“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Proverbs 17:17
Luke Vocke, Eads Postmaster, is retiring from the Eads Post Office so he offered to prepare the hot dogs and supply the paper dinner to goods because the Eads Senior Center’s dishwasher is broken. People brought salads and desserts, and Gail Voss made chili for chili dogs or serve in a bowl. Luke’s wife, the former Emma Lea Parker, drove up from Lamar to help serve the appreciation lunch to the senior citizens and other people who came to the center between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. The Vocke’s have bought a home at Montrose because they look forward to fishing and mountain life. We wish the Vocke’s blessings in their new home. Emma Lea has been looking after her mother, Margrit Parker for the last 15 years. Now some of her sisters plan to be available to their 103-year-old mother who still lives in her home near the park in Lamar. It was so nice to see new faces of friends who came to the lunch. We had our meeting early at eleven because there would not have been room enough of all the people who came. During the meeting, officers Alice Glover and Loretta Seibel clarified the reports about our future senior center, which we are eager to see happen. However, it seems that it may not be open as soon as we had hoped because of steps the architects, the County Commissioners, contractors, and others have to go through.

The County Line Rivals wrestling team had seven wrestlers who placed at regionals. They were escorted on their way to Denver down Maine Street in Eads. At the send-off rally, the whole school was outside to greet and cheer for the team. Gail Voss, grandmother of two of the wrestlers, Aiden Michael and Chase Stolzenberger, said Mrs. Gaye Uhland’s Kindergartners were so cute with their posters and cheer. The other Eads wrestler who wrestled at state was Zach Fowler. The wrestlers gave them “high fives” as they boarded the vans. Amy Jacobs, the KVAY wrestling announcer, did a great job of announcing the matches from the Denver Pepsi Center. The wrestler’s mothers, and booster friends of the wrestlers, supplied them with containers of foods and treats. The Uhland families were also very generous with tickets and rooms for team families. 

Emily Gyurman, Eads Senior, has received one of the highest awards, that was being selected by her faculty to be named the “DAR Good Citizen.” She was one of six students from area schools who were hosted with a January breakfast buffet in the Lamar Cow Palace. The Daughters of the American Revolution Fort Bent Chapter asked the school staffs to consider these qualities when selecting the student from their school for this honor: dependability, leadership, patriotism, and service. Ms Gyurman has been an active participant in volleyball, basketball, and track as well as FBLA, Student Council officer, and in other groups.

Last week, was the basketball district playoffs in Lamar. The boys did well but lost, and Thursday night, the girls’ team played an exciting win over McClave by one point with a basket shot by Ally Spady. 

Krystal Eikenberg was chosen to be the new Administrative Assistant at the CSU Extension Office. She is organizing a committee meeting to review the premium book for the county fair. She is hopeful that this can be done before the March 7 fair board meeting so the booklet can go to the printer in April. Best wishes to Krystal for this important job which deals a lot with the 4-H program that is dear to the hearts of many people in this county.

A huge “happy 103^rd birthday” is extended to Ruth Rose. She is doing well and likes best to play bingo.

Curtis Conopin is my new neighbor around the corner. Dennis Pearson told us at the Chamber of Commerce meeting that he had met this nice man, who was carrying a case that was a chair, because Curtis is a licensed massage therapist. He can be called for appointments at 865-255-3750, or he works at Dr. Sean Oquist’s chiropractic office in Lamar four days per week, and in Eads Wednesdays in Dr. Oquist’s office in Weisbrod. People tell me that the massage feels marvelous for $15.00 for 15 minutes! 

Another new young man I met at a basketball game was Sheriff’s deputy Tyler Pevler. He was introduced to me by Deputy Avery Snover and Sheriff Casey Sheridan.

Dr. Henrietta Mann, now of Denver, was very pleased to spend two days in our county last week. She is a descendant of a Cheyenne relative who survived the Sand Creek Massacre. Dr. Mann spoke at the Plains Theatre in Eads about family stories and traditions of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe tribes. She has also been a professor at Southwestern Oklahoma State University and Montana State University plus being awarded numerous awards for her studies and work for with Native Americans. 

Barb Seay and Mike Arth pleased their friends around Eads and Lamar with a visit from their new home in Colorado Springs last Thursday.

Our sympathy to Frankie and Rosemary Stoker and families whose sister-in-law, Kathleen (Alan) Schmitt died in Salina, Kansas recently.