New technology involving hearing assist loops will be implemented at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City.

Opera House Co-Director Joe Markley explained how it will assist patrons. “It allows a patron with a hearing aid to sit adnd just touch the tcoil button on their hearing aid, and the sound that comes over our speakers in the theater goes directly into their hearing aid.”

Markley is hopeful the construction necessary for this project can begin this month with completion in the August – September time frame.

Rodeo competition and entertainment come to Junction City this Friday and Saturday, July 19th and 20th. The 26th annual version of the Junction City Rodeo will be held at the Fairgrounds arena just off South Spring Valley Road. Rodeo time is 7:20 p.m. each evening and there will be a Special Needs Rodeo on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Rodeo Association President Darryl Blocker said in addition to the rodeo events entertainment will be provided by the clown, Ty “Stormin Norman” Stewart and the Silver Buckle Drill team. The Fort Riley Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard who will be in attendance as well.  The rodeo queen will be crowned Saturday night.

There are a number of different rodeo events, said Blocker, “You’ve got the bull riding, saddle bronc, barrel racing, bareback, team roping and kid’s events such as mutton busting and the boot scramble.

You can get tickets in advance at Orscheln’s Farm & Home, 121 East Chestnut Street in Junction City. The price is $9 in advance and $10 for adults at the gate the evening of the rodeo. For children ages 6-12 they are $4 in advance and $5 at the gate.

The effort to collect school supplies for needy children in Geary USD 475 and St. Xavier schools began on Saturday. Members of the public had an opportunity to purchase supplies at Dillons on West 6th Street and at Walmart on East Chestnut Street. They could then turn them over to the United Way, who along with volunteers, will oversee their distribution to the schools in August.

Nicole Mahder, Executive Director of United Way of Junction City / Geary County, collected donations at Walmart and placed them on a school bus donated for the event by JC Transportation. “They have gone very well. The heat definitely kicked us a little bit but Geary County still showed up. We have stuffed that bus.”

Mahder added that some of the donations included two big boxes of composition notebooks, full boxes of three-ring binders, and numerous other boxes of supplies.

The collections will continue at Walmart on East Chestnut and Dillons on Saturday’s July 20th and 27th. The overall collection of supplies will continue until August 2nd. You can drop off supplies at the United Way office at 139 Eighth Street and at other select business locations.

The Director of the Military Affairs Council for the Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce, Craig Bender, would like to see more people from Junction City on the Flint Hills Veterans Coalition. He attended a recent meeting where there were only a couple members from Geary County present. The coalition is comprised mostly of Manhattan residents.

Bender stated, “No reason why Geary County, Junction City, shouldn’t be equal partners in supporting that. So we want to reach out to our veterans organizations as well as other military support organizations to kind of get over there and be a part of it so we can help them as well as help them help us.”

Bender updated the Military Affairs Council Advisory Committee on that topic this week.

Other information was provided by different council members and staff during a meeting on Thursday.

–Fort Riley plans to send only eight runners to the Army 10-miler in Washington D.C. this fall. But there will be a contingent representing Junction City in that race. The group will include Mickey Fornaro-Dean, Jeff Underhill, Allen Dinkel, Craig Bender and Charles Stimatze.

–David Fullmer will be the new incoming Deputy Garrison Commander.

–Kevin Lambert is the new 1st Infantry Division Chief of Staff.

–Approximately 6,200 Soldiers are deployed from Fort RIley. But there should be a nearly full contingent of troops on post in October, with most of those deployed returning to Fort Riley.

–There has been some discussion about getting some World War II veterans into an Honor Flight program based out of Wamego. Through the program those veterans can travel to Washington D.C. to view the memorials there.

–There is a proposal to make Junction City a POW / MIA city. It will go to the city commission. A  number of military related events are already done in the community.

–Fort Riley Day at KSU during the upcoming Wildcat football season will be on October 5th when K-State hosts Baylor.

The annual Stuff the Bus effort to gather school supplies for needy children begins on Saturday ( July 13 ) and continues through August 2 in Junction City.

The public can donate school supplies or money for that purpose at designated locations.

This Saturday items will be collected at the Walmart Supercenter on East Chestnut Street and at Dillons on West 6th Street from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.

 

The wheat harvest has produced strong bushel per acre yields in Geary County.

Extension Agent Chuck Otte indicated there are less acres of wheat planted now compared with 20 years ago. “But it was a very good year. There were some fields obviously that got harvested by hail back in May. But the fields that were left were outstanding. Yields were very good, well above normal. ” Otte added that he had heard a range of 60 to 85 bushels per acre.

Otte stated, ” Quality was down and we expected that. Protein was down, test weight was down, that’s because of all the rain that we had. But it more than made up for it with the amount of yield.”

Otte noted the harvest is nearly complete in Geary County.

EIsenhower Drive traffic has been detoured between 5th and 6th Streets this week while city public works crews repair a failed sanitary storm drain pipe.

Officials were hopeful of completing the project Friday ( July 12th ), but they still had to put 40 tons of asphalt down. Access was provided for home owners and businesses in the impacted block.

Many businesses already help military veterans with discounts, but the Director of the Military Affairs Council in Junction City, Craig Bender, wants to see a program implemented in Junction City and possibly Manhattan similar to one offered in other area cities.  “You put a sticker in a door as long as they ( businesses ) offer some type of discount to all veterans, retired military, active duty.”

Bender explained the idea to members of the Military Affairs Council Advisory Committee Thursday in Junction City. Participating businesses could be listed on a website. He goot feedback ranging from the belief that it is difficult for some small businesses to do discounts to the need for it to be all inclusive with all businesses encouraged to give a discount and pay no fee.

Bender said after the meeting that being all inclusive for businesses is the way to go. “Don’t want to exclude anybody. There’s already a lot out there that are doing it. I think by recognizing them you’re encouraging them to want to support as well.” Bender added officials always talk about how supportive the community is of the military and that might as well be recognized. “Make it known so that military can enjoy benefits that are being offered. ”

He noted that based on the input from the MAC Committee at the meeting there would probably not be a fee for business participation.

Heroes Pull is the name of an August 9th fundraiser for the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run. In this event each team will pull two different public safety vehicles, with the first one being the Junction City Police Department armored vehicle and the second still to be determined. The vehicles are pulled individually for time. The two times are combined and the team with the quickest combined time wins.

A team is comprised of as many people as desired, but the combined weight has to e under 1,500 pounds. The Heroes Pull is open to police, fire / EMS, military, civic leaders, high school / college sports teams. corporations, small businesses and anyone else who wants to put a team together. The entry fee is a minimum of $300 per team with all the funds raised going toward the Special Oympics of Kansas.

This event will be held in Junction City in conjunction with the Police Department’s Summer Block party where there will be other demonstrations and a movie in the park.

The back lawn of the Geary County Historical Museum was the site for a demonstration on Wednesday by the Fort Riley Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard. They performed on day one of the three-day Time Traveler Camp for youth ages 8 – 13.

The youth traveled back in time to become cavalry soldiers, learning about such things as making ropes used for army horses to learning about troops ate. Jennifer Dixon, Programs and Education Coordinator for the Historical Society, said the theme of the camp is Fort History. “This is a great opportunity for the kids to see that there weren’t tanks, there weren’t helicopters, people had ride horses to fight.”

Fort Riley was home to U.S. Cavalry units from its earliest days until the 1940s, when the Army transitioned away from horse-mounted forces. During days two and three at the camp the participating youth will lesarn about World War I and World War II.

Captain Patrick Nekey of the Color Guard said on Tuesday the troopers performed drill and ceremony for the audience, which also included some members of the general public. “Similar to what they would have taught at the U.S. Cavalry School at Fort Riley.” Nekey said they also performed the saber and pistol training courses. That was taught in the past at Fort Riley.