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| February Chamber Calendar |
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Thursday, February 2nd
9:30 a.m. - Chamber Coffee Hosted by Hoisington Floral @ Chamber
Thursday, February 9th
8 a.m. - Chamber Board Meeting @ Chamber
9:30 a.m. - Chamber Coffee Hosted by Dairy Queen @ DQ
Thursday, February 16th
9:30 a.m. - Chamber Coffee hosted by Kindscher's Mule Barn @ Mule Barn (157 S. Main)
Noon - Ambassador's Meeting @ Mi Tierra
4:30 - 6 p.m. - Chamber Cash Mob @ The Duckblind (Rodeway Inn & Suites)
Thursday, February 23rd
9:30 a.m. - Chamber Coffee Hosted by USD 431 @ District Office
Monday, February 27th
5-7 p.m. - Business After Hours hosted by Wilson Communications @ Cardinal Lanes
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Thursday, February 2nd
5:30 p.m. -City Court
USD 431 Early Release @ 1 p.m.
Saturday, February 4th
10-11 a.m. - Shadow Play @ Kansas Wetlands Education Center
HEPA Carnival @ AC
Texas Hold 'Em @ K of C
Monday, February 6th
7 p.m. - USD 431 BOE
7 p.m. - City Planning Commission Meeting
Thursday, February 9th
7 p.m. - Lincoln School Music Program
Saturday, February 11th
5:30 - Steak and Shrimp Dinner at K of C
8 p.m. - Annual Bounty Texas Hold'Em Poker Tournament @ K of C
Monday, February 13th
2-4 p.m.- Hoisington Food Bank Open
7 p.m. - City Council Meeting
Thursday, February 16th
5:30 p.m. - City Court
7 p.m. - Roosevelt Elementary Music Program
Saturday, February 18th
10-11 a.m. - Snow Birds @ Kansas Wetlands Education Center
Monday, February 20th
USD 431 - No School
Saturday, February 25th
10-11 a.m. - Animal Signs @ Kansas Wetlands Education Center
Monday, February 27th
4-6 - Hoisington Food Bank Open
7 p.m. - City Council Meeting
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Participants make edible bird feeders in an earlier Kansas Wetlands Education Center winter program. The February programs are scheduled for Saturdays, featuring nature-themed topics.
KWEC Offers Winter Kid's Programs
The Kansas Wetlands Education Center has the cure for the winter blues - nature programs! Kids will make a shadow puppet, investigate backyard birds and become a sleuth, while constructing a plaster of Paris track kit, during KWEC's February Saturday morning programs.
Designed for children ages 6 through 12, one-hour programs will be offered at no charge from 10-11 a.m. each Saturday. Children age 7 and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Registration deadlines in sequential order of the classes are
Feb. 1,
Feb. 15 and
Feb. 22. To register for classes, or for more information, call
620-566-1456 or
1-877-243-9268. The maximum class size is 20 children. Although there is no program charge, donations for supplies are always appreciated. The
Feb. 18 and 25 programs include time outdoors, so dress warmly.
Shadow Play: Feb. 4
The ground hog isn't the only animal that wakes up in February. We'll investigate how other animals survive winter's long, cold nights. Celebrate ground hog's day with shadow games, making a shadow puppet, activities and crafts, while meeting a couple of fun mammals.
Snow Birds: Feb. 18
Every winter "snow" birds come to Kansas, joining their hardy feathered friends that make Kansas a year-round home. Discover which birds travel to Kansas and how they survive winter's cold. In addition to making a bird feeder, we'll travel outside to find some snow birds and enter them in the national Backyard Bird Count. Binoculars will be provided or you can bring your own.
Animal Signs: Feb. 25
Winter is a great time to look for animal signs - things they leave behind. We'll travel outside to find tracks, scat and other "signs", make a plaster track kit and "candy" scat to take home. Dress to go outside.
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Area News & Events |
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Renowned campus safety expert to present at Barton Community College
Barton Community College's Sexual Misconduct & Assault Resources Team (SMART) will be hosting expert campus safety speaker Katie Koestner, who will present three sessions at 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 7 p.m. on Feb. 2 at Barton Community College. The morning sessions will take place in the Fine Arts Auditorium with the evening session in the Barton Gymnasium.
Koestner's first session at 10:30 a.m. titled "Digital Citizenship," will cover privacy on the internet and how to address commentary that is demeaning, harassing or uncomfortable. Her second session at 11:30 a.m. is titled "Bystander Intervention." Koestner will focus on the importance of speaking up in difficult situations. Attendees will also learn about the differences between harassment, flirting, jokes, as well as sexual assault, rape and abuse. Finally, at 7 p.m. Koestner will tell her inspiring story.
In 1990 Koestner went on a date which ended in horror as she found herself lying on her dorm room floor a victim of rape. As others around her disputed the idea that she was assaulted, Koestner decided to take a stand in the fight against sexual assault for her and for others. Within a year Koestner found herself on the cover of TIME Magazine and being featured on national television programs.
In the next 25 years Koestner would go on to speak at more than 3000 schools including West Point and Harvard, operate two non-profit organizations, co-author two books on sexual assault policy and procedures for schools.
Stephanie Joiner, Barton Community College's interim Title IX Coordinator, is excited about this opportunity.
"She has a personal experience that she is willing to share and when you can find someone who is willing to open up that door it creates a better understanding," Joiner said. "She is familiar with life on campus and what these students deal with, work with and use on a regular basis. Most importantly, she is passionate about it."
Koesnter has also worked to keep her message current with the constant growth of technology in the digital age. Her first session will dive into this reality which Joiner sees as valuable not only for students but for the community.
"One of the topics that comes up when discussing social media with my students is the lack of education," Joiner said. "The conversations that need to happen about digital citizenship are not happening in an educational manner but rather in simply 'don't dos'. Students need to be educated and empowered to make the best possible decision."
These sessions are for mature audiences due to the serious content discussed. Parents are encouraged to attend and to use their discretion if they would like their teenager to attend.
All sessions are open to the community including businesses and area high schools. For more information contact Stephanie Joiner at joiners@bartonccc.edu or (620) 792-9238.
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Gaila Nielsen with ElderCare Inc and Julie Smith with United Way of Central Kansas receive a check from Rick Davis and Alan Burton with MPIRE Properties. The cash was donated for a collaborative community project called "Box of Love" along with 150 fire safety refrigerator magnets that will be distributed to home bound senior citizens throughout Barton County.
MPire Properties Donates to 150 Boxes of Love through United Way
One of the state's leading rental companies for single family homes and multi-family apartment complexes recently did their part to ensure the success of a charitable project happening next month in the Barton County area. MPIRE Properties made a cash donation to ElderCare and United Way for their Box of Love initiative. The property management company also provided refrigerator magnets featuring emergency telephone numbers and a place for the recipient to display their fire escape route.
"We have a number of properties catered to senior citizens in the nine communities we serve throughout the state," says Rick Davis, COO. "It is incredible the work these agencies are doing to make sure every home bound client for ElderCare and Meals on Wheels will be receiving a special box of Valentine's Day goodies."
The local nonprofit organizations announced last month that they would be assembling the Boxes of Love with the help of private donations, to accompany handmade Valentine's Day Cards created by local children. MPIRE's donation will help the charities improve the project and add even more to each gift. The Boxes of Love will be delivered by volunteers on February 14th.
"MPIRE Properties invests a lot in the communities we serve in Central and Western Kansas, all with the goal of providing safe, affordable, and well-kept housing for our tenants," says Jason Mayers, CEO. "This is just one simple way we can extend the arms of the MPIRE family and share our commitment to Worry Free Living."
MPIRE Properties offers over 270 units in communities all over Central and Western Kansas, including Great Bend, Hoisington, Concordia, Ulysses, Abilene, Ellinwood, Sylvan Grove, Glasco, and Pratt. These units range from affordable single-family homes and multi-family apartment complexes to high-end properties. For more information, visit them online at
www.MPIREProperties.com, visit their new headquarters at 1015 McKinley in Great Bend, or call their professional team at 620-236-3557.
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EVERYONE 21+ WELCOME!
TEXAS HOLD'EM POKER TOURNAMENT
7:30 SATURDAY FEB. 4
$25 DONATION FOR $200 IN CHIPS
BOUNTY TOURNAMENT SAT. FEB. 11
$100 DONATION FOR $200 IN CHIPS
STEAK & SHRIMP DINNER 5:30-7:30
HOISINGTON K. OF C. HALL - 114 N. MAIN
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Great Bend, Kansas - Barton County's Got Flavor is BACK!
On Saturday, February 11th, 2017, Habitat for Humanity for Barton County will play host to a great night of food prepared by our contestants, followed up with what promises to be a night full of unforgettable entertainment!
This fundraiser, taking place at the Great Bend Events Center, will feature food and beverage tastings from 6-7:30 p.m., followed by the high energy entertainers from Dueling Pianos International at 8 p.m. (
www.duelingpianoshows.com
)
YOU be the judge...
Guests will have the opportunity to taste different pairings of food and drink, prepared by local volunteer chefs. Event attendees are the judges and will vote for their favorite pairing. The winning teams receive a trophy for the professional division and cold hard cash for the individual division.
Tickets are $60 per couple for the tastings and the dueling piano show. The dinner is available for adults only, and tickets are limited to the first 100 couples. Tickets for the dueling piano show by itself are available for $15 per person, and children are welcome to attend (content will be family appropriate).
Tickets are available for purchase at Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, 1125 Williams, Great Bend, KS.
For more information or to reserve tickets, contact us at
habitatbartoncounty@hotmail.com
or send a message through the Habitat for Humanity: Barton County Area facebook page.
About Habitat for Humanity:
Habitat for Humanity has been in Barton County since 2001. Our non-profit organization gives a hand up, not a hand out. All the donations we receive are used to build or remodel homes for our partner families, who then purchase the home through a zero-interest, 25-year mortgage. The houses cost less because they are built with volunteer labor and donated materials, and because the partner families do not pay interest, home ownership is much more affordable than in the private market. In addition, the funds collected in mortgage payments can be re-used to help another family in Barton County.
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BCYP Leadership Lunch: "Marketing in a Noisy, Digital World"
February 15th
12-1 p.m.
10th Street Pizza Hut , Great Bend
Members of the Barton County Young Professionals group are invited to participate in a free leadership development series designed to help YP's grow personally and professionally.
The next presentation, entitled "Marketing in a Noisy, Digital World" will be held on Wednesday, February 15th, 12:00pm at the 10th Street Pizza Hut.
Presentation Details: Rachel Mawhirter, owner of
Marketing Maven Consulting
in Great Bend, will share some insight into the ever-changing topic of small business marketing. Many entrepreneurs and business managers think of marketing as a way to drive sales - and it is. But more than that, marketing encompasses every point of contact your customers have with your brand. Mawhirter will
provide ideas on how to determine an appropriate acquisition cost for new customers as well as how to build brand loyalty and repeat business with clients you already have. In a busy, digital world - what is your company doing to stand out? Participants are encouraged to come with questions and real life marketing challenges for the Q&A session that will follow the presentation.
The presentation is free to attend, but each participant must pay for their own buffet meal before leaving. The session will begin at 12 p.m., and will conclude with door prize drawings. And remember, you get an extra ticket in the drawing for wearing your professional nametag at BCYP events! RSVP's are not required.
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JobFest Coming to Great Bend for 10th Straight Year in March
Great Bend, Kansas - The 10th Annual Job Fest is slated to take place on March 30, 2017 from 3:00 - 6:00p.m., at the Great Bend Events Center, 3111 10th Street, Great Bend, Kansas. With multiple partnership opportunities available, employers are encouraged to register online to reserve their booth space where they will have the chance to meet with many area job seekers.
Returning this year will be The Career Closet, full of gently used business attire for those who are not in a position to purchase new clothes suitable for a job interview. "The Career Closet is an additional incentive for job seekers to attend Job Fest. Last year we had quite a few individuals take advantage of not only the free clothing but also the advice provided by Barton Community College business students who set up and ran the closet," recalls 2017 Job Fest committee chair Judy Jacobs.
"It's amazing what just a suit, tie and new pair of shoes does for the confidence of a job seeker. That confidence is one more key in making a successful impression on employers at Job Fest.," says Jacobs.
Donations of lightly worn business attire are being accepted for the Career Closet, with drop off locations at KansasWORKS and Barton CKEOC, located at 1125 Main St., Great Bend.
Job seekers can expect to learn more about the available jobs in central Kansas, visit with prospective employers and interview on the spot. They should plan to bring several copies of their resume as well for employers to review.
Anyone looking for assistance with creating or reviewing his or her resume is encouraged to visit with the KansasWORKS office at 1125 Main St., Great Bend, (620) 793-5445.
For more information the 2017 Job Fest, visit www.facebook.com/GBJobFest. Send inquiries to Judy Jacobs at jacobsju@bartonccc.edu or (620) 792-9349. About Job Fest Job Fest is a Central Kansas job fair collaboratively presented by representatives from the Larned Chamber of Commerce, Great Bend Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development, Barton Community College, Kansas Works and several employers. We focus our efforts on the companies and communities located in and around Barton, Russell, Pawnee, Stafford, Rice, Rush, and Ellsworth Counties. Over the past ten years, we have worked diligently to grow and streamline this economic development resource to help connect growing businesses with the workforce available to them.
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