The new exhibit “G is for Goat Gland: An alphabetical History of Geary County,” opens at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Geary County Historical Museum.

Officials at the museum allowed JC Post to take some preview photos of that exhibit.

Auld Road on the west side of Milford Lake north of the School Creek area has been barricaded due to water crossing the roadway.

Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges provided the information, noting there is one residence on that roadway, but there is second access to that property. ” There’s also some public hunting up there so it could affect some public hunting areas around Milford Lake. It should not affect most people, though.”

Houston Road on the east side of the lake going into the City of Milford, was barricaded to traffic about two weeks ago due to high water across the road.

The measures had to be taken due to the high water elevation of Milford Lake, which is more than 11 feet above normal conservation pool level.

A new Geary County Historical Museum exhibit “G is for Goat Gland: an Alphabetical History of Geary County opens Saturday at 1 p.m.

Museum Curator Heather Hagedorn said work has been underway on the exhibit since last fall. She said G is for Goat Gland is only one part of the exhibit. “But it is one of the most important parts because it is representing Dr. Brinkley in Milford, who was known for being kind of an eccentric guy in the 1920’s. He performed surgeries on men and women that involved inserting parts of goats where they shouldn’t have been in humans.”

Brinkley ran the hospital in Milford, started one of the first radio stations in the nation and was two time candidate for governor of Kansas.

Also in the exhibit, “R” is for Rathert Field where parts of the green stadium seats have been created, “O” is for Opera House and “E” is for epidemic because of the 1918 Spanish flu epidemic began at Fort Riley.

Humanities Kansas Speaker Jerry Harper will speak at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Museum on the topic, “Feel Your Oats ( With Help from a Goat )” about the strange life of Dr. J.R. Brinkley.

The Geary County Republican Central Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday in a convention to select and make a recommendation to fill the vacant unexpired term for the Geary County Sheriff’s position.

The Geary County Republican Party Chair Rick Roberts said the convention will be called to order at 10 a.m. at the Geary County 4-H / Senior Center. “It is open to the public but only the delegates ( precinct committee men and precinct committee women ) are going to be the ones that are submitting questions in or submitting nominations for the position of sheriff.”

Precinct committee men and women who make nominations can make comments about whey they are nominating a candidate, delegates will submit questions, each candidate will have time for question and answer, and then the process of voting will begin. Multiple ballots could be necessary to determine a top vote-getter. The committee’s recommendation will then go to the governor.

Roberts said the central committee is taking this process very seriously. The unexpired term runs until January of 2021.

The need to fill the vacancy follows the recent conviction of former Sheriff Tony Wolf of one felony count of Theft and one misdemeanor count of Misuse of Public Funds. Wolf was required to resign from the sheriff’s position.

Geary Community Match Day will be on Tuesday, May 14th. It’s an opportunity for growth for area organizations that strive to do good work in the community, and for the public to support those causes.

According to an online posting by the Greater Geary Community Foundation on Match Day donations made through the Foundation to participating funds will receive a 50% match that can be used for their most crucial needs. This will be at the Junction City Municipal Building Auditorium from 7 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Online gifts can be made between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. on May 14th. Visit the website https://www.gearymatchday.com/. On that day the homepage will become the giving form where you can indicate how much you’d like to give to each fund.

Geary Community Match Day participants include Aging Well, Inc., C.L. Hoover Opera House, Delivering Change, Inc., First Presbyterian Church, Geary Community Schools Foundation, Geary County Historical Society, Highland Cemetery Associatiion, Junction City Community Baseball Club/JC Brigade, Konza Prairie Community Health Center, Little Theater Foundatio, Inc., The I.C.A.R.E. Center, Wheels of Hope, Inc., Boy Scouts of America – Konza District Coronado Area Council, CASA of the 8th Judicial District, Dorothy Bramlage Public Library Foundation, Quality Play for All, Geary Community Healthcare Foundation, Geary County Fish & Game Association, Inc., Geary County Senior Citizens, Inc., Junction City Arts Council, Junction City Family YMCA Inc., Ladies Reading Club and United Way of Junction City/Geary County.

Nathan Butler has filed for election to the Junction City Commission.

The former USD 475 Board of Education member said he does not have an agenda. He pointed to the accomplishment of the current city commission in getting a good footing to retire the City’s debt.

Butler noted that if there something he would work to change in the future it would be the South Washington – I-70 corridor entrance on the south side of the city. ” We’ve got the 77-18 entrance and the Chestnut entrances, are pretty entrances now. They’re beautiful when you come in. But Washington needs something done there.” Butler added it’s one of the first things people see coming off of I-70. He feels that’s an area that could be concentrated on for beautification over the next few years.

Butler is a retired military service member, former civil service employee at Fort Riley, former pastor of the FIrst Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, started a new church in Kentucky and then returned to Junction City about two years ago. He is now working with Re/Max as a sales associate and also as a consultant with churches in north central Kansas.

The filing deadline for election is Monday, June 3rd.

A total of 240 volunteers picked up 2,340 pounds or 1.17 tons of debris and trash during Operation Clean Sweep on Saturday.

City officials reported that the 11th annual Earth Day celebration was a city-wide clean-up of public properties. During the 11-year period, volunteers have removed more than 33,185 pounds or 16.59 tons of trash from City parks, entryways and public properties.

The City of Junction City CLEAN Team said thank you to all of the people who have volunteered their time. Participating organizations were also thanked included B & B Busing, Smithfield Foods, National Honor Society, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the Girl Scouts, Cub Scout Pack #62, J.C. Tae Kwon Do, Irwin Army Community Hospital, Veolia Water, National Junior Honor Society and Junction City employees.

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Oscar-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott points to West 10th Street in Junction City where he grew up as an example of what this country is supposed to be. Speaking on the theme of diversity, Willmott told a lecture audience at the C.L. Hoover Opera House that West 10th where there were numerous familites of multiple races and ethnicities, was an “example of who we are as a people.”  He also stated growing up there no one had to teach him that racism was wrong.

Willmott noted that Junction City has always been kind of a secret that people don’t really understand. This part of America is fly over country but noted, “People should listen to us.” When it comes to diversity he added, “Junction City was hip-hop way before other people were hip.”

Willmott told the audience winning an Oscar makes you think about where you come from, your parents and people who educated you, and life in general. He stated that for him Junction City is where it all came from. He received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his lecture, and then responded to questions from the audience. He told them Junction City has a tremendous history connected and should be embraced, celebrated and sold in a dignified and proper way.  During his remarks he referred to the historic Buffalo Soldiers who served at Fort Riley and spent years in the community, the fact that baseball player Jackie Robinson and boxer Joe Louis spent time at the Black USO on 18th Street while they were at Fort Riley, and and numerous jazz musicians including Charlie Parker and comedian and actor Redd Foxx performed on the Old East 9th Street.

He touched on the subject of old East Ninth Street, a focus of his first movie, and an area of town that was torn down in the mid-1970’s. Willmott told JC Post that there are two sides to the story where Ninth Street is concerned, noting there were some bad things that happened but there were a lot of good people there as well. He tried to preserve the memory and history of Ninth Street with his film.

During his lecture WIllmott observed whether it was a good thing or not, urban renewall happened all over the United States in other cities. He feels certain things should not have been removed,  and some history should have been preserved.  On the subject of urban renewal he said it was bigger than Junction City. “No one here was to blame but we’ve got to learn from it. ”

Willmott feels some of the Ninth Street legacy is still in Junction City and should be captured before it is all gone. He would like to see a plaque placed in that area. “I think something that celebrates the memory and the importance of those streets because every street like that, that existed in America, Beale Street ( Memphis ) 18th and Vine plus 12th and Vine in Kansas City, all the great jazz districts, all the great kind of black districts, Harlem. LA had their district, everybody that had one of those districts are now trying to reconnect to those, and trying to preserve what’s left of those districts. We’ve got a few things that still remain and we should honor that.”

During his lecture Willmott recognized some of his former teachers who were present including his first grade teacher Beverly Montgomery, and high school teachers Jim Pendarvis and Ben Bennett and then there was a meet

and greet held in the lobby of the Opera House where Willmott had a chance to meet old friends and take photos with members of the community.

Willmott was the first speaker in the new lecture series being sponsored by the R2B4 Bramlage Family Foundation and the Hoover-Koken Foundation. He was joined on stage with Richard Pinaire and Bob Bramlage making remarks and welcoming him to the Opera House. Following the lecture he was presented with gifts by Mayor Pat Landes and the president of the Opera House Foundation Florence Whitebread.

Oscar-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott will speak at the C.L. Hoover Opera House on Sunday at 2 p.m. He will be the first speaker in the new lecture series being sponsored by the R2B4 Family Foundation and the Hoover-Koken Foundation.

A Junction City native, Willmott received an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for BlackKkKlansman along with co-writers Spike Lee, Charlie Wachtel and David Rabinowitz.

BoB Bramlage said Willmott will also be available after the lecture. “He will actually be available after the talk to meet with people. His topic is going to be “Why I Love Junction City,” so very close to everybody’s heart.”

A professor of film at the University of Kansas, Willmott has written and produced other movies during his career. He is a graduate of St. Xavier High School.