By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

As the United Way of Ellis County reaches the anticipated closing of its annual campaign, the agency is significantly below its fundraising goal.

“I will be blunt, we are desperate for help,” Sherry Dryden, UWEC executive director, said.

She called the agency’s situation dire and said agencies that are funded by United Way will likely have to cut service or the number of people served if the campaign ends significantly short of goal.

As of the end of the week, Dryden anticipated the agency will be only 40 percent to its $400,000 fundraising goal.

The United Way, which usually ends its annual campaign Dec. 31, has already decided to extend the campaign into January, but Dryden said she is still concerned the agency will have to make large cuts in funding to its agencies.

“It’s going to hurt,” Dryden said. “It means that we have to cut the support to the agencies by half.”

The United Way raises funding for many smaller non-profit community organizations that do not have the staffs or the resources to do fundraising on their own. Dryden said if these local agencies have to spend more time fundraising, that takes away time from those organizations providing services. Because of their size, some agencies will have no other way to address funding deficits other than to cut services.

“I don’t want to see anybody lose their jobs,” Dryden said. “We don’t want to see anyone lose services. We have averaged these last three years approximately 8,000 people being helped and even more in services. When you are looking at those kinds of numbers and you only make half of your campaign, you are looking at 4,000 people needing help and can’t get it. So who else is going to provide those services?”

Last year, United Way supported local programs at 15 partner agencies.

These included the American Red Cross, Big Brother Big Sisters, Cancer Council of Ellis County, Catholic Charities, Center for Life Experiences, Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation, Court Appointed Special Advocates, Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas, Early Childhood Connections, First Call for Help, Hays Area Children’s Center, Options, Parents and Children Together, Salvation Army and Western Kansas Association on the Concerns for the Disabled.

Each agency has to meet guidelines and standards to receive funds.

At least two of the agencies the Hays Post spoke to said they would consider cutting staff hours or a staff position if they saw a significant decrease in United Way funding.

Less money for Big Brothers Big Sisters would mean less staff and fewer children served, said Jenny Bates, executive director.

Big Brothers Big Sisters will provide mentors for about 200 children this year. Every match costs about $1,000 per year to support. This includes cost for background checks, reference checks as well as volunteer training.

Big Brothers Big Sisters received just more than $35,000 from UWEC in 2018. That equals about 35 matches.

“We serve children who are facing adversity whether that is something that is going on at home, struggles they are having at school or social things that are going on for them,” Bates said.

“What Big Brothers Big Sisters does is provide that consistent person in their life who is there for them and to support them and encourage them and help them be more confident,” she said.

“Our vision is that all kids achieve success in life. We want these kids to overcome the barriers they are facing. The Bigs help them go beyond that and become some of the first in their families to attend college or hold down full-time jobs after they graduate high school. It is making them productive citizens in society.”

First Call for Help was one of the biggest benefactors of UWEC funds in 2018, receiving a grant of $42,598.

Linda Mills, First Call for Help director, said she too was concerned about maintaining staffing if their agency’s funding was cut. Mills said the agency would do everything it could to replace funds by applying for grants or having another fundraiser. However, that is difficult, because the agency has only four staff members.

First Call uses the United Way funding to support the Backpacks for Kids program, its information and referral program and Meals on Wheels.

Mills said the agency would likely have to reduce the number of people served under the Backpacks for Kids and Meals on Wheels programs if its funding was cut. Backpacks for Kids provided school supplies for 657 children this fall. Thirty people in the community receive Meals on Wheels through First Call.

“I think I would like to stress that the United of Way is an important piece of the many agencies that we have in our community,” Mills said. “If we see that not being fully funded, it means all of the services are going to suffer somewhat. I want to stress how important they are in the community.”

CASA only has one full-time staff person. The $19,650 the agency receives from UWEC supports its work to advocate for children in the court system.

“Without United Way funding, it would be very challenging for us to provide advocates for the children currently going through the court system due to abuse and neglect in the 23rd Judicial District,” Lyndsey Crisenbery, CASA executive director, said.

“United Way funding helps our agency maintain quality staff that recruit, train and supervise advocates. Our advocates help ensure abuse and neglected children are receiving the services they need by getting to know them, their families and the other professionals who have worked with the child. The CASA advocates then advocate for the best interest of the child in court.”

Early Childhood Connections received funding in 2018 from United Way for a pilot program for summer preschool for children who were getting ready to enter Kindergarten.

Donna Hudson-Hamilton, ECC director, said she thought those children who participated greatly benefited from the targeted help. However, the program was solely funded with United Way money. The ECC is planning to apply for the grant again in 2019, but if it does not receive the funds, the program will go away.

Parents and Children Together, which serves 80 families in Ellis County, also is 100 percent funded by the United Way. PACT offers Ten Steps to Positive Parenting, a parenting class that seeks to reduce instances of child abuse in the community.

Options uses its $15,000 annual allocation to support its shelter program. Abuse survivors receive assistance with food, clothing, medical needs and transportation. The shelter will serve about 100 men, women and children this year.

Reductions in United Way funding could mean reductions in staffing and the ability to offer services, Jennifer Hecker, Options director, said. The shelter allows abuse victims to leave abusers, but remain in Hays where they may have jobs and other support systems, she said.

“No one should ever be put in a position to have to choose between financial security and safety,” Hecker said. “They are one in the same for many people. Financial security means freedom for many people. If you have to leave the community where your job is, you are not going to have the same kind of freedom you need to move on with your life.”

Some lead businesses are still trying to wrap up their employee pledges, Dryden said. Most of those businesses are coming in the same as last year or are a little down.

“The United Way humbly appreciates our business partners who do internal campaigns, which collectively accounts for almost half of our campaign. We are currently working with one of our partners who is transitioning to a new giving model, and we anxiously look forward to the outcomes next year,” Dryden said.

However, she said other factors have played into the shortfall in the campaign.

Although she did not want to name the agencies, Dryden noted several other community groups have been working on major fundraising campaigns at the same time as the United Way campaign.

“It is so exciting to see how excited our communities are with fundraising, and people tend to give better toward the end of the year, but we may need to look at leaving that traditional fundraising season and look at different times throughout the year instead,” Dryden said.

Changes in the tax laws also likely had an effect on giving this year, Dryden said. Some employers have also said they have had longtime employees and contributors retire. If you have made payroll deductions in the past, UWEC can set up checking account automatic withdrawals to maintain you giving.

“We have so many more opportunities to give than we had in the past,” Dryden said.

Also periodically, the United Way has dealt with concerns about administrative expenses, which are 16 to 20 percent. The local United Way is trying to develop an endowment that would fund the local agency’s administrative expenses, so 100 percent of the money raised each year could go to partner agencies.

“What I am finding as we do the Dine Out Days, as we have more one-on-ones with the public is there is also a hesitancy to give because people don’t really know us,” Dryden said. “Even though we are trying to educate people about what we do and how we do it, there is still hesitancy.”

An estimate of the United Way CEO’s income has circulated on social media, but Dryden said this social media estimate is not accurate. The United Way CEO makes a fraction of what a for-profit CEO in America would make, and the current CEO donates a portion of his salary back to the organization.

The CARE Council, a board of volunteers, will start reviewing funding levels for allocation in January. The decision on how the money United Way raised in the campaign is spent is up to them. The United Ways is still looking for a couple of members for that group.

Eagle Radio is planning a fundraiser for the United Way on Dec. 27. Look for more details to be announced soon.

If you wish to donate to United Way, you can do so online, call United Way at 785-628-8281, send checks to P.O. Box 367, Hays, KS 67601 or make a donation or pledge in person at the United Way office at the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh St., Suite 111, Hays.

Note: Eagle Radio is owned by Eagle Communications, which also owns and operated the Hays Post. Cristina Janney is a member of the CASA board, which receives funds from United Way.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

It was like Black Friday, but the commodity was Beanie Babies and all the money went to charity.

Students descended on Monica Dreiling’s fifth-grade class at Lincoln Elementary School last week in a frenzy to buy pigs, chameleons, leopards, frogs and all sorts of other animals from the popular stuffed toy line. The class sold 1,440 Beanie Babies in less than two hours last week — a sell-out. The class raised $919.12.

“We never dreamed that we would make that much money,” Dreiling said during an all-school assembly Wednesday morning. “That is because all of you.”

The class was supposed to sell Beanie Babies before and after school for a week. After the morning sale Tuesday, the class was sold out. Dreiling contacted Bob Munsch, Hays auctioneer, and secured 600 more Beanie Babies for the store. By Wednesday afternoon, the class was sold out again.

The project was a part of a unit the class was working on entrepreneurship. The students had to sort their inventory, set the prices for the Beanie Babies, market the store, which included contacting local media, act as sales staff and decide what they would do with their profits, said Mariella Dreiling, fifth-grader.

Addison Neuburger, fifth-grader, said “It is harder than you think to start selling and get everything organized.”

During an assembly, the class donated the money to several nonprofit organizations. Each nonprofit representative was also given a Beanie Babie so they could remember where the donation came from.

This included $100 for the Human Society of the High Plains, $100 for First Call for Help, $100 to Cancer Council of Ellis County, $50 for Hays Public Library to purchase a brick and $569.12 for the Community Assistance Center.

A $50 donation will be made to the CAC to buy a holiday meal for a needy family. The rest of the money will be split among the students in the class, who will shop for non-perishable food items on Tuesday, Dec. 18 at Dillons. Those items will be donated to the CAC food pantry.

“We did not do this on our own,” Monica Dreiling told the other Lincoln students Wednesday. “The kids realized this was not our money, but your money and your families’ money that made all these donations possible to your community.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The United Way of Ellis County on Tuesday launched an app to highlight area resources.

United Way in the past had printed a paper guide to assist people in finding, nonprofit and government agencies.

However, Sherry Dryden, UWEC executive director, said the app, which is free for download now for Apple and Android devices, can be updated constantly.

“One of the main things was to have first-responders and social workers to have something at their fingertips instead of having to go to their office to a website or having to pull out a book out of their vehicle or briefcase that is outdated the minute that you print it,” she said.

The idea for the app came out of a series of meeting sponsored by the Dane G. Hansen Foundation called Strategic Doing. The meetings urged local residents to focus on needs and goals in their communities. Another series of meetings will be conducted in March.

The Heartland Community Foundation supported the creation of the app through a grant.

“The Heartland Community Foundation is very interested in technology in our rural communities, but the key word she uses is collaboration,” said Sandy Jacobs, Heartland Community Foundation executive director. “It is really important in communities of this size to bring people together from different backgrounds and different agendas and put together things that work. This is one of the most important things that has been done in the last numbers of years, and we are very proud to be associated with it.”

The app was created by Simply LLC, a technology firm in Hays.

Brandon Purdy, app designer, said he was unsure how useful the app would be until he started to use it himself.

“When you don’t know what you are looking for, you just know you need to find something in financial services and you want local, the app is really useful to find something that is local and not just something you are going to find on Google,” he said. “I see it going more places than I originally thought.”

More than 400 services, schools, government agencies and organizations are listed in the app.

The app allows you to search for services under categories, including child care services, communications specialists, community programs, counseling, disability and developmental services, drug and alcohol services, education resources and institutions, elderly resources, employment resources, family planning and support, financial resources, food programs, health services, housing resources, mental health, parenting resources, veterans resources, volunteer services, and youth programs.

The app gives phone numbers, addresses with maps and descriptions of the organizations.

The logo for the app looks like a life-preserver, because UWEC is trying to throw a lifeline to people, Dryden said.

“I think of the first responders who are called to something in the middle of the night and a family is needing some kind of service,” Dryden said. “They are able to go with this, get it off their phone, and be able to utilize that, and be able to get ahold [of someone] and get the family linked up to services they need.”

Although the app was made with first responders and social workers in mind, it can be used by anyone. Dryden used the examples of teachers, counselors, churches or business people.

You can still access an online version of the resources list at http://elliscountykshelp.com/. The United Way is working with USD 489 to develop a Spanish version of the list.

If your information needs to added or updated on the app, contact the United Way at 785-628-8281 or [email protected]. Purdy said some bugs are still being worked out of the system. Although the app is available to download now, an Apple update is waiting for approval and should be available shortly. Contact the app administrator if you experience problems.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Synergy is filling the first floor of the historic six-story Chestnut Building in downtown Hays.

Three nonprofit organizations are now housed in the building purchased by four local businessmen.

The Downtown Hays Development Corporation, Heartland Community Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters occupy Suite 102, along with the Downtown Visitor’s Center.

“This is such a fun environment,” said Sandy Jacobs, executive director of HCF, “and a wonderful synergy going on with nonprofits. We do some amazing things when we all work together.”

The groups recently hosted a holiday open house and ribbon cutting by the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce.

One of the building owners, Dick Werth, approached Jacobs about moving her office into the building at 1200 Main and offered a minimal rental rate. Jacobs jumped at the opportunity after being notified by the city that her space in the Hays Welcome Center, 2700 Vine, was to become the new home of the city’s IT department.

DHDC had already moved into the location from its space on 12th Street.

“The owners are a wonderful group and they wanted to see nonprofits down here. They’ve allowed it to happen that works financially for all three of our groups. We’re grateful for that,” added Jacobs.

BBBS filled the rest of the suite in early November.

“We are super excited to be in this space,” said Jenny Bates, BBBS area director.

One major advantage for BBBS is access to the suite’s large boardroom.

“We’ve always had to go off-site for that,” Bates explained. “We do lots of volunteer information sessions and parent training sessions and will now be able to do all that here.”

DHDC office manager Michaela Bartlett also works as the receptionist for the three nonprofits.

Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director, joked about how many moves her office made before settling into the Chestnut Building.

“It’s a much bigger, beautiful space and it allows for more. Michaela and I now have our own offices. If we need to close doors, we can. Our 13 board members were meeting in an unfinished basement.  We’re very excited to be in the Chestnut Building and collaborating with these other wonderful nonprofits,” she said.

Each of the nonprofit directors thanked the board members for donating their time and talent.

“What I’m starting to see that I’m really grateful for is the number of young people that are now becoming involved,” Jacobs said.

“I think what is important for us to remember is all of these people have real jobs. And they have real employers that I don’t think we spend enough time thanking for allowing them to serve on these boards, and take time off, and do the things they do. Without those employers agreeing to all that, we wouldn’t have all the wonderful stuff that we have going on.”

 

More than 1,100 people had already visited the Historic Fort Hays annual Christmas Past event half way through its second night on Saturday.

Event goers were welcomed to homemade cookies, bake apples, carriage rides, music and a tour of the fort as it might have look in the 1800s.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Stacy and Jarrod Jones are leaving their respective practices to start a new practice, EyeSmile Vision and Dental at 1300 Main.

The building, which is in the Chestnut Street Historic District, was built in 1932 and for many years was used as a service station. The station was known as Nep’s Super Service and then Jep’s. The Joneses are remodeling it back to its 1950s footprint.

The building was constructed by the father of the two brothers who ran the service station. The father also built Thomas More Prep-Marian school and the Lamar Hotel.

“When we were deciding we wanted to go together, we were looking for different potential locations,” Stacey Jones said. “Driving around town, we looked at two or three other locations and came across that one and just kept going back to it, thinking it was really going to be a fun place. We liked the idea of being downtown. It had good parking options, which we really like. We just a had a vision for how it could be separated into two different spaces fairly easily.”

Renovating a building in a historic district had its challenges. The Joneses were all set to begin construction in May, when work on the project was halted by the state. Preservationists insisted the footprint of the building more closely follow the 1950s building.

The Joneses had to go back to plans on file with the Hays Fire Department from the 1940s. They scrapped their plans and started over. This pushed the construction start back to August.

“The interesting thing about the building was allowing it to reveal itself to us,” Stacey Jones said. “That has been a really fun adventure for us.”

The Joneses were also required to keep the exterior looking like a filling station, which Stacey Jones said she thinks it does. There is history inside the building as well. You will see a terrazzo floor, brick walls, a plaster ceiling and a fireplace that were original to the building.

Both the Joneses said they look forward to relocating downtown.

“It feels like a sense of community we’ve noticed,” Stacey Jones said. “We both grew up in small towns and had that sense of community, and downtown certainly gives us that feel of small town community with the businesses and the activities that happen on Main Street with the parades and the art walks and the functions that have happened. The Downtown (Hays) Development Corp. has really been supportive as well.”

The building will have more than 6,000 square feet of usable space once the renovation is complete.

The original garage bay will be the guest lounge, and the service desk area will be the reception area in the clinic. The front-office staff will be shared. On the optometry side, there will be two exam rooms, and there will be eight exam rooms on the dental side.

Jarrod Jones, a Hays dentist for 15 years, is now located in Cedar Lodge on Vine Street and was a partner with his brother Dr. Paul Jones. Jarrod Jones is a graduate of the University of Texas-Houston. He practices general dentistry and does everything from filings to implants.

Jarrod Jones started to operate as EyeSmile on Oct. 1. His brother and Dr. Ross Kee will remain at Cedar Lodge when Jarrod Jones starts seeing patients at the new location on Jan. 7. He will see his last patients at Cedar Lodge on Dec. 20 to facilitate the move to the new building.

Stacey Jones also graduated from the University of Texas-Houston and has been an optometrist for 15 years. She is an associate of Dr. Kendall Krug, 2203 Canterbury. She will be leaving that practice to partner with her husband on Dec. 31. Stacey Jones works with general eye health for people of all ages. She hopes the optical side of the building will be ready for her by the end of January.

Dr. Krug will continue to see patients as a solo practitioner after Jones’ departure.

The Joneses have considered combining their practices since they were newlyweds.

“It was something that was always in the back of our minds as a possibility and a good melding of having the two practices together under one roof,” Stacey Jones said.

The Joneses said they think their patients will benefit from having both services under one roof.

Some patients might be able to book a dental cleaning and an eye exam on the same day. However, this will depend on the doctors’ schedules. One member of a family might be able to have their glasses adjusted while they wait on another family member who is having an eye exam or dental exam.

Stacey Jones will have an eyewear boutique at the practice. She is bring in frames from Spain, New York, L.A., Chicago, Seattle and Kansas City that can’t be ordered online.

You can learn more about the practice on Facebook. You can make appointments at 785-621-4242. A new website for the practices will available soon. Both practitioners will be accepting new patients.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., a member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee – announced in a news release Friday the city of Hays was awarded $6.05 million by the U.S. Department of Transportation for infrastructure improvements along U.S. 183.

The funding would be used for the Access Managed Roundabouts Corridor, which would create roundabouts at 32nd/33rd, 37th and 41st streets along Vine. The estimated cost of the project this summer was $7.6 million.

The funds have been released as part of a new USDOT grant program, known as Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development (BUILD), which places greater emphasis on rural infrastructure than prior federal transportation grant programs.

“Hays is a growing community that is critical to our state, and I was pleased to help secure federal funding to maintain and improve its surface infrastructure,” Moran said. “I will continue working with my colleagues and local leaders to build on this progress and to advocate for more federal dollars to return to Kansas for improvement projects right here at home.”

In July, Sen. Moran sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao in support of the project.

See related story.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

You may not know Michael Leiker by name, but you would likely know him if you saw him.

Leiker, who is developmentally disabled, doesn’t drive, so he walks everywhere he goes, bringing with him big smiles for the people he meets. He is often seen downtown at his favorite places — the ARC or the library.

Brent Kaiser, ARC activities director, described Michael as one of the most caring people he knows.

“If he sees someone is having a bad or they are struggling, he has little words to encourage them, a pat on the back or a hug,” Kaiser said. “Michael is the go to guy for those type of things.”

Not only does Leiker participate in Special Olympics basketball, track and cheerleading, he is a noted artist as well.

Leiker will make his art debut during an exhibit from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Winter Art Walk in the conference room of the Downtown Hays Development Corp., 1200 Main St.

Leiker, 31, already has art honors under his belt, winning prizes in past years at the Ness County Fair.

He started to draw when he was about 18 and he said art helps him relax. He hasn’t had art classes. He is self-taught. His pictures are pencil or ink drawings, some of which he adds color to with markers or paint.

He just picks subjects that he likes — superheroes, a human heart, a leopard, monster trucks. One drawing depicts the skyline of New York before 9-11 reflected in an eye.

“I am in awe,” Kaiser said. “He is so talented. He has created stuff for me. I have different pieces that he has made for me in my office. I have a giving rock with my name on it. I have a Special Olympics picture with the flame. Whenever I look at it, it makes me smile.

“When I saw what they were doing [with this exhibit], it almost brought tears to my eyes. He works so hard and puts so much into his art. It is one of his passions. It is one of the things he likes to do, so I was super excited and happy for him.”

On Friday, Leiker will have his art for sale for the first time.

Kaiser is already planning to purchase a piece that is to be placed on permanent display at the ARC office in Hays.

Michael said he was a little nervous about the exhibit, but added, “It sounds exciting.”

“I just want to have fun,” he said of his art.

Christmas was celebrated at the Plymouth Schoolhouse on the Fort Hays State University campus on Tuesday afternoon.

The FHSU Carolers sang and people were invited to enjoy cookies and hot cocoa.

After being moved from Russell County to Hays for permanent restoration, the Plymouth Schoolhouse is now an attraction on the FHSU campus.

 The schoolhouse served people living near Wilson from 1874 to 1936.

The Fort Hays State University Chapter of Phi Delta Kappa completed the restoration of the 927 gross square foot building in 1979.

The building is across the street from Tomanek Hall and attracts more than 1,000 visitors each year.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

This year’s Winter Art Walk will be anchored by the 35th annual 5 State Photography Exhibition at the Hays Arts Center.

The art walk will be 7 to 9 p.m. Friday.

One hundred sixty-one photographs were selected out of 325 entries for the photography exhibit.

“The beauty of it is the numbers fluctuate a little bit, but the caliber stays really, really strong,” said Brenda Meder, director of the Hays Arts Council. “I am very, very pleased again with the show and the diversity of the subject matter and the processes and the sizes and the ages and the experiencial ranges of the artists who submitted them.”

Artists competed for honors in three categories: nature, people and open. In each category $500 was divided among four winners. The contest also awards eight to 12 jurors recognition honorable mention awards.

This is the largest Winter Art Walk staged by the Hays Arts Council, Meder said. Twenty-three sites are showcasing 30 artists or groups.

“It is very diverse,” she said. “I also feel this is probably the most diverse art walk that I think I have ever put together. I say that because we have art work on display from elementary, middle and secondary arts students in USD 489. Elementary work is at the library. Middle school is at A2Z Escape. High school art is at Breathe Coffee House. They are all exemplary. We have amazing art teachers, who are really getting some really amazing things from their art students.”

Two exhibits feature artists who have intellectual disabilities. This will include paintings and drawings by Michael Leiker at the Downtown Visitor’s Center, 1200 Main, and the holiday creations of the men of Bethesda Place, which will be at the Artists@Work Studio, 717 Main.

Two local businessmen will be featured in the art walk as well, Tim Chapman and Randy Schlitter.

The Hays Arts Center Annex will feature Tim Chapman and Bruce Burkholder. Chapman recently took a seat on the Hays Arts Council board, but people in the community may know him better for his work with Fort Hays State University Foundation.

Chapman does both 2-D art in acrylic and oil as well a bronze sculpture. Meder said Chapman has a certain amount of whimsy as well as movement in his art.

Schlitter, founder and CEO of the Rans Corporation, will exhibit the “1,000 Cards Project” in acrylic, pencil and mixed media at L&M, 113 W. 11th.

“First and foremost, the first parts of their lives they were driven by a passion for art,” Meder said of these men.

Although the art walk will open in all locations at 7 p.m., some locations will be open early. See the schedule below for details.

One of the sites that will be open early is the Sternberg Museum. Free admission will be offered between 4 and 6 p.m. Friday to view “Botswana and the Okavango Delta: A Photographic Safari to Wild Africa” by Marilyn Wasinger.

All three locations on the FHSU campus: the Moss Thorns Gallery, FHSU painting lab and Center for Applied Technology and Sculpture will also open early 6 p.m.

Styles Dance Centre, 1501 Main St., will present an arts showcase for Jana’s Campaign, which will start at 6 p.m. Jana’s Campaign seeks to increase awareness of gender and relationship violence

“[This is] another unique and wonderful statement about the arts,” Meder said. “That is a performing, literary and visual arts showcase, but it is not the arts for the art’s sake. It is utilizing and showcasing and bringing the arts to the forefront as a an incredible tool for awareness of a very important issue.”

Johnny and Sherri Matlock will open their new 809 Studio for the Hays High Chamber Singers, 809 studio performances, piano by Jaewon Sohn and Peter Lee as well as art from the FHSU Kansas Academy of Mathematics & Science students.

“Again an incredible rich diversity of the arts community, the business community, the education community and awareness of causes in the community and service all coming together in a cohesive fashion for a night where arts is central to any and all of these things,” Meder said.

Hays Post

The city of Victoria will receive nearly $4.5 million in federal grants and loans for a massive upgrade to its water system.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that Victoria is eligible for a $1,441,000 grant and a $2,966,000 loan to build a new 150,000-gallon water tower, replace waterlines and complete improvements to the city’s wells. The money also would be used to help fund a connection to Trego County Rural Water District to alleviate water supply issues, the USDA reported.

Approximately 14,000 feet of water distribution lines will be replaced.

Victoria’s contribution to the project would be only $100,000, the USDA said, and the low-interest loan portion of the funding has a 40-year payback.

“A multi-year drought has diminished the city’s aquifer,” the USDA said in the announcement. “The supply of groundwater in the city’s shallow aquifer is to a point where the city no longer has a dependable and sustainable supply of water.”

The grants were part of a $1.2 billion effort unveiled to help rebuild and improve rural water infrastructure. The 234 projects would effect the water supply of 936,000 residents in 46 states. The Victoria project was one of 16 funded in Kansas and the only in northwest Kansas, according to USDA documents.

Only rural areas and towns with populations of 10,000 or fewer are eligible for the program.

“Access to water is a key driver for economic opportunity and quality of life in rural communities,” said Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett. “Under the leadership of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, USDA is committed to being a strong partner to rural communities in building prosperity through modern water infrastructure.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Munsch Fitness is undergoing an expansion that will add mixed martial arts classes and other services.

Munsch, which has been at is current location, 1104 E. 22nd, since January 2015, has expanded into the back 2,000 square feet of its building. That space had been occupied by Lisa’s Custom Interiors, which moved to 420 E. 11th.

Prophecy MMA will move into one of the rooms in the addition from La Crosse. Prophecy will offer cardio kick, women’s self-defense and mixed martial arts classes for an additional $30 fee.

Alex Munsch, Munsch Fitness CEO, said MMA will be offered for all levels from people who just want to take fitness classes to those who want to do UFC fights.

The lobby will be moved to the back of the building, so the area that faces 22nd Street can be used to add more weights, cable machines, squat racks and bench presses.

Munsch said the gym has started to get crowded during its peak hours in the evening.

“The main point is that we will be adding more equipment,” Munsch said. “There will be more space inside the actual gym area.”

The fitness center also will add more tanning rooms, as well as red light therapy. It also offers a message therapist.

Red light therapy is a long wavelength light that helps rejuvenate skin by increasing collagen. It is used to treat wrinkles and scars.

Some providers use a gun to provide the light to a small area of the skin. Munsch will have a device that looks like a tanning bed and treats the whole body. The red light therapy will be included in membership.

Synergy Supplements also moved into the gym from its location on Vine Street a week and a half ago.

Bryan Zollinger, Synergy Supplements owner, said he thought the gym and the Synergy will be good fit.

“They have an established membership, and there is a lot of foot traffic in and out of here every day,” Zollinger said. “It is people who are interested in their health already anyway.”

The business carries body building supplements, CBD oil and general health supplements, such as vitamins, minerals and fish oil. Synergy will also offer energy drinks, healthy snacks, smoothies and coffee.

“I think it is good for the business and good for the gym, and I think we can offer a service to clients here that they can get everything they need in one stop,” Zollinger said.

In addition, Revive Massage and Movement relocated to the building on Oct. 1. Massage therapist Jessica Lang offers Swedish, deep tissue and sports massages, as well as assisted stretching, trigger point therapy and cupping therapy.

Lang can be contacted via Facebook or by phone at (785) 639-5913.

Appointments also can be made online HERE.

Munsch said he hopes to have the renovation complete by Jan. 1. Sign-up for classes can be done online. Check out the gym’s Facebook page for more information.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Big Creek Crossing has five pop-up stores in the mall this Christmas season as well as a full slate of holiday activities.

The retail stores include Simple Pure Aromatherapy, Christmas Kiosk, Go! Calendars, Silver Fox Sports Cards & Collectibles, and The Nut Place.

Simple Pure Aromatherapy

Barb and David Pitcock of rural Hays have a wholesale bottling company for essential oils and CBD oils and products. The couple has opened a temporary store in the mall at the former Snow Cone Express location for the holidays.

The couple’s products are National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy certified and 100 percent organic. The CBD oil is mixed with coconut oil.

Barb Pitcock said she is trying to educate the public about CBD oil. Although CBD comes from hemp, it does not contain THC, which is the substance in marijuana that gets you high. CBD oil is legal in Kansas, you do not need a prescription to purchase it and it should not make you fail a drug test, Pitcock said.

The FDA considers CBD a dietary supplement, and Pitcock and her husband are not medical professionals. However, products containing CBD have been used by people for anxiety, arthritis, cramps, to control appetite, nausea, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, inflammation, insomnia, ADHD, headaches, Parkinson’s and asthma.

The store also carries CBD salves, roller balls, massage oil, lotions, dog drops and a variety of bath products.

Pitcock uses the products herself, and she said her nephew has used CBD oil to treat his ADHD.

The Pitcocks hope to have an assortment of other essential oils in stock soon. Some of these include blends for stress, insomnia, energy and appetite control.

“It’s worked for me, and it’s worked for other people. I have a high belief in the healing properties of essential oils,” she said.

If the store proves popular, the Pitcocks will consider keeping the it in the mall on a long-term basis.

Hours are noon to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Sundays.

Christmas Kiosk

Christmas Kiosk was a kiosk at the mall last year and has expanded into a full store space this year. It is on the north end of the mall.

Dennis Wilson and Ron Keller, both of Hays, are partners in the store, which carries a mishmash of merchandise.

Some of their items include bamboo sheets, Amish-crafted indoor and outdoor furniture from Indiana, rocks, fossils, gemstones, marbles, arrowheads, deer antlers, handmade jewelry, antiques, dolls, records, swords, knives and framed pictures.

“There is lots to look at,” Wilson said.

Wilson especially plugged the bamboo sheets, which he carries to fit all sizes of beds. They are 30 percent bamboo, which makes them cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They also help wick away perspiration.

The store will be open noon to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays through Christmas. During special mall events, the store will have extended hours.

Go! Calendars

Go! Calendars and Games is a return business. It is located in the center aisle of the south end of the mall near Maurices. It carries wall calendars, as well as plush toys and games.

Caitlyn Patterson, Go! Calendars manager, said the calendars run from $8 for small calendars to $17 for the largest calendars.

“I think there is a gift for everyone who is in here,” Patterson said. “There are things that range from little kid things all the way up to adult items. I think there is definitely something in there for everybody.”

Go! Calendars is open mall seasonal hours, seven days a week through Christmas.

Silver Fox Sports Cards & Collectibles

Larry Sander of Hays recently retired and has set up a kiosk in the mall across from Tradehome Shoe Store to sell his  30-year collection of sports memorabilia and toys.

He has baseball cards, autographed baseballs, replica championship rings, a vintage Darth Vader toy, Hot Wheels, and Starting Lineup collectible figurines.

“You name it, we might have it,” he said.

Sander said price is negotiable.

Hours will be seasonal mall hours Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Christmas.

 

The Nut Place

The Nut Place is in the center court at Big Creek. It is a return vendor this year and carries an assortment of cinnamon roasted nuts, as well as fudge.

 

 

 

 

 

Pay it Forward Store

The Pay It Forward Store will give away Christmas gifts again this year. The store is located in the former Rue 21 location.

Mall events

The mall is hosting an Angel Tree for needy children as well as is a collection point for gifts for children served by the CAC. Find the trees and collection boxes in the center aisle in the south portion of the mall.

Wine Wonderland

Local vineyards will serve free wine samples during Big Creek Crossing’s second annual Wine Wonderland from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 8.

Tickets are $20 per person pre-event and $25 at the door. Buy three tickets and get a fourth one free. A limited number of tickets are still available. Only 200 tickets will be sold.

Free wine tote goodie bags will be given to all ticket holders.

All participants must be 21 years of age or older to participate. Don’t forget your license; ID will be checked for all participants on the night of the event.

Some food pairing will also be offered with the wine.

The wineries will have full bottles for sale to both participants and members of the public.

Tickets can be purchased from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the mall office at 2918 Vine. The office is on the south end of the mall near the restrooms.

For more information, call 785-625-3314 or e-mail [email protected].

Holiday Craft Fair

The annual Big Creek Holiday Craft Fair will be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15.

An estimated 45 crafters will be on hand. A few slots are still available. Cost is $40 for one table or $65 for two tables. Applications are due Friday, Dec. 7. Contact Branson Hoffman at the mall office at 785-625-3314 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.

 

 

 

Santa at the mall

Santa arrived by Eagle Med helicopter on Black Friday.

Photos with Santa are $10.

Times Santa will be at the mall are below.

Pet night (dogs and cats only) 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 5

1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 8-9

5 to 8 p.m. Dec. 14

2 to 5 p.m. Dec. 15

1 to 5 p.m. Dec. 16

4 to 5:30 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 17

4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19, pet photos (dogs and cats only) at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 19

1 to 8 p.m. Dec. 20, 21, 22.

1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 23

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 24