Cooler temperatures and wetter conditions have been forecasted for September and later into fall.

Mary Knapp, Kansas State Climatologist explained that the National Climate Prediction Center just released their outlook for September and it is calling for wetter than average and cooler than average conditions for the entire month.

“As we look out a little bit further, the September, October and November outlook are also favoring cooling than average and wetter than average,” said Knapp.

She went on to explain that it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will be cold and wet the entire time, but the average over the entire period will be on the cool and wet side.

As she looked back on this past summer Knapp felt that it wrapped up,”very nicely.”

“We’ve had some hot weather, but the heat was relatively limited. It was not a very extended period. It was on the more humid side which created its own problems, people were more uncomfortable because we had some high heat indexes.”

Overall she explained it fell right into the average, which made it seem different because it had been awhile since the state has seen an average summer because lately it has been,”on one side of the scale or the other.”

The final event of the year at the Spring Valley Historic site has been scheduled for next Saturday, August 29th.

The site will be open from 10 am to 1 pm and will feature the Commanding Generals Mounted Color Guard.

“They’re going to be demonstrating riding and marksmanship,” according to Jamie Martin, Executive Director of the Geary County Historical Society.

“In addition to that we are also going to have some home craft demonstrations, knitting, spinning and weaving, and then we will also have some sheep out there, so you can come out and meet the sheep and learn about the wool industry.”

The Mounted Color Guard will also have an encampment set up so you can see how calvary soldiers lived during the Civil War.

The Spring Valley Historic site is located at the corner of K-18 and Spring Valley Road.

UPDATE: The Junction City Public Works Department has reported that the water main break in the 500-700 blocks of West Ash Street has been repaired.

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The Junction City Public Works Department reported at 7:46 a.m. that the 500-700 blocks of West Ash Street will experience periods of no water for the next 4-6 hours due to a water main break.

According to the National Weather Service of Topeka, highs will be below normal at 82 to 85 degrees under sunny skies. Thunderstorm chances return Friday night, and then storms become likely late Saturday as a cold frontmoves through. Strong to severe storms appear possible late on Saturday.

Early This Morning: Clear. Southwest winds up to 5 mph.

Today: Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Southwest winds up to 10 mph increasing to 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly clear. Lows around 60. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

Friday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s. South winds 5 to 15 mph.

Friday Night: Partly cloudy in the evening then becoming mostly cloudy. A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Lows in the upper 60s. South winds 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday: Partly sunny with slight chance of showers and thunderstorms. Highs around 90. South winds 10 to 20 mph.

Saturday Night: Showers and thunderstorms likely. Lows around 60. Chance of precipitation 70 percent.

Sunday: Not as warm. Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.

Sunday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 50s.

Monday: Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s.

Monday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 50s.

Tuesday: Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 80s.

The Culpepper & Merriweather Circus is returning to Grandview Plaza on Tuesday, September 8th.

Jerome Thomas, City Superintendent announced Wednesday that the “Big Top” will be raised at 9 am on September 8th and Culpepper & Merriweather will put on two shows that evening at 5 pm and 7:30 pm.

“It’s going to be in the city park where it was located two years ago. A clown will be at the Grandview Elementary School September 1st at 9:30 am,” said Thomas.

Tickets are available at Handy’s #1 in Grandview Plaza, City Hall, Stacy’s Restaurant and the Fire Department. Ticket prices are $10 for adults and $6 for children ages 2-12.

Money raised will go towards the Grandview Plaza Fire Department.

Grandview Plaza residents will soon have their community center back, following the completion of the new City Hall being built to the south of the former City Hall building currently occupied by the Police Department.

Jerome Thomas, City Superintendent explained that the city offices moved from its former location into the community center due to problems with the older building.

“Basically we had to shell it because the roof had some animal feces and had a lot of mold in it and it was making a lot of people sick. So we moved over to the upstairs of the Community Center,” said Thomas.

In order to give the community center back to the residents the city had to construct a new office building. Cheney Construction was hired to construct a 40 x 60 metal building directly south of the former building. Thomas expects that the City should be able to move into the new location within the next three weeks.

The former building has renovated and the Police Department is now utilizing that space.

Thomas also updated JC Post on efforts being undertaken to bring a splash park to Grandview Plaza. He explained that on a recent trip Police Chief Shawn Pierano saw a splash park and wanted to see if the city could put one somewhere in GVP.

“He came to me and talked to me and I said it sounds good, so then he talked to Honey Grant and those two really got the ball rolling. They went to the Flint Hills Regional Council and they are going to try to use them to see if there are grants available, funding available, and they will help us engineer it and design it.”

Thomas said that he believes they’re looking at a two-year time frame on the splash park. Early thoughts are to place it in one of the city parks.

 

Geary USD 475 offers a Parents as Teachers program.

The goal is to help children build a strong foundation for future success in school.

The PAT program offers free one-on-one visits with children ages birth to kindergarten; providing activities, screenings, playtimes, and family nights.

Parent Educators through weekly or monthly home visits provide parents with information on child development, playgroups that are held at the Early Childhood Center two times per week, encouragementand ideas for parent-child activities that enhance language development and intellectual growth, and activity ideas to help a child’s social development and motor skills.

Contact the PAT office at 785-717-6900 to learn how to enroll.

The Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization wants to do an annual bicycle and pedestrian count project.

Eleven count locations have been identified, and the counts are taken at five different times throughout the week. Stephanie Watts, Transportation Planner, said a total of 55 volunteers are needed to fill all spots. The number of volunteers could be reduced if some volunteer for multiple periods. Each volunteer would be stationed at one of the count locastions for a two-hour block.

The volunteer will place a tally mark under an appropriate column on a count sheet.

Contact Watts at Stephanie@FlintHillsRegion.org for more information.