Caney’s annual Mayfest/Memorial Day festivities will take place Friday through Monday, May 22-25, and lots of family-style events will be held during those four days. Caney Mayfest chairman Nancy Moore said there will be something for every age. Most of the Mayfest activities will take place in Wark Memorial Park on Friday and Saturday plus the car show will be in downtown Caney on Saturday. Moore said there is one change in the line-up and that is there will be no carnival rides this year. However, there will be inflatable attractions available. “The carnival cancelled this week,” said Moore.
Mayfest is sponsored by the Caney Lions Club.
In addition to Mayfest, the Caney Valley Historical Society will hold its annual spring banquet Friday evening and the USD 436-Caney Valley High School Alumni Banquet will take place Saturday evening. Monday’s Memorial Day service will be held at 11 a.m. at Caney’s Veterans’ Memorial park across the road from Sunnyside Cemetery.
Following is an itemized listing of events.
Mayfest activities - Friday and Saturday
• Vendors: Vendors will begin setting up their booths on Friday, May 22, in Wark Park. Crafters on Friday and Saturday will sell everything from wood crafts to jewelry and shirts and flags. Food vendors will host a variety of food including Indian tacos, barbecue, kettle corn, lemonade, corn dogs and fried “everything.”
• Friday night music concert: Free music entertainment will feature the Retro Rockerz Friday evening, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., on the west side of the park and the public is urged to bring their lawn chairs for seating. The band features area musicians Paul Murphy on guitar and vocals, Tom Foreman on bass guitar and Doug Mellen, drums and vocals.
• Lions Club Sight Bus: The Kansas Lions Club Sight Bus will be located at 4th and Ridgeway on Saturday and will offer free eye, hearing, diabetes and blood pressure tests and readings. The bus is handicap and wheelchair accessible. There are no requirements or restrictions to be tested and the public is urged to take advantage of these services offered by the Lions Club. The Lions will also be distributing Kansas Yellow Dot Program kits, free of charge, and also accepting monetary donations for its White Cane Day (see detailed story of these two programs elsewhere in this issue).
• Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders: A new feature this year is the appearance of two members of the Kansas City Chiefs cheerleading squad. The girls will be at the park gazebo on Saturday starting at 11 a.m. and will be glad to sign autographs or have photos taken and visit with the public. Anyone may bring a personal item to be autographed.
• Turtle Races: Turtle races, sponsored by Spears Mfg., will be held at Lincoln Grade School at 11 a.m. Kids of all ages are urged to attend and be sure to bring your own turtle.
• Caney Masonic Lodge Breakfast: The Caney Masonic Lodge #324 will sponsor and pancake/sausage breakfast from 7 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the lodge hall, 302 N. McGee on Hwy. 75. The price for the breakfast is $3.50 per person.
The Caney Masonic Lodge will also be offering a free child identification program (CHIPS) at the breakfast and parents are urged to bring their children anytime from 7 to 11:30 a.m. to take advantage of this service. The child will have a picture of him/her taken and a very brief interview recorded on a CD of the child, plus a DNA cheek swab will be taken. All of this information on the CD and the DNA swab will be given to the parents for safe keeping in case of emergency situations involving their child.
• Caney Valley Historical Museum Complex: The Caney Valley Historical Museum complex will be open to the public during Mayfest/Memorial Day weekend. Members of the society will be on hand to greet visitors and answer questions at all of the museum buildings in downtown Caney.
The museum complex will be open Friday, May 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, May 23, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, May 24 and Monday, May 25, from 1 to 4 p.m.
• Memorial Day Service: The annual Caney Memorial Day Service will take place at 11 a.m., Monday, May 25, at Veterans Memorial Park across the street from Sunnyside Cemetery.
Dale McBride, director of the event, said Patricia Culver of Derby, Kan., will be the featured speaker. She is an Air Force veteran and was the first female to have held the post of state commander of the Kansas American Legion.
Laying wreaths at the Veterans’ Memorial will be Sara Shively as the Gold Star Mother representative who will be escorted by Jerry Kitchen, past state commander of the American Legion; Helen Hall will represent the Caney American Legion Auxiliary escorted by Kelly Stacey, current commander of the Caney American Legion Post and he will also escort Violet Ashford who will represent the Caney VFW.
The Caney Community Choir will sing, and the invocation and benediction will be given by a local minister.
The Caney Boy Scouts will present the colors, and the firing squad will be composed of Caney American Legion members.
The Caney Memorial Day Service has been well attended in the past and McBride is hoping for an equally large turnout for this year’s program. Those attending may want to bring lawn chairs for seating.
It is sponsored by Caney American Legion Post #138 and the Caney VFW Post #9768.
The Avenue of Flags will be on display at Veterans Memorial Park and lining Highway 75 during the Memorial Day weekend. This is always an impressive sight that is sponsored and manned by the Caney American Legion and VFW members and volunteers.
The flags will be going up at Veterans’ Memorial Park at 5 p.m., Sunday, May 24, and removed at 5 p.m. on Monday, May 25. Anyone wishing to help with this endeavor is invited to attend at those times.
• Caney Community Choir: The Caney Community Choir will perform for next Monday’s Memorial Day Service, and local singers are needed for the performance.
Edie Vernon, choir director, said the community choir will rehearse from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, May 24, at the Sacred Heart Parish Hall and again at 9:30 a.m., Monday morning, May 25.
The choir will then perform at the service, which will begin at 11 a.m., at Memorial Park.
Community members are invited to participate.
• Alumni Banquet: The Caney Valley High School USD 436 Alumni Banquet will again be held during Caney’s Mayfest/Memorial Day weekend events. The banquet will start at 6:30 p.m., on Saturday, May 23, with the doors open at 6 p.m., at the Lincoln Grade School Gym.
Alumni secretary Barbara (Barnett) Bush said the school’s lounge area that was used for visiting last year is now a classroom and will not be available, therefore alumni are are encouraged to go to the Caney Valley Historical Museum during the day for a place to visit.
At the banquet, a spokesperson from each class celebrating a special anniversary year will be asked to say a few words about that class. Regular routine business and special recognitions will be presented at the meal.
The alumni association will once again award two $500 scholarships to two CVHS graduating seniors and they will be introduced at the banquet.
For questions about the banquet call Barbara Bush, secretary, at 879-5404.
Several class reunions will be held during the weekend, also.
• Caney Valley Historical Society Banquet: An astronaut with ties to the Caney community will be the guest speaker at the Caney Valley Historical Society’s Annual Spring Banquet on Friday, May 22, in the auditorium at Caney Valley High School.
Capt. Michael Foreman of the U.S. Navy will speak at approximately 8 p.m., in the auditorium. Prior to his address, the society will hold a dinner banquet in the cafeteria beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Persons not attending the banquet are invited to hear Formean speak at 8 p.m. Tickets for the program will be sold at the east entrance on the north side of the high school beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets for children, under the age of 12, will be $3 each, and all other tickets will be $5.
Astronaut Foreman is the son-in-law of former Caney resident Jim Dancer, now of Tulsa, Okla. Jim is a brother of Jerry Dancer who moved to Caney several years ago. Jerry will introduce Capt. Foreman at the program.
Astronaut Foreman was a member of the NASA space team on the STS-123 Endeavour when it traveled over 6.5 million miles in 15 days, 18 hours, 10 minutes and 54 seconds from March 11 to March 26, 2008.
He is scheduled for his next mission next October as a member of the STS-129 crew. This mission will feature four spacewalks as well as deliver two Express Logistics Carriers (ELC racks) to the International Space Station. This mission will also bring back to earth Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk.
For questions or more information, call the Caney Valley Historical Society at 620-879-5131.
