The annual Miss Kansas Parade for 2022 featured more than 30 entries, plus uncounted classic cars of local ownership, many of which carried Miss Kansas contestants, judges or former contestants on June 11. A large crowd turned out for the warm Saturday event in downtown Pratt, sponsored this year for the first time by the Pratt Elks Lodge #1451.
Miss Kansas 2022 is in the history books, with Miss Kiowa County Ayanna Hensley emerging as the new title holder. There were many exciting moments and memories made throughout the past week as 22 representatives came to Pratt to take part in traditional events like the 75ers Dinner and the Saturday Miss Kansas Parade, as well as to make life-long inspiring connections between aspiring princesses, fellow contestants, mentors, the Miss American organization and the many volunteers in the local community who come together each year to make this special event happen.
Time for a confession: I have always had a thing for the British monarchy. It goes back to my childhood, when at some point (geek alert, folks) I might have actually memorized the order of the English kings and queens. I had a fascination with the Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods, as well.
National attention has turned, once again, to the gun debate following the horrific events at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas last month. One day prior to the school shooting that killed 19 children and 2 adults, the Kansas legislature adjourned without taking action on proposed bills aimed to ban so called “ghost guns”, like the one used in the shooting at Olathe East High School in March of this year.
SOFTBALL First team First team P Kaci Young, fr., Halstead P Kassidy Nixon-u, sr., Hoisington P Jordyn Boxberger, so., Hoisington P Aly James-u, so., Pratt C Kadence Urban, sr., Hoisington 1B Madi Tolle, sr., Smoky Valley 2B Justice Large, so., Hesston 3B Bailey Jackson, so., Pratt SS BrieAnn Brawner, jr., Haven OF Sadie Estill-u, so., Haven OF Reese Hefley, sr., Hillsboro OF Jaycie Theis, so., Pratt OF Alyssa Miller, sr., Pratt U Amie Yoder-u, sr., Haven DP Sage Kohman-u, so., Pratt Second team P Mya Morris, so., Halstead P BrieAnn Brawner, jr., Haven P Kori Arnold, jr., Hillsboro P Kori Arnold, jr., Hillsboro P Skylre Stucky, sr., Hillsboro P Karee Adam, jr., Smoky Valley C Livia Swift, sr., Pratt 1B Gracie Aylward, sr., Hoisington 2B Mallory Solze, sr., Pratt 3B Sophia Faidley, fr., Haven 3B Sophia Faidley, fr., Haven SS Lexi Walker, sr., Pratt SS Lexi Walker, sr., Pratt OF Kelsi Kincaid, jr., Haven OF Kashlin Beck, so., Hoising OF Kashlin Beck, so., Hoisington OF Shaylah Kempke, sr., Hoisington OF Destiny Pond, so., Nickerson U Marleigh Bates, jr., Pratt Honorable mention Honorable mention 1B Mya Morris, so., Halstead 1B Mya Morris, so., Halstead 3B Payton Divine, sr., Halstead OF Lauren Cardwell, sr., OF Lauren Cardwell, sr., Halstead C Brookelyn Barnett, jr., Haven 3B Brynn Johnston, sr., Hesston OF Keeley Brewer, jr., Hillsboro 2B Mollie Steiner, so., Hoisington 3B Ava Henry, jr., Hoisington SS Kayleigh Arriola, sr., Lyons U Mallory Seidel-Pinson, sr., Lyons 3B Kalyse Abernathy, so., Nickerson SS Maliyah Koster, so., Smoky Valley OF Ava Broxterman, so., Smoky Valley Baseball First team First team P Chandler Drake-u, sr., P Chandler Drake-u, sr., Halstead P DJ Miller-u, jr., Haven P Whit Rhodes, so., Hesston P Cesar Espino, sr., Pratt P Cesar Espino, sr., Pratt C Karter Cooprider, sr., Haven 1B Logan Erway, sr., Larned 2B Cesar Espino, sr., Pratt 3B Kaleb Wise, jr., Halstead SS Blake Coss, sr., Pratt OF Brett Cox-u, jr., Hesston OF Matthew Potucek, sr., Hillsboro OF Dawson Stover, sr., Lyons OF Kade Blanchat, jr., Smoky Valley U Matthew Shanline, sr., Pratt DH Brian Bernhardt, sr., Lyons Second team P Karter Cooprider, sr., Haven P Reece Bressler, sr., Lyons P Dyllan Lunsford, sr., Pratt P Kade Blanchat, jr., Smoky Valley C Koda Dipman, sr., Pratt 1B Dru Lunsford, sr., Pratt 2B Jaiden Diasio, so., Lyons 3B Matthew Hook, sr., Pratt SS Tony Moore, so., Hoisington OF Leyton Haxton, jr., Hoisington OF Colton Morrell, jr., Nickerson OF Jayden Mies, so., Pratt OF John Martinez, jr., Pratt U Jackson Swift, sr., Halstead DH Fernando Fernandez, sr., Pratt Honorable mention P Jase Mueller, so., Halstead P Kaleb Wise, jr., Halstead P Kaleb Wise, jr., Halstead C Austin Radke, sr., Halstead 2B Keenan McCune, jr., Halstead OF Adler Davison, jr., Halstead 1B Brant Sipe, jr., Haven 3B DJ Miller, jr., Haven SS Nash Wray, fr., Haven OF Dustin Loughrie, so., Haven SS Gunnar Lewis, so., Hesston U Whit Rhodes, so., Hesston P Alex Caldwell, sr., Hillsboro U Hunter Navrat, sr., Hillsboro 2B MJ Aylward, jr., Hoisington SS Brady Hope, so., Larned C Solomon Goforth, so., Lyons U Ethan Luck, fr., Lyons 1B Bronson Nuss, so., Nickerson SS Camden Cornelius, so., Nickerson U Trayton Miller, sr., Smoky Vall .
For the first time since May of 2019, the Kansas FFA (Future Farmers of America) State Convention was held in person at Manhattan, Kansas. This was also the PHS FFA team’s first opportunity to attend the convention, where they performed well in several events.
Trevor Tanner, St John was listed on the Garden City Community College Spring 2022 Honor Roll. He was one of 584 students to make three lists: President’s Honor Roll, Vice President’s-Deans’ Honor Roll, and Honorable Mention.
Caring for your strawberry bed Next year’s strawberry crop will be affected by what you do to this year’s strawberry bed. The sooner after harvest the patch is cleaned up, fertilized and irrigated, if needed, the better the chance of getting a good crop next year.
A few years ago, a lady living just across from the park here in Inman called us about an owl that had barricaded itself behind a planter on her patio. We caught what appeared then to be a young great horned owl, named it Ozzy and kept it in a box in the laundry room overnight. The next morning Joyce took it to the Hutchinson Zoo which has an excellent wildlife rehabilitation program. The lady there was amazed at what she saw. She said they are deluged each spring with young wildlife, most of which are injured, and many too badly to survive. But she took one look at Ozzy and told Joyce “You take this owl back immediately and turn it loose in the park near where it was found.” She said it was possibly the healthiest specimen they had ever gotten, and that its parents would find it and make sure it survived. After chasing Ozzy around the park, trying to get him to stay near the trees and out of sight, we left him there and sure enough, he disappeared on his own just as she said.
A new study by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Center for Economic Development and Business Research at Wichita State University shows that Kansas parks have a positive economic impact across the state and across several industries.