Betty Harreld, Chetopa, has something special as a remembrance of her mother, Helen Simonson. A crocheted picture of the Lord’s Supper hangs in the Chetopa United Methodist Church. The picture is framed and is about two and one-half feet high by six feet long. Betty said her mother crocheted it by looking at a picture–not by a pattern or by counting stitches, but simply by looking at a picture to copy with her stitches.
Helen Simonson was born in 1900 and passed away at age 89 in 1989. She was born in Chicago and came from Peoria, Ill., to the Webb City, Mo., area where she worked for approximately 15 years. She later came to Chetopa to be near her daughter. She gave the “Last Supper” to the Methodist Church before she passed away. The crocheted piece disappeared for a time, but re-appeared and again became a prized possession of the Chetopa United Methodist Church.

The Third Annual Bluegrass on the Bluff is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, in the Oswego Community Center located adjacent to the fairgrounds.
The Coles will again host the event which is an outgrowth of “Bluegrass on the Creek” which was held at their farm for several years.
The show will begin at 4 p.m. and there will be music events starting at  noon when guitar and banjo workshops are held, continuing at 2 p.m. with jam sessions — and anyone may come and join in.
Corky Dow of Carthage, Mo., will serve as emcee.
RV and tent camping will be available by contacting the City of Oswego, 620 795-4433.
Being the host group, the Coles will be there not only to sing and pick for the crowd but also to enjoy the evening with their friends. The Coles are composed of Orin - guitar, Retha - banjo, Brad - fiddle, Travis - dobro, Kevin - bass, Lynette - mandolin, Madison - guitar and mandolin and Logan on guitar.
The Coles reside on farms located only a mile apart and they are two brothers who married two sisters.
They sing lots of a capella music but also add strings for a good part of their repertoire.
Spring Street will be making their local debut. They all reside in Tulsa and are composed of Mike Williams, Dan Nieto, Larry Todd, Randy Ramsey, Nick Alberty, Allen Irvin and Halston Williams.
The Park Family from Bartlesville (formerly of Caney) will be here again. The Coles say, “Our festival wouldn’t be complete without the Parks’ talent. They bring good ol’ bluegrass sound to every performance.”
Family members are Andy, Rose, Seth, Cole, Paige, Ava and Olivia.
Triple L Band from Portales, N.M. will also make their Labette County debut. Len and Amy Miller, along with their sons, Lance, Landon and Levi, have put together a family band that is sure to please.
Crosswired from Lebanon, Mo., will be bring country charm to the festival. The group consists of Kirk Parker, Tim Henson, Mike Henson, Evan Eden and Mark Layman.
The 2008 sponsors of Bluegrass on the Bluff are the City of Oswego, Bartlett Coop Association, Gary Schenck Insurance of Altamont and Labette Avenue.
The Coles invite everyone to come and enjoy this special event which, in the past, has drawn capacity crowds.

There were approximately 200 attending the Southeast Kansas County Officials District Fall Meeting hosted by Labette County on Thursday, Oct. 16. Pictured is Labette County Treasurer Crystal Addis (right) greeting  Juanita Hodgeson, Cherokee County Treasurer (middle).     Photo by Rena Russell

Kelly Karnes was crowned home queen at Chetopa High School last Friday night and Clint Black was crowned king.The Chetopa homecoming court included freshmen attendants Justice Riddle and Whitney Hillis; junior candidates Emily Moses and Andrew Porter; 2007 King Clint Black; 2008 King senior Cody Hillis; 2008 Queen junior Kelly Karnes; 2007 Queen Renae Bruning; junior candidates Judd Noble and Jenea Jackson, sophomore candidates Justin Orns and Lindsey Pease; Price Damon Wilkinson and Princess Braili Conard         (Photo by Juliana Kepner)

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Jade Lambkins was crowned homecoming queen during coronation ceremonies held last Friday, Oct. 17 at LCHS. Queen candidates include: Katie Gilpin, daughter of Mark and Rhonda Gilpin;  Lauren Journot, daughter of Mike and Diane Journot; Queen Jade Lambkins, daughter of Greg and Melissa Lambkins; Leigh Ann Omarkhail, daughter of Peter and Connie Omarkhail, and Jennifer Martin, daughter of Keith Martin and Brenda Martin. David Rohling was the crownbearer. He is the son of Jim and Rhonda Rohling. Kamri Saye, was the flower girl. She is the daughter of Aaron and Terri Saye.

Friday night area football games schedule will be the following:
Chetopa High School will be at Central Burden, game at 7 p.m.
Labette County High School will be at home with Girard for Senior Night, game at 7 p.m.
Oswego High School will be at Sedan at 7 p.m.

Upcoming other sports schedules include:
Saturday, Oct. 25 -
CHS Cross Country at Regionals
LC Volleyball at Sub-state
LC Cross Country at Regionals
Thursday, Oct. 30 -
CHS Football at home
LC Football at Parsons

By Marna Taylor
LABETTE AVENUE
Recently, the staff of Labette Avenue paid a visit to Brenda’s Berries. Much to our surprise, red raspberries were still hanging on the vines, and we were able to pick a pint each. Brenda Reid, the owner, mentioned that they had lived in the Chetopa area for 28 years, had been on the farm 12 years and had been in the fruit business for 8 years.
Brenda provided information freely about her knowledge and expertise in fruit production. She explained how she kept her berry patch chigger free by controlling weeds and removing the old canes that had fruited. “There is a lot of pruning necessary on blackberries,” said Brenda. Her oldest blackberry plants were planted in 2000. “The roots will grow indefinitely, but the canes are biannual,” she said.
Brenda and her husband, Bill Reid, have their doctorates in horticulture. She taught at K-State and has put into practice what she taught. Bill and Brenda wrote a book in 2007 entitled “Fruit and Nut Production”, Stipes Publishing of Champagne, Ill.
The Reids have been married for 31 years. They have three children––Cathy, 23 who is in Atlanta majoring in Theology at Emory University; Sarah is a senior at Missouri State in Springfield majoring in Electronic Arts; Michael is nearly 17 and is a junior at Columbus High School. He helps on the farm along with a friend, Lucas Epler, also a student at Columbus High School, who helps on a part-time basis. They do a lot of the pruning of the blackberries.
Right now, they have a second crop of red raspberries which will last a couple of more weeks. The fruit is ripe and beautiful right now. Anyone wanting them should call first to make sure they haven’t been recently picked and are not available for a couple of days.
Apples are also available now. Anyone wanting them should call ahead to get apples as Brenda does all of the picking on these. This is especially necessary if anyone wants larger quantities of 20 pounds or more.
There are two varieties to select from. Brenda uses root stock for some of the apples. The GoldRush apples are yellow and are particularly resistant to apple scab thus they need less pesticides. These apples are sweeter. The name GoldRush was selected because they give a rush of flavor when eaten. They are good storage apples and will keep seven to eight months in the refrigerator.
The Enterprise apples are a red apple which are sweet tart somewhat comparable to Jonathan but are crisper than Jonathan. They will keep six to seven months in the refrigerator.
The Reids have 15 different kinds of jams and jellies. Brenda produces the fruit but Bill makes the jams and jellies. He has a special recipe that requires less sugar.
Brenda produced 10,000 pounds of peaches on their one acre orchard this summer. Brenda said they had a great summer.
They will have Enterprise apples until Nov. 1 and GoldRush apples until Nov. 15.
The great thing about their lives as fruit and nut producers is that they particularly love what they are doing. The next fruit season will begin in early June 2009.
For more information, call (620) 597-2450. The farm is located 4.5 miles east of Chetopa on Highway 166, then 1/3 mile south on 95th Street.

Kylie Ludwig joined the staff of the K-State Research and Extension Labette County office as a family and consumer sciences agent on Oct. 6.
She worked previously as an assistant psychosocial coordinator at Labette County High School and as a case manager and psychosocial facilitator for the Community Mental Health Center of Crawford County, Kan.
Ludwig earned a bachelor’s degree in family studies and human services from Kansas State University.
Family and consumer sciences extension agents provide leadership in their communities by developing and delivering educational programming relative to family related issues including nutrition, food safety, parenting, financial management, health and safety.
Ludwig grew up in Edna, and went to high school at Labette County. He has been married to Jared Ludwig for four years. They have one son, Colton Ludwig born in March of this year.  They moved to Pittsburg when Jared got home from Iraq so he could finish school and they have been back in Parsons since August 2007.
Ludwig enjoys anything outdoors, sports, cooking, animals, and walking.
“I am looking forward to meeting the people of Labette County and finding out what their needs are for continuing education.  I am trying to get the entire county involved with K-State Research and Extension and I am planning on going to all the towns and getting my face out there.  I am hoping that it will make more people aware of the Extension Office and that we are available to help the citizens in the community by answering everyday questions,” Ludwig said.
Ludwig replaces Jean Rowland who has recently retired and has moved to McPherson, Kan.
Extension agents are jointly employed in a partnership between K-State Research and Extension, headquartered on the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan, and the local county extension council.
The role of K-State Research and Extension is to encourage the adoption of research-based information to improve the quality of life for Kansans. K-State Research and Extension is the short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service.
The telephone number for the Labette County office is 620-784-5337.Kylie Lud

For more information, see the Oct. 22 issue of the Labette Avenue. To locate previously posted death notices, enter the decedent’s last name in the archive search box on Labette Avenue’s home page. Labette Avenue publishes death notices free of charge. Paid obituaries ($20) are printed in their entirety in the Labette Avenue and online at taylornews.org.

Lowell “Red” Newmyer

OSWEGO—Saturday evening, Oct. 18, 2008, Lowell “Red” Newmyer peacefully passed away at his home in Oswego, Kan.

Red was born in Grand Rapids, Mich., to Lois and George Newmyer, Oct. 11, 1915. His youth was spent in Central City, Neb., where he graduated from Central City High School in 1933. He then attended the University of Nebraska, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering in 1937 and a Bachelor of Science degree in Commercial Engineering in 1938.

After employment by Cities Service Co. or subsidiaries from 1938-1942, Red served in the United States Military Corps of Engineers as 2nd Lieutenant on to Major between the years of 1942-1945. He returned to work with Cities Service from 1945-1972, serving as president of Cities Service Helex, Inc. and president of Cities Service Helium, Inc., as well as president of Kansas Gas Supply Corporation. From 1972-1988, Red continued professionally, as a private consultant to the energy industry. Throughout his life, Red resided in Bartlesville, Okla.; Morristown, NJ; Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Whispering Pines, NC; retiring to Oswego KS in 1989.

Red is survived by his wife, Jo Burrows Newmyer, of Oswego; daughter Sara Lytle (Fred Davis) of Santa Barbara, Calif.; granddaughter, Haisly Jimenez (Mark) of Santa Barbara, Calif.; great-granddaughter, Kaitlyn Chance Jimenez of Santa Barbara, Calif.; and niece, Carole Chugan (Robert) of Oklahoma City, Okla.

Graveside services will be at noon, Friday, Oct. 24, at the Oswego Cemetery, Oswego. Family and friends are invited to gather at the Murdock Funeral Home, 203 Illinois Street, Oswego, at 11 a.m., for a time of visitation before proceeding to the cemetery for services. Guest book registration is available between 1 and 7 p.m., Thursday, and prior to the closed casket service Friday.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oswego High School’s Zoe Burrows Scholarship Fund, which may be sent c/o Murdock Funeral Home, 203 Illinois Street, Oswego, KS 67356.

Leo Donald Erwin (Storm)

OSWEGO—Leo Donald Erwin (Storm), 72, of Oswego, Kan., passed away on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008, at his home.

Cremation has taken place. A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 25, at Murdock Funeral Home in Oswego.

Leo was born to Johnnie B. and Kathryn (Jones) Erwin on March 8, 1936, in Altamont. He attended Edna Elementary and Edna High School before graduating from Labette County High School in Altamont in 1954.

Leo was a Green Beret with special forces in the United States Army. He worked for the Missouri Pacific Railroad retiring in 1984. He enjoyed fishing, wood carving and leather tooling.

On Dec. 29, 1955, he married Carol Baker. They later divorced.

Survivors include two sons, Vin Erwin and companion Kathy Carr; and Hal Erwin, both of Coffeyville; two daughters, Jan Wimp and husband Larry, Oswego; and Del Johnson and husband Bob, Copan, Okla.; eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren; a brother, Gale Storm and wife Dockie, Oswego; and a sister, Naomi Robertson and husband Leroy, Nowata, Okla.

In addition to his parents he was proceeded in death by a brother, Herman Reece Erwin, in 1994.

Henry W. “Hank” Pichler

FRANKLIN—Henry W. “Hank” Pichler, 82, of Franklin, Kan., died Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008, at his home.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 23, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church at Arma with Father Robert McElwee as the celebrant. Burial will be at the Pittsburg Garden of Memories Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Bedene Funeral Home in Arma. Rosary will be said at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Bedene Chapel where friends may call after 11 a.m. Wednesday. The Lon Helm Post #182 American Legion will conduct graveside flag folding services. The family suggests memorials to the St. Joseph Catholic Church at Arma. Donations may be sent to or left at the Bedene Funeral Home, 517 E. Washington, Box 621, Arma, KS 66712

Mr. Pichler was born Feb. 6, 1926 at Yake, Kan., the son of Joseph and Mary Rehak Pichler. hank was a retired TV repairman who worked for True Value in Pittsburg. He resided in Franklin most of his life. He was raised in Yale, attended Yale Grade School and graduated from Frontenace High School in 1944.

On June 26, 1948, he married Virginia LaSota at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Frontenac. Mrs. Pichler survives at the home.

A veteran of World War II, Hank served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was a member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church at Arma, a 50 year member of Lon Helm Post #182 American Legion at Arma, and a member of S.N.P.J. Lodge #225 at Arma.

Survivors include his wife, Virginia, of the home; a daughter, Sherry Crepinsek, and husband Dan, Arma; a son, Dan Pichler, and wife Edna, South Coffeyville, Okla.; and three grandchildren, Corey Pichler, Tammy Warford, and Dana Mullis.

He was preceded in death by a brother, Joseph Pichler; an infant sister, Josephine Pichler; and a sister, Mary Greeves.

Robert “Bob” Burris

EDNA—Robert “Bob” L. Burris, 77, of Edna, Kan., died Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, at Labette Health.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m., Thursday, at Carson-Wall Funeral Home, Parsons. Burial will be in Fairview Cemetery at Coffeyville. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.

Memorials are suggested to the American Diabetes Association and may be left at or mailed to the funeral home, P.O. Box 942, Parsons, 67357.

Billye Haynes

PARSONS—Billye Haynes, 59, of Parsons, Kan., died Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, at her home. She had been in failing health the past two years.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m., Saturday, at Carson-Wall Funeral Home, Parsons. Following the service in Parsons, she will be taken to the Corrigan Funeral Home in Corrigan, Texas, and graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Monday at the Mount Zion Cemetery at Apple Springs, Texas.

The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Memorials are suggested to the American Cancer Society.

Sara R. Muñoz

PARSONS—Sara R. (Ramirez) Muñoz, 94, of Parsons, Kan., died Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, at Elmhaven West Nursing Home.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, Oct. 20, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Parsons. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. The parish rosary will be held at 6 p.m., Sunday, at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home. The family will receive friends immediately following the rosary.

Memorials are suggested to St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Renovation Fund or St. Patrick’s Catholic School Endowment Fund. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.

Peggy Chatman

PARSONS—Peggy Chatman, 68, of Parsons, Kan., died Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008, at Freeman West Hospital in Joplin.

Funeral Services will be at 2 p.m., Thursday, Oct.16, at the Carson-Wall Funeral Home in Parsons. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 7 p.m., Wednesday evening.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Carson-Wall Funeral Home.

Reta P. Seibert

PARSONS—Reta P. Seibert, 81, of Parsons, Kan., died Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008, at Galicia Heart Hospital in Wichita.

Further obituary details and funeral arrangements will be announced by Carson-Wall Funeral Home.

Dakota E. Helm

COLUMBUS—Dakota E. Helm, 12, of Columbus, Kan., passed away Monday, Oct. 13, 2008, at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Mo., after an illness.

Funeral services will be held at the First Christian Church in Columbus on Saturday morning, Oct. 18, at 10 a.m. Burial will follow in the Park Cemetery of Columbus.

The family will receive friends at the First Christian Church from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Oct.17.

Memorial contributions are suggested to help defray Dakota’s final expenses. They may be left at or mailed to the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, P.O. Box 123, 611 South East Ave., Columbus, KS 66725.

Services and arrangements are under the direction of the Bath-Naylor Funeral Home, Columbus.

Barbara J. Pace

IOLA—Barbara J. Pace, 69, of Iola, Kan., formerly of Parsons, died Friday, Oct.10, 2008, at her home. She had been in failing health.

Following cremation, the family will hold private committal services at a future date. Memorials are suggested to Allen County Hospice. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357.

Condolences may be left at www.last-memories.com, a website established by the family, or www.forbeshoffman.com.

Haskell Leon Shorter

WELCH, Okla. - Haskell Leon Shorter, 101, self-employed farmer, passed away Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2008.

Graveside services will be at 1 p.m. Monday at Welch Cemetery, Welch. Arrangements are under the direction of Paul Thomas Funeral Home, Picher, Okla.

Neva Burnett

EDNA—Neva Burnett, 99, of Windsor Place, Coffeyville, Kan., formerly of Edna, died Thursday, Oct.16, 2008.

Services will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the First Baptist Church at Edna. Burial will be in the North Edna Cemetery.

Friends may call on Monday, Oct. 20, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to sign the guest register at Penwell-Gabel Ford-Wulf-Bruns Chapel in Coffeyville.

Memorial contributions can be made to First Baptist Church of Edna or Gideons International in care of Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home.

The Third Annual Bluegrass on the Bluff is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 25, in the Oswego Community Center, according to the Cole family who host the event.
Five groups will be featured at this year’s event which will begin at 4 p.m. Guitar and banjo workshops will be held from 12 noon to 2 p.m. and jam sessions will go from 2 to 4 p.m.
Originally staged as “Bluegrass by the Creek” near Bartlett, the event was moved to Oswego to accommodate larger crowds — and it was well worth the move. The building, located at the Labette County Fairgrounds adjacent to Riverside Park, is always packed to capacity for “Bluegrass on the Bluff.”
“The Coles,” a two-family bluegrass and gospel group from the Bartlett/Edna area, will perform along with SpringStreet from Tulsa, CrossWire from Lebanon, Mo., Triple L Ban from Portales, N.M., and the Park Family from Bartlesville, Okla.
The admission price of $8 for adults (children 16 and under free with paid adult) will include all events during the day.
The Coles emphasize that this is a family event and there will be no alcohol allowed at the event.
RV and tent camping can be arranged by calling the Oswego City Office at 620-795-4433.
The Coles are composed of Orin, Retha, Brad, Travis, Kevin, Lynette, Madison and Logan, all playing different instruments and singing. They recently released their first CD, “No Strings Attach’d” which is an a capella album.
See information on each of the groups in next week’s Labette Avenue.