Harvey Country Now Fall 2013

HarveyCountyNOW.comFALL 2013

A RISING STARNorth Newtonnative has passionfor performing music

SpookyGhost investigatorsfind evidenceat Newton museum

In stitchesQuilt shop a place forcreativity

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2 | HarveyCountyNOW.com Fall 2013

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CO-EDITORSDon RatzlaffWendy Nugent

FEATURES,PHOTOGRAPHYWendy Nugent

SALESBruce BehymerWendy Nugent

CREATIVEShelley Plett

WEBMASTERDavid Vogel

PUBLISHED BYKansas Publishing Ventures LLCJoel Klaassen, Publisher116 S. Main, Hillsboro, KS 67063620-947-5702

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From the Publisher

The response to our first issue of HarveyCountyNOW.com wasoverwhelmingly positive. At the outset we didnt know how manymagazines it would take to satisfy the people who are receptiveto good stories about great people and places. Our first press run was 10,000 copies and theyare literally all gone.

We will continue to distribute the magazine in a variety of ways, including many storesand places where people gather as well home delivery in different neighborhoods within eachcommunity on a rotational basis. We trust you will be able to pick up a copy in the placeswhere your life takes you or seek one out when you find a convenient place to obtain one.The north Dillons store seemed to be the place for what seemed to be an insatiable desire forthe premiere magazine. If you would like to have magazines in your place of business, pleasecontact Bruce Behymer or Wendy Nugent whose contact information is printed on the leftside of this page.

Here is a comment we received from one of our readers: Last week my wife broughthome a copy of the new HarveyCountyNOW.com. I had no idea this was in the works. How-ever, it clearly displays the talent you (Wendy) have for writing. I especially liked the featureabout John Banman because we both know something about his talent in making music. Itis a delight to know people who make life productive for themselves and interesting and sig-nificant for others. What a gift you have for enriching the lives of others. I have already senta copy to my brother in Kansas City and another will soon be on its way to a nurse in SouthDakota.

We would be happy to hear from you too. If you have an idea for a feature article, orwhatever is on your mind, just contact Wendy Nugent via her e-mail: [email protected].

Serving you is our purpose, Joel Klaassen, publisher

Serving you is our purpose, Joel Klaassen, publisherTABLE OF CONTENTS

4Rising starNorth Newtonnative recordsseveral CDs

20Spooky!Ghost investigatorssearch Newtonmuseum

8 QuiltingCreativity atlocal fabric store

12 Evan JohnsonWalton manwears many hats

HarveyCountyNOW.com doesnot knowingly publish or acceptadvertisements that are mis-leading or fraudulent. Publisherreserves the right to cancel orreject any advertisements.Kansas Publishing Ventures LLCdoes not assume any financialresponsibility for typos in ads. Ifat fault, however, Kansas Pub-lishing will reprint any portionof the advertisement wherethere is an error. Location ofads, size of type and style areleft to the discretion of the pub-lisher. Opinions in this publica-tion are not necessarily those ofthe publisher. 2013 KansasPublishing Ventures LLC. ON THE COVER: April May Webb is majoring in music at college. (See story page 4.)

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Article and photos Wendy Nugent.......................................................................................................................... ................................................................................................................................Above: April May Webb, center, is passionate about music. This is the cover of her second CD, which she recorded with her group April Web MeetsEternity. While at Newton High School, she performed during musicals. Right: April May Webb rehearses this past summer at her parents home inNorth Newton. Webb started taking piano lessons in the third grade. (She also is pictured on the cover.)


Just by looking at April May Webb as shesrunning groceries through the scanner atNorth Dillons in Newton, patrons can tellshes happy and full of life.What they cant see in the checkout lane is

the 22-year-old college students love ofmusic.

The Dillons employee, a senior this fall atPaterson University in New Jersey, readilyadmits she is passionate about music and thatit helps her express herself.

I feel like everyone has a way to expressthemselves, and music is a lot like my outlet,she said. Whether Im expressing somethingsad or happy, I can fully express myselfthrough music. Every time I perform, I treatit like a journey or storyline.

Webb works at North Dillons when sheson her summer break from college. Each ofthe songs for which she has written musicand lyrics has a chronological order thatreflects her life, she said.

Webbs first CD, called Its All AboutYou, has a song with the same name. Thisalbum was released in 2012. That song isabout finding someone special andthinking he is a wonderful person, only torealize this person was not who he said hewas and that everything was about him.

Another of her songs, called Chance ofa Lifetime, is happier, she said.

Webbs second CD, performed with hergroup, April May Meets Eternity, wasreleased in May. Both albums can bedownloaded on iTunes. The groupperforms a fusion of jazz, and rhythm andblues. Including Webb, there are fivepeople in the band, which rotatesmembers.

So theres a lot of people circulating,Webb said.

Before she came back to the area, theNorth Newton resident and the band hadmany gigs in New York and New Jersey,which are their base areas. They play at avarious locales, including clubs,restaurants, lounges and showcases. Asof mid-June, they were booking gigs forAugust and September. Webb said herCDs are selling well, and she sells mostof them when performing.

Anybody who wants us, well goplay, Webb said.

Webbs performances arent limitedto New York and New Jersey; shes alsoperformed at Karens Kitchen inNewton.

Webbs passion for music carriesover into her studies at Paterson,where shes majoring in musiceducation.

Actually, an education degree is abackup plan, Webb said. My primary plan is to be aperformer.

Webb has been performing for a number of years now.When she was little, she and her musically talentedbrothers, Jacob and Nathan, formed a band called Webb 3.All did vocals, and each played an instrument with April on


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.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................April May Webb, a senior at Paterson University in New Jersey, plays the piano this past summer at her family's North Newton home. Webb hasreleased two CDs. Portrait important to the family rest atop the piano.

piano, Nathan on drums and Jacob on bass.Music has just been a part of my

immediate family, Webb said.The Webb children all have a talent for

music, and Webb said her mother, Felicia, usedto play the piano while her father, Stanley,didnt play an instrument. Webb thinks,however, her grandfather also used to ticklethe ivories.

Webb followed in the footsteps of hermother and grandfather, starting piano lessonswhen she was in the third grade and taking

voice lessons beginning in the eighth grade.Webb said one of her major influences was

her first private vocal teacher, Karla Burns ofWichita, who had performed music theater onBroadway in New York City and did a one-person production show of Hat Not Hattie atthe Orpheum in Wichita.

She really talked about control and dictionand pronunciation, Webb said. She had a lotof different her own teaching ways.

While attending Newton High School,Webb was involved in band, choir and full

orchestra, where she played clarinet. She alsoused her performing talents during musicals,as she was a cast member all four years in highschool. Musicals she was in were Fiddler onthe Roof, Schoolhouse Rock, High SchoolMusical and Footloose.

In college, Webbs favorite class has beenensembles with a pianist, bassist, drummerand someone playing a horned instrumentwhile she sang. The class meets two times aweek. Webb also had the opportunity to studywith Mulgrew Miller, a legendary jazz pianist,


Performing, I feel

like that is one place Ifeel the mostcomfortable, and itgives me the most joyon the stage... Live tilyou cant live no moreas far as doing thingsyou are mostpassionate about andgoing extremely harduntil you cantanymore.

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who passed away in May, Webb said.It was a shock, said Webb, who basically

has lived in North Newton her entire life. Hehad a stroke. He was 56.

While shes in North Newton for thesummer, Webb cant stay away from music.Shes pianist and minister of music at thechurch she attends, Second Baptist Church inNewton.

Webb has tried her hand at writing aspiritual song, called Inseparable.

Its about in life when people try todistract you from Christ and how nothing canreally separate you from the love of Godthrough Christ Jesus, Webb said.

Webb wrote the song about her experiencein going to New Jersey and how sheinnocently trusted people who ended upleading her astray how she kind of lostherself and then returned to Christ.

Webb does enjoy performing.Performing, I feel like that is one place I

feel the most comfortable, and it gives me themost joy on the stage.

As of mid-June, Webb and her brother,Jacob, were working on a country CD.

Well see how that turns out, Webb said,laughing.

Jacob has produced her two CDs.Not only does Webb perform music, she

listens to it, as well. Her favorite rock band isOneRepublic, and she enjoys listening to jazz,

To find out more about April May Webb, visit

www.aprilmaymusic.com orwww.facebook.com/theaprilmay

On theWeb...

R&B, gospel and contemporary rock. One ofher favorite songs is Lesson Learned by AliciaKeys.

For performers wanting to get into themusic scene and get CDs out there, Webbadvised them to go to Los Angeles or New Yorkbecause theyre big on music scenes, and goto jam sessions, where they can make musicconnections. Webb met a lot of people in hergroup and other people shes played with atjam sessions. She said she plans to stay in NewJersey after graduation and follow her passion.

She advised others to follow their interestsas well.

Live til you cant live no more as far asdoing the things you are most passionate aboutand going extremely hard until you cantanymore, Webb said.


......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Charlotte Wolfe, right, owner of two fabric stores in Newton, and daughter Lily Schneider discuss which fabrics to use as a border on Lily's tabletopper hexagon project at Charlottes Sew Natural in downtown Newton. Visit Wolfe's blog at sewnatural.net/blog.

i ns st i t c h e

Article andphotos:WendyNugent

Charlotte Wolfe is surrounded by bolts ofcreativity at her quilt shop indowntown Newton. This creativitycomes from within Wolfe herself andfrom the other talented people she has workingat both of her shops, as well as customers andnumerous finished quilts in a rainbow of colorsthat hang on the walls.

Inspirational magazines and books alsocontribute to the shops creative feel.

Wolfe has an extensive selection of fabrics in8,000 bolts, including batiks and cottons, quiltpatterns and quilting supplies, such as rotarycutters and templates.

And she loves to make quilts.Creating something from scratch is very

satisfying to the soul, Wolfe said. I love playingwith fabric sewing together lots of differentfabric, shapes, sizes, seeing the magic happen.The end product, quilts, are cozy and secure yearround. They can be made in any weight, even forair-conditioned houses. I feel comfortablesurrounded by homemade items, especially ones

Ive made myself.She likes to experiment with fabrics to see

what happens when she cuts them up and sewsthem back together.

Its just fun to do, Wolfe said.As part of her quilting passion, Wolfe has

joined the Emma Creek Quilt Guild, which willoffer a show, Quilters Delight, this fall. It will befrom 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 18 and 19 at SalemUnited Methodist Church in Newton. Admissionis $5, and a tea room will serve coffee, tea anddessert items.

A whole cloth opportunity quilt, QuiltersDelight, will be given away during a donationdrawing at the close of the show. The show is afund-raiser for the guild, with money goingtoward educational programs.

Wolfe started sewing when she was quiteyoung, making such things as doll clothes, andthen in college, she majored in costume design.In 1985, she opened Charlottes Natural Fabricsin Hesston and then moved in 1987 to wherePeace Connections now is in Newton.

We moved during a car show, Wolfe said,laughing. It was hot, and I remember Randy(her husband) was driving a big rental truck Ihad.

When they brought the large truckdowntown, car show participants had to movehis vehicles.

When Wolfe opened her first store, she saidthere was a renaissance of quilting going on atthe time.

It was just a trend in the industry, Wolfe said.It was just a natural thing that was happening.People who loved fabric just started making quiltsagain. I really probably started making quilts afterId had my store a couple of years.

Wolfe carried 100 percent cotton fabrics andsaid everyone else sold poly-cotton blendfabrics. Since cotton fabrics are better for makingquilts, quilters would shop at her store.

At the time, Newton had three other fabricstores: Four Walls, Pin Cushion and Quilt Room,Wolfe said, and there was little fabric made justfor quilting. Then Andover Fabrics and Hoffman


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Creating something from scratch is very satisfying to the soul.I love playing with fabric sewing together lots of differentfabric, shapes, sizes, seeing the magic happen.

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Fabrics starting making all-cotton fabric. Before that, they onlyoffered poly-cotton blends for clothing construction, Wolfe said.

Now, Wolfe mostly caters to quilters, although at her othershop, Charlottes Bargain Fabric & Stitchery at the Newton outletmall, she offers some clothing fabric.

Wolfe learned how to quilt from books and some classes, likeones offered at market.

You learn a lot by making mistakes, Wolfe said.Wolfe the student then became a teacher to her daughter, Lily

Schneider, who picked up an interest in quilting from her mother.Its similar to beading or embroidery or hand-stitching as

therapeutic most of the time, Schneider said. I literally grew up inMoms store, so it was almost impossible not to get the quiltingbug.

While I was definitely blessed in respect to having a motherwho took time to teach me how to piece, arrange colors and use asewing machine, quilting is really a way to use what artistic skills Ihave formed to help create beautiful pieces.

Schneider recently brought to the downtown store one suchpiece, which she was making as a table topper in a variety ofcolored fabrics set off with white, all in hexagon shapes. She andher mother were talking about which fabric to use in the tabletoppers border.

In addition to discussing quilting projects, Schneider also workspart time for her mothers stores, mostly from home.

Lily is a vital link to the social media crowd of all ages, Wolfesaid. I write newsletters, Lily promotes them and keeps the storein front of people on Facebook, Pinterest, etc. She has helpeddesign our evolving look and is involved with promotion, theprint media and advertising, as well as social media platforms.

All of these advertising efforts, classes and a large variety offabrics keep customers coming through the doors, doors Wolfelikes having open. What Wolfe enjoys most about running a quiltshop is getting to purchase just what she wants.

Its on hand because I want it, Wolfe said.

The store has a wide range of fabrics a lotof variety, from reproduction fabrics in Civil War-era and 1930s, to modern. All fabrics are new,and there is a great deal of turnover.

Wolfe stands by her business philosophy,which is to buy what I like and find people withsimilar tastes to (mine) who I can share it withwho will keep me in business. I like lots of things,so thats not so hard.

Another part of her business philosophy is tohave a friendly atmosphere conducive tocreativity, Wolfe said, so having like-mindedpeople working there is important.

Wolfe appears to like what shes doing, whichgoes along with her philosophy of life to besure she likes what shes doing. She said that is alittle bit weird for a businessperson becausewhen she was younger, she tried to not pay toomuch attention to what other people thought ofher, but as a businessperson, she does have topay attention to what other people think.

My philosophy is to not be thinking carefullyabout what youre doing every day, Wolfe said. Ifeel extremely lucky to have been able to do thisfor 30 years or however long Ive been doingthis.

Schneider said she loves working with hermom.

Its a huge blessing to be able to have her as aresource, Schneider said. Sewing is a passion ofmine, and I know that she helped ignite that fire.Its not necessarily something that comes bysuper easy for me like some of the techniques but she helps push me out of my comfortzone.

Schneider, Wolfe and staff at the store also areinvolved in the 15th annual Central Kansas ShopHop, which will be from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 4and 5, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 6 at 11participating area quilt shops. These shopsinclude Charlottes in Newton, CottonwoodQuilts in Hutchinson, Hen Feathers in Wichita,Kessler Creations in Hillsboro and Needle in aHaystack in Severy.

A black-and-white fabric, called Black TieAffair, was printed specially for the shop hop andincludes names of all the towns participating, aswell as the word Kansas.

Each shop will sell fabric for one particularblock, different than any blocks in stores takingpart in the hop. Each shop also will have its ownfinishing kits for sale, designing their own quilts

from all of the stores different blocks. The quiltscan be viewed atwww.centralkansasquiltshophop.4t.com inSeptember. Those with passports stamped at all11 stores are eligible to win prizes.

Those attending the shop hop may noticetrends in the quilting industry, including the useof hexagons. Trends also are showing up in colorand style, Wolfe said. Popular colors include blue,turquoise, magenta and coral.

These colors appeal to younger people butalso to older, since many people like blue, Wolfesaid. Lots of use of solid color fabrics in thepatterns being shown together with prints. Theindustry is encouraging younger stitchers, as wellas men with lots of variety in styles, particularlysimple, graphic designs.

Schneider sees another trend.Talking with others of the Generation Y

group, its obvious that despite howtechnologically dependent weve all become,there is a great desire to learn how to sew andquilt. Hopefully, we as a community of quilterscan continue to share that knowledge with everygeneration.


Quilt Show inOctober...

The Emma Creek Quilt Guild will have a show, Quilters Delight, from 10 a.m. to 4p.m. Oct. 18 and 19 at Salem United Methodist Church in Newton. Admission is $5.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Charlottes Sew Natural on Main Street in Newton is one of two shops owned by Charlotte Wolfe. The downtown storefront lends a historic feel.INSET: This fabric, called "The Black Tie Affair," was made specifically for the 15th Annual Central Kansas Shop Hop, which will be Oct. 4 through 6at a variety of area quilt shops.


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To some, hes known as Mr. Johnson,to others, hes Dad, and to many, hesjust called Evan. Whatever folks callhim, the fact exists that the retiredprincipal and former Walton mayor has wornmany hats. Hes spent much of his lifededicated to assisting others, whether it benurturing the minds and values of children,serving his city or helping get a much-neededrestaurant off the ground in the small Kansastown.

In those roles, hes a living example of hislife philosophy.

(I want) things to be as good as possible for

everybody, Johnson said, sitting in his garagefilled with antique tools. I believe I wanteverybody to have a good day.

Johnson wishes all people to have success intheir relationships and families, and to havejobs they enjoy.

One job Johnson enjoyed was beingprincipal of Suncrest, Pleasant Acres and Waltonelementary schools.

It was a good job; it really was, saidJohnson, who turned 76 on Sept. 1.

Suncrest and Pleasant Acres were closed in1986, and Johnson moved to SunsetElementary School in Newton, where he was

principal until 1992. That was the year hetransferred to Lincoln Elementary School inNewton, where he worked as principal until1997, when he retired.

However, in fall 1997 he became thesubstitute principal at Sedgwick elementary andjunior high for two years, retiring again in 1999.

Johnsons career in education began in 1961when he moved to Walton to teach high schoolmath and science. Before that, he resided inNewton for three years. The high school inWalton closed in 1964, so Johnson wasprincipal at the elementary school in the sametown, where he also taught eighth grade. The

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Evan Johnson of Walton owns more than 2,000 antique tools. These are just some of them in his garage.

next year, he taught sixth through eighth grade.In 1964, the high school only had 29 students,Johnson said, so those students went toNewton and other area towns.

Johnson has many memories of hiseducation days. One of those was when hewould not let students play ball until they hadfinished their lessons. Some times, the juniorhigh students sat on the scorers table untiltheir work was done. Johnson said the coacheskidded him, calling him you old meanie.

Something that impressed Johnson aboutstudents was their honesty when he sat themdown and talked to them. He said withstudents, he stressed honesty. Stressing such

values and just beinghimself have endearedhim to many of them.Now, its not unusualfor former students tostop by his homewhen theyre back inthe area for theholidays.

One former studentremembers an incidentwhen Johnson wasprincipal at Lincoln. Afellow student wasangry, throwing chairs

around the classroom; Mr. Johnson walked intothe room, picked up the student, put him onhis shoulder and carried him out of the room.The student who observed this thought, Well,that took care of that.

Johnson didnt always intend to go intoeducation. His first career choice was farming,and thats why he said he collects antiquetoolsbecause he was around a lot of tools onthe farm.

I grew up on a farm, he said. I was alwayswanting to be a farmer. It didnt work out to bea farmer.

Johnson said when he grew up in the 1950s,farming was poor. For three years, from 1951

through 1953, the family didnt even have awheat crop.

Dad said, Stay in school, Johnson said.So he did, but he has never quite rid

himself of the farming bug. Johnson has about 2,000 antique tools, the

oldest of which he believes is a monkey wrenchdating from 1837. He found it in Joplin, Mo.,and its one of the first monkey wrenches madeby Coe Company.

Other unusual tools include a 1920smarmalade grinder, a knife serration cutterfrom the 1940s, a hammer head made forsquare nuts (which was his 279th tool), aVandergrift quick-adjust square nut wrenchdating to 1917, a fence stretcher called TheRattler and a bandage winder.

Of the latter tool, Johnson said, Thats oneof my more unique, different tools. Kids reallylike that one.

In retirement, Johnson hasnt stayed awayfrom teaching. Every Friday during the schoolyear, he brings a tool of the week to thecharter school in Walton to teach childrenabout it. While there, he tells students to makegood eye contact with him, which showstheyre paying attention, and to ask goodquestions.

Education, however, wasnt Johnsons firstchoice for study in college. He studied


Article and photos Wendy Nugent


engineering for two years at the junior collegein Hutchinson, and then ran into a couple ofpeople who were student teaching. Johnsonsaid hed always go with them while theystudent taught and decided thats what hewanted to do. Johnson now has a mastersdegree plus 30 more hours of post-graduatestudy in education under his belt.

Another of Johnsons roles is being owner ofJohnson Jack Service, a hydraulic jack repairbusiness.

Theres not that many people around whodo that kind of stuff, Johnson said.

He also has been chairman of Rural FireDistrict No. 1 for 15 years. The district iscomprised of Walton and three townships. InJune, the town had a dedication ceremony forthe new fire district building, which Johnsonsaid is a $250,000 building built for $100,000.Money was saved because firefighters built thestructure.

Were very proud, Johnson said. So nowevery fire truck we have has its own door.

Prior to that, some trucks had to be movedto get other trucks out of the building. Johnsongives Dean Davis, who retired from the NewtonFire/EMS Department, credit for getting thenew fire building erected. The building was

financed by bonds and will cost about 1 mill for10 years, Johnson said.

His son, Merlyn, is fire chief and Walton citysuperintendent. Evan Johnson and wifeCarolyn celebrated their 56th weddinganniversary this summer. They have two otherchildren, Greg and LuAnn.

In serving his city, Johnson was mayor forthe past four years and had been on the councilfor 12. He is proud of the councilsaccomplishments while he served.

We got a good road built in our industrialpark by working with the county and the cityand the Mid Kansas Co-op, he said.

The co-op provided the rock, the countyhauled and graded it, and the city packed it.

So we got em a good road there, he said.He said the councils goal was to make

Walton a better place to live. About a year ago,while Johnson was on the council, a fertilizercompany, called ISP, moved into the old Artsand Marys potato chip plant.

We got them to come without having togive them a tax abatement, Johnson said.They didnt ask for one.

Johnson also was elected to chair the WaltonCommunity Development Corp. This groupspearheaded a project where people in the

community pooled money to get a restaurant inWalton.

Johnson also has a key to the Waltonmuseum. He said people can call him, and helltake them through the two buildings that makeup the museum, one of which is the old WaltonPost Office. The museum has a variety of articleson display, including school items, a sidesaddleand old town photographs.

One of the museum buildings is an oldgrocery store, given to the Walton museum byMabel Morgan, whose husband was a lawyer inNewton for many years.

Another of Johnsons hats includes beingtreasurer of the Brethren church in Newtonand helping with the Caring and Giving Gardenat the church. During the gardens first year,they gave away 660 pounds of tomatoes.

In addition to wearing many hats, Johnsonknows at least some of the history of Walton.For example, he said Walton was named after aformer railroad official. And now the town hasmany trains running through it.

We get about 24 to 40 (trains) a day, saidJohnson, who can hear trains from his property.Its busy here.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Former Walton Mayor Evan Johnson, left, shares a laugh with Walton City Clerk Stephanie Ashby in her Walton office.


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Jean Hicks seems to take life as itcomes, and a saying with that ideain mind is one she thought mightmake good body ink.Im not a tattoo person, but if I was

to get one, it would be, So be it, theAsbury Park resident said, sitting on apink recliner in her living room. I justkinda like the way that sounds. I dontknow how it would look, but I like thesound of it.

Thinking positively encompassesher philosophy of life, which is to live,laugh, love and be happy, the soon-to-be 80-year-old mother of three said ona warm summer day.

Hicks will turn 80 on Sept. 19, asshe was born in 1933, during the GreatDepression and the Dust Bowl. Shelived most of her life in Satanta, a townnamed after a Native American chief.Hicks calls Satanta a delightful town,with a population of about 1,200 thelast she knew. She and her husband,Russell, who passed away in 1992, hadthree children: Sherri Rawlins, who isan administrator at Prairie View; RobertHicks, who works the family farm; andRandall Hicks, a welder.

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...........................................................................................................JJean Hicks of Newton enjoys a variety of things, includingreading. See Hicks, page 18


Its a sanctuary. Its a place for artists. Its abeautifully built barn with two 8-foot ceilingfans made out of windmills, and its not usedfor farming purposes.Construction of The Barn at Sedgwick, which

replaced an early 1900s-era barn that hadchipping red paint, was completed early this year,on the farm property of Frank and Mary Harder ofrural Sedgwick.

Mary Harder didnt want to see the old barntorn down, but it was in disrepair, she said. Forabout the past year, she wouldnt even let theirtwo daughters, Annie, 14, and Cora, 10, go intothe barn, which was taken down in 2012.

Theres no more options on it, Mary saidher husband told her. Yeah, the barns comingdown. My heart just broke. Its the history of it. Itwas so hard to let that go. He said we dont haveto do anything (with the land the barn was on) orwe can build.

So, build they did.Long story short, we decided to build a barn

that had some tradition to it that would last foryears a heritage barn, Mary said.

They purchased a barn kit from Sand CreekPost & Beam of Nebraska, and an Amishconstruction crew out of Yoder built it. A crew offour usually worked on the barn taking them onlyabout 17 days to construct it, starting in 2012 andfinishing in early 2013. Mary even asked thebuilders to sign their names on the barn, she said,looking up at the place they had signed on thebarns interior.

The old barn with the red chipping paint isfeatured in a book written by KelleyDeGraffenreid called Harvey County Barns.

My heart breaks for that barn, Mary said,sitting at a table inside the new barn with photosof the old barn and the old house that had beenon the property.

Franks father, Joe Harper, grew up in thehouse built in 1940 that still is on the propertytoday. Wood from the old house that had beenthere previously was incorporated into the new1940 house.

So he grew up with the old barn that sathere, Mary said.

Mary moved into the newer house in 1994,

when she married Frank. Later, Mary enlistedJoes help when she wanted ceiling fans put intothe new barn, but she didnt want just any ceilingfans. She had found a photo of windmill ceilingfans and approached her father-in-law about thepossibility of making some.

When I went to him, he wanted to helpbecause he was willing to do whatever we neededto help out in the barn, Mary said.

He said it was doable. The windmills, whichalso were in disrepair, came from the land Maryhad grown up on, so they also were in the family.Joe restores windmills, Mary said.

Joe had to actually make them work as a faninstead of a windmill, Mary said. So, yeah, I likemy windmill fans.

Even though she didnt like to see the old barntorn down, Mary loves the new barn.

I just feel so blessed we were able to do this,Mary said. It really, for me, has been a God thing.Thats really an important part with this. I feel thatGod just Gods blessing to see the goodnessthat he can give us.

With the barn and having an art studio there,



Mary has been able to mix the farm with her loveof art, as she has a degree in art education. Shesaid its been difficult to tie that with her duties onthe farm.

I enjoy creating, she said.There was no space to do that in their home,

and at one point, Frank jokingly told Mary shecould have her studio in the barn.

I think he was serious, but joking serious,Mary said.

They didnt need the barn for farm use, sothats what they did.

I work with metal jewelry, Mary said.The barn was built for human comfort and

use, complete with a bathroom and shower,tables and chairs on the main floor, an art studio,a kitchenette with running water and sleepingquarters upstairs with rustic-looking bedsconstructed by Joe. The single beds and bunkbeds are made from tree branches, and the bedssurround a cozy setting with cushy, brown livingroom furniture.

A trickling watering-can fountain in one corneron the main level provides a relaxing atmosphere.The barn also comes with air-conditioning, heatand vintage bulbs hanging from the rafters.

The door leading to the studio was salvagedfrom the old barn.

Its been fun to use part of the old barn inhere, Mary said, adding the goal of the barn is tobe a positive, happy place.

Since the barn was constructed, there havebeen a few events there, including a barn-raisingcelebration with food and music. The money

raised and itemsreceived from thisevent were given tolocal shelters, Marysaid.

The blessing ofthe barn wewanted to pass offto somebody else,Mary said. Wewant to continue to be able to share.

Other events theyve had there have fallen inMarys lap, she said. At the barn-raising party, oneof Marys friends, Morgan Simmons of Hesston,proposed teaching a sign-painting class.

Shes been a joy, Mary said. Its because ofher were having these events.

Then on June 23, Mary, friend StaceyRasmussen, sister-in-law Janelle Dolan ofSedgwick and Simmons combined efforts to havea jewelry-making class with all proceeds going toOklahoma tornado victims. A total of 16 peopleattended.

Another event that fell into Marys lap was anArt in the Barn camp, which was July 8 through12 for youth in grades two through six. This class,called Art with a Twist, was one of two Art in theBarn camps for children the other was inWhitewater.

There also was a one-night mens retreatwhere men from the Methodist church inSedgwick enjoyed a meal and fellowship.

When people ask Mary what they do at thebarn, she said thats hard to answer because its

still evolving. She even has one weddingscheduled there, but shes not sure she wants tocontinue doing that she wants to see how thatwedding goes.

On Oct. 5, Mary, sister-in-law Janelle Dolan andsister Sara Dawson will host an all-day event at thebarn offering art and jewelry classes, and items forsale. There also will be food and music.

Mary said she could not have done any of thisalone shes had the help of friends, family andGod, but she doesnt want the barn to take up allof her time.

I dont want to ever get so busy at the barnthat I neglect my kids, Mary said. My kids areimportant.

Her children have enjoyed the barn, too,drawing with chalk on the floor and havingsleepovers. Mary has decided to limit sleepoversto family, and she also wants people who go thereto have a good time.

When people walk in the door, I want (them)to go, Wow, this is a happy place, Mary said.

She also wishes she had a sign on the doorthat says, Leave your troubles in the car.

.......................................................................................................................LEFT: Mary Harper enjoys her studio in The Barn at Sedgwick. Thebarn is used by humans and was built in early 2013. ABOVE: TheBarn at Sedgwick was constructed in early 2013. RIGHT: A ceiling fanmade from a windmill adds to the atmosphere on the second floor ofThe Barn at Sedgwick.


We were farmers, Hicks said.They grew wheat, corn and milo and had

some livestockmostly cows and pigs. Theyalso had sheep for about three years at onepoint. Son Robert was in charge of the sheep.

My husband was a cattle man, Hicks said,but she enjoyed the sheep more.

I liked working with the sheep, a laughingHicks said. Cattle will run over you. Sheep willgather around you, but they wont run overyou.

Their farm is in its third generation of familyowners. Hicks grew up on the farm and latershe and her husband bought it from hermother, Vira Winsted. Now, the farm is inRoberts hands.

Hicks called herself a farm wife, since shecarried out farm dutiesand said she loved it.

I started out driving truck, doing harvestand just worked on up to the rest of it, shesaid. Farm help was hard to get. Mostly, I didthe sweeps or plowing, whatever.

One time, Hicks dug the furrows for

planting, but her husband redid them becausethey werent straight enough.

They worked long hours and repairedmachinery despite the weather, whether in thefreezing cold or blistering heat of Kansas.Theres very little shade in southwest Kansas,she said.

In addition to farming, Hicks has tried herhands at many things. In fact, when herdaughter asked Hicks how she knows how todo so many things, she replied, Its from havingthe nerve to try different things.

Just jump in and do it, Hicks said. Give it atry.

Along these lines, Hicks wasnt just involvedin farming as a careershe also was co-ownerof a flower shop in Satanta called Love Buds. Afriend wanted to go into business with her, soHicks worked under her friend for a year andthen went to design school at the age of 48.After school, she worked there four more yearsbefore buying her friend out and running thebusiness another five years.

So, a total of 10 years in that business,Hicks said.

In 1992, Hicks husband was having health

problems, and a woman wanted to buy thestore. Russell died that year, and the sale of theshop was effective in January 1993. At that time,Hicks went to work at a flower shop in Ulysses.

I was driving 14 miles to town every day anddont think there was any day I wished I didnthave to go to work, but I missed the tractor-driving time, Hicks said.

She said the tractor-driving time was herquiet time, where she did a lot of thinking.

Also after Russell passed away, Hicks mothermoved to the farm, and she and Hicks stayedthere until 1997, when they moved to Newton.Hicks lived in Newton for 10 years, and duringthat time she worked at Designs by John. Hicksmother ended up residing at Halstead Health &Rehabilitation she lived five months shy ofreaching the century mark. Hicks also resided inMissouri for two years, moving there inFebruary 2011. In March, Hicks moved back toNewton to be closer to her children, settling inAsbury Park. She said enjoys it.

People are friendly (at Asbury Park), Hickssaid. Theres lots you can do here lots ofvolunteering.

Her volunteering at Asbury Park includes

Hicks From page 15

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................Jean Hicks points to family photos in her bedroom in her Asbury Park residence in Newton. Family is important to her.

helping residents in wheelchairs find their wayto the Sunday chapel service.

Hicks has helped many people in variousjobs and volunteer work, and she does it forthe companionship.

For the enjoyment of it Im a peopleperson, she said. If I was confined to thehouse, I dont think I could take that very well.

Hicks also has volunteered as a cook forCircles of Hope meals at First United MethodistChurch in Newton and has helped with theSenior Companion Program in Newton forseven years. In the latter program, volunteersare matched with elderly clients, and Hicks hadthe responsibility of taking people toappointments and eating breakfast twice aweek with one client.

He always wanted to go to CJs PancakeHouse, Hicks said.

Hicks also has a variety of hobbies, some ofwhich are ongoing and some are in the past, asshe likes to try new things.

I think my trademark is I jump in on thingsI dont know much about, Hicks said.

Not knowing much about these thingsdoesnt seem to hamper her enthusiasm.

For example, Hicks wanted to make a bedcovering.

Id never made a quilt before, she said. Ipicked a pattern. I looked in (a) book, andthats the one I liked.

Hicks carried her love of flowers into thequilt, as it features hand-appliqud blossoms. Italso incorporates embroidered names of herchildren and their spouses, grandchildren andhusband, not to mention her name, as well.The quilt, which rests on her bed, is tied, andshe did the binding herself.

Family seems to be quite important toHicks. Photos of jer loved ones are scatteredthroughout her bedroom, and an embroideredfamily tree she made hangs on the wall aboveher bed. The tree goes back as far as Russellsparents; his father was born in 1873.

I tried to do their name in their birthstonecolors, Hicks said.

Also in her bedroom is a teddy bear madefrom her mothers mink stole. The bear isnamed Fin, which was her mothers nickname.Her mother, who was a twin, was born in 1905and played basketball.

Hicks has carried her sense of adventureinto volunteer work and hobbies, whichinvolve sewing and working with a sewinggroup, to name a couple. She made curtainsfor the Prairie View school and curtains forgranddaughter Elisas classroom at Moran.

Hicks received letters of thanks from thechildren at Prairie View and has the lettersdisplayed on her kitchen wall.

I was so proud of those, Hicks said of the

letters. I just thought that was really neat.Then Hicks corrected herself, saying, Pleasedwith the letters. Its kinda hard to keep thatword (proud) out of your vocabulary, I think.

Earlier, Hicks had said, You know, they saypride goeth before a fall, so I try not to say(Im) proud. I say, Im pleased. And Im reallypleased with my family.

Hicks works with a sewing group at TrinityHeights United Methodist Church, the churchshe attends. She stuffs pillows, which are givento patients at Newton Medical Center.

I know theyve made a lot of them, Hickssaid.

Initially, the group had asked her to quilt,but she told them they did not want her toquilt, so she stuffs pillows.

Hicks also has made balaclavas forAfghanistan and son Robert, welding caps forson Randall, do-rags for son Robert and manycorn bags for family and friends. Corn bags areheated in the microwave and provide relief foraching muscles. A balaclava is a ski mask orhelmet that covers the entire head, exposingonly the eyes.

I dont know how many of those Ivemade, Hicks said.

Hicks also likes todo word searches,crochet, embroider,play cards, bake andread. Shes also goingto the senior center torelearn Pinochle and toplay cards.

What does Hicks liketo bake?

Anything, she said.If Im trying a newrecipe, its more apt tobe a dessert item than asalad. Who wants asalad when you canhave sweets? I dontallow myself sweets toooften, but that doesntmean I dont thinkabout it.

Another of Hicksinvolvements includesbelonging to theChallengers Sundayschool class at TrinityHeights. She calls thegroup a good bunch.

Years before, whenHicks was in highschool, she tried herhand at something new,blazing a trail. She andanother senior girl took

Woodworking I with the freshmen boys. Theywere the first girls to take woodworking at theschool.

I loved that loved working with thewood, Hicks said.

About blazing a trail for girls to takewoodworking at her high school, Hicks saidabout herself, with a smile on her face, Somepeople would use the term troublemaker, Ithink.

Her first project was squaring a board, andshe also made a pig breadboard and twoshelves. Her last project was a cedar chest.

One of (the pigs) hind legs was very thin,Hicks said. We laughed about that for years.

Also while in high school, Hicks took threeyears of home economics.

I dont (sew) much clothing anymore, shesaid. In fact, I dont do any clothing anymore.

Thinking of others runs in Hicks family. Asshe was growing up, Hicks said her mother hadsome advice, which Hicks seems to havefollowed.

Our mother said to have a friend, be one,Hicks said. She was a happy person. I thinkeverybody loved her.

I think my trademark is I jump in on things I dontknow much about.


Thunder rolled through the night air,mimicking the sound of a bass drum aslightning lit up the eerily dark historicCarnegie Library during a recentSaturday night ghost investigation.

Unseasonably chilly temperatures occasionallypermeated through the atmosphere of the morethan 100-year-old Newton structure as rain fellsoftly on the roof. The elements provided theperfect backdrop for the ghostly inspectionconducted by the Ghost Investigation Crew,which has members in Newton and Salina.

Stairs squeaked. People were startled. A ghostor two possibly touched at least three of thewomen there. Investigators took coffee breaksbetween searching for things that went bump inthe night.

I agreed to the investigation as a different

way to share history, museum director DebraHiebert said. Stuff isnt history. The lives of thepeople who had the stuff is what needs to beshared, and this is a different way of possiblytelling some of those stories. We have had somevisitors who sensed activity in the museum andhave had some inquiries about that, so I decidedthat this was a group of museum visitors that wecould serve by looking further into paranormaloccupation.

The investigation, which was done with lightsout, took about five hours, from 9 p.m. on aSaturday until 2 a.m. on a Sunday. GIC membersnow will have to pour over hours of video andaudio digital recordings. Sometimes, ghosts canbe seen and heard with human eyes and ears,and other times, these phenomena are picked uponly electronically. Thats why GIC uses audio

and digital recorders.The results of the

investigation will berevealed during aprogram in the fall at themuseum, 203 N. Main St. in Newton. As of presstime, the date for the reveal had not yet beendetermined, but the event will be open to thepublic. To learn when the reveal will happen, callthe historical museum at 316-283-2221, checkthe museums Facebook page or visit hchm.orgor www.harveycountynow.com.

In addition to GIC members, four others wereat the location, including Hiebert. The building,which features a basement, a first floor andsecond floor, was built in 1903-04 as a library. Italso has an attic. The structure was a library until1973, and has been owned only by the city of


Things that go Article and photos

Wendy Nugent

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ABOVE: The Harvey County Historical Museum and Archives, 203 N. Main St. in Newton, was the site of a ghost investigation. Photo illustration byKevin Hower and Wendy Nugent. RIGHT: Brad Buchta with Ghost Investigation Crew instructs non-Crew members about equipment that's used asGIC co-leader Bryan Breen's image is reflected in a mirror.

inthe night

Newton and the historical society, Hiebert said.Before the investigation began, Newton

resident Brad Buchta, founder and leadinvestigator of GIC, talked about the equipmentthey would use, noting that most activity usuallystarts after midnight.

Buchta said the Crew runs all night vision ontheir camcorders. Other equipment includes anEMF (electromagnetic field) pump, which givesoff energy and can draw ghosts to investigators; agrid pen light that lit a room with a series ofgreen grid dots; digital recorders to capture EVPs(electronic voice phenomena); a ghost box thatalso can catch ghost voices; an infrared digitalthermometer; a K2 meter, which readselectromagnetic fields (that can indicate a ghostmight be present); motion sensors; babymonitor; and cameras.

The light grid sometimes can indicate if aghost or shadow person is in the room, eventhough its not visible to the naked eye, because itwill block the light. A shadow person is the spiritof a human who died suddenly, investigatorSonia Tingen said. They also move very fast,Buchta added.

Shadow people weve had a coupleexperiences with those, Buchta said.

The ghost box scans a variety of FM or AMradio waves, and a mixture of white noise andaudio fragments can be heard. A ghost canmanipulate a wavelength to talk, Buchta said.

With the ghost box radio sweep method, thespirit or ghost voices seem to be carried uponthese audio fragments and white noise,according to www.angelsghossts.com.

The thermometer measures the temperatureof a specified area; a colder area possiblyindicates a spirit and a warmer area possiblyindicates a bad spirit, Buchta said.

Hiebert said she had a good time during theinvestigation.

I enjoyed some of the gizmos, especially theshadow people pen because it was so visuallycool, Hiebert said. And really? I enjoyed being apart of activity in the museum at night verydifferent than daytime activities, and I like thatthe museum can have different faces fordifferent visitors.

Attached spiritsThe main reason GIC wanted to inspect the

historical museum was because they feel spiritsmight be attached to older items there.

While giving instructions that stormy Saturday

night, Buchta said, If you think somethingtouches you, let us know. If something whispersin your ear, let us know.

At one point, investigator SaVona Davis ofSalina did let people know. She said she felt atouch in one of the main rooms. Later, down bythe boiler room, two women, Sara Ensz ofNewton and this writer (Wendy Nugent ofNewton) both felt as though they were contactedby someone who had crossed over.

Nugent said she felt a tickle like a spider onher leg when nothing was there, and Esnz saidshe felt a cold touch on her right arm. This wasright after investigators asked any entities in thebasement to reveal his or her name, and theyreceived a message on the ghost box three times:Joe.

Ghosts are curious,Buchta said, but theycan be shy. During thenight, several peopleasked ghostsquestions, such asDid you go off to thewar and die? What isyour name? andHow old are you?Ghosts also wereasked to sing alongand say what theirfavorite food was. Theinvestigators theredidnt hear anyresponses at the time.

Buchta made itclear the groupdoesnt falsify theirevidence.

We dont fabricate orPhotoshop anything, hesaid with a serious look.The team knows if theyfabricate anything,theyre off the team.Because were notgoing to pull the woolover anybodys eyes.

In addition to Buchtaand Davis, other GICinvestigators there thatnight were Salinaresidents Bryan Breen,co-lead investigator andBuchtas best friend,

Sherry Breen and Jesse Blouch; and Newtonresidents Sonia Tingen and Twila Smith. Alsothere was Rodger Nugent of North Newton, whois not a member of GIC.

The team did its first investigation on May 7,2011, at Theorosas Bridge near Valley Center,and has done 40 to 50 investigations since then,completing many during their first year and ahalf.

It does wear you out, Buchta said. Not only does the investigation take several

hours, but theres travel time and pouring overthe evidence afterward.

The best part of doing this is going over theevidence, and the worst part is going over theevidence, Buchta said, while sitting at a table onthe museums second floor manned with a

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camcorder, the only light shining in throughwindows.

At one point upstairs, Buchta said he thoughthe saw a shadow move very quickly from left toright among the racks. Other personalexperiences that night included Bryan Breensaying they picked up the two other names onthe ghost box in the basement: Angela andWilliam.

Theres something downstairs, Bryan Breensaid during the investigation. Thats where theactivity is.

When Joe was asked what or who he wasattached to, they got a response that soundedlike janitor, Bryan Breen said.

They also heard papers rustling in the boilerroom that night, and Tingen, who is sensitive tospirits, felt something rush up on her. Ghostsknow which people are sensitive, so theyll go upto them, Buchta said.

Buchta hasnt always believed in ghosts.Ive had people ask if I believe in life after

death, Buchta said. I say, I do now.His experiences with ghosts started when he

and Tingen lived in a home at 12th and Madisonin Newton. One night, they both heard whatsounded like a sigh.

Different things were spooking us out, hesaid.

Another time, Buchta was vacuuming at thathouse and saw a figure in black. He thought itwas Tingens daughter, but when he turnedaround, nothing was there. The next day, hecontacted several paranormal societies. After afew months, one of those contacts suggested toBuchta that he get an investigation team

together. The firstperson he thought ofto join was his bestfriend, Bryan Breen,since they both loveinformation onunidentified flyingobjects and Bigfoot.

Theyve been on many adventures together.One such investigation was at a home inMinneapolis, Kan. There, they experienced aspirit that wasnt very kind. At one point, Tingenand Buchta were in the kitchen talking aboutbeing thirsty, and they later found they hadcaught a creepy EVP about that time that said,Thirsty? Im going to drink your blood.

Also at this same home, they learned a littlegirl who lived there referred to a friend onlyshe could see whom she called Beadie. The teamcaptured an apparition of a transparent little girlrunning across a room, who most likely wasBeadie. At the time, Buchta became quitenauseated, which can happen to people nearwhen theyre near ghosts.

Buchta felt a ghost come up on him, like itwas chest bumping him indicating this is myplace, he said.

They also caught a recording of whatsounded like high heels or boots going acrossthe floor in the kitchen in that home.

GIC also investigated a place a business inSalina, where a worker said she kept seeing ashadowy figure.

When I asked if there were any spirits herewith me tonight (as they investigated), I heardstuff being moved around in that office, Buchta

said. I said, Yes thereis, and I turned andwalked back up thehallway to get Bryan,who was downstairs.While listening to thedigital recorder, notonly did you hear themovement from in theoffice, you also heardfootsteps running rightby me, which I did nothear with my ownears.

Buchta and BryanBreen also investigatedthe Odd FellowsAsylum in Liberty, Mo.One of their photos hada red splotch on it.When they blew it up,they saw it was anapparition of a little boysitting on the stairs. The

Atlanta Paranormal Society (TAPS) from the TVshow Ghost Hunters investigated that locationafter GIC did, Buchta said.

Another investigator, Blouch, also hadparanormal activity in his life before joining GIC.He said his bedroom had been haunted all hislife. He would hear his door unlatch itself andthen footsteps. He said the spirit who hauntedhis room had curly hair and static eyes, such asthat on a TV set.

One night, the spirit kept coming towardBlouch, he said, as he was lying in bed. Blouchtold the ghost to leave him alone. Theshowdown ended when Blouch got up, stoodup to the apparition, inches from its face, andtold it to go away. Blouch said the spirit thendropped down into his dresser drawer. He hasntseen the ghost for a number of years.

Buchta himself experienced paranormalactivity during the day at the museum evenbefore the investigation started Saturday night.Only he and Hiebert were in the museum thatafternoon as Buchta was there to get some basereadings. He got a K2 hit at the World War IIpiano, and he also heard footsteps coming downthe stairs; Hiebert was not on the stairs but in heroffice.

A lot of people ask why (we dont investigate)during the day, Buchta said, to which he repliesits hard to catch entities during the day as theyretransparent.

Buchta said the group doesnt chargeanything for their investigations they do it tohelp people. When they show people theirevidence, the people feel validated thesepeople say, Hey, Im not crazy.

When they arrive at a location, GIC recites aprayer of protection, and when they leave, theydo an exit prayer, Buchta said.

If were in a place six or seven hours, and weget an EVP, its a success, Buchta said.

While investigating the past, GIC has plans forthe future. On Nov. 15, they will investigate theVillisca Axe Murder House in Villisca, Iowa. In1912, a family, comprised of a husband, wife andfour children, came home from church with twoneighbor kids. The story goes a man was hidingin the house and killed all eight people after theywent to sleep.

The TV show Ghost Adventures crew alsohas explored this home. Buchta said the crewrecorded an EVP that said, I killed six kids.

Information onthe Museum

Harvey County Historical Museum and Archives hours are 10 a.m. to4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission: $3 for adults, $2 forchildren ages 5-17, free for kids under 5.

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Contact info forGhost Investigation

Contact Brad Buchta at 316-727-6292 or Bryan Breen at 785-201-2485


A guidingBonnie Sowers, as well asHesston College nursingprogram faculty and staff,have managed to do

something rarely seen on collegecampuses these daysespeciallywith the current economy.

During her tenure at HesstonCollege, as assistant director andthen director of the nursingprogram during the past 40 years,nursing graduates have experienceda job-placement rate of 100 percent.

As far as we know, all of our(registered nursing) graduates whoactively sought a nursing positionhave been offered a job in nursing,Sowers said.

We have actual records onnursing employment from 2000 topresent. In the earlier years of theprogram, we did not track ourprogram outcomes as carefully aswe do today, but we cannot recallanyone who ever notified us thatthey were unable to locate anursing position.

Sowers doesnt take credit forthe high employment rate, though.

First of all, we are fortunate enough to recruit outstanding people to join our program, Sowers said.The vast majority have a real heart for people and come to us with strong personal values already in placeand a commitment to holistic care. That is part of the reason they choose HC as the setting for their nursingeducation.

In addition, faculty members do an excellent job educating the committed nursing students, assistingin their development during the 18-month program as competent and caring nurses, Sowers said.

The nursing program has eight full-time core faculty members: one director, one administrative assistantand four adjunct/clinical faculty members. The nursing coursework has 112 students enrolled, 25 to 30more are taking pre-nursingcourses during the academic year.

The local health-carecommunity also has high respectfor our nursing program ourgraduates and many agenciesare pleased to employ HCnurses, Sowers said.

The nursing program, underSowers direction and leadership,has stayed on the cutting edge ofnursing education. It has kept

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..........................................................................................................................Bonnie Sowers, director of the nursing program at Hesston College,left, helps student Bri Stutzman with a blood pressure check in theNewton Medical Center Simulation Center (clinical learning) atHesston College.

Article and photosWendy Nugent

pace with many changes innursing and health-careduring the years, such as thefast growth in pharmacologyand medications, HIV/AIDS,new diseases and illnesses,and modifications in acute-care technology settings.

One of the biggestchanges has been ourapproach to clinicalnursing, Sowers said. Inthe past five years, we havemade extensive use ofpatient simulators in ourcampus labs. Students nowparticipate regularly in ourNewton Medical CenterSimulation Center (on theHesston College campus),being instructed by anursing faculty memberwho holds advancedpractical nursing credentialsand who works exclusivelywith our students in simulation.

Nursing students now are better prepared to care for the needs ofactual patients in real-life settings after theyve had much practice andtesting with simulations.

Faculty member Gregg Schroeder, an advanced practice registerednurse with a Master of Science in Nursing degree, watches students from acubicle that looks like it has a two-way mirror on at least two sides, andplays out real-life scenarios for students with the simulated patients that liein hospital beds, responding to what students do. The simulated patientscan be male or female, adult or child, post-op patients or having an illness,such as pneumonia, to name a few scenarios.

A second campus simulation lab, Riegsecker Nursing Laboratory, hastwo patient-care rooms one with a birthing simulator called Noelle andanother with SimMan, which is a high-fidelity simulator used formedical/surgical and critical-care nursing case studies, as well as AdvancedCardiovas cular Life Support testing and prep. This lab also has a few infantsimulators with an infant warmer.

The simulation lab activities can take place before or during lectureclasses.

One student, sophomore Bri Stutzman, enjoys this kind of instruction.This works really well for my learning style, said Stutz man, who

describes herself as a hands-on learner.Applying what she learned in lecture class in the sim lab reinforces skills

and techniques, she said.

Working with SowersStudents, as well as co-workers, think highly of Sowers, admiring her

dedication to the nursing program, students and staff.In the 35 years I have worked with Bonnie, what I have come to value

most are her vision for our nursing program, her wisdom in leadership andher warm relational style, said Marilyn Unruh Flaming, academic assistantin the Department of Nursing. Students consistently sense that they havefound an encouraging advocate in Bonnie. She is an optimistic, joyfulperson to work with and has been a caring, inspirational role model forstudents and colleagues. We all love her!

Hesston College President Howard Keim says Sowers has been theleader of the colleges highly successful nursing program andchairwoman of the Career Programs Division, as well as the Assessment,Research and Coordinating Committee. He also noted she has led threeaccreditation reviews with the Higher Learning Commission; these all

resulted in 10-year renewals.She is a wonderful,

collaborative, cheerfulpresence on campus, Keimsaid. It is difficult to think ofa person who hascontributed more to oursuccess than BonnieSowers.

Sowers said has enjoyedworking with Flaming, asthey work as a team toadminister the program.

Its a workingrelationship good friendssupporting each other inother aspects of our lives,Sowers said.

More than 40years

Sowers finds it hard tobelieve the duration of hercareer at Hesston College.

I have been at HesstonCollege for 40 years, she said with a smile. Its just hard to believe. I justreceived recognition for my 40 years of teaching at Hesston College thispast May.

Sowers attended Hesston College as a student for one year, thentransferred to Goshen (Ind.) College, where she earned a bachelor ofscience degree in nursing in 1969. She transferred schools becauseHesston didnt offer a nursing degree at the time.

She joined the Hesston College faculty in 1970, instructed in theGoshen College nursing program for a few years, earned her master ofscience degree in psych mental health nursing in 1975 from Ohio StateUniversity and went back to Hesston College in 1975, where she wasrecruited as the nursing program assistant director, later becomingdirector.

(Ive) been here ever since, Sowers said. Its been a wonderful job forme. I couldnt have asked for a better career. It has been full of rewards.

The success of her students and former students is high on the list.It has been such a delight and blessing to see students grow, change

and make a contribution to health care here in central Kansas and allaround our state, nation and world, Sowers said.

For example, Sowers recently received a note from a 1999 graduatewho is an advanced practice registered nurse, employed as a hospitalist inNorth Carolina. Sowers said another graduate told her she was acceptedinto the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Wichita State, and yetanother graduate, Gloria Solis from Newton, is a chief nursing officer andchief operating officer at a large medical facility in Missouri.

Sowers also recalled one student who was a very dedicated singlemother while at Hesston, but had trouble making ends meet as she went


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..........................................................................................................................Bonnie Sowers looks over the Newton Medical Center SimulationCenter in July at Hesston College.

through the nursing program. The former student was quite grateful forthe financial assistance she received, and is now a nurse manager whofrequently checks with the college to see if she can financially help currentstudents who are going through similar circumstances she did.

But of no less importance are the hundreds of graduates working eachday in a multitude of health-care settings, practicing nursing at the bedside,touching and transforming lives one patient and one family at a time,Sowers said.

Many of these nurses work at Harvey County clinics, long-term care,hospital and home-health settings.

Sowers was recruited to work at Hesston College by Ray Showalter, thefirst director of the HC nursing program. Before that, Sowers had beenemployed by Halstead Hospital. Her husband was attending HesstonCollege at the time, so it was a win-win situation for them, Sowers said.

It helped my husband with tuition costs and essentially brought meback to work at a place I love, Sowers said. I have deep roots here andhave been affiliated with HC all my life.

Those deep roots were anchored in the Hesston College soil as herfather was president of the college for 19 years. The social life of theirfamily centered on the college.

This has always been a part of our lives, Sowers said. Teaching atHesston is a real natural for me. It feels like home.

While she was assistant director, Sowers did a lot of teaching. Now, asdirector, much of her role revolves around advising students as well asadministrative duties.

When she does have the opportunity to teach now, Sowers will presentstudents with critical-thinking scenarios. She challenges students to comeup with their own answers instead of the old days sage on the stage kindof learning where instructors impart information and then test students onit.

Now, students do is what is called flip the classroom. Sowers givesstudents notes before class, so they come to class prepared and armed withquestions.

It becomes a critical-thinking time instead of just a faculty memberdeparting information, Sowers said.

To become registered nurses, students earn an associates degree atHesston College, then take the National Council Licensure Examination forRegistered Nurses. Some of the students then attend other schools toreceive bachelors degrees.

At Hesston College, students and faculty learn together.We say its really a learning-centered classroom focusing on how well

students learn as opposed to how well faculty teach, Sowers said.Most nursing students attend Hesston College because emphasis is

placed on holistic patient care caring for a patients body, mind andspirit not just the physical aspects. In fact, the official motto of thenursing department is A Tradition of Service A Commitment to Care.

Along those lines, some of the nursing faculty adopted this Scripture forthe department: Dont think you need a lot of extra equipment for this.YOU are the equipment (Mark 6:8, The Message translation).

It has been a real joy and blessing to be part of such a close, relationalcommunity a Christ-centered community, Sowers said.


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Newton native Barb Burns has fondmemories of the Fox Theatre indowntown Newton from when she wasgrowing up recollections ofcinematic treats like candy and cartoons.

For many years, Burns mother wasmanager/owner of Lois Style Shop, just off of MainStreet on West Broadway.

I grew up on Main Street, Burns said.Saturday morning cartoons at the Fox withfriends is a warm and lasting memory. There weretreats at the Fox that we simply didnt getanywhere else: Milk Duds, licorice taffy, evenpopcorn was a special treat. Good memories. Lotsof Newton natives recall their budding social liveshappening at the Fox. Lots of first kiss activity inthe back rows!

Burns said her back-row experiences were nil,but she does recall feeling quite grown up whenshe attended the Friday night cinema without herparents.

I still remember how frightened I was leavingthe theater after watching Rosemarys Baby,Burns said. Lasting memory!

Many people have lasting memories from thathistoric building, which was constructed in 1914as a live theater. One such person is Daryl Skibbeof Newton.

One of the things I remember is the activitydowntown and the Fox being in the center,Skibbe said. Back in the 70s, fuel was cheap, andwe only had one phone in the house, so we couldonly talk for five minutes at a time. So what wewould do is tell our parents we were goingdowntown to see what was going on and who wasout.

The Fox was in the middle of the driving turn-around places, including A&W and Sonic or Big D.People would socialize outside the theater.

Cars would be parked on both sides of MainStreet and on the side streets when it was a reallygood movie, and then when the show would end,everyone would be either talking outside ordragging Main honking their horns at those stillstanding outside, Skibbe said.

MGM Fox acquired the theater in 1955 andupgraded it for movies. When Dickinsonpurchased it in the 1990s, they put in new seats.

The arrival of multiplex theaters and shoppingmalls in the mid- to late 1990s led to the demise ofsingle-screen movie theaters, and Newton was noexception, said Burns, who is chair of the board ofdirectors of the Newton Fox Performing ArtsCenter Inc. During this time, the Fox fell intodisrepair.

In 2001, the Newton High School class of

1965, led by Dan Suderman, purchased thetheater for $1 from the city of Newton with theblessing to keep the theater and make it happen,Burns said.

This group worked hard, cleaning out gunkand fixing things, Burns said. For almost 10 years,they brought in local concerts, even without doingfund-raising, she added.

Now, the Newton Fox Performing Arts CenterInc. board of directors, which is a group ofvolunteer owners, is working to raise money torenovate the Fox and enhance programming.

After Suderman died in 2010, the theater washeaded back to the city, as the previous ownersgrew weary of the project. The city commissionwas presented with doing something with the Foxor tearing it down.

Dewayne Pauls, who singlehandedly has donemore for Main Street in the last decade thananyone else, suggested Burns get her armsaround the project, she said.

So, Burns visited with Newton City ManagerRandy Riggs.

Clearly, tearing that down simply wasnt anoption, Burns said.

However, the city does not put any money intothe theater, and the city is not a safety net for it,either. Working with the theater is in Burns job

Article and photosWendy Nugent

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................These are some of the audience participants taking part in the Rock for the Fox event in April at the Meridian Center in Newton. The event includeddualing pianos as part of the fund-raiser for the Fox Theatre in downtown Newton.

A phoenix rising from the celluloid ashes



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description as advancement director for the city.The NFPAC board of directors has been together for about a year. Other

members include Ann Davidson, Newton Police Department Chief JamesDaily, Tim Buller, Rosaland Scudder, Kevin Geraci, Gini Coleman Johnson,Chris Conrade, Floyd Sowers, Janis Whitfield, Michelle Coffman, Larry Morse,Julie Preisser and Donna Mills.

Burns cited several reasons for restoring the Fox.During the 2010 ReNewton comprehensive plan, more than 1,800 citizen

participants said in writing nothing was more important to Newton than anenergized and vibrant downtown, and that the Fox Theatre was identified asthe single most important catalyst to that goal.

Having quality, fun events at the Fox downtown brings local folks andpeople from out of town in big numbers, Burns said. People and the artsare key to a vibrant community.

She also had a more personal reason for restoring the Fox.The Fox Theatre is the heart of downtown Newton, she said. Those of

us who have lived here and loved our Main Street for many years know that.Burns hadnt really planned on being part of such a large project.I certainly didnt wake up one day and decide to renovate an old theater

in my non-existing spare time, Burns said. And quite honestly, I was nave tothe magnitude of the challenges facing the project. I was also nave, though,to the fun and creative energy the project would generate. More importantly,I have created lifelong friendships through the intensity and timecommitment of the project. Our Fox Theatre board spends a lot of timetogether.

The theater twice has been close to being torn down. Burns said sheremembers when the decision was made to demolish the old Harvey CountyCourt house and build the current one.

Sounded good at the time, probably saved money over renovation,Burns said. But there is a lasting collective angst knowing what we lostforever in that decision. Had our group not stepped up to work on the Fox,it likely would have been destined for demolition this time. Not good.

The new board inherited a building with many problems. In the earlyweeks and months, Burns said she knew she had no ability to make therenovations happen on her own, but if she put together a strong team, Iknew we could do anything.

Burns spent many hours meeting with people about the possibility ofrestoring the Fox. And the excitement was almost palpable with everyone Ispoke with, she said.

Then, the board of directors was formed. So, this committed, energizedand visionary group of volunteers galvanized around our project, Burnssaid.

At the time, the building had a dark feeling, as well as a nasty stench. Theyfound closets that were full of junk, including moldy drapes, stacks of brokentoilets, dead birds and cockroaches, Burns said.

No cinema treasures, she said. There was just junk everywhere.In February 2012, the board and friends rolled up their sleeves and

carried out 2.5 tons of waste, which filled up five city dump trucks.Once we got that stuff out, we (could envision) some potential, Burns

said. We bonded with the project.The volunteers then set about to freshen the place by replacing granite

outside, cleaning and whitewashing some walls. Prudential Realtors helpedpaint.

The group also received hope in getting greatconcerts when Miner Seymour, who was with OldSettlers Inn in Moundridge for years, said hedhelp recruit talent.

The board also knew the place needed to berenovated, so they took their story to Law-KingdonArchitects in Wichita, complete with the theatershistory and plans for the future. The boarddecided it wanted to bring the Fox back as a multi-use facility, including showing movies as there hadbeen no screen or equipment to show flicks. Theboard also wanted to make the Fox a community-use locale for community meetings or as politicalforums.

But to do that, we knew we needed to makestructural improvements, Burns said.

The architect firm drew up a historicallyaccurate 1955 design, part of long-range plans forthe theater.

The renovation project will cost $2.2 to $3.2million when completed, but there is no timeframe at this point as to when the majorrenovation will take place.

The historical designation of the theater will be1955, Burns said, which means the theaters lookwill be from that time period.

As the project vision began to take shape andthe board started asking for help, very few peoplesaid no, Burns said. For example, the advertisingagency Sullivan Higdon & Sink in Wichita helpedwith early promotional materials at no charge tothe Fox.

We had hope, we had energy, we had vision,but we still had no money, Burns said. The FoxTheatre simply sells itself to interested people. Itjust must be the right thing to do.

In fall 2012, the board scheduled the UnderConstruction concert series as a way to test theconcert waters in Harvey County; Seymour madethe entertainment arrangements. More recently,Adam Hartke, who was program director for the

Orpheum in Wichita, stepped in as programdirector at the Fox.

Performing for the Fox Christmas program in2012 was Cherish the Ladies, a world-renownedCeltic womens group. During the performance,seven young men did Irish step-dancing on stage.In the last 30 seconds of the performance, one ofthe men fell through a hole on the stage. Thatwasnt the only problem that night. Earlier, therewere plumbing problems in the womensrestroom.

We knew we couldnt continue withoutstopping and fixing the building, Burns said.Safety and comfort is paramount to our being aquality venue for our guests.

The theater closed from December 2012through May. Local plumbers were brought in anddid a colonoscopy of the building. The structurewas rewired for better sound and light capability,and fire code compliance measures were installed.The theater received at no cost like-new theaterdrapes from Maize High School. Digital movieequipment was purchased, and a 20-footretractable screen soon will be installed. Thetheater will start showing movies in the fall.

As of July, dressing rooms, each having its ownshower, were being constructed just off the stage.Having spacious and comfortable dressing roomswill help the boards goal of attracting qualityperformers, Burns said.

In addition, the stage was extended and rebuiltwith new flooring added. Darryl Skibbe withServiceMaster steam-cleaned theater seats, anddid magic on the floors, Burns said.

Much of this wasdone with a loan fromthe South CentralKansas EconomicDevelopment Districtwith guidance fromMickey Fornaro Dean

with Har vey County Economic Develop ment.Patrick Johnson, with Patrick Johnson Interiors

of Newton, is doing a great deal of work in thetheater, such as painting, designing and creating.

Were going to make this place respectable,he said, standing in front of the concessioncounter. Plans include renovating the counter,adding an ADA exit ramp and working on theaterwalls.

It will be done in phases, and were justchipping away at it, Burns said.

Chipping away at renovating needs funds, andthe board has been working on raising the money.For example, in April, a dueling pianos event,Rock for the Fox, raised significant money for theFox. That same group will return in the spring.Those in attendance seemed to have a great time,with audience participants singing and dancing onstage to audience requests of tunes from the 60sand 70s.

We had a packed banquet room at theMeridian Center having a great time, said Burnswith a grin. Those two pianists were amazingtalents.

The Rock for the Fox event was a turning pointfor the theater project. People who had neverdarkened the Fox doorway left with a sense of thefun and togetherness the Newton Fox cangenerate, Burns said.

Part of our mission is to bring a fun, socialpulse back to Newton

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