The “Reminders” Hip Hop concert was supposed to be the headline event for the first annual Celebration on 7th Street in downtown Junction City. It didn’t attract a big audience. Very few people were in attendance with the street nearly empty at concert time.

Coordinator Phyllis Fitzgerald said there was better attendance for some of the events earlier in the day. “I’m going to guess about 100 to 150 people have come through. Next year we’ll probably look at scaling down the block a little bit and look at some other options on what we want to do.” Fitzgerald added they would go away from Hip Hop next year and would try something else.

There was a Hip Hop class which Fitzgerald described as a lot of fun.

There was a good turnout for the Taste of Junction City area where local eating establishments were set up. Fitzgerald said, “We’ll work on next time to have more of the artistic themes out here for the community to enjoy.”

Sheila Markley, .L. Hoover Opera House Co-Director stated there were two Hip Hop workshops with the “Reminders” that were outstanding. There were also numerous Parents as Teachers activities where there was dinosaur and water play, the library gave out books, and there was street art.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has awarded more than $326 million in grant funds for a variety of state and local railroad infrastructure projects.

The grants will fund 45 projects in 29 states, including just over $2.5 million for a Rural Railroad Safety Center at Kansas State University.

Heading up the project will be Eric Fitzsimmons, assistant professor of civil engineering in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering. His collaborators are civil engineering faculty members Robert Peterman, professor; and Christopher Jones and StacyKulesza, associate professors.

“Our state’s economy depends on safe, reliable rail transportation to connect farmers and businesses to the nation and deliver goods to market,” said U.S. Senator Jerry Moran. “This grant to establish the Rural Railroad Safety Center at K-State will help solidify Kansas as a leader in rail transportation and share the expertise of officials at K-State with the rest of the country and industry. I was pleased to support efforts to help secure the funding from the Department of Transportation, and look forward to working alongside the university to build and grow this innovative program.

Partner institutions include the University of Nebraska, Lincoln; University of Florida; Pennsylvania State University, Altoona; and California State University, Chico.

The Rural Railroad Safety Center will have four strategic goals:

• Conduct and promote railroad safety research selected by industry partners and the Federal Railroad Administration.

*  Develop a comprehensive unified railroad education curriculum to be delivered at all                           partnering  universities.

*  Facilitate novel rail-focused outreach activities, including a bimonthly railroad seminar and                 undergraduate summer research experiences.

*  Disseminate research results and technology transfer to be used by the railroad industry via               various outlets.

*  I certainly want to thank the entire Kansas Congressional delegation for their support and                   assistance in securing this grant,” Fitzsimmons said.

“By the end of the three year grant period it is our goal to ahve evolved into a vibrant center for industry-relevant railroad research,” he said. “Additional educational and outreach programs will be in place to train and develop a diverse workforce for the railroad industry and our research outcomes will help ensure the future of the rail industry is as safe and efficient as possible.”

 

Due to inclement weather, the Symphony in the Flint Hills event at Irma’s Pasture near Bazaar, Kansas has been postponed until Sunday ( June 16 ).

The day’s schedule will remain as originally planned for June 15th. The ticket gate will open at noon, the art exhibit and auction from noon until intermission, prairie pavilion presentations 1:30 – 4:30 p.m., WahZhaZheOsage Ballet 4:30 – 5:30, sunset concert with the Kansas City Symphony 6:30 – 9 p.m. and stargazing / story circle / dancing from 9:15 – 11 p.m.

 

 

RILEY COUNTY — Three people were injured in an accident just after 5p.m. Friday in Riley County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Dodge passenger vehicle driven by Amanda K. Nelpert, 35, Manhattan, was westbound on U.S. 24 attempted a left turn onto south Dam Road.

The driver failed to yield right of way and the Dodge collided with a 2006 Chevy passenger vehicle driven by Layton J. Ross, 19, Manhattan.

A private vehicle transported Nelpert and Ross to Via Christi. EMS transported a passenger in the Chevy John F. Randesi, 58, Manhattan, to Via Christi. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

The first Memories at the Museum Program for 2019 will be held on June 30 at 3 p.m. at the Geary County Historical Museum. Rathert Field will be the topic.

The roundtable discussion is designed to encourage community members to share their memories about the topic. Discussions are recorded and then placed in the archives as part of an ongoing mission to collect living history.

Anyone with stories about playing in or attending games at Rathert Field are encouraged to attend this program.

The first-ever “Celebration on 7th Street” is planned for Saturday in Junction City.

Hip Hop will be a big part of this event. The schedule includes a Hip Hop Story Time at the Dorothy Bramlage Public Library at 10 a.m., Hip Hop Culture 101 Workshop at 11 a.m. at the C.L. Hoover Opera House, Parents as Teachers events on 7th Street from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.a Poppin’ Workshop at the Opera House at 3 o’clock, and a concert by the Reminders at 6 p.m. on stage in front of the Opera House. There will also be other events on 7th Street beginning at 1 p.m. including street artists, sidewalk art and more activities.

A Taste of JC will also include area restasurants present with samples of their specialities.

The Junction City Community Band will perform a free concert Sunday evening at 7 p.m. at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

The Community Band will perform a concert every Sunday evening in June.