The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese have been named a 2022 Cognia System of Distinction for excellence in education. Cognia, the global nonprofit school improvement organization, recognized 96 schools/school systems in the United States and Puerto Rico and nine in other countries across the globe as Schools/Systems of Distinction.&nbsp;

The Catholic Diocese of Salina&nbsp;is&nbsp;recognized as a 2022&nbsp;Cognia&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction&nbsp;a program which&nbsp;recognizes pre-K–12 education institutions that exemplify excellence in education and service to learners.&nbsp;Cognia selected&nbsp;the Salina Diocese&nbsp;as one of&nbsp;the&nbsp;96&nbsp;schools&nbsp;and&nbsp;38&nbsp;systems&nbsp;out of more than&nbsp;1,500&nbsp;institutions&nbsp;that were eligible&nbsp;for&nbsp;its&nbsp;2022<a href="https://www.cognia.org/services/accreditation-certification/schools-of-distinction/">Cognia Schools&nbsp;and Systems&nbsp;of Distinction</a>.&nbsp;

“All of our school buildings came together to make this possible. The collaborative efforts of our school leaders, council members, teachers and students were far above my expectations. We are honored to be named a Cognia System of Distinction,” said Geoff Andrews, superintendent of schools.

<a></a>This cycle was the first time&nbsp;the Salina Diocese sought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cognia.org/services/accreditation-certification/">Cognia Accreditation</a>&nbsp;as a district.&nbsp; Previous years’ accreditation was through individual schools. The District Review took place in March 2022.&nbsp;The Salina Diocese&nbsp;participated in&nbsp;Cognia’s&nbsp;rigorous Accreditation Engagement Review process, which&nbsp;is based on research-based performance standards.&nbsp;The process includes&nbsp;a&nbsp;third-party&nbsp;review&nbsp;by education experts&nbsp;of evidence, interviews,&nbsp;and classroom observations. The evaluation covers&nbsp;Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity,&nbsp;and Resource Capacity, as well as a&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;commitment to continuous improvement.

“Accreditation reflects the progress of a system in&nbsp;five-year&nbsp;cycles," said Dr. Nick Compagnone, superintendent of schools for the Salina Diocese from 1993 to 2020. "That process involves a peer review of&nbsp;of&nbsp;the system. We are proud of all our&nbsp;schools&nbsp;but it is extra special when an external team validates the&nbsp;great&nbsp;work of our Catholic Schools in the Salina Diocese.”

“The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese are&nbsp;to be commended&nbsp;on their&nbsp;recognition&nbsp;as a&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction,” said&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Mark A. Elgart,&nbsp;president&nbsp;and CEO of Cognia.&nbsp;“Cognia Accreditation is already a mark of distinction recognized around the world. Being named a&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction further recognizes the commitment to&nbsp;education quality&nbsp;the Salina Diocese&nbsp;has&nbsp;for its learners,” he added.&nbsp;

For Cognia Global Network&nbsp;member institutions, Cognia offers an opportunity to be further recognized as a school or system of distinction&nbsp;in the year in which an&nbsp;accreditation&nbsp;engagement&nbsp;review is held.&nbsp;Unlike the typical&nbsp;six-year accreditation cycle, this program recognizes&nbsp;institutions&nbsp;that hosted a Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review within the recognition year&nbsp;2021-2022.&nbsp;Learn more about Cognia membership at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cognia.org/membership/">Cognia.org.</a>

About&nbsp;The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese are spread out over 26,000 square miles in north-central and northwest Kansas — including Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior/Senior High School and Holy Family Elementary. There are over 2,000 students in grades K-12 in fifteen schools. To learn more about our schools, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://salinadiocese.org/office/catholic-schools/">https://salinadiocese.org/office/catholic-schools/</a>

About Cognia <a></a>Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and professional services within a framework of continuous improvement. Serving 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than&nbsp;90&nbsp;countries,&nbsp;Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning. Find out more at&nbsp;<a href="file:///C:/Users/mariama.tyler/Documents/Press%20Releases/cognia.org">cognia.org.&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663614574751.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>News releaseThe Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese have been named a 2022 Cognia System of Distinction for excellence in education. Cognia, the global nonprofit school improvement organization, recognized 96 schools/school systems in the United States and Puerto Rico and nine in other countries across the globe as Schools/Systems of Distinction.&nbsp;The Catholic Diocese of Salina&nbsp;is&nbsp;recognized as a 2022&nbsp;Cognia&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction&nbsp;a program which&nbsp;recognizes pre-K–12 education institutions that exemplify excellence in education and service to learners.&nbsp;Cognia selected&nbsp;the Salina Diocese&nbsp;as one of&nbsp;the&nbsp;96&nbsp;schools&nbsp;and&nbsp;38&nbsp;systems&nbsp;out of more than&nbsp;1,500&nbsp;institutions&nbsp;that were eligible&nbsp;for&nbsp;its&nbsp;2022<a href="https://www.cognia.org/services/accreditation-certification/schools-of-distinction/">Cognia Schools&nbsp;and Systems&nbsp;of Distinction</a>.&nbsp;“All of our school buildings came together to make this possible. The collaborative efforts of our school leaders, council members, teachers and students were far above my expectations. We are honored to be named a Cognia System of Distinction,” said Geoff Andrews, superintendent of schools.<a></a>This cycle was the first time&nbsp;the Salina Diocese sought&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cognia.org/services/accreditation-certification/">Cognia Accreditation</a>&nbsp;as a district.&nbsp; Previous years’ accreditation was through individual schools. The District Review took place in March 2022.&nbsp;The Salina Diocese&nbsp;participated in&nbsp;Cognia’s&nbsp;rigorous Accreditation Engagement Review process, which&nbsp;is based on research-based performance standards.&nbsp;The process includes&nbsp;a&nbsp;third-party&nbsp;review&nbsp;by education experts&nbsp;of evidence, interviews,&nbsp;and classroom observations. The evaluation covers&nbsp;Leadership Capacity, Learning Capacity,&nbsp;and Resource Capacity, as well as a&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;commitment to continuous improvement.“Accreditation reflects the progress of a system in&nbsp;five-year&nbsp;cycles," said Dr. Nick Compagnone, superintendent of schools for the Salina Diocese from 1993 to 2020. "That process involves a peer review of&nbsp;of&nbsp;the system. We are proud of all our&nbsp;schools&nbsp;but it is extra special when an external team validates the&nbsp;great&nbsp;work of our Catholic Schools in the Salina Diocese.”“The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese are&nbsp;to be commended&nbsp;on their&nbsp;recognition&nbsp;as a&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction,” said&nbsp;Dr.&nbsp;Mark A. Elgart,&nbsp;president&nbsp;and CEO of Cognia.&nbsp;“Cognia Accreditation is already a mark of distinction recognized around the world. Being named a&nbsp;System&nbsp;of Distinction further recognizes the commitment to&nbsp;education quality&nbsp;the Salina Diocese&nbsp;has&nbsp;for its learners,” he added.&nbsp;For Cognia Global Network&nbsp;member institutions, Cognia offers an opportunity to be further recognized as a school or system of distinction&nbsp;in the year in which an&nbsp;accreditation&nbsp;engagement&nbsp;review is held.&nbsp;Unlike the typical&nbsp;six-year accreditation cycle, this program recognizes&nbsp;institutions&nbsp;that hosted a Cognia Accreditation Engagement Review within the recognition year&nbsp;2021-2022.&nbsp;Learn more about Cognia membership at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cognia.org/membership/">Cognia.org.</a>About&nbsp;The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese The Catholic Schools of the Salina Diocese are spread out over 26,000 square miles in north-central and northwest Kansas — including Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior/Senior High School and Holy Family Elementary. There are over 2,000 students in grades K-12 in fifteen schools. To learn more about our schools, visit&nbsp;<a href="https://salinadiocese.org/office/catholic-schools/">https://salinadiocese.org/office/catholic-schools/</a>About Cognia <a></a>Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers, and leaders. Cognia offers accreditation and certification, assessment, and professional services within a framework of continuous improvement. Serving 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than&nbsp;90&nbsp;countries,&nbsp;Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning. Find out more at&nbsp;<a href="file:///C:/Users/mariama.tyler/Documents/Press%20Releases/cognia.org">cognia.org.&nbsp;</a>

Salina Diocese schools honored by global nonprofit 

<a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663609277827.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

Three-day weather outlook

Tiger fans will get to enjoy a fireworks show following the Fort Hays State vs. Missouri Southern football game this Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. The fireworks show will take place about 10 minutes following the completion of the football game. Fort Hays State is coming off its first win of the season this past weekend at Lincoln and looks for its first home win of the season. Missouri Southern will enter the game with a record of 2-1. The game is sponsored by Golden Belt Bank and the fireworks show is sponsored by J.Day Fireworks, Hays CVB, Kaiser Liquor, FHSU Student Engagement, FHSU Center for Student Success, and Horizon Appliance and Electronics.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663604393839.jpeg" alt="Courtesy FHSU Athletics/Allie Schweizer" />
 <figcaption>Courtesy FHSU Athletics/Allie Schweizer</figcaption>
 </figure>FHSU Athletics
Tiger fans will get to enjoy a fireworks show following the Fort Hays State vs. Missouri Southern football game this Saturday night at Lewis Field Stadium in Hays. The fireworks show will take place about 10 minutes following the completion of the football game. Fort Hays State is coming off its first win of the season this past weekend at Lincoln and looks for its first home win of the season. Missouri Southern will enter the game with a record of 2-1. The game is sponsored by Golden Belt Bank and the fireworks show is sponsored by J.Day Fireworks, Hays CVB, Kaiser Liquor, FHSU Student Engagement, FHSU Center for Student Success, and Horizon Appliance and Electronics.

Catch fireworks following FHSU football game Saturday

On this episode of the Post Podcast Cottonwood Extension District agent Monique Koerner stops by to share updates from the district.

For more about the Post Podcast, including a full list of episodes and episode transcripts click here.

On this episode of the Post Podcast Cottonwood Extension District agent Monique Koerner stops by to share updates from the district.<div><iframe title="Cottonwood Extension District welcomes newest agent" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=z2359-12c9531-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>For more about the Post Podcast, including a full list of episodes and episode transcripts click here.

🎙 Post Podcast: Cottonwood Extension District welcomes newest agent

The work week will start off with blazing hot temperatures — with highs in the triple digits expected Monday and Tuesday — before a cold front brings a cooldown and a chance for rain.

The National Weather Service in Dodge City predicts clear skies and breezy conditions Monday and Tuesday, with overnight lows in the upper-60s to low-70s.

A cold front is expected to move into the area Wednesday afternoon, bringing a 20 percent to 40 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms through Thursday afternoon.

A high of just 80 is projected on Wednesday, dipping all the way to a high of 66 on Thursday, the NWS said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663598294375.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The work week will start off with blazing hot temperatures — with highs in the triple digits expected Monday and Tuesday — before a cold front brings a cooldown and a chance for rain.The National Weather Service in Dodge City predicts clear skies and breezy conditions Monday and Tuesday, with overnight lows in the upper-60s to low-70s.A cold front is expected to move into the area Wednesday afternoon, bringing a 20 percent to 40 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms through Thursday afternoon.A high of just 80 is projected on Wednesday, dipping all the way to a high of 66 on Thursday, the NWS said.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Monday will have another run at 100 degrees. However by Thursday we should be 20-30 degrees cooler with a strong push of cooler air coming through western Kansas. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kswx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kswx</a> <a href="https://t.co/fLM0WsDijn">pic.twitter.com/fLM0WsDijn</a>&mdash; NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSDodgeCity/status/1571643500135063553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 18, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>

NWS: Hot start to week, then a cooldown and chance of rain

The Kansas Geological Survey reported a minor earthquake in southern Phillips County on Sunday evening.

The 2.4-magnitude quake was recorded just north of the Rooks County line at 7:16 p.m.

There have been 18 measurable earthquakes in northwest Kansas since the beginning of August, according to KGS.

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9033184f-02a1-42b3-a9df-839c39df5718">RELATED:&nbsp;USGS: Magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Mexico</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663593318190.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas Geological Survey reported a minor earthquake in southern Phillips County on Sunday evening.The 2.4-magnitude quake was recorded just north of the Rooks County line at 7:16 p.m.There have been 18 measurable earthquakes in northwest Kansas since the beginning of August, according to KGS.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/9033184f-02a1-42b3-a9df-839c39df5718">RELATED:&nbsp;USGS: Magnitude 7.6 earthquake shakes Mexico</a>

Another earthquake reported Sunday in northwest Kansas

By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays Post

The Ellis County Commission will consider changing the time
and date of its weekly meetings at Monday’s commission meeting.

According to County Administrator Darin Myers, members of
the commission have approached him about changing the times and dates to the
first three Tuesdays of the month at 8:30 a.m.

Myers said in <a href="https://www.ellisco.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09192022-497">prep materials </a>for the meeting that changing
from the current time — 5 p.m. on the first three Mondays of each month — would
have several benefits. Those include allowing staff to attend the meetings without
earning overtime, new employees could more easily attend the morning meetings
and it would free up the commissioners to attend the Ellis and Victoria city council
meetings.

If the measure is approved by the commission, it
would go into effect the first meeting in October which would be Oct. 4 at 8:30 a.m. at the Administrative Building at 718 Main in Hays.

The commission is also set to consider the future the building
at 601 Main, which currently houses the Cottonwood Extension
District, purchase a new ambulance and design for the new public works
facility.

Monday’s commission meeting is at 5 p.m. at the County Administrative
Building. 

<figure>
 <iframe width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cqzsywHii7o"></iframe>
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT Hays PostThe Ellis County Commission will consider changing the time
and date of its weekly meetings at Monday’s commission meeting.According to County Administrator Darin Myers, members of
the commission have approached him about changing the times and dates to the
first three Tuesdays of the month at 8:30 a.m.Myers said in <a href="https://www.ellisco.net/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_09192022-497">prep materials </a>for the meeting that changing
from the current time — 5 p.m. on the first three Mondays of each month — would
have several benefits. Those include allowing staff to attend the meetings without
earning overtime, new employees could more easily attend the morning meetings
and it would free up the commissioners to attend the Ellis and Victoria city council
meetings.If the measure is approved by the commission, it
would go into effect the first meeting in October which would be Oct. 4 at 8:30 a.m. at the Administrative Building at 718 Main in Hays.The commission is also set to consider the future the building
at 601 Main, which currently houses the Cottonwood Extension
District, purchase a new ambulance and design for the new public works
facility.Monday’s commission meeting is at 5 p.m. at the County Administrative
Building.

🎥 Ellis Co. Commission to consider changing meeting time

By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post

A new massage studio has opened at Centennial Plaza.

After working at a couple of other massage studios in Hays for the last three years, Jordan Winter opened Rebalance Massage, 2522 Vine, Ste. 2, last week.

Winter, 25, is a certified massage therapist. He received his certification through the Fort Hays State University massage program. He is originally from Great Bend but moved to Hays about six years ago.

Winter is the only massage therapist at the studio, at this time but said if business increases, he would be interested in hiring other certified massage therapists.

He offers various massage services, including therapeutic massage for problem areas, stretching, hot stone and cupping. 

He hopes to eventually carry ear candles and cups clients can use at home for treatment of hands and feet. Winter said the cups can help people who have plantar fasciitis.

Winter said he has found he really enjoys working in the massage field. 

"I feel really confident in what I do," he said. "People typically come back."

Winter is offering short tune-up massages for as little as $25. He said he hopes his service will complement the services offered next door at the walk-in chiropractor.

Winter said he thinks the studio is in a good location to take advantage of a lot of foot traffic.

As Winter is trying to get his studio off the ground, he is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Walk-ins are welcome. You can also schedule appointments by calling 620-617-4395 or <a href="https://www.massagebook.com/Hays~Massage~rebalancemassage?src=external&amp;fbclid=IwAR2n-suKrbJC5WaGXWEWr7fdw3Zpb7VmSpCL7jjxLUo0LkZ6bnO_anAN-BE">online.</a>

You can also follow the studio on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/8rebalance8">Facebook</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663256911702.jpeg" alt="Jordan Winter is the new owner and certified massage therapist behind Rebalance Massage, 2522 Vine, Ste. 2, in Hays. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>Jordan Winter is the new owner and certified massage therapist behind Rebalance Massage, 2522 Vine, Ste. 2, in Hays. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostA new massage studio has opened at Centennial Plaza.After working at a couple of other massage studios in Hays for the last three years, Jordan Winter opened Rebalance Massage, 2522 Vine, Ste. 2, last week. Winter, 25, is a certified massage therapist. He received his certification through the Fort Hays State University massage program. He is originally from Great Bend but moved to Hays about six years ago. Winter is the only massage therapist at the studio, at this time but said if business increases, he would be interested in hiring other certified massage therapists.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663256954938.jpeg" alt="Jordan Winter, owner of Rebalanace Massage, offers various massage services, including therapeutic massage, stretching, cupping and hot stone. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>Jordan Winter, owner of Rebalanace Massage, offers various massage services, including therapeutic massage, stretching, cupping and hot stone. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>He offers various massage services, including therapeutic massage for problem areas, stretching, hot stone and cupping. He hopes to eventually carry ear candles and cups clients can use at home for treatment of hands and feet. Winter said the cups can help people who have plantar fasciitis.Winter said he has found he really enjoys working in the massage field. "I feel really confident in what I do," he said. "People typically come back." Winter is offering short tune-up massages for as little as $25. He said he hopes his service will complement the services offered next door at the walk-in chiropractor.Winter said he thinks the studio is in a good location to take advantage of a lot of foot traffic. As Winter is trying to get his studio off the ground, he is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. Walk-ins are welcome. You can also schedule appointments by calling 620-617-4395 or <a href="https://www.massagebook.com/Hays~Massage~rebalancemassage?src=external&amp;fbclid=IwAR2n-suKrbJC5WaGXWEWr7fdw3Zpb7VmSpCL7jjxLUo0LkZ6bnO_anAN-BE">online.</a>You can also follow the studio on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/8rebalance8">Facebook</a>. <figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663257004392.jpeg" alt="Inside Winter's Rebalance Massage studio. Winter is offering short tune-up massages for as little as $25. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>Inside Winter's Rebalance Massage studio. Winter is offering short tune-up massages for as little as $25. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>

Rebalance Massage opens on Vine in Hays

The <a href="https://www.liveunited.us/wonder-women-league">Wonder Women League</a>&nbsp;on Thursday broke ground on an almost $40,000 project to add security cameras and lighting at the ARC Park.

In addition, ground will be broken on an amphitheater at the park next week. That project is sponsored by Leadership Hays 2021.

The lighting and camera project was part of the planning for the park from the beginning.

The need for these security features became more urgent as the park experienced several incidents of vandalism, just as the park was set to open last year, said Sarah Meitner, board member with the Arc of Central Plains. Parts of the playground were spray painted, and the park's bathrooms were damaged several times.

From the beginning, neighbors expressed a desire for more lighting and cameras for safety reasons, Meitner said. 

"It will help the police as they drive by," she said. "They can look in, and if they see something suspicious, they can check it out."

The Arc will not be monitoring the footage from the cameras. That will be left up to the City and Hays and Hays Police Department.

"It gives us some peace of mind that if something happens, it could lead to an arrest," Meitner said.

The lighting and camera project was made possible through monetary and in-kind donations from the Wonder Women League, City of Hays, Stanion Wholesale Electric Company, Vyve Broadband and the Heartland Community Foundation.

The Wonder Women League is an all-women volunteer group with more than 140 members. It is under the umbrella of the United Way of Ellis County.

The time frame for completion of the project is contingent on weather, supply-chain issues and shipping.

Construction on an amphitheater at the ARC Park is supposed to start next week. 

Two older slides in the old playground area north of the shelter will be removed to make space for the amphitheater.

There will be a small outdoor stage, and benches and stools for about 25 to 30 people to watch a story time facilitated by the library or any other outdoor program.

The Fort Hays State University construction program was tapped to build the project. However, the project was delayed because of a change in leadership in that program at FHSU. The new leader of that program, Nathan Howard, is now on board with the project, Meitner said.

The 2021 Class of Leadership Hays initially raised $18,000 for the project, but the delay has resulted in an increase in cost to about $25,000. Members of the class are soliciting donations to make up for the shortfall.

Donations can be made through the Hays Chamber, 2700 Vine, or call 785-628-8201.

Editor's note: Cristina Janney is a member of the Wonder Women League.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663358364002.jpeg" alt="The Wonder Women League and community sponsors break ground on a lighting and security camera project at the ARC Park on Thursday. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post " />
 <figcaption>The Wonder Women League and community sponsors break ground on a lighting and security camera project at the ARC Park on Thursday. Photo by Cristina Janney/Hays Post </figcaption>
 </figure>By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays PostThe <a href="https://www.liveunited.us/wonder-women-league">Wonder Women League</a>&nbsp;on Thursday broke ground on an almost $40,000 project to add security cameras and lighting at the ARC Park.In addition, ground will be broken on an amphitheater at the park next week. That project is sponsored by Leadership Hays 2021.The lighting and camera project was part of the planning for the park from the beginning.The need for these security features became more urgent as the park experienced several incidents of vandalism, just as the park was set to open last year, said Sarah Meitner, board member with the Arc of Central Plains. Parts of the playground were spray painted, and the park's bathrooms were damaged several times. From the beginning, neighbors expressed a desire for more lighting and cameras for safety reasons, Meitner said. "It will help the police as they drive by," she said. "They can look in, and if they see something suspicious, they can check it out."The Arc will not be monitoring the footage from the cameras. That will be left up to the City and Hays and Hays Police Department."It gives us some peace of mind that if something happens, it could lead to an arrest," Meitner said.The lighting and camera project was made possible through monetary and in-kind donations from the Wonder Women League, City of Hays, Stanion Wholesale Electric Company, Vyve Broadband and the Heartland Community Foundation.The Wonder Women League is an all-women volunteer group with more than 140 members. It is under the umbrella of the United Way of Ellis County. The time frame for completion of the project is contingent on weather, supply-chain issues and shipping.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663358838791.jpeg" alt="These two older slides will be removed and replaced with an amphitheater. The project is being sponsored by the 2021 Class of Leadership Hays. " />
 <figcaption>These two older slides will be removed and replaced with an amphitheater. The project is being sponsored by the 2021 Class of Leadership Hays. </figcaption>
 </figure><h2>&nbsp;Amphitheater</h2>Construction on an amphitheater at the ARC Park is supposed to start next week. Two older slides in the old playground area north of the shelter will be removed to make space for the amphitheater.There will be a small outdoor stage, and benches and stools for about 25 to 30 people to watch a story time facilitated by the library or any other outdoor program.The Fort Hays State University construction program was tapped to build the project. However, the project was delayed because of a change in leadership in that program at FHSU. The new leader of that program, Nathan Howard, is now on board with the project, Meitner said.The 2021 Class of Leadership Hays initially raised $18,000 for the project, but the delay has resulted in an increase in cost to about $25,000. Members of the class are soliciting donations to make up for the shortfall.Donations can be made through the Hays Chamber, 2700 Vine, or call 785-628-8201.Editor's note: Cristina Janney is a member of the Wonder Women League.

Security project, amphitheater coming to ARC Park in Hays

Haili Leiker was recently recognized with the 2022 Debra Boeken Customer Care Representative of the Year award.

A CCR is a vital part of the patient care team and serves as the right hand of the unit’s Charge Nurse and as an asset to every member of the team.&nbsp; CCRs do whatever is needed in order to help patients and visitors be comfortable on the unit; make available whatever supplies that are needed but that are not currently on the unit; and be carry out a myriad of tasks that are needed to help make the shift run very smoothly.

Leiker works on the surgery floor at HaysMed.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663357132082.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>HaysMedHaili Leiker was recently recognized with the 2022 Debra Boeken Customer Care Representative of the Year award.A CCR is a vital part of the patient care team and serves as the right hand of the unit’s Charge Nurse and as an asset to every member of the team.&nbsp; CCRs do whatever is needed in order to help patients and visitors be comfortable on the unit; make available whatever supplies that are needed but that are not currently on the unit; and be carry out a myriad of tasks that are needed to help make the shift run very smoothly.Leiker works on the surgery floor at HaysMed.

HaysMed recognizes Customer Care Representative of the Year

Re-experience a bustling era of music inspired by post-WWII American optimism. The Hays Symphony will be presenting its first Masterworks Concert, American Tapestry, on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Brian Buckstead, Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at FHSU.

The featured composers—Barber, Diamond, Gould and Riegger—represent 20th century American musicians who were influenced by European masters yet managed to capture the bold, adventurous spirit of America.

In&nbsp;Knoxville: Summer of 1915,&nbsp;a small boy listens to the energetic sounds of life around his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Samuel Barber mimics this musical onomatopoeia by filling his score with atmospheric, stylistic tricks. Listeners will find themselves wandering between childlike feelings of loneliness and wonder alike.&nbsp;

Dr. Ivalah Allen, FHSU Associate Professor and accomplished soprano, has performed as soloist on operatic, symphonic, and oratorio stages throughout the Midwest. She will grace the stage again to deliver Barber’s lyrics.

The Masterworks I Concert is set to include three other prominent works.&nbsp;

David Diamond’s vibrant yet flowing&nbsp;Round for String Orchestra&nbsp;(1944) became a hit with many household-named conductors of the time wanting to program it, including Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.

Wallingford Constantine Riegger’s work,&nbsp;Dance Rhythms&nbsp;(1954), is full of playful pizzicato in the strings, stabbing notes from the timpani, striking syncopation and lyrical melodies throughout the winds.&nbsp;

Lastly, Morton Gould’s brisk&nbsp;American Symphonette No. 2&nbsp;(1938) excites with vigor and bounce through its lively blend of classical and jazz elements.&nbsp;

Like with all Hays Symphony concerts, attendance is free and open to the public. Following the concert, attendees are invited to the hall’s lobby to meet the musicians at the post-concert reception. This reception is made possible by generous support from the Downtown Hays Development Corporation.&nbsp;

Attendees are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance on the symphony’s website at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hayssymphony.org/">https://www.hayssymphony.org</a>where they can also make donations to sustain free classical music in the Hays community.

SubmittedRe-experience a bustling era of music inspired by post-WWII American optimism. The Hays Symphony will be presenting its first Masterworks Concert, American Tapestry, on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Brian Buckstead, Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at FHSU.The featured composers—Barber, Diamond, Gould and Riegger—represent 20th century American musicians who were influenced by European masters yet managed to capture the bold, adventurous spirit of America.In&nbsp;Knoxville: Summer of 1915,&nbsp;a small boy listens to the energetic sounds of life around his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Samuel Barber mimics this musical onomatopoeia by filling his score with atmospheric, stylistic tricks. Listeners will find themselves wandering between childlike feelings of loneliness and wonder alike.&nbsp;Dr. Ivalah Allen, FHSU Associate Professor and accomplished soprano, has performed as soloist on operatic, symphonic, and oratorio stages throughout the Midwest. She will grace the stage again to deliver Barber’s lyrics.The Masterworks I Concert is set to include three other prominent works.&nbsp;David Diamond’s vibrant yet flowing&nbsp;Round for String Orchestra&nbsp;(1944) became a hit with many household-named conductors of the time wanting to program it, including Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland.Wallingford Constantine Riegger’s work,&nbsp;Dance Rhythms&nbsp;(1954), is full of playful pizzicato in the strings, stabbing notes from the timpani, striking syncopation and lyrical melodies throughout the winds.&nbsp;Lastly, Morton Gould’s brisk&nbsp;American Symphonette No. 2&nbsp;(1938) excites with vigor and bounce through its lively blend of classical and jazz elements.&nbsp;Like with all Hays Symphony concerts, attendance is free and open to the public. Following the concert, attendees are invited to the hall’s lobby to meet the musicians at the post-concert reception. This reception is made possible by generous support from the Downtown Hays Development Corporation.&nbsp;Attendees are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance on the symphony’s website at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.hayssymphony.org/">https://www.hayssymphony.org</a>where they can also make donations to sustain free classical music in the Hays community.

Hays Symphony set to present 'American Tapestry' concert 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663353398407.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

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YOU HAVE TO PLAY TO WIN! CERVs Football Matchup

I love the&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;State Fair and&nbsp;I&nbsp;enjoy&nbsp;talking to people about&nbsp;trapping,&nbsp;so I&nbsp;spend some time each year at the Kansas&nbsp;Fur Harvesters booth&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Kansas State Fair.That booth is an excellent way to educate people about the importance of trapping here in the U.S.&nbsp;

As people stop by the booth, one of the things we point out is that&nbsp;furbearers in Kansas are very prolific&nbsp;breeders and trapping is a&nbsp;perfect&nbsp;and necessary&nbsp;tool to keep their populations&nbsp;manageable. Beavers have from one to six young each&nbsp;year, and they&nbsp;do considerable damage by damming streams and ponds that flood farmland, back roads and golf courses.&nbsp;They cut off newly planted saplings with just a couple bites and kill large standing trees by completely chewing off the bark as high as they can reach.&nbsp;Beavers can be beneficial in creating wetlands and other wildlife habitat in pastures or in other out-of-the-way places, but they won’t be tolerated in farm country or in places like city parks&nbsp;or golf courses.&nbsp;Muskrats have three to five litters per year, each containing up to five kits, and even though they don’t chew trees, they can absolutely riddle dikes, stream banks and pond dams with holes for dens.&nbsp;Raccoons birth three or four young each year and their taste&nbsp;for&nbsp;eggs leads&nbsp;them to destroy large numbers of songbird, pheasant and quail nests every spring.&nbsp;Coyotes&nbsp;have six to ten pups each year and even if only three survive, that’s a three hundred percent population increase.&nbsp;

Displayed at the booth are tanned pelts representing every furbearer found in Kansas. Everyone enjoys trying to identify each pelt as they run their fingers through the soft luxurious fur. The skunk pelt is always a good conversation starter, and visitors are usually astonished&nbsp;at how soft and beautiful skunk fur really is; even more surprising to them is the fact that skunk essence is used in minute amounts in perfume as an agent to hold and carry the aroma, making it last longer (ever noticed how long skunk smell hangs around?)&nbsp;I always have a good time with a skunk hat we have at the booth each year. Letting kids try it on and getting their pictures taken&nbsp;is as much fun for me as it is&nbsp;for&nbsp;the kids and their families. Most people are also amazed at how soft and plush a possum pelt&nbsp;actually is. Its hard for them to believe something that soft can come from an animal&nbsp;as&nbsp;homely&nbsp;as a possum&nbsp;that is pretty much a four-legged vulture.&nbsp;

Numerous men who stop at the booth trapped when they were kids and they&nbsp;usually&nbsp;ask about fur prices today.&nbsp;They are often surprised to hear that most wild caught fur ends up in foreign countries where the garment trade still exists, and&nbsp;thatprices for American wild-caught fur are&nbsp;dependent&nbsp;on&nbsp;the economies of those countries and of the political climate of the world in general.

As recently as a generation ago, hunting, trapping and fishing were&nbsp;never questioned and were just a part of life. Today, because&nbsp;of&nbsp;seasons&nbsp;and harvest&nbsp;limits there are more game and fish available for harvest than ever before in the history of our country, so it makes no sense to me that hunting, trapping and fishing would be challenged now. I&nbsp;wish every anti-hunter could envision&nbsp;a world without&nbsp;regulated&nbsp;hunting, trapping and fishing, where wildlife died from starvation, rampant disease and indiscriminate shooting;&nbsp;it wouldn’t be pretty! 

Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/11/1574696211722.png" alt="Steve&nbsp;Gilliland" />
 <figcaption>Steve&nbsp;Gilliland</figcaption>
 </figure>I love the&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;State Fair and&nbsp;I&nbsp;enjoy&nbsp;talking to people about&nbsp;trapping,&nbsp;so I&nbsp;spend some time each year at the Kansas&nbsp;Fur Harvesters booth&nbsp;at the&nbsp;Kansas State Fair.That booth is an excellent way to educate people about the importance of trapping here in the U.S.&nbsp;As people stop by the booth, one of the things we point out is that&nbsp;furbearers in Kansas are very prolific&nbsp;breeders and trapping is a&nbsp;perfect&nbsp;and necessary&nbsp;tool to keep their populations&nbsp;manageable. Beavers have from one to six young each&nbsp;year, and they&nbsp;do considerable damage by damming streams and ponds that flood farmland, back roads and golf courses.&nbsp;They cut off newly planted saplings with just a couple bites and kill large standing trees by completely chewing off the bark as high as they can reach.&nbsp;Beavers can be beneficial in creating wetlands and other wildlife habitat in pastures or in other out-of-the-way places, but they won’t be tolerated in farm country or in places like city parks&nbsp;or golf courses.&nbsp;Muskrats have three to five litters per year, each containing up to five kits, and even though they don’t chew trees, they can absolutely riddle dikes, stream banks and pond dams with holes for dens.&nbsp;Raccoons birth three or four young each year and their taste&nbsp;for&nbsp;eggs leads&nbsp;them to destroy large numbers of songbird, pheasant and quail nests every spring.&nbsp;Coyotes&nbsp;have six to ten pups each year and even if only three survive, that’s a three hundred percent population increase.&nbsp;Displayed at the booth are tanned pelts representing every furbearer found in Kansas. Everyone enjoys trying to identify each pelt as they run their fingers through the soft luxurious fur. The skunk pelt is always a good conversation starter, and visitors are usually astonished&nbsp;at how soft and beautiful skunk fur really is; even more surprising to them is the fact that skunk essence is used in minute amounts in perfume as an agent to hold and carry the aroma, making it last longer (ever noticed how long skunk smell hangs around?)&nbsp;I always have a good time with a skunk hat we have at the booth each year. Letting kids try it on and getting their pictures taken&nbsp;is as much fun for me as it is&nbsp;for&nbsp;the kids and their families. Most people are also amazed at how soft and plush a possum pelt&nbsp;actually is. Its hard for them to believe something that soft can come from an animal&nbsp;as&nbsp;homely&nbsp;as a possum&nbsp;that is pretty much a four-legged vulture.&nbsp;Numerous men who stop at the booth trapped when they were kids and they&nbsp;usually&nbsp;ask about fur prices today.&nbsp;They are often surprised to hear that most wild caught fur ends up in foreign countries where the garment trade still exists, and&nbsp;thatprices for American wild-caught fur are&nbsp;dependent&nbsp;on&nbsp;the economies of those countries and of the political climate of the world in general.As recently as a generation ago, hunting, trapping and fishing were&nbsp;never questioned and were just a part of life. Today, because&nbsp;of&nbsp;seasons&nbsp;and harvest&nbsp;limits there are more game and fish available for harvest than ever before in the history of our country, so it makes no sense to me that hunting, trapping and fishing would be challenged now. I&nbsp;wish every anti-hunter could envision&nbsp;a world without&nbsp;regulated&nbsp;hunting, trapping and fishing, where wildlife died from starvation, rampant disease and indiscriminate shooting;&nbsp;it wouldn’t be pretty! Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.Steve Gilliland, Inman, can be contacted by email at stevenrgilliland@gmail.com.&nbsp;

Exploring Outdoors Kansas: Talking trapping at the fair

The Fort Hays State University Neuromuscular Wellness Center has a new person in charge. Luke Kriley stops by to tell us about himself and a little bit about the Center on this episode of the Post Podcast.

The Fort Hays State University Neuromuscular Wellness Center has a new person in charge. Luke Kriley stops by to tell us about himself and a little bit about the Center on this episode of the Post Podcast.<div><iframe title="FHSU Neuromuscular center helps keep community moving" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=r5nbg-12c653e-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>For more about the Post Podcast, including a full list of episodes and episode transcripts click here.

🎙 Post Podcast: FHSU Neuromuscular center helps keep community moving

Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Vine Street southbound lanes just south of the 27th Street intersection will be reduced to one lane. 

Repairs should be completed by the end of the day Thursday. Traffic control devices will be in place to direct the traveling public. 

For more information, call (785) 628-7350.

Beginning at 6 a.m. Monday, Vine Street southbound lanes just south of the 27th Street intersection will be reduced to one lane. Repairs should be completed by the end of the day Thursday. Traffic control devices will be in place to direct the traveling public. For more information, call (785) 628-7350.— City of Hays

Portion of Vine reduced to one lane Monday for repairs

Next month, over 100 craft vendors will fill Gross Memorial
Coliseum on the Fort Hays State University campus, allowing residents to view
and purchase various homemade items from across the region.

The Your Voice Through Cancer craft fair is scheduled from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1. The event is free and open to the public and will feature
vendors young and old from across the Midwest.

“It is all handmade crafts. There are no direct sales,” said
Your Voice Through Cancer event coordinator Amanda Long. “We actually have
three kid booths this year, so kids are also attending to sell their crafts and
then three food vendors will have two food trucks outside and a food caterer
inside.”

For the event, vendors will travel from far and wide.

“They're from all over the place,” said Your Voice Through
Cancer event coordinator Kate Armstrong. “We've got vendors from all over
Kansas. I think we have one from Colorado and one from Nebraska. And I think
one from Oklahoma. We're kind of pulling from all over the place.”

Over 100 vendors will attend this year’s event marking a
significant increase from last year’s event, with 67 vendors.

“We're up quite a bit from that,” Long said. “We did move to
a new location to accommodate more vendors just for that reason. We want to
make a great show for Hays and surrounding communities to come and do some
early Christmas shopping and see what local artists have to offer.”

Thanks to the growing number of vendors, this year’s event
will also feature a more extensive variety of items than ever before.

“We have everything from pour painting, wood crafts,
quilting, horseshoe art and candles,” Long said. 

“Tumblers, T-shirts, little
knickknacks," Armstrong added.

“Just about anything that you can imagine, you're going to find
it at our craft fair,” Long said.

While this year’s craft fair will mark the first appearance
for many vendors, Stegman said some had made it an annual tradition since the
first event in 2014.

“Some of the vendors that we have are regulars,” she said. “It's
nice that we have repeats, but we've picked up a lot of new ones because we
went up 40 vendors from last year. “Anything you can think, that is going to
probably be at this fair. It's amazing to see what they can do.”

Along with the craft, fair food vendors will be on site.

“Our indoor caterer is going to have breakfast served,” Long
said. “You can come for breakfast and lunch with all three vendors. So yeah,
come spend the whole day with us if you want.”

With the over 100 vendors, the coliseum will be nearly full
on both the upper and lower level with booths, but a few spots remain.

“If it is something that you are interested in, make sure
you get that in as soon as possible,” Armstrong said. “Once we're full, we'll have
to start a waiting list at that point because they're just there's just no more
room at that point.”

While the craft fair will bring out scores of people searching
for one-of-a-kind items, behind the event is an effort to bring support to
those dealing with one of the most traumatic medical diagnosis people face —
cancer.

“The craft fair came about as we were trying to figure out a
way to do fundraisers, and we got to thinking that there isn't really a craft
fair round here that is just crafts,” said Judy Stegman, Your Voice Through
Cancer co-founder and president.

And the annual event has grown substantially since beginning
in 2014.

“We started out in the basement of a church with 14 vendors,”
Stegman said. “We've grown quite a bit. We're very popular with this because it
is nothing but handmade crafts.”

But most importantly, she said it is an easy way for every
to get involved and help the organization’s mission.

“We have survivors that come up and talk to us, families
that come up and talk to us and see what we can do,” Stegman said. “It's just a
great way to get the public involved.”

As an organization, Your Voice Through Cancer works to raise
funds for those afflicted and their loved ones.

“We want to make sure everybody that needs treatment gets
treatment,” Stegman said. “And cancer is expensive. It's very expensive between
them. We have a lot of patients that go to Kansas City, they need money for
gas, or they need money for a motel. And we're just here to help out as much as
we can.”

For those without medical insurance or a support system, she
said it could be even more challenging to cope, and the organization does everything
possible to help.

“One of the things that I do once in a while is go and sit
through chemo with them,” Stegman said. “A lot of people have to be dropped off,
and they have to do it. And you know, your first time for chemo, you don't know
how you're going to react. And it's scary being in that room with just nurses
and doctors. So I'll go and sit with him and explain to him how it goes and
explain to the family, you know, how it's going to go and what support is for
and you know, the different things through the chemo and stuff.”

“Alongside of the cancer support, we also offer family
support,” Long said. “It's definitely very hard for the family too. So we want
to be there for the family to support them and walk them through the situation
as well.”

“As a person whose mother-in-law just went through that. I
myself needed support to make it through that,” Armstrong said. “It's difficult
for everybody. Cancer affects all of us in some way, shape, or form. So we're
just trying to be there to be the support when you may not have it.”

“If somebody calls me and they want to meet with me, I'll
sit down and talk to you,” Stegman said. “I am a cancer survivor, so I know
what it's like to have to go through cancer. …We're just mainly here to help
out as many cancer patients as we can.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663264314043.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostNext month, over 100 craft vendors will fill Gross Memorial
Coliseum on the Fort Hays State University campus, allowing residents to view
and purchase various homemade items from across the region.The Your Voice Through Cancer craft fair is scheduled from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1. The event is free and open to the public and will feature
vendors young and old from across the Midwest.“It is all handmade crafts. There are no direct sales,” said
Your Voice Through Cancer event coordinator Amanda Long. “We actually have
three kid booths this year, so kids are also attending to sell their crafts and
then three food vendors will have two food trucks outside and a food caterer
inside.”For the event, vendors will travel from far and wide.<div><iframe title="Upcoming craft fair supports cancer non-profit" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=d69wn-12c642c-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>“They're from all over the place,” said Your Voice Through
Cancer event coordinator Kate Armstrong. “We've got vendors from all over
Kansas. I think we have one from Colorado and one from Nebraska. And I think
one from Oklahoma. We're kind of pulling from all over the place.”Over 100 vendors will attend this year’s event marking a
significant increase from last year’s event, with 67 vendors.“We're up quite a bit from that,” Long said. “We did move to
a new location to accommodate more vendors just for that reason. We want to
make a great show for Hays and surrounding communities to come and do some
early Christmas shopping and see what local artists have to offer.”Thanks to the growing number of vendors, this year’s event
will also feature a more extensive variety of items than ever before.“We have everything from pour painting, wood crafts,
quilting, horseshoe art and candles,” Long said. “Tumblers, T-shirts, little
knickknacks," Armstrong added.“Just about anything that you can imagine, you're going to find
it at our craft fair,” Long said.While this year’s craft fair will mark the first appearance
for many vendors, Stegman said some had made it an annual tradition since the
first event in 2014.“Some of the vendors that we have are regulars,” she said. “It's
nice that we have repeats, but we've picked up a lot of new ones because we
went up 40 vendors from last year. “Anything you can think, that is going to
probably be at this fair. It's amazing to see what they can do.”Along with the craft, fair food vendors will be on site.“Our indoor caterer is going to have breakfast served,” Long
said. “You can come for breakfast and lunch with all three vendors. So yeah,
come spend the whole day with us if you want.”With the over 100 vendors, the coliseum will be nearly full
on both the upper and lower level with booths, but a few spots remain.“If it is something that you are interested in, make sure
you get that in as soon as possible,” Armstrong said. “Once we're full, we'll have
to start a waiting list at that point because they're just there's just no more
room at that point.”While the craft fair will bring out scores of people searching
for one-of-a-kind items, behind the event is an effort to bring support to
those dealing with one of the most traumatic medical diagnosis people face —
cancer.“The craft fair came about as we were trying to figure out a
way to do fundraisers, and we got to thinking that there isn't really a craft
fair round here that is just crafts,” said Judy Stegman, Your Voice Through
Cancer co-founder and president.And the annual event has grown substantially since beginning
in 2014.“We started out in the basement of a church with 14 vendors,”
Stegman said. “We've grown quite a bit. We're very popular with this because it
is nothing but handmade crafts.”But most importantly, she said it is an easy way for every
to get involved and help the organization’s mission.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663264232416.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure>“We have survivors that come up and talk to us, families
that come up and talk to us and see what we can do,” Stegman said. “It's just a
great way to get the public involved.”As an organization, Your Voice Through Cancer works to raise
funds for those afflicted and their loved ones.“We want to make sure everybody that needs treatment gets
treatment,” Stegman said. “And cancer is expensive. It's very expensive between
them. We have a lot of patients that go to Kansas City, they need money for
gas, or they need money for a motel. And we're just here to help out as much as
we can.”For those without medical insurance or a support system, she
said it could be even more challenging to cope, and the organization does everything
possible to help.“One of the things that I do once in a while is go and sit
through chemo with them,” Stegman said. “A lot of people have to be dropped off,
and they have to do it. And you know, your first time for chemo, you don't know
how you're going to react. And it's scary being in that room with just nurses
and doctors. So I'll go and sit with him and explain to him how it goes and
explain to the family, you know, how it's going to go and what support is for
and you know, the different things through the chemo and stuff.”“Alongside of the cancer support, we also offer family
support,” Long said. “It's definitely very hard for the family too. So we want
to be there for the family to support them and walk them through the situation
as well.”“As a person whose mother-in-law just went through that. I
myself needed support to make it through that,” Armstrong said. “It's difficult
for everybody. Cancer affects all of us in some way, shape, or form. So we're
just trying to be there to be the support when you may not have it.”“If somebody calls me and they want to meet with me, I'll
sit down and talk to you,” Stegman said. “I am a cancer survivor, so I know
what it's like to have to go through cancer. …We're just mainly here to help
out as many cancer patients as we can.”

🎙 Upcoming craft fair supports Ellis Co. cancer nonprofit

Suicide and the stigma attached to it will be the focus of a free public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Beach-Schmidt Performing Arts Center.

Speaking will be Maria Perez, a clinical pharmacist with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in St. Louis. Her talk, titled “Mental Health Awareness: A Focus on Suicide and Stigma,” is part of the John C. Thorns Jr. Memorial Lecture Series. The event is being funded through grants from Midwest Energy and the United Way.

Introducing Perez will be special guest Dave Schramm, who presented the 2019 Thorns lecture. Schramm is a Hays native and an alum and former faculty member at TMP-Marian High School.&nbsp;He has openly shared his own story of surviving a near-fatal suicide attempt and moving forward in recovery. Schramm currently lives in San Francisco and teaches at the University of California-Davis.

Perez’ talk will look at “the importance of raising mental health awareness and the interplay between suicide, mental health conditions, and stigma,” as well as highlighting the resources available to prevent suicide, a news release stated.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the co-hosts of the event, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year. That figure is 1 in 6 for U.S. youths aged 6 to 17. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34. At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care for an adult with a mental or emotional issue, and those caregivers spend an average of 32 hours per week providing unpaid care.

According to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability, the suicide rate for the state of Kansas rose by more than 60 percent, from 12.02 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 19.5 per 100,000 population in 2020. That gave Kansas the nation’s 13thhighest suicide rate.

The lecture series began in 2016 and is named in memory of John C. Thorns Jr., a former chair of the Fort Hays State University Art Department.

“He was a strong spokesperson for mental health and suicide prevention,” said Ann Leiker, one of the event’s organizers. Leiker recently retired as executive director of the Center for Life Experience, which is also one of the organizations co-hosting this event.&nbsp;

Thorns was on CFLE’s founding board and helped start Healing After Loss of Suicide, one of the center’s grief support groups, Leiker said.

Hosts for the event&nbsp;are the City of Hays, Ellis County, and the United Way through CFLE; PsychU, a free community and online resource library for mental health; Otsuka; Camber Children's Mental Health (previously KVC Hospital); High Plains Mental Health; the Health &amp; Wellness Services at FHSU; and NAMI Hays and NAMI on campus.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663173986939.jpeg" alt="Maria Perez " />
 <figcaption>Maria Perez </figcaption>
 </figure>News releaseSuicide and the stigma attached to it will be the focus of a free public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at Beach-Schmidt Performing Arts Center.Speaking will be Maria Perez, a clinical pharmacist with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. in St. Louis. Her talk, titled “Mental Health Awareness: A Focus on Suicide and Stigma,” is part of the John C. Thorns Jr. Memorial Lecture Series. The event is being funded through grants from Midwest Energy and the United Way.Introducing Perez will be special guest Dave Schramm, who presented the 2019 Thorns lecture. Schramm is a Hays native and an alum and former faculty member at TMP-Marian High School.&nbsp;He has openly shared his own story of surviving a near-fatal suicide attempt and moving forward in recovery. Schramm currently lives in San Francisco and teaches at the University of California-Davis.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663174059949.png" alt="Dave Schramm " />
 <figcaption>Dave Schramm </figcaption>
 </figure>Perez’ talk will look at “the importance of raising mental health awareness and the interplay between suicide, mental health conditions, and stigma,” as well as highlighting the resources available to prevent suicide, a news release stated.According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one of the co-hosts of the event, 1 in 5 U.S. adults experiences mental illness each year. That figure is 1 in 6 for U.S. youths aged 6 to 17. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 10 to 34. At least 8.4 million people in the U.S. provide care for an adult with a mental or emotional issue, and those caregivers spend an average of 32 hours per week providing unpaid care.According to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability, the suicide rate for the state of Kansas rose by more than 60 percent, from 12.02 per 100,000 population in 2000 to 19.5 per 100,000 population in 2020. That gave Kansas the nation’s 13thhighest suicide rate.The lecture series began in 2016 and is named in memory of John C. Thorns Jr., a former chair of the Fort Hays State University Art Department.“He was a strong spokesperson for mental health and suicide prevention,” said Ann Leiker, one of the event’s organizers. Leiker recently retired as executive director of the Center for Life Experience, which is also one of the organizations co-hosting this event.&nbsp;Thorns was on CFLE’s founding board and helped start Healing After Loss of Suicide, one of the center’s grief support groups, Leiker said.Hosts for the event&nbsp;are the City of Hays, Ellis County, and the United Way through CFLE; PsychU, a free community and online resource library for mental health; Otsuka; Camber Children's Mental Health (previously KVC Hospital); High Plains Mental Health; the Health &amp; Wellness Services at FHSU; and NAMI Hays and NAMI on campus.

Free lecture in Hays to focus on stigma of suicide

The Kansas State Fair kicked off with a debate between two candidates for governor. During the debate Republican Derek Schmidt was asked if Kansas is better off today than it was under former Governor Sam Brownback. Schmidt refused to answer the question.

As&nbsp;a state&nbsp;are we&nbsp;better off? Yes. And&nbsp;I think most Kansans would agree.&nbsp;

However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still&nbsp;progress&nbsp;to be made.

Statistically,&nbsp;our economy has improved over the past four and a half years since Brownback left office. But&nbsp;even as the economy has strengthened,&nbsp;much of the improvement has been concentrated in certain areas of the workforce.

Notably, Kansas has major shortages of “pink collar” occupations like teachers, nurses, and childcare workers.&nbsp;These workers have left their&nbsp;professions&nbsp;in droves after bearing too much of the burden of the state’s pandemic response.&nbsp;

Long working hours, inadequate professional support, serious staff shortages, and high COVID-19 infection and death rates among frontline workers, especially during the pandemic’s early stages, have left a mark.

But to blame the pandemic alone would be a mistake. COVID revealed the cracks in&nbsp;our&nbsp;already&nbsp;strained&nbsp;human infrastructure. A system&nbsp;that was&nbsp;built on the&nbsp;labor&nbsp;— paid and unpaid —&nbsp;of&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;women.

“Caring professions” like nurses, teachers, and childcare workers have long been paid significantly less than&nbsp;male-dominated&nbsp;technical and managerial professions.

Workers in these&nbsp;caring&nbsp;occupations&nbsp;have been undervalued primary because&nbsp;they are&nbsp;mostlywomen. Their status as essential workers throughout the pandemic finally laid that bare for all to see.&nbsp;

But the pandemic didn’t cause the problem.

According to a recent report from United WE, in 2019,&nbsp;Kansas women were less likely to be employed and&nbsp;more likely to be&nbsp;underemployed&nbsp;or not&nbsp;part of&nbsp;the labor force at all. The statewide gender pay gap has also widened over the past five years&nbsp;and&nbsp;one-third of women workers earn less than $25,000 per year.

Data from the&nbsp;US Department of Labor&nbsp;shows that&nbsp;salaries&nbsp;in&nbsp;the top occupations for women&nbsp;are&nbsp;also&nbsp;lower in Kansas than in the&nbsp;rest of the&nbsp;country, while the top occupations for men are comparable.

According to the US Chamber of Commerce nearly one million women nationwide are still missing from the workforce, mostly due to unreliable childcare and elder care options.&nbsp;

During the debate both Kelly and Schmidt acknowledged Kansas’ serious childcare crisis — there is too large a demand for services and too few options,&nbsp;resulting&nbsp;in rising costs&nbsp;that&nbsp;price many women out of the workforce.

Over the past year there&nbsp;here has&nbsp;been some&nbsp;action at the&nbsp;state-level&nbsp;that&nbsp;compensated&nbsp;some&nbsp;of these caring professionals by giving bonuses to workers and offering&nbsp;their employers&nbsp;state funds for retention incentives.&nbsp;

But these will likely only have short term effects.

Offering a one-time bonus to a childcare worker whose average pay is $10.80 an hour is like throwing a single bucket of water on a wildfire. Better than nothing, but wholly inadequate to stop the blaze.

Worker shortages across the country have led to a historic surge in collective action, and&nbsp;Kansas has not been immune to&nbsp;this&nbsp;wave of&nbsp;labor organizing.&nbsp;But with so many women&nbsp;forced&nbsp;out of the workforce, many, especially those low-income women who&nbsp;stand to&nbsp;benefit the most, have been unable to take advantage of the activism that&nbsp;could, if successful,&nbsp;significantly raise&nbsp;wagesand&nbsp;better&nbsp;working conditions —&nbsp;union representation reduces the gender pay gap by nearly 40 percent, per the US Department of Labor.

The underappreciation of women-dominated&nbsp;occupations&nbsp;did not start with the pandemic, and it certainly won’t end with it either. One-time bonuses are not going to fix the&nbsp;systemic&nbsp;problems causing these shortages.&nbsp;

We live in a society.&nbsp;Not an economy. Even more importantly, we live in communities. And our communities&nbsp;desperately&nbsp;need caregivers&nbsp;and educators.

Kansas needs to re-invest in its human infrastructure, especially it’s women.&nbsp;

Alexandra Middlewood, PhD&nbsp;is an Assistant&nbsp;Professor of Political Science at&nbsp;Wichita State&nbsp;University.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1633377761670.jpeg" alt="Alexandra Middlewood, PhD&nbsp;is an Assistant&nbsp;Professor of Political Science at&nbsp;Wichita State&nbsp;University." />
 <figcaption>Alexandra Middlewood, PhD&nbsp;is an Assistant&nbsp;Professor of Political Science at&nbsp;Wichita State&nbsp;University.</figcaption>
 </figure>The Kansas State Fair kicked off with a debate between two candidates for governor. During the debate Republican Derek Schmidt was asked if Kansas is better off today than it was under former Governor Sam Brownback. Schmidt refused to answer the question.As&nbsp;a state&nbsp;are we&nbsp;better off? Yes. And&nbsp;I think most Kansans would agree.&nbsp;However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t still&nbsp;progress&nbsp;to be made.Statistically,&nbsp;our economy has improved over the past four and a half years since Brownback left office. But&nbsp;even as the economy has strengthened,&nbsp;much of the improvement has been concentrated in certain areas of the workforce.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2019/12/1575913663048.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Notably, Kansas has major shortages of “pink collar” occupations like teachers, nurses, and childcare workers.&nbsp;These workers have left their&nbsp;professions&nbsp;in droves after bearing too much of the burden of the state’s pandemic response.&nbsp;Long working hours, inadequate professional support, serious staff shortages, and high COVID-19 infection and death rates among frontline workers, especially during the pandemic’s early stages, have left a mark.But to blame the pandemic alone would be a mistake. COVID revealed the cracks in&nbsp;our&nbsp;already&nbsp;strained&nbsp;human infrastructure. A system&nbsp;that was&nbsp;built on the&nbsp;labor&nbsp;— paid and unpaid —&nbsp;of&nbsp;Kansas&nbsp;women.“Caring professions” like nurses, teachers, and childcare workers have long been paid significantly less than&nbsp;male-dominated&nbsp;technical and managerial professions.Workers in these&nbsp;caring&nbsp;occupations&nbsp;have been undervalued primary because&nbsp;they are&nbsp;mostlywomen. Their status as essential workers throughout the pandemic finally laid that bare for all to see.&nbsp;But the pandemic didn’t cause the problem.According to a recent report from United WE, in 2019,&nbsp;Kansas women were less likely to be employed and&nbsp;more likely to be&nbsp;underemployed&nbsp;or not&nbsp;part of&nbsp;the labor force at all. The statewide gender pay gap has also widened over the past five years&nbsp;and&nbsp;one-third of women workers earn less than $25,000 per year.Data from the&nbsp;US Department of Labor&nbsp;shows that&nbsp;salaries&nbsp;in&nbsp;the top occupations for women&nbsp;are&nbsp;also&nbsp;lower in Kansas than in the&nbsp;rest of the&nbsp;country, while the top occupations for men are comparable.According to the US Chamber of Commerce nearly one million women nationwide are still missing from the workforce, mostly due to unreliable childcare and elder care options.&nbsp;During the debate both Kelly and Schmidt acknowledged Kansas’ serious childcare crisis — there is too large a demand for services and too few options,&nbsp;resulting&nbsp;in rising costs&nbsp;that&nbsp;price many women out of the workforce.Over the past year there&nbsp;here has&nbsp;been some&nbsp;action at the&nbsp;state-level&nbsp;that&nbsp;compensated&nbsp;some&nbsp;of these caring professionals by giving bonuses to workers and offering&nbsp;their employers&nbsp;state funds for retention incentives.&nbsp;But these will likely only have short term effects.Offering a one-time bonus to a childcare worker whose average pay is $10.80 an hour is like throwing a single bucket of water on a wildfire. Better than nothing, but wholly inadequate to stop the blaze.Worker shortages across the country have led to a historic surge in collective action, and&nbsp;Kansas has not been immune to&nbsp;this&nbsp;wave of&nbsp;labor organizing.&nbsp;But with so many women&nbsp;forced&nbsp;out of the workforce, many, especially those low-income women who&nbsp;stand to&nbsp;benefit the most, have been unable to take advantage of the activism that&nbsp;could, if successful,&nbsp;significantly raise&nbsp;wagesand&nbsp;better&nbsp;working conditions —&nbsp;union representation reduces the gender pay gap by nearly 40 percent, per the US Department of Labor.The underappreciation of women-dominated&nbsp;occupations&nbsp;did not start with the pandemic, and it certainly won’t end with it either. One-time bonuses are not going to fix the&nbsp;systemic&nbsp;problems causing these shortages.&nbsp;We live in a society.&nbsp;Not an economy. Even more importantly, we live in communities. And our communities&nbsp;desperately&nbsp;need caregivers&nbsp;and educators.Kansas needs to re-invest in its human infrastructure, especially it’s women.&nbsp;Alexandra Middlewood, PhD&nbsp;is an Assistant&nbsp;Professor of Political Science at&nbsp;Wichita State&nbsp;University.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Want to solve the ‘worker shortage’? Invest in women

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1663353363984.jpeg" alt="091822.jpg" />
 <figcaption>091822.jpg</figcaption>
 </figure><a href="https://hayspost.com/pages/state-farm-weather-window">For a full look at the weather forecast click here.</a>

Who cares about Saturday night entertainment when you can spend the day at a country auction? Now that it’s cooling down, local auctioneers are&nbsp;revving&nbsp;their season&nbsp;with weekly sales&nbsp;before snow flies. Both my husband and I enjoy looking at the ads to see what what’s&nbsp;on the sale block and where.&nbsp;Fortunately&nbsp;or unfortunately, we’re at that place in our lives where we don’t need anything, but it sure is fun to&nbsp;examine&nbsp;what other folks collected during their time on earth&nbsp;and see how&nbsp;our gathering skills&nbsp;compare.&nbsp;

One of the bonuses to attending local auctions is that we’re sure to run into old&nbsp;friends.&nbsp;A number&nbsp;of us&nbsp;were part of these Saturday crowds for decades as we furnished&nbsp;houses, kitchens, and tool shops&nbsp;from scratch.&nbsp;Once we&nbsp;found&nbsp;our&nbsp;necessities,&nbsp;some of us&nbsp;got hooked on belongings&nbsp;someone else&nbsp;first&nbsp;loved. Others&nbsp;bid on&nbsp;treasures that reminded&nbsp;them&nbsp;of childhood or visits to grandparents’ homes.&nbsp;Depending on the collection, a&nbsp;great&nbsp;auction&nbsp;is&nbsp;better than visiting a museum. It’&nbsp;fascinating&nbsp;to see snippets&nbsp;from folks’ lives&nbsp;from&nbsp;decades before.&nbsp;Sometimes,&nbsp;I find&nbsp;a treasure&nbsp;I didn’t know I needed&nbsp;and my head keeps nodding yes during the bidding.

Oftentimes,&nbsp;regular&nbsp;attendees turn their&nbsp;interest and time&nbsp;into businesses where they buy furniture&nbsp;or&nbsp;equipment&nbsp;to&nbsp;re-sell. Others run booths or online businesses&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;finds&nbsp;to those who don’t have the inclination or time to spend at an all-day auction.&nbsp;A few&nbsp;turn&nbsp;their homes and yards into artistic&nbsp;showcases&nbsp;full of&nbsp;quirky&nbsp;items they&nbsp;repurpose. Nothing like a worn-&nbsp;out wheel barrow, rusty cast iron kettle,&nbsp;or cream separator to&nbsp;display&nbsp;overflowing blooms.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;win the bid on&nbsp;giant carved&nbsp;birds&nbsp;to decorate their world.&nbsp;

Who knows who&nbsp;you’ll run into at an auction,&nbsp;so&nbsp;prepare for catch-up&nbsp;gab.&nbsp;This can involve hours discovering where old colleagues&nbsp;now&nbsp;live&nbsp;or&nbsp;finding&nbsp;out what&nbsp;kids and grandkids are&nbsp;up to.&nbsp;Heaven’s,&nbsp;some early starters&nbsp;share&nbsp;stories about great grands!&nbsp;It doesn’t&nbsp;seem possible&nbsp;time&nbsp;enough&nbsp;has passed&nbsp;to create great grands&nbsp;when&nbsp;everyone&nbsp;still feels&nbsp;young on the inside.&nbsp;These conversations&nbsp;also&nbsp;remember&nbsp;those we’ve lost&nbsp;since last&nbsp;we&nbsp;visited.

For those of us who enjoy local comedy, there’s no one better to poke fun than a good auctioneer.&nbsp;From the time I first attended Stithem and Fabrizius auctions back in the '70s,&nbsp;Leon would interrupt the chatter long enough to tease someone in the crowd and then resume business without losing&nbsp;his&nbsp;concentration. This last week, we were in the community&nbsp;center&nbsp;in&nbsp;a nearby town&nbsp;and&nbsp;folks&nbsp;competitively&nbsp;bid&nbsp;high dollar on foofoorah.&nbsp;Eventually,&nbsp;boxes of religious objects, pictures, crosses, and other&nbsp;sentimental&nbsp;objects crossed the table. For whatever reason, it took&nbsp;a&nbsp;while for folks to bid,&nbsp;triggering the auctioneer to astutely remind us, “Jesus is watching.”

For&nbsp;fans of&nbsp;homemade food, auctions&nbsp;showcase local cooks.&nbsp;Area vendors&nbsp;sell homemade pies and cinnamon rolls.&nbsp;Kirwin auctions once guaranteed&nbsp;slices&nbsp;of fresh coconut cream or butterscotch pies. Auctions at the Ellis K of C Hall promise&nbsp;so many&nbsp;choices that diners&nbsp;have to hit the kitchen more than once.&nbsp;Hungry buyers can snag hot-off-the grill brauts, burgers, and dogs. Add a pickled egg or brownie to complete the meal and you’re set&nbsp;to&nbsp;bid the rest of the day.&nbsp;

Folks in big cities might attend&nbsp;concerts and professional&nbsp;entertainment&nbsp;more often than those of us&nbsp;from&nbsp;rural areas.&nbsp;That said, it’s hard to beat a good auction for a full day’s entertainment shared with friends. 

You might even&nbsp;haul&nbsp;home treasure you didn’t know you needed.

Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/9/1662584443128.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By KAREN MADORINWho cares about Saturday night entertainment when you can spend the day at a country auction? Now that it’s cooling down, local auctioneers are&nbsp;revving&nbsp;their season&nbsp;with weekly sales&nbsp;before snow flies. Both my husband and I enjoy looking at the ads to see what what’s&nbsp;on the sale block and where.&nbsp;Fortunately&nbsp;or unfortunately, we’re at that place in our lives where we don’t need anything, but it sure is fun to&nbsp;examine&nbsp;what other folks collected during their time on earth&nbsp;and see how&nbsp;our gathering skills&nbsp;compare.&nbsp;One of the bonuses to attending local auctions is that we’re sure to run into old&nbsp;friends.&nbsp;A number&nbsp;of us&nbsp;were part of these Saturday crowds for decades as we furnished&nbsp;houses, kitchens, and tool shops&nbsp;from scratch.&nbsp;Once we&nbsp;found&nbsp;our&nbsp;necessities,&nbsp;some of us&nbsp;got hooked on belongings&nbsp;someone else&nbsp;first&nbsp;loved. Others&nbsp;bid on&nbsp;treasures that reminded&nbsp;them&nbsp;of childhood or visits to grandparents’ homes.&nbsp;Depending on the collection, a&nbsp;great&nbsp;auction&nbsp;is&nbsp;better than visiting a museum. It’&nbsp;fascinating&nbsp;to see snippets&nbsp;from folks’ lives&nbsp;from&nbsp;decades before.&nbsp;Sometimes,&nbsp;I find&nbsp;a treasure&nbsp;I didn’t know I needed&nbsp;and my head keeps nodding yes during the bidding.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/7/1658158605319.jpeg" alt="Karen Madorin" />
 <figcaption>Karen Madorin</figcaption>
 </figure>Oftentimes,&nbsp;regular&nbsp;attendees turn their&nbsp;interest and time&nbsp;into businesses where they buy furniture&nbsp;or&nbsp;equipment&nbsp;to&nbsp;re-sell. Others run booths or online businesses&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;finds&nbsp;to those who don’t have the inclination or time to spend at an all-day auction.&nbsp;A few&nbsp;turn&nbsp;their homes and yards into artistic&nbsp;showcases&nbsp;full of&nbsp;quirky&nbsp;items they&nbsp;repurpose. Nothing like a worn-&nbsp;out wheel barrow, rusty cast iron kettle,&nbsp;or cream separator to&nbsp;display&nbsp;overflowing blooms.&nbsp;Some&nbsp;win the bid on&nbsp;giant carved&nbsp;birds&nbsp;to decorate their world.&nbsp;Who knows who&nbsp;you’ll run into at an auction,&nbsp;so&nbsp;prepare for catch-up&nbsp;gab.&nbsp;This can involve hours discovering where old colleagues&nbsp;now&nbsp;live&nbsp;or&nbsp;finding&nbsp;out what&nbsp;kids and grandkids are&nbsp;up to.&nbsp;Heaven’s,&nbsp;some early starters&nbsp;share&nbsp;stories about great grands!&nbsp;It doesn’t&nbsp;seem possible&nbsp;time&nbsp;enough&nbsp;has passed&nbsp;to create great grands&nbsp;when&nbsp;everyone&nbsp;still feels&nbsp;young on the inside.&nbsp;These conversations&nbsp;also&nbsp;remember&nbsp;those we’ve lost&nbsp;since last&nbsp;we&nbsp;visited.For those of us who enjoy local comedy, there’s no one better to poke fun than a good auctioneer.&nbsp;From the time I first attended Stithem and Fabrizius auctions back in the '70s,&nbsp;Leon would interrupt the chatter long enough to tease someone in the crowd and then resume business without losing&nbsp;his&nbsp;concentration. This last week, we were in the community&nbsp;center&nbsp;in&nbsp;a nearby town&nbsp;and&nbsp;folks&nbsp;competitively&nbsp;bid&nbsp;high dollar on foofoorah.&nbsp;Eventually,&nbsp;boxes of religious objects, pictures, crosses, and other&nbsp;sentimental&nbsp;objects crossed the table. For whatever reason, it took&nbsp;a&nbsp;while for folks to bid,&nbsp;triggering the auctioneer to astutely remind us, “Jesus is watching.”For&nbsp;fans of&nbsp;homemade food, auctions&nbsp;showcase local cooks.&nbsp;Area vendors&nbsp;sell homemade pies and cinnamon rolls.&nbsp;Kirwin auctions once guaranteed&nbsp;slices&nbsp;of fresh coconut cream or butterscotch pies. Auctions at the Ellis K of C Hall promise&nbsp;so many&nbsp;choices that diners&nbsp;have to hit the kitchen more than once.&nbsp;Hungry buyers can snag hot-off-the grill brauts, burgers, and dogs. Add a pickled egg or brownie to complete the meal and you’re set&nbsp;to&nbsp;bid the rest of the day.&nbsp;Folks in big cities might attend&nbsp;concerts and professional&nbsp;entertainment&nbsp;more often than those of us&nbsp;from&nbsp;rural areas.&nbsp;That said, it’s hard to beat a good auction for a full day’s entertainment shared with friends. You might even&nbsp;haul&nbsp;home treasure you didn’t know you needed.Karen is a retired teacher, writer, photographer, outdoors lover, and
 sixth-generation Kansan. After a time away, she’s glad to be home.

MADORIN: Saturday auction fun

GOVE COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Gove County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Lexus RX driven by Bruce J. Stone, 76, Boyton Beach, Florida, was eastbound on Interstate 70 just west of the Collyer exit.

The car entered the south ditch and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle crossed the eastbound lanes and median, overturned while crossing the westbound lanes and came to rest on a guard rail facing south.

EMS transported Stone to the Gove County Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

GOVE COUNTY—One person was injured in an accident just after 3p.m. Saturday in Gove County.The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Lexus RX driven by Bruce J. Stone, 76, Boyton Beach, Florida, was eastbound on Interstate 70 just west of the Collyer exit.The car entered the south ditch and the driver overcorrected. The vehicle crossed the eastbound lanes and median, overturned while crossing the westbound lanes and came to rest on a guard rail facing south.EMS transported Stone to the Gove County Medical Center. He was properly restrained, according to the KHP.

Driver hospitalized after car overturns on I-70

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Chief of Police Don Schiebler shares back-to-school safety tips.

On this episode of the Post Podcast, Hays Chief of Police Don Schiebler shares back-to-school safety tips.<div><iframe title="HPD Chief shares back-to-school safety tips" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=rubmp-12c6521-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&logo_link=podcast_page&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>For more about the Post Podcast, including a full list of episodes and episode transcripts click here.

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