Damage assessment following the early morning thunderstorm in Geary County reveals some tree limb and branch damage.

The Junction City Police Department reported that a tree fell on a car on Ninth Street. The Corps of Engineers confirmed that a tree fell on a park attendant’s camper at Milford Lake, causing damage. The tree was removed off of the camper Tuesday morning.

Geary County Public Works reported small tree limbs and branches down in residential areas near US 77 and outside of Milford.

In Chapman the National Weather Service reported that a tree fell on a car, and in Wakefield the Weather Service said tree limbs were down.

The Corps of Engineers recorded 57 mile per hour winds at Milford Lake during the storm. and the wind speed at Marshall Army Airfield at Fort Riley was reported at 55 miles per hour.

A local youth track club with athletes aged 5 to 18 from Junction City, Fort Riley, and Chapman was set to begin selling Fireworks beginning Tuesday, June 28th at 10:00am through noon on July 5th to raise money for their trip to California.

After storms with sustained winds of 55 mph came through the area early this morning, the team’s Fireworks tent collapsed and there was some irreparable damage – more than 90% of the inventory is now unsalable.

The event company that contracts through TNT and provides the tent for the fundraiser says that the type of tent is to blame for the collapse – because it is a framed tent.

The team is now assessing if they should have TNT redistribute new inventory and try to set up again or pass on the endeavor altogether due to the continue threat of storms/high winds through Sunday.  If the team chooses to continue the fundraiser they will have to keep the existing tent that the Fireworks distributor has contracted to them.

The small, local club has less than 25 athletes and heading in to the regional meet on July 9th and 10th, almost all of those athletes are poised to advance to the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National Championships.

Unlike many Fireworks tents in the area, all of the proceeds were going toward helping all of the qualifying athletes afford the week long trip to California. Expenses for the trip include plane tickets, hotels, mini-bus/van rental, and food for the athletes.

If anyone can volunteer their time to help repair the tent or looking to make a donation to the athletes of the local youth club Track and Field United,  you can do so today at the TNT Fireworks tent or by emailing tracknfieldunited@gmail.com for more ways you can help.

Support your local non-profit. Fireworks sales may resume after repairs and damage assessments.

USATF Nationals are July 25 through 31st in Sacramento, California.

The athletes, parents and coaches will spend much of today and tomorrow repairing and rebuilding.

Photos of damage below:

UPDATE:

Electric service is being restored in Junction City where the number of locations without power is down to 46 in the Westar Energy service area.

The National Weather Service has listed damage reports from the area including vehicles in Junction City damaged by broken tree limbs. a tree fell on a car in Chapman, and limbs down in Wakefield.

As of 6:50 a.m. there were 1,486 locations without electricity in the Westar Energy service area in Junction City.

Firefighters responded in the six o’clock hour to a 1004 Kingsbury Drive location where a power line had caught on fire behind a residence. No injuries, and no major property damage was reported.

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A severe thunderstorm rumbled through Geary County early Tuesday morning, leaving behind tree damage, fire calls for stormwater and sparking power lines, and a substantial number of power outages in the Westar Energy service area.

No injuries or significant building damage has been reported.

As of 6 a.m. there have been 17 power outages, impacting 1,482 customers or locations in Junction City. The Marshall Army Airfield reported wind gusts of 55 mph during the storm.

Firefighters responded to a water problem at Quinton Pointe Apartments on the west side of the city, and to sparking power lines at 1015 West Spruce Street.

Police dispatch has reported tree damage occurred in Junction City.

The Junction City Fire Department responded to an apartment fire at 1517 North Park Drive Monday evening.

There were no injuries, but the damage to apartment one at that address was calculated by the Fire Department in the $3,500 to $4,000 range.

According to Fire Department Battalion Chief Dennis Wetklow, the resident of the apartment, Delbert Husband, was attempting to cook and went out of the room to fold clothes. He smelled smoke and returned to find a grease fire on the stove. Husband put out the fire with flour before firefighters arrived on the scene.

There was smoke and heat damage to the ceiling and cabinets.

The Fire Department responded with two fire engines, two med units, and 13 personnel. The JCPD also responded to the scene.

The dates for the Geary County Fair are quickly approaching.

Ginger Kopfer, 4H Extension Agent, says that 4H entries are higher this year.

“We’re up a lot in foods and photography – both of those took a big jump,” said Kopfer. “We added a category for breeding swine, and we haven’t done that since I’ve been here and it’s something that [they] used to have; you  know with swine, there seems like there’s a lot of diseases – and that happens in pigs.”

Kopfer says that the health concerns with Swine are looking more optimistic in recent years so they brought the category back.

“They’re controlling those [diseases] more now so we opened that category back up and we have a few kids that are bringing [those],” said Kopfer.

The Geary County Free Fair is July 18th through the 21st.

A local youth track club with athletes aged 5 to 18 from Junction City, Fort Riley, and Chapman will be selling Fireworks beginning Tuesday, June 28th at 10:00am through noon on July 5th to raise money for their trip to California.

The small, local club has less than 25 athletes and heading in to the regional meet on July 9th and 10th, almost all of those athletes are poised to advance to the USA Track and Field Junior Olympic National Championships.

Unlike many Fireworks tents in the area, all of the proceeds will go toward helping all of the qualifying athletes afford the week long trip to California. Expenses for the trip include plane tickets, hotels, mini-bus/van rental, and food for the athletes.

The track club, Track and Field United, is selling TNT Fireworks inside the Walmart parking lot (in a solid white tent).  There are freebies with larger purchases as well as a raffle for a supersized fireworks package.

Support your local non-profit. Fireworks sales are daily until noon on July 5th.

USATF Nationals are July 25 through 31st in Sacramento, California.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The Army has identified a man who died in an Alaska motorcycle crash as a soldier from Junction City, Kansas.

Thirty-one-year-old Staff Sgt. Maurice Tucker crashed on Anchorage’s Minnesota Drive just before 8 p.m. Saturday.

Witnesses say the Tucker had stopped for a red light at Spenard Road while heading south.

On a green light, he took off at high speed, lost control and began doing “speed wobbles.”

Witnesses tell police Tucker was thrown from the bike and struck the pole at Jefferson Avenue as the motorcycle slid several hundred feet down the roadway.

Emergency responders declared Tucker dead at the scene.

The Sundown Salute parade will have more than 60 entries.

The annual parade is scheduled at 10 a.m. July 4. The theme is Remembering Old Glory.

Kelly Boland, Parade Coordinator, said she is still taking entries. “I know it is past the deadline, but we are still taking entries. I don’t want to deny anybody this fun event.” To enter go to the Sundown Salute website fill out the entry and submit it.

The parade runs from the parking lot at Junction City High School, down North Eisenhower to Sixth Street, and then goes east on Sixth Street.