Two Moline women have agreed to “team up” and write local news about their community for Prairie Star.

Cathey Cummings and Jean Knickerbocker said they will write “Moline Moments” each week in the newspaper, and anyone having Moline news should feel free to submit items.

Jean will actually collect most of the items then work with Cathey who will email them directly to editor Jenny Diveley at the Prairie Star office.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to have both Cathey and Jean volunteering to provide this much needed service,” said editor Diveley. “They’re the perfect combination — and such good friends, too. It should be a fun project for them.”

Anyone wishing to contact Jean Knickerbocker with news should call her at 647-3227 or leave them in a metal box attached to Jean’s back door at 413 W. 2nd in Moline.

Diveley said the Moline community was left without local news coverage following the death of Pat McAlister in January 2008. “We’re not expecting Jean and Cathey to be exact replicas of Pat,” said Diveley. “They will have their own ways of collecting news and writing about their community.”

Cathey and Jean work closely as members of the Moline Christian Church. They both already provide news to the newspaper about their church on a weekly basis, working in conjunction with their pastor, Stan Rumbaugh.

Jean spent her youth in Moline then left after she and Kenneth Knickerbocker were married in 1939. After living in several locations where he worked for the Santa Fe Railroad, they came back to Moline from California in 1979 to a small farm located northeast of town.

He passed away in April 2008.

“I stay busy every day,” said Jean. “I still drive — and that includes driving many of my friends to doctors’ visits and other places. I go to the nursing home in Howard once a week to visit and to the one in Sedan once a week.”

She also enjoys quilting and doing crafts.

“I won’t be calling anyone for news,” she said. “You’ll have to call me, or just drop off your news items in the little box at my back door.”

Cathey Cummings and her husband, Lon, moved back to his hometown of Moline in 1994 for their retirement. He retired from Oklahoma State University where he was in charge of the campus power plant, and previously served a full career in the U.S. Air Force.

“We love it here,” she said. “And in recent years, Jean and I have become such good friends. We have coffee together every morning at the Swinging Bridge Cafe and, of course, we enjoy doing our church work together.”

Although she is a Kansas City native and never had lived in a small town, she has adapted to “country life” quite well. Their picturesque farmstead is located a mile north of Moline on Evergreen Road.

Schools in USD 282-Howard will undergo considerable change in the coming year following Monday night’s board of education meeting.

The board voted 4-3 to keep both the Severy Elementary School and Moline Elementary Schools open for the 2009-10 school year. Both will have pre-kindergarten classes and kindergarten.
Grades 1-3 will attend Severy and students in grades 4-6 will attend Moline.

The sixth grade will be moved back to the elementary program after recently being moved to the West Elk High School campus.

Five independent consultants evaluated both the Severy and Moline school buildings and campuses. Their consensus was: Both buildings are in poor condition. Neither is a good long-term solution. Both could be continued for use in the short term.

Two of the consultants favored Moline and two favored Severy.

The fifth said that either building would be fine for one or two years but favored Severy if looking at five to ten years.

Some of the consultants put numbers (scoring) to the test and there were no major differences in the two facilities.

The board recently appointed a Facilities Advisory Committee. In the group’s one meeting they favored closing one building and consolidating into the other. However, “which” building was never determined and there was never a majority opinion to report back to the board.

No doubt, the issue will be discussed more in the coming months as the West Elk school district attempts to find solutions to enrollment and valuation losses and cuts in state aid to all districts in the state.

The dedication of the lodge will be a featured event during two days of activities this coming weekend, March 13-14, at Flint Oak located south of Fall River in Elk County.

The Inaugural K-State Ray Walton Memorial European will feature 1,800 pheasants driven to flight on the world class hunting resort.

There will be a 50 sporting clay event, pheasant hunt with guides and dogs, field transportation within Flint Oak, excellent on-site accommodations, gourmet meals of steak, hearty European breakfast and a prime rib luncheon.

The event will start on Friday morning at 9 a.m. with an optional morning field hunt then other hunters will begin arriving at 1 p.m..

The sporting clays tournament will be featured in the afternoon, then a social hour and dinner at the lodge. A live auction with exceptional items will take place in the afternoon and evening.

On Saturday after breakfast, there will be a mandatory safety presentation followed by a European hunt, prime rib luncheon and optional afternoon field hunt.

The weekend of activities will be limited to 80 participants.

A special event will take place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. when the lodge will be officially dedicated to Ray and Winona Walton.

“Ray Walton recognized that the hunting and shooting sports industry needed a university degree program developed and implemented that would support these important and growing businesses like Flint Oak,” said Thomas Warner, professor and director of the Wildlife and Outdoor Enterprise Management Program at K-State.

“His unwavering vision and work with K-State has led to the world’s first bachelor of science degree program in wildlife and outdoor enterprise management.”

Flint Oak was founded by Ray and Winona Walton in 1980. Flint Oak originated as a private member hunting club with the goal of providing “good, old fashioned bird hunting at its best.”

Since its inception, Flint Oak has become known as “America’s Premier Hunting Resort,” providing field hunts for upland game birds, driven European style pheasant shoots, deer, duck, dove and wild turkey hunting for its members.

During the summer season (April 1 through Sept. 30 annually) Flint Oak’s facilities are open to the public for shooting sports, corporate retreats, weddings, company picnics, youth camps, reunions, charity events, fishing, nature trails, and a variety of other outdoor summer activities.

Flint Oak’s unique ambiance and natural habitat makes it the perfect location for corporate, organizational or even family events.

Anyone wishing more information on the degree program should contact Warner at twarner@ksu.edu, or Kim Schirer at kims@found.ksu.edu.

Jeff Oakes, general manager of Flint Oak, urges anyone from this area to come and visit the world class resort which can be found by driving east of Fredonia on U.S. Highway 400 and turning south at Fall River, then following the paved road approximately five miles south.

The Elk County Farm Bureau Association will sponsor its annual ag tour on Thursday, March 19. This year’s trip will be a visit to B&W Trailer Hitches in Humboldt. The tour is free and open to anyone interested.

Area farmers and ranchers may be familiar with the name of B&W, the company that developed and patented the Turnover Ball gooseneck hitch. B&W also manufactures Companion RV hitches and the Tow & Stow hitch. In addition to hitches, the company retrofits standard trucks into hard-working customized flatbeds.

Those wishing to tour the business are asked to meet at 7:45 a.m. at West Elk High School. FFA members will be on hand to share highlights of their farm at the school, and free coffee and doughnuts will be available. The bus will depart at 8:30 a.m. for Humboldt.

After the tour, a catered lunch of barbecued pork sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans and drink will be served for $6. The bus should arrive back in Howard by mid-afternoon.

Reservations are not necessary; however, in order to determine the number of lunch meals needed, those planning to go are asked to call the Farm Bureau office at 374-2321 by March 18. Office hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. If calling after hours, please leave a message with the number planning to attend.

The Grenola Fire Department is planning its first annual Hot Flash Benefit Supper and Talent Show to be held at the Grenola Community Center. The festivities will start March 14 at 6:30 p.m. with a Chili Feed. A talent show will follow at 7 p.m. There will be a free will offering taken at the door.

Proceeds will be used to purchase radios for members of the department to allow for faster response to fires. The department is applying for a matching grant through the Kansas Department of Forestry for the radios. Any additional money raised will be put towards bunker gear for firefighters.

The talent show will be limited to 15 contestants. A sound system and a wide variety of karaoke music will be available for those wishing to sing for their talent. To enter the talent show, contact Allen Moore at 620-358-2163.

For other questions or to get a list of karaoke music available contact Andrea Arbuckle at 620-358-2229.

By Darlene Adkins
The annual Elgin Irish Stew will be held on March 21, beginning at 5 p.m. at the Elgin United Methodist Church. Beef stew, crackers, potato salad and homemade pie will be served.

A hand quilted quilt will also be given to someone whose donation slip is drawn during the evening. Proceeds from the stew and quilt support church projects throughout the year.

A benefit chili and soup supper will be held by the Ferguson-Spease Post #388 in Moline on Friday, March 13. Serving will be held from 5-8 p.m. Admission is a free will donation and is all-you-can-eat, including dessert and drink. Contributions will go towards the maintenance of the Legion Building in Moline.

By Julie K. Beckley
The Sedan High School After Prom Committee will hold Bingo at 6 p.m., Saturday evening, March 14, at the Fair Building. Juniors and seniors have been selling Bingo tickets but there are plenty of seats still available. The evening will start off with minis and there will be several other fun games featured throughout the evening. A concession stand will sell some great food. No childcare will be provided this year.

Lucky Bingo winners will receive gift baskets valued at about $25-$40. Some of the baskets that will be available include a football basket, movie, fishing, camping, cooking and several other great ones.
Baskets, food donations and volunteers are still needed; monetary donations are always welcome.

If you have signed up to provide a basket, please bring them that day or they can be dropped off this week with Nora Bane at the Elementary School. Help will be needed that day to set up and workers are still needed that evening as well. Juniors and seniors are reminded that they can earn After Prom money to purchase great items at the After Prom Auction by helping with Bingo and selling those tickets.

Two larger prizes will be offered this year including $500 in groceries from Floyds’ Market and a $100 gas card from Sedan One Stop.

Bingo is the main fundraiser the Sedan parents use in order to host the After Prom Party. The After Prom Party is held at the high school for Sedan juniors and seniors, along with their dates. Each year, parents, guardians, community members and businesses work together to provide the students a safe place to have fun, play games, win prizes and gather together in an environment completely safe from alcohol and drugs after the festivities of the Prom are over.

The Prom will be held at 7 p.m., Saturday, April 18. Money is needed to keep the kids entertained with some inflatable games, food and various prizes that they can bid on at the auction that will be enjoyed with breakfast early that Sunday morning after the prom. In years past, some prizes have included computers, TVs, lamps, telephones, radios, laundry supplies, and gift certificates. This year there will be similar items as well.

If you would like to donate a prize for the After Prom, donations can be brought to the school, to a meeting, or dropped off to a junior or senior parent.

On March 15, Pastor John Warring will begin his new ministry with the First Christian Church of Sedan. The Pulpit Search Committee is excited that Pastor Warring accepted the call to come to Sedan and look forward to a new beginning for the Church.

Pastor Warring was born and raised in Sedan and Chautauqua County, and attended Sedan schools before attending college at Emporia State University. After receiving his B.S. and M.S. at ESU, Pastor Warring spent seven years at Cowley County Special Services Cooperative as School Psychologist.

In 1993, he entered seminary at Lexington Theological Seminary in Lexington, Ken. After graduation with a Master of Divinity, he began his pastoral ministry in Scott City, Kan. Most recently, Pastor Warring has served as Senior Pastor at the First Christian Church in Hutchinson, Kan.

Pastor Warring is extremely excited about returning to Sedan not only because of the wonderful ministry opportunities, but is looking forward to re-kindling old friendships and becoming a part of the community.

Pastor Warring and his wife, Cristine are proud parents of five children; Steven, Anna, Sarah, Susie and Jack, and have a new grandson, Zane.