“Be rich in good deeds and be generous and willing to share.” I Timothy 6: 18

First Timothy is encouraging on how we ought to live our lives. There are many people around me who do just that with their kind deeds and helpfulness. Some of those people who impacted my life in positive ways last week were Bill Woelk, Mona Walker, Bob Alfano, Willie Ramos, Jeannie Sorensen, Robin Musgrave, Virgil and Wanda Lessenden, Liz Hulteen, Cindy McLoud, and Areta Laird. In the 1950’s, one of my favorite songs to sing was “Little Things Mean a Lot,” and it is still true in 2020. I am so glad my ancestors (immigrants) chose to live on the plains near the small town of Eads. We have a good town and a marvelous school system with an outstanding administrator and educators. With three parks, four churches, and a growing business district, it is all the more important that we protect our rights, the good things that we have here from “outsiders” like Antifa, BLM demonstrators, and socially unhealthy ideologies.

Thursday evening, two blocks of Maine Street was lined with cars and farm pickups of interested citizens who gathered in the Plains Theatre to learn more about what the possible tax proposal increase could mean. On the stage were the town council members with their lawyer, Lance Clark; civil engineer, Dannah Keoniger; architect, Chris Maninno with GMS Inc.; Public Works Director, Van Brown; and moderator Betsy Barnett. Mayor Joe Shields welcomed people to listen and ask questions which were answered by various leaders. Justin McLoud, local educator and board member, has taken the lead to research the proposed new swimming pool. It was encouraging to see that many people of different age groups and occupations came to the town meeting to listen and inquire. One of the main messages that we heard from the civil engineer - who has contacted many groups who give grants - is that those “money givers” want to know that the community cares and supports having a new pool. The council provided three pages of financial data, architectural drawing of the aquatics center, and tentative letter to taxpayers. 

This week the Eads senior citizens will have their monthly Sage Lunch Wednesday at noon, then Thursday at 10:00 a.m., their monthly Brunch.

Eads will have school Friday, September 4, until 2:00 p.m., because the following week is the county fair.

It may be of interest to readers that Kit Carson Day is Saturday, September 5. It begins with a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and burritos at 8:00 a.m. at the school, a rodeo south of town at 11:30 a.m., the barbecue and a parade at 1:30 p.m., plus the Melodrama in the Historic Saloon at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.

The Eads golf team, coached by Justin McLoud, is on the road to meets around eastern Colorado every week. The boys are doing well. The Eads girls who play on the Wiley and Lamar softball teams won last week. And the Kit Carson girls who play on the Burlington team all made it on their Varsity team. 

Sex trafficking is a growing problem in our nation and has even tried to touch some of our precious young people in Kiowa County. If you attended the funeral of Mike Johnson, you may have heard Minister Mark Imel state that Mike had been a part of “catching” a perpetrator who had wildly driven into his ranch while trying to escape the police last fall. Now that is “close to home,” right here in our space. Thus, a group of interested people are having a presentation at the Plains Theatre in Eads Tuesday at 5:30 pm. Let’s fill the theatre and learn to be informed about this troubling topic—sex trafficking.

The Eads Chamber of Commerce welcomed Jordon Barnett Buck to Eads in her new office of Buck Law last Friday. Jordon is a 2009 graduate of Eads High School and also a graduate of Monmouth University in Long Branch, New Jersey, and the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder. She specializes in estate planning and business planning. She and her husband, Brady Buck, live near Wray, where she has a law office. Jordon takes appointments in Eads two Fridays per month. 

Some ladies of our community are conducting the census of households who haven’t responded to the short census mailing. They have some interesting stories about country roads.

The list of Kiowa County 4-H members who won top-ten place ribbons at the Colorado State Fair, and the champions and reserve champions, is very impressive. Their projects will be on display in the community building during the Kiowa County Fair. Monday through Saturday, except Tuesday, there will be some kind of rodeo event. Dog trials Thursday at 2:00 p.m. is watching dogs “work” cattle. (I thought it was “showing dogs.”) There will be some vendors under the grandstand. The 4-H and FFA livestock sale will be Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the pavilion, so that is another interesting event for fair goers.

We finally have an address for Blake Stoker in Fort Benning, Georgia. Let’s pray for our men and women in the military.

Vote by November 3.

Shalom.