News

Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania was settled and named by the Delaware Indians as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and Susquehanna Rivers. When German settlers arrived in the 1700’s, they brought with them a tradition known as “Candlemas Day,” celebrated in Germany on Feb. 2nd, which happens to be the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, (winter and spring.) Tradition held that if Feb. 2nd were sunny, the last half of winter would be nasty and cold, and vice-versa. In Germany, for whatever reason, hedgehogs were observed to see if a shadow was cast. In Pennsylvania, given the absence of hedgehogs, groundhogs were selected to assume that role. An old German saying read: For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, So far will the snow swirl until May; For as the snow swirls on Candle mas Day, So far will the sun shine until May. So, in layman’s terms, if sunny on Feb. 2nd, 6 more weeks of winter would follow.

Rod Lyons started practicing law in 1972 and moved back to St. John 45 years ago in 1976 to start his practice in his hometown. Mr. Lyons began studying law due to the influence of his family and friends. The move to St. John was influenced by his own experiences. Rod’s mother, Ruby VanLieu, graduated in 1922 and Rod graduated in 1965 from St. John High School. Rod wanted his children to have the experiences he had had growing up in the St. John school system and he also felt that St. John would be a nice, safe place to raise a family.

Fertilizing Springflowering Bulbs The best time to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs is when foliage emerges in the spring rather than at flowering. Traditionally, gardeners have applied fertilizer during bloom or a bit after, but because bulb roots start to die at flowering, fertilizer applied at bloom is wasted.

The City of St. John is happy to share a little secret with area residents.

January 26, Pratt Public Library Director Eric Killough and wife Tammy went to Topeka representing Pratt Community College on trustee business. While there, they decided to sign up for a tour of the capitol building. Little did they know some other representatives of Pratt were in the big town, also looking for a tour of the capitol building during some convention down time.

Kanza Chapter DAR met on Kansas Day, January 29, at the Nora E. Larabee Library, Stafford. Guests Brenda Mercer and Gayla Bigelow who are interested in membership in The Daughters of the American Revolution were introduced and welcomed by Regent Jean Harrison. Barbara Grimmett served as hostess.

Some fun news: Joan Hayse who has lived in Greensburg forever celebrated her 90 birthday this past week. Her son, Dale Hayse, has season tickets to KU games and took her to the game last week. They made a Happy Birthday sign and the camera person for the Jumbotron saw it and displayed a picture of them. Then KU put it up on Twitter and Instagram. Last I looked, it had over 34k views.

Preventive Health Screenings at the Pratt Community Center Feb. 9 - Get peace of mind or early detection for Stroke and Cardiovascular Disease risk with our 5 preventive health screenings.

The Jolly Workers 4-H Club held its monthly meeting on January 2, 2022, at the Hudson Community Hall. The meeting was called to order by Ian Dunn, President. Pledges were led by Ryer Ward. Roll call was by Secretary, Weston Peterson and was “What is your favorite drink?”

It’s homecoming season and several area schools have announced their winter 2022 candidate and festival plans. At Pratt High School, candidates include Madeline Drake, Sierra, Dunlap, Casey James, Gaby Gatlin, Bailey Jackson, and Rielyn Fleming; and Matthew Hook, Karter Hoeme, Grant Younie, Tayt Myers, Max Younie, and Wyatt Lovell.