The Emporia Gazette

Seasonal celebration

susieq, this is that 17th Seasonal Celebration, if you want to get technical. I was in the last Christmas Program in 1992 and the first Seasonal Celebration in 1993. The comments on the this thread are pretty much the same ones I've been hearing/reading since the title and program were changed to better reflect the diversity in our city.

This is, however, the 75th annual celebration of the season put on by our public school children, no matter what the title.

December 15, 2010 at 11:55 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Turn down the music

I sent a formal letter of complaint to the city after an event was held in a parking lot near my house this past summer. It was a fundraiser, and I applaud the organizers for wanting to do good, but once again the city had issued a permit for loud music through midnight just 1/2 block from a residential area.

I first asked the people in charge to turn down the music (and quit blocking the alley), and was met with snideness. I then called the police who were able to make them remove the blockades and vehicles from the alley, but couldn't make them turn down the volume. Yes, it was a Saturday night, but that doesn't mean I and others in the neighborhood didn't need our sleep. Nor did I wish to be forced to listen to their music in my own home for 6 hours.

So far, no response from the city to my complaint.

And before you ask: no, it wasn't a Hispanic event or any other "ethnic" event; I'm probably one of the younger people who comment here; and I'm used to the trains and sirens and noise of living near downtown Emporia (I don't particularly like it, but I'm used to it).

November 3, 2010 at 3:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ESU’s enrollment numbers decrease slightly

I heard that 96% of statistics are made up on the spot.

September 24, 2010 at 1:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Youth attendance dropped at pool

My sisters-in-law and I went most Sundays when it wasn't chilly or raining (so not much in May or June) with 9 kids in all. Loved the $5 family swim option and really wish the pool stayed open at least through Labor Day weekend. The location isn't a big deal, although we all live in the SE part of town. We do miss the wading pool at Peter Pan Park, though.

August 19, 2010 at 11:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Emporia Muslims celebrating Ramadan

Dr. Sehlaoui is from Morocco, not Saudi Arabia, and has lived in the U.S. for about 15 years. Just thought I'd throw that out there before the OMGMUSLIMSINEMPORIA!!!!! pileup begins in earnest.

August 13, 2010 at 1:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Fireworks

We also started out in the stadium, then moved over to North of HPER because of the lighting. I guess they needed the lights on in the stadium because of the wet bleachers.

Our one complaint was that whoever was in charge of timing the fireworks failed miserably. There were several stops and starts that had people wondering if it was over, then a "finale" that turned out to be at the halfway point, and what was with the turning the lights on and off? Was that supposed to mean "intermission"? Because most people thought it was the official signal that the show was over, so there were hundreds of people trying to leave AND watch the fireworks that started up again a few minutes later. Crazy.

Not sure why "neighbor" needed to point out all of the non-native English speakers, but I hope it was to show how diverse the crowd was for this "all-American holiday." That was a nice thing about having the show on campus; it was more accessible for our international students and gave plenty of options for viewing.

July 5, 2010 at 5:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Finish Line

This was a really fun event that takes advantage of our unique location. Looking forward to next year!

June 7, 2010 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Teacher should return

@tbluma: ESL licensure does not mean the teacher speaks another language, it means the teacher has learned how to effectively teach non-native speakers so that 1) they acquire English more quickly and 2) are able to learn the academic subject at a similar rate to their English-proficient classmates. Moreover, many of the techniques learned in the classes teachers take for that licensure are beneficial for the entire classroom; I used some in my university lit class with all native English speakers and was pleased with their effectiveness.

ESL (English as a Second Language) and Bilingual education are NOT the same thing, although they often get lumped together. Not that this has any real bearing on Mr. Awesome's employment or lack thereof; I just wanted to clarify before the discussion continued.

June 4, 2010 at 11:04 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Fundraiser, Rummage sale, Literacy help, Food drive, Poker time

I live on the 800 block of Mechanic. It's 11:37PM on Saturday and I'm waiting to be able to go to bed because the group doing the fundraiser has a permit to play loud music until midnight. I have been forced to listen to music not of my choosing since 5PM - even with all my windows and doors shut, it sounds like I'm at the event - and had access to my house blocked because the group is blocking the alley. Who in the city office decided giving them a permit to play loud music until midnight was a good idea with a residential area so close? I'll be sending in a complaint to the city and I'm sure they'll be hearing from plenty of other people on the block as well.

May 8, 2010 at 11:42 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Slater working with movie Studio

As a former homeschooled kid myself (and someone who interviewed Roberto Orci), this is one of my favorite Gazette stories ever. :)

April 20, 2010 at 9:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )