All Duckwall stores will soon close, according to a company announcement made Monday. One such store is located in downtown Sedan.

Duckwall-ALCO will close 44 Duckwall stores and redeploy the capital into its larger ALCO stores.
Rich Wilson, President and CEO, commented: “After careful analysis, we have concluded that the small, limited-selection Duckwall stores no longer meet the needs of most shoppers. These stores account for only 3.9% of sales and little or no profit. Duckwall locations, averaging just 6,755 square feet, consume a disproportionate share of resources in distribution, back-office support, inventory investment and other costs. Plus, the necessary technology upgrades to bring these stores into the corporate IT infrastructure would be cost-prohibitive. These factors led us to conclude that the best course of action is to close the Duckwall stores. We expect that redeploying the resources used in the Duckwall stores to our more productive ALCO stores will improve the company’s earnings.” Read more

Fifteen years ago, it was suggested as a joke, but the Friends of Elk Falls thought “Why not?”  Today the Elk Falls Outhouse Tour and Contest is a thundering success, drawing outhouse enthusiasts and fun loving visitors from far and wide.

This year’s event takes place Friday and Saturday, Nov. 19-20.  Visitors become the judge as they take the self-guided Outhouse Tour and vote for their favorite privy, dropping their ballots in the slot inside the “Voting Booth” Outhouse Headquarters downtown.  Ballots, maps and commemorative Outhouse Buttons (required to vote) are available at the headquarters.

Other happenings around town are the Craft Show at the Gym, Quilt Show at Calvary Chapel, Studio Open House at the Elk Falls Pottery, the Homer Allison Outhouse Collection plus live music  by singer/songwriter Allison Meador at the Prairie Gem Schoolhouse, Mike’s Antiques and Collectibles, bluegrass music by “Reach for the Sky” playing only on Saturday at various locations around town.

Elk Konnected Youth Development will again be coordinating activities for kids downtown, including a Toilet Bowl Throw.  Horse drawn wagon rides will be available with a new wagon this year, as well as the return of the Outhouse Express Train rides.  An antique tractor display from Oklahoma will be a new addition at the gym.  Also new will be a live  amateur radio worldwide broadcast from the festival sponsored by the Elk County Amateur Radio Society.

Rancher’s Best Beef will be returning with locally raised beef, along with the ECCA sloppy Joe’s and more at the Senior Center. Old fashioned home cookin’ will feature Ethel’s chicken and noodles and other items at the gym.  Saturday only will find Jambalaya cooking in a large kettle over an open fire available at Calvary Chapel as well as the famous apple dumplings.      The Flint Hills Boosters 4-H club will have home baked goodies downtown and the Howard Rotary will be serving funnel cakes.

The Howard County Players are preparing for three days of performances of their play, “If a Man Answers,” which will be held at the Gregg Theater located in downtown Sedan.

“If a Man Answers” by David Rogers, is based on the book by Winifred Wolfe. The play features Travis Nordell as a photographer being “trained” by his wife, Heather Chrisman. Unfortunately the training manual her mother, played by Linda Chrisman, gave her is for dogs!

The play will open Friday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m., with additional performances on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m., and a matinee on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m.  Tickets are available at the door for $5 for adults and $3 for students.

Battle Hymn of the Republic!  God Bless America!  America the Beautiful!

These are just a few of the Patriotic themed songs to be performed by the Elk County Community Choir at their Fall Singspiration on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 6 p.m., at the First Baptist Church in Howard.
This Fall’s performance will feature Patriotic songs and honor the great country that we live in, The United States of America.  All Vets will receive a small token for a job well done.

The Elk County Community choir was founded with the desire to pull the local Church Community together.  We had a vision to bring in people from all over our community to form a choir that would present a Singspiration two times per year as well as some special performances as requested. Read more

Zach and Laura Fry are inviting everyone to their community presentation focusing on their journey in India.

The Frys spent three months in Dharmapuri, India working in slums, villages, orphanages and leper colonies.  Zach and Laura will be sharing pictures and video footage from their adventure. There will also be food samples available from India.

The program will begin at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 14 at the Calvary Chapel Church in Elk Falls.
Everyone is invited to bring their family and friends.

The Frys resided in Howard until they moved away to do mission work earlier this year.

The Sedan Vocal Music Department will present their 23rd Annual Variety Show on Friday night, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the Warrender (High School) Auditorium.

This year’s theme is “A Broadway Spectacular” and will feature the most memorable songs of Broadway from the 1950’s to modern musicals of today.

The evening will feature the Concert Choir and the Select Choir as well as many solos.  Musical selections from The Sound of Music, South Pacific, Bye Bye Birdie, The Music Man, Les Miserable, Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The Lion King, Read more

The 15th annual Ol’ Time Chautauqua Hills Cowboy Poet Gathering is set for Saturday night, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m., at the Gregg Theatre in Sedan.

Everyone who attends will experience an art form that is slowly, but surely, finding its way back into the mainstream of American consciousness…cowboy poetry and western music, according to J.L. Tunison, Jr., one of the event’s planners.

“What you will see and hear is unique and something that is one of a kind. You will hear the authentic works of a cowboy…poetry, music, laughter — all compounded to recreate the feelings that was and is the American West,” Tunison said. Read more

Two Sedan churches are collecting items for the Sedan Food Pantry and having some good-natured fun out of the experience.

Pastor John Warring of the Sedan First Christian Church and Fr. Marcus Cunningham of Epiphany Episcopal Church have challenged their parishioners to out-do the other church in the collection of canned meat, frozen meat, jello, macaroni and cheese, pasta, peanut butter, jelly and toilet paper.

They saw the need after the Sedan Ministerial Alliance toured the food pantry on Oct. 13 and learned there was a need for specific items. Read more

Elk County voters elected Republican Douglas Ritz of rural Fredonia as their county commissioner in the 1st District Tuesday, outpolling Democrat Gus Jones. The vote: Ritz 182, Jones 92.

Chautauqua County voters, meanwhile, wrote in the name of Goff Searl to win the 1st Dist. county commission seat, outlasting Sundance “Sunny” Young whose name was the only candidate on the ballot. Searl ran in the primary election in August but lost in a close race to Young.

The vote was Searl 234, Young 204.

The newly elected commissioners will take office in January 2011.

The GOP rolled in Tuesday’s midterm elections, gaining a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in four years. Read more

The Kelly Miller Circus arrived in Sedan Tuesday morning to an enthusiastic crowd of students and townspeople. The circus played two performances on Tuesday afternoon and evening then moved on early this morning as it plays its final tour before going home to Hugo, Okla., where it is based. The children watched the roustabouts as they put up all the tents and equipment, and especially had fun watching an elephant raise the poles for the big top tent.  The students are seen asking questions of the circus road manager as crews assembled the array of equipment.

Spirited poltiical races across the country will draw to a head next Tuesday, Nov. 2, as voters go the polls for the general election.

Republicans are hopeful that polls showing their party might take over the majority role in both houses of Congress, bolstered by Tea Party candidates across the nation. Even in local and state races, the Tea Party influence is being felt.

On Tuesday, Kansans will elect all its state officials, all members of the Kansas House of Representatives, and all four congressional seats. In addition, one of its two U.S. Senate seats will be filled following Sen. Sam Brownback’s decision to step down and run for governor of Kansas. Read more

The Annual Crop Walk in Elk County will be held Sunday, Oct. 24, at 2 p.m. at the Jackson Park which is located in Howard, just west of Twilight Manor Nursing Home, between Washington and Randolph Streets.  More information may be had by contacting this year’s chairperson, Rev. Knut H. Schaad at 620-374-3088 or e-mail knutschaad@gmail.com.

Money raised will be used to help feed and nourish underprivileged families here and abroad.  25% of all funds will remain in Elk County to be utilized by the Elk County Ministerial Association for the food pantry and to assist those in need of help with utility bills, this a one-time only case.  You may contact your pastor for information on this program.

To sign up call Knut Schaad or ask the person in your church that has the information and you will be assigned a contribution envelope that you may sign up sponsors.  There is no limit to how far you walk or how little.  The donations are not a per mile, or per time around the park, just an amount you’re comfortable with.  Typical contributions run anywhere from $5 to $200 so there’s a lot of variance in contribution.

The Sedan Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to usher in the Kelly Miller Circus as the big top will be raised in preparation for shows next Tuesday, Oct. 26.

Area residents are invited to come out and watch the animals being unloaded, fed, and watch as the elephants raise the big top.  Activities will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the tent will be raised at 9:30 a.m.  Guides will be furnished for school groups and everyone attending.

The traditional “old style” circus will present two performances at 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., on Oct. 26.  Tickets are available at the SKIL office in Sedan at 113 W. Main, as well as several other locations around town.  The cost of the tickets are $10 for adults, and $6 for children 12 and under if purchased before Oct. 26.  The cost of the tickets the day of the show will be $14 for adults and $7 for children.  Children under the age of 2 will be admitted free.

The 2010 season promises to be more exciting than ever before with many new acts and entertainers to amaze and amuse you including elephants, tigers, horse acts, and trapeze artists.

If you have any questions, please call J. Waller, Sedan Area Chamber of Commerce, President, at the SKIL office in Sedan at 620-725-3990, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Two aluminum arches leading to the football stadium at West Elk High School in Howard now carry a new name: Pat Simmons Stadium. Ceremonies at last Friday’s football game officially renamed the stadium after the late Coach Pat Simmons, a 28-year WEHS coach and teacher. The school’s student council put together a proposal for the honor and the school board approved it. Some 100 members of his family took part in the ceremonies at halftime and his wife and three children participated in the coin toss before the game against Cedar Vale/Dexter. Shown are his wife, Debbie, who teaches physical education at the school, with son Lucas and daughters Tara and Heather, as they looked toward the sky awaiting the tossed coin to drop, and secretly acknowledging the one who was missing from the game.

Longtime West Elk coach and teacher, Pat Simmons, will be honored and remembered at the West Elk football game this Friday night, as the stadium will be named after him.

Simmons, who died unexpectedly this past July, was a football coach, head track coach, and PE teacher for the West Elk School District.

At the Oct. 15 ceremony, aluminum arches will be placed over the entrances reading “Pat Simmons Stadium.”  Simmons wife, Debbie, and their children will participate in the coin toss before the game.  A balloon release will also be held at that time, where approximately 100 of Simmons family members are expected to be in attendance.  The formal presentation will be made during half-time of the game.

A special table will be set up for friends and family to write their favorite story or memory about Pat, which will then be made into a book for Debbie.  Following the game, a reception will be held in the cafeteria.