By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
August is packed full of events in Hays with end-of-summer activities followed by welcome back-to-school happenings.
Melissa Dixon, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, has a preview of some of the events.
For an updated calendar of events, check the CVB website at www.visithays.com.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Tickets go on sale today for a new Downtown Hays Development Corp. event — Barrels and Bites.
The event will be 6 to 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, in downtown Hays.
The event is replacing Wines and Steins. This year, the event will include heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits.
“Wines and Steins has been going on for almost a decade, and if DHDC is known for anything, it is known for change and new things, so we have decided we’re going to say goodbye to Wines and Steins and create a completely new event called Barrels and Bites,” Sara Bloom, DHDC director, said.
DHDC also sponsors Brews on the Bricks, a beer festival. People had approached DHDC about having a wine festival. DHDC was also approached by a local distillery about offering its products at a downtown event.
There still will be a stroll of downtown businesses, but DHDC is limiting that stroll to 12 businesses. Inside each business, event goers will have several choices of drinks. Each business will feature either a winery or distillery. This will include whiskies, bourbons and vodkas.
“We will have wineries and distilleries that will be coming to Hays, and they will be pouring their products and talking about their products and giving tastings of their products and telling you about their process,” Bloom said.
She added, “We are really excited to be featuring some of those local and regional wineries and distilleries because, just like craft beer, vineyards and distilleries are popping up and becoming more popular. We are excited to explore that world as well.”
Bloom said event goers will enjoy wonderful hors d’oeuvres as part of the event.
“Everything from salmon and pork sliders, a charcuterie table … bacon-wrapped chicken, crab rangoon pizza, meatballs and cheeseballs,” Bloom said.
Desserts will be served after the stroll at an after party from 9 to 11 p.m., weather permitting, at the Downtown Pavilion. Some of the items on that menu will include, cookies, brownies, truffles and a chocolate fountain.
The after party will host live and silent auctions. With every auction item purchased, you will take home an additional dessert item.
Some of the auction items include tickets to the FHSU Encore series, autographed memorabilia from Nathan Shepherd, art pieces, all-season FHSU sport passes, and dinner and vacation packages.
All proceeds from the event benefit DHDC. Barrels and Bites is one of only two fundraisers for the organization, with the other being Brews on the Bricks.
Only 300 tickets will be sold. Tickets are $65 each, $70 for individual tickets online and $450 for a table of eight or $460 for a table of eight online.
“It is always really exciting for us to host an inaugural event such as this,” Bloom said. “We hope the community can get excited along with us. We want to continue to thank the community for their support of downtown Hays and our organization Downtown Hays Development Corporation. Through these events we’re able to continue to be able to follow our mission, which is to be able to bring awareness of downtown Hays and continue to develop and revitalize it, so thank you all for your support.”
— Photos courtesy DHD
PHILLIPSBURG – Over 425 cowboys and cowgirls will make the trek to Phillipsburg, Kansas, this weekend, for the annual Kansas Biggest Rodeo.
They hail from 22 states and a Canadian province, from Oregon to Florida to Alberta.
But one bull rider won’t have far to travel.
Richard Schleicher, of Stockton, started his bull riding career as a kid, mutton busting and riding steers, and competing at Little Britches Rodeos and junior high rodeos.
But by the age of twelve, he quit. He was burned out and tired of the travel.
After graduation from Stockton High School in 2015, he decided to start back up.
Two months shy of his nineteenth birthday, he got his PRCA permit, and, since then, he’s been competing at as many rodeos as he can get to.
Schleicher, a graduate of a welding program, is an employee at the New Holland dealership in Plainville, and is able to take off to rodeo most weekends, except during harvest, when he’s needed.
And he’s having the best year of his four year pro rodeo career.
Much of the winter he spent in practice pens, getting on five or more bulls a week. Friends like PBR bull rider Cooper Kanngiesser and stock contractor Mark Ward helped him, as he practiced in Garden City, Medicine Lodge, and North Platte, Neb.
After each ride, he and his mentors would assess what went right and what didn’t, and he’d get on again “When you make a mistake, you get on another one till you get the problem figured out,” Schleicher said.
Injuries have plagued him, too. He’s torn ankle ligaments, broken the radius and ulna bones in his right wrist, torn his groin, and had concussions. This winter, he took time off for surgery on his riding hand. The injuries kept him from riding well. “I was trying to ride and I wasn’t healthy,” he said. “You keep trying and you dig yourself into a hole.”
Schleicher is pleased, because he’s finally making money at riding bulls.
But whether he was making money or not, he loves it. He thrives on the competition. “I hate losing,” he said. The adrenaline rush is still there, but after four years of competition, it’s lessened. “When I started riding better,” he said, “I got a lot more calm.”
And he loves the rodeo atmosphere and the camaraderie. His favorite part? “The people, honestly,” he said. “They’re like family, pretty much. I go to a rodeo and see all my friends.”
This week is one of his busiest so far, with several Kansas and Prairie Circuit rodeos going on. He competed in Manhattan, Kan. and Burwell, Neb. last weekend, and this week he’ll be in Hill City, Dodge City, Abilene, and on Saturday night, Phillipsburg. He’s entered the Phillipsburg rodeo three times but only competed there twice. Last year, Phillipsburg was his last rodeo before he was out due to a torn abductor muscle from his groin to his pelvis. This winter, he’ll have surgery on his other wrist, to repair damage done from bone chips from the ulna.
Schleicher, who is 22 years old, is the son of Harold and Deb Schleicher.
Six of the nine champions from last year’s rodeo will be in town to defend their titles. They include bareback rider Blaine Kaufman, Pretty Prairie, Kan.; steer wrestler Blake Knowles, Heppner, Ore.; team ropers Clay Tryan, Lipan, Texas and Travis Graves, Bluff Dale, Texas; saddle bronc rider Colt Gordon, Comanche, Okla. and all-around champion Marcus Theriot, Poplarville, Miss.
Seven of the reigning world champions will be on hand to compete. They are bareback rider Tim O’Connell, Zwingle, Iowa; steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack, Gonzales, La.; team ropers Clay Smith, Bowie, Texas and Paul Eaves, Millsap, Texas; saddle bronc rider Wade Sundell, Boxholm, Iowa; tie-down roper Caleb Smidt, Bellville, Texas; and bull rider Sage Kimzey, Salado, Texas.
Performances are August 1-3 at 8 pm each night.
Tickets start at $15 for adults and $11 for children ages 3-12 and can be purchased at Heritage Insurance Co. in Phillipsburg (685 Third Street) or over the phone at 785.543.2448. They are also available at the gate.
For more information, call 785.543.2448 or visit the website at www.KansasBiggestRodeo.com.
One of the things I love most about being president of Fort Hays State University is that I get to hear stories from our alumni about the life-changing power of a college education and the caring, hard-working people of this amazing institution.
This week, I want to share alumnus Michael Durall’s personal story of transformation. It is a story that begins in the 1960s with a “shy, uncertain young man” who credits the people of our university with encouraging him to persist and discover the person he was meant to be.
Fort Hays Kansas State College changed my life forever
By Michael Durall, B.A. ’70
I enrolled at Fort Hays Kansas State College in the fall of 1964. At that time, tuition was $125 per semester, and many students paid in cash. I remember standing in line at the Registrar’s Office in the Coliseum to pay. I could hear the basketball team practicing on the nearby court, where the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center is today.
I worked various jobs that paid $1.25 per hour. At first, I lived at home to save money. When I eventually shared an apartment, the going rate was about $30 per guy, per month. We shared one landline phone and divvied up the cost.
I was a naïve, shy and uncertain young man. I hadn’t studied much in high school and shouldn’t have gone to college, but I just didn’t know what else to do. I flunked out my freshman year. I worked construction for about eighteen months, and when I returned most of my beer-drinking and poker-playing buddies had moved on.
I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. I changed majors a number of times, trying to find a path.
But by then, the Vietnam War was heating up, with body counts increasing daily. The civil rights and the women’s liberation movements were also gaining momentum. No one realized that the ’60s would be one of the most tumultuous eras in American history.
I remember a silent anti-war vigil on the corner of 12th and Main on a Saturday morning, led by a number of local clergy. They stood silently for an hour while police with sniper rifles were on the roof of the bank building across the street. Things like that weren’t supposed to happen in Hays, Kansas. A poll revealed that about 60 percent of Americans believed the National Guard did the right thing by killing four unarmed students at Kent State.
The once peaceful world I knew evaporated forever, lost in an alarming, unpredictable, and surrealistic turn of events.
Amidst this turbulence, one seemingly innocuous event at Fort Hays State remains etched in my memory. It falls into the category of late-night conversations that many college students remember as life altering, more than anything they learned academically.
I was a student in the late Bob Lowen’s journalism class. I was seated next to a married female student who was a few years older than I. By any imaginable calculation, she was out of my league. She told me she had gotten straight A’s, then added, “It’s not so much my grades that are important. Rather, I’m becoming a person who is increasingly interested in the world and the people who inhabit it.”
I felt like I had been struck by lightning. This was the person I wanted to be. I began to take my education more seriously. I looked at my professors in a new light, and realized how much time, effort and skill was required to teach effectively at the college level. Being an English major, I was exposed to the world’s great literature. In art history classes, the late John Thorns opened a visual world of art and sculpture that I hadn’t known even existed.
I also realized that if I wanted to become more knowledgeable about the world and its people, there were certain requirements. These included not making snap judgments about people based on their appearance; being a reliable friend; becoming strong enough to stand against prejudice when I encountered it; and being slow to criticize and quick to forgive.
Fortunately, in the years since I was a student, I’ve been able to travel. In gratefulness, I funded a travel fellowship at Fort Hays for about five years that allowed students from small Kansas towns to travel anywhere in the world. Since I had been given much, I felt an obligation to give in return.
Looking back to the days I was a student, I don’t even remember my classmate’s name. But I am eternally grateful for Fort Hays Kansas State College giving me the opportunity to be in that particular place and time. Becoming curious about the world and the people in it helped me become who I am today.
The 2018 Farm Bill was passed in December 2018. Though it has much in common with the previous farm bill, there are some significant differences.
To address the differences and give producers the most up to date information, Kansas State University Agricultural Economics department and K-State Research and Extension are holding regional programs around the state. These in-depth Farm Bill meetings will cover the new provisions of the programs, economic decisions to consider when making a decision, and present a new decision tool for producers to use.
Specifically, the discussion will look at commodity programs, particularly the economics of the ARC/PLC decision and the OSU-KSU Farm Program Decision Aid. There will also be discussion of SCO and changes in crop insurance.
One of these meetings will be held in Great Bend on Aug. 29 at the Great Bend Convention Center, 3111 10th Street. Speakers are Dr. Mykel Taylor, Dr. Monte Vandeveer, Robin Reid, and Dr. Dan O’Brien, as well as local extension agents and FSA personnel.
There will also be sessions Aug. 26 in the Hill City and Aug, 27 in Goodland and Leoti.
There will be no fee to attend this program, but pre-registration will be required. Registration is now open at https://bit.ly/2MTDsTi or by calling 620-793-1910. You can also email Alicia Boor at [email protected] for any questions or to register.
Alicia Boor is an Agriculture and Natural Resources agent in the Cottonwood District (which includes Barton and Ellis counties) for K-State Research and Extension. You can contact her by e-mail at [email protected] or calling 620-793-1910
The FHSU Student Veterans Association would like to thank all the donors that helped make the new Military and Veterans Scholarship at Fort Hays State University a reality.
Without support from university staff, community organizations, and our generous donors this could not have happened. The FHSU-SVA would like to take this opportunity to specifically thank the Hays VFW, Post 9076; the Russell VFW, Post 6240; and all the donors who participated in the I Fed the Tiger campaign for your generosity and your continued support.
The awards for the Fall 2019 semester are the first from a scholarship specifically designated for currently serving and veteran military members and the SVA hopes to continue the scholarship for many years.
For more information about the FHSU Student Veterans Association or the scholarship please contact [email protected].
Spencer Goff
FHSU Student Veterans Association vice president
WICHITA – Bryce Donovan’s two-out bloop double down the left field line scored two runs and capped a three-run seventh inning which gave Derby the lead for good and the Twins went on to beat the Hays Larks 9-7 Wednesday at Eck Stadium, ending the Larks run at the 85th NBC World Series.
Frank Leo Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Larks (34-12) rallied with three in the third to take a 3-2 lead. The Twins (27-15) answered with three in the bottom of the inning to go up 5-3, but the Larks would come back with a four-run fifth to grab the lead back.
Justin Bundy led off the decisive inning with a double off Rustin Hays. Following a pup up to right, Ryan McNally singled and Derrick Winn has hit by a pitch to load the bases. Carlos Tavera threw a wild pitch which scored Bundy to close the gap to 7-6. He struck out Thomas Green before Donovan came through with the big hit to give the Twins the lead for good. Derby took advantage of a lead off walk to add an insurance run in the eighth.
Grant Lung led off the top of the ninth with a single to left. Following strikeouts by Taylor Daniell and Jimmy DeLeon, George Sutherland walked, but Wyatt Divis popped up to short left field to end the game.
Hays (4-3) suffered the loss after allowint three runs on two hits while recording one out in relief.
Starter Ryan Ruder went 2 1/2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits. Chris Rodriguez allowed one run on two hits over 2 1/3 innings and Tavera gave up a run on two hits over the final 1 2/3 innings.
Skyler Luna had three of the Larks 13 hits including a double in their four-run fifth. Jerrod Belbin hit a two-run triple to highlight a three-run third which put the Larks up 3-2. Belbin finished the tournament 6-for-14 with three doubles, two triples and six RBIs.
The Larks finish 2-2 at the NBC World Series and come up one win short of advancing to Championship Week.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A man from Mexico was indicted Wednesday on federal charges of heroin trafficking, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release Wednesday.
Orlando Alexis Gaxiola-Guevara, 23, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin. On June 26, the defendant was a passenger in a 2008 Ford Fusion eastbound on Interstate 70 when a deputy with the Logan County Sheriff’s Office stopped the car. According to court documents, investigators found approximately five pounds of black tar heroin and brown powder heroin hidden in the quarter panels of the car.
If convicted, the defendant faces a penalty of not less than 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $10 million. The Logan County Sheriff’s Office, the Kansas Highway Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle McFarlane is prosecuting.
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
KIRWIN — The 12-year-old boy missing from Kirwin Wednesday has been located and is safe according to the Phillips Country Sheriff’s office.
The search began after AJ Jensen was last seen between 6 p.m. and sunset Tuesday, according to the department.
Around 2:45 p.m. Wednesday the department said a subject matching Jensen’s description was seen walking on K9 west of Kirwin around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The department said it is believed that Jensen was a runaway.
The original release from the department can be seen below.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Emergency responders have resumed their search this morning near the middle ramp of the Minooka campground at Wilson Lake for a person reported missing late Tuesday afternoon.
According to Russell County Sheriff Fred Whitman, a 25-year-old man was reported missing about 4:34 p.m. Tuesday. A companion said he had not been seen for an hour at the time of the report.
He was kayaking on the north end of Lake Wilson. His kayak was found overturned.
Keith Haberer, Russell County emergency management coordinator, said emergency responders are gathering to assist in the search, and asked the public to avoid the area.
Around 10:30 p.m. the missing person was identified by the Russell County’s Sheriff’s office as Engel Rosario, 26, Lindsborg.
The area has suffered from flooding in recent months, but campsites near the ramp are set to open this week, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Kansas Highway Patrol plane was called in to aid in the search. According to a Hays Post reporter on scene, multiple law enforcement and fire department agencies were assisting in the search. Authorities from the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Tourism and Parks, KHP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as Russell city and county law enforcement and fire are all aiding in the search.
No additional search personnel are needed at this time, Whitman said. Wilson Lake remains open to the public.
If the missing person is not located by nightfall, a law enforcement presence will remain in the area into the evening.
Law enforcement is searching on land and water via boat, ATV, foot and horseback, in addition to the KHP plane.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Hays Post reporter James Bell contributed to this report.
ELLIS — The city of Ellis announced in a news release Wednesday that, effective immediately, the Ellis Municipal Pool will be permanently closed.
“At the last Council meeting, it was reported that the pool is losing almost 30,000 gallons of water every 2-3 days. After further evaluation, the City reluctantly made the difficult decision to close,” the city said in a news release. “We apologize for the inconvenience. Our Splash Bash on Aug. 17 will go on as planned but our itinerary will be modified accordingly. Watch for our new flyer!”
Check Hays Post for a more as details become available.
Central in-person enrollment will be at Hays High School, 2300 E. 13th St., from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 6;30 p.m. Thursday.
Families with new students and incoming kindergarten students must enroll in person.
Families enrolling students in person need to bring identification, birth certificates for the children, immunization and health records for the children, DCF records if applicable and a utility bill or proof of address.
Please enter through the gymnasium doors.
Online enrollment is live and parents can still enroll online. Click here.
You can access the online enrollment portal by using your PowerSchool log in information. If you don’t remember your PowerSchool password, there is an option on the login page to reset the password.
Please email Amy Arnhold at [email protected] if you have any questions with the electronic enrollment process.
Below you will find links to school supply lists for USD 489 schools.
Lincoln Elementary List |
O’Loughlin supply list |
Roosevelt Supply List |
Wilson Elementary List |
Hays Middle School List |
Hays High School |
