CANTON – The 2009 McPherson County Fair took place July 15-19 at the Canton Fairgrounds.
The following images comprise a randomly organized pictorial of this year’s fair.
I hope you enjoy the pictures I captured:
Tom Hayakawa of North Carolina also shot some pictures during the fair. Below are my two favorite shots he captured:
Currently the Kansas Sampler Foundation, of Inman, is helping change a small town in Jackson County.
Foundation Executive Director Marci Penner and Assistant Director WenDee LaPlant are leading a team of workers to give the Whiting Cafe, in Whiting, Kan., a make-over in honor of the owner, Rosa Thomas, who will have owned and operated the cafe for 25 years this August.
The cafe is in need of updates and repairs, especially since it is the local hang-out for people in the area.
Work being done is a project of the Kansas Sampler, and it is the pilot-program of the “We Kan Bank Initiative,” designed to “create accounts of community need and match them with accounts opened by individuals who want to offer services, materials, labor or funding,” Penner said.
The initiative, she said, goes beyond financial assistance for Kansas’ smaller communities, including Whiting.
“There are so many different kinds of needs a rural community would have,” Penner said. “Maybe it’s just finding a resource, or anything that’s good for the community as a whole.”
The work began Friday and is scheduled to wrap up today.
For more information about what the workers are doing, please visit the Sampler’s “Spruce Up Whiting Cafe” page.
Also, read Penner and LaPlant’s blog at http://kansassampler.blogspot.com.
Or follow Penner and LaPlant on Twitter (@marcipenner and @wendeelaplant).
Below are a few pictures the group has posted to Google’s photo sharing site, Picasa:
NEWTON – Learn and see how to make fitness fun at Newton Medical Center’s Dinner with the Doctors program on Tuesday, Apr. 14, at 5:30 p.m.
A $5 meal will be served in the north end of the Newton Medical Center cafeteria as attendees hear how NMC doctors and friends of NMC, Stephen Cranston, M.D., Tom Adrian, NMC General Counsel, Randall Goering, M.D. Jon Casimir, M.D., Joseph Lickteig, D.P.M., and Roger Ahrens, NMC board member, use friendship as an exercise motivator.
Spring is the perfect time to start thinking about fitness that gets you outside and gets you moving.
The Dinner with the Doctors program will be sure to motivate and help you establish healthy guidelines for exercise.
Seating strictly limited to the first 70 reservations. Call Tina to RSVP at (316) 804-6005.
The annual MAYB Winter Season Finale basketball tournament is scheduled for this weekend, with games being played in Hesston, Moundridge, Halstead and Newton.
Greg Raleigh of Hesston, who started the MAYB program 16 years ago, is expecting about 150 teams – 1,500 players – from about five states to participate in the tournament this weekend. There will be a total of 16 gyms in the four towns being used for the tournament.
The entire tournament is for 3rd-12th grade boys and girls. It is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. Games start at 8 a.m. and run through the day until 10 p.m. on Saturday. They will end about 6 p.m. on Sunday.
MAYB sponsors tournaments throughout the year, and the one this weekend is one of the larger ones during the winter season.
“Our summer ones are much bigger,” said Raleigh. “For example, in June we run the MAYB Summer Kickoff. It will have around 800 teams and we use all the gyms in Hesston for that one. We use over 90 courts for that tournament. That means gyms from Lindsborg to Hutchinson, all of Wichita, to Hillsboro and Marion. Over all MAYB runs over 400 tournaments in 26 states during the year.”
This weekend, they are not using Hesston College because of the MCAA-HOA all-star games there on Saturday, but will be using the public school courts in Hesston.
“The 11th-12th boys division will have some games at the high school,” said Raleigh. “Players such as Perry Ellis, the Wichita Heights freshman who has been getting all the attention, will be there. There are a couple of teams from the Chicago area, and many others.
Fifth grade boys will play at Hesston Middle School and 9-10th and 11-12th divisions will be at Hesston High School. Only boys teams will be in Hesston this weekend.
Teams from Kansas, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois and Nebraska have entered the tournament this weekend. They include a couple teams flying in from Chicago, weather permitting. The majority of teams are from Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
“If the weather gets bad, updates are posted on the Channel 12 weather system,” said Raleigh. “We thought we had missed the bad weather this year, but who knows. It is a mess if it does get bad, but we’ll get through it. Hopefully weather will not get that bad.
“Teams from western Kansas could be the ones with problems from what I hear,” said Raleigh. “There is a team from Amarillo, Texas, that may have problems getting here.”
Gate prices are $7 for an adult weekend pass and $4 for a school-age kid. Day passes are $5 and $3. Raleigh said the funds in Hesston will go to the Hesston After Prom Committee and Hesston Football Club.
MAYB has held tournaments for 16 years. The Winter Finale is in its 12th year. The Summer Kickoff was the first one ever run 16 years ago and it started with 69 teams.
Raleigh said there are a lot of Hesston kids who play MAYB basketball and will be in action in this winter tournament.
Moundridge fire and EMS personnel begin dealing with Sunday afternoon’s helicopter crash, in which the pilot died. Local emergency workers were the first on the scene.
MOUNDRIDGE - Sunday afternoon was anything but ordinary.
At approximately 2:30 p.m. Sunday, McPherson County Dispatch received word that an aircraft had crashed in a field near Moundridge. Moundridge fire and EMS personnel were the first to arrive on the scene.
Investigators comb through the wreckage of a helicopter crash Sunday afternoon in the middle of a field in on Buckskin Road west of Moundridge.
The aircraft was a helicopter, piloted by Roger Hershner, 66 of Sequim, Wa., who was apparently on a cross-country trip to Virginia, Kansas Highway Patrol officials said.
The pilot was the only person on board at the time of the crash. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crash took place between 19th and 20th Avenue on Buckskin Road, approximately half a mile into a muddy field.
An FAA investigator from Wichita puts on rubber boots before traveling out into the muddy field to look at the helicopter crash.
A cause of the crash was unknown at press time, but Wichita FAA and Denver-based National Transportation Safety Board officials are investigating the incident.
Moundridge’s Brian Flynn lives nearby and heard the aircraft experiencing what sounded to be engine problems.
Brian Flynn, of Moundridge, stands in the field next to Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper B. D. Gardner amid the helicopter crash debris. Flynn was the first person to arrive at the crash site after he heard the wreck and went to see if anyone was OK. The pilot, a man from Washington state, died in the crash.
Flynn said he heard the helicopter’s engine speed up, slow down, stop and speed up once more before everything went silent.
“We got out the binoculars and saw what it was,” he said. “Smoke was the first thing I saw.”
Flynn said he called 911 and then jumped on his four-wheeler to drive out into the field to see if there was anyone in need of help.
“I did not see a survivor,” he said. “It was hard to tell even what it was.”
Prior to the crash, Flynn said he was just working in his shop.
“I was just changing the oil,” he said. “I thought it was going to be a typical day.”
However, it was not ordinary at all, Flynn said.
“It’s not your typical Sunday,” he said.
Officials from the Harvey County Coroner’s Office pronounced Hershner dead at the crash site.
Steve Bayless, of the Harvey County Coroner’s Office, fills out paperwork after the body of the helicopter pilot had been extracted from the wreckage and removed from the field Sunday afternoon.
KHP Trooper B.D. Gardner said there were no witnesses of the actual crash.
Gardner said the KHP is required by state law to help begin investigations of all aircraft crashes.
The investigation being conducted by the FAA and NTSB would take a few days, Gardner said.
The Sunflower Chapter of the American Red Cross, which serves McPherson and Marion Counties, was on hand to give water and food to emergency personnel. Representatives Amy Johnson and Ken Armbrust set up a table with beverages and doughnuts for workers to have.
Ken Armbrust, of the Sunflower Chapter of the American Red Cross, sets up a table to put drinks and food on for emergency personnel working the helicopter crash Sunday afternoon.
Local resident Don Hazelton helped by hauling workers from the road to the crash site and back via his ATV.
The helicopter was reportedly a Bell 206 registered to Hillcrest Aircraft Company out of Lewiston, Idaho.
— By TODD VOGTS, Ledger Editor
MOUNDRIDGE – Officials now say a helicopter crash west of Moundridge on Sunday killed the pilot.
The helicopter had no passengers. Earlier, the Harvey County coroner arrived at the scene of the crash.
“It’s not your typical Sunday,” said Brian Flynn, who was the first person on the scene of the crash. “I didn’t see a survivor.”
According to a fire and EMS worker who arrived later, the crashed aircraft is a helicopter and “the pilot is still with the aircraft.” The FAA is sending a representative to the scene.
Fire and EMS units are responding to a crash near Moundridge. Ledger Editor Todd Vogts is at the scene which is on Buckskin between 19th and 20th.
He reports debris “scattered” in a muddy field but no fire. The Kansas Highway Patrol is on scene. Emergency workers are using ATVs and 4-wheel drive vehicles to access the scene.
Developing.
Chris Dacus, of Canton, flies over a jump Sunday at the Inman Motocross Track. Dacus was just one of many riders capitalizing on the favorable weekend weather.
INMAN – The screaming whine of engines, the haze of dust in the air and the taste dirt were all the sense could handle Sunday at the Inman Motocross Track.
As upwards of 30 racers flew around the track on motorcycles and quads, everyone was preparing for the upcoming racing season, which kicks off in Inman with a bike series race on March 29.
On May 31, a National Motosport Association qualifier will be held there, and on Sept. 27 an ATV race will take place.
Brad Thiessen, president of the Inman Motocross Track, said hosting three sanctioned races a year is pretty good, especially considering the track just got rejuvenated in 2007.
“We flattened what was there and started over,” he said.
Thiessen said the track has been a riding area since the 1970s, and in the mid-1990s, it became a real motocross track.
But the Inman raceway really came into its own in the past couple years, and riders from around the area recognized it recently by naming it the “Central Kansas Motocross Series 2008 Track of The Year.”
“It was a pretty big deal,” Thiessen said. “We tried to build a fun, safe track, and I think it turned out that way.”
Those casting votes in the award selection process had to have ridden at every track in the series, which includes a total of five tracks in the area.
The Inman Motocross Track is a not-for-profit corporation.
“All the money that comes in goes right back into the track,” Thiessen said.
Money is raised primarily through track memberships, which cost $100 a year and gets you a key to unlock the gate so you could ride any time.
That price drops significantly, however, if you are an Inman resident. Then it only costs $10 a year.
Thiessen said the price difference was implemented in an attempt to get more people to move to Inman.
“The track is open to members only,” he said.
Of course, members can bring guests in for $10 a day per guest rider.
“It’s popular to bring guests in,” Thiessen said. “Some guests turn into members.”
Thiessen said they have members for all over, but primarily members are from the area.
“It’s mainly central Kansas,” he said.
Thiessen said track riders must wear helmets and appropriate safety equipment. The rules are posted on the gate.
“No one has an excuse anymore for not knowing the rules,” he said.
On any given day, Thiessen said the number of riders enjoying the track could vary depending upon the weather and how soon the next race is going to take place.
On race days, though, Thiessen said the numbers grow a lot, especially considering that each racer can enter in multiple race classes.
“For the bike races, we usually have 300 entries,” he said. “We’ve had 500 to 600 through the gate. It’s a pretty big event for Inman.”
Races within the series don’t take place during the hottest months, Thiessen said.
“It’s mainly spring and then some in the fall,” he said. “Summer is slower.”
For riders wanting to get in a little extra time in a race format, Thiessen said they host prep-track practices for small entry fees.
“It’s an organized practice with a prepared track,” he said, “and we’ll probably do two or three of those this year. We feel three events, plus two or three practices a year, is enough to maintain the track adequately.”
Thiessen said one of the appeals of holding events at the Inman track is the park that it resides in, which allows for children to go play if they want during race days.
“It’s definitely a family atmosphere,” he said. “Everybody watches out or themselves. It’s worked out well.”
The City of Inman deserves the credit for keeping everything in good shape, Thiessen said.
“They do all the mowing and maintaining of the grounds, which is very helpful,” he said.
The future looks bright for the Inman Motocross Track, and Thiessen said plans are underway to install a circle track east of the motocross track that will allow for Sprint Kart races in the Outlaw series, as well as in the Micro and 3/4 Midget Sprint Cars. It would be a 1/5-mile track.
“We’ve already got approval from the city council to move forward with that,” he said.
Any new construction won’t interfere with the current track, Thiessen said.
Eventually, Thiessen said, he would like to implement permanent bathroom facilities and RV hookups.
“That will be our next major project,” he said.
The most noticeable change to be seen as of now, though, is the new logo and sign, which will be hung on the gate eventually.
Thiessen said the logo was designed after he contacted the Inman High School art class and asked the students to come up with a new design.
Haley Garst came through with the Inman Motocross logo.
Thiessen said he became involved with the track because he has been interested in riding and racing since he was 5 years old but didn’t have the opportunity to do much because there was not track in the Inman area.
“That’s what motivates me – giving the people the opportunity to learn it,” he said. “Growing up its something I always wanted to do but never had the resources to do it.”
Now his entire family rides.
Thiessen’s wife, Amy, rides bikes and ATVs, while 11-year-old Blaine and 5-year-old Brenton also ride.
“Since the kids were able to ride, we’ve been riding,” Brand Thiessen said.
Thiessen isn’t running the Inman track alone. Other board members include Vice President Lou Bate, of Inman; Secretary David Brunk, of Buhler; and Treasurer Dave Thiessen, of Inman.
Thiessen said the track as it is today wouldn’t have been possible without designer and fabricator Tim Holden. Josh Bohanan also contributed.
Foley Equipment also helped.
“That was definitely a big player,” Thiessen said.
Track sponsors include Louie’s Service Center, Foley Rental, Stream Line, Midwest Powersports, Piping Technology, Mid Kansas Machine, Diesel Pickup Specialists, Rickners Cycles and Outlaw Cycles.
Jackson Rush, 9 of Wichita, follows Dave Stos, of Galva, Sunday afternoon at the Inman Motocross Track.
Chris Dacus, of Canton, digs into a turn at the Inman Motocross Track.
DaWayne Stos, of Newton, inspects his scraped knee after wrecking his motorcycle Sunday afternoon at the Inman Motocross Track.
A rider speeds through a turn at the Inman Motocross Track Sunday afternoon.
Two riders utilize the Inman Motocross Track, which was recently named the best track of 2008 by the Central Kansas Motocross Series.
Patrons can also ride ATVs on the Inman Motocross Track.
Chris Dacus and Amanda Edgar ride motorcycles at the Inman Motocross Track Sunday afternoon.
Dave Stos, of Galva, tackles a jump Sunday afternoon at the Inman Motocross Track.
— Story and Photos By TODD VOGTS