Seth Kastle’s debut as a children’s book author received widespread national attention after his book “Why Is Dad So Mad?” was featured on NBC Nightly News earlier this year.
His second book, “Why Is Mom So Mad?” is now available for pre-sale through major online retailer Amazon.
Kastle is a Fort Hays State University graduate and retired Army first sergeant currently teaching in the Department of Leadership Studies, primarily for FHSU’s partner institutions in China.
He was motivated to write “Why Is Dad So Mad” to explain to his own children how combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder has affected him and countless other military parents.
Kastle co-wrote his second book with his wife, Julia, who is also a veteran.
Like Kastle’s first book, the story addresses the struggles within a military family dealing with PTSD, but this time the mother is the wounded warrior.
The captivating illustrations in both books are the creation of senior FHSU studio art major Karissa Gonzalez-Othon of Colorado Springs.
Copies of “Why Is Mom So Mad?” can be reserved at www.amazon.com, while author updates are featured at www.kastlebooks.com.
Aging infrastructure and lack of funding for annual sewer capital maintenance repairs and rehabilitation are part of the reason for a recommended increase in sewer rates in Hays.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
A public meeting about the upcoming rebuild of the Hays wastewater treatment plant will be held tonight, July 16, as part of the Hays City Commission work session.
Director of Finance Kim Rupp, Director of Utilities Bernie Kitten, and Stan Christopher from HDR Engineering, the city’s owner-representative for the $30 million project, will be on hand. They’ll discuss the city’s likely application for a State Revolving Fund loan to finance the work.
Springsted Inc., Kansas City, was hired to perform a water and sewer utility rate study for the city. Vice-president Patty Kettles and Rupp will discuss proposed adjustments in the sewer rates. City staff is recommending the monthly sewer base and volumetric user rates should be increased 17% August 1, 2015, 15.5% annually 2016-2020 and 12.0% in 2021.
“By 2021, the average residential user’s bill will have gone up significantly,” according to City Manager Toby Dougherty, “but it’s only partially due to the fact that we’re having to rebuild the facility.”
“Part of it is the fact that we’ve had a sewer system for a hundred years, and we’ve added 120 miles in sewer lines and 1,500 manholes. And when we added and accepted all those lines and manholes, we never determined what it was going to cost to maintain and replace those down the road. So we accepted all this stuff, but we never said we should probably start saving some money or set it aside to replace (the added sewer lines and manholes.) Only recently, have we started quantifying that,” Dougherty explained.
The city must meet new stricter effluent standards by Jan. 1, 2018, as mandated by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Environmental Protection Agency.
In other business, Dougherty will present the 2016 Budget workbook to the governing body.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. tonight in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
The complete agenda, including the sewer rate study, is available here.
The T-shirt for the first Stropes memorial fundraiser, a basketball tournament in August 2011.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
ELLIS — The annual “Just Breathe” disc golf tournament in memory of Ellis resident Bryce Stropes will be held Sunday, July 26, in Ellis Creekside Park, 500 Taylor.
Participants ages 13 and younger will start at 3 p.m.; ages 14 and older will start play at 4 p.m.
Cost is $20 per team of two with sign-up and payment due at the Ellis city swimming pool by July 26. Advanced orders for event T-shirts are $10 and due Monday, July 20. The shirts will also be available for order during the tournament.
The pool will also be open July 26 for free swimming.
All proceeds go to the Ellis swimming pool safety and training equipment fund or “Charlie” training.
A 14-year-old Ellis resident Bryce Stropes, drowned while playing in the city swimming pool July 22, 2010, despite the efforts of lifeguards, an volunteer firefighter who was also at the pool, and EMS personnel. His death was determined to be from shallow water blackout drowning.
Since then, the community has rallied to turn the tragedy into something positive.
A comprehensive education program about shallow water blackout drowning was instituted, pool safety training was improved, and Charlie — a life-size drowning victim simulator — was purchased. Charlie is used in pool rescue training for the lifeguards, emergency personnel and other interested groups.
More information is available at the pool, 301 Taylor, or by calling the pool at (785) 726-3130.
The Hays Public Library will have the Summer Shindig from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, July 22, at Municipal Park.
The Summer Shindig is open to all ages of the community. There will be carnival games, like ring toss and bean bag toss. Children will have the chance to win small prizes and free books.
Big Bang Boom
The highlight of the Summer Shindig is the Big Bang Boom concert at 4 p.m. A Big Bang Boom show is a party – a high impact, high energy, high volume, take-no-prisoners, “you will be involved” performance that gets kids (and their parental units) up and moving. Big Bang Boom plays some children’s favorites as well as their own original songs for kids.
Comprised of three devoted dads who just happen to be seasoned professional musicians, Big Bang Boom is known for laying down solid, hard-rockin’, parent-friendly music.
There is no cost for carnival games or the Big Bang Boom concert. The Big Bang Boom concert starts at 4 p.m. The carnival games will be from 4: to 6 p.m. The event is open to all ages of Hays and surrounding communities.
Summer Shindig is sponsored by the Friends of the Hays Public Library.
With the 2015 wheat harvest coming to an end across the state of Kansas, it appears this year’s Ellis County crop was on par with the rest of the state.
Ellis County Extension Agent Stacy Campbell estimated the average yields in Ellis County to be between 35 and 40 bushels per acres. On Monday, the Kansas Wheat Commission reported a statewide average of 38 bushels per acre.
Campbell said even with some of the winter kill and disease that affected a portion of this year’s crop, it was still about average.
“Considering how dry it was in the spring, I think most people are pretty excited with that,” Campbell said.
He added that the rains in May really help to improve the conditions. But also led to some diseases, primarily stripe rust and some leaf rust.
“Even though we ended up overall, I think, with a pretty good wheat crop” Campbell said. “I think that stripe rust and leaf rust did probably take a few bushels from us as well.”
Test weights, according to Campbell were pretty good as well. He said there was some winter kill and disease that hurt some wheat but overall he estimated test weights to be between 58 and 62 pound per bushel.
Campbell said they did see an increase in winter kill in this year’s crop and said they attribute part of that to the warm temperatures in November followed by a cold-snap in a matter of 24 hours.
Harvest was wrapped up in Ellis County by about July 1, but Campbell said as of the end of last week there were some people still trying to get wrapped up.
Earlier this month. the National Agricultural Statistics Service forecast the Kansas 2015 winter wheat crop at 334 million bushels, up 36 percent from last year’s crop.
The Hays Hurricanes will end the summer season with strong finishes for many of their swimmers. Two 10-year-old swimmers — Amelia Jaeger and Zach Smith — will close the season and make their first appearances competing at the 2015 USA Swimming Central Zone Long-Course Championship Meet from July 31 through Aug. 2 in Topeka.
Throughout the 2015 season, Jaeger has qualified to swim five events — 50 M free, 50 M fly, 50 M back, 100 M free and 100 M back. Smith has qualified for three events — 50 M back, 100 M fly and 200 M medley. The Zone Championship meet is the highest level meet for the Central Zone, made up of 16 states and boasts close to 90,000 swimmers. Those swimming at Zone meets have a chance to qualify for Junior Nationals.
Amelia Jaeger, Coach A.J. Brown and Zach Smith
Along with their upcoming competition in Topeka, Hurricanes swimmers, Jaeger and Smith, along with older brother Isaac Smith, will join four more swimmers to represent Western Kansas Swim Club at the 2015 Missouri Valley Long-Course Championships from July 24 to 26 in Lawrence. Jaeger and Zach Smith will swim seven events, while Isaac will be swimming four.
The regular season ended last weekend in Garden City at the Western Kansas Swim Club Combined meet.
The two-day meet had 384 participating swimmers. Jaeger swam away with six first-place finishes in 50 M free, 50 M fly, 200 M medley, 100 M free, 50 M back, 200 M free and a fourth-place finish in the 50 M breast. Jaeger was the female 9- and 10-year-old high point individual in WKSC. Thirteen-year-old Megan Flavin finished strong with two first-place finishes in the 50 M free and 100 M free; a second place finish in the 200 M free; three fifth-place finishes in the 100 M fly, 200 M medley and 100 M back; and an 11th place finish in the 100 M breast.
Yesenia Maldonado, 13, ended the season with a third-place finish in the 50 M free and two eighth- and 10th-place finishes in the 200 M free, medley, 100 M back and breast, respectively. Seven-year old, Tygh Jaeger swam to a 10th and 21st place finish in the 50 M back and breast stroke. Flavin and Maldonado, along with two other Hurricanes, will join other swimmers from around western Kansas to represent WKSC, this weekend at the MV Long-Course District meet in Manhattan.
The Hays Hurricanes Swim Team is a member of the Western Kansas Swim Club and competes within the Missouri Valley Swimming and USA Swimming organizations. The Hurricanes are composed of swimmers (age 5 to 18), parents, coaches and volunteers and was established in 1975.
One of the first bowling alleys in Hays, The Playmore, at 116 E. 11th, most recently home to the ARC Thrift Shop, is currently in pretty rough shape. Walls are being stripped and painted, floors are being replaced and stairways are being built as the Hays Community Theatre pushes toward more plays in The Playmore.
The Playmore was built in 1938 being home to four bowling lanes, snooker and pool tables, and a snack bar. Work by HCT volunteers has brought some of the original look back to light, under the direction of Pamela Grizzell, chairwoman of the HCT venue committee.
“Right now, we’re doing all the renovations,” she said. The venue will provide the HCT a home it has been searching for, she said, giving the group the ability to be more active.
“We’ve had a community theater in Hays for about 13 years now. We became a 501(c)3 a few years ago when we became the Hays Community Theatre,” Grizzell said. “The last 13 years, we’ve been renting various facilities (but) we’ve never really had a place to call home.”
“We’re very excited about 116 E. 11th because now we’ll be able to provide year-round programming including children’s theater,” she said.
Even without the permanent facility, the HCT has been putting on shows thanks to donors and contributors. They have hosted two to four shows a year according to Grizzell and with the new location, the HCT has even more potential to bring in help with productions.
“We’re looking forward to working with new donors, now that we are part of the Chestnut Street District,” she said. “It seems that will be be available to work with more grant writers and things to help enhance downtown Hays, which is very exciting. We’re extremely thrilled about our neighbors a couple doors down the street with the Hays Arts Council. … Brenda Meder (director of the Hays Arts Council) has already popped in for a visit and, we’re looking at coordinating with her on a few projects.
The size of the facility is also exciting to the HCT.
“Our facility is about 3,000 square feet. When all done, the theater will seat around 96. We’ll have a breakdown stage that we can move to different parts of the theater, so at times it’ll be in the far back seating 96 and other times the stage will be moved and will have seating around three sides for something more intimate, say maybe a small Shakespeare.”
The group will also use the basement, currently being restored to its original look, to offer the community another venue for gatherings and events.
“Downstairs, there’s a really cool room,” Grizzell said. “It’s completely surrounded with wood. It’s very antique looking, reminiscent of a day gone by and so we’re looking at renting out The Playmore Room to help keep our doors open and get us some of the funding that we’ll need.”
The venue will be open during the Bargains on the Bricks — 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday — giving the public an opportunity to see the work with other activities promoting the HCT.
“We’re going to be open that day for ticket sales. We also have a raffle going on to help pay for upcoming production of ‘Legally Blonde.’ We’ll be having a garage sale in the opposite side of the building, which will not be the theater, and a bake sale as well, so if people want a sneak peek for themselves, if they want to come in and see with their own eyes what they’re doing and check out if, maybe that’s something they would like to volunteer for, they’re welcome to stop by on the 18th from 7:30 to 4 and be glad to say hello,” Grizzell said.
The next HCT production will be “Legally Blonde,” beginning July 23.
The promise of new regulations by the Food and Drug Administration regarding nicotine juices for electronic cigarettes – commonly known as e-cigs – has local businesses concerned about damage to their bottom line. Theresa Herlocker, owner and manager of Grasshopper Vapes, 706 Vine, believes that while some regulation is necessary, over-regulation by the federal government could hurt the market and drive smaller shops out of business.
By the end of September, the FDA is expected complete new rules that would require federal approval for all e-cig devices and flavored nicotine juices sold in vapor shops such as Grasshopper Vapes. The approval process will cost an estimated $2 million to $10 million to collect necessary data and submit an application for each item. That price tag is expected to push the cost of the juices and accessories up dramatically.
“There should be regulation,” Herlocker said, adding juices “should be made in clean rooms and batch tested.”
“It’s when they get to the point of just trying to get rid of (vaping) because cigarette companies or big pharmaceutical companies say so that I don’t agree with,” she said.
And Grasshopper Vapes is not alone. Over the last four years, the vapor business has grown from a $1 billion industry to a $3.5 billion industry, with over 8,500 vapor shops springing up across the United States. That growth might not last long however, as the Smoke-free Alternatives Trade Association, a lobbyist group representing vapor shops and manufacturers, estimates the new legislation could put 99 percent of the industry out of business.
“A lot of (juice manufacturers) have already been working with the FDA trying to get things straightened out,” Herlocker said.
Juice is kept in a small reservoir above a heating coil, which heats the liquid when a button is pressed.
“Juice” is industry slang for the liquid that is used in e-cigs and vapor pens, which contains vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, flavoring and often nicotine.
Negative reports regarding e-cigs and vapor pens are ample, but new studies are starting to emerge that point to several potential benefits of using vapor pens over traditional cigarettes.
“I haven’t had a cigarette in over a year,” Herlocker said. “Some of my clients have point-blank asked their doctors whether or not vaping is safe, and (the doctors) said that while they would rather them quit completely, vaping is better than smoking.”
For the moment, however, it seems that vapor shops are here to stay and, for users who have quit traditional cigarettes, that is a good thing, according to Herlocker.
“It’s designed for harm reduction, that’s all,” she said. “We don’t have long-term studies, but they’ve already proven it’s a lot safer than cigarettes. That’s what it comes down to, and that’s why we opened.”
You can’t fight Mother Nature, and this year, organizers of the Ellis County Relay for Life, don’t have to worry about that.
For the first time, the 21st annual local fundraiser for the American Cancer Society will be held indoors–at Fort Hays State University Gross Memorial Coliseum. The event date has also changed–from early June to mid-fall–Saturday, Sept. 19.
“It’s kind of exciting–moving out to Gross Memorial Coliseum this year. It’s inside; it’s climate-controlled so you don’t even have to worry about being too warm or too cold,” said Kim Peach, ACS Relay for Life Community Manager.
For many years, the Hays Middle School (formerly Felten Middle School) outdoor track was the site of the Ellis Co. RFL with teams walking around the track for 12 continuous hours, from 7 p.m. Friday night to 7 a.m. Saturday morning. Teams set up their “campsites” around the track where many of them offered more games, keepsakes and foodstuffs for a cash donation to RFL. Threatening thunderstorms with lightning forced the Relay to end early a couple of times.
In recent years, the Relay was shortened, ending at midnight to make it easier for more people to participate.
Last year, the Relay moved to the Hays Mall parking lot, focusing on family-fun events throughout the evening as walkers wound through a makeshift track around the luminaries.
At GMC, there will still be ‘campsites,’ but “you won’t have to have them staked down,” Peach said with a smile, and it will still be family-oriented. And of course, there is a built-in track around the basketball arena for the luminaries and the team walkers. There will also be food vendors, she said.
Because the Relay will be indoors, Peach is planning for more participation from cancer survivors and their caregivers.
“We always do a personal invitation to the survivors which will be mailed any day, but we want the caregivers to know we haven’t forgotten about them.
“Sometimes it’s hard when you lose your loved one, you think that maybe you’re not a part of it any more. But you should be a part of it more than ever because we’re here to support you, too,” she said.
Whether you’re a caregiver or a cancer survivor, “there’s nothing like empathy to say you understand what someone is going through.”
Most of the money raised by the ACS Relay for Life national program goes towards scientific research.
“There’s been a lot of great improvements in the early detection of cancer,” Peach noted.
“A lot of people talk about there being more cancer, but the truth of the matter is, we’re detecting more cancers earlier and more people are surviving–and that’s huge. The more advances that we have and the better quality of treatments we have, people are having quality-of-life afterwards.”
KU Medical Center in Kansas City has received several ACS research grants.
“KU has a bunch of (research) going on right now. They just got new grants which have been renewed for this year. It’s exciting when you get grant money at home.”
“We do have services that come right through Hays Med (at the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute) to here but anybody anywhere is able to get any of the services that we offer by calling our 800 number at 1-800-ACS-2345. They can also go to www.cancer.org.
RENO COUNTY -Survey crews will be working to asses damage from the storm that rolled across south central Kansas on Monday night.
There is a report of roof damage to a home located about three miles east of Nickerson along 82nd Avenue. 82nd was closed from Herren Road to Riverton east of Nickerson.
The storm also downed power lines and caused tree damage north and west of Hutchinson. No injuries are reported. Some parts of Reno County received 2 ½ to 3 inches of rain.
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RENO COUNTY-A Tornado formed in northern Reno County on Monday evening. Officials did report power lines down and tree damage north and west of Hutchinson.
Check Hays Post for additional details as they become available.
The Ellis County Historical Society hosted a rare sight in modern Hays — the game of polo. On Saturday, near the Bickle/Schmidt Sports Complex, people young and old set out to enjoy a sport that was at one time wildly popular in northwest Kansas.
While the event was something to see, Francisco Llosa, a professional polo player who participated in the demonstration said for him, “being out there is just like another day in the office for me.”
Donald Westfall, director of the ECHS, said he was pleased with the turnout and hopes that polo can once again become a part of the area culture.
“Well it was beyond expectations for me, I’m very pleased to see the number of people we had here today,” Westfall said. “There is a tradition of polo in Ellis County which we wanted to revive and remind people about that. Then, of course, we’d like to see if it can result in having polo played here on a more regular basis for the entertainment and education of the public.”
Bringing the demonstration to Hays was in itself valuable, he said, but it is only a first step in bringing the sport back to the area permanently if there is a strong interest. Judging by the excitement and the crowd at the demonstration, it seems feasible.
“I think there is definitely a need for it in town, especially anything equestrian,” said Chelsea Dickey, Munjor resident who brought her family to watch the event. “We have horses ourselves and so it is just an interesting sport to watch.”
“The people who are playing here today from Liberal and Wichita are willing to help us get started here again if there is enough interest,” Westfall said.
Saturday’s match was held in conjunction with the ECHS’s “Polo on the Plains” exhibition at the downtown museum.
“It’s something different, but it is a lot of fun,” Llosa said.
Front row, from left: Cora Milbourne, Rachel Gilliland, Malynn Plumer, Madelyn Waddell, and Emily Schulte. Middle row, from left: Brooklyn Staab, Macee Altman, Kaitlyn Brown, Lexi Gottschalk, and MacKenzie Fagan. Coaches, from left: Ryan Gottschalk, Randy Gottschalk and Joshua Waddell. Not pictured is Coach McKenzie Altman.Photo courtesy Julie Brown.
EMPORIA — The Kansas Smoke 14 & Under fast-pitch softball team earned championship honors at the 2015 Kansas ASA Class C State Softball Championships in Emporia on Saturday and Sunday.
The title was their second consecutive state championship after having won the 12 & Under title last season.
The Smoke was undefeated at the event and recorded wins over the Flint Hills Wind (Council Grove), Kansas Heat (Hoisington), Mud Katz (Salina) and Nemesis (Salina). Their season record stands at 17-3-1, and the team is riding a nine-game winning streak.
Pickup man Shandon Stalls (on the right) waits while bareback rider Wyatt Clark frees his hand. The McLean, Texas man loves to watch horses buck, and loves coming to Phillipsburg. Photo by JJJ Photos.
PHILLIPSBURG — He’s got the best seat in the house, and he’s had it for nearly the past 15 years.
He’s Shandon Stalls, one of the two pickup men at Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo, and if things go smoothly at the rodeo, you’ll never realize he’s there.
The McLean, Texas, man has one of the toughest and most invisible jobs in rodeo: after the eight second buzzer sounds in the bareback and saddle bronc riding, he rides in next to the bucking horse, ready to help the cowboy dismount safely, and make sure the horse is safe as well.
In addition to those two events, the pickup men also help get “unruly” bulls out of the arena during the bull riding, and run steers and calves out of the arena after steer wrestling and roping runs.
Most fans never notice the pickup men, and that’s how it should be, Stalls says. “Nobody notices our job till we make a mistake,” he says. “If you’re doing a good job, nobody should notice you.”
The pickup man’s job is not always easy, dealing with 1500 pound horses and bulls that buck. Being able to read livestock is important, Stalls says. “You need to know where that horse is going before he gets there, or you’re late. That’s something my dad taught me with cows years ago. You’ve got to know what a horse is thinking and be there.”
Stalls also learned by watching one of his heroes, former PRCA saddle bronc rider and pickup man Paul Peterson, who worked for Beutler and Son Rodeo Co., as Stalls does. “Watching Paul pick up, I noticed he didn’t have to run his horse, he didn’t have to hurry,” Stalls says. “He was always in the right spot, and that’s why. A lot of people run their horse into the ground and they’re still not in the right spot, because they don’t know where that horse is going.”
The 35 year old grew up on the family ranch near McLean, about 75 miles east of Amarillo. He attended New Mexico Junior College, where he began to pick up at college rodeos. He’d always watched Peterson and Billy Ward, both well-respected pickup men, and “got fortunate enough to pick up with both of them,” he said. Peterson, who would ride saddle broncs at the rodeos at which he worked, asked Stalls to fill in one day while he rode, and for that, he’s grateful to Peterson. “I thank Paul for giving me a shot,” Stalls said. “He taught me a lot about picking up.” Peterson retired from picking up a few years ago. “He’s still the best,” Stalls said.
It was at a rodeo in Hinton, Okla. that Stalls connected with Bennie Beutler, co-owner of Beutler and Son Rodeo and stock contractor for the Phillipsburg rodeo. It was in 2001, and after Stalls worked the rodeo, “that night Bennie hired me,” he said.
Since then, he’s worked for the Beutlers at many of their rodeos, including Greeley, Colo.; Austin, Lubbock, Weatherford, Vernon, and Abilene, Texas; Woodward, Lawton, and Elk City, Okla.; Burwell, Neb., and Phillipsburg and Coffeyville, Kansas.
Stalls also is a steer roper, and finished second in the world in the rookie steer roping standings in 2005. He finished two years as seventeenth and nineteenth in the world, with the top fifteen making it to the National Finals Steer Roping. “Dang, getting so close (to the Finals) twice, I just about quit,” he said. “I haven’t roped much in the last few years.”
There were three years when Stalls didn’t pick up at Phillipsburg as he was steer roping and trying to make the Finals. Now the steer roping takes a backseat, as he and his wife Larenda have a six year old son, Slade, who is beginning to junior rodeo. Slade sometimes travels with his dad, which he loves. “He’d rather come and help sort and chase bucking horses than go to junior rodeos,” Stalls said. “He’s good help, too.”
Stalls and his father run about 500 black Angus cows and feed out yearlings. They don’t hire outside help, which keeps them both busy. Winter is busiest, with weaning and feeding.
When he goes to a rodeo to pick up, he’ll take five or six horses with him, and ride some of Beutler’s. “Bennie’s got probably four or five I like,” he says. “I’ve worked there long enough, I’m the one who gets to ride them.” Nearly all of his horses are ranch raised. “I probably haven’t bought four horses in my whole life,” Stalls said. “Everything I ride, we raise.”
The requirements to be a good pickup horse are different than for a bucking horse or saddle horse. “They have to be broke and somewhat gentle,” Stalls say. “Some horses just won’t do it. I have four or five horses that won’t do it, it’s just not going to happen.” Then he has horses that don’t know anything else. “And I have three horses that I’ve never done anything else on,” he said. “They just love it. They have to want to do it. If they don’t want to, there’s nothing you can do to make them do it.”
Shandon Stalls (left) poses with his son, Slade, at the 2014 Phillipsburg Rodeo. The McLean, Kan. man has worked as a pickup man in Phillipsburg for 12 of the last 15 years.
Stalls loves coming to Phillipsburg. “I love that rodeo,” he says. “They’ve got great plug ins there, 50 amps to run both air conditioners in the trailer. Gosh dang, they built that new office and place to eat, with great meals. Everybody is happy to see us. If it doesn’t get too hot, you can’t beat that place.” They make it a family affair. Last year, Slade, Rhett Beutler’s children and world champion roper Cody Ohl’s kids were in Phillipsburg. “We had the slip and slide out there,” Stalls said.
Now days, Stalls only works ten Beutler rodeos. He’s worked for Bennie and Rhett about fifteen years, and figures he has five more years in him. “At twenty years (of working for Beutlers), I’m going to quit. It’s so hard on your body, your shoulders, knees, everything. Basically I’m worn out already.”
There’s nothing that beats watching the bucking horses, though. “I love watching them buck,” he says. “I like watching them make a good ride on them, but I love watching them buck. How free they are. They’re fun to watch.
And on July 30, 31 and August 1, he’ll be in the Phillipsburg arena, doing his job. And if things go smoothly, the fans will hardly notice him.
Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo takes place in Phillipsburg July 30-August 1 at 8 pm each night. Tickets range in price from $13 to $15 for adults and from $10 to $11 for children ages 3-12. Tickets are available at Heritage Insurance in Phillipsburg (785-543-2448) and at the gate. For more information, visit the website at KansasBiggestRodeo.com or call 785-543-2448.
