“Encourage one another”. I Thessalonians 5:11

The County Fair is now a pleasant memory in 2021.

Phil and Madonna Pollreis are gradually getting unpacked in Littleton. They are making their home with their daughter, Dawn, and Chuck and two granddaughters, who they raised from a young age. People around Eads were so impressed with Krista, the Pollreis’ granddaughter, who came to help them make their final move.

LaVerle Kelly wrote a letter to me thanking me for the photo pages that I sent of her farewell party. Her daughter, Linnae, who lives in Amarillo, Texas, enjoyed seeing photos of people she hadn’t seen for years. LaVerle likes her new Texas home.

Christina Wolf, the chef at Prairie Pines, showed me wedding photos of her daughter, Kaycee Strickland, to Dalton McDowell that took place under the three white crosses in the yard of the First Christian Church in Eads. They had a long fabric walkway with rose petals that ended under the lovely arch that the family made of twisted aspen trunks and branches that was supported by lattice. Pastor Lane Gooden stood with the young couple under the wide arch. The bridesmaids wore long red gowns and carried beautiful bouquets similar to the bride’s red rose bouquet. The gorgeous wedding cake, which looked like large aspen trunks trimmed with roses, was served during the reception party in the American Legion Hall.

One of the joys I have when visiting at Prairie Pines is to see Mary Marble. She is one of several ladies who has moved up to Eads’ Pines from Lamar. I was pleased that she bought a sturdy, attractive table that I saw at a local shop. Mary’s son, Hoby, and wife, Karen (Howe), brought up some more of Mary’s furniture over the weekend. She says, “at 97, I don’t need any more things to clutter my room.”

As we were driving up the railroad overpass east of Kit Carson Sunday, we saw the black puffs of smoke of the Big Boy, the largest locomotive ever made. It was alarming to see three teenage boys running up the side of the Highway 287/40 overpass, and exciting to see two older men with large cameras leaning over the bridge to get photos. It was so amazing to see hundreds of vehicles parked or clogging the streets and empty lots of the churches, motel, and county lot. We found a fine parking place under a rugged locust tree. The smell of the smoke and the sound of the locomotive train brought back pleasant memories of my childhood while the crew made a whistle stop.

The county 4-H members’ exhibits, with their Kiowa County and state fair ribbons, were arranged for display by Krystal Eikenberg and Tearle Lessenden after he brought 39 of them back after being on display at the state fair. The other exhibits in the hall looked interesting and showed the talents of the children and adults in the county. Thank you to all the people who assisted the judges Thursday and set up the displays.

Friends and family of Mike Morlan of Kit Carson are grieving following his death Tuesday. His funeral was at the Trinity Lutheran Church and then burial near his hometown of Wiley.

Added to this sadness is the sorrow after deaths of four Wiley high school students Wednesday night. Another student was flown to a city hospital, and we heard that the truck driver and sleeping passenger were injured. Wiley is only 27 miles from Eads, so there are close friendships among the whole community.

Eboni Nash donated a large amount of blood with her stem cells to a little girl who is suffering from cancer in Denver. Her mother, Teresa Witte, stayed with her a while because the doctor said she would be weak for 8 to 10 days until her blood built back up. Eboni has always had such a giving heart.

Spencer Uhland told me that his brother, Rhett Uhland, graduated from the University in Canyon, Texas, and that he has a job and still sings at different places. Gaye Uhland said their daughter, Mindy, graduated in three years from Fort Hays State University and has now begun her studies for a master’s degree. She was an excellent swimming teacher at Prairie Pines this summer.

The 2022 Rodeo Royalty Court will be Kyra Lenard, queen; Selena Fehr, princess; Braya Ferris, tiny tot princess; Braxton Ferris, prince; and Aiden Hose, prince. They all were introduced, along with rodeo royalty from Prowers, Bent, Lincoln, Cheyenne, Otero, and Crowley counties, at the rodeo after they rode in the parade and attended a queen’s court luncheon.

One of the most popular features of the county fair was the big brightly colored inflatable bouncy houses and the two-story silver shark on a blue wave. The kids loved it! Little bouncy horses were a hit too!

The Keith and Gloria Barlow hosted the Eads High School class of 1971 with a lovely meal and lots of visiting in their lovely yard and shelter.

The class of 1961 and friends had such a good time visiting and touring places around Eads. Richard Ritchie, Pat Roper, Kas Stewart, Brenda Stoker, and Wally Mosher planned a great time at the Cobblestone Inn and other events. Students in the classes of 1961 and 1971 rode on floats in the parade. Dawna Weirich was collecting addresses for the 2022 all-school reunion during the breakfasts.