Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9, and that also means it is time for the Fun Fishing Day.  The event this year will be the 13th annual day of fun, fishing and eating, which will take place at Bob and Connie Rogers’ watershed lake near Sedan.

Eating and visiting will take place right across the road at the home of John and Pauline Doty.  Fishing will begin at 1 p.m., followed by dinner at 5 p.m.

No fishing license is required so anyone can come and enjoy the fun.   Everyone is asked to bring a covered dish that will feed your group plus one more.

To get to Bob and Connie’s take the Independence short cut from Sedan and head east.  When the pavement ends, take the first right hand turn and follow the signs.  The lake will be on your right.

Call the extension office in Sedan at 725-5890 for information.

Graduation ceremonies are set for this weekend, as the Elk Valley High School class of 2010 will award diplomas to 10 graduates. Commencement exercises will be held at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 at the Elk Valley High School Gymnasium.

Baccalaureate will be held prior to commencement at 2 p.m., followed by a short break. The eighth grade graduation will also be held in conjunction with the senior graduation.

Those seniors graduating with the 2010 class at EVHS are Denise Beaumont, Dustin Fisher, Jakob Holley, Joey Englebrecht, Justin Wallace, Macel McDow (salutatorian), Michele Gilbert, Robert Walker, Tosha Wade (valedictorian), and Will Bennett.

Gregory Gregory doesn’t stutter when he says his name. It happens many times each day when he meets someone, flashes that big smile and offers a welcome handshake.

“Hi, my name is Gregory Gregory,” he will say, “but if you want to drop one of the Gregorys, that’s OK — I’ve got an extra one.”

The Somers Point, N.J. resident was in Sedan last week to unload a large trailer that was filled with fire-fighting equipment that he had collected from FDs in his home area. There were helmets, fire coats, boots, an exhaust fan, a commercial saw that cuts through metal and lots more — all previously used but still in excellent condition.

He also handed a check for $850 to J. Waller, president of the Sedan Chamber of Commerce for yellow bricks he had sold to his friends in New Jersey.

He had been to Sedan before, but this was the first time it was not a hunting trip. He has been a patron of Mark Jones and his Kansas Trophy Hunts guide service.

On a recent visit, he and his son became acquainted with Elroy Smith, Sedan fire chief who told Gregory that his department operates with a yearly budget of $8,000. That makes it difficult to buy new fire equipment, annual fuel costs consuming a large share of the annual budget.

That’s when Gregory who owns a bar/restaurant in Somers Point, and a frequent host on a local radio show, turned into an advocate for Sedan, Kansas.

He talked to firefighters he knew in the area and learned they had lots of surplus equipment stashed in their back rooms, so he talked them into loading bunches of it into his trailer. Then he and his wife, Patty, made the two-day drive to Sedan and unloaded it in the local fire barn.

Local folks were ecstatic.

The Sedan Chamber of Commerce and Sedan Area Economic Development Committee presented Gregory with certificates of appreciation and Sedan Mayor Tim HIlls gave the visitor a key to the city. Businesses up and down Main Street displayed handmade signs that proclaimed “Thank you, Gregory Gregory!”

RuthAnn Lovelady, activities director at Pleasant Valley Manor, presented Gregory with a “hobo pack” and a poem.

Gregory was astounded when he arrived at the fire barn. “I thought we were just going to meet the volunteer firefighters and unload the equipment,” he said. “This is amazing.”

But perhaps the biggest news was the announcement that Sedan is a finalist in national competition sponsored by E-Com, one of the world’s leading designers, manufacturers and marketers of fire rescue vehicles, to win a fire truck worth more than $170,000.

“I’m not connected with E-One and I’m not even a firefighter,” said Gregory. “But when I heard about this company and its firetruck give-away program, I immediately thought of Sedan. So I got in touch with Chief Smith and we worked together writing an essay. And now we’re one of seven finalists.”

More than 3,000 essays were submitted according to E-One’s website (E-One.com).

The winner will be chosen by on-line votes and there is a scramble among Sedan civic leaders to get everyone to visit the E-One.com website and cast a vote for Sedan.

Lest anyone think Sedan’s small size is a disadvantage, all seven of the finalists are extremely small in population:
• Sedan, Kansas.
• Leiters Ford, Ind.
• Luther, Okla.
• Owens Cross Road, Ala.
• Poverty Creek, N.M.
• Wetmore, Mich.