“The Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 

This scripture means that God will be with you and not forsake you wherever you go. That is a comforting thought.

When going around Eads, one can see many more people they don’t know or have never seen. This is so surprising to many locals, but then, this is a desirable town to live in. Last week, a huge sign was erected by a big crane on the foundation of the former Voss Truck Stop sign. Now the lighted sign reads “Cenex” with gasoline prices. That is a smart move by the Eads Consumers Supply Company Board of Directors.

When the phone call came from Jodi Stolzenberger at the school, “They are leaving,” a bunch of us hurried out to Maine Street where we waited what seemed a long time (because it was cold). However, after a while, the siren started blaring and the police cars with swirling lights and the big fire engine turned on the south Maine street followed by the white van of County Line Rival wrestlers on their way to the Colorado State Wrestling Tournament in Denver. Inside the senior center people were beginning to enjoy those delicious chicken friend steaks and warm wheat rolls that Gail Voss had made. They were complemented by Joyce Berry’s mashed potatoes and many side dishes and desserts. This spring, we will be working in committees to “de-clutter” our center for the move across the street. 

After lunch a number of senior citizens went to the movie, “Dolittle,” which was quite delightful and so much better than braving the darkness and coldness to watch. Terry Riley, Betsy Barnett, and Areta Laird were the concession crew. We encourage senior citizens in the area to remember that on the third Wednesday of the month, there will be a matinee at 1:30 p.m. in the Plains Theatre. It was nice to see some ladies from Sheridan Lake who came to the movie too.

After lunch we celebrated that Orville (99) and Rita Mousel (94) have been married for 75 years!  We rejoice also because they are in good health!

Friday was the last home basketball game in Eads. They were exciting games with the Cheyenne Wells Tigers. It was good to see our former principal, Mike Miller, who is the Cheyenne Wells principal. Between the games, Dawn James and the cheerleaders presented carnations tied with purple ribbons to the sports men and women, who gave them to their parents as they were introduced. Another really nice thing was the handout of the biographies of the six senior players who were honored. This memory bulletin was a collage of sports photos and inspirational quotes. One statement was this: “The Eagle likes to fly above the world, not to look down on people, but the encourage them to look up.” It was interesting to read about each senior’s interests, favorite school memories, and plans for the future, as well as their comments to the community and advice they had received. We wish these three senior girls, Cynthia Watson, Kaycee Ellenberger, and Morgyn Johnson, best wishes in all their future endeavors. The three young men recognized were Angel Medina of Eads who wrestled with the County Line Rivals team and two young men from Plainview, who played basketball on the Eads team. These young men are Alex Schmidt and Ben Splitter, who are definitely assets as players on the Eagle team. It has been so gratifying to see how many Towner and Sheridan Lake friends and teachers have traveled to Eads to support and watch Ben and Alex play basketball. Next week begins the district basketball play-offs in Lamar for three days. We wish all these players well for their training and discipline to stay the course and not quit.

Our sympathy is extended to Maria Medina, mother of Angel. Maria’s mother died recently in Cheyenne Wells. We know that grief lingers a long time.

Besides being a contract welder, Russ Watson and wife, Bylie Jo, offer many kinds of barbequed meats on Sundays, usually at the curve of the underpass in Eads, or by calling their home. More news later about Watson’s Smokin’ BBQ.

Eads Knowledge Bowl coaches, Sue Fox and Dawn James, have served on the State Knowledge Bowl Board for some time. This year, it has become much more difficult to earn a place in the State Knowledge Bowl Tournament in March. Rather than winning a berth at regional tournaments, a team has to wait until all the tournaments are completed to know if they have won a place in the State Competition. Thus, the Eads team of Mollie Kelley, Allison Spady, Amber Kopasz, Maggie Haase, Hatch Nelson, Ross Brown, and Joe Haase was excited to learn that their scores were high enough to compete at state in Fort Collins. Congratulations, Knowledge Bowl students!

Another school club that is functioning fantastically is the Eads Future Business Leaders of America chapter. According to their sponsor, Shannon Ellenberger, 20 of their 25 members have won places in the Colorado State competition this coming spring. These students are competing in a variety of impressive topic areas!

Residents have received a three-page letter from the Commissioner’s office about the county recycling program of cardboard, plastic, and aluminum ,which will extend the life of our landfill if we do not throw those items in our trash cans. This may seem like more work for we who are lazy or spoiled, but it will be better for our lives if we just cooperate.

Wednesdays, we rush to buy a copy of the Kiowa County Press to see our favorite parts: the colorful front covers, the “Pages from the Past,” Pastor’s Pearls (that is Rev. Richard Zabriski’s Bible quotes), the photos, and reports.  We like the size of the paper too.