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.

To help address the current emergency blood shortage, all who come to give blood with the American Red Cross July 29 through August 29 will receive a $5 Amazon.com Gift Card via email. Currently, the Red Cross has less than a three-day supply of most blood types available and less than a two-day supply of type O blood. Hugoton’s Blood Drive will be Thursday, August 1, 2019 from 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. at the First Christian Church at 600 South Van Buren.

Individuals can schedule an appointment to give now by activating Amazon’s Alexa Red Cross Blood Skill by saying, “Alexa, find a blood drive,” or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

When an emergency arises, it is the blood already on the shelves that saves lives. Only through the generosity of blood donors can the Red Cross provide hospitals with lifesaving blood to meet the ongoing and often, unpredictable needs of patients. The need for blood is constant. In the United States every two seconds blood is needed to help accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.

Amazon donation is helping save patient lives
With the help of a generous $1 million donation from Amazon, the Red Cross hopes to motivate donors to roll up a sleeve and alleviate the blood shortage across the country. Amazon’s partnership with the Red Cross is part of their commitment to “Right Now Needs” to help increase blood donations to ensure patient needs are met.

“We are grateful to Amazon for their support in addressing a ‘Right Now Need’ for blood donations,” said Cliff Numark, senior vice president, Red Cross Blood Services. “Each donation truly matters to those counting on blood products to battle illness and injury. Today, we are asking the public to donate as soon as possible to ensure blood is available on hospital shelves for those in need.”

Meghan’s “right now” needs for blood

At any time, a patient can require an immense quantity of blood. For first-time mom Meghan Jolliffe, the need was immediate after suffering an amniotic fluid embolism. Her heart stopped beating for 14 minutes, and doctors had no time to waste. They needed to perform an emergency cesarean section. During delivery, her organs shut down, and her blood would not clot. Meghan needed multiple medical procedures that spanned a seven-hour period and received close to 100 units of blood from generous donors. Her newborn son, Sullivan, experienced complications after birth and would also need several units of blood. Collectively they received 109 units of blood.

“My family and I are forever grateful for the generosity of Red Cross volunteer blood donors,” said Jolliffe. “Donating blood is so important. You or a loved one may never need these lifesaving products, but I can assure you that someone, somewhere will.”

Blood transfusion is one of the most common inpatient hospital procedures in the U.S., and these blood products can only come from volunteer donors. Yet, only 3 out of 100 people in the U.S. give blood.

Don’t wait to give
The Red Cross urges individuals across the country to roll up a sleeve today to ensure blood is available for patients across the country. A blood donation takes about an hour from start to finish, but the actual donation itself only takes about 8-10 minutes.

Donors can also save up to 15 minutes at the blood drive by completing a RapidPass®. With RapidPass®, donors complete the pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of donation, from a mobile device or computer. To complete a RapidPass®, follow the instructions at RedCrossBlood.org/Rapid Pass or use the Red Cross Blood Donor App.

To donate blood, individuals need to bring a blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification that are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age in most states (16 with parental consent where allowed by state law), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also must meet certain height and weight requirements.
Area upcoming blood donation opportunities:
Ulysses
August 8, 2019: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Grant County Fairground, 1000 West Patterson Ave
Sublette
August 15, 2019: 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m., Sublette High School, 501 S Ellis
Johnson
August 6, 2019: 12:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Methodist Church, 2025 S Nipp

By Stanley McGill

The McGill’s came to Stevens County in 1906 and settled south and east of Moscow. Grandpa and Grandma raised six children there. Dad was the one that stayed here and farmed.

My two brothers and I were all members of the Moscow Zippers 4-H Club in the 50’s and 60’s. Mom and Dad were both club leaders and project leaders.

Linda and I had three children in 4-H, each of them were involved for twelve years in the Buffalo Boosters Club. Two of them served as IFEY’s. Linda and I were club leaders and project leaders. Linda was 4-H Food Superintendent at the fair for several years and I was Sheep Superintendent for several years. We also provided the Grand Champion Sheep Buckle for many years. I have been on the Fair Board for a long time. Our oldest child Clinton was in the Moscow Boy Scouts and our son Nick was a Boy Scout for several years. Linda was the Girl Scout Leader in Moscow and our daughter Vicki was a Girl Scout.

A great way for teaching kids life skills and responsibilities is through 4-H. Our kids learned things that has helped them with their lives as adults.

I also served for twelve years with the Moscow School Board and was on the Moscow Recreation Board for awhile. Both of us have always enjoyed helping kids. Stevens County has always been a great place to raise a family.

For the last several years, I have been associated with the Stevens County Gas and Historical Museum, both as a board member and as the curator.

Now, we are making plans to retire and move closer to our kids.

THANKS TO THE FARMERS OF STEVENS COUNTY FOR HELPING TO PROVIDE OUR DAILY BREAD