Americus news
Originally published 01:26 p.m., October 1, 2007
Updated 01:26 p.m., October 1, 2007
Americus Days, Friday,Saturday and Sunday, October 5-6-7, will be days full of activities, contests, games, and entertainment. A bus tour of History Points throughout North Lyon County will take place on Friday. The tour will leave from the Americus Senior Citizens Center at 10 a.m., have lunch in Allen, and return to Americus around 2 p.m.
For information, call Jan Huston (620) 443-5214.
The Americus United Methodist Church group will serve pancakes, biscuits and gravy from 6:30 to 11 a.m.in the Americus Grade School lunchroom.
The 5K Fun Run/Walk to benefit NHHS Cross Country team will have registration at 7:15 a.m. in the City Park.
For information, Marcia Johnson (620) 443-5655 or Tim Delcamp (620) 443-5502. The race will begin at 8 a.m.
The Americus Senior Center will give away free coffee and will also have on display photos of “Americus in the past” photos, World War II memorabilia and a Lyon County Historical Museum presentation.
A beard contest will be judged at 9 a.m. in the Senior Citizens Building. The best shaped beard and the longest beard are the two categories for this event.
Participants will enter the contest at 9 that day with judging soon after.
There will be two presentations about the “First Americus Mayor: Murdered by “Bloody Bill” Anderson
at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both will be in the USD 251 Meeting Room.
The Sesquicentennial Parade will begin at 11 a.m. The parade marshall will be Winifred Grimsley Gatewood, the oldest living descendant in the area, of William Augustus Grimsley, Sr., who was one of the original signers of the Americus Town Company. There are two older descendants, Bernice White Theye, age 94, in California, and Ermagene Ames MIlliken, age 90, in Topeka. Other descendants will be riding on a trailer which will be towed by a Super H Farmall driven by Dale Grimsley. Descendants of early day businesses and early day farmers will ride in a horse drawn trolley driven by Ralph Anderson from Council Grove. Also honored in the parade will be area couples who have been married sixty years or more. They are Wayne and Emma Lou Van Gundy, Bill and Wilma Finney, Walt and Betty Zumbrum. Distinguished citizens honored will be Florine Bamesberger Gaither, Wendell Tietz, Fern Redelfs, Kathleen Karr, and Dale and Bessie Edmiston.
The bike and pet parades will be judged at 10:45 a.m. and then will take part in the parade.
Members of the United Presbyterian Church will serve soup and sandwiches from 11 a.m. until the supply is depleted.
There will be an antique car display and at 1 p.m., an antique tractor pull on the College Block in the northeast section of town.
A horseshoe pitching contest will begin at 1 p.m. in the city park. Call Jim Theas (620) 443-5882 for information.
The Lyon County Courthouse Melodrama, “Who really is the county seat?” will be performed at 1 p.m. in the city park.
Many other activities such as David Traylor Zoo Docents and critters, old fashioned kids’ games, ice-cream contest, a cake walk, the Matfield Green Radio Show and Contra dancing, Sherry’s Dance Workshop performance at 4 p.m., square dancing, a homemade pie auction, an antique farm machinery demonstration, and photos by Chandra Allen are part of the activities.
The KansasLand Bank will have a free hot dog feed and Heins & Company Relay for Life Team will sell ice-cream.
After the raffle winners are announced, the Old Skool band will play from 8 to midnight.
Sunday, the Americus Community Church Service will begin at 10 a.m. followed by a covered dish dinner in the city park. In case of inclement weather, the service and dinner will be held at the United Methodist Church, 413 Walnut.
For information contact Linda Houston (620) 443-5050.
Items for Americus News may be telephoned to (620) 443-5546 or e-mailed to bgates38@bluestemtelco.com