The 99th annual Labette County Fair is now history and it is being celebrated as one of the best ever.
Be sure to read this week’s Labette Avenue which includes the annual Scrapbook Edition from the fair.
This special edition contains all the results provided to the newspaper along with dozens of photos of the top prize-winners.

Kaleigh Smith recently won the Coffeyville division of the Colgate Country Showdown.  She competed against seven other talented people and was judged by a member of Roy Clark’s band and a professional vocal teacher that also writes songs for Sony Records in Nashville.  Read more

Loretta Dixon of Mound Valley was randomly selected as the grand prize winner of the Labette Avenue “Celebrating Two Years of Smiles” contest held during the month of September. Her entry from the second week was drawn from over 103 entries for the month. She has now been given a new black iPod Nano, compliments of the Labette Avenue.  Read more

Karen Burton, Chetopa, is the third winner in the Labette Avenue Smiley Face Contest. There were 23 entries last week.
Karen will receive $20 for winning the contest.
The smiley face in the Sept. 23 edition was printed on page B2 in the Farm Bureau annual meeting article, column 3 between Community and college.
Janet King, Oswego is the fourth winner in the Labette Avenue Smiley Face Contest. There were 20 entries this week. Read more

Editor Rena Russell announced this week a month long contest to celebrate the two-year anniversary of Labette Avenue.  It was two years ago that four community newspapers were combined into one and the newspaper became larger, more colorful and expanded in content.
The contest is called “Celebrating Two Years of Smiles” and will center around a small “smiley face” that will be hidden each week during the month of September in each edition of the Labette Avenue.
Read more

The staff of Labette Avenue would like to announce a new “Summer Fruit Salad Contest” that will be held now through June 26. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, July 1.
You may enter by sending your favorite fruit salad recipe on a card with your name and address and phone number on it. There will be a bowl for you to drop your entrant cards at the Labette Avenue office in downtown Oswego, 711 Fourth Street.
Read more

Any day Tuesday through Friday after 3 p.m., one can see bicycles, skateboards, roller blades, and other kinds of kid transportation in front of the Oswego Public Library. Now, this doesn’t mean a dozen or so, but a slough of kids converge on the Library (particularly on Tuesday and Friday). It is the teen and pre-teen center.
If you go into the library, you will see nearly every table full and, of course, every computer is in action. There are young people everywhere–even some sitting on the floor. Read more

By Marna Taylor
LABETTE AVENUE

The 2008 Merchants’ Open House in Oswego has some special events this year. For instance, Labette Avenue is having a special afternoon tea with costumes and Queens Elizabeth and Victoria serving special delicacies along with the tea. There will be drawings for prizes and our customers will have a chance to learn about English tea etiquette. The tea will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
Carter Auto Parts will decorate and have a drawing all day Friday and Saturday until noon.
The City of Oswego is having a sign up for a drawing all day on Friday for $50 utility credit. The winner must be a city utility customer and there is only one entry per person.
Commercial Bank will have popcorn, drinks and a drawing for a centerpiece on Friday. Sign-up will be all day Friday.
Commercial Insurance will have refreshments and a door prize from 9 to 4 on Friday.
Dollar General will have customer appreciation with coffee and doughnuts on Saturday from 9 to 12.
Denton’s True Value will have refreshments and a door prize of an outdoor fireplace on Saturday morning from 9 to 12 a.m.
Frogley’s Gun and Jewelry will have cookies and coffee as well as a door prize from 9 to 5 on Friday.
G & W Foods will have a registration for a drawing from Friday through Sunday and will have a drawing on Monday, Nov. 17, for a $50 gift certificate.
Jinks Fruit Cakes will have open house all day Friday.
Labette Bank will have registration for a drawing for a $25 Visa Gift Card Certificate Nov. 11 through the 14. The drawing will be at 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
The Letter Perfect Hat Company will have refreshments and a door prize from 1 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
Lori’s Creative Cakes and Cookies will have refreshments and a drawing all day on Friday.
Oswego Community Hospital will have a drawing for a turkey and serve refreshments (cookies and apple cider) on Friday, Nov. 14, from 1 to 4 p.m.
Oswego Home Place will have a pumpkin bowl, drawing for prizes, chili, cider, coffee and hot cocoa from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14.
Oswego Nursing and Rehab Center will serve refreshments. There will be an opportunity to register for $50 of groceries, $25 of gas, and a turkey. The drawing will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
The Red Chair Auction and P and D’s Diner (in the old VFW Building) will be having an introductory Open House. They will serve refreshments and have a drawing on Friday, 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday, 9 to 6 p.m.
Seek ‘n Find will have refreshments all day on Friday.
The Southeast Kansas Education Museum will serve refreshments and give free tours from 1 to 4 p.m. on Friday.
Used Furniture and Accents in the former Rec Commission Building next to the drug store will be having refreshments, sale items for Friday, 9 to 5 and Saturday, 9 to 12.
Weston’s Flowers will be celebrating the 100th birthday of having a flower shop in Oswego. They will serve refreshments, have door prizes and discount sales on Friday from 9 to 5:30 p.m. and from 9 to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Sherry Karlin has designed a special gingerbread house that will be on display.

For the last two years Labette Avenue has spearheaded an Oswego Merchants’ Open House to lure patrons to shop locally in Oswego.
Last year there were 20 merchants who participated. The response was well received and many turned out to go into the businesses, visit with the owners and see the merchandise for sale. The merchants of Oswego had refreshments, sales, discounts, holiday decorations and good old-fashioned chatter with friends and neighbors in the area.
With the economy creating many doubts about retail and business growth, the staff of Labette Avenue wants to foster the same camaraderie this year.
“Last year, it started out as an open house for our newspaper,” said editor Rena Russell. “Then Marna Taylor started going up and down the streets and seeking others who might join us. It was a great success to see so many open houses on one day.”
Russell said even more business owners have joined the list to hold open houses on Friday, Nov. 14. Some of them will last all day long and others only a couple of hours. Regardless, it will be an opportunity for area shoppers and friends to walk through Oswego’s business district and stop by various businesses for their open houses. Many of them will offer special values on shopping or have sign-ups for drawings.
Marna Taylor said there is another twist for the Labette Avenue staff this year. The Taylor Newspaper Family is celebrating its tenth year owning the newspaper in Labette County. And, it will celebrate the first anniversary of Labette Avenue which is a continuation of our four small newspapers that previously served Oswego, Altamont, Chetopa and Edna.
“That makes it a special year for us,” said Marna who said tenth anniversaries have traditionally been celebrated by giving a gift of tin or aluminum. The modern version, however, has changed to diamond. “So, all of our patrons and neighbors remind us that they are as valuable as diamonds,” she said.
A complete list of open houses will be published in next week’s edition of Labette Avenue. As host of the event, Labette Avenue will provide complimentary promotion of the open houses.