Three area communities will celebrate Labor Day will special events.

Severy, Atlanta and Cedar Vale are making plans for full schedules of activities and entertainment for the holiday weekend.

Be sure to read this week’s Prairie Star to get all the details.

Members of the Sedan Fire Department were disappointed to learn they did not win the new fire truck that was the focus of a nationwide contest sponsored by the E-One Company.

The new E-One pumper went to the Owens Cross (Alabama) Volunteer Fire Department. The decision was announced in Chicago.

Sedan firefighters expressed appreciation to everyone who voted on-line for the Sedan Fire Department. There were seven finalists in the competition with more than 3,000 in the original hunt.

Friday night football in the southern Flint Hills will take on a new look for 2010 with two teams added to the eight-man football schedule.

Sedan and West Elk will dip their toe into eight-man waters for the first time on Friday night after having been in the 11-man field since the programs’ inception.

The season openers for both teams will be on the road. The Blue Devils of Sedan will travel to Caldwell while West Elk makes the trek to St. Paul. Kickoff for both games will be at 7 p.m.

Playing in the eight-man circuit will get require some adjustment from the 11-man format, not only in the actual playing style of the game but also in the district playoff system. While most teams in the 11-man format play in four-team districts (with the top two teams advancing to the state playoffs), the eight-man, division I system in Kansas has six-team districts. The final five games of the season constitute the district playoffs. Read more

Bits and Pieces is a feature of the Prairie Star website that is a reflection of our printed “Notes from the Prairie” published each week.  Upcoming meetings and notices are published here each week.  These are updated on the website each week, just after publication. Read more

Death notices are published on the Prairie Star website as a service to area readers who may not receive timely funeral information before services.  Complete obituaries are printed each week in the Prairie Star.

Read more

Shelby Moore has been selected as Miss Grenola by the Grenola Community Club. She will represent Grenola at area festivals as well as be an ambassador for the city during her 2010-2011 reign.

Shelby is the daughter of Allen and Michelle Moore. Her grandparents are Darrel and Beth Moore of Grenola, Bill and Penny McPherson and Mary Sharpsteen of Winfield. She is a senior at Central of Burden High School where she participates in cross country, basketball, track and cheerleading.

Miss Moore has been active in 4-H for 10 years and is a member of the FFA, STUCO and National Honor Society at school. She attends the Grenola Methodist Church, is on the Elk Konnected Youth Development Action Team and has contributed to many church, school and civic community service projects.

Shelby plans to attend Cowley College after graduation and possibly pursue a degree in education.

Elk County Rodeo Association Welcomes Badascar Racers for our first ever Figure 8 Race.

For those of you that don’t know what it is here is a small description:  Racing is done on a track shaped like an 8. The cars cross paths at the center of the 8, which is known as the “crossover”.

Because of this layout, crashes are inevitable. Figure 8 racing is a unique sport that requires strict attention to detail and timing to successfully navigate the crossover.

The figure 8 race will be Saturday August 28, 2010 at 7 p.m.  at the Elk County Rodeo Arena.  If you have questions or want to enter a car please call Russell at 620-442-3250 or Venessa at 620-515-3633.

Aug. 27 is the date when a decision will be made regarding a possible new fire truck for the Sedan Fire Department.

In an announcement made in April, E-One, Inc. will make a choice among seven small-town fire departments to receive a fire truck worth approximately $170,000. This follows a preliminary paring of some 3,000 essay applications which ultimately will lead to the final selection.

The contest came to light when a New Jersey business owner, Gregory Gregory, came to Sedan with a trailer load of fire fighting equipment and he also handed Fire Chief Elroy Smith a check for $850 to go toward purchasing equipment.

But Gregory’s greatest purpose in making the 3,600-mile round trip was to  promote the big contest and urge everyone to cast votes on the E-ONE website in favor of the Sedan application.

The winner will be chosen by the on-line votes and Chief Smith, along with Sedan community leaders, are trying their best to get the word out: “Go on line and vote for Sedan!”

To vote in favor of Sedan, go to: www.e-one.com. The website will direct you to the proper window for voting.

After several provisional votes were counted by the Board of Canvassers in Chautauqua County on Friday, a new lead in the race was determined.

Candidate Sundance “Sunny” Young received the most votes with 107 and Goff Searl garnered 105 votes while Joseph Sutton got 56 votes.

That means Sunny Young unofficially won the primary, however Searl has asked for a recount of the votes which will be taken Monday after the courthouse closes. The Board of Canvassers will then canvass the votes again to determine if Young will be tabbed the official Republican nominee in the Dist. 1 commissioner race.

The winner in the three-way Republican race will be listed on the Nov. 2 general election with no opponent.

The Elk County Free Fair in Longton will get underway Thursday and run through Saturday.

Fair books and schedules have been distributed throughout the area to let everyone know what is going on.

After the exhibits are checked in and judged on Thursday, Aug. 5-7, entrants and friends can check to see what they have won. The kids’ races will be held at the ball park at 2 p.m. that afternoon. The 4-H members will have the beef fitting and showing and judging at 6 p.m. The adult round robin contest will be at 8:30 p.m. Read more

A West Elk Jr.-Sr. High School faculty member remains on leave with pay this week after being arrested on charges of various sexual crimes allegedly committed in a western Kansas county.

Dean L. Baum, age 53, was arrested on Friday, July 23, in Howard on a warrant from Wallace County, where he and his wife, Linda, have a summer home.

Wallace County prosecuting attorney Charles F. Moser said Baum, while living in his summer home on various occasions, allegedly committed sexual acts on a juvenile over a span of six years — from March 2003 to September 2009. Read more

A final winner in Tuesday’s race for Chautauqua County Commissioner was not determined in Tuesday balloting.

Goff Searl received 104 votes and Sunny Young pulled 102, while Joseph A. Sutton garnered 56 votes. The Chautauqua County Clerk’s office reported this morning (Wednesday) that six provisional ballots will need to be canvassed on Friday which could affect the outcome of this race.

Inaccurate information was released to the media Tuesday night by the Chautauqua County Clerks office, indicating that Young had won the primary race. Prairie Star was notified today (Wednesday) and stopped its printing to make this change. Check the taylornews.org website on Friday to learn who won this primary election. The winner of this Republican primary will be listed on the Nov. 2 general election ballot with no opponent.

In addition to the Chautauqua County Commission race, there were no other contested races that were specific to Chautauqua County, although many races will be decided in the November general election. Read more

The Elk County 4-H Fair events will begin later this week with the 4-H/FFA Horse Show on Saturday, July 31 at 9 a.m.

Next Monday, August 2, judging of the 4-H Fashion Revue, Clothing Construction and Fiber Arts projects will take place.  The Supporters and Friends of 4-H Picnic will be held that evening prior to the public 4-H Fashion Revue.  On Wednesday morning, August 4, the 4-H Foods exhibits will be judged.  That evening at 6 p.m. the 4-H Market Livestock will be weighed and checked in.

Thursday morning the fair officially kicks off.  4-H and open class exhibits will be accepted from 8-10 a.m.

Judging of all indoor exhibits will begin at 10 a.m.  During the judging, the fair building will be closed to allow the judges to complete their work.  The fair building will open up once all judging is completed.

The county fair has a long and closely related history with the 4-H program.  In fact, many folks cite the county fair as the culmination of the 4-H year.  A time when project members are rewarded for their hard work with recognition of ribbons, trophies and premiums.

The fair also offers a unique learning opportunity.  Youth at the fair learn responsibility, sportsmanship, the thrill of victory as well as the agony of defeat.  However, the fair must be fun for youth.  If it is not, then the many benefits of a fair will be lost.

See this week’s Prairie Star for full details of the fair at Longton.

Chautauqua County voters will narrow the field for an open county commission post when they go to the polls on Tuesday, Aug. 3.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and results will be printed in the Aug. 4 Prairie Star.

Three Republican candidates will compete for votes for commissioner in the First District. They will include: Sundance “Sunny” Young, rural Cedar Vale; Goff Searl, rural Cedar Vale; and Joseph A. Sutton, Sedan.
The candidate who garners the most votes in this primary election will be listed on the general election ballot in November. No Democrats filed for the postion which currently is held by Verne Sweaney.

That will be the only county position up for election this year. All other Chautauqua County elected officers will be up for election in 2012. Read more

Elk Countians will elect a county commissioner this year, but the decision will be made in the general election on Nov. 2.

Two candidates filed for the First District Elk County Commission currently held by Lawrence Jontra. Those candidates are Gus Jones, rural Elk City, a Democrat, and Douglas C. Ritz, rural Fredonia, a Republican. Both names will be listed in next week’s primary but not on competiting ballots.

Elk County voters will see the name of Mike Ward listed as a Republican candidate for District Court Judge, Dist. 13, Div. 4, with no opponent.

The race for District Court Judge, Dist. 13, Div. 1, will be narrowed from four Republican candidates to one in the Aug. 3 primary. Those candidates are: Jan Satterfield, El Dorado, Paul Dean, Madison, Terrence Huelskamp, Andover, and James I. Murfin, Bel Aire. Read more