The City of Hugoton was recognized for 100 years of providing a quality electric service to their community. The City was presented with the Centennial Award from the Kansas Municipal
Energy Agency at their annual awards banquet October 3, 2019 in Wichita.
The Centennial Award is given out each year to honor Community Visionaries who founded the City’s Electric Utility.
Kansas Municipal Energy Agency is a member driven joint action agency with the mission of providing municipal utilities reliable and economical energy to serve their communities.
Hugoton was represented by Gary Rowden, Electric System Supervisor who accepted the award.
The City of Hugoton is a member of KMEA. Hugoton, in Stevens County in Southwest Kansas, has a population of approximately 3,900.

Gary Rowden, Electric System Supervisor for the City of Hugoton, was presented with the Max Embree “Distinguished Service Award” for his leadership role in his community and to public power. He was presented with the award from the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency at their annual awards banquet October 3, 2019 in Wichita.
The Max Embree “Distinguished Service Award” was established in honor of Max Embree of Colby who played a leading role in the early years of the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency. The award honors his memory and is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and devoted service to both the Kansas Municipal Energy Agency and Public Power.
Kansas Municipal Energy Agency is a member driven joint action agency with the mission of providing municipal utilities reliable and economical energy to serve their communities.
Gary has spent the majority of his career in a leadership role in his hometown of Hugoton. He held an elected position on the city council before taking a position on the staff. He has been in a supervisory role for the city since 1998 overseeing the distribution and production operations of the Electric Department as well as the Parks Department. Gary has served on the KMEA Board of Directors, Power Supply Committee and Awards Nominating Committee for several years.

Sheriff Ted Heaton received word that the local schools were going to have to replace their breath alcohol testers. Sheriff Heaton and School Resource Deputy Adam Mauk decided to donate new professional Passive Breath Alcohol Testers for the school.

The new testers can detect alcohol by just a wave in front of the suspected person, so as not requiring a breathanalyzer test. These amazing new detectors also have the ability to detect the presence of alcohol in a cup, bottle or can by just a wave over the receptacle.

The new testers will be a great deterrent at Prom, After Prom, games, or any other school function or activity.

The Stevens County Sheriff’s Department is very much appreciated for these most useful high tech testers and continuing to keep our children safe.

The Hugoton FFA has won the State Land Contest for the third year in a row! The State Land Judging contest and the State Homesite Evaluation contests were hosted by the Satanta FFA and the Haskell County NRCS. The Land “A” Team was made up of Kynna Crawford, David Barker, Jacob Bell and Kyra Shelton. Individual placings were Jay McClure first, Kyra Shelton fourth and Kynna Crawford fifth.

The Homesite “A” Team placed second with Esli Lopez, Jay McClure, Judith Avila and Kynna Crawford having scores that counted. Esli Lopez placed third, Kynna Crawford fifth, Akashya DeLa Cerda fourth, Daycen Austin sixth, Jay McClure seventh, Rustin Pearcy eighth, Nicholas Bryan ninth and Shea Robertson tenth.

The Hugoton Area Chamber of Commerce hosted their quarterly Chamber Luncheon at Pigs R Us Tuesday, September 17, 2019. Chamber members enjoyed a lunch of meatloaf, salad, cheesy potatoes, green beans and pound cake for dessert.

Executive Chamber Director Alisha Owens began the meeting by informing the members of the success of the High Plains 5K Color Run, Kite Show, Barbeque Bash, Craft Show and Music Fest which was September 7, 2019. More people attended the fun activities than attended last year.

Alisha outlined the plan for a Spook Parade Halloween afternoon. Businesses are invited to hand out treats to the spooks and goblins as they parade up and down Main Street in their costumes from 4:30 till 5:30 p.m.

She stated they have started making plans for the Christmas Parade which will be the first Saturday in December which will be December 7. Stacey Strickland from the Stevens County Library was next on the agenda. She reported that they were taking registration for beginning crochet classes. They were having a TEENS ONLY event September 28 at 5:00 p.m. for Fandom Trivia. All teenagers are welcome. They also are planning a Family StoryTime at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, September 28. They will have a great story and some fun family crafts to celebrate International Dot Day.

Norma Jean Dodge from Seward County Community College handed out schedules of the new fall classes. SCCC is offering ACT prep classes for upper classmen.

Reed Petty from Senator Moran’s office in Garden City stopped by to see if anyone needs any help. They will offer assistance if anyone needs help with Veterans Administration, immigration, medicare, FEMA or any other thing.

Lon Pishny of Garden City spoke next. He is running for state senate on the Republican party in the next election.

Alisha reminded the members about the health insurance that the Chamber of Commerce is offering to members and their employees.

The meeting adjourned.

This weekend promises to be an exciting one. Friday, September 6 is the date to sign up for the High Plains Barbeque Bash. Some of the cooks will be up all night cooking. Friday, at 7:00 p.m., will be a Kids Q (barbecue). This will be for kids up to the age of 17 years old that want to barbeque. The Kids Q judging will be at 8:00 p.m. Friday.

Saturday the High Plains Adult Barbeque Bash will continue with judging to follow. Other events for Saturday, September 7 will include the yearly Heritage Christian Academy’s 5K Color Run. The Color Run will begin at 8:30 in the morning at the Eagle RV Park.

The High Plains Fall Fling is next on the agenda at the Eagle RV Park located one mile north of Hugoton. This vendor/craft show will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Food vendors will join the craft vendors to make sure you don’t go hungry. While everyone is looking at all the crafts, the Giant Kites will be in the air as well. Their free show will be in the air for everyone’s enjoyment from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.

The High Plains Music Fest gates open at 4:00 and the entertainment will begin at 6:00 and continue until midnight. Proceeds of this concert will benefit local charities. The concert will feature Koe Wetzel, Kevin Fowler, Jared Daniels and Bri Bagwell. So come one, come all and enjoy all the fun this weekend in Hugoton! The County Commissioners have agreed to a motion beginning September 6, 2019 thru September 9^th, 2019, the north section of Washington Street from 1^st Street to Hwy 56 will have a reduced speed of 20 mph for the Music Fest to keep the citizens safety in mind.

September 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor celebrates and honors the greatest worker in the world – the American worker. Labor Day 2019 is the 125th anniversary of Labor Day being celebrated as a national holiday.

Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed in 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During 1887, four more states – Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York – created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and on June 28, 1894, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

More than a century after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.

Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a co-founder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”

But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, September 5, 1883.

By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday, and June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law making the first Monday in September of each year a national holiday.

Women’s Auxiliary Typographical Union – The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at the Stevens County Fair, the Southwest Kansas branch of the national Quilts of Valor® Foundation presented quilts to 14 area Veterans. The 14 local Veterans honored this year included, Frank Furr, Mary Gonzalez, Richard Grubbs, Terry L. Higgins, Rick Kates, Jan Keith, Jim Langley, Glen McQueen, Bob Passmore, Gary Porter, Jim Rawlins, Greg Salmans, Frankie Thomas and Frank Walker.