Ark Valley News - Looking Back

Looking Back
Last Updated: August 20, 2015

50 years ago

Mrs. Marvin Leppke was the lucky one who received a genuine diamond stone in an ice cube at the Western Auto Associate Store. Storeowner Dick Bartel had prepared 199 rhinestones and one diamond in separate ice cubes. Visitors to the store had the opportunity of choosing the "lucky" ice cube.

Alva A. Allison, rural Valley Center, took charge of school bus maintenance, filling the position formerly held by Arch C. Fry. Mr. Allison was formerly employed as a mechanic for Sedgwick Motors, Dodge Agency in Sedgwick for 10 years. Prior to that, he had additional experience with Jack Spratt Road Machine Company in Wichita and Shaw Oil Company, Valley Center. He was in charge of the maintenance on at total of 14 school buses and also filled the position as one of the drivers.

45 years ago

The casualty rate rose on the set of "Destry Rides Again." Co-directors Nancy Scriven and Dean Dellinger were injured in the line of duty. Scriven suffered a broken toe while attempting to assume her position in the orchestra pit and stumbled. In the process of avoiding the string bass, she incurred the injury to her foot at dress rehearsal. Dellinger suffered a severe gash to his right ankle while moving a large mirror into the dressing room. A trip to the emergency room was necessary, and 15 stitches were required to close the wound.

Summer commencement exercises for 737 students completing degrees at the Kansas State Teachers College-Emporia included the graduation of Valley Center area student Barry R. Owen, who received a bachelor of science in education degree.

40 years ago

Valley Center athlete Jeff St. Clair enrolled at Bethany College for the fall to participate in the cross country and track programs. St. Clair was a three-year letterman in cross country and a two-year letterman in track at Valley Center High School.

Police Chief A.L. Pitts received an $8,000 check from the Kansas Highway Safety Coordinating Office for the Valley Center ambulance. The ambulance fund was given $8,000 by the police department, which completed the payment for the ambulance.

35 years ago

Dan Pratt, planning consultant for Lions Park, presented a proposal for a centralized playground area to the Valley Center Recreation Commission. It called for elevating a circular area southwest of the pool, 150 feet in diameter, which would need approximately 3,500 cubic yards of fill dirt. Pratt's proposal also called for the installation of a concrete walkway around the play area with trees for shade and park benches. The commission unanimously endorsed the plan.

Valley Center summer graduates from WSU were: Edwin Vern Bell II, son of R.M. Bell, bachelor of science in physics; Neil L. Guthrie, specialist in education; Linda F. Logan Jones, master of nursing; Kimberly T. Matson, daughter of H.M. Johnson, associate of science in respiratory therapy; and Ernest Roe May, specialist in education.

30 years ago

Anyone interested in entering the Fall Festival's art exhibit was to contact Carol Robbins. Artwork was displayed in the old Berry Hardware store. Among the artists that displayed their works were Robbins, Carolyn Hazen and Ann Haley.

Valley Center High School seniors Cathy Smith and Kim Barnes were named to the six-player all-star team selected from 60 girls at the Emporia State University volleyball camp. In addition, Barnes was honored as the best passer at the camp. Also attending the camp was Meredith Rowley.

25 years ago

Valley Center's Knute and Gaylene Fraser attended an archery tournament in Australia and spent three weeks exploring the continent. The couple's archery skills were among the world's best at the Australian tourney. They were the oldest archers in the field at the time. Gaylene finished ninth among around 150 women, while Knute placed 11th out of around 450 men.

Parents whose children attended West Elementary in Valley Center found that getting their youngsters to school was somewhat of a challenge. West Street (now Sheridan) was being paved and construction caused problems for delivery patterns used in previous years, Superintendent Ron Ballard said. Signs were posted at the school to direct pick-up and delivery by parents.

20 years ago

State Rep. Darlene Cornfield of Valley Center and Sen. Christine Downey of Newton discussed legislative issues at the monthly Valley Center Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Jeff Hubbard of the Valley Center Jaycees was inducted into the Wings of Love club honoring dedication and service to the Jaycees' Cerebral Palsy Ranch. He was the state program manager for the ranch in 1995. Nancy Ayres, also a Valley Center member, received a ranch "helping hands" pin. She was local treasurer. Darren Stults was a write-up competition finalist. All were honored at the Jaycees' state convention in Dodge City.

15 years ago

Larry, Jeannine, Cindy and Laron Nordstedt returned from a 12-day baseball trip. The Nordstedts watched nine games in 11 days, starting with the Cubs in Chicago the first day and ending with the White Sox in Chicago at the end of the trip. In between they saw games in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York (Mets and Yankees), Boston, Toronto and Detroit. They also visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Niagara Falls, N.Y., rode the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and saw other sights in New York City.

A Valley Center woman opened a dog grooming service west of town that specialized in shih tzus. Diannia Robinett operated Groom Masters out of her home for convenience, she said. She had a disability, and it was much easier doing the work at home. Robinette attended Valley Center High School during her freshman year. After 11 years in Nevada, she moved back to Valley Center in 1999.

10 years ago

Rain forced groundbreaking ceremonies inside for the Wild West World theme park, but that didn't dampen the enthusiasm for the Park City project. Thomas Etheredge decided it was too muddy outside. The park would start being constructed once weather permitted. The park opening was set for May 2007.

Lisa Duerksen of Valley Center drove 10 laps at about 150 mph at the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan., a birthday gift from her husband Dave. She attended a half-hour classroom session, then rode with an instructor, who drove about 80 mph while demonstrating how and where to drive on the track. Duerksen, a math teacher at Valley Center Middle School, and her family were huge NASCAR fans.

5 years ago

The Valley Center school district opened its new transportation facility complete with a climate-controlled six-bay shop, an indoor wash bay, a large training room and a long outdoor canopy to protect the front ends of the buses. The district's longtime mechanic, Raymond Keifer, was nearly speechless when he saw the new facility for the first time. The facility at 6700 N. Broadway in Park City replaced the dated and cramped quarters in the 200 block of South Park in Valley Center. Director Rick Smith surprised Keifer by unveiling the new shop in "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" style: "Drivers, move those buses."

Valley Center was recognized as a Regional Site for Veterans Day. Each year, the Department of Veterans Affairs selects cities nationwide that promote veteran awareness. Valley Center was one of 53 cities chosen and one of three in Kansas. Valley Center also received recognition in 2009. Mayor Mike McNown appointed a five-member committee to oversee the program. The members were JoAnn Gerling, Katheryn Schroeder, Kim Wimmer, along with council members Al Hobson and Kate Jackson.