On July 30, the Hays High Cheerleaders were honored to cheer at the 44th annual Shrine Bowl hosted by Butler Community College.
They attended the Shrine Bowl Cheer Camp wherein they got to learn many new skills and more importantly, gain information and a sense of what the true purpose of the Shriners Hospital is really about. The squads got to meet and interact with Shriner Hospital patients and hear their stories.
The camp hosts tryouts for the GTM Performance Team, which performed between first and second quarter of the Shrine Bowl game. Hays High had three cheerleaders make this team — Brittany Pflaum, Brooke Pflaum and Kamree Markley.
GTM also selected eight cheerleaders from the Performance Team as the GTM Elite 8 because of their skills, presentation, attitude, and coaching ability. Kamree Markley was honored as one of the GTM Elite 8 and presented an award during the half time show of the game.
Robert E. (Bob) Schmidt, Hays, passed away Aug. 8, 2017, at the age of 90.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
He was born and raised in the small Rush County town of La Crosse. Robert E. Schmidt, called Bob by his many friends and associates, lived most of his long life in Hays leaving a legacy in broadcasting and philanthropy that extends far beyond western Kansas.
The chairman of the board of Eagle Communications, Inc. and retired president/CEO, Schmidt, who celebrated his 90th birthday last month, passed away early Tuesday morning at his home in Hays.
“You look down the list of all the accomplishments Bob has, and it starts out as a college radio sportscaster at Fort Hays, and then jumping into management of KAYS Radio and TV and that leadership role, it’s just frankly amazing,” said Gary Shorman, Eagle Communications President/CEO. “What he’s done not only for over-the-air broadcasting and then into cable and broadband, he’s been involved for the full 90 years of his life. He does amazing things in the community and certainly will be missed.”
Schmidt’s illustrious career in broadcasting, which included serving as national chairman for the CBS Television Network Affiliates Association and National Associated Press Broadcasters, and state chairman of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters, began at Fort Hays Kansas State College (now Fort Hays State University) as a radio sportscaster. Schmidt was “the original Voice of the Tigers,” noted Gerard Wellbrock, who has been the play-by-play “Voice of the Tigers” the past 15 years on KAYS Radio.
Schmidt (2nd from left) during his collegiate sportscast days on KAYS Radio.
Upon graduation from FHKSC in 1950 with a degree in business administration, Schmidt was appointed general manager of KAYS 1400 AM Radio, which had signed on the air just two years earlier in 1948. Schmidt purchased the Hays radio station in 1952. He was elected vice president and director of KAYS, Inc. the same year. Schmidt and Hays businessmen Ross Beach organized KAYS-TV Channel 7, which was granted a license Sept. 2, 1958. In 1989 he purchased control of the corporation (now Eagle Communications) and was elected President/CEO.
Mike Cooper was hired by Schmidt in 1967 to work at KAYS Radio and stayed there 43 years.
“He always had a really strong commitment to his people,” Cooper remembered. “When you were working for Bob, you knew you were going to have to do the job and work hard, but you also knew you were going to be treated fairly. I think maybe that’s the bottom line. That’s the reason I stayed as long as I did.”
During Schmidt’s leadership, the company built or purchased 24 radio and television stations and 12 cable systems in Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Colorado. In 1989, the company sold its commercial television stations. Schmidt retired as President/CEO of Eagle Communications in 1998, became chairman of the board, and began selling the majority interest in the company to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan.
Schmidt started work at KAYS Radio in 1950 as a college student and purchased the Hays station in 1952.
“Bob really enjoyed and was behind the people in our company. He said, ‘Let’s do something different and give the company to our employees and let them grow and be a part of the community,’ ” Shorman said. “The advantage is it stays with the community. Everybody who works for that company (Eagle) is an owner, much like he started as an owner of the company (KAYS). While he wasn’t an owner any more, you couldn’t tell that by talking to him. As chairman of the board, he continued to focus on making sure we as employee-owners continued to serve our communities.”
Today, Eagle Employee/Owners wholly own and operate 28 radio stations in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska and serve 60 communities with broadband service including cable television, internet, video and telephone service in Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The company also offers wireless broadband service in many of the rural areas it serves.
“Bob Schmidt was an inspiration to all of us at Eagle. As a leader, he challenged us to be better each day and every year. As a broadcaster, he focused on being connected to our local community. As a friend and mentor, he inspired us to do great things,” Shorman added.
Tony Schmidt remembered his father as “an early pioneer broadcaster.”
“Dad brought TV to Hays so we could watch ‘The Andy Griffith Show’ as kids. He started the cable system here and in Wichita so we could watch ‘Bonanza’ on NBC, and he actually knew William Paley, the founder of CBS Radio & Television,” Tony said.
Tony calls his father “a consummate broadcaster and keeper of the public airwaves.”
Bob (Class of 1950) and Pat Schmidt were enshrined into the FHSU Tiger Sports Hall of Fame October 23, 2010, for their contributions to the athletics programs. (Photo courtesy FHSU)
Schmidt and his wife, Pat, who passed away in August 2015, were well-known for their philanthropy through their Robert E. and Pat Schmidt Foundation, which was chaired by Bob. The Schmidt name is visible throughout Hays, most notably at the FHSU Beach-Schmidt Performing Arts Center and the Schmidt-Bickle Training Facility, the Dreiling-Schmidt Cancer Center at HaysMed and the city-owned Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex.
“He cost me a lot of money,” joked Schmidt’s longtime friend Don Bickle Sr., the two names tied together on several Hays facilities funded by their financial donations. Bickle is the owner of S & W Supply in Hays.
The two local businessmen started their lives in humble circumstances.
“There was nobody poorer than the Schmidts and the Bickles,” Don Bickle declared.
He remembered how the two friends first met. Bickle was on the Hoisington High School track team and Schmidt ran track for La Crosse High School. Both schools were to participate in a regional tournament at Fort Hays.
“Our school bus went through La Crosse on the way to Hays, and we saw Bob hitchhiking his way to Hays, so we picked him up,” Bickle recalled. They went their separate ways to college, Schmidt to Fort Hays and Bickle to Kansas State, reconnecting in Hays after graduation.
The Schmidts were generous donors to many local and area non-profit organizations supporting the arts, culture and education.
“We’ve been blessed with an awful lot and we respond by giving back,” Schmidt said in an interview shortly after his wife passed away. “My wife and I believe it’s obligatory, in all aspects.
For the 2015 United Way of Ellis County campaign fundraiser video, Schmidt talked about why he and some other businessmen in Hays decided it was important to establish the organization many years ago.
“We just felt something was needed and we did it,” Schmidt said matter-of-factly. “Those needs don’t go away.”
He also believed it was important for Eagle Communications and its employees to be involved in the United Way.
“I’ve always felt the Eagle radio stations and our cable systems needed to be leaders in the community,” Schmidt emphasized. “We were granted some privileges. Those privileges need to be met. If we provided the leadership for any of the United Way endeavors, it would also be beneficial to us.”
And then, there was that voice, perfect for a broadcaster. Bob Schmidt had a sonorous deep bass voice that was unmistakable when heard in person or over the air.
“Boy, that was recognizable. It didn’t take two words,” Cooper chuckled. “People would always ask Bob to voice their commercials or their public service announcements.”
Schmidt served in the Navy in the Philippines during WWII. (Photo courtesy Tony Schmidt)
“I heard him on the radio not that long ago doing a promotion about veterans,” Shorman said. “Bob was a World War II navy veteran. Every time that voice would come on, you’d just stop and think, ‘Wow, how cool is that?’ ”
Schmidt was also managing partner of Eagle Farm & Ranch, supervising the management of Sweetwater Ranch near Hays, and actively involved in numerous business projects including real estate, stocks/bonds, and oil and gas development.
He served as chair of the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce and was honored locally by the Hays Chamber of Commerce as “Outstanding Young Man of the Year Award” in 1956. In 2003, he was inducted into the Hays Chamber’s Hall of Fame and also was named the city’s “Most Valuable Citizen” in 1989.
“He was a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful person,” Bickle added, reflecting on his years-long relationship with Schmidt. “He believed in God and country. It’s just been a wonderful, wonderful trip with him.”
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., who previously lived in Hays issued a statement Tuesday saying “Robba and I are deeply saddened by the news of Bob Schmidt’s passing. Bob was among a few of our hometown’s most significant citizens – no one has made more of a difference in the well-being of our part of the state than Bob. From his service in the Navy to his time at Fort Hays State University to his work growing KAYS Radio into Eagle Communications, his natural leadership and generous spirit were clear to all who knew him. I’m grateful for our many years of friendship, and my family’s thoughts and prayers are with Bob’s loved ones today. We will miss him greatly.”
“I’m so happy I got to spend time with him in recent weeks, ” said his son Tony, who lives in Lawrence. “He’s with my Mom now, who left us two years ago. He loved his family and he loved the people of western Kansas.”
Schmidt’s funeral will be Sat., Aug. 12. Hays Memorial Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Expectations surrounding the success of Fort Hays State University athletics have been consistently building since the Tigers joined the elite MIAA conference in 2006.
That excitement continues heading into the 2017-18 school year, which will kick off with the annual Tiger Auction and Dinner on Aug. 26. Auction proceeds, which average about $200,000 each year, go to Tiger Athletics.
This year’s auction will be held at a new location and will be highlighted by donations for a long-awaited upgrade to scoreboards.
Each year, a specific item of need for the athletic department is designated as Item No. 40 at the auction.
Proceeds this year from Item 40 will go toward the purchase of enhancements for a new video scoreboard at Lewis Field Stadium and a real-time results board at the FHSU Track and Field Complex. These enhancements will include upgraded packages to run on the video boards and a limestone structure to enclose the video board at Lewis Field.
Tiger fans will be able to donate money for Item 40 in an athletic atmosphere, as the site of the 2017 auction is the Schmidt-Bickle Indoor Training Facility.
The 50,000 square-foot facility accommodates considerably more people than the 450 maximum who could attend the auction in each of its first seven years in the Fort Hays Ballroom of the Memorial Union.
“It’s an athletic facility, so it’s an excellent venue,” FHSU Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke said of the indoor facility that features a 65-yard turf field.
Air conditioning for the event will be provided by United Rentals and should provide a comfortable temperature for all auction attendees.
“I think it’s going to be a really good atmosphere,” Hammeke said, “and the sound system in there is great.”
Hammeke said that the extra room has allowed the auction committee to invite parents of student-athletes to the event, “something we haven’t had the space to do in the past.”
Tickets – on sale both through the athletic department at (785) 628-4050 or online at tigerauction.org – are $75 per person. That will include a dinner buffet and drinks throughout the evening. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m., with dinner beginning at 5:30. The committee suggests purchasing tickets by Aug. 18 to help facilitate planning for the event.
The fundraiser will include about 100 other items in the live auction, several that are “Tigerized” – adorned with black and gold colors, the university name or the Victor E. Tiger mascot logo, or all three. Additionally, there will be about 200 items in the silent auction.
Some of the most popular items, Hammeke said, are group dinners, trips, novelty items and co-coach-of-the-day experiences. Items over the years have ranged from TVs to golf clubs to refrigerators and lawn mowers.
“The committee does a really good job of soliciting a lot of different items,” he said. “There are fun things and useful things.”
The ability to watch replays at football and basketball games has gained a lot of interest in recent years as video boards have sprung up across the MIAA.
A new scoreboard with large video screens on all four sides is being installed this summer in Gross Memorial Coliseum. GMC is home to the steadily improving FHSU volleyball team; the Tiger men’s and women’s basketball teams, which have qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs numerous times; and the Tiger wrestling squad, which has enjoyed a four-year run of seven All-America performances.
The generous donation for the new GMC scoreboard came from a family of FHSU boosters who wish to remain anonymous. Tiger fans will get their first glimpse of that scoreboard in use at the volleyball team’s home opener on Sept. 22.
Adding to the excitement of Fort Hays State athletics has been the success of the Tiger football program in recent years, drawing more and more fans to Lewis Field Stadium. In Chris Brown’s first five years as head coach, FHSU improved its record by one more victory than the previous season.
The Tiger football team posted back-to-back 8-4 seasons in 2015 and ’16, tying the school record for most wins in a season. Fort Hays State also advanced to bowl games both those years, claiming its first bowl championship last fall. Construction on the new scoreboard at Lewis Field Stadium will begin at the conclusion of the 2017 season.
The new track and field facility – which last spring helped produce several All-Americans, including a national champion – will be dedicated at 2 p.m. on the day of the Tiger Auction and Dinner.
“It’s going to be a full day, looking forward to it,” Hammeke said. “The auction is a great kickoff event to get the year started.”
GREAT BEND — The Shafer Gallery at Barton Community College will host an opening reception for its upcoming exhibit “ZWEYGARDT” from 6-8 p.m. Aug. 11 at the Shafer Gallery. “ZWEYGARDT” features sculptures created from various materials by Kansas native Glenn Zweygardt. The reception will feature refreshments and a gallery talk by Shafer Gallery Director Dave Barnes.
Zweygardt was born and raised in St. Francis, located in northwest Kansas. He grew up on the family farm which has a rich history originating in the 1880’s. Zweygardt still owns the family farm along with his sister to this day. Growing up on a farm, his dad taught him arc welding at an early age to help with repairs. Later in life, the skill of arc welding would become a great asset for his artwork. Zweygardt attended Wichita State University (WSU) where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Painting. From his time at WSU, he concluded his passion lay with sculpture and began to chase his dream with encouragement from his mentor.
“One pivotal person in Kansas was Mira Merriman who was the Professor of Renaissance Art at Wichita State University,” Zweygardt said. “She was very helpful in helping me decide to become a sculptor.”
With the portfolio he developed, Zweygardt was accepted at multiple schools in the east but settled on the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art earning a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture.
For more than40 years, Glenn has been an active sculptor and educator. With more than 50 solo exhibitions and multiple purchase awards to his name, he shows works both nationally and internationally. In 2007 he retired from his position as the Professor of Sculpture at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and was named Professor Emeritus. Zweygardt continues to sculpt, now as a full-time artist out of his studio in Alfred Station, N.Y. His creations of steel, ductile iron, stainless steel, cast glass, cast bronze and aluminum are often combined with stone from around the world. His sculptures range from monumental outdoor works to small, intimate pieces.
Barnes said he is excited for the opportunity to showcase the native Kansan’s work.
High Plains Stories Remembered by Glenn Zweygardt.
“The thing is, Zweygardt’s art seems so simple at first, almost childlike,” Barnes said. “Upon reflection, there is a wonderful surreal tension between Zweygardt’s seemingly spontaneous, sometimes ephemeral, forms and his use of memorialized materials such as bronze and stone. It is a pleasure to experience such confident conception and execution knowing the career-long struggle it represents. We are pleased to have work of such merit and sophistication in the Shafer Gallery and grateful that Ron Micheals and the Sandzen Gallery in Lindsborg invited us to help share it with the folks of central Kansas.”
When looking at Zweygardt’s art, the viewer will notice both organic and geometric forms within his sculptures. With his use of stone, metal, and glass the organic factors are intensified creating a complex idea. This is then balanced with simpler geometric forms providing a sense of stability. These forms in some pieces help to create an homage to growth. This homage, however, isn’t the theme of his artwork.
“The theme of my sculpture is the placement of myself in relation to nature. While working in materials such as metal, stone and glass, I am telling three-dimensional stories that capture my life experiences immersed in my perception of a collective consciousness,” Zweygardt said. “It is my intention that these stories, spoken through an expression of form, texture and color, will enter into human consciousness and the fourth dimension.”
Kidney donor Cassie Hickel, Hays, is the reigning Mrs. Kansas and will compete for the Mrs. America title in Las Vegas.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Cassie Hickel, a 27-year-old Hays wife and mother of three, decided to enter the 2017 Mrs. Kansas pageant because “it’s very platform-based.” She has never participated in any type of pageant but was motivated by a life-changing event.
Much to her surprise, she won the state contest and will be competing in the national Mrs. America Pageant August 19-26 in Las Vegas.
Hickel’s platform is living organ donation and she’s sharing her first-hand experience as a live kidney donor to an Iowa man she had never met before.
Hays City Commissioner Sandy Jacobs was so impressed with Hickel’s story she recently asked Cassie to share it the other commissioners.
“This past December I actually donated a kidney to a gentleman from Iowa,” Hickel told commissioners.
She admits some people might think “it’s a little bit crazy how it all came about.”
“I was scrolling through my Facebook feed in July 2015 and one of my friends had shared Richard’s story. It said Richard was in kidney failure. He was O positive blood type and needed a living kidney donor, preferably, because that’s much more compatible than a deceased donor most of the time,” Hickel explained.
Hickel read the post and said she felt “led to reach out. It was just a total God thing, not something I would have done otherwise,” she laughed.
“I had total peace about the entire situation.”
Hickel went through much of the pre-operative medical testing in Hays. “Once we got to the point where we were double-checking that my family medical history was fine, and I was completely compatible with Richard from the inside-out, I went to Iowa for further testing.”
In Oct. 2016, all the tests were finally done and Hickel and Richard Klim found out she was 98 percent compatible with him. “That’s basically unheard of when it comes to a donor who is not a family member, not a blood relative,” said Hickel.
The kidney surgeries were done Dec. 8, 2016. “Both of us are doing super well,” Hickel reported.
Since then, she’s been working with the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Becoming active with the NKF Advocacy Action Center soon lead to Hickel’s interest in the platform-based Mrs. Kansas pageant.
According to NKF, there are 2,983 Kansans on kidney dialysis with 293 patients on the transplant wait list. In 2016, 21 Kansans died while waiting for a kidney donation.
“I’ve had the opportunity to share not only my story, but also several other people’s stories through working with the National Kidney Foundation and now as Mrs. Kansas.” Hickel will also share those special stories during the upcoming Mrs. America competition as she continues her advocacy of live kidney donation while reigning as Mrs. Kansas.
She thanked the commissioners for the support she’s received from the city of Hays as well as the state of Kansas.
“I look forward to representing you all in August in Vegas,” she added.
Jacobs thanked Hickel for sharing her story. “We’re very, very proud of you and good, good luck from all of us in Hays,” Jacobs told Hickel.
The 2017 Water$mart stone plaques await presentation to the winners.
By BECKY KISER Hays Post
Two Hays residents were recently recognized by the city for their work in implementing water-conserving turf and landscaping on their properties.
The Hays Beautification Committee and the city of Hays implemented a program called the Water $mart Landscape Awards last year. The principles of the program include planning and design, low-water use plants, practical turf areas, efficient irrigation, soil amendment, use of proper mulch and maintenance.
Winners of the 2017 Water $mart Landscape Awards are Laura and Ryan Hafner for their residential property at 4412 Larned Circle and Dr. Don Tillman of Great Plains Dermatology for his business property at 2708 Sternberg Drive.
Hays Parks Superintendent Chris Smith congratulates Water $mart Landscape Residential Winner Laura Hafner.
Chris Smith, superintendent of parks, showed pictures of the Hafner’s lawn during a presentation at the July 27 Hays city commission meeting.
“Laura’s front yard has an excellent stand of buffalo grass. She’s got drought-resistant perennial plants, all low-water use and basically native to this area. They do really well in our climate. She has switch grass and yarrow in there, some black-eyed Susans, a really nice lawn that’s well-designed. We appreciate the effort you put into it,” Smith told Laura Hafner.
“For a business location, it’s very impressive,” Smith said of Great Plains Dermatology’s landscaping pictures. “Dr. Tillman has implemented all kinds of water conservation efforts. It’s excellent landscaping and excellent choice of plants.”
Dr. Don Tillman (L), Great Plains Dermatology, was the Water $mart Landscape Business Winner.
Smith showed pictures of the business award winner which has buffalo grass planted throughout the landscape with several large decorative rock features.
Limestone recognition markers were presented by Mayor Shaun Musil to Hafner and Tillman.
Nominees must be within the city limits of Hays, the landscape must be visible to the public and must be installed, established and maintained for at least one full year. All nominations received are reviewed and voted upon by the Hays Beautification Committee at their June meeting.
WAKEENEY — A man serving five consecutive life sentences for the first-degree murders of five people in northwest Kansas has been denied parole.
According to the office of the Trego County Attorney, Francis Donald Nemechek was denied parole after a hearing in July in front of the parole board.
He will not be eligible for parole for another 10 years in 2027.
Nemechek was sentenced in March 1977 for the crimes, which included three separate incidents.
According to court documents, Sheryl Lynn Young, 21, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Diane Lynn Lovette, 19, Fort Madison, Iowa; and Guy William Young, 3, Colorado Springs, were picked up by defendant on Interstate 70 near Ogallah on Dec. 13, 1974, after experiencing car trouble. The two women were taken to an abandoned farmhouse in Graham County where the two women were shotgunned to death and Guy, a 3-year-old boy, was left to freeze. The bodies were found on Jan. 13, 1975.
Carla Baker, a college student, was abducted on the evening of June 30, 1976, as she rode her bicycle near the west edge of Hays. Her remains were recovered Sept. 21, 1976, in a deserted area at Cedar Bluff Reservoir in Trego County after Nemechek told police where to look for her body.
Paula Fabrizius, 16, WaKeeney, worked as a park ranger at Cedar Bluff State Park during the summer months. On Aug. 21, 1976, she was abducted from her duty post. After an extensive search, her body was found the next day near Castle Rock in Gove County.
Nemechek was arrested on Aug. 24, 1976. He is now 67 years old and has been an inmate of Lansing Correctional Facility since his sentencing, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
“The state introduced extensive evidence connecting defendant to the crimes, with the most damning evidence being defendant’s confession to the five crimes,” court documents stated.
Prior to the July parole hearing there were be three opportunities for friends and families of victims to appear in person and testify.
About 5,300 toy ducks raced through the Hays Aquatic Park Wednesday night for one lucky duck sponsor’s chance to win a car.
The grand prize for winning the Duck Derby was a 2015 Chevrolet Spark, a collaboration between James Motor Co., Hays Chevrolet, Auto World, Car Zone, Lewis Automotive Group of Hays and Happy’s Auto.
The grand prize winner was Zenda Wier. She did not make herself known last night, but the winner did not have to be present to be awarded the prize.
The second-annual Hays Duck Derby benefited Ellis County Big Brothers Big Sisters. Jenny Bates, Big Brothers Big Sisters area director, said the event was a great success. They were still tabulating the final duck count and dollar amount raised Wednesday night, but Bates said the event was as successful as last year.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is mentoring organization. It has been in Ellis County since 2000. Children are matched one-on-one with a Big Brother, Big Sister, a couple, or family match. Volunteers are asked to meet with their match once a week to give encouragement.
You can learn more by visiting the Ellis Bigs Facebook here.
In addition to the Duck Derby, children 12 and younger were able to buy baby ducks for $2 each for the Duck Dash with kid-friendly prizes. The children were able to keep a duck if they wished.
Those winners are listed below:
April Escilman, Happy Meal every week for a year from by McDonald’s
Lakin Daugnerty and Annabell Barenberg, a bicycle each from Carrico Implement
Isabella Unrein, Toy combine, Case IH
Waylon Pray, one-year family membership to the Sternberg Museum from Sternberg Museum
Jaymeson Wickham, season pass to Hays Aquatic Park from Hays Aquatic Park
Laken Pasek, eight miniature golf passes from Precision Valley
Logan Schoenberger, free family night out bowling from Centennial Lanes
Catherine Caines, yellow duck alarm clock from Jim Huenergarde
Carter Graham, inflatable duck, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Other winners included: Josiah Grizzle, Vaida Randa, Taegan Shannon, Tavis Crawford, Jack McMurtrie, Lil Kingsley, Finn Nicholson-Crottg, Ryleigh Kuehl, Marina Valencia, Jacob Schaffer, Lexi Briton, Cooper Goodrow, Cadee Schmidt, Emersyn Copper, Lila Meinhardt, Logan Schoenberger, Wyatt Dobson, Callon Moeder, Emily McEwan and Nora Andrews
In between duck heats, three heats of the Hays ‘Merica Cardboard Regatta Challenge were raced in the aquatic park lap pool.
LDI won Best of Show for its boat in the design of an ag sprayer.
The Spirit Award was given to John O. Farmer.
The Titanic Award was given to Wal-Mart as their boat never was really successfully launched.
The winner of the first heat was Glassman, the second heat winner was John O. Farmer, Inc. and the third heat winner was Western Well.
Western Well won the regatta in a time of 41 seconds followed by John O. Farmer, Inc. in 44 seconds and Glassman in 56 seconds.
Midwestern Pipeworks sponsored hot dogs for a free-will donation to the Bigs program, and other volunteers ran free Quacktivities kids games.
This year’s presenting sponsor was Eagle Communications.
FHSU students Todd Kane and Brittnee Pingsterhaus’ video of their Hays gym proposal has gone viral.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Brittnee Pingsterhaus was alarmed when she saw her boyfriend go to the floor after attempting a squat at a Hays gym.
Todd Kane, her boyfriend, had an old basketball injury, and she was convinced he had re-injured his knee.
But Kane pulled himself up on his knees and popped a ring out of his pocket to propose.
The fake-injury proposal was videoed by friends at Munsch Gym, where Brittnee is a personal trainer.
The proposal was posted July 25, and since then the post has gone viral with 3,500 likes on Twitter and 24,000 Facebook views with likes coming from as far away as the UK.
“We were very mind blown about all the love that it received,” Brittnee said.
Brittnee, who is originally from Cimarron, and Todd, who is originally from Colby, met in an unusual way as well.
Brittnee was having a rather bad morning last September. She was in line at the drive-through at McDonald’s. She decided that if she did something nice for someone else, she might feel better — so she paid for the order for the person behind her.
Brittnee hoped her deed would be anonymous, but the drive-through line was a bit backed up that morning, which gave the person in the car behind her the opportunity to get out of his car and come up and say thank you.
Todd Kane and Brittnee Pingsterhaus are planning a fall 2018 wedding.
That person was Todd.
“I was having a bad day, but that definitely turned it into a good one,” Brittnee said.
Todd asked Brittnee out on a date and, as she said, “the rest is history.”
Todd, 23, and Brittnee, 21, quickly discovered they had much in common. Both are seniors in the Health and Human Performance Department at Fort Hays State University.
Todd is hoping to go into coaching, and Brittnee is seeking a career in health promotions.
They learned they were both Harry Potter fans and spend what time they are not in the gym or at school watching the Harry Potter movies.
They both love cool weather and are planning a fall 2018 wedding.
Many of their friends are regulars at the gym, so Todd knew asking Brittnee to marry him at the gym would allow friends to be in on the proposal.
Brittnee and Todd had talked about getting married, and Brittnee even knew Todd had a ring, but she didn’t know anything about the proposal.
When the big day arrived, Todd positioned himself at the squat station with a friend nearby to video the big event.
Todd let the squat bar fall, so Brittnee would hear, and one friend can be heard on the video talking about taking Todd to the ER.
“I really did think he hurt his knee,” she said.
When he presented the ring, Brittnee said she was speechless, her mouth dropped open and she immediately began crying.
“I didn’t know anything he said because I was just bawling I was so happy,” she said. “I actually asked him later that day what he said. I made sure I said yes. I nodded my head.”
So what did Todd say that day to Brittnee?
“I don’t think anybody deserves you, but if you say yes, I will spend the rest of my life trying as hard as I can to accomplish that.”
Todd said in an interview Tuesday, “She said yes, so it’s a mission.”
Todd and Brittnee’s cousin designed the engagement ring, which Brittnee said was exactly what she had imagined her ring would be.
Brittnee said she usually finds out about surprises, but this time she had no clue. She said she loved the proposal and that her friends at the gym could be there to share it with the couple.
“The girls were crying as much as I was,” she said, “and the boys were pretty hyped up too.”
Todd had already asked Brittnee’s father for permission to ask her to marry him, and the couple said their families have been supportive of their engagement.
The couple said they hope they are spreading a message of love with their viral proposal.
“There have been a lot of people who say they look up to our relationship. It really means a lot to us,” Brittnee said, “because we really try to love each other, and we really want to try to show that real love does exist.”
Mark Tallman, KASB associate executive director of advocacy, led discussion on state standard changes and school funding Tuesday in Hays.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Officials with the Kansas Association of School Boards were in Hays on Tuesday morning to talk about changing state standards and school funding.
Mark Tallman, KASB associate executive director of advocacy, led the discussion.
“We have never been as well educated as a society as we are now,” Tallman said. “We have never in a time in Kansas history had more people who have graduated from high school, who have gone on to some level of college, who have advanced degrees.
“We are doing better than we have ever been, and yet, all the evidence is we are going to have to get better.”
The state board of education has adopted new standards for education success in Kansas, which it has dubbed Kansans Can.
This includes kindergarten readiness, improving graduation rates, improving successful postsecondary completion, individual plans of study, and addressing social and emotional needs of students.
The Kansas Legislature has linked some of its funding to these goals and, for the first time in 10 years, has increased funding slightly over the rate of inflation.
After years of at best “treading water” and making cuts or losing positions, districts have the ability to start restoring and beginning thinking ahead, Tallman said.
The new accreditation system that starts this year based on the Kansans Can vision is the biggest change in accreditation since the early 1990s, he said.
Tallman said moving beyond standards that solely focus on reading and math seems to be what people are wanting, and educators see it as a step in the right direction.
The new accreditation model will include data on post-secondary success. Those baseline numbers were made public to the state board of education as of July.
Tallman noted during the question-and-answer period, the results of the investments and system changes schools are making today will take time to register. How well students have been prepared for success in college or how improved kindergarten readiness has improved success for elementary children may not be known for another four to five years.
Tallman noted there is a need to express to the public they are receiving a return on their investment in schools, and it is up to local administrators and boards to show the positive results of school changes as soon as possible.
During the question-and-answer period, Hays Superintendent John Thissen said Hays and many districts across the state will be using the increase in state funding to fill holes that were created during the last five to 10 years.
“We agree one of the items for emotional health is critical, but I also think most districts including Hays somewhere in the past five years cut counselors, so one of the items already is to hire back a counselor or two counselors. I don’t think that is uncommon across the state,” Thissen said. “Some people are going to view that as new money. … It’s not. It is getting them back to where we were five years ago. It is very difficult. I understand what you are saying of what are doing to make things better, but part of what we are trying to do right off the bat is we’re trying to put back together what had been dismantled.”
The state will be supporting 14 schools in seven districts to be innovative schools for improvement. Tallman said these schools will be public guinea pigs for the state’s school redesign plans.
“I know the state board and commissioner are very excited about this because they see it as a way to move more quickly into looking at how we need to change to better meet the needs of children who are not doing as well,” Tallman said. “At the same time, I keep stressing the challenge is how do we continue to serve well the kids who are doing well. I think sometimes that is the biggest thing we face when we talk about making changes in education.”
Thissen said the Hays district will not be making an application to participate in the program. He said the state is asking schools to participate in this program, but not necessarily providing additional funds to provide for the changes that will be necessary.
Tallman discussed a report released by KASB in July that looked at the return on investment for K-12 education.
The report indicated Kansas is projected to have among the highest percentages of jobs requiring post-secondary education by 2020 in the nation.
The report also said income went up and unemployment went down based on education level achieved. The median weekly wage for someone who graduates high school is $692, whereas the median weekly wage for someone with a bachelor’s degree is $1,156.
Based on 2015 numbers, the report estimated improved education levels have added $5.7 billion in salaries and wages for Kansas residents compared to 1990 levels.
The reported said this is more than double the increase in total K-12 funding since 1990, adjusted for inflation, and the increase in education levels also correlates to less spent on public assistance and prisons.
The states that have the highest rates of post-secondary education have the highest per capita incomes and the lowest rates of poverty.
The same data indicates these same states put more money into education. That specifically means more money into people — more teachers, more paras, more principals, more counselors and more administrative staff.
“When you look at states that do the best at preparing kids to be successful, they are states that have more people working to make kids be more successful,” Tallman said. “And that costs more money.”
The school funding formula passed this spring by the Legislature is supposed to be in place for the next two years, but the formula is currently under review by the Kansas Supreme Court.
Tallman said he did not know when the Supreme Court will have a decision on the funding formula, but suggested districts move forward using the current law as a basis for their budget planning.
“The court may say the money is not enough. I think our position is, and our position is up to what our members tell us, which means it is ultimately up to you, it is a good step, but it does not get a lot of indicators to where we need to be.”
After the current two-year budget, the funding formula would increase based on the Consumer Price Index.
“If we are really going to get class sizes where they need to be and counselors where we need to be, and social workers in places where they need to be, and we are really going to fund career tech ed where it needs to be,” Tallman said. “It is going to have to be more than just keeping up with the CPI.”
Dusta Kimzey competes at the 2015 Phillipsburg rodeo. The Strong City, Okla. cowgirl and her brothers Sage and Trey will be at Kansas Biggest Rodeo this weekend, just like they have for years, first with their dad, and now as contestants. Photo by JJJ Photo.
Sage Kimzey rides at the 2014 Phillipsburg Rodeo. The three-time world champion returns to Phillipsburg this week, along with his older sister and younger brother, who will also compete. Photo by JJJ Photo.
PHILLIPSBURG — It’ll be like a mini-family reunion for the Kimzeys this week.
When Kansas Biggest Rodeo rolls into town on August 3-4-5, the three Kimzey siblings: Dusta, Sage and Trey, will be in town to compete.
The children of Ted Kimzey and Jennifer Kimzey, they have grown up not only in rodeo, but at the Phillipsburg rodeo.
The eldest of the three, Dusta, will barrel race in Phillipsburg on August 3. She’s been a member of the Women’s Pro Rodeo Association since 2013, and since then, “I’ve never missed (competing at) Phillipsburg,” she said.
When they were kids, the three of them traveled with their dad, bullfighter turned barrelman, and Phillipsburg was special to them. Dusta remembers hanging out with the Rumohr family: Greg, Donna and daughters Railey and Ruby, while Greg, who passed away in 2015, worked as a bullfighter in Phillipsburg. “We have a lot of family history in Phillipsburg,” she said. “It’s a really fun rodeo for us. They make you feel like home.”
Dusta and Trey trick ride together, as an act called Tricked Out. Sage was part of it for a while, but when he started riding bulls fulltime, it was the two others. Dusta will trick ride as part of the entertainment at the Hill City rodeo before she heads to Phillipsburg.
The trick riding is in high demand, Dusta said, as a specialty act. “I’ve only had one weekend off since May, and I ran barrels that weekend. It’s been a really, really good year for it.” At this point, she is trick riding nearly full time and working at a pharmacy part time. The trick riding is “a dream, and a life goal for me, more than pharmacy” work. “I’ll go home in September and work part time, but I haven’t taken a full time job as a pharmacist and have no intentions of it, at least for a while. That way I can rodeo full time if I want.”
Middle child Sage, a three-time world champion bull rider, is also the 2016 Phillipsburg rodeo champion. The 25 year old cowboy is the PRCA’s youngest millionaire and is currently ranked first in the world standings, with a $40,000 lead over the number two man, Garrett Smith.
Younger brother Trey could some day be nipping at his heels.
The eighteen-year-old just graduated from high school this spring and got his PRCA permit in January. He’s hitting the rodeo road hard, and seeing his brother have success has shown Trey that success in bull riding is attainable. “You just gotta go get it instead of waiting for it to happen.”
Trey, who will be a freshman at Southwestern Oklahoma State this fall, plans on continuing on his PRCA permit card this year. Next year will be his rookie year, and he’d like to reach two goals in 2018: win rookie of the year and qualify for his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.
When he is announced at rodeos, announcers mention his older brother and Sage’s three world titles, and it never gets old to Trey. “I’m proud of what he’s done. I’m trying to follow in his footsteps.”
Sage rides Thursday night; Trey rides Saturday night. There is a chance, due to injury or travel difficulties, they will “turn out” – not compete in Phillipsburg.
Four of the current PRCA world champions will be in Phillipsburg to compete: Junior Nogueira, Presidente Prudente, Brazil (all-around); Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa (bareback riding), Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La. (steer wrestling), and Kimzey (bull riding).
Slack, the extra competition that doesn’t fit into the performances, will be at 7 pm on August 1-2. It is open to the public.
Performances are August 3-4-5 and begin at 8 pm each night.
Associate memberships are available for sale. They are $150 and include a rib dinner at the rodeo grounds during slack on Wed., August 2, preferred parking, and raffle tickets for a 2017 John Deere Gator and two trips to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. They can be purchased from Heritage Insurance in Phillipsburg, First National Bank, Matteson Motors, Cliff’s Welding, and rodeo committee members.
For more information, visit the rodeo’s website at KansasBiggestRodeo.com or call 785.543.2448.
Leo Hernandez, 12, solders as stained glass hot air balloon during a Hays Arts Council summer art class.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The Hays Arts Council rounded out its series of art classes for children and adults last week and has already set a slate full of activities for fall.
One of the last classes offered this summer ran July 11-20. Youth participated in a stained glass course with the help of Mitch Sommers.
The students made small hot air balloons and birds using a Tiffany process, which includes soldering glass pieces together.
For all of the six students in the class, this was their first time making stained glass pieces.
The students learned how to cut and grind the glass as well as solder the pieces in place.
“I really like it. There is a lot more steps to it than I thought,” said Leo Hernandez, 12, Hays. “You have to cut the glass and clean it, then grind it, then clean it and then add the copper and then clean it and then solder it and polish it and then clean it some more.”
Sommers said the work is much like putting puzzle pieces together.
Stained glass is unique in its interaction with light.
“It lets light through, but it has its own shape and color,” he said. “It is like looking at a painting itself.”
Canon Meder, 11, said “My grandma said it would be a fun class. Most of the time I listen to her, because she says some things in life that are good.”
Avery Johnson, 11, wasn’t sure she would like the class, but took to her stain glass project.
Summer classes concluded July 27 with Art & Imagination, which explored drawing, collage, painting, printmaking and sculpture for children ages 5 to 12.
Brenda Meder, executive director of the Hays Arts Council, said she is currently working on a slate of activities for this fall.
The annual fall art walk is set for Friday, Aug. 25.
Sept. 25-29 Jay and Leslie Katie, an improv duo, will perform in Hays. The Katies perform a science assembly called “Juggling The Earth’s Resources.”
“We use juggling balls to illustrate how atoms combine to make molecules like H2O and CO2. We examine the carbon dioxide cycle and how the buildup of greenhouse gasses can cause global warming,” the couple said on their website.
Their presentation concludes with an introduction to recycling.
On Oct. 14, the arts council will celebrate its 50th anniversary with its annual meeting and a special screening of a Swedish film made about Hays in April 1976 called “A Quiet America.”
The arts council is hoping to have the narrative of the film translated into English.
The video takes the viewer inside a local wedding, into the old KAYS radio studio and into downtown churches. It also includes interviews with important Hays residents, such as Pete Felten.
“It is an incredible Valentine card to Hays in video,” Meder said.
On Friday, Nov. 17, the Dallas Theatre Company will perform “How I Became a Pirate.”
Meder said about 900 school-age children will see the performance.
On Dec. 1, The Hays Arts Council will host the Winter Art Walk.
Ashley Stroup, co-owner of Smallcakes, shows off a box of cupcakes outside of her future Hays store’s home in Tebo Village.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
A franchisee of Smallcakes, a cupcake shop and creamery, signed lease papers Friday to open a shop in Hays.
Ashley Stroup and David Hart of Great Bend are co-owners in the venture. They just opened another franchise in Great Bend in February, which Stroup said has been very successful.
The Hays store will be in Tebo Village at the corner of 43rd and Vine streets. Construction will start on the new store in 30 days and is estimated to take three months.
The franchise was founded by Jeff Martin, whose cupcake recipes earned acclaim after he appeared on television shows including “Cupcake Wars” and “The View.” The franchise started in Kansas City and has spread to more than 160 stores in 20 states.
The shop offers up to 500 different flavors of cupcakes with 12 regular selections on the menu and two rotating flavors each day, in addition to several flavors of ice cream that can be combined into sweet treats.
A box of Smallcakes minicupcakes.
Smallcakes’s regular size cupcakes are larger than a standard cupcake. The store also will offer minicakes. The cupcakes can be purchased as singles or by the dozen. Smallcakes will cater large events, such as weddings or birthdays. Cost for a single standard cupcake will be $3.75, and cakes can be purchased for $38 per dozen.
Some of the flavors include red velvet with cream cheese icing, carrot cake, pink chocolate, pink vanilla with butter cream icing, chocolate cream with fudge icing, peanut butter cup with peanut butter icing, Oreo, strawberry rita, cheesecake and wedding cake.
Smallcakes offers cupcake shakes as well as a signature dessert called a cupcake smash. This is half of a cupcake, topped with two scoops of ice cream, which is topped with the other part of the cupcake.
All of Smallcakes’ ice cream and cupcakes are homemade fresh daily. The Great Bend store makes about 80 to 100 cakes per day.
Stroup said she and Hart chose the Tebo Village location because there were no other ice cream shops on the north side of Interstate 70 in Hays. There also were no other cupcake shops in the city.
“We think the Hays community is a great place to put a small business,” she said.
The business will employee eight to 10 people once it opens. Stroup said the hours for the business have not yet been set.
“We are very excited to be in the community,” she said.
