If you remember the television show, “Hee Haw”, then you have an idea of the entertainment provided by the production of “Hoo Haw” Saturday night at the C.L. Hoover Opera House.

To help kick off the celebration of the 120th anniversary year of the Opera House and the 10th anniversary year of major renovations to the building, “Hoo Haw” was performed on stage. The show was a production by actors at the Columbian Theater in Wamego.

There were corny jokes, country and gospel music, an impersonation of Minnie Pearl and plenty of laughter for the audience that included Keith Ascher. “Oh, it just brings back a lot of good memories, good wholesome fun that we used to grow up watching TV.  When he asked if he watched Hee Haw in the past Ascher stated, “Religiously.” Deb Andres enjoyed the gospel groups that performed, noting they had done an awesome job, while Florence Whitebread enjoyed the music. “I just like the whole way the show was being done. It’s a cute, fun show.”

Opera House Co-Director Joe Markley said the Columbian Theater has been performing this show for 11 years, noting it’s basically a take-off on Hee Haw. “It’s a great live band, great singing, funny jokes and just a very entertaining evening. Markley during the 120th year celebration officials want to celebrate the Opera House still being in existence and moving forward into the future. The building was first built in 1882 but a fire in 1898 caused major damage  and the facility was then rebuilt that same year.

The activities Saturday evening also included an outdoor block party in front of the Opera House where the Junction City Little Theater, Smithfield and Freddy’s all provided food for that event.

 

The Junction City High School Marching Band conducted a preview show Friday night as they concluded their annual week of Band Camp at Al Simpler Stadium.

Marching drills to songs including the Blue Jay Fight song were performed by the band. 

Jared Morris, Band Director, said they wanted to show the parents the hard work undertaken by the students during the past week. “They had practices the week before that as well. So we wanted to show them the fundamental things that we’re working on to learn how to be good marchers and good performers, and then also show them some of the songs we learned and the formations that we learned.”

Morris reported that 23 members of the JCHS Marching Band have been selected for an Honor Band that will perform at the K-State – South Dakota football September 1 in Manhattan. “They’re going to go on Friday night ( August 31 )  and have a long practice with the other Honor Band students and with the K-State directors. And then on Saturday, they’re going to perform at the football game. They’ll play at halftime and they’ll sit in the stands with the K-State Band.”

The Stuff the Bus effort to obtain school supplies for needy children in Geary County has met its goal.

United Way Director Nicole Mahder said Friday, “The community was amazing because we hit goal on everything. ” Mahder said they raised just over $1,500 dollars in financial donations and more than 10,000 items in school supplies.

The supplies will be distributed to local schools next week.

Volunteers helped with the collections this summer at Walmart on East Chestnut, Dillons on 6th Street plus at several business outlets, and Geary Community Hospital.

 

Twenty-five years ago this time the Junction City area had just come through the big flood of 1993.

Water poured out of the Milford Lake emergency spillway while the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers flooded.

During a JC Now program on 1420 KJCK AM, a former Park Manager for the Corps of Engineers at Milford Lake, Harvey Brink noted the flood was a first time experience for that reservoir. “So it’s an uncontrolled spillway with the idea it’s developed that way. All Corps of Engineers, all dams were built that way with an uncontrolled spillway.”

Brink stated uncontrolled means there is no idea where the water going over the spillway is going to go “and how it’s going to affect because of different situations.” In this case a unique one-time cut had to be made across K-57 Highway southeast of the Milford Lake Dam to give the water someplace to go so it wouldn’t cut off U.S. Highway 77.

On the north side of Junction City water coming out of the Republican River crept south for several blocks down Grant Avenue. Sand bags and sand were brought in with volunteers filling them for use in stopping the water in multiple locations. Current Geary County Emergency Management Director Garry Berges oversaw the sand bagging operation. “We set up at the old Gibson building, which is the 300 block of Grant Avenue, because Gibson’s was closed at that time. The sand company just kept bringing in semi-loads of sand. We had volunteers, we probably had 200 – 300 at a time in there tying them.” Berges estimated 10,000 or more sand bags were used.

The worst of the flooding hit in late July and extended for a period of several days. On the south side the Smoky Hill River jumped out of its banks and flooded low-lying farmland along the south side of Interstate 70. There was also other flooding in the region, particularly on the northeast side of Manhattan where water came through Tuttle Creek Reservoir.