Beginning Thursday, the Ellis County Historical Society will relocate offices, photo collections and archive materials to 1111 E. 30th (the little dome).
The Board of Trustees decided to close the Gallery and Stone Church to the public due to negative health effects from increasing mold growth.
“We will continue to provide materials for researchers at our new location, but will have no exhibits. We will be able to focus more heavily on our digital initiative. This includes making photo collections available online through our website and scanning documents for easy access and preservation,” the society said in a news release Wednesday.
Appointments to tour the Volga German House and Fire Museum will be required.
“We are currently investigating alternative housing for the museum and collections in storage, including construction of a new museum building at our current Seventh and Main location,” the new release said.
As Thomas More Prep-Marian and Holy Family Elementary make preparations for the upcoming 2019-2020 school year, enrollment for those wishing to attend either of the Catholic, private schools might have become closer to a reality regardless of financial position. The Leo J. & Albina Dreiling Trust has gifted the schools $100,000 to be used to assist those whose enrollment may be limited by financial means.
“Hays has a deep history of educational diversity that has enriched the lifestyle of Ellis County for generations,” says Advancement Director, Troy Ruda. “Along with Fort Hays State University, NCK Tech and the public school district, TMP-Marian and Holy Family add to the diversity of educational offerings that make us all better. We owe the Dreiling Trust a debt of gratitude for its history of support to ensure Catholic education in Ellis County remains a thriving reality,” continued Ruda.
TMP-Marian and Holy Family Elementary operate on a stewardship model of funding in which enrollment is based on the giving of time, talent and treasure to one of the seven Heartland Catholic Parishes in addition to a minimal student fee. Fees are determined each year and as expenses continue to rise, fees continue to trend upward. “The generosity of the gift of fee assistance from the Dreiling Trust will ensure that families that wish for a Catholic, private education but may struggle with fees are still able to receive it for years to come,” said Ruda.
“The generosity of the Dreiling Trust makes possible faith formation along with educational excellence to all families who wish for their children to have that experience. Holy Family Elementary is grateful for the continued support of our schools to make Catholic education available to all,” said Holy Family Elementary Principal, Rachel Wentling. “This gift allows our Catholic schools to offer an affordable Catholic education to any family who desires it, regardless of income. This is paramount in making the Gospel message and faith education available to a wider population. We can’t thank the Dreiling Trust enough for this precious gift,” added TMP-Marian Principal, Chad Meitner.
Families in need of assistance or information regarding enrollment in TMP-Marian or Holy Family Elementary are encouraged to contact Tom Meagher, Business Director at (785) 625-6577 or [email protected]. Those interested are also able to vist hfehays.org or tmp-m.org for information regarding the fee assistance application.
Located in Hays, Kan., Thomas More Prep-Marian and Holy Family Elementary are Catholic schools serving grades K-12. Students come from Hays, the surrounding region, and from countries around the world.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Global Big Latch On.
Thousands of breastfeeding people and their babies/children across the world will gather in their own communities to take part in the Global Big Latch On, a synchronized breastfeeding event in multiple locations.
The Ellis County Global Big Latch On will take place at Massey Park in Hays on Saturday, August 3 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. The Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition invites all breastfeeding mothers and supporters to take part in this worldwide event.
This year’s goal is to break the current Global Big Latch On record of almost 21,500 children breastfeeding at 778 locations, across 28 countries.
The Global Big Latch On is informed by the principles of community development, providing the opportunity for breastfeeding women to get together in their local communities, host their own events, and identify opportunities for on-going support.
Go to www.biglatchon.org to learn more.Breastfeeding contributes to the normal growth and development of babies/children, and babies/children who are not breastfed are at increased risk of infant morbidity and mortality, adult obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and premenopausal breast cancer and ovarian cancer (both mom and baby).
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby’s life to optimize these benefits, continuing to breastfeed for 2 years and as long thereafter as is mutually desired by a woman and her child.
For more information contact Cathleen Kroeger, Ellis County Breastfeeding Coalition chair at 785-477-1277 or [email protected].
With everything from “Kitch to Classic” – it’s time for Artful Resale.
Join the Hays Arts Council for a fundraising art sale at the Hays Arts Center Annex, 1010 Main St.
5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9 and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10.
The HAC’s funding allocation from Ellis County was eliminated. To offset that loss and capitalize on recent and previous “artful” donations the HAC has received, it’s the perfect time to clear out the HACs storage and share it with the public … paintings, reproduction and decorative art, photographs, ceramics, sculpture, fiber art, hand-crafted jewelry, art glass, pottery, etc. Art recycling at its best!
While the HAC has a nice assortment of things from previous donations, it would be awesome to collect some new items. If you have any artful treasures of your own that are just too good to toss, but have been relegated to the hall closet, basement or are simply hiding out under a bed, The HAC will find them a new home. Your gift to The HAC could be tax deductible. Remember, the HAC is collecting art and decorative items only – no other “garage sale” type items for this sale.
If you have any artful goodies you’d like to send our way, the HAC would love to have them.
Donated items can be dropped off at the Hays Arts Center, 112 E. 11th St. — and, please give the HAC a call if you need to drop off items outside our regular weekday hours 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 785-625-7522.
Macie Price, a Cervs employee, rings up Snoballs and beverages for a family at the Vine Street Cervs. Cervs will celebrate its 25th anniversary Aug. 16 to 18.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The first Cervs at 27 and Vine streets in Hays when it opened in 1994. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
From a single gas station to an independently owned chain of convenience stores that is beloved for its Popt Popcorn and Snoballs, Cervs has been a Hays staple for 25 years.
The business began in 1994 when Verlin and Elaine Pfannenstiel opened their first location at 27th and Vine in Hays. They bought what was then a gas and service station from the Brown family.
The family developed the name Cervs by combining a letter from each member in the family.
That first store had a single Snoball machine with two flavors. The Snoball did not originate at Cervs. They started at the Stop and Shops, which was another area convenience store chain.
During the school year, you can go into Cervs after school gets out, and there is a line at the Snoball machines. But it’s not just kids, adults seem to love the syrupy, icy drinks too.
Owner Russ Pfannenstiel, 50, said it seems to be a phenomenon unique to this part of the state.
Verlin and Elaine sold the business to their son, Russ, in 1999. Russ graduated from Fort Hays State University in 1991 with a business degree. He worked at a lumberyard in Russell for eight years before moving back to Hays to run the family business.
Russ expanded the business to three locations in Hays, including Hall Street in 2002 and Main Street in 2007.
At left, you can see the original Cervs Snowball machine. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
In 2008, two more stores were added to the Cervs family, including a store in Hoisington in June 2008 and a store in Great Bend in July 2008.
The company started making flavored Popt! popcorn out its Main Street store in 2014. That business, run by Russ’ wife, Bonnie, eventually moved to a stand-alone location on 27th Street. The Popt! retail store also sells candy, homemade fudge and assorted bottled sodas.
Cervs is also known for its handmade bierocks. You can get the traditional beef in the afternoon along with taco or ham and cheese and breakfast bierocks in the morning, including bacon, egg and cheese or sausage, egg and cheese.
Russ Pfannenstiel is self-admittedly a guy who does not like to be in the limelight. He seldom does interviews and he would prefer someone else to cut his commercials for the stores.
In an industry that used to be dominated by independently owned gas and service stations, Cervs is today a rare example of an independently owned and operated business in a chain-dominated industry.
“I think the single mom-and-pops are becoming harder to operate — keeping up with the fuel and keeping up with the investment in it,” Russ said.
He said he thought the support of the community has been important in the success of the business.
The Snowball machines at the Cervs at Vine and 27 streets in Hays.
“I have been surrounded by some great people,” he said. “I have had some fantastic employees, and we’ve had the support of community in western Kansas.”
Cervs employs 50 to 55 employees across all five locations.
Pfannenstiel, as do most employers in Hays’ tight market, sometimes struggles to find employees. However, he said he has employees who have been with him for some time. He often hires students and said he finds it rewarding to see those young men and women graduate and move on to jobs in their fields.
Why do people like working at Cervs? Pfannenstiel jokes, “You get free Snoballs.”
“It is clean. It is well lit,” he said. “We try to make it a fun place to work.”
Three employees at the Great Bend store came to work for Pfannestiel when he purchased those operations 11 years ago, and they are still with the business. Pfannenstiel said having dependable, long-term employees has made branching out into Great Bend and Hoisington easier.
Pfannenstiel continues to update and look for new product lines that will bring customers into the store. Five years ago, the Cervs at 27th and Vine was renovated and yogurt machines were added. Two years ago, the Hall and Main Street stores were renovated, the Great Bend store was renovated this spring.
“It is fun going through the remodel process and seeing the finished process,” he said, “and getting customers’ feedback and seeing what they would like to see different and incorporating it into the store and the layout.”
The beverage area a the original Cervs. Photo courtesy of Russ Pfannenstiel.
The business also recently made the transition from Conoco branding to Phillips 66. Both brands are owned by the same company, and the parent company preferred to brand its gas stations as Phillips 66 from Kansas City to Denver, Russ said.
Russ said he continues to enjoy the challenge of running Cervs despite its demands.
“Every day is different,” he said. “There is not the same thing. You have a different challenge every day. The people are fun to work with, not only the employees, but the customers and the vendors you work with. It is never the same thing from day to day.”
Russ said Cervs is a fun business, but it is a constant learning process. His hopes for the future …
“To keep it going, keep it a fun place, always coming up with the next new and unique item to bring into the store and be open to any additional possibilities that are out there and being in a position to act upon them,” he said.
His advice for entrepreneurs who are just starting out is this, “You live and breathe it. It is on your mind 24 hours, seven days a week. It is not an 8 to 5 job. It is an extension of you and your family.”
Cervs will have a 25th anniversary celebration Friday, Aug. 16, through Sunday, Aug. 18. During the event, Cervs will be collecting food for the Community Assistance Center in Hays and the Community Food Bank of Barton County. Bring in two or more canned goods and you can be entered to win Royals tickets with a parking pass and a year’s supply of Snoballs. Additional giveaways will include concert tickets, bicycles, coolers and other items.
The anniversary event will also include 10 cent 16 ounce coffee Aug. 16 and Aug. 18, a Snoball drinking contest at the Vine and Great Bend locations on Aug. 16 and 25 cent 20 ounce Snoballs on Aug. 17.
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly made 28 appointments to the Kansas Complete Count Committee created through Executive Order #19-07.
The committee’s duty is to coordinate efforts to promote and advertise the 2020 Census. Committee members will coordinate responses to questions about the Census, provide available resources on hard-to-count populations and help ensure the highest participation rate possible.
“It is a priority that my administration provides the Kansas Complete Count Committee the tools they need to ensure an accurate count,” Kelly said. “Every voice is important and every Kansan must be counted. In addition to the amount of federal funding that is on the line, we need an accurate picture of our communities so that we can properly plan for the future. These individuals are highly passionate professionals willing to step up to the challenge.”
Appointed members:
Scott F. Anglemyer, Shawnee, executive director for the Kansas Association of Community Action Programs
Sydney Anselmi, Pittsburg, community leader
Irene Caudillo, Kansas City, president of El Centro Kansas City
Robert Cooper, Topeka, executive director of the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Kasey Featherston, Kansas City, director of Refugee and Immigration Services at Kansas Catholic Charities
Tiara Marie Floyd, Lawrence, student body president at the University of Kansas
Martha Gabehart, Auburn, executive director of the Kansas Commission on Disability Concerns
Robert F. Gilligan, Emporia, governmental relations specialist at the Kansas Association of School Boards
Douglas Graham, Girard, public relations manager at Greenbush Southeast Kansas Education Service Center
Janee Hanzlick, Overland Park, Johnson County commissioner
Marieta Hauswer, Johnson, Kansas Farm Bureau Women’s Committee chair
Chris Howell, Topeka, executive director of the Office of Native American Affairs
Amber Jackson, Silver Lake, advertising director for the Kansas Press Association
Brandon Johnson, Wichita, Wichita city councilman
David Jordan, Hutchinson, president of the United Methodist Health Ministry Fund
Leslie Kaufman, Topeka, director of Government Relations and Legal Counsel at Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Inc.
Lucille King, Lawrence, co-president of the Kansas League of Women Voters
Clayton Taylor McCarty, Colby, owner of McCarty Family Farms
Janet McRae, Spring Hill, economic development director for Miami County
Robin Newell, Emporia, library director for the Emporia Public Library
Jansen Penny, Manhattan, student body president at Kansas State University
Trudy Rice, Lawrence, program leader coordinator for Extension Community Vitality at Kansas State University
Henry Schwaller, Hays, mayor of Hays
Blanca Soto, Dodge City, campaign director for Kansas Appleseed
Wendi Stark, Manhattan, Census outreach manager at the League of Kansas Municipalities
Becky Tuttle, Wichita, Wichita city councilwomen
Elizabeth Wearing, Salina, coordinator of Programs, Communications and New Initiatives for the Dane G. Hansen Foundation
John Wilson, Lawrence, vice president of Advocacy for Kansas Association for Children
The U.S. Constitution requires a Census every 10 years. The next one starts April 1, 2020. The Census will determine how the federal government distributes over $6 billion in federal funds to Kansas every year.
The Ellis County Public Works Road & Bridge Division has announced that Union Pacific will be performing railroad crossing maintenance on the crossing located at Walker Avenue and Highway 40, reference DOT #814307L, MM 275.46.
The maintenance will begin at 7 a.m. Thursday and will last through Saturday.
Motorists traveling in the affected area should use alternate routes of travel until the project is completed.
Please direct any questions to Union Pacific at 303-405-5031
The City of Liebenthal is seeking one or more individuals to fill the following part time positions. A valid driver’s license is required. Individuals seeking to fill multiple positions will be given priority in hiring.
MAINTENANCE/MOWING POSITION – Knowledge of operation and maintenance of mowers, tractors, chainsaws, trimmers, etc. Will be responsible for maintaining streets and city properties. Ability to
maintain equipment is also necessary. $400.00/month
WASTEWATER OPERATOR – Lift station and Sewer System maintenance. Must have a Small Systems Waste Water operator license or willing to test within one year of start date. Yearly training to maintain wastewater license will also be required. $400/month
WATER OPERATOR – Must have a Small Systems Water Operator License or willing to test within one year of start date. Training every two years (or as regulated by the KDHE) is also required. Some water operator duties include: Clean and monitor well houses, collect water samples, monthly residential meter readings, assist with water repairs, flush fire hydrants, etc. $400/month.
Anyone interested is asked to submit inquiries and contact information to [email protected] or by calling 785-259-8778.
COLBY — Come celebrate 30 years of K-State’s progress with subsurface drip irrigation for field crops. The event will take place at the Northwest Research and Extension Center in Colby on Wednesday, Aug. 7, from 2:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Much has been learned these past 30 years and we would like to share our thoughts with you and also hear about your successes and challenges. The focus will be on strategies to make SDI last, make it pay, optimize crop production, and make wiser use of our limited water resource.
In addition to research and extension presentations, there will be a panel discussion by SDI producers from around the region. A continuously running trade show is also planned. The afternoon field tour will begin at 3:00 pm. Everyone should plan to be present for the 4:30-7:30 slot that will be the trade show, free meal, poster displays, and SDI producers’ panel.
The event is free and open to the public. Pre-registration by July 30 is required to get an accurate meal count. You can register online at https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/sdi/events or by contacting Vicki Brown at [email protected] or 785-462-6281.
WICHITA – Wyatt Divis and Trevor Munsch combined to throw a four-hit shutout as the Hays Larks knocked off the Denver Cougars 2-0 to advance to the First Week semifinals at the NBC World Series at Eck Stadium. The Larks will play the Derby Twins in the feature game at 7 p.m. Wednesday for the right to advance to Championship Week. The Twins eliminated 316 Elite 5-2 Tuesday.
Frank Leo Postgame Interview
Game Highlights
The Larks turned double plays to end the first and second innings. Divis then allowed only one Cougar to reach second base until the eighth when he walked the bases loaded. Munsch entered with two outs and induced a ground ball to shortstop from Nick Schifftner on the first pitch to end the threat. He then worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his first save of the summer.
Divis (6-1) allowed four hits with nine strikeouts and four walks.
Denver starter Adam Artis (0-1) was impressive early, retiring the first nine Larks batters. He worked around two walks in the fourth without giving up a run.
Hays (34-11) finally scored in the fifth. Jerrod Belbin led off the inning with a single to short right field. Taylor Daniell then reached safely on a bunt single. After a popup and a strikeout, Jimmy DeLeon came through with a solid two-out single to left field to drive in Belbin.
Belbin led off the seventh with a double down the right field line. Max McGuire drove him home with a one-out single to center.
Beginning Thursday, the Ellis County Historical Society will relocate offices, photo collections and archive materials to 1111 E. 30th (the little dome).
