The Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development has completed its annual survey to find out what retail and dining area residents would like to see in Hays and, as usual, big-name chains appeared on the top of the list, including Olive Garden and Target.
More than 1,200 respondents took the survey and answered the majority of their shopping actually occurs outside of Hays.
Respondents reported only 40 percent of shopping was done in Hays, with Salina listed as the most frequent town outside of where Hays area shoppers travel. Wichita took second, and the Kansas City are placed third.
Target was listed as the most desired store with over 700 respondents indicating when shopping out of Hays, the retail box chain received their business.
Survey respondents overwhelming stated clothing stores in general are among the biggest desired shopping locations.
On the dining side of the survey, Olive Garden took the most desired restaurant with 572 respondents indicating they would like to see the chain come to Hays. Red Lobster and Buffalo Wild Wings rounded out the top three.
A small crowd gathered just west of Antonino on Saturday as Apis Remote Sensing Systems, a drone distributor based in Hays, took the opportunity to show the public what their products can do.
Co-owners Beau Dealy and Curt Moore say drones are an invaluable resource for today’s farmers.
At the moment, Apis carries two types of drones. The first is a carbon fiber wing called the AgEagle, which is launched via catapult and cruises at 400 feet at 40 mph. The AgEagle follows a preset flight path before landing softly at a predetermined location.
The second drone Apis carries is called the DJI Phantom, which is a quadcopter drone that carries a camera beneath the air frame.
The drones use sensors that capture NIR (Near Infrared) images, which are then stitched together by a computer to show a color-coded map measuring topography and temperature. That information then can be used to gauge crop health.
VICTORIA — Almost within throwing distance of Victoria, Kevin and Laura McCarter have restored a destitute homestead first built 112 years ago and, up until recently, the couple had a modern luxury in the old house: drinking water. But after 10 months of research, questions, money and meetings, the couple still can’t drink the water at their home after the Victoria City Council refused to vote on running water service to the home.
“At the last city council meeting, it was supposed to be put to a vote. It never got that far,” Kevin McCarter said.
City Council member Leroy Schmidtberger motioned for a vote during the meeting but there was no second, effectively ending the measure without a vote by the council.
“Numerous people there asked why they wouldn’t allow us to get water and there was silence. They wouldn’t respond to anything,” McCarter said.
Ultimately one council member did give the McCarters an answer – they should have never bought the house, despite the couple having owned the home for 12 years.
“About 12 years ago, we totally restored the house. We’re in the process of getting it on the state and natural registry,” McCarter said.
Part of the restoration efforts to make the home livable was digging water wells and, for more than 10 years, the wells provided the couple what they needed, until something changed recently.
The couple drilled three wells when restoration began, with two producing “great water,” McCarter said, and had been approved by the EPA as safe for consumption.
Ten months ago, however, the couple noticed the water quality had changed. After looking at their commercial grade water-softening system and finding no issues, they sent samples for testing.
Those tests found the water from both wells were full of salts, sulfates and particulate matter, making another well on the property unavailable to the couple.
“I’ve been told by numerous water people, KDHE, Kansas Rural Water Association and others, it’s astronomical how high our numbers are,” McCarter said.
The couple then tried to get on area rural water districts, but were rebuffed due to the homes proximity to Victoria.
That’s when the long odyssey with the city began.
McCarter said the couple first was told the property and the neighboring household would first need annexed into the city, something the couple was willing to do. Then he said they were told only their property would need annexed, later confirmed not to be true.
“The water districts provided a state statue that stated that the city has the right to provide us water even without annexing us in,” McCarter said.
Despite initial actions, the couple still tried to work with the city.
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“We’ve been to numerous meetings with the city. We’ve met all their demands,” McCarter said, referring to a two-page list of requirements provided to them.
“Every time the meetings are thrown off by totally bogus things,” McCarter said. At one point, the couple was told they would have to run a water loop from the football field, only later to find “the state engineer actually signed off saying that wasn’t the case.”
The reasons for the constant push back are still a mystery to the couple but McCarter believes “its seems to be they are trying to drive the cost up, to keep us from doing things.”
McCarter said the Victoria mayor has been supportive to the plight.
“The mayor, Jerry Kanzenbach, has been a big advocate for us from the start. He publicly said if he could bring a garden hose to us he would,” he said.
In the City of Victoria, however, the mayor is an elected office and has no vote on the council, except in the case of a tie, and cannot second a motion to vote.
“There was nobody apposed to it in the audience. It was confirmed that we had met all their listed criteria,” McCarter said, including inspections for hazardous materials on site. “In the end, after all that, then it was not put to a vote.”
Surprisingly, the challenge faced by the McCarter’s is exclusive to the couple, others within a half mile of the city are currently on the city’s water system that don’t pay city taxes, something the McCarters say they are willing to do.
“One of the city commissioners, on the board, actually grew up in one of the annexed houses that the city paid money to provide water for, they spent almost $30,000 to bring water to them,” McCarter said.
“Her dad is in charge of the water here in town. He lives in the house and she is on the board. It’s a new house, but this has been here 112 years. That should mean something.”
“We just want to be treated fairly, McCarter said. “We want to move on with our lives, continue to restore this place and be a positive part of the community.”
The move to speak publicly didn’t come easy for the McCarters, but after 10 months, the need to have access to clean water drove them to speak out.
“We felt after this meeting it was time to say something,” McCarter said. “We’re not able to use drinking water all. We haven’t used drinking water for a long time and technically not supposed to be using it to shower in, but we do because we have no other option at this point.”
The water, isn’t just affecting the couple, but the property as well.
“Along with the water contamination comes numerous other problems,” McCarter said. “We have an industrial system that’s designed for our water that literally can’t handle it.”
That system recently failed, causing water to flood the basement and one bathroom in the home to become unusable. The couple has also replaced several inline water heaters in recent months and the water is so toxic it kills plants on the property.
“Literally, I can water a tree today and it will be dead tomorrow,” McCarter said. “We planted 50 oak tress, and I watered them in and they are all dead except two.”
After all of the wrangling to get fresh water, McCarter is still hopeful the town he has called home for over a decade will do the right thing so everyone can move forward.
The line needed to get water to the home is “possibly 200 yards at most,” McCarter said.
Work will begin on Tebo Village this week, the developer’s construction manager told Hays Post on Monday.
Chance Reeser said demolition work is scheduled to begin Thursday at the unoccupied 4340 Vine building.
“Demolition should take about two weeks,” he said.
Hays-based Paul-Wertenberger Construction will oversee the demolition. The development will include a freestanding restaurant and a 12-storefront retail mall at the northeast corner of 43rd and Vine.
If construction plans hold, Reeser said Tebo is expecting to have the site ready for tenants in May.
The long wait is over for Hays residents as the opening for A&W is in sight.
The opening date has been set as Sept. 30, according to the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, as work training is near completion for management and staff
Rather than a standalone restaurant, A&W will share space with Long John Silver’s at 3380 Vine, and menus from both chains will be available in the store.
The expansion has been undertaken by owner Eric Estes, owner of Pratt-based Estes Enterprises.
“We’ve been real pleased to work with Eric Estes and his staff and love seeing his expansion and growth in the community,” said Aaron White, executive director of the ECCED.
“They have been a real big asset to the community, and we’re happy to have them here,” White said.
During the opening, the first 100 customers will receive a free A&W collector’s mug.
ELLINWOOD- Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating a suspect, arrested after stealing a large piece of farm equipment and hitting power poles and law enforcement vehicles as he fled.
The Barton County Sheriff reported deputies were dispatched just before 10p.m. to the area of NE 10 Road and NE 120 Ave.
A vehicle was reported to be abandon in the roadway. The vehicle was located and impounded by deputies.
The owner of the vehicle was reported to be Kenneth Lamb.
Shortly thereafter, reports were being called in to the 911-dispatch center that stated someone was driving a combine just east of Ellinwood in a reckless manner.
Kenneth Lamb
It was reported the implement was traveling on U.S. 56 with no lights and weaving from ditch to ditch.
Callers also stated the combine had struck a guy wire and had caused damage to power poles near the intersection of SE 10 Rd. and U.S. 56 Highway.
The combine continued west and entered the City of Ellinwood at about 10:47 p.m.
The driver then proceeded through a residential neighborhood, striking several power poles and a 2005 Chevrolet pickup truck parked at 205 S. Bismark.
Extensive damage was done to the truck and the 8 row corn head was torn from the combine.
An Ellinwood police officer arrived at the scene at 10:52 p.m. and attempted to contact the driver. As the officer approached the combine, the operator placed the machine in reverse and rammed the Ellinwood police car. The operator then went forward fleeing from the scene. The Ellinwood officer gave chase. The combine proceeded down several more side streets and went south out of Ellinwood on the county blacktop.
Officers reported the vehicle was all over the road and traveling with no lights. A Sheriff’s Deputy was able to get in front of the suspect and set a roadblock just south of the Arkansas River Bridge. The suspect then rammed the Deputy’s patrol car, dragging it a considerable distance, causing extensive damage and disabling the unit. It was obvious the operator was a grave threat to the public.
The Deputy and Ellinwood Officer fired several shots at the combine in an effort to disable it. It was disabled just south of the river bridge on SE 105 Ave. The driver was removed from the implement and arrested. The officers fired approximately 18 rounds.
The driver was identified as Kenneth M. Lamb Jr., 37, Ellinwood.
The combine was stolen near the area where Mr. Lamb’s vehicle was found abandoned in the roadway.
Lamb was arrested and booked for Aggravated Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer, Felony Theft, Felony Criminal Damage to Property and Reckless Driving.
Kerry Wasinger, general counsel and executive assistant to FHSU president
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Kerry Wasinger is the new general counsel executive assistant to the president of Fort Hays State University.
She is also co-chair of the Critical Incident Policy Group on campus, along with Ed Howell, FHSU director of police and security.
This is her second week in the position and Tuesday, she observed the university’s “active shooter” exercise. On a normal day, Wasinger said, her job involves “a little bit of everything.”
“Everything from policy and advice to President Mirta Martin and the rest of the administration, reviewing and signing contracts which are of an inordinate amount at the university, and working with Chief Howell on a regular basis–beyond the emergency management side.
“We have a large amount of faculty and students who are from overseas. I work with them to make sure they’re getting their paperwork directed in the right direction. We don’t do their visas for them, but we help direct them and get their paperwork gathered for the university’s side of it.
“When my mom asked me what I was going to be doing, I told her it’s very similar to being a city attorney and my ‘city’ is Fort Hays State,” Wasinger said with a smile.
Wasinger previously worked as a staff attorney for Kansas Legal Services and the 23rd Judicial District Court trustee before joining the Herman Law Office in Hays in 2013.
She replaces Todd Powell, who resigned in January after 10 years as FHSU’s general counsel to return to private practice.
Fort Hays State University President Mirta M. Martin is traveling east to take part in the first papal visit from Pope Francis.
Martin will depart for Washington on Wednesday to see the man she calls “the people’s pope.”
“He’s everything a pope should be,” she told Eagle’s Mike Cooper for an upcoming Community Connections. “He’s humble. He’s sincere.”
Check out the entire interview next week at 9 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday on Eagle Channels 14 and 614.
More from FHSU University Relations
FHSU President Martin going to see the Pope
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN University Relations
She hasn’t taken many personal days since arriving on campus 14 months ago. But this week’s quick trip to Washington, D.C., will be as personal as they get for Dr. Mirta M. Martin.
Martin, in her second year as Fort Hays State University’s ninth president, is going to see the Pope.
Martin, a devout Catholic, is looking forward to what she calls “every Catholic’s dream.”
“It’s every Catholic’s pilgrimage to see the Pope, so I’m taking a couple of personal days and going,” Martin said. “This is especially meaningful to me because this is the first Hispanic pope.”
The native tongue of Pope Francis, born and raised in Argentina, is Spanish. Martin, a native of Cuba, not only is the first female president at FHSU but also is the first Hispanic president in the Kansas Board of Regents system.
“If I get to speak to him, it would be in Spanish,” said Martin, who speaks Spanish, one of seven languages she knows.
If she gets the chance, Martin has more in mind than just speaking to the Pope.
Martin will be carrying photos of her two children, 25-year-old Katherine and 22-year-old Patrick and plans to ask Pope Francis to especially pray for her daughter.
Katherine, a doctoral student at the University of Miami, suffers from chronic pain disease stemming from a fall during a gymnastics routine 10 years ago. She broke her back during the fall, and while she recovered from her injuries, she still suffers from nerve damage from the impact.
“Katherine lives each and every day with seven out of 10 level of pain, which she manages through medicine,” Martin said. “But she suffers. My prayer to the Holy Father is to join me in asking for healing for her and for all others who, like her, suffer daily.
“I believe in the power of prayer,” Martin added, “and if I get to speak to the Pope, I’m going to ask him to pray for Katherine to be healed and to pray for peace.”
Martin is leaving Wednesday morning for Kansas City, where she will fly to Washington for a short night, filled with anticipation akin to Christmas.
By 4 a.m. Thursday, Martin plans to be standing in line for a place on the West Terrace lawn of the White House.
“I understand there will be a few chairs, and the rest is standing room,” she said. “I don’t care if I’m standing on my head if I get to see Him.”
Martin received an invitation from U.S. Representatives Tim Huelskamp and Lynn Jenkins to attend the event a couple of weeks ago, and it didn’t take her long to start making plans for the trip.
“I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven,” she said.
Pope Francis, just the third pope to visit the White House, is scheduled to deliver an address to Congress.
“Then, he’s supposed to come out on the balcony and bless the people,” said Martin, who expects more.
“If it’s like what he’s done before, I won’t be surprised if he comes down among the people,” she said.
While Martin is unsure of a lot of the proceedings, there is no question what she will be wearing.
“Black and gold,” she said with a big smile.
Martin said she is looking forward to this particular trip like no other.
“It’s a pilgrimage to fill my soul with faith, inspiration and discernment to guide the Fort Hays State University family in these, our new beginnings,” she said. “There is a resurgence of enthusiasm on campus, and I’m thankful for that. This pilgrimage will recharge my batteries to continue to lead this university, and I have great faith that when two or more are gathered in His name, God hears our prayers.”
Fort Hays State University has sent out the following alert about an alleged sexual assault on campus.
The school has also issued alerts through its emergency system, including phone calls, text messages and emails to students.
Hays Post will update the story as information becomes available.
Fort Hays State University
Fort Hays State University Police today received notice of a sexual assault that occurred in the early morning hours on Sunday, Sept. 20, in one of the residence halls on campus. An investigation has begun, and no additional information is available at this time.
This is an actual report. It is not related in any way to the active shooter exercise that is taking place on campus today.
Resources are available on and off campus to provide assistance in the case of sexual assaults. For support, contact University Police at 628-5304 or, after hours, call 625-1011. In the case of an emergency, call 911. Support also is available from the Student Health Center at 628-4293, the Kelly Center at 628-4401 and from Options — Domestic and Sexual Violence Services Inc. at 625-3055.
In the interest of campus safety, we want everyone to be aware that an incident has been reported. Additional information is available on the homepage of the FHSU website, www.fhsu.edu.
A student or employee in violation of FHSU sexual misconduct policies faces sanctions up to and including expulsion or termination.You also have the option to make a policy complaint. Dr. Keegan Nichols, chief Title IX coordinator for Fort Hays State, is available at 628-5824 to explain and answer questions about reporting options.
We strongly encourage victims to seek medical attention immediately, even if there are no obvious physical injuries. A sexual assault examination is free and conducted by a specially trained nurse. An examination does not obligate someone to an investigation; however, it allows evidence to be collected and preserved in the event someone chooses to authorize a criminal investigation at a later time. Victims may also receive medication for prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
Remember that consensual sex occurs when both partners agree to engage in sexual activity. Consent should always be mutual, voluntary, enthusiastic and given without pressure, intimidation, or fear.
“It’s only an exercise,” stressed Fort Hays State University Director of Police and Security Ed Howell.
Local emergency responders will conduct an “active shooter” exercise Tuesday, Sept. 22, from about 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. at Forsyth Library on the FHSU campus.
The scenario, which will include 30 FHSU students and faculty wearing special badges and acting as “players”, will be staged as if an individual has been observed entering Forsyth Library with a weapon. Gunfire is heard and there are reports of casualties.
The exercise is designed to “test the capabilities of law enforcement and emergency management teams in case of an emergency situation,” said Howell.
“Not only do you have the law enforcement’s response at Forsyth Library, you also have the Incident Management Team that will manage the event to support the Incident Commander at the site of the active shooter exercise. The intent is to make sure not only are we property trained–this is not a training scenario, it’s an actual exercises to test what our processes are,” Howell explained.
“The intent is to identify what we did well, what we need to do better and our lessons learned.”
Forsyth Library will be closed during the exercise; other campus activities will not be disrupted. Classes will meet as scheduled. Scheduled events including the Encore performance will proceed as planned.
Local units participating in the exercise include the University Police Department, Hays Police Department, the Hays Emergency Communication Center, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department, Ellis County Emergency Management and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management.
Concurrently, Hays Medical Center, Ellis County Emergency Medical Service and the Hays Fire Department will conduct a tabletop exercise at the hospital to test their mass casualty and triage responses.
As part of the exercise, subscribers to the campus notification system will receive a test alert message.
In an article Howell wrote for the International Association of Chiefs of Police, in the final concluding paragraph he stated “it can happen anywhere at any time.”
“It is incumbent upon us to make sure that we are properly trained, have the equipment to respond and then test our process.”
Howell said he always encourages people to think about what they would do if they were to find themselves in an active shooter event.
“We have a video produced by Homeland Security called ‘Run. Hide. Fight.'”, Howell said. “It’s pretty dramatic but it gives you a pretty good understanding of the dynamics of what’s going to happen when you have an active shooter event.”
Local roots brought Anthony Luick, president and founder of American Veterans Quest for Peace, to Thomas More Prep-Marian High School Friday – as he graduated from the school, then known as St. Joseph’s Military Academy, in 1965. During his time in Hays, Luick delivered three lectures at the school during Homecoming weekend celebrations, enlightening students of the unintended consequences of having troops fight overseas and how he helps repair emotional wounds left behind for veterans.
“I really like talking to high school and university and high school students because this information isn’t being taught anymore,” he said.
Anthony Luick, president and founder of American Veterans Quest for Peace
Luick is a semi-retired clinical child psychologist and continues working with students in high school to find career paths as well as working with special-education students in the Tuscon, Ariz., area. Previously, he had 38 years in private practice.
But his most prolific endeavor may be his efforts to heal veterans left with emotional scars from deployments, especially veterans of the Vietnam War who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other invisible scars.
Luick served in the Vietnam War just after graduation St. Joseph’s.
“I think Vietnam and the effects of Vietnam on veterans and family has really been lost,” he said. “The media and the public blamed the soldiers when they came back… It was our government that sent us to war, and we were simply soldiers that carried out our duties.
“Vietnam veterans were never treated the same as we returned,” Luick said.
His work with veterans includes taking them back to the places in Vietnam, helping their memories of the place shift from the dark fog of war, to the peaceful, scenic country Vietnam has become.
During his educational efforts Friday, Luick also pushed students to understand the true effects of war.
“People do not look at the true cost of the war and the intangible traumatic effects that are occurring,” Luick said, and with veterans returning from current deployments, repairing the damage might be even more difficult than in the past.
“I could see the PTSD was worse in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and the reason is very simple: It’s the multiple tours. There’s no time for healing,” he said. “I think we are averaging many with eight tours now.”
But even with such staggering emotional burdens placed upon soldiers, the average American is greatly detached from current military actions.
“Less than half a percent of the American public have any attachment at all to military that has served in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Syria,” he said, pulling on past experiences to work towards healing current veterans.
“The correlation is rather amazing. … The statistics of the PTSD are almost identical to Vietnam veterans,” he said. “The American public needs to become aware” of the damage soldiers sustain fighting across the globe.
“I think the every citizen needs to get involved and support veterans in whatever way they can,” Luick said, noting Abraham Lincoln first pushed the idea of government support for veterans. “We have a responsibility.”
Despite the seriousness of the message Luick delivered Friday, he was also happy to credit the school as part of the reason he made it through the war to become the healer he is today.
While at SJMS, he served as a Cadet Colonel and Battalion Commander. One year later, Luick was drafted, commissioned as Second Lieutenant and sent to Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.
Many of his classmates also served during the war, with this year marking the 50th anniversary of their graduation.
Luick estimated nearly half of the classmates served in Vietnamn and credits the training from the school for preparing those classmates to serve without a single causality.
“I think it is due to our training we received here,” he said. “I know it saved my life in Vietnam.”
For more information about Luick’s work with veterans, click here, or watch a short video about his work here.
From left, Curtis Wolf, Tim Chapman, Duane Shook, Clara Shook, President Mirta M. Martin.
FHSU University Relations
GREAT BEND — A recent gift from a longtime nature and animal enthusiast and friend of Fort Hays State University, Duane Shook, has brought new life to the university’s Kansas Wetlands Education Center.
The Duane Shook Kansas Wetlands Education Center Endowed Fund, a life income gift of $450,000, will create an endowed fund. Proceeds from the fund will support the KWEC in perpetuity.
The Kansas Wetlands Education Center, located about 8 miles northeast of Great Bend on Kansas 156 Highway, overlooks Cheyenne Bottoms, the largest inland marsh in the United States. The wetlands area is among the most unique and diverse places on Earth.
The KWEC is dedicated to educating the public about the importance of wetland communities and the need for conservation and restoration. The facility offers state-of-the-art exhibits that tell the story from formation to the challenges of preserving the wetlands for the future. It also provides visitors with firsthand experience of bird watching, including thousands of migratory birds taking flight during migration season.
In addition, several tour options are available, including both guided van tours and self-guided driving tours.
“We are fortunate to have a natural treasure like Cheyenne Bottoms in our state, and since this center opened in April 2009, it has provided a gateway for visitors to understand and appreciate why these wetlands are unique and why we need to protect them,” said Dr. Mirta M. Martin, FHSU president.
“Cheyenne Bottoms has been designated as one of the top wetlands areas in the world. It is home, at least part of every year, to more than 320 species of birds, and an estimated 45 percent of all shore birds in North America visit Cheyenne Bottoms each spring.”
From left, Tim Chapman, Duane Shook, Clara Shook.
She said that just as Fort Hays State is the destination of choice for students seeking a top-quality education, the Kansas Wetlands Education Center is a destination of choice for people who want to understand and protect the beauty of nature.
“Now, thanks to the generosity of Duane Shook, the future of this rare, international jewel shines even brighter,” she said.
“The opening of the KWEC more than six years ago was a monumental chapter in the long history of Cheyenne Bottoms,” said Curtis Wolf, site manager of the Wetlands Center, at a news conference today announcing Shook’s gift.
“The $4.6 million project was funded fully through grants and private donations, not state general funds. The only way the KWEC exists today is because of donors, volunteers, partners and communities who believe in the importance of our local wetland and natural resources,” he said.
Private gifts such as the one from Shook offer security for the future of the KWEC, which is staffed by personnel from both Fort Hays State and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism.
“It is through donors like Mr. Shook that we can have some security and reassurance that we will be able to perform the programs and offer the services that we want to and not what we are limited to in the future,” Wolf said. “From the FHSU and KDWPT staff at the KWEC, we say thank you to Mr. Shook for his generosity and dedicated support.”
Tim Chapman, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation, emphasized the significance of Shook’s gift.
“Duane is a dear friend of Fort Hays State University,” he said. “Although he’s not a graduate of FHSU, his love for animals and open spaces led him to want to make a gift to the Kansas Wetlands Education Center.
“As the fundraising arm of the university, our FHSU Foundation office has worked with Duane to ensure that his gift will help the Wetlands Center work to preserve the natural environment and ecosystem at Cheyenne Bottoms.”
The Kansas Wetlands Education Center is free and open year-round to visitors:
• April 1 to Oct. 31: Open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
• Nov. 1 to March 31: Closed on Monday and open Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.
For more information about the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, managed by FHSU’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History, visit www.wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.
For more information about how you can support the KWEC, or another FHSU program that you are passionate about, visit https://foundation.fhsu.edu. You may also contact the FHSU Foundation office by calling 785-628-5620 or emailing [email protected].
By Randy Gonzales FHSU University Relations and Marketing
David Levering, the education director at Sternberg Museum of Natural History, wants to share his passion for science — and throw in some craft and specialty beers, too.
“Sternberg Outbound: Denver” is the result. Levering will lead a trip to Denver for adults to explore both science and beer from Friday, Oct. 9, to Sunday, Oct. 11. Levering has tried to lead a trip to Denver twice before, but could not generate enough participants.
“We’ve got a pretty well set audience for kids’ programs,” Levering said. “The goal was to try to do some things that might appeal to older audiences — at least, different audiences.”
Defiance Brewing (Photo courtesy FHSU)
The first day of the trip will include a tour of the Sternberg Museum research collections, followed by lunch at Gellas Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. A tour plus meeting with the brewers of Defiance Brewery, also in Hays,
will be after lunch, before the group travels to Denver.
“There are certain things in science that I find very interesting,” said Levering, who has been home brewing for two years. “I am not a microbiologist, but I find the process of beer-making to be scientifically interesting. When I find something like that, it’s something I dive into with a fair amount of intensity.”
The first day in Denver, the group will visit the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
“We’ll be getting their really cool behind-the-scenes VIP tour of their fossil research collection,” said Levering.
After lunch, the group will visit a couple of breweries — River North Brewery and Epic Brewing Denver — before having dinner and visiting De Steeg Brewing, where group members will get to talk with brewmaster Craig Rothgery, who is formally trained as a mechanical engineer.
“We’re going to focus our conversation with him on the machinery that goes into a modern brewery.”
On the last day of the trip, the group will travel to Boulder to visit Boulder Fermentation Supply homebrew shop.
Levering said a minimum of eight people need to sign up to make the trip possible. The cost — including lodging and transportation but not meals or drinks — is $240 for Sternberg Museum members and $260 for non-members. Levering said there is no hard deadline, but people should sign up by the end of the month.
“I am very excited about the idea of doing the trip,” Levering said. “I think that it could be a really cool experience to give people a different taste of science.”
