July 3, 2019 News

Birthdays: July 3, Sharon Irvin, Sheryl Rogers, Kristina Simmerman, Rachel Baldwin, Dave Davenport, Gary Barnes; July 4, Brenda Rosenlund; July 5, Chase Gomez; July 6, Bobbie Irvin; July7, Sherry Petz, Tessa Legleiter; July 8, Eric Davis, Melody Higgins;

Anniversaries: July 3, Danny and Marilyn Mills; July 5, David and Janice Norlin.

Happy Independence Day - July 4, 2019 Fly your flags.

Jail/Museum News

Donations: Ted and Julie Nuttle

Dues: Jim, Kathy and Justin Coen; Marge Moran, Roberta Wierman, Addie Mills, Juanita Caviness, Verlene Wilson, Fred and Mary Ann Taylor, Diana Hart, Ted and Julie Nuttle, John and Tamera Horesky, Mike, Susan and Shannon Keith, Chuck and Zach Higgins, Carolyn Thompson

Memorials: Bill Moran from Marge Moran; Francis H. Wierman from Roberta Wierman; Francis and Katy Klee from Addie Mills; Jack Wilson and Anna Bergquist from Verlene Wilson; Charles T and Wanda Walker from Diana Hart; Vic Higgins from Tamera and John Horesky; Vic Higgins from Chuck and Zach Higgins; Floyd Thompson and Ben Thompson by Carolyn Thompson.

Blue and Gold: Tamera and John Horesky; Mike, Susan and Shannon Keith; Chuck and Zach Higgins; Carolyn Thompson.

Tim Rues sent a clipping that was posted at the Alamosa, Colo., Post Office on June 20, 1914. It was a call for miners printed in red and black ink to work in the wheat fields about McCracken, Kansas. The handbill is signed by McCracken Commercial club. A wage of $3 per day and board is offered to harvesters. They are 213,000 acres of wheat to be harvested in Kansas. Pay in the mines is $1.50 per day so this has workers interested. They are taking to the rods to get to Kansas.

Here are the winners for Highway 4 Tournament held June 23: 1St Champions Harp’s Team; 2nd Champions; Remi’s Team; 1st Flight McCormick’s Team 1st; Shelby’s Team 2nd; 2nd Flight; Garrett’s Team 1st ; Devin’s Team 2nd.

Two team members from what was called 'Totus Tuus' visited St Mary's Church on Wednesday. They were Krysten Brake from Hays, KS. and Brendan Smith from Kismet, KS. Brendan was very impressed with the decals going down on each side of the dome ceiling. He could tell what each represented. They were very impressed with the church.

The McCracken Public Library is the place to be rodeo weekend on that hot Saturday afternoon. The Library will be open Saturday morning 9-12 and again 1 to 3pm. Enjoy a cold water, play "What's Wrong in the Library" and win Chamber Bucks and peruse Cowboys on the Trail, an exhibit on loan from the Kansas Historical Society.

History Notes:

2002 Copied from The View From Thayne’s Corner ‘Back to the future’ The Rain God smiled on Rodeo Drive early Friday morning ushering a welcome moderating temperature, you could almost hear a big collective sigh of relief community wide. No more haggard looks or gasping for air. We all knew it wouldn’t last but it was a blessing for the after-spree. This was the 15th annual McCracken Rodeo, an event with other attractions that grows bigger year by year For many, like myself, the affair afforded some reflection on family history and roots. The Rodeo always reminds of “Little Ben” Hicks, McCracken’s first cowboy---widely known pioneer cattle buyer and shipper. I claim him as a relative. His wife, Kisiah Ryan Hicks, was a sister of my grandfather, H.F. (France) Ryan. And speaking of relatives, a cousin of some sort whom I had not met until last Friday, featured in part of this year’s celebration----dedication of the McCracken “Jail” Museum. The jail part comes from the fact that the building is the community’s original city hall housing the old lockups once maintained to confine some of the area’s overenthusiastic inhabitants. Ben Anderson, a Californian, whose family members were many and prominent here in an earlier day, was honored at the dedication because he renovated the old stone. structure as a donation to an older Benjamin Anderson. In reference to the jail aspect of the museum dedication, I understand that an invitation was extended to former inmates to come back, join the festivities and hold a reunion. As far as I know, none showed. If so, they failed to identify themselves. Former city marshal, Joe Casey, known at one time as the McCracken Police Department, commented that several of the more notorious, whose names he could easily recall, were now deceased. Now that more luxurious accommodations have become politically correct, steel cages like McCracken’s are museum collector’s items.