Sunflower State Book Festival Kicks off with Open House October 9th at Osborne Public Library

The first-ever Sunflower State Book Festival saw its inaugural festivities begin on Friday, October 9th at the Osborne Public Library in Osborne.  For three hours, from four in the afternoon to seven in the evening, library played host to an open house held in honor of Dr. James F. Hoy, Emporia State University professor and recipient of the very first Don Coldsmith Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement. 

Don Coldsmith (shown above) was a longtime Emporia, Kansas doctor who later in life turned to writing stories - about among other things - a Spaniard and his descendants living with Plains Indians in the 1500s and onward, inadvertedly inventing in the process an entirely new genre of American Western writing.  He passed away on June 25, 2009, having written 40 novels, 150 articles, 1600 newspaper columns, served a stint as president of the Western Writers Association of America, and recently was named one of the 50 greatest Western writers of all time.  Naming a Kansas literature award after this internationally-celebrated author was pretty much a no-brainer. 

The Don Coldsmith Award is sponsored annually by Ad Astra Publishing LLC of Osborne, Kansas - the co-owners of which are David Readio of Westminster, Colorado, and yours truly - and will be presented to a distinquished living Kansas author each year at the Sunflower State Book Festival.  

Karen Wallace, head librarian, made sure that cookies and cake were in readiness for the open house.

Dr. Hoy may have thought that the cake was a good enough award in itself!

Shown left to right are Roy Bird, Kansas State Librarian; Cathy (Mrs. James) Hoy; Jim Hoy; and Pamela Schrader of the Kansas State Library.

Karen Wallace and Roy Bird.

Cathy and Jim Hoy conversing with author Jerry Engler.

Joe Hubbard, local innkeeper of Riverbend Bed & Breakfast, shares a conversation with Merlyn Brown of Merlin Entertainment of Osborne, who filmed part of the open house.

Von Rothenberger of Osborne, left, makes a point with Carolyn and Bill Williams of Alton, Kansas.

Book Festival volunteer Kathy Bristol, center, and Osborne City Councilman John McClure, right, converse with KDSN FM personality covering the event.

The man of the hour, Jim Hoy, then spoke for nearly an hour to end the evening.  A Cassoday, Kansas native, Hoy talked to an appreciative audience about his research and writing on ranching life not only of the Flint Hills and the Great Plains but from around the world as well.  Hoy fielded numerous questions on his style of writing and his lengthy teaching and literary career.  

From Tornadoes to Turkville: Touring The Bemis Oil Field Region of Ellis County, KS

Saturday, October 3, 2009 was a perfect Kansas fall day of reasonably warm temperatures and calm winds - just perfect for a driving tour of the Bemis Oil Field region amid the hills of southeast Rooks, northeast Ellis, and northwest Russell Counties in North-Central Kansas.  The tour was sponsored by the Natoma Heritage Seekers of Natoma, Kansas, and by Osborne County Tourism of Osborne County, Kansas.

The tour group of eleven people met at 10:00AM at the community center in downtown Natoma.  Tour vehicles were organized and the caravan then headed west on Kansas Highway 18.

Ed Bright of the Natoma Heritage Seekers served as tour guide.

The first stop on the tour was in the small town of Codell in southwestern Rooks County.  Codell will forever be famous - or infamous - for being the only known community to ever be hit on the same day for three straight years by a tornado.  Because of the events of May 20, 1916, May 20, 1917, and May 20, 1918, the twentieth of May each year is still known as Tornado Day. 

Shown here photographing the former downtown of Codell, a newspaper reporter from the Hays Daily News tagged along for the tour. 

This concrete building in Codell used to house the Masonic Lodge.

The former Union Pacific Depot in Natoma was sold and moved here to Codell, where now it is a private residence.

Heading south from Codell, the next tour stop was at the Rooks-Ellis county line.  Known as King Hill, this point overlooks a section of road seen in the last cinematic shot of the 1973 movie Paper Moon.

A few more miles south and a winding oil road a mile or so west led the group to view the only original oil derrick still standing in Ellis County.  The oil well beneath is still producing.

The tour continued west and north along oil rock roads.  Each curve brought a new vista that topped each previously topless scenic vistas.  In many instances the shale underlying the limestone outcropping each hill was visible amid the turning red sumac.

The rugged hill country is still dotted with oil well after oil well, reflecting the recent rise in oil prices.

Amid the myriad of oil roads is Indian Head Rock, a largely-unknown Ellis County landmark that usually only oil workers get to see.

The base of Indian Head Rock is an area where the shale rock formation is accessible.  Found there are several examples of Septarian Concretions, a rock that has become the symbol of the Blue Hills of this region of Kansas.  Note the dark veins of calcite in the concretion.  The whitish remains of a marine fossil can also be seen throughout the rock.

From Indian Head Rock the tour headed north a few miles to the former community of Turkville, where a Bring Your Own Lawn Chair lunch break was taken.

One of the historical sites in the now ghost town of Turkville is the location of the Hilltop Cafe, which existed from the mid-1930s through the 1950s.  Never to be confused with an Architectural Wonder of Kansas, the small building nonetheless was known far and wide for its excellent food.

A neglected barn is all that now remains of one of Turkville's homesteads.

The ghost town does sport a native garden of yucca plants amid the sumac turned red by the cool fall weather.

A colony from Tennessee came to Ellis County in 1876 and founded the community of Turkville.  This group of Baptists founded the first Baptist church in Ellis County, and Reverend Allen D. King was the first pastor.  Most of its members were from King's extended family.  This foundation is now all that is left of the Turkville Baptist Church. 

East of the Turkville community is located the Norman Cemetery.  Each cemetery has its own charm and interesting tombstones, and this burial ground was no exception. 

This unusual marble stone memorializes William J. McAuley, a Civil War veteran who served in Company F of the 20th Regiment of the Connecticut Volunteers.

Turkville was named for colonist Ben Turk, who passed away in 1879.  The grave of his infant son and namesake lies in the Norman Cemetery.

The final tour stop was at Doug Pruter's elk herd in the extreme northeastern portion of Ellis County.  Pruter has been maintaining this herd for the past eight years, averaging around 55 to 60 animals. 

About 4:00PM the tour ended and was deemed a great success.  Everyone agreed that there is a lot to see and do in Rural Kansas!

From Farmer's Market to Scottish Festival to Corn Maze in One Weekend

Let's face it - I needed to get out of town for the weekend, and my sister Sue was bored and wanted somebody to do something with.  So on Friday evening, September 25th, I headed to Salina for a weekend of seeing what we could find to entertain ourselves.  We ended up with no less than eight really cool things. 

But then, we are easy to entertain!

(1) First on the weekend agenda:  get up early on Saturday morning, September 26th, and visit Salina's Farmer's Market on its second-to-last weekend for the year.  Really fresh vegetables at a reasonable price were nothing to sneeze at - nor were the steaks, pork chops, and watermelon.  A good time was had by all; so much we went home to deposit our booty and came right back for more!

(2) Then it was 9:00AM and time to hit the annual book sale at the Salina Public Library.  I came away with everything from Reader's Digest: Great Biographies to Old Santa Fe: The History of New Mexico's Ancient Capital to The Egyptian Book of the Dead.  The last is everything you ever imagined it to be.

(3) To the west of Salina the cowtown of Ellsworth was throwing a Cowtown Festival, which sounded like it might be worth a visit.  We arrived in town at 12:10PM and decided that we had best eat first and then tackle the Festival.  So we headed for KC's Cafe on the north end of Ellsworth, across from the state penitentiary.  As we parked the car the bear of a cook came out the front door, glared at us, spit into an old coal bin by the side of the door, and disappeared back inside.  You gotta admit, the place was already showing plenty of atmosphere in terms of location and colorful characters.

And then the food!  Sue ordered a hot ham sandwich, and it was no thin slivers of ham, but hot, succulent hunks that I was enviously told did indeed taste evenl better than it looked and smelled.  Myself I ordered the buffalo burger and fries, and did my very best to devour them as fast as I could.  The bear of a cook needn't continue to glare at us from the kitchen as he did indeed continue to do; we were won over.  Attention, all Kansas Explorer Club members:  KC's Cafe, open Tuesday thru Saturday 7AM-2PM & 5PM-9PM, and Sundays 7AM-2PM.  Try it.  You WILL like it.

(4) After that satisfying lunch we figuring on heading downtown and taking in a few of the no doubt many Festival events, only to discover that there were virtually no major events scheduled from noon through 3:00PM.  Sigh.  So following a jaunt through the Ellsworth Antique Mall  and a couple of other Explorer-type haunts we folded back into the car and started back east to Salina on Kansas Highway 140.

(5) Only to discover along the way something to soothe our disappointed Explorer souls - several llamas enjoying an nice day at a farm pond and dam.   Still an odd site in the Sunflower State, the llamas had to share the pasture with a burro that lay curled and contented on the far side of the pond to the left in both of the above pictures.

                                                 

(6) The day was not over, as we later headed for supper at Salina's Napoli's Italian Restaurant on South Ohio Street.  Really fresh rolls, pasta, Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin crooning in the background.  Highly recommended!

(7) Then it was up again on Sunday, September 27th, and with my niece Katie in tow with us, we took a drive south on Interstate 35 to McPherson for the annual Scottish Festival, often reported to be one of the top 100 small town events in all of America.  It was a perfect day to take in the sights and the ongoing Highland Games.   The two competitors above were trying to heave an iron ball over the high bar. 

Later the McPherson Pipes Band paraded on the Parade Ground to the delight of the crowd. 

They were followed by the annual Dogs on Parade.  If you had a dog, you got to show it off.

Being a true Explorer, I took it upon myself to try a Haggis Pup - a sausage made from the official food of Scotland. 

 

Okay, so after two or three chews I was considering that this might NOT have been the best choice to make . . . but I persevered and can now say that I have tried it!

We then viewed the sheep dog demonstrations, took in the many Scottish & Irish clan genealogy booths, spent some time perusing the vendor tents, ate homemade ice cream & shepherd's pie, and then it was back to the Highland Games and the Tossing of the Caber.  Just getting it balanced, as the guy in the photo above demonstrated, seemed to no small feat in itself.

This competitor flung the Caber fairly well . . . .

But this competitor really flung the Caber!  The winner!

There was a concert by the McPherson Pipes Band with some members of the Wichita Caledonian Pipes Band to take in before we called it a day and started back north.

(8) But we weren't done yet!  At Bridgeport we forsook the Interstate and turned onto rock roads to find the Smoky Hill Bison Company, who had a full Fall Family Adventure setup going.  The first thing for us to do was to brave the Great Corn Maze.  There were ten Stops inside, at which if you had your cell phone with you, you could call for hints.  Somehow we went from Stop 1 to Stop 3 without ever finding Stop 2, but with only 8 or 9 dead ends we managed to traverse the entitre course (without cheating!) in about 25 minutes. 

(8) Then it was time to try the Zip Chute, just a short swing across a gully.  Sue went first, and then I somehow worked my way into the harness and took off.  Fun, fun, fun.  Katie followed and all were satisfied with a great day and a great weekend of finding lots to do in Rural Kansas!

Quarter Programs for the Next Decade

I've been a fan of the recently-completed decade-long U.S. State Quarters Program, building my collection the old-fashioned way, by going through my change day after day and year after year.

Only recently I've been apprised of the news of what the United States Mint has in mind for the next ten years, and so thought I  might share it with those lucky enough to read it here.  Even if you are not a coin collector, you might want to take a second look at your change over the next few years, as we are all sure to learn more about America itself.

First, in 2009, the Mint has been and will be releasing quarters honoring the District of Columbia and all five U.S. Territories.  The quarters are being released in this order:

o The District of Columbia

o The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico

o Guam

o American Samoa

o The United States Virgin Islands

o The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

Then, starting in 2010, the United State Mint will launch the America is Beautiful Quarter Program.   By 2021 56 quarters will celebrate the spectacular preserved scenery of the entire country, and will feature sites from all 50 states, the five territories, and the District of Columbia.  Alas, Kansans, we must wait until 2020 to see our coin!   The release schedule for the 56 quarters is as follows:

Year:    Location - Site - Date Established (m/d/yyyy):

2010     Arkansas  Hot Springs National Park  4/20/1832
             Wyoming  Yellowstone National Park  3/1/1872
             California  Yosemite National Park  10/1/1890
             Arizona Grand Canyon National Park  2/20/1893
             Oregon Mt. Hood National Forest  9/28/1893
2011     Pennsylvania  Gettysburg National Military Park  2/11/1895
             Montana Glacier National Park  2/22/1897
             Washington Olympic National Park  2/22/1897
             Mississippi  Vicksburg National Military Park  2/21/1899
             Oklahoma  Chickasaw National Recreation Area  7/1/1902
2012     Puerto Rico    El Yunque National Forest  1/17/1903
             New Mexico  Chaco Culture National Historical Park   3/11/1907
             Maine   Acadia National Park    7/8/1916
             Hawaii  Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park   8/1/1916
             Alaska   Denali National Park  2/26/1917
2013     New Hampshire  White Mountain National Forest  5/16/1918
             Ohio   Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial    3/3/1919
             Nevada   Great Basin National Park  1/24/1922
             Maryland  Fort McHenry National Monument & Historic Shrine  3/3/1925
             South Dakota  Mount Rushmore National Memorial  3/3/1925
2014     Tennessee  Great Smoky Mountains National Park   5/22/1926
             Virginia   Shenandoah National Park  5/22/1926
             Utah    Arches National Park   4/12/1929
             Colorado   Great Sand Dunes National Park  3/17/1932
             Florida  Everglades National Park   5/30/1934
2015     Nebraska Homestead National Monument of America   3/19/1936
             Louisiana  Kisatchie National Forest  6/3/1936
             North Carolina   Blue Ridge Parkway  6/30/1936
             Delaware  Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge   6/22/1937
             New York Saratoga National Historical Park  6/1/1938
2016     Illinois  Shawnee National Forest  9/6/1939
             Kentucky  Cumberland Gap National Historical Park   6/11/1940
             West Virginia  Harpers Ferry National Historical Park  6/30/1944
             North Dakota  Theodore Roosevelt National Park 2/25/1946
             South Carolina  Fort Moultrie (Fort Sumter National Monument)  4/28/1948
2017     Iowa   Effigy Mounds National Monument 10/25/1949
             District of Columbia  Frederick Douglass National Historic Site   9/5/1962
             Missouri    Ozark National Scenic Riverways  8/27/1964
             New Jersey  Ellis Island National Monument (Statue of Liberty)  5/11/1965
             Indiana   George Rogers Clark National Historical Park 7/23/1966
2018     Michigan  Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore  10/15/1966
             Wisconsin  Apostle Islands National Lakeshore   9/26/1970
             Minnesota  Voyageurs National Park  1/8/1971
             Georgia  Cumberland Island National Seashore 10/23/1972
             Rhode Island  Block Island National Wildlife Refuge 4/12/1973
2019     Massachusetts  Lowell National Historical Park   6/5/1978
             Northern Mariana Islands    American Memorial Park  8/18/1978
             Guam  War in the Pacific National Historical Park   8/18/1978
             Texas  San Antonio Missions National Historical Park   11/10/1978
             Idaho   Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness   7/23/1980
2020     American Samoa   National Park of American Samoa  10/31/1988
             Connecticut  Weir Farm National Historic Site 10/31/1990
             U.S. Virgin Islands  Salt River Bay National Historical Park
                                            & Ecological Preserve   2/24/1992
              Vermont  Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park 8/26/1992
              Kansas   Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve  11/12/1996
2021      Alabama  Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site  11/6/1998


For further information, see the United State Mint's formal website at http://www.usmint.gov/.