passed on to Jason.
“I kind of have paint in my blood,” Lamb said.
Lamb modified paint brushes and mounted them on extension poles for this painting.
Lamb, 43, has dabbled in various media, including oil, watercolor, graphite and sculpture. He also tattooed professionally for eight years before moving to Hays.
“My favorite work to do, where it is not so technical, which is most free to work on is impressionistic,” he said. “I love to paint impressionistically … kind of like my own take on Van Gogh. I love Van Gogh, and I love Monet.”
Although he enjoys using nature as as a theme in his impressionistic work, he also creates works of fantasy, which tend to have a more realistic style.
He has painted interior murals before, but nothing as large as the Professor’s project.
The painting is going to be a impressionistic landscape with sunflowers, trees, dragonflies, butterflies and, of course, bees and mushrooms.
The painting is going to be a impressionistic landscape with sunflowers, trees, dragonflies, butterflies, and of course bees and mushrooms as a nod to Professor’s, which sells honey and mushrooms that are grown in the building’s basement.
As light changes throughout the day, the mural will appear differently. Lamb said he intends to use metallic paints, which should pop more during the afternoon in full sun.
“My goal with this painting is to have it readable at a distance, so when you look at it from far away you get a general feel of the colors and intensity. As you get closer, more surprises appear,” he said, “So there are little treats the closer you get to the piece of art. People who stop and come see it closely will be able to see things they couldn’t see from far away.”
Lamb said as the mural has taken shape he periodically steps back to appraise his work from different angles.
“This is the first mural where I was given the freedom to do whatever I imagine,” he said. “Amy (Jensen) was very open for me to create a true piece of art out of my ideas, out of my soul. Most murals before this have been commissioned illustrations that I have brought to life that was someone else’s idea.”
He said one the most significant challenges of this project thus far has been the amount of paint required. The exterior wall Lamb is working with is made of a weathered wood. He said he spent a significant amount of time prepping and sealing the wall before he starting painting the image.
The heat is another factor. Lamb primarily works on the mural in the mornings when it is cooler.
Lamb is nearing completion on the background. He said he will start working on the foreground next. He anticipates the mural will be completed in late October. He said he will likely have hundreds of hours in the painting before it is completed.
“Patience — I have to just be patient with myself, because I really don’t like my art until the last couple of days really that I work on it,” he said.
Lamb will be finishing the mural with a UV protectant and anticipates the colors will remain vibrant for up to 10 years.
The mural is only about 25 percent complete. Lamb anticipates it will be complete by the end of October.
“My goal for any art is that people for just a tiny moment in their life to be removed from the normal day-to-day problems they have and escape and feel a sense of happiness and joy and beauty,” he said. “If I can get someone just running by or someone driving by … if for just one second they’re happier and they experience artistic beauty in a way I can express it, then my goal has been met.”
Amy Jensen, Professor’s owner, said she hopes the mural will beautify the neighborhood.
“And maybe people will come just to see it,” she said.
Lamb said his next project will be designing his own set of tarot cards in pencil and watercolors. He is self-employed, reads tarot and sells toys at toy shows in addition to his art.
Lamb takes commissions and is interested in doing more murals. You can reach him at 303-532-7068 or by email at [email protected].
Although Lamb has painted murals before, this will be his largest painting to date.
The restoration on the Saint Joseph Catholic Church Steeple in Liebenthal is nearing completion.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Andy Littrel, project foreman, with one of four copper crosses that he reconstructed by hand for the Saint Joseph steeple.
LIEBENTHAL — The new copper glinted in the summer, prairie sun as four handcrafted copper crosses were placed Thursday on the base of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church steeple in Liebenthal.
The cross installation was one of the final projects on a two-month restoration by Roofmasters Roofing and Sheet Metal of the church’s steeple, which reaches 167 feet at the tip of its spire.
“They are all very excited about it and proud that we have managed to do this … to accomplish this … to take the bull by the horns and to get the job done to last and stay pretty true to the original construction,” Judy Hoffman, Saint Joseph church secretary said of the parishioners.
Saint Joseph was established by Volga Germans in 1876, and the current church building was was dedicated on May 28, 1905. Although the steeple has had repairs many times over the years, it has not had a major renovation for 55 years.
The steeple was damaged over time by Kansas wind, rain and hail. In March 2018, the steeple sustained significant storm damage, and the parish immediately began fundraising for a major overhaul. The church estimates the cost of the project will be about $100,000, and only a fraction of the repair cost will be covered by insurance.
The church has raised about $50,000 toward the repairs, and the rest will come from its emergency fund. The church continues to raise funds for the project. Some donations have come from passersby who have admired the work being done on the historic church this summer, many in small amounts of $50 or $100.
But Hoffman said every dollar has been important to the small congregation of only 50 families. The church has had a Mass said for the donors and they continue to keep them in prayers, she said.
New copper has been installed on the exterior of the steeple, the wood gables were replaced, and extensive work was done to the framework of the steeple. The project required three pallets of 20 ounce copper sheeting.
The old copper that was removed from the steeple was recycled.
Four new copper crosses were installed at the base of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church steeple on Thursday.
Andy Littrel, project foreman, said the steeple, with its new cooper, can be seen from up to 6 miles away.
Hoffman said Roofmasters has done excellent work on the project.
“You can see it from a distance,” she said of the steeple. “If you are approaching from an angle where the sun is bouncing off of it, my gosh, it is just so stunning. It just makes you proud that you were able to do that … to dare to do that.”
Littrel handmade the new copper crosses for the steeple. Each cross is almost 5 feet tall.
“Well what I did was take one of the old crosses back to my shop and copied it piece by piece,” he said.
The old crosses had received a lot of hail damage and had big dents in them. Each cross took a full day of work to complete.
Workers from Roofmasters have spent two months making repairs to the steeple at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Liebenthal. The steeple is 167 feet at the top of it spire.
The new crosses are being secured with copper braces, so they will not move so much in the Kansas wind.
One of the old crosses is being displayed in the entryway of the church. The church has considered auctioning one or two of the remaining old crosses to raise money for the repairs. Church officials have also considered dismantling one of the crosses and selling the pieces also as a fundraiser.
Littrel will make a lid for an existing hatch for the steeple, and the crew will be adding lightening protection, and then project will be complete. Littrel said he hopes the church will get another 50 years out of the renovation.
“It is stronger now. All of these gable ends are rebuilt. They are stronger than they ever were to begin with,” he said. “The copper is heavier than the original steeple was. The design is a little bit different, but it’s solid. It should be able to take a lot of wind and a lot of punishment. It should be able to last for a long time.”
The church hopes to have a celebration to honor the completion of the steeple project. No date has yet been set, but it likely be scheduled for this fall.
“It is inspiring when you top the hill and you can see Liebenthal by the church steeple,” Hoffman said. “That’s our landmark, as far as I’m concerned. And I know a lot of people when they see that, they know they are almost home.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the steeple project can do so directly through the church’s website. Go to rushcountycatholicchurches.com and click on the St. Joseph Parish Giving icon. Donors can also send checks to 202 Main St., Lienbenthal, KS 67553.
Arial photos courtesy of Joshua Hunter/Roofmasters
Officer Ryan Blecha hands out chips to hungry swimmers at the Hays Aquatic Park during Thursday’s HPD Community Night Out.
BY BECKY KISER Hays Post
As usual, Hays police officer Ryan Blecha was on duty Thursday evening, but this shift did not require a patrol vehicle or even the official uniform.
This duty called for wearing shorts and a special T-shirt as Blecha manned the chip station in the food line for the Hays Police Department’s “Community Night Out” at the Hays Aquatic Park (HAP).
“He’s very important,” laughed Mackenzie Blecha, Ryan’s wife.
Mackenzie and Gentry Blecha
Mackenzie and daughter Gentry, 18 months, were some of the Hays police officers’ family members enjoying the fourth annual event. It included free swimming for everyone and a hot dog or hamburger meal for the first 1,000 people.
Gentry loves swimming, according to Mackenzie. “She’s been a water bug since she was six months old. She just goes and goes and goes, doesn’t care how cold it is.”
The Blecha family goes swimming together every couple of weekends when Ryan is off, but this weekday was a special experience.
“I think it’s important for us to show up also because we’re not only supporting him but were supporting the community and supporting the pool.
“I think it’s good for these guys to be out here and show their softer side,” Mackenzie said with a smile. “They get to communicate with everybody in an informal way.”
No waiting in line for Gentry as her dad hands her chips.
Ryan Blecha has been on the Hays police force for two and half years. “We moved here in March 2017 and then found out two weeks later we were having Gentry,” Mackenzie laughed again. “It’s in the Hays water,” she quipped.
Ryan is originally from Norton and Mackenzie is from Hoxie. She’s a dental assistant at Lifetime Dental Care. Mackenzie will be back at the pool Tuesday at 1 p.m. with her Lifetime Dental team. “We’re going to hand out Popsicles to all the kids just for a little fun summer freebie.”
Prior to joining HPD, Ryan served five years in the Marine Corps as a military police officer.
Mackenzie says the Marine Corps prepped her for the sleepless nights that come with being the wife of a law enforcement official.
“We did a seven month deployment so this was just kind of cake after that.
“Night shift is just a little bit harder. That’s another reason we’re down here today because we want to get every ounce of him that we can. He will start back on night shift in September so we’ll be missing him a little bit. It’ll be more of the single parent life.”
Hays police officers rotate between day and night shifts every four months.
City commissioners Eber Phelps and Shaun Musil
Several city officials also enjoyed Community Night Out, including city commissioners Eber Phelps, Ron Mellick and vice-mayor Shaun Musil.
Phelps joked he was glad the event had not been scheduled for Wednesday when the high temperature in Hays was 107 degrees. Thursday’s high was 92 degrees.
Attendees also got to check out a HPD patrol cars, the SSRT (Special Situation Response Team) van and some of the gear used by the police.
“Community Night Out” is sponsored by the city of Hays, Walmart, Hays Recreation Commission, Pepsi of Hays, Heartland Building Center, Fraternal Order of Police Hays Lodge 48, Phaze 2 and Nex-Tech.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office on Friday morning announced search crews have recovered a body from Lake Wilson believed to be the man reported missing earlier this week.
Engel Rosario was reported missing just before 5 p.m. Tuesday at Lake Wilson. Rosario had been kayaking at the lake with companions. His kayak was found overturned Tuesday.
The sheriff’s office said positive identification is pending an autopsy, noting the investigation remains ongoing.
“I would like to thank all individuals from all agencies involved for their hard work,” the sheriff said in a social media update.
According to Rosario’s own social media postings, he hailed from the Dominican Republic and played baseball at Bethany College. He had recently started a job at Pfizer and also had just married in May.
Check Hays Post for more as details become available.
Ayva Silva, 9, of Hays slowly climbed to the top of a ladder holding a styrofoam cup wrapped in multiple layers of blue and black tape and toilet paper. Inside, buried in a nest of mini marshmallows, was a single raw egg.
When she reached the top of the 6-foot ladder, she raised her arm and dropped the cargo. It hit the floor with a thud.
Elizabeth Quakenbush,12, of Gorham drops her egg vessel from a six-foot ladder at the Hays Public Library as Sarah Doyle, young adult coordinator holds the ladder.
After about 15 minutes of ripping tape and cutting away the padding, Silva reached into the innards of her vessel and triumphantly produced her intact egg.
About a dozen teens attempted the alien egg drop challenge at the Hays Public Library on Tuesday afternoon. This summer’s reading program theme is space, so the kids were given markers and googly eyes to decorate their “alien eggs.”
Some of the kids were not as lucky as Ayva. They peeled away the layers of their vessels and were greeted with the gooey messes of broken eggs.
The event is one of many that have been part of the summer young adult program at the library.
Sarah Doyle, young adult coordinator, said the library offers STEM activities like the egg drop challenge, as well as arts and crafts, games, and movies. The young adult department is also trying to introduce more life skills activities into the programming, such as cooking classes.
“This is definitely a STEM program,” she said of the egg drop. “We are looking at doing some critical thinking, figuring out works best and following scientific procedure just to see what they can come up with in their creative minds to keep the egg from breaking when it hits the ground.”
The children used cardboard, fabric, styrofoam cups, cotton balls, marshmallows, tape, straws and other items to create their egg carriers.
“We like to experiment with different things, whether it is usual or not, give them some ideas and let them run with it,” Doyle said.
The young adult program is usually geared toward youth 12 to 18. However, if there are enough materials available, the library allows preteens to join the group as Doyle did on Tuesday.
Blake Fabin, 12, of Phillipsburg said his favorite program this summer was a visit from the FHSU Maker Van during which the kids made bridges.
Mylissa Molnar, 13, of Hays said she comes to the library almost daily to participate in the youth programs. Her egg vessel included a cage made out of plastic straws, a paper bowl and a bed of cotton balls.
Once school starts, the young adult programs will be daily at 3:45 p.m. Mondays through Fridays on the second floor of the library. Most programs last an hour with the exception of movies and game nights, which will go longer. The activities are free.
Ayva Silva, 9, of Hays opens her egg vessel Tuesday at HPL during the egg drop challenge.From left Lucas Miller, 12, of Hays, and Mylissa Molnar, 13, also of Hays work on their egg drop challenge vessels Tuesday at HPL.
The event will be 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in downtown Hays.
Barrels and Bites is replacing Wines and Steins. This year the event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits.
The event is replacing Wines and Steins. This year, the event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits.
“Wines and Steins has been going on for almost a decade, and if DHDC is known for anything, it is known for change and new things, so we have decided we’re going to say goodbye to Wines and Steins and create a completely new event called Barrels and Bites,” Sara Bloom, DHDC director, said.
DHDC also sponsors Brews on the Bricks, a beer festival. People had approached DHDC about having a wine festival. DHDC was also approached by a local distillery about offering its products at a downtown event.
There still will be a stroll of downtown businesses, but DHDC is limiting that stroll to 12 businesses. Inside each business, event goers will have several choices of drinks. Each business will feature either a winery or distillery. This will include whiskies, bourbons and vodkas.
“We will have wineries and distilleries that will be coming to Hays, and they will be pouring their products and talking about their products and giving tastings of their products and telling you about their process,” Bloom said.
She added, “We are really excited to be featuring some of those local and regional wineries and distilleries because, just like craft beer, vineyards and distilleries are popping up and becoming more popular. We are excited to explore that world as well.”
Bloom said event goers will enjoy wonderful hors d’oeuvres as part of the event.
“Everything from salmon and pork sliders, a charcuterie table … bacon-wrapped chicken, crab rangoon pizza, meatballs and cheeseballs,” Bloom said.
Desserts will be served after the stroll at an after party from 9 to 11 p.m., weather permitting, at the Downtown Pavilion. Some of the items on that menu will include, cookies, brownies, truffles and a chocolate fountain.
The after party will host live and silent auctions. With every auction item purchased, you will take home an additional dessert item.
Some of the auction items include tickets to the FHSU Encore series, autographed memorabilia from Nathan Shepherd, art pieces, all-season FHSU sport passes, and dinner and vacation packages.
All proceeds from the event benefit DHDC. Barrels and Bites is one of only two fundraisers for the organization, with the other being Brews on the Bricks.
Only 300 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $65 each, $70 for individual tickets online and $450 for a table of eight or $460 for a table of eight online.
“It is always really exciting for us to host an inaugural event such as this,” Bloom said. “We hope the community can get excited along with us. We want to continue to thank the community for their support of downtown Hays and our organization Downtown Hays Development Corporation. Through these events we’re able to continue to be able to follow our mission, which is to be able to bring awareness of downtown Hays and continue to develop and revitalize it, so thank you all for your support.”
Macie Price, a Cervs employee, rings up Snoballs and beverages for a family at the Vine Street Cervs. Cervs will celebrate its 25th anniversary Aug. 16 to 18.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The first Cervs at 27 and Vine streets in Hays when it opened in 1994. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
From a single gas station to an independently owned chain of convenience stores that is beloved for its Popt Popcorn and Snoballs, Cervs has been a Hays staple for 25 years.
The business began in 1994 when Verlin and Elaine Pfannenstiel opened their first location at 27th and Vine in Hays. They bought what was then a gas and service station from the Brown family.
The family developed the name Cervs by combining a letter from each member in the family.
That first store had a single Snoball machine with two flavors. The Snoball did not originate at Cervs. They started at the Stop and Shops, which was another area convenience store chain.
During the school year, you can go into Cervs after school gets out, and there is a line at the Snoball machines. But it’s not just kids, adults seem to love the syrupy, icy drinks too.
Owner Russ Pfannenstiel, 50, said it seems to be a phenomenon unique to this part of the state.
Verlin and Elaine sold the business to their son, Russ, in 1999. Russ graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1991 with a business degree. He worked at a lumberyard in Russell for eight years before moving back to Hays to run the family business.
Russ expanded the business to three locations in Hays, including Hall Street in 2002 and Main Street in 2007.
At left, you can see the original Cervs Snowball machine. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
In 2008, two more stores were added to the Cervs family, including a store in Hoisington in June 2008 and a store in Great Bend in July 2008.
The company started making flavored Popt! popcorn out its Main Street store in 2014. That business, run by Russ’ wife, Bonnie, eventually moved to a stand-alone location on 27th Street. The Popt! retail store also sells candy, homemade fudge and assorted bottled sodas.
Cervs is also known for its handmade bierocks. You can get the traditional beef in the afternoon along with taco or ham and cheese and breakfast bierocks in the morning, including bacon, egg and cheese or sausage, egg and cheese.
Russ Pfannenstiel is self-admittedly a guy who does not like to be in the limelight. He seldom does interviews and he would prefer someone else to cut his commercials for the stores.
In an industry that used to be dominated by independently owned gas and service stations, Cervs is today a rare example of an independently owned and operated business in a chain-dominated industry.
“I think the single mom-and-pops are becoming harder to operate — keeping up with the fuel and keeping up with the investment in it,” Russ said.
He said he thought the support of the community has been important in the success of the business.
The Snowball machines at the Cervs at Vine and 27 streets in Hays.
“I have been surrounded by some great people,” he said. “I have had some fantastic employees, and we’ve had the support of community in western Kansas.”
Cervs employs 50 to 55 employees across all five locations.
Pfannenstiel, as do most employers in Hays’ tight market, sometimes struggles to find employees. However, he said he has employees who have been with him for some time. He often hires students and said he finds it rewarding to see those young men and women graduate and move on to jobs in their fields.
Why do people like working at Cervs? Pfannenstiel jokes, “You get free Snoballs.”
“It is clean. It is well lit,” he said. “We try to make it a fun place to work.”
Three employees at the Great Bend store came to work for Pfannestiel when he purchased those operations 11 years ago, and they are still with the business. Pfannenstiel said having dependable, long-term employees has made branching out into Great Bend and Hoisington easier.
Pfannenstiel continues to update and look for new product lines that will bring customers into the store. Five years ago, the Cervs at 27th and Vine was renovated and yogurt machines were added. Two years ago, the Hall and Main Street stores were renovated, the Great Bend store was renovated this spring.
“It is fun going through the remodel process and seeing the finished process,” he said, “and getting customers’ feedback and seeing what they would like to see different and incorporating it into the store and the layout.”
The beverage area a the original Cervs. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
The business also recently made the transition from Conoco branding to Phillips 66. Both brands are owned by the same company, and the parent company preferred to brand its gas stations as Phillips 66 from Kansas City to Denver, Russ said.
Russ said he continues to enjoy the challenge of running Cervs despite its demands.
“Every day is different,” he said. “There is not the same thing. You have a different challenge every day. The people are fun to work with, not only the employees, but the customers and the vendors you work with. It is never the same thing from day to day.”
Russ said Cervs is a fun business, but it is a constant learning process. His hopes for the future …
“To keep it going, keep it a fun place, always coming up with the next new and unique item to bring into the store and be open to any additional possibilities that are out there and being in a position to act upon them,” he said.
His advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting out is this, “You live and breathe it. It is on your mind 24 hours, seven days a week. It is not an 8 to 5 job. It is an extension of you and your family.”
Cervs will have a 25th anniversary celebration Friday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Aug. 18. During the event, Cervs will be collecting food for the Community Assistance Center in Hays and the Community Food Bank of Barton County. Bring in two or more canned goods and you can be entered to win Royals tickets with a parking pass and a year’s supply of Snoballs. Additional giveaways will include concert tickets, bicycles, coolers and other items.
The anniversary event will also include 10 cent 16 ounce coffee Aug. 16 and Aug. 18, a Snoball drinking contest at the Vine and Great Bend locations on Aug. 16 and 25 cent 20 ounce Snoballs on Aug. 17.
A Hays couple and the employees of a state office building have been honored with the 2019 Water$mart Landscape Award by the city of Hays.
Since 2016, one residential and one commercial property have been chosen for the recognition.
The goal of the award program is to increase awareness of the importance of water conservation in the landscape and to recognize those in the community who have made great strides towards that effort.
Holly Dickman, water conservation specialist, introduced the winners and showed pictures of their landscaping during Thursday’s Hays city commission meeting.
The Trapp front yard
Winners of the residential award are Theresa and Patrick Trapp.
Their yard on Holmes Road “exemplifies what it means to be water smart,” said Dickman.
The entire yard is landscape plantings of drought-tolerant perennials, including lavender and hens and chicks. They use mulch and and compost from the free sites maintained by the city.
“There’s no turf grass, just a little bit of buffalo grass here and there.”
The front yard is designed to keep as much rainfall as possible on the property without runoff. The couple also uses three rain barrels to capture rain for watering the plants.
The Trapp backyard is a Certified Wildlife Habitat.
The Trapp back yard is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat – a designation by the National Wildlife Federation – which provides water and shelter for animals raising their young.
The commercial award winner is the Kansas Department of Children and Families on East 22nd Street, represented by their director Armando Orozco.
Organic mulch surrounds the plantings, which include ornamental grasses and shrubs along with drought-tolerant perennials, including catmint and Rose of Sharon.
“Even the islands in the parking lot have organic wood-type mulch with plantings,” Dickman pointed out.
The parking lot is also part of the water-conserving design.
“It completely drains into a buffalo grass low spot. The rain is all going into that nice deep-rooted buffalo grass which is what we like to see. It’s not escaping the property.”
The Trapp backyard view from the alley.
“A watersmart landscape is more than just watering those plants correctly,” she explained.
“It’s a combination of several different gardening practices that together create a beautiful, water conserving landscape.”
Those practices include planning and design, soil preparation, right plants in the right places, practical turf areas, efficient irrigation, proper mulch and proper maintenance.
The DCF building in Hays is landscaped with organic mulch and drought-tolerating plants.Rain runs off the DCF parking lot into a lot spot planted with buffalo grass.Holly Dickman, Hays water conservation specialist, takes a picture of residential Water$mart Landscape winners Theresa and Patrick Trapp with Mayor Shaun Musil.Hays DCF director Armando Orozco poses with the commercial Water$mart Landscape Award and Mayor Shaun Musil.
(Editor’s note: Theresa Trapp is an employee of Eagle Communications, the parent company of Hays Post.)
Cindy Lightle, right, references something in a cookbook as Judy Zerr-Schalberger serves herself a plate during the July meeting of the Hays Public Library Cookbook Club.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
If you happen into the Hays Public Library during a meeting of one of their new clubs, you will not be greeted by the hush that is typical of a library.
Instead you will hear ooh’s and ahh’s, mmm’s and happy munching sounds — and a group of ladies exploring new culinary creations through a Cookbook Club.
The group meets on the third Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. The group is in its first year at HPL.
From far left to right, pull apart buttermilk biscuits, dump and done ramen salad, Thai noodles and scalloped potatoes with ham and bacon made from recipes in “Cravings: Recipes for All the Foods You Want to Eat” by Chrissy Teigen and Adeena Sussman.
There is no cost to attend, but you need to bring a dish made from a recipe from the cookbook selection of the month.
The morning I visited, the group was enjoying dishes from the “Cravings: Recipes for All the Foods You Want to Eat” by Chrissy Teigen and Adeena Sussman.
“I just pick and choose whatever I see coming through the shelves,” said Abby Artz, adult services program coordinator and sponsor for the group.
She said she looked for cookbooks with simple recipes with familiar ingredients.
“Most of the ones I have chosen are not easy to make, they still kind of challenge us a little bit, but it is genuinely something we would enjoy eating, not something outlandish and crazy.”
Cindy Lightle, Cookbook Club member, says she likes to follow the recipes exactly. She says it helps her learn new cooking techniques.
Some of the other cookbooks the group has tried include “Genius Kitchen;” “Heartlandia” by Adam Sappington, Ashley Gartland, and Jackie Sappington; “Sweet and Simple: Desserts for Two” by Christina Lane; “Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables” by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg; and “Smitten Kitchen” by Deb Perelman.
Cindy Lightle, club member, said the ways the members choose the recipes differ. Some choose recipes they think will be easy. Others said they looked for recipes with ingredients they thought they could find in Hays.
Lightle started with desserts and now she has moved on to biscuit variations. Yet others have literally opened the cookbooks to a random page, pointed to a recipe and said,”I am going to make that.”
“I like following the recipe,” Lightle said. “We said from the start, ‘Follow the recipe.’ Even though there are a lot of good cooks in this group, even though you know you would make it a different way, follow the recipe and maybe you learn a different way to make it. Then we will talk about why we shouldn’t do it that way again or why we should.”
Judy Zerr-Schalberger, who once worked in a school kitchen, said she is a little more free-wheeling with her recipes. For her Dump and Done Ramen Salad from the latest cookbook selection, she used her entire bag of broccoli slaw.
“What was I going to do with 4 ounces of broccoli slaw?” she said.
Zerr-Schalberger said she has had to adjust to cooking for just herself. She said she has learned to cut down recipes and freeze.
Although the ladies try to make different dishes, Lightle happened to make the same salad, so they compared how the two recipes tasted with the two cook’s slight variations.
The women use the club as an opportunity to share their tips and tricks.
Fellow club member Linda Beech suggested Lightle use a food processor to cut in her butter for her biscuits, and Lightle said it worked.
One recipe for devil eggs suggested boiling the eggs and then letting the egg whites soak in lemon water for two to 24 hours in the refrigerator before preparing. Zerr-Schalberger brings her water to a boil, adds the eggs, shuts off the heat, lets the eggs sit in the hot water for 15 minutes and then takes the eggs off the heat and runs cold water over them until they are cool to the touch. She said said the eggs shells crack cleanly in half almost every time.
Ruth Deines said she joined the group because, “I love to cook, and I like to eat too.”
She said she is picking up on recipes she can’t eat anywhere else in Hays, like the Thai noodle dish that she made for July’s club meeting.
Ruth Deines, Cookbook Club member, said she has discovered recipes through the club that she and her husband are now enjoying regularly.
Deines said she has continued to make the smashed chickpea salad with turkey meatballs she learned from a cookbook the group tried. She said her husband loves it.
Artz said, “It helps you learn what not to make and broadens your range when you are cooking for yourself.”
The group is trying to grow its membership and is open to meeting at a different time, including an evening. If you are interested in the group or would like to see the group meet on an alternative day or time, contact the library’s adult department at 785-625-9014.
The group’s next cookbook will be “Delish, Eat Like Everyday’s the Weekend” by Joanna Saltz and the editors of Delish. You can checkout a copy at HPL. Ask the front desk. The Cookbook Club’s next meeting is 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, in the Schmidt Gallery.
On Aug. 1, the Hays Police Department will host the fourth annual Community Night Out from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Hays Aquatic Park as a way to show thanks to the community for their support of the department.
“We have always stressed community involvement,” said HPD Chief Don Scheibler. “It’ an opportunity for us to say thank you and an opportunity to interact with the community in a positive way.”
During the event, the department will provide hot dogs and hamburgers for the first 1,000 attendees.
Scheibler said between 800 to 1,400 people have attended previous events, which allow the community to have fun with the officers and engage with them in an informal setting.
“It gives the opportunity to see the police officers, not as guys in uniform who are enforcing the law and writing tickets, but to see officers down there in T-shirts and swimsuits,” he said.
Deputy Chief of Police Brian Dawson agreed it is important for the community to engage with officers in a positive way.
The event allows the HPD “to give thanks to the community that supports us and give them an event where they can come down and feel appreciated and have a good time,” he said. “We have a great community that gives us a lot of support throughout the year and it’s one way to give back to them or appreciate them or recognize them for that.”
Having a good relationship with the community helps the department to serve that community, Scheibler said.
“The officers take care of the community and in our time of need the community will take care of us,” he said. “That kind of mentality, trying to be involved in all different levels has always been a priority of the Hays Police Department.”
The event is sponsored by the City of Hays, Walmart, Hays Recreation Commission, Pepsi, Heartland Building Center, Fraternal Order of Police Hays Lodge 48, Phaze 2 and Nex-Tech.
“We have numerous community partners,” Scheibler said, noting that the department is approached by local businesses and community organizations each year to continue hosting the event.
“I’m really appreciative of the of the city commission and the city manager’s office for supporting us in this venture and recognizing the importance of community police and the relationship between our citizens and the police department,” he said.
The department also funds a portion of the event.
“The community really comes together to help us do this, but there are some expenses that we pay for out of our budget,” Scheibler said.
The Community Night Out is a part of a number of community events hosted by the department through the year, including Coffee with a Cop and Cookies with a Cop, along with the department having a presence at other community events such as the March to Main and the Ellis County Fair.
“It’s a community effort, we are only as good as the community that helps us out, and we have a great community,” Dawson said.
“Building those relationships, with the young especially, those are the future of the community and they should have a positive outlook and positive view of their police department,” Scheibler said.
Brett Schmidt, Learning Cross owner and director, right rear, takes Tony Brummer, Via Christi Village resident, and Olivia Feldt, 4, Casen Byer, 4, from the center on a ride in the center’s new pedaled-powered buggy.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Lincoln Brown, 3, Liam Nuttle, 4, Nora Park, 4, play at the Learning Cross Child Care Center, which is in the basement of Via Christi Village.
This pedal-powered Berg E-Gran Tour cart is the newest means Learning Cross Child Care Center has of connecting elderly residents at the Village with the child care center’s kids.
The child care center and preschool bought the buggy with a $5,000 grant from the Heartland Community Foundation.
Four people can ride in the buggy a one time — one staff person, one elderly resident and two children in the front. The staff person pedals, which helps energize a small motor in the back. The senior’s pedals have no resistance, so it is a very gentle workout.
Brett Schmidt, Learning Cross owner and director, said the kids and seniors alike have loved the buggy.
The children at Learning Cross Child Care, such as Dalton Schumacher, 5, and Levi Leuenberger, 5, seen here playing cards, interact weekly with the residents of Via Christi Village during activities such as exercise and church services.
Tony Brummer, Village resident, said the rides are the highlight of his days. It also gives Brummer a chance to share stories with the kids. Brummer, a former farmer, has been caring for a large sunflower in the Village’s courtyard and has been using the short outings as a time to talk about the sunflower and gardening.
Schmidt said he hopes to integrate more learning opportunities in these times in the buggy by getting the elders to share stories or pictures with the children during their rides. They may also share prayer time on the buggy in the future.
“Once they are on the buggy, they are a captive audience — the kids are,” Schmidt said. “The residents are free to talk about whatever.”
The kids love the rides so much, the center uses the buggy rides as one of the rewards for good behavior.
Music and Memory
The organization also received a grant from Heartland Community Foundation to purchase a Music and Memory program about a year ago. The program is geared toward residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Each resident in the program receives an MP3 player programmed with music popular from the younger eras of their lives.
“It is kind of like a hardwire back to your memories,” Schmidt said. “So as you listen to a song, music is the last part of your brain that will go with those memories tied with it. You get a long way back to a memory. You get 10 to 15 minutes of kind of the person is back. You can have conversations with them.”
The program can help people with anxiety and depression. Some people experience fewer behavior issues when they engage with music and a as result their physicians can reduce their medication.
One of the residents was becoming very agitated and when she was introduced to the music, she became very calm, Schmidt said. The music makes her smile.
Grandfriends and Via buddies
Learning Cross, an Christian intergenerational child care center, has been at Via Christ Village for four years. Schmidt, a former kindergarten teacher, gleaned the idea for the child care and preschool from a similar program in Coffeyville. He said he could see the benefits to both children and their elders through the two groups interacting.
Every year, families with children at Learning Cross adopt elders at the Village as a “grandfriends.” The families share holiday gifts and drop-by visits throughout the year.
All the children at the child care center participate weekly in activities with both assisted living and long-term care residents. This includes church services and exercise.
Daisy Miller, 4, and Nora Park, 4, from Learning Cross Child Care Center play in the courtyard of Via Christi Village.
“For the children, they learn empathetical responses, and learning sympathy and they are part of a larger community. They are part of a larger community they get to help with,” Schmidt said. “They get to go and do what we call ‘smile power.’ They go and smile and wave. They have created hug power, singing power — anytime they can get someone to smile — that is what their goal is.
“That has been awesome seeing that grow just out of the kids. That was not something out of my program that I developed.”
The residents often call the preschoolers their “grandkids” or their “Via buddies.”
“The residents, when you see the kids come up, you just see a magical moment. A new spark forms or a spark that was there comes back to life. …
“Some of them want the hugs, and some of them will just sit out and watch them, especially in the courtyard when we play out there. Windows open up and shades open up and they just sit in their rocking chairs and just listen to the kids play.”
Many older Americans today live far away from their families, and they fall victim to the three plagues of aging — boredom, loss of purpose and depression. However, Schmidt said he believes the presence of the children helps with all three of those issues.
“We give them a purpose. The grandfriends basically become grandparents again to these kids. They get to tell them stories. They get to play with them. They get to watch them. But also the depression piece, having that life — basically we are injecting life back into the building with the kids. We run down the hallways sometimes. There are always laughs. There are sometimes cries, but it is real life that we get to bring back. It is a magical, symbiotic relationship.”
Sandy Dinkel has worked at the Village for more than 20 years. She said the presence of the children has resulted in a calmer atmosphere that feels less institutional.
“It feels more home-like,” Dinkel, admissions director, said, “You have the kids going through. You’ve got more spiritual activities and the kids involved in the spiritual activities. That is a big, big thing.”
‘I am so blessed’
The “grandfriends” leave a lasting impression even when they are gone. One young girl became particularly attached to one of the Village resident. She often wanted to sit on the resident’s lap, but that resident recently passed away.
“The little girl we told her she is not going to be here anymore. She is in heaven with God. She said, ‘I am so blessed that I got to be with her when she was here.’
“That is what we want to teach is the positive. She was able to affect this lady’s life that much. She was a happy grandfriend that just loved everybody. She didn’t care what was going on. All your worries, everything melted away, when she gave you a hug. That is what we are trying to develop, letting them give back. That girl will remember that for the rest of her life.”
Schmidt said the partnership is wonderful. The children can play in the courtyard and in the a adjoining playground when the weather is nice, and they have many long corridors to walk in when the weather is inclement. Schmidt said they once tracked the children’s activity and found they walked a mile a day even when they were indoors.
The children have play-based learning and preschool. They learn phonics, and most can read before they begin kindergarten. Social/emotional learning is a foundation of the program, Schmidt said.
“We try to get the kids to express their emotions, identify their emotions,” he said. “It is the key to get to high-order thinking, so when they go into school — kindergarten, first grade, second grader, they are learning how to learn from us not what to learn. No matter the environment they are in, we are hoping they will be successful in any classroom.”
The program had seven children when it started. It will have 24 children in the fall and has a wait list until 2022.
“I would say this has been a God journey,” Schmidt said. “It started out so small. I can’t still believe the success we’ve had.”
Construction has wrapped, the staff is hired and tools are being delivered this week to Harbor Freight, located in Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine, and the retailer is set to open as planned on Tuesday.
“We are actually a day ahead on trucks,” said Dan Anstaett, store manager. “We’ve got four more trucks coming this week, so we will be done with all of our merchandise on Friday.”
Over the weekend, he said, the store will go through a deep cleaning and last checks will be done to be ready for a soft opening at 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Anstaett said the store will be an asset for the area and is excited to have shoppers have a local Harbor Freight.
“Harbor Freight, to the area, is going to be huge,” he said.
He did about six weeks of training in Salina and said he interacted with a lot of shoppers coming from around Hays.
“They drive (to Salina) just to go to Harbor Freight, so I think that is one thing that is going to help here,” Anstaett said. “It’s going to bring in more people to Hays, because instead of driving to Salina, they just have to make a trip here.”
As a longtime area resident, Anstaett understands the value of Harbor Freight to Hays.
He has been in retail for about 18 years and lives in Russell, first working at Walmart as a store manager for 15 years and as the manager of the Shopko in Russell for four years until the location closed.
“Harbor Freight is great for a contractor, it’s great farmers and it’s great for those do-it-yourself guys,” he said.
One of the draws to Harbor Freight is the pricing of their merchandise.
“We sell great tools at cheap prices,” Anstaett said. “With the way Harbor Freight makes all their products, they don’t have that middle man and so they are able to sell it for cheap, still make the money they need to make and pass those savings off to the customer.”
He also noted Harbor Freight manufactures almost all of the merchandise they sell.
“There are only three items we carry in the store that Harbor Freight doesn’t make,” Anstaett said. “It makes it easier to sell ridiculously priced tools.”
And while people are currently traveling to Salina to go to Harbor Freight, the Hays location will be larger.
“The store is bigger than the Salina store by about 5,000 square feet,” Anstaett said.
With the larger size, the Hays location will be able to have more tools in stock and will have larger tool displays.
“It’s got some great areas. We are going to have a lot more feature space for more areas … plus it’s in a brand-new space,” he said. “We will be able to keep in stock better than some of them, because our back room is bigger, not to mention our sales floor is bigger.”
Another draw for the location, Anstaett said, is the company’s focus on customer service.
“We are all about customer experience,” he said. “You hear that from a lot of retail stores, but it’s in our training of everything. It’s take care of the customer, do what we can and have fun with it.”
“We are definitely excited about actually joining (BCC). It’s going to not only help us, but it’s also going to help here because it will bring more people in,” he said. “Big Creek Crossing has been great to work with.”
The location will add value to BCC as well, Anstaett said.
“It gives a place for the husbands to shop while the wives shop (in BCC),” he said.
While construction has been ongoing in the location BCC has also been working to move their offices and restrooms, which will be completed soon as well.
The location will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday and begin regular hours immediately.
“We’re excited to be a part of the community and join in and definitely serve our customers,” Anstaett said.
