August 26

The McCracken Beautification meeting was held August 16th in the McCracken Library.  The following members were in attendance: Twila Higgins, Jean Schutte, Norma McNair, Roger McNair and Susan Davis.  Items discussed: Carol Brown and Marge Sloan will be crafting a Christmas quilt that will be on display the first of October in Boondocks and raffled off December 1st.  The proceeds will be donated to the Beautification Project.  Watering and planting needs were discussed.  John and Sharon Irvin have agreed to donate the use of their auger to plant the trees.  Members will sign up for watering duties at the next meeting to be held on August 24th in the McCracken Library.  Anyone may attend these meetings.  The committee also discussed having a fall festival/Oktoberfest in the McCracken Park.  Details and date of the festival will be discussed on August 24th.   The committee discussed future beautification projects such as purchasing additional Christmas lights and having breakfast during the opening of pheasant season. 
The following persons have made donations since the last meeting:  Jesse and Jolene Showalter of Bloomington Illinois, Stephanie Stephens Leawood, Kansas, Lanette Matthews, Lawrence Kansas, John and Sharon Hanson Columbia, South Carolina and one anonymous donation.  A special thank you to these people and all others who have helped with this project of beautification!
Updates will continue to be provided to the community.
 
David and Brenda Mills, Elsmore, Kansas, were recent visitors of Addie Mills. David is the youngest son of Willard and Mildred Mills.
 
Don Doornbos moved Caitlin Prinzo to Weatherford, OK last Saturday. She's attending Southwest OK State University. She's adjusting well to college, but not liking the community washer and dryer situation. Her new car is running great!!!  A special thank you to Tina Elias, Shelly Derr, Diane McFarren, Lynnette Doornbos, and the "Little Peeps" for helping clean the McCracken Pool after the storm. The little divers were a big help!
 
Addie Mills visited with Maurice Klee at McCrite Plaza Health Care Center in Topeka last Saturday. Cellie Klee, Patty Klee Schmitt, Ashley Schmitt and Nan Klee Williams were also there. On Tuesday Maurice was moved to his home on Council Grove City Lake with Hospice and Home Health people assisting in his care.
 
Geri and Roger Prather, were weekend guests of Rose and Les Diehl in McCracken. They are their good friends from Topeka. They helped clean up the glass from the broken window at the Smoky Antique Store. Mary Dunn, also from Topeka spent the weekend painting the Diehl’s’ garage. They all helped clean up the lots, Tony’s, Edmundson’s and the Diehls by picking up all the little limbs.  Les and Rose have a galvanized wash tub and black trash can that blew into their yard from the storm. Come claim it.
 
Roger and Les had a great time at the glo-ball tournament held in McCracken Saturday night. Players were Tony Harp & Butch Harp who placed 1st; Brad Erb, Kevin Witthuhn, Eldon Witthuhn, Hal Witthuhn, Jeff Werth, Brad Corsair, and two other players. They all had such a great time they want to have another tournament. Watch for signs.
 
Rose and Les appreciate the ‘wonderful’ Sue Davis for mowing their store lots.
 
Geri Prather is now a customer for Austin’s Scentsy!!
 
Kevin and Valerie Anderson’s home was zapped by lightning last week.
 
Addie Mills was a last Saturday evening visitor of Danny, Marilyn and Brandon Mills at Gorham enroute from Topeka. Addie missed the tornado by only a few minutes!!
 
Ellen Davis Kershner helped at Boondocks Friday evening waiting tables.  She is just as good as she was ?? years ago!!
 
We have sold the last Volume I McCracken History Book. There are a ‘few’ Volume II and Hampton books left. We have the Volume III book available, if you want a good research book for obituaries you need to have this book.  Thanks for all your purchases.

 Neal, Amy, Tessa,  Jaden Jacobs and Jenna Huckriede    Pete Rixon, Priscella  Mitch and Terry  Anton and Caden Foust  Joy and Kirby Petz    Sandra and Sean  spent the evening at the farm  with Craig Rixon and Deb On the  new deck!  
 
Craig and Deb received a very nice thank you note from the Neal and Amy family for the evening, seeing the farm and reminiscing about the Rixon history!
 
 Rose Diehl is cleaning at Smokey Hill Traders and upstairs in the apartments she found Edd Weesner's Stetson hat sitting on a chair.  Also found were two receipts - one from Salina Concrete Products for Haydite blocks on June 20, 1955 and a receipt from F. K. Bower, M. D. for $2.00 on May 23, 1955.  The hat and items were given to the Jail/Museum.
 
Ron and Ruth Crawshaw brought her mother, Bernadine Gray, over to McCracken for a picnic at the home of Bill and Paula Greenway.
 
Birthdays:  August 26, Chris Petz, Martin Pfannenstiel, Rodney Taylor, Freddie Taylor, Christi Schneider, Gary Walker, Ava North; August 27, Grace Beisner; August 28, Dena Irvin, Crystal Hovey; August 29, Karin Casey, Daryl Casey, Ella Prosser, Lynn Miles, Sean Bookstore; August 30, LeAnn Knight, Wilfrid Higgins, Brandon Peach; August 31, Kayla Diane Irvin, Kellynn Petz; September 1, Celeste Davis.
 
Anniveraries:  August 27, Jesse and Jolene Showalter; August 29, John and Melanie Zeller; August 30, George and Marilyn Sommers, Bruce and Carol Barnes; September 1, Eric and Sarah Washaliski, Barry and LeAnn Knight, Terry and Carol Herdman, Rob and Helena McGaughey
 
Make plans to attend the Bald Eagle Rendezvous at Constitution Hall State Historic Site in Lecompton on September 23-25.  History reenactors will portray a mountain man, plainsman and traders.  They will conduct skill demonstrations while living in period lodges and tents.  Demonstrations include campfire cooking, hide tanning, flint and steel fire starting, beadwork, scrimshaw, gunsmithing and tomahawk and knife throwing.  This event is free and would be perfect for the whole family.  Use this website for information:   http//www.kshs.org/places/constitution.      You can also contact Tim Rues at consthall@kshs.org 
 
Many more places were damaged in the “tornado” we had in McCracken.  Here are a few.  A set of bleachers was dumped over the fence at the rodeo ground and into the middle of the arena; the signs that were by the chutes were on the west side of the arena; Celly Stremel’s windmill south of town was blown over; the fence around the Davis building had tin blown away; Mike Conner had damage to his shed east of the football field;  Tony Harp lost the south side of the roof on his farm shed; Joann Micheli lost a shed; fences were blown down at Hoop and Twila Higgins and Russ Linsey’s, one was blown south the other north (they live next door); there was damage across the street at the Winter home; the Mustang Sign at the north edge of town was broken off the frame;  the damage to trees was severe (much thanks to everyone who removed the trees to the city dump).  The most impressive structure was Bruce Davis’ building.  He had the roof blown off some time ago, but they told him to put it back solid – which he and his friends did – and it withstood the wind – congratulations.   It was truly a scary event.  It amazes us that no one from the weather bureau picked up on our loss.  Those watching the radar said the color coming at us was purple, but no one warned us to blow the sirens.  We truly appreciate the kindness of those who checked to see that we “Senior Citizens” were OK.    Michele Moran is to be thanked for calling Lane/Scott, the Sheriff etc to get help when the transformer was on fire which resulted in our power outage.  We are sure glad to live in McCracken where people care.  We commiserate with our friends in Ness City who suffered extreme lost due to the hail.
 
At book club last fall we read the book “Eat, Pray, Love”.  On Friday Tomi Rues, Susan Rebel and Carolyn Thompson went to see the movie with Julia Roberts.  The scenery from Italy, India and Indonesia was spectacular and the characters enjoyable.  The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, has written a sequel, entitled “Committed”.  We hope there will be a sequel to the movie. Our book club will begin again soon.  Watch for details from our leader, Tomi.  Everyone is welcome.
 
Sandie Emerson, Pueblo, Colorado, has renewed her membership in the museum.  She also gave a memorial in memory of Ada Murnahan Juvenal.
 
Deb Gaunt and Eric Scriven attended Cowtown Days at Ellsworth on Saturday.  They had a booth of Eric’s western end and coffee tables.  They stayed with Mike, Susan and Shannon Keith. 
 
McCracken History Notes
 
1887 item given to us by Lorraine Ryan and prepared by the late Charlotte Fluharty.
 
“On Dec. 3, 1886 McCracken was organized with the following officers:  J. K. McCracken, B. F. Coughenour, E. S. Chenoweth and E. C. Moderwell.  J. K. McCracken was a Missouri Pacific Rail Road Official – and of course it was for him the town was named.  G. A. Hovey selected the first lot for business.  He also constructed the first business building, having purchased the first load of lumber ever hauled to the town site.  On that third day of December, the new Missouri Pacific Rail Road was just passing over the west Rush County line.  The town had it’s first bad fire on Mar. 1, 1887 when the principal loser was Mr. Limen Temple.  On March 26, 1887, the first child was born, a girl, to a Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Bennett, the furniture man.  McCracken got her first post office, by the same name, Apr. 1, 1887.  On October 1, 1887, ten months after it’s founding, McCracken had three busy hotels, three large livery barns, two hardware stores, one drug store, one extra large meat market (supplying meat not only for the hotels and the citizens, but also for the rail road for her construction crew clear to Leoti).  McCracken had one feed and grain store, one lumber yard, one harness and saddle shop, one photograph gallery, one wagon and blacksmith shop, one millinery store (this was a women’s hat store), one brick yard, and many other small business shops and boarding houses.  In 1887, McCracken had one bank (established by Jas. Warden, Coughenour, and Chenoweth), one wonderful doctor, S. W. Dutton, who had been a Confederate soldier in the Civil War.  He had come from Kentucky in 1878 and homesteaded about three miles South of the present site of McCracken, and one news paper, “Enterprise”, started by Mr. H. B. Newton.  The town of McCracken saw her most booming days from 1887 to 1893.  Her civil and business leaders at that time have never since been equaled.  The first school held in McCracken was in the SUMMER of 1887.  It was in a small SOD building in the N. E. corner of town.  The teacher was J..M .N. Parker; but school was held that winter of 1887 – “88 in a large store building.  The teachers were J. M. N. Parker and Girty Camp.
 
Also included in Lorraine’s gift was a note written by P.J.J. (Pat Jennings).  He wrote, “First St. Light in McCracken – 1887.  Geo. Keer – Lamp Lighter -  S.Y.Y. Corner Main and Railroad St. -  First Train, Dec 1886”  (This street light is located at the  home of Lorraine Ryan).
 
We thank all those with kind words when we were off for two weeks from the column.  It is nice everyone understands.  We decided it was a perfect time because the paper used the space to devote to the 100th anniversary of the Fair.
 
August 1910
Entre Nous College, whose initials are also the initials of “Everything Nicely Conduced”, will open its fifth annual session on September 5, 1910 for an eight month term.
 
It is stated without doubt that when Colonel Roosevelt passed through McCracken on the east bound flyer the evening of August 30th, the lateness of the hour  prevented any speechmaking.  Judge Stock was the only man honored by Mr. Roosevelt with a hand shake.  The judge is 84 years of age.
 
The First Annual Rush County Fair will be held at Kennedy’s Grove, Rush Center, August 30, 31 and September 1.
 
August 1940
John Alvin Janke and Miss Elizabeth Moore were united in marriage August 25 in Great Bend.  After a brief visit with the Janke families they returned to Dodge City where they will make their home.  Alvin is employed by Wesley Steinhoff, contractor.
 
Fred Sultzer is advertising a farm sale at the place seven miles northeast of McCracken.  He has decided to quit farming and plans to move into McCracken.
 
Mrs. Susan Wagner and Bard Stephens left for Pennsylvania where Susan will visit indefinitely with relatives and friends and Bard has a position with the Bethlehem Steel Works in Pittsburg.  Stephanie Stephens writes about the above item. 
“Thank you for the item about my dad and great grandmother. My dad actually moved on to Quincy, MA to work in Bethlehem’s accounting department there. My parents were married in Boston on Dec. 22, 1940. They lived in Quincy until 1943 when my dad went over seas.”
 
August 1960
Mr. and Mrs. A. S. Metz and Mr. and Mrs. M. D. Buxton spent Saturday night at Cedar Bluff Dam.  Mr. and Mrs. King Mason accompanied them there for a picnic supper Saturday evening.
 
Eddie Schwartzkopf, Hays, won the annual McCracken golf tournament.  Ninety golfers entered the tournament.  Shelly Shellenberger, youthful Ransom golfer, captured second place.
 
A truck belonging to Gerald Walker was completely destroyed by fire Friday when a load of Hay which Dwight Eisenhour was hauling in the truck caught fire from the exhaust.  The fire occurred near the Kenneth Case farm northwest of town.
 
August 1980
Jeff Scheuerman, Chad Herdman, Chris Jones Shawn McKinney and Mike Stull are attending the Tiger Football Camp at Ft. Hays
 
Oliver Pearson was honored at the Masonic Lodge.  All former students were in attendance.  He is moving to Canyon, Texas.
 
The WKTC ended its summer track season by hosting the Triathlon-pentathlon-decathlon championships.  Joel Miller finished fourth in the bantam boys; Susan Thompson finished third and Kaira Miller sixth in the midget girls; Jeff Scheuerman was first and Sean Miller was fourth in the junior division.