2023 2nd quarter newsletter

Check it Out

2023 2nd quarter newsletter photos

Around Town

Elk City's fireworks display was spectacular on July 1st.

Elk City had a city wide garage sale in June with quite a few houses and a city wide clean up the following week.

Elk City Fireworks display will be Saturday July 1st.

Easter Egg Hunt was held and the kids had great fun, with egg hunting, prizes, lunch and good weather.

4th Sunday breakfast has started. Carson Lodge will have a hearty breakfast every 4th Sunday of the month till in the fall when it will retire for winter. All are welcome to eat breakfast.

The churches are planning Vacation Bible School for the summer.
1st Christian Church will be June 11th through the 13rh.

Graduations, new babies being born, weddings, lots going on with Elk City residences.

Memorial weekend 4th Sunday breakfast had a block or two of motorcycles at the breakfast, the masonic hall wa full.

Alumni Association plan Memorial Weekend for a banquet to be held May 27th. first one since COVID came along.

Nathan Rau, formerly of Elk City, and his wife Isabelle participated in the cross country bike ride. They experienced an adventure on their bucket list by participating on their tandem bike on June 10-17. The route started at the Colorado line west of Elkhart and ended at the Missouri line east of Pleasanton for a total of 539 miles. Daily miles ranged from 44 to 80 miles. Their speed ranged from 10-12 mph due to a headwind between Satanta and Spearville and 42 mph on some hills in Linn County. The weather was fair with temps in the 80's. There were about 500 participants aged 10 to 84 years on upright bikes, tandem bikes to recumbent bikes.

Speicher Teacher Honored

Honored, Mr. Alan Speicher on being awarded the INEA Secondary Master Teacher of the Year. He has taught for 35 years in secondary education and coached 26 years. Al had three students, two former students and a retired teacher come and speak on his behalf. It was a special evening for him and our family! Well deserved Al! Like I said in my speech, you are a doer of many things for others out of the goodness of your heart. You demonstrate humility and are never at the forefront. If everyone only knew ALL you do for others!! Alan Speicher is married to Kristi and they have 3 children and 5 grandchildren.

Elk City High School Alumni Banquet

Elk City High School closed its doors in 1970, that was 53 years ago. Graduate numbers are getting smaller and smaller every year. This year on Saturday May 27th the banquet was held at the Independence High school Cafeteria. Because of COVID, 1960, 1961, and 1962 graduates could not hold their 50 year reunions and celebrated them this year. About 75 alumni and their guests attended. Class of 1963 celebrated their 50 years out of school. Chairman Wilbur Schwatken, Welcome Jerry Overton class of 63, Invocation by Don Stelting, class of 63. Master of Ceremonies was Jerry Overton, 63. Banquet was served by Down Home Family Restaurant with chicken or roast with side dishes and desert. It was delicious. Jerry Cox came the farthest from Arizona, class of 1956. Catherine Owens Jones Seller class of 1950 was the oldest gradate and was presented with the table decoration plant. Lots of visiting and getting acquainted with old school class mates. Each alumni gave their name and where they were from. It was moved and voted on moving the banquet to noon instead of evening as several had a hard time driving after dark. All in all a very enjoyable evening.
Click here to see pictures of the banquet.

Memorial Day

Memorial Day May 29th, for once was not raining, avenue of lags were flying and veterans flags graced all veterans graves. At 10 a.m. a crowd gathered for the annual Veterans Day Memorial program, beginning with the National Anthem and Flag Salute, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance by the crowd. Chuck Foster and the combat Veterans motorcycle group put on a very nice display. Commander Greg Foster gave a speech and gave the history on our Gold Star Boys, each boy with a white cross and picture, along with the history of how Memorial Day came about. The Combat Vets and a lady auxiliary VFW member said a prayer, built the last man standing and placed flowers on each Gold Star Boy's and gave a salute to Represent all our service men who have fought for our freedom. Ending the ceremony with 21 gun salute and taps.

Tid Bits by Jane

April
Happy Spring! Everything is blooming, gardens are planted, flowers are bringing beauty to flower beds! Do we remember four years ago, Snow on April 7th, sure made the daffodils look sad! I started my spinach, lettuce, peas, cabbage, bok choy early, so they are ready to almost eat! Good thing, as I didn’t get in the garden until late due to the cold weather. Just when it’s 80 and warm, we have a 30 mph north wind. If it’s too cold for me, it’s too cold for plants! The temps were pretty low a few nights. Litters of kitties being born, birds are singing, noses are running, eyes are watering and the wind is Blowing! The firemen/women weren’t called out so much this year, there didn’t seem to be as much uncontrolled burning this spring that needed assistance. Some say, the weather won’t straighten up until after Easter and that seems to be the way it’s going. Old timers have said the wheat needs to be tall enough to hide a bunny at Easter. The wheat seems tall enough, but I’ve heard of some fields dying from being too dry. This is very unusual. We know it can rain at any time, but such a dry spring is causing concern and alarm of what’s to come in the summer. Easter is a little earlier this year. .
The bible study group at the 1st Christian is studying Revelations on Tuesday 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. Join us!
Not that the end is near, but who knows. Between the studying of Revelations and the world events, such as
they are, it would be advised to have your affairs in order and your relationship with Jesus solid. At least K-state fared better than KU during March Madness. Be you a fan of bird or wildcat, it would have been nice to have a Kansas team as Champions! We had some very windy days, people losing trees, carports, many limbs and etc. Some areas had micro bursts, hail and rainstorms. We haven’t received much rain from the storms that have passed through.
One year ago I ran pictures of Tony Fowler tearing down the old Masonic building. Maybe I should run a
picture of the final clean up?! The Easter Egg hunt was a success with many prizes, lunch and crafts. The weather turned cloudy and a north wind moved in just after the hunt was over. Kendria, city clerk, father, Jim Bunyard recently had a brain bleed stroke. He’s in Wichita. Prayers for the family and his recovery.
Community U held a class on building your own rain barrel this month. Jesse from the Wildcat Extension District brought the parts needed to turn an ordinary barrel into a rain barrel, capturing rain water from your downspout. The barrels were given to the participants of the class. The attendance was low and maybe another day and time can be arranged if there is still interest. Contact Jennifer Giles or Shelby Breeding if you’d like to attend. There is a signup sheet also on their Facebook page. There will not be a community garden due to lack of interest. Fruit trees have been purchased and will be planted & maintained by Community U. Community U bought the rain barrel materials. People could pay $30 to purchase these materials to be used to build their own rain barrel with assistance from Community U and Jesse from Kstate. What I learned this month: It is easy to become discouraged when trying to plan community events.

May
RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! Not the case this May, A year ago May 5th we received the 7.5” of rain & Ol’ Elk
River had to make it’s over the banks display west of town for a couple of days, not once but 3 times So much
water. 2023, a dry April & May, it’s hard to believe. Some of us received 2 tenths, while others an inch the
2nd week of May. Areas around Fredonia and Greenwood Co. received 5 -7”. Seemed very spotted, but the rain we continued to receive was very much appreciated, The ponds are still very low. It seems we went from winter to summer again. What happens to spring! The wind must blow it away. Always wind. Tomatoes and peppers are doing well as long as I water. My cool season garden is producing. It’s flower planting season too. Love the flowers. One friend told me the reason I planted so many pots; it gives me something to do all summer watering them. By the end of summer, I’m tired of the watering and say, I won’t plant so many anymore. But flowers are the joy of life, plant them and enjoy!  My peonies are blooming. They smell so good. Their fragrance reminds me of my grandmothers and mother. Their refrigs would be full of buds & blooms waiting to decorate the graves on Memorial Day.

Don’t forget to fly your flag on June 14th for flag day. Mother’s Day celebrations were held, we enjoyed a
Mother’s Day celebration with family. We cleaned flower beds and planted flowers for her. The watering is up to her! Graduations were underway, exciting and scary times ahead for the graduates. Congratulations to all.
The farmer report: Farmers are finishing up spraying fertilizer and fungicide on the wheat. The wheat is heading out and some of the wheat if barely tall enough to go thru the combines. The dry weather has been hard on it, and wheat is supposed to be adapted to dry conditions. Soybean planting is started. The corn crop is coming up, spotty in some fields, depending on the moisture at the time. Farming is such a gamble. No need to go to casinos!  We can usually count on a spring rain to bring up the corn, but not so confident that was going to happen this year. Most years it’s a concern there will be too much spring rain and the seeds will
drown out. It could always be worse, and is places. Unfortunately the amount of rain to help the ponds will
devastate the land with erosion and flooding. I’m reading a book about the pioneer women who came to Kansas in the early 1800’s. I’m pretty sure we’re not tough enough to survive the conditions they endured. In
settling Kansas they found that corn was the crop for the eastern part of the state and wheat was planted in the western part. More rain & fertile soil for corn and dry conditions for the wheat. Sometimes, just like our
flowers or veggies, we have to grow what mother nature intended for our area. What I learned this month: We think we have it really hard and we think we need more money, but if we remember what the pioneers went thru to give us the life we have, we have it pretty cushy and we are wealthy.

June

We are so happy to have such a special Military and civilian program at Oak Hill Cemetery. Thank you to Chuck Foster and the Combat Vets and Greg Foster. Don’t forget men fight to save our freedoms, Jesus also
died to save our souls & give us eternal life. If someone borrowed the 70 page directory from the cemetery, please bring it back or contact Melinda Bennett and she will print you off your own. People were wanting to look up graves Memorial weekend. June started out cool and dry or wet, depending on what part of the county or State you live in. We’ve been planting soybeans and hoping there is enough moisture to bring them up and enough rain to sustain them. The wheat is turning, harvest isn’t far off. We’ve received small amounts of rain, in the hundredths of measurement, while others around are receiving a quarter to many inches. We seem to be under a dome here on the hill, raining on either side. We actually received an inch of rain, the most at one time for over a year. Small amounts once a week would be great for the farmer, but not so much for the ponds. By the end of the month, Wheat harvest is finished, prairie hay season is in full swing, soybean planting is finished or about. And as always, needing rain and thankful for what we’ve received. We think it’s dry, but western Kansas seems to be extremely dry, with no wheat to even harvest. In the Pioneer book, I’m still reading, in 1859-1860 they went for 16 month without rain and also a grasshopper attack, eating anything & everything. The fireworks display & concert was held on Freedom Sat. July 1st . Thanks to the donators and to the Tuck’s. It’s a nice event in the community.

I love my flowers and sharing pictures. I had a friend tell me she took the blooms personally on her flowers, as if the flowers are blooming just for her. There are some flowers I just can’t keep going and it’s sad if I try and they die, so I just don’t plant them. Sometimes no matter what you do, they just aren’t going to bloom or even live. Then there is that plant you can’t give up on, you just know it’s going to grow if you give it more time. Or the ones that didn’t come up last year, but there they are this year in full of bloom. Flowers are like people, sometimes no matter what you do, that friendship isn’t going to bloom or out of nowhere here there they are, like they’ve never been gone. Choose the flowers that are compatible with your climate, your soil and that like you. Yes, plants like us or not, just like people. And if they aren’t going to grow and flourish, pull them out with the weeds and move on. There’s another one that will grow and flourish and bloom just for you! Friends are for sharing secrets, joys, woes & keep the ones that share flowers.

Learn to make the most of life. Lose no happy day! Time will never bring you back chances swept away.
Leave no tender word unsaid, and live while life shall last. Because the mill will never turn again with water that was passed. What I learned this month: A quote from my Uncle you must unload, straight be the path and narrow the road”.

FARM BUREAU MAKES FOOD PANTRY DONATION

Anna Lawless of the Montgomery Country, Farm Bureau office in Independence, KS. And Jane Osburn, Donating non-perishable food items to the Community Food Pantry at the First Christian Church. As part of Kansas Farm Bureau’s program, 3 representatives and local Farm Bureau agents packaged and delivered 10,000 meals to their communities. Over 1,000 of those meals were distributed throughout Montgomery County.

ECHS Minutes of the Past 1962

148 alumni and friends attended the annual ECHS alumni banquet held Tuesday night, May 29, 1962 in the high school auditorium. Cassius Davis class of 1891, Samuel Davis class of 1892, Mae Harmon Cox class of 1894, and Bestow Shaffer class of 1897 were all graduates present who graduated before 1900.

Invocation was given by Myrtle Elmore Cox and an excellent dinner was served by the ladies of the Christian Church. After dinner, group singing was led by Vada Brown Wright, accompanied by Marilyn White Inlow. Nelson Lucius, president, presided at the meeting and introduced Noel (shorty) Aemisegger who served as toastmaster for the evening. The program consisted of a reading by Candace Warren, a vocal solo by Patricia Tharp, and a piano solo by Rita Inlow. The roll call of classes and business meeting followed and new officers were elected for the coming 1963 year. They are President - Bill Newkirk, Vice Pres - Jane Boylan Clark, Sed. & Trea - Marie Whistler Hiatt.

A collection of $56.55 was taken to help pay expenses and it was agreed that we would give all but $40.00 of what was left in the treasury to help the school buy a PA system or other needed things. The pleasant evening closed with the Alma Mater and social hour.

Committees Serving - Willa Mckinzie Widick, Bernice Merritt Lessman (for the Christian Church)
Table Decorating - Lyle Bruce, Opal Ringle FraZier, Karen Bryant Osborn, Roberta Leonard
Tickets - Leon Newkirk, Jane Boyln Clark
Nominating - Helen Newkirk James, Ruby Ford Henderson, Esther Ware James

Financial Report -
Balance forwarded $48.01
Tickets Sold $172.50
Collection - %56.55
Total $277.06
Expenses
Elk City Sun for printing - $28.60
Table Napkins $1.11
Christian church (plate) 148.00
Elk City High School $59.55
total $237.06
Balance on hand $40.00

Raydene James Benfield Secretary & Treasurer 1962

Rita Inlow Shares

Independence Daily Reporter dated June 26, 1956

Elk City voting - Voters of Elk City were turning out today to take part in a referendum vote that will either mean a new sewage system for the city or continuance of the present type of disposal The election board serving the voters this morning were George Gregory, Mrs. Sammie Reed Mrs. Fred Davidson Jr., Mrs. Louise Smith, and Mrs. Wayne Ubben The others are Mrs. E. P. Bobbitt, and J. H. McCord.

Independence Daily Reporter dated January 10, 1955

Bank vault ransacked - This was the scene at the main bank vault at the first national Bank in Elk City Sunday. Officers arrive to investigate a robbery $800 dollars was taken from cash box. Most of the safety deposit boxes were forced open by robbers. Many postal bonds and savings bonds were scattered around the vault, It was not known if money was taken from the boxes. Long and probably hard working robbers succeeded at digging a hole in brick and concrete vault in the fist national bank this morning and escaped with an estimated $800.00.

Sheriff Bill Lessman said the money was taken from a small box inside the walk in type vault with change and some small bills. The robbers before starting to dig their way through to the vault cut the bugler alarm. Lessman and Floyd Hugg? took over the duties of sheriff at noon today and were in Elk City all day Sunday investigating the robbery.

Lessman said the Robbers made an unsuccessful attempt to punch the lock on the mail bank vault. Giving up on the door the robbers used a sledge hammer and other tools to knock about a 12 x 27 inch hole in the brick and concrete vault and crawled through the small opening.

Lessman said the robbers broke open most of the safety deposit boxes in the vault and left many postal bonds and Series E Bonds scattered over the vault. Eventually the robbers were only interested in cash and not bonds and securities. A safe inside the vault was also battered by the robbers who attempted to brake into it. The robbers failed to open the safe.

The robbers were discovered about 9:30 a.m. by Sid Geren president of the bank. Mr. Geran went to the office of the bank while his wife was mailing some letters at the post office. The robbers entered the bank by prying open a back window at the back of the building.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation were called in to investigate the case as the institution was a federal bank.

Obituaries

Hatfield, Pastor Terry, Former Elk City Methodist Pastor passed on April 19, 2023.

BunyardJim, passed on April 22 Cremation has taken place

Ortiz, Jessie passed on April 23,

Meadow, Clyde Wesley (Bud), age 77, May 18th, burial in Oak Hill Cemetery

Linden, Randall Dale (Randy), age 64 passed away April 28th,

Mills, Larry R. 88, passed away on Thursday, June 1, Cremation has taken place

Bryant, Ella Marie, age 85 passed away June 7, cremation and burial in Oak Hill.

Edington, Victoria Lynn, passed away July 1, cremation has taken place