ABILENE, JANUARY 16 – Great Plains Theatre will be holding its Second Annual Murder Mystery Fundraising Gala. The evening will include glitz, glamour, and a good old fashioned murder! You are invited to dress to the nines and come to Great Plains Theatre to help raise money for the 2017 season, and just maybe catch a killer!

The Murder Mystery Fundraiser debuted in January 2016 and was enjoyed by all. “Who doesn’t love to get dressed up and play detective?” said Elizabeth Weese, Executive Director of Great Plains Theatre. She continued, “we had people coming up to us months after last year’s event asking when we were doing another murder mystery! We looked at all the positive feedback and decided to give our patrons what they asked for! This will continue to be a yearly event.”

On January 28, 2017, you can spend a night among the stars at the Golden Players Tribute Awards, a movie awards show with more than its fair share of drama, on-screen and off! Which actors are feuding? Which actors have a secret they would rather their adoring public not know? Which actors are willing to kill to settle a score? It’s up to the intrepid audience to piece together the story and solve the case before the killer escapes back into the lights of Hollywood.

As part of the fundraising evening there will be a live auction and the ability to nominate your favorite “actor” to win a Golden Player Tribute Award! Heavy hor d’oeuvres will be served, the bar will be by donation.

Tickets are $50. Seating is limited for this extravagant event call 785-263-4574 or visit www.greatplainstheatre.com for reservations. The Gala is an excellent opportunity to don your evening wear and join us for a night of glamorous intrigue. Money raised directly supports Great Plains Theatre and keeps it a mainstay in the region. Live professional theatre, first run movies, and educational programs that help area youth discover their own innate talents and abilities, are just a few of the immense benefits Great Plains Theatre offers and provides.

A member of the JCHS Way Forward Steering Committee studying the possibility of a new or renovated high school, Terrah Stroda, focused on the town hall meeting  tonight for that project during a visit on JC Now on KJCK AM 1420 KJCK, The Talk of JC.

Stroda said she loved Junction City for their opinions and fight. “We’ve come before Junction City with other concerns, or other needs, or other exciting futuristic kinds of plans. This is a chance for us to certainly put actions into place. And I think that our town deserves to listen and to talk tonight. I certainly am excited to hear everybody’s input.”

The town hall meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Settles Auditorium at Junction City High School. The entire project and the challenges facing the current high school building will be explained, and public questions will be answered.  A second town hall meeting will be held at 10 a.m. January 28th at the same location.

The Topeka Symphony Orchestra will perform at the C.L. Hoover Opera House in Junction City on Sunday, January 22nd at 2 p.m. They will perform a program of Baroque and Classical Treasurers, including works by Handel, Vivaldi, Bach, Respighi and Mozart.

The performance is being sponsored by the Central National Bank and the Jellison Foundation.

Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 military and senior 65+, and $5 for students 18 and under.

For tickets call the Box Office at the Opera House at 785-238-3906.

Riley County, KS – Abrams and Gertie of Miss Emily’s Piano Lessons are two local pit bulls making a big difference in The Little Apple. In December, Abrams the therapy dog (the only music therapy dog in the US) and his sister, Gertie (therapy dog in-training), challenged a piano studio in Junction City to see which studio could collect the most donations for Riley County Humane Society (RCHS). When local businesses heard that two pit bulls were spreading the Christmas spirit they pitched in to help.

The students of Miss Emily’s Piano Lessons contributed by bringing items to donate. Josiah Zahler, a piano student, said “It’s a great way to help the community.” His sister Caroline, who also takes lessons at Miss Emily’s, said “It helps the animals feel loved.”

RCHS animals are definitely feeling loved. Thanks to the generosity of the students of Miss Emily’s Piano Lessons, Dr. Ruck of Little Apple Veterinary Hospital, HRC Apartments, and the generous community of Manhattan, these two pit bulls collected 700 lbs of supplies. “It was great to see the kids getting involved but it was so moving to see other local businesses contributing and collecting donations all because of two dogs.” Miss Emily said. Riley County Humane Society volunteers were shocked at the massive pile of donations and posted on their Facebook page that they were “so lucky to have the generous support of Miss Emily’s Piano Lessons.”

As the only Music Therapy Dog in the United States, Abrams has been making a difference in the piano studio as well. When a student sits down at the piano and sees Abrams watching, the nervousness and threats of being judged are put aside and they can focus on playing the piano. Theirplaying improves because they’ve built self-esteem and associate piano with something fun. Tiffany Meaney has her daughter in piano lessons for two years. She said, “Having a therapy dog in the classroom during piano lessons has given our child motivation and and confidence. She is always excited to go to lessons to see him, and I think she focuses more when she knows Abrams is listening to her play.”

To learn more about Abrams and Gertie and to schedule a complimentary piano lesson with them,visit www.MissEmilysPianoLessons.com, check us out on Facebook, or give them a call at 785-430-6683.

–Chapman USD 473 will not be in session Monday. Classes were cancelled for the day due to predicted deteriorating road conditions.