S.A.E.D.C. TO HOST PUMPKIN CARVING/ DECORATING CONTEST
On Friday, Oct. 31, S.A.E.D.C. will host a contest for the best carved or decorated pumpkin. Bring your pumpkin to the Kurtis Arts Plaza in Sedan between 4-7 p.m. Judging of the pumpkins will take place at 7 p.m., with cash and prizes to be awarded. Be sure to stop by and Trick or Treat.

For more information contact Austin Floyd at 725-3121, Leota Casement at 725-5312, Sue Kill at 725-3951 or Melodi Jones at 725-3494.

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CASH AND PRIZES TO BE AWARDED AT CHILI COOK-OFF
By Leota Casement
SAEDC will host a Chili Cook-Off Nov. 8 at the Kurtis Arts Plaza. The cooking begins at noon. The contestants can enter traditional or nontraditional chili. Each team will be responsible to provide a minimum of three gallons of chili. Entry fee is $20 per team. Chili and Best Booth will be judged beginning at 4 p.m. by a Peoples Choice Award.

Anyone wishing to enter can pick up an entry form at Floyd’s Supermarket, Kokopelli Gallery, or by calling Leota Casement at 725-5312 . Entry forms can be mailed to you if needed. Come and enjoy the chili and be a judge for only $6.00. Children under 10 years of age are free.

A Pie Eating Contest will also be held at 3:30 p.m. Come out and enjoy the fun.

Be sure to make a donation for a chance to win a Gas Grill, or Scooter. Donations are $2 for one chance or $5 for three chances and may be made at Floyd’s Supermarket, Mel’s General Store, or from any of the following SAEDC board members.

For more information contact Austin Floyd at 725-3121, Terry Ricketts, Sue Kill at 725-3951, Leota Casement at 725-5312 or Melodi Jones at 725-3494.

It promises to be a fun filled enjoyable day, so come out and enjoy.

An after school program for children in Kindergarten through sixth grade meets each Wednesday at the Grenola United Methodist Church.

On Oct. 29, the children will go out “trick or treating” in the community. They will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Elk County Food Pantry. Look for little ghosts and goblins between 5-6 p.m. Turn on your porch light if you have a food items to contribute.

The 2008 Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 25, marks the 50th year that Burden United Methodist Church congregation has worked hard to deliver a scrumptious meal and a great sale with handmade arts and crafts, homegrown goods and a wide-array of services.

A Walnut Valley Festival t-shirt quilt, made by the ladies of Burden UMC, promises to create much interest at this year’s auction. The beautiful queen-sized quilt has 20 blocks made from festival t-shirts from various years.
On sale will also be a ‘Red Hat’ wall-hanging, a baby quilt & pillow, hand carved Santa, many crafts, homegrown products and tasty homemade baked goods. The Country Store opens at 4 p.m. John and Justin Brazle will begin the auction at 7 p.m.

Chairpersons Janelle Tatum and Debbie Martin have planned the menu: Grandma Tatum’s Meatloaf or Smoked Pork Loin (prepared by James Brown of “Paddle Foot BBQ” in Atlanta), along with a salad bar, ultra mashed potatoes, green beans, pie and drink. Serving begins at 5 p.m. and is priced at $7 or $3.50 for kids 10 & under.

This event marks the beginning of another great year of programs, projects and missions for the church located at 6th and Oak. Missions earmarked from the evening’s proceeds include the United Methodist ‘Bridges to the Future’ campaign and other mission projects.

Come and enjoy great food, fellowship and the fun of Lord’s Acre 2008. The evening, and all the work that goes into it, is done with love and is dedicated to God’s glory in the church, the community and the world.

For more information call Pastor Jimmy Taylor at 620-438-2357 or chairpersons Marian and Bob Hedges at 438-2282.

SEDAN — The United States’ response to the global economic crisis was to provide a $700 billion bullet without making sure the ammunition could hit the target, U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, told a group of Chautauqua County residents last Thursday.

In speaking at the Chautauqua County Farm Bureau office, Brownback said he voted against the U.S. Senate’s proposal last week that intended to provide $700 billion as a boost to the credit industry and as a lifeboat to troubled Wall Street investment firms.

“The telephone rang off the hook in our office from Kansans who were mad about this proposal,” said Brownback. “Our calls were about 2,000 against and 50 for the proposal.”

Brownback said the $700 billion proposal, which was put forward by the Bush administration, did not include any committee hearings. Instead, the euphoria and panic surrounding the credit crisis spread through the halls of the U.S. Capitol.

“Everyone was rushing to do something because ‘My hair is on fire and I’ve got to get this thing fixed’,” Brownback said. “But, we don’t have many $700 billion bullets. And, before I shoot that bullet, I want to make sure we hit the target.”

Even though the $700 billion recovery package did gain approval from a majority of the U.S. Congress and was signed into law by President George W. Bush, Brownback said an upturn in the economy won’t be seen for some time.

“I think we’re in a rocky patch for a time. We’re in a recession. We’re in entrenchment,” he said. “We’re having a run on the banks at the global level, not at the local level. We’re kind of an old-style, 1930s run on the banks where people want cash. They want out and they want out now.”

Brownback said he was even surprised at the breadth and speed that the crisis took as it spread across the globe. Rather than pump money into troubled firms that put themselves in high-risk debt, Brownback said he would have rather seen other options, including cutting capital gains taxes.

See complete coverage of Brownback’s visit to Sedan in this week’s Prairie Star.

Chautauqua County voters will decide whether to allow the sale of alcoholic liquor by the individual drink when they go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 4.

Currently, such sales are illegal without a private club license.

Terry Ricketts, Melodi Jones and Mary Kurtis believe it is time to make a change and allow restaurants to serve drinks, hopefully stimulating economic activity and creating more tax money.

“We believe passage of this countywide question will result in bringing in more people to our county and spending money in our communities,” said Terry Ricketts of Sedan who is working for a “yes” vote on the question.

“’We have already lost several potential restaurant owners because they wanted to include wine and mixed drinks on their menus,” said Ricketts. “We believe it’s time to give diners the option to order a drink with their food and this will result in more dollars for our community.”

The serving of such drinks would be restricted to public places where at least 30 percent of the gross receipts are from sale of food for consumption on the premises.

Melodi Jones, owner of Mel’s General Store in Sedan, commented, “We hear from many people who visit Chautauqua County that this is a choice they are accustomed to having in the communities where they live. Let’s face it, most fine restaurants in larger communities serve drinks with meals.

Mary Kurtis, manager of the Red Buffalo Gift Shop, supports a “yes” vote on the Nov. 4 question. “We already have access to malt beverages,” she said. “This would simply add the availability of mixed drinks and wine when you’re dining in a really nice place.”

Jones said most cafes and small-town restaurants probably won’t apply for a liquor license. “When you go to a local cafe for a hamburger and fries, you probably aren’t wanting to order a mixed drink,” she said. “Again, we are urging a yes vote so we can bring in more restaurants and clubs. But remember, at least 30 percent of their sales must be for food.”

Ricketts said experience has shown that liquor by the drink does not increase consumption. “You already have access to liquor, wine and malt beverages from your local liquor store, so drinking already is taking place. We’re just wanting it added to the menu of eating establishments and public clubs.”

The local committee believes a “yes” vote will create economic opportunities in Chautauqua County; bring in more tax money; create jobs in the county; help existing businesses by keeping tourists in town longer; and attract investors to complete existing projects in Sedan.

“Where can 40,000-plus annual visitors go for fine dining?” they ask.

“We are working to keep our downtowns alive and vibrant,” said Jones. “We believe this measure will help do that.”

Brochures printed by the Sedan Area Economic Development Committee (SAEDC) and the Bradford Hotel are urging a “yes” vote on Nov. 4.

Anyone wishing more information about this special question may contact Ricketts, Jones or Kurtis at their downtown Sedan business locations.

WICHITA — Former Sedan High School coach Les Davis was honored by the Kansas athletic community on Oct. 5 when he and nine other notable sports figures were inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in Wichita.

Davis was enshrined into the state hall for making his mark in not one or two but three different sports. Davis’ coaching career, which spanned nearly 50 years, included 1,522 total wins in football, basketball and baseball. Forty of his 48 career years in coaching were spent at Sedan High School. He retired from coaching in 2005.

During Davis’ tenure, Sedan became the third winningest football program in Kansas and was the smallest school ranked among the top 25 schools. Davis finished his coaching career with 316 victories in football (No. 2 all-time when he retired), 694 wins in basketball and 512 victories in baseball. Davis coached Sedan to 68 consecutive regular-season wins in a row in basketball. The Blue Devils won a state championship in baseball in 1973 and reached the state finals in basketball in 1979.

Now age 75, Davis has returned to the coaching ranks as he is serving under his son, Caney Valley High School head football coach Criss Davis, as an assistant coach.

Davis’ two other sons are also taking after their ol’ man. Randy Davis is a coach at Copan High School while Mark Davis is a coach at Udall High School.

Les Davis, who graduated from Wichita North High School in 1951 and Friends University in 1956, is a member of the Friends University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Wichita Sports Hall of Fame and Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Hall of Fame.

Also representing the 2008 class of inductees into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame were Kansas-born sports broadcaster Gary Bender, former Kansas State University basketball player Rick Knotsman, former Pittsburg State University football player Ronald Moore, former University of Kansas and NBA player Dave Robisch, LPGA touring pro Deb Richard, former Wichita State University baseball player Phil Stephenson, and former New York Yankees Ralph Terry and Mike Torrez. Also enshrined posthumously was the late Paul Lindblad, a former major league pitcher.

Davis’ biography and those of all other KSHOF inductees can be found at www.kshof.org.

By Shirley Black
The Elk County Community and Education Foundation’s annual event, sponsored by Steve and Marilyn Ewing, was, again, a big success. Those attending had the fun of wine tasting at the Polk Daniels Lake on Saturday afternoon.
Steve Ewing spoke about different types of wines he provided for us to taste, including several white and red wines from different regions of the world. He suggested food and wine pairings for the best effects. Most of the wines we tasted can be paired with many foods, including the cheese, meat, bread and crackers that were served lakeside.

In the spirit of the ECCEF, president Shari Kaminska Cannon gave a presentation on the different types of wine glasses and their uses. Steve loves to answer wine questions and even gave door prizes for those who could answer his questions at the finale He and his wife Marilyn Miller Ewing (formerly of Elk County) added their outstanding personal touch to the afternoon festivities.

There was excellent wine, great appetizers and tremendous company! Forty-two folks, some from as far away as Sedan, Independence and Kansas City, as well as several family members who reside at a distance, joined us for the event.

This year ECCEF provided funding for building and/or transportation projects for every community and continues to provide funded scholarships and educational events. Recently, we focused on support of Elk-Konnected and community clean up events held in all communities.

We are always looking for interested board members. Contact any member of the committee if you are interested in helping your community and our county move forward to become more cohesive and an even more fabulous place to work and play. We look forward to even more successes in the future.