Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

300 pack lake hall to protest county roads
County commissioners were among the targets at which county residents took aim during a public meeting Monday about roads. Some called for their ouster in the next election. It was standing room only for about 300 people who packed Marion County Park and Lake Hall to express dissatisfaction over road conditions to those who maintain them.
A girl and a horse heal together
When Tristan Williams walked into the Marion County Fairgrounds arena Saturday with her miniature horse, there was a miracle, of sorts. The horse’s name, Mira, was, as Tristan said, “the first four letters of miracle.” What most spectators didn’t realize is that the confident 12-year-old showgirl and the well-trained horse they saw were a continuation of another miracle, one that has unfolded over time, in love and trust.
Florence turns out for film's premiere
About 200 attended a free screening Saturday of “When the Well Runs Dry,” a documentary about water in rural Kansas. Lawrence filmmaker Steve Lerner and Los Angeles documentarian Reuben Aaronson introduced the film, which features several Marion County residents, at Florence’s Masonic Lodge.
Concrete firm expands after buyout
Jeff Schmidt of Marion has been in the concrete business a long time. Change doesn’t come often. “It’s all concrete,” he said. “But theirs is a different system. Just with the paperwork and stuff.”
Hospitality, disaster share focus
Planning for business disasters was on Friday’s agenda for Marion Chamber of Commerce, but increased Main St. traffic sparked an impromptu discussion of customer service. Central Park Antiques owner Nadine Iseli said detouring US-56 onto Main St. had brought additional shoppers to her store.
Head Start play set gets new start
Transporting a play set was no walk in the park. “When we were going down the hill, it was leaning part-way over the trailer bed,” Jacob Baldwin said. “We had to stop and make sure all the straps were down tight.”

OTHER HEADLINES

Flood damage closes Kanza causeway
Damaged by high water in recent weeks, a causeway bridge on Kanza Rd. between 250th and 270th Rds was closed Tuesday as a safety measure. “Erosion is really bad, and it’s getting under the roadway now,” road and bridge superintendent Randy Crawford said. “Eventually it’ll wash out the dirt and asphalt that supports the roads. We don’t know when the thing could collapse.”
Road funding slipped in 2014
Marion County road and bridge spending from two key funds grew by $1.9 million from 2003 to 2013, an 83 percent growth rate that was four times that of overall county expense growth rates. Then in 2014, expenditures on roads and bridges from those funds dropped by $1million.
County is designated federal disaster area
Marion County may receive federal assistance with repair projects now that it has been declared a federal disaster area because of excessive rainfall. “I will be kicking off a meeting in a week or so,” emergency management director Robert Frank said. “We will put things into perspective and start working on the projects.”
City proposes higher sewer, refuse rates
Of three budget proposals Marion City Council heard Monday, the one that got it the most money was the one the council will move forward with. Administrator Roger Holter’s proposal includes a $57,000 increase in sewer and refuse fees.

AUTO

Truck industry changing
The best example of change in the trucking industry is 10 feet of chrome just under the cab. It’s a tube composed of multiple parts, some fatter than others. “That right there is about $10,000 to $15,000,” Stan Williams says.
Worn tires more common these days
Rod Koons has seen a lot of cars with a lot of miles roll into the bays at Rod’s Tire and Service in Hillsboro. “I don’t know the last time I wrote mileage down on one that was under 100,000 miles,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of them over 200,000.”

DEATHS

Brian Berry
Contractor Brian K. Berry, 57, of Lehigh, died Tuesday at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis in Wichita. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and sister, Katherine DeFilippis of Hillsboro.
Marvin Ensz
Marvin Ensz, 90, died July 14 at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. Services were to have been this morning at Alexanderfeld Mennonite Church, rural Hillsboro.
Sandra Watson
Former Peabody resident Sandra (Weems) Watson, 54, died June 14 at her home in Beaverton, Oregon. She was a former Peabody resident. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Prairie Lawn Cemetery Peabody. A luncheon will follow at Peabody United Methodist Church.
IN MEMORIAM:
Lila Richter

DOCKET

FAIR

County fair begins
After preliminary events over the past few days, the 85th annual Marion County Fair begins today in earnest at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro. Fair manager Kelli Savage said preparations had gone smoothly and it was time for the fun to begin.
Results

OPINION

Surviving Gradergate
No marshmallows, but plenty of fire, were in evidence Monday night as the lake hall witnessed what could have been an attempt to set another world record — this one for attendance at a county commission meeting. A standing-room-only crowd of more than 300 conducted what, depending on your point of view, was a marathon pillory of the county’s embattled road and bridge superintendent and his bosses or a refreshingly open and civil demonstration of democracy in action, complete with a U.S. flag flying adjacent to the county’s equivalent to London’s speaker’s corner.
What you don't know can hurt you
Two and a half hours, four miles, and an entire universe of public awareness away, Marion City Council on Monday was addressing almost exactly the same questions that drew protesters to a county commission forum on roads. The only differences: Its members didn’t know it, and only journalists, staffers, and consultants — not an overflow crowd of 300 — were there to witness as the city started its all-too-familiar annual fiscal shell game, which all too often leads to problems exactly like what the county now faces with its roads.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Environmental survival
CORRECTION:
Bown-Corby project

PEOPLE

New vicar for Lutheran churches enjoys small-town life
The term “vicar” means different things to different Christian denominations. What it means to vicar John Werner is that he has two congregations to minister to, Zion Lutheran Church in Hillsboro and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Marion, as he works toward becoming an ordained minister.
Socolofskys celebrate 60th anniversary
A family gathering Saturday and Sunday in Colorado Springs will celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Lowell and Patricia (Kruse) Socolofsky. They were married July 24, 1955, at Strassburg Baptist Church, Marion.
Summervills have 53rd reunion
The 53rd Summervill family reunion was July 12 at Scout House in Hillsboro. Twenty-four members attended a noon dinner and afternoon of sharing with each other.
Kreutziger's 95th to be celebrated
The family of Frances Kreutziger will be hosts for a reception honoring her 95th birthday from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. Cards may be sent to her at 200 Willow Rd, Hillsboro KS 67063.
Kiwanis hears about Prairie View
Representatives of Prairie View mental health center in Newton spoke Tuesday to 20 members of Marion Kiwanis Club. Psychologist Jennifer Schreiner said that 12 percent Marion County residents were living below the poverty line and that many children Prairie View works with come from abusive homes or have suffered traumatic events.
Book program to swap site
A 4-H book swap previously at USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center will move into Marion County Resource Center and Food Bank and offer books in exchange for food donations in addition to swapping books. Happy Hustlers 4-H will monitor the program every Thursday. It will be available on Mondays “on an honor system basis,” adviser Kathy Martin said.
Oil paintings to be donated
Descendants of a Swiss artist who lived near Goessel and Buhler around 1900 will present two of the painter’s original works to Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum in Goessel at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 1. Marlin Kym of Buhler, grandson of artist Emil Kym, will represent the family in unveiling “The Sinking of the Elbe” and “Seasons.” Both paintings are oils on cardboard.
SENIOR CENTER:
Ambulance director speaks to seniors, Menu
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 35, 50, 100, 125 years ago

SCHOOL/SPORTS

Softball team heads to nationals
Two weekends ago the season was all but over for the 12-and-under Cottonwood Valley League All-Star softball team. A fifth-place finish in the state tournament was seemingly the end of a hard-fought summer. When the teams that finished ahead of it had to decline an invitation to play in the regional tournament, the CVL squad accepted, relishing another week of play.
MHS grad gets professorship
Eliza Bennett, a 1997 Marion High School graduate, has been selected for a three-year endowed professorship in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Wisconsin. Bennett obtained her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of Kansas and did her residency with the University of Wisconsin.
Ag teacher learns new curriculum
Marion ag teacher Mark Meyer has completed an eight-day program in a new approach to teaching ag technology and power. Meyer spend 80 hours at Kansas State University going through the yearlong curriculum.

UPCOMING

Calendar of Events
Democrats to meet
Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon on Friday at Marion Senior Center and observe National Day of the Cowboy.
Senior Olympics registration opens
Director Brandy McCarty and secretary Jamie Shirley told senior citizens about Marion County Emergency Medical Services at a presentation July 15 at Marion Senior Center. Gayla Ratzlaff, director of the county department on aging, talked about a proposed increase in Westar Energy’s customer service charges. Comment forms, due Aug. 11, were distributed.
Museum benefit concert scheduled
Musical duo Ratzlaff and Webb will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 31 at Goessel High School auditorium to raise money for Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum. Jamey Ratzlaff, a Goessel-area native, and Doug Webb will perform rock, roots, and country songs from the ’50s through the ’70s.
Blues band to play at McPherson
Phantom Blues Band with Mike Finnigan on keyboard will perform at the McPherson Opera House at 7:30 p.m. July 25. Tickets are available at mcphersonoperahouse.org, (620) 241-1952, and the box office.

Marion County RECORD

About 200 attended a free screening Saturday of “When the Well Runs Dry,” a documentary about water in rural Kansas. Lawrence filmmaker Steve Lerner and Los Angeles documentarian Reuben Aaronson introduced the film, which features several Marion County residents, at Florence’s Masonic Lodge.

Jeff Schmidt of Marion has been in the concrete business a long time. Change doesn’t come often. “It’s all concrete,” he said. “But theirs is a different system. Just with the paperwork and stuff.”

Planning for business disasters was on Friday’s agenda for Marion Chamber of Commerce, but increased Main St. traffic sparked an impromptu discussion of customer service. Central Park Antiques owner Nadine Iseli said detouring US-56 onto Main St. had brought additional shoppers to her store.

Transporting a play set was no walk in the park. “When we were going down the hill, it was leaning part-way over the trailer bed,” Jacob Baldwin said. “We had to stop and make sure all the straps were down tight.”

Marion County road and bridge spending from two key funds grew by $1.9 million from 2003 to 2013, an 83 percent growth rate that was four times that of overall county expense growth rates. Then in 2014, expenditures on roads and bridges from those funds dropped by $1million.

Of three budget proposals Marion City Council heard Monday, the one that got it the most money was the one the council will move forward with. Administrator Roger Holter’s proposal includes a $57,000 increase in sewer and refuse fees.

The best example of change in the trucking industry is 10 feet of chrome just under the cab. It’s a tube composed of multiple parts, some fatter than others. “That right there is about $10,000 to $15,000,” Stan Williams says.

Rod Koons has seen a lot of cars with a lot of miles roll into the bays at Rod’s Tire and Service in Hillsboro. “I don’t know the last time I wrote mileage down on one that was under 100,000 miles,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of them over 200,000.”

Contractor Brian K. Berry, 57, of Lehigh, died Tuesday at Via Christi Hospital on St. Francis in Wichita. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and sister, Katherine DeFilippis of Hillsboro.

Marvin Ensz, 90, died July 14 at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. Services were to have been this morning at Alexanderfeld Mennonite Church, rural Hillsboro.

Former Peabody resident Sandra (Weems) Watson, 54, died June 14 at her home in Beaverton, Oregon. She was a former Peabody resident. A graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Prairie Lawn Cemetery Peabody. A luncheon will follow at Peabody United Methodist Church.

IN MEMORIAM:

After preliminary events over the past few days, the 85th annual Marion County Fair begins today in earnest at the fairgrounds in Hillsboro. Fair manager Kelli Savage said preparations had gone smoothly and it was time for the fun to begin.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

CORRECTION:

The term “vicar” means different things to different Christian denominations. What it means to vicar John Werner is that he has two congregations to minister to, Zion Lutheran Church in Hillsboro and Our Savior Lutheran Church in Marion, as he works toward becoming an ordained minister.

A family gathering Saturday and Sunday in Colorado Springs will celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of Lowell and Patricia (Kruse) Socolofsky. They were married July 24, 1955, at Strassburg Baptist Church, Marion.

The 53rd Summervill family reunion was July 12 at Scout House in Hillsboro. Twenty-four members attended a noon dinner and afternoon of sharing with each other.

The family of Frances Kreutziger will be hosts for a reception honoring her 95th birthday from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. Cards may be sent to her at 200 Willow Rd, Hillsboro KS 67063.

SENIOR CENTER:

MEMORIES:

Marion ag teacher Mark Meyer has completed an eight-day program in a new approach to teaching ag technology and power. Meyer spend 80 hours at Kansas State University going through the yearlong curriculum.

Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon on Friday at Marion Senior Center and observe National Day of the Cowboy.

Musical duo Ratzlaff and Webb will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 31 at Goessel High School auditorium to raise money for Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum. Jamey Ratzlaff, a Goessel-area native, and Doug Webb will perform rock, roots, and country songs from the ’50s through the ’70s.

Phantom Blues Band with Mike Finnigan on keyboard will perform at the McPherson Opera House at 7:30 p.m. July 25. Tickets are available at mcphersonoperahouse.org, (620) 241-1952, and the box office.