RCNews July 31
A memorial to the McCracken Alumni has been given to Kenny Mills from Kenneth and Opal Mills.
 
Gary Barnes and Colleen Kerns attended the Professional Bull Riding event in Tulsa last weekend.  Gary was wearing his McCracken Rodeo shirt, a fella behind him asked him if e was from McCracken and if he knew Wendell and Gladys Hinman.  It was James and Shari Coldren, a niece of Gladys.  Gary said the bull riding was ‘phenomenal’.  He also said the casino pays real well down the road from Tulsa, south of Ponca City.
 
LOOKING BACK:
9/1952 Julius Unrein, Brownell was fined $5 and costs for double parking in LaCrosse; Norbert Urban is to appear before the court on the charge of speeding.
9/52 A record number of cattle were handled by the Rush County Sale last Friday.  A total of 1,300 head were run through the ring.  Bidding was spirited with buyers present from Iowa, Nebraska and Illinois.  The 1,300 head brought a total of $132,000.  Top price for the sale was 26 ? cents per pound.  They brought an average of a little over $100 each.
 
I received a call from Roy Langdon Sunday evening.  He was just checking to see how things were in the area.  His dad, John, celebrated his birthday the 29th.  They plan to be here for pheasant season.
 
Diana McNair returned home Tuesday afternoon from Salina after having surgery on Monday.
 
A nice crowd of Hoisington football fans attended the Shrine Bowl game in Emporia Saturday evening.  Several Hoisington high school girls were on the cheer-leading squad.  Cameron Horesky was a member of the West football team.  The West won by one point, 29-28 when a 2 point conversion pass with 20 seconds remaining was caught.  There was almost an hour rain and lightning delay in the second quarter.  Jerry, Tanner, Jenna, Chuck, Zach, Lonnie, Tammy, Kyra, Kayla, Nicole, Shirley, Les & Rose were in attendance.  Many thanks to Diz and Lorraine for tickets.
 
A suburban full of LaCrosse students attended the Shrine Bowl game in Emporia Saturday evening.  Also in attendance were Coach Bill & Kathy Keeley & family.  Mike Powell was a member of the West football team.  Jackie Casey was in attendance as a sponsor for Valerie Foos, a cheerleader.
 
Our thanks to the Rush County News, Dean Gilbert and Bill Zeller for alumni/rodeo pictures to be posted on the web site.
 
McCracken Library Board Meeting information:  We are in the process of setting some goals, one of which is to try to meet the needs, wants and desires of the town.  If people would stop by the library to tell us what kind of reading material you would like - books, magazines, audios.  The Board of Trustees also discussed the need to add cabinets and shelves for storage and the possibility of one or two evenings to learn more about your cell phones and what you can accomplish with them.  Another possibility is adding another computer and setting up beginners and advanced computer classes.  We would like to hear from the public.  We have started making plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the “new” library.
 
Renewing members of the Jail/Museum are Reba Davenport Baker, Ron and Cathy Casey, Les and Sheryl Rogers.
 
Mike, Susan and Shannon Keith and Carolyn Thompson attended the Allison Baalman – Joel Polifka wedding on Saturday at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Grinnell.  The Keiths returned Friday evening from a trip to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, Yellowstone, the Tetons and Colorado Springs (they drove to the top of Pikes Peak).
 
Have you seen what is called “Murphy’s Hole”. The late Lester Ramsey told about one and Drewie McGaughey painted a picture of his description.  It is a donut hole in a cloud which allows the sun to shine through and has rays all around the cloud.  I saw one the other day.  Lester also use to talk about sundogs and how you could expect a storm in the near future.  It is a yellowish color in the sky near a cloud.
 
The heat last week was oppressive.  It was such a relief to get a day of drizzly weather.
 
McCracken History Notes
August 1908
 
The Jennings’ have 100 stacks of wheat which is in good shape and began threshing yesterday.
 
The people of Brownell and adjacent territory had a big celebration on the opening of a new bank there, of fairly good crops, the general prosperity of the country and town.  Probably a thousand people were there and they came from everywhere, as far east as LaCrosse and as far west as Utica.  The McCracken band played and received many favorable comments.  The bank is called the State Bank of Brownell.  The personnel of the bank is composed of E. S. Chenoweth, president; Ira Butler, vice-president; Carl Newcomer, cashier.  Directors are G. M. Ryan, Daniel Stoddart, Thomas Ryan, G. W. Tunnel, Ira Butler, Frank Edwards and E. S. Chenoweth.
 
August 1938
The Juvenal sales will be held every Saturday beginning August 6.  Bring your livestock, all kinds of furniture, machinery, any articles you wish to sell.  Starts at 1:30 p.m.  Bert Juvenal
 
Hampton Township voters cast 142 ballots Tuesday and Charles Krause defeated Herman Pratt in the Sheriff race.
 
August 1948
P. B. Metz of McCracken knew Gen. John J. Pershing ‘way back when “Black Jack” was just a shavetail – second lieutenant.  Metz was a trooper in the Sixth cavalry at Fort Bayard, N.M., in 1884.  Pershing joined the troop there as a second lieutenant fresh from West Point.  At Metz’ home is a photograph taken of the officer’s station at Fort Bayard, among them the young Lieut. Pershing.  Metz saw active service in the Apache Indian war in the ‘80s, being stationed first at Fort Cummings, near Deming, N.M., and later at Fort Bayard.
 
Former Rush countians who now live in California met at Bixby Park in Long Beach for an annual reunion and picnic.  Lucille Robertson Teter, who resides at 1134 Alhambra Court in Long Beach is the secretary of the organization.
 
Mr. and Mrs. Emmett Sloan are parents of an eight pound, six ounce daughter, Ruth Ann, born Thursday, July 21, at the Hadley Memorial hospital in Hays.
 
R. M. Plotner, who has been acting postmaster of the McCracken Post Office for the past two years and eight months, received his commission Saturday.
 
August 1958
Sister Mary Finian (Jean) Moran, O. F. B., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Moran, received her Master’s Degree in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend.
 
The Rush County bumper crop produced a 28 bushel per acre average this year.
 
August 1968
Kim Elmore and Floyd Norlin are members of the Rush County Sing Out Group.
 
Through the unification act of 1963 the number of school districts was cut from 1,847 to 335.  Two-third of Kansas High Schools still enroll fewer than 200 students.
 
Born to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Thompson, a daughter, Susan Jayne, July 28, at Ransom.  (Happy belated 40th birthday to my daughter).
 
August 1978
Lanny Morgan and Jason Peters were in the Toddler contest at the Rush County Fair.
 
Kate Ryan, Evelyn Higgins and Lucy Vogle went to Gering, Nebraska to attend the wedding of Sue Ellen Higgins on July 19.
 
Members of the Alexander Whippets 4-H Club displaying their years’ work at the Rush County Fair were Kris and Kerri Bromlow, Gary Barnes, Jay Brack, Brenda Barnes, Carl Dome, Michael Hays, Jim and Vikki Hopkins, Melissa Morgan, Tonya Mangold, Sean Miller, Jeff and Alaura Scheuerman, Jerri Swindler, Tricia Seltman and Sharon Wells.
 
August 1988
Swim for Heart was held at the McCracken Pool on Thursday.  Those participating
were Lindsay Groff, Megan Carpenter, Donnie Wittman and Tyrel Elias.  Pool staff and coordinators for the event were John Moran, Susan Thompson, Nicole Moran, Kristi Schreiber and Treva Wilson.
 
August 1998
Paul and Judy Moran took Mary Ann Moran to Kansas City on Thursday so she could attend the 50th anniversary of her cousin Imelda (Dahm) and Leo Johnson.
 
Emily Rogers, Caleb Schumake, Rob, Helena and Austin McGaughey and Johnny Mac Showalter attended the races in WaKeeney last Sunday.
 
Terrill Trout and Michelle Werner have moved to McCracken and are living in Francis Zeller’s AG house.