MILLER
When 11-year-old Miller resident Jade Jenkins put together a scrapbook of the 2006 Miller Rural Fire Department’s picnic, she realized there was no flag pole in front of the fire department.
Sunday afternoon, Jade, along with other members of the Riverside 4-H group saw the dream of a flag pole become reality as the pole and new flag was dedicated and the new flags were raised.
Jade, who was putting the scrapbook together for the 2007 Lyon County Fair as a 4-H project, made the need for a flag pole known and the Riverside 4-H group sprung into action. Jade’s mother, Patty Jenkins, presented the idea of raising funds for the flag pole to the club and the project took off from there.
“The kids were very excited,” Jenkins said.
Funds for the flag pole were raised by a spaghetti supper and a fire works stand, Jenkins said. And through the support of the community, the pole now stands tall and proud in front of the Louis and Florence Rathke Firehouse in Miller. A dedication ceremony was held at the firehouse in Miller Sunday afternoon. Rep. Peggy Mast was in attendance as well as a representative from Sen. Sam Brownback’s office, Ryan Gilland, of Concordia.
Jenkins said the 4-H group contacted Mast, who arranged for the fire department to have the flag that was raised Sunday afternoon. The flag was flown in Washington D.C. before being transported to Kansas to fly in Miller, Mast said. Mast and Gilland spoke at the dedication Sunday afternoon.
For more on the dedication ceremony, see Monday's Emporia Gazette.