RCNews July 7

Paul Thomas, Parsons, had quadruple by-pass surgery on Tuesday in Joplin,
Missouri. The tornado missed The Freeman Heart Institute by a couple of blocks.
Kathleen Stremel Thomas was the director for the Stremel float and had to pass on her plans to the rest of the family. The pressure is on.....see you all this week-end.

Lenora Sremel will be celebrating her 90th birthday on July 13th. She will be celebrating at the rodeo and waving from the Stremel float.

Holly Ross, Phillipsburg, stopped by the library this Wednesday looking for “family”.
She is the daughter of William Russell and Lena Ruth Sidebottom Ross. She had some accounts books and a dairy of her father, and some names I recognized as from the Brownell area. Her address is 1309 3rd Street, Phillipsburg, KS 67661. Please get in contact with her if you are related or know someone who could help her.
 
There will not be a cancellation stamp at the post office this year.
 
Boondocks is raffling off a gift certificate from Boondocks, a rodeo pewter belt buckle, rodeo tickets, a McCracken cookbook and McCracken History Book. Tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5, proceeds to the beautification committee.
 
There will not be kid’s games at the park this year.
 
Mark and Debra Schuckman Craine and son Tyler, Denver; Gary Schuckman, Wilmington, NC; Myron and Debi Schuckman, Florentine Schuckman, Wichita; were weekend guests of Bill and Barbara Baus. Mark and Ann Baus, Olivia, Leah and Vernocia, joined them Sunday.
 
Bob Wolfe appreciates the cards, prayers, phone calls and good wishes that were sent his way from so many people in the community after his heart surgery.
 
Hunter and Landon Davis, Hutchinson, stayed with their grandparents, Bruce and Susan Davis this weekend. They especially liked riding the golf cart with their grandparents.
 
Several young people ‘enjoyed’ themselves Saturday doing some much neded work around McCracken, cleaning gutters, and sprucing up the rodeo grounds. We will keep their names a secret this time around. 
 
WELCOME TO THE 25TH ANNUAL RODEO
WELCOME ALL ALUMNI OF MCCRACKEN SCHOOLS
 
We thank all those who have made the rodeo successful in the past twenty-five years.  The early promoters of the McCracken Rodeo were influenced by rodeos they and their families attended in the early days. A special shout out to all the cattlemen in the area both past and present.
 
Birthdays:  July 7, Sherry Petz, Tessa Legleiter, Francis Zeller; July 8, Eric Davis, Melody Higgins; July 10, Bob Funk, Brittany Dome, Shelby Bowers; July 12, Leonore House, Betty Greenway, Byron Gilbert, Justin Casey; July 13, Lenora Stremel, Penny Betz.
 
No Anniversaries
 
Stories of McCracken:  We know we have too many deer when we hear of the antler shed causing a ruined tire on a combine in the wheat field -- $3,000 is a high price to pay for the "joy" of having deer in the area.  Is there insurance for that?
 
A young girl was at camp and she kept complaining about something in her hair.  They couldn't find anything, but she insisted it was in her braid.  Anyway, it turned out to be a baby water moccasin!  Wow, don't lean up against a wall while at a lake!
 
The following have renewed their membership in the Jail/Museum (McCracken Historical Museum, Inc):  Lucille Young, Roy and Phyllis Conrad, Louise Otero, Wilma North, Randy and Janell Ryan, Al and Judy Hugh, Jay and Maureen Georg, Joann Micheli, Bet and Jeanette McCormick, Doris Schaffer, Midge Davenport, Dave and Carolyn Davenport, Les and Sheryl Rogers, Verlene Wilson, Thayne and Machree Jones, Francis and Julia Zeller, Jean Oelkers, Shirley Gabel, Marge Moran, Lee and Debbie Oelkers, Les and Rose Diehl.  Donations were received from Dorothy Bemis, Randy and Janell Ryan, Les and Sheryl Rogers, Thayne and Machree Jones, Shirley Higgins.  Memorials received were in memory of Eugene Young, John and Silvina Pfaff, Mary Pfaff Mask, Edward M. Miller and Mary B. Pfaff from Lucille Young; Wendell Conrad from Roy and Phyllis Conrad; Floyd Thompson from Louise Otero; Keith North from Wilma North; The Yawgers from Al and Judy Yawger Hugh; Robert C. Micheli from Joann Micheli; Bob Schaffer from Doris Schaffer; Jack Wilson and Anna Bergquist from Verlene Wilson; Melvin Littler from Jean Oelkers; Herbert, Gertie and Duane Brackney, Jack Edwards from Shirley Gabel; Bill Moran from Marge Moran; Erman Oelkers and Fern Zimmerman from Lee and Debbie Oelkers; Al Rues from Les and Rose Rues Diehl.  Lifetime members are to Ben and Nancy Anderson, Scott Palecki, Rush County United Fund, Gary and Elaine Turner, Diz and Wilma Washaliski.
 
Rodeo acquisitions are in memory of The Class of 1951; Floyd Thompson and Archie Galen Allen from Carolyn Thompson
 
Our sympathy to the family of Leonard Anderson.  His son, Kevin Anderson and family, live here.  Services later.
 
It was nice to see Philena Baus, Gloria Blackwell and her granddaughter Alliyah at Applebees on Friday.
 
Shannon Keith appeared in Alice in Wonderland, Jr at Ellsworth on Saturday.  The director is Pam Harrell of Lincoln.  It was presented by the Central Kansas Children's Theatre with special funding from the Estate of Vesta Wilson.  Shannon was Tall Alice.  There were thirty in the production.
 
Kansas History Note
 
The Year 1876 marked the 100th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  The people thoughout the State evinced a revived interest in the history of their country and their State.  Kansas participated in the Centennial Exposition of 1876 at Philadelphia.  The Legislature appropriated $30,000 for the exhibition.  A building was erected .  Space was shared with the State of Colorado.  There was a map showing by a star the location of every Kansas schoolhouse and is still preserved in the Capitol at Topeka.  Kansas received a certificate for the best collective exhibit, a first premium on fruit, a medal for a bound record book and a prize for the best farm wagon.
 
McCracken History Notes
 
July 1911
 
Many people over the country are requesting the ministers, and many ministers are granting the request, to set aside a day for prayer for rain.  The temperatures have been hovering around 112 degrees.
 
Miss Pearl Washaliski left Wednesday evening for Guerney, Wyoming, where she will visit her brother, E. W. Washaliski.
 
A. O. Irvin sold his restaurant to A. F. Marak, who has taken charge of the same.
 
July 1941
 
The area known as Cheyenne Bottoms is unique in the landscape of Kansas.  It consists of a roughly circular basin about eight miles in diameter, rimmed on all sides except the east by bluffs about 100' feet high.  The floor of the basin is remarkably flat and is decidedly marshy in places.  The basin seems best explained as as a unusually large sink hole.
 
July 10th and 11th saw the finish of harvest for Ed Allberts, F. M. Hardwick, Frank Foster, Fred Curtis and Hank Ree.  Some 170 cars have been shipped out of McCracken to date and this figure is growing daily.
 
July 1961
 
Joan Schuckman is attending Brown Mackie Business School in Salina.  She is a graduate of MHS.
 
Lee Fear caught his hand in a power saw Tuesday of last wek which resulted in a badly cut and broken finger.  Twenty-five stitches were required to close the wounds.
 
July 1981
 
Eleven McCracken students attended the Cental Kansas Basketball camp in Ellis last week.  Those attending were Reed Blackwell, Terry Showalter, Joel Miller, Kaira Miller, Debbie Gaunt, Michele Moran, Susan Thompson, Paul Crawshaw, Lance McCormick, Shawn Baus and Sean Miller.
 
USD 395 Board of Education approved LeeRoy Schuckman to transfer from McCracken High School to LaCrosse High School.