By Abigail Hutchins - Staff Reporter
Courtesy of Bartlesville Examiner-EnterpriseSanta Claus made one little girl’s Christmas wish come true on Tuesday.
On Dec. 13, a 6-year-old girl visited Santa Claus at the Washington Park Mall. He asked her what she wanted for Christmas, and she said she wanted a Barbie doll. He asked her which one, and she said it did not matter.
“She looked at me and she said, ‘I want you to give it to the police so they can give it to a little girl who needs it,’” Santa Claus said.
Santa was so touched by her wish that he decided to personally make it come true. He wants the little girl to know that Santa Claus delivered eight Barbie dolls to the Bartlesville Police Department.
Captain Scott Owen personally gave the dolls to the Salvation Army on Tuesday so they could be given to children who needed them.
Major Cheryl Phillips of the Bartlesville Salvation Army says that they were given out to “needy families, every one of them, because we didn’t have any Barbie dolls left.”
She said that they distributed gifts on Tuesday to needy families who had missed the deadline to be a part of Angel Tree, the Salvation Army’s program in which individual children’s “angels” are adopted by people who shop for gifts for that child.
Santa Claus hopes the little girl is happy to hear that the Barbie dolls were given to children who needed them.
“At least one little girl’s wish will be granted this Christmas,” Santa said.
Sedan’s newest downtown business is “The Fit Zone” owned by Mike and Michelle Jones.
Located at 150 E. Main in the former Sugar Mine Company building, the Fit Zone is the result of intensive remodeling and carpenters were finishing their work today.
“We’re all a bit tired,” said a smiling Michelle. “But we’re really excited about bringing this fitness center to Sedan. We think it will make us all healthy and happy.”
The exterior of the building has been totally refurbished and painted, and the interior looks nothing like it did before.
An interior walking track features a rubber surface and it will require 19 laps to make a complete mile. Pedometers will be provided for those not wanting to count laps. Read more
A Niotaze single mom is beaming today as she looks forward to moving into a home that her friends have made possible for her.
Chasity Meise watched last week with tear-filled eyes as a huge bulldozer razed her home at the east edge of Niotaze — a necessary move because it was filled with unhealthy mold. The home had been flooded numerous times when a nearby creek overflowed its banks.
“I just got my house paid for in May of this year,” said Meise who has five children plus a grandchild she is helping to raise. “My grandbaby kept getting sick and we finally figured out it was the mold that started growing after the flood two years ago. We pushed back the couch and the mold was growing up the back of it.”
Friends from up the street, Brian and Carey Shouse, heard about Chasity’s problem and launched an effort to find her a suitable house where she would have more space and get away from the mold plague.
Read more
Joe Tindle pushes open the door to his wood shop and immediately apologizes for the mess.
“I need to spend more time cleaning up,” he says, pointing to a stack of boards which he soon will fashion into a baby cradle or rocking horse.
His project for this week is making his 51st cradle which will go to the unsuspecting parents of a newborn baby.
He tries to make a cradle for everyone in his community who is having a baby — and even some outside the town of Longton where he lives.
“It’s not always a surprise,” he admits, “but there’s just something special about it when nobody is expecting anything. I know it sure makes me feel good.”
Tindle also has made dozens of rocking horses for the children of area friends. Read more
Donald Drumwright of Severy enjoys “cheering up” his mom, who is disabled. One way he does that is to purchase lottery tickets for her to scratch.
“It’s entertainment and brain exercise for her,” explained Drumwright.
Drumwright and his mother both got cheered up last night, when a $1 Blackjack instant ticket the son had purchased for his mother turned out to be a $10,000 winner! Read more
A segment called, “Plains People”, featuring Jim Harkness of Neodesha, formerly of Sedan, and the Emmett Kelly Memorial Clown School in Sedan, will be shown during the broadcast of Sunflower Journeys on KTWH-TV (PBS) channel 11, out of Topeka on Dec. 24. The segment may include the Sedan High School, the Emmett Kelly Historical Museum, and other sites around Sedan.
Shot and produced by John Njagi of KTWH, the “Plains People” series is a mini-documentary where the camera captures the moments that happen outside the interview, and the story is told from the individual’s perspective, narrating their own process, struggle or challenge. Jim volunteers as “Chief Joey” or school principle, of the Emmett Kelly Memorial Clown School, when in session.
Make plans to attend the 4th Annual Emmett Kelly Memorial Clown School and Events scheduled for June 23-26, 2010. Read more
Kim Milliken is the new city clerk at Cedar Vale following her swearing-in on Monday.
Milliken currently lives at Independence and will move to Cedar Vale soon. She has three children, Chelsea, 18, who attends Coffeyville Community College; Michelle, 17, a senior at Independence High School; and Kristopher, 3.
Barbara Denney, city clerk for the past 10 years, has announced her retirement from city clerk’s position.
Milliken said she was excited about her new duties, noting that Cedar Vale is a beautiful town and she is enjoying getting to know everyone.
After a weekend of deer hunting, Roy Higbee wasn’t able to find that trophy deer to hang on his wall. He did, however, get a big $200,000 check from the Kansas Lottery he can hang on his wall. The Severy resident matched the first five Powerball numbers in the Dec. 12 drawing, winning a $200,000 cash prize!
“My wife Tamara and I were out deer hunting on Saturday when we decided to stop at a convenience store to get something to eat,” said Higbee. “I ended up with $5 left and decided to buy a Powerball ticket.” Read more
The Music Department of Sedan Schools will present their Christmas concerts on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 13 and Monday evening, Dec. 14 at the Warrender Auditorium.
The Sunday afternoon concert will feature the 5th grade band, 6th grade band, Jr./Sr. High School Concert Band, Select Choir and Concert Choir. All groups will be performing traditional Christmas selections as well as a few newer songs. The concert will begin at 2:30 p.m. and there is no charge for the concert.
The Elementary Christmas program will be on Monday evening Read more
A front page story in this week’s Prairie Star tell about a video crew that visited Sedan on Tuesday to interview community leaders about the potential impact of a new Internet Communications Center. Such a center is still in the planning and will happen only if an application is successful to provide more than $2 funding to remake the landmark Bradford Hotel into a high tech center for broadband services.
The final decision on Sedan’s application probably won’t come until early next year, but local officials believe a press conference held in Topeka on Monday was a positive move. Read more
