Author: Museum Staff

Many of Cora Holt’s former students remember her as a toe-the-line teacher, but there was more to the educator than meets the eye. Born Cora Edelene Rarden, she was a descendant of two of the earliest families in Kearny County.  Her maternal great-grandfather, Joseph Dillon, was the editor of The Lakin Herald, and her grandmother, Maria Dillon Browne, earned a reputation as one of the best compositors in the state while typesetting for the paper. The Dillon family moved to Kearny County in 1879. Cora’s maternal grandfather, D. H. Browne, came to Lakin in 1880 and served many years as county clerk including during the time of the county seat wars.

D. H. and Maria Browne’s daughter Helen married James Harry Rardon in 1907. Known affectionately as Doc, Rardon had arrived in Lakin a year earlier to set up a dental office, and in 1909, he received his pharmacy certificate from the State of Kansas and purchased the drugstore here from Dr. G.C. Richards. Doc and Helen had three children: a son who died in infancy in 1908, daughter Jean born in 1909, and Cora, the baby of the family who was given the name of her paternal grandmother. News of Cora’s birth came via the Sept. 19, 1913 Advocate, “A little daughter arrived at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Rardon, Friday last, and the doctor is “wearing a smile that won’t come off.”

Doc Rardon was well-educated, well-rounded, and well-liked. He had a prowess for writing poetry, particularly love poems for his wife who he referred to as his Little Browne Hen. The wittiness and sweetness in his poetry leads one to assume that Cora grew up in a very loving and affectionate family. He sold the drugstore in 1910 and then ran drugstores elsewhere in Kansas and Missouri and was also a traveling salesman for pharmaceuticals. By 1920, the family was back living on their ranch west of Lakin while Doc continued with his salesman position.

Meanwhile, Cora grew to be both beautiful and bright. As a student at Lakin High School, she served three years on Student Council, was in charge of art in the 1931 Prairie Breeze annual, played violin in the orchestra, and participated in debate, drama, vocal, basketball and tennis.  Cora was treasurer of the Girl Reserves, the predecessor to Y-Teens, and during her senior year, she was the lone female of five cheerleaders in the Kakaphony Club, the high school’s official pep club.

While Cora was very much a traditionalist, she was also a trailblazer. At a time when most women entered the teaching profession, she instead attended Kansas University where she earned her pharmacology degree in 1935. Cora returned to Lakin and began working as a registered pharmacist in Roy Menn’s drugstore, the same drugstore that her father had previously owned in the building that houses Duncan’s Lockers. The Rardons purchased Menn’s in June of 1936, and in 1939, they bought the building at 111 N. Main (now Shorty’s II) and moved their stock there.  After Doc Rardon’s death in 1942, Cora and her mother continued to operate the pharmacy until March 1945 when they sold the business to Floyd Barnes of Ulysses.

On a Sunday afternoon in January 1945, Cora donned her mother’s wedding dress and married Edwin Holt, a well-liked prominent rancher. She gained two step-sons in the process, and in 1946, gave birth to her and Ed’s only child together, a son they named Jewell Harry after their fathers.

Catastrophe struck the young family on September 16, 1953 when Ed went to the Tate Ranch 10 miles southwest of Lakin to check cattle. When he did not return at the usual time, Cora became worried. Her neighbors, John and Elene Henderson, drove her to the ranch where they found Edwin’s body in the concrete stock tank. He had started climbing a 40-foot windmill tower to make repairs, and part of the wooden platform gave way. Ed fell backward, and according to the Hamilton County coroner, was apparently killed instantly when he struck the bottom of the tank.

Cora became a single parent and bread winner for her and her small son. She took a teaching job at Holcomb then taught at Deerfield Grade School for two years. She began her teaching career at Lakin in the fall of 1962 and taught until the end of the 1974-1975 school year. Cora served as president of the Parent-Teacher Association, was on the Kearny County Library’s board of directors when the library was built in the 1970s, taught first aid, and helped with Cub Scouts and the Red Cross. A member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Delta Kappa Gamma and the United Presbyterian Church, she also contributed stories to Vol. II of the History of Kearny County.

Cora Edelene Rardon Holt passed away in September of 1980, seven days shy of her 67^th birthday. Her life was an example of perseverance and selflessness. While her students only knew Cora in her later years, the accompanying pictures reveal a very vibrant and attractive young woman who was nicknamed “Codie” by her classmates and admired for her “peppy” disposition.

SOURCES: 1931 Prairie Breeze; 1972-1973 Lakin Grade School annual; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; Diggin’ Up Bones by Betty Barnes; archives of The Advocate, Lakin Independent, Chase Register, Kinsley Mercury and Lyons Republican; Museum archives; and photographs and archives received from the Jewell Holt Estate.

With an average enrollment of 300 students in the primary through eighth grades and a steadily increasing population, Lakin’s 1920-1921 school building had become crowded and inadequate by the spring of 1948.  Voters passed a bond election that May by a vote of 154-35 to build a new grade school. The $200,000 that had been approved was insufficient to build the structure as was first planned so voters went back to the polls in the fall and approved an additional $25,000 for the project.

Work began almost immediately, but the school was still not finished at the start of the 1949-1950 school year. Some classes had to meet in the gymnasium of the 1920-1921 building until the new grade school was ready to be occupied. Meanwhile, enrollment continued to climb. The September 9, 1949 Independent reported that enrollment hit a new high of 360 pupils at the start of that school year, a 25% increase. In the following week’s edition, enrollment had gone up to 385 in the grade school. In that issue also came the news that kindergarten classes were slated to begin October 3 in the new building. Grade School Principal James Finley announced that the building would also be ready at that time to house the first grade, and that other classes would be moved in as quickly as the building was finished. Material shortages had held up completion of the building, but the contractors were going ahead as quickly as possible.

All grades up to and including fifth had moved into the new grade school by mid-November. The 287×70 foot modern plant had nine classrooms, a gymnasium, school offices, wardrobes and restrooms, and the kindergarten room was designed with a large fireplace. A 34’ stage was at one end of the gymnasium and 80’ of rollaway type bleachers were installed on each side of the gym floor which has been the center of many of the school’s programs and athletic events over the years. The November 18, 1949 Independent also reported that work was progressing on the playgrounds which were to include a softball diamond, small football field, marble area, two outdoor basketball courts, four horseshoe pits and playground equipment. A joint dedication ceremony for the new building and the Veterans Memorial Building was held May 8 with an all-day program featuring bands, a parade, free barbecue, speakers and a dance.

Voters went back to the polls in the spring of 1963 and passed a bond issue in the amount of $439,000 to finance an addition to the building. The building addition consisted of ten classrooms, rest rooms, boys and girls shower rooms, boiler room, kitchen, a multi-purpose room that served as both cafeteria and physical education/practice gym, a health room, teacher’s work room, secretary’s office, principal’s office, conference room, laundry room and storage room with remodeling to the existing building as well. The total project cost was $482,425.62, but monies in a special building fund were also used to towards the addition. The design and plan of the building reflected modern functional school standards, all integrated within a single-story unit with classrooms for grades kindergarten through 6, other facilities for grades 7 and 8, and a cafeteria to accommodate grades 1 through 12. An intercom system was incorporated to give the office contact with each class. An open house for the completed facilities was held November 15, 1964.

The need for yet another addition to the grade school was realized in the spring of 1971 after the ceiling fell in the 1920-1921 school which subsequently led to the structure being razed.  While the addition was being constructed, kindergarten classes were held in the Girl Scout house, and provisions for other classes were made by placing some of the special areas in the gym, etc. Completed in November of ’72, the addition provided six classrooms for seventh and eighth grades, an art room, and library that was built in part of the open court area of the older part of the building. The kindergarten rooms and special education areas in the existing building were also remodeled with special education, speech therapy and counseling located in the north wing. First through third grades, fourth grade, fifth and sixth grades, as well as the seventh and eighth grades had their own wings with separate corridors for each section. With the new addition, the grade school became one of the finest in the area. Speed in the project was possible because there was enough money for the project in the district’s special building fund which eliminated the need for a bond election.

The seventh and eighth grades were moved out of the grade school when the building now known as the Academic Building was completed in 1986, and fifth and sixth graders were relocated to the current middle school at the start of the 2000-2001 school term. Since then, Lakin Grade School has served students in preschool and grades K through fourth.

SOURCES: Lakin Independent archives; Museum archives; and information provided by the late Vernon Dietz, former superintendent of schools.

Lakin Unified School district voters rejected bond issues for new construction and remodeling of Lakin High School facilities not once, not twice, but three times in 1973 and 1974. If passed, the high school campus would look totally different than it does today. The measure would have provided for an addition to the north and west of the high school gym that would have contained girls’ physical education facilities and a new auditorium with band and vocal rooms. Also in the proposal was the addition of industrial arts facilities to the vo-ag building and remodeling of the high school to maximize space and meet fire codes. Instead, a partial remodeling project to meet fire code requirements which involved ceilings, doors, and walls in the main high school building was completed in 1975 using capital outlay money.

Still faced with overcrowding and the need for improved facilities, school officials presented two building plans to the voters in October of 1977. An overwhelming approval was given for the issuance of $1,014,580 in bonds towards a plan designed to get the utmost potential from the buildings already on site as well as new construction. The plan called for additions to the gymnasium which included a boy’s locker room and weight room, common’s/concession area, girl’s locker room, and multi-purpose rubber gym.  An addition to the vocational ag building provided space for industrial arts. The interior of the main high school building was remodeled, the auditorium renovated, and new vocal and instrumental classrooms were added. When finished, the new facilities provided classroom and gymnasium space to meet the mandated requirements for Special Education and Title IX. Work began in 1978 with an anticipated finish date of January 1980 which was not met. Facilities/classrooms were moved into as they were completed, and according to the late Vernon Dietz, former superintendent of schools, the completely new and remodeled facilities were ready for the 1980-1981 school year. The work was done by L. R. Foy Construction of Hutchinson. Due to unsatisfactory work, the company was sued by USD 215. The case, argued by the late Ted Morgan, went to the Kansas Supreme Court which awarded USD 215 over $190,000 in damages.

The need for additional classroom space for the first eight grades of school became increasingly apparent in 1983 when a preschool census was taken and indicated that space would soon be a problem in the district’s elementary school. The decision was made to build a new middle school that would house 7^th and 8^th grades. No bond referendum was required because sufficient funds were available in the capital outlay budget of the school district, but the board elected to send a straw poll ballot to registered voters which ultimately showed that patrons were in favor of the project nearly two to one.  The board accepted a negotiated contract with Rhoads Construction in the amount of $1,249,614. Ground was broken on March 28, 1985, and construction was completed the following spring.

The building, located between the gymnasium and vocational building, was constructed with a passive solar design to reduce heating and cooling costs and contained six regular classrooms, two special education classrooms, science lab, and a computer lab and art room that were utilized by both middle school and high school students. A new board of education meeting room and office space for administration were also included. The building was opened for classes in August of 1986 with an open house the following month. With the completion of the 7-8 middle school, LMS and LHS students were able to eat school lunches served in the high school’s auxiliary gymnasium instead of having to go to the grade school cafeteria. Under the satellite program, meals were prepared in the grade school’s kitchen and transferred to the gym by van. The high school’s music and band rooms, auditorium, home ec. room, library, vocation shops and gymnasium were shared with the middle school.

Increases in student population and expanded curriculum requirements for high school students in the late 1990s created a need for even more classroom space. On October 21, 1997, voters approved a $9.5 million bond issue for the construction of the current middle school complex. Ground was broken in August of 1998, and the facility was ready for grades fifth through eighth at the start of the 2000-2001 school year. The project added approximately 96,000 square feet of space to the school district and included state-of-the-art classrooms, a technology lab, modern library-media center, computer lab, music education area, prep kitchen and lunchroom/commons area, weight room and 1800-seat gymnasium. D & D Builders was the main contractor.

A new auto mechanics/welding shop was also included in the project. The 1949 vo-ag building was razed and an expanded shop facility was erected with 9,420 square feet of space for four auto bays, a welding area, and locker and restroom facilities for both boys and girls. The former 7-8 middle school was renamed the Academic Building and became part of the high school campus while still providing space for USD #215 Administrative offices and middle school art classes. A daycare for the children of USD 215 employees was housed in the building during the 2020-21 school year but was moved to the main high school building following renovations in the summer of 2021.

The final building of learning on the LHS campus is the 40×24 greenhouse made possible in with a generous donation of $30,000 from the Edgington family. In addition to providing the funding, the Rodney, Daryan and Alyssa Edgington and Kyle and Steve Berning completed the work of providing water, electricity and gas to the greenhouse. Placed on the old tennis courts behind the main building, the green house and 10 cinder-block garden plots provided by a grant from the Kearny County Wellness Coalition were ready for their first growing season in the spring of 2022. The gardens and greenhouse are part of a revival in agriculture-focused education.

Sources: Kansas Magazine; 1979 Bronc Yearbook; Archives of The Lakin Independent; Museum archives; and information provided by the late Vernon Dietz, former Superintendent of USD 215 Schools.

Summer break officially ended for Deerfield’s students yesterday when the U.S.D. 216 Spartans started back to school. In the early days of our county, school typically did not start until September and sometimes even later as children were often needed to help on their family’s farms. The first school for the children of the Deerfield community was a subscription school located a half mile east of town in the home of H. Charles and Belle Nicholls. According to their granddaughter, both Mr. and Mrs. Nicholls taught that school term of 1885-1886.

Mr. Nicholls was serving as the secretary pro. tem. of the District 3 school board in August of 1886 when the decision was made to build a school house in Deerfield. The area had experienced a large influx of settlers, and a frame building was erected that was large enough to be divided into two rooms when needed to accommodate all the children. The school opened in October of 1886 with Miss Sallie Eastham as the teacher. In March of 1911, voters approved bonds to build a new brick school house in Deerfield. The old school building was sold to the Baptists and moved two blocks south of the school grounds where it served as a church. Later the building was used as a first-grade classroom, then as an industrial arts class room for the high school, and finally as a community building and grange hall for the Deerfield and Pomona Granges.

Deerfield’s first brick school house was constructed for an approximate cost of $12,000 and was available for the 1912-1913 school year. Although the building itself was very modern for that time, the school lacked the conveniences of running water, electricity and gas heat. The first heating system used was a coal furnace, and drinking water was provided by large water cans in each room with each student providing his or her own drinking cup. Part of the recess period was spent in refilling water cans. No lighting of any type was used. That school year a covered wagon drawn by a team of horses and driven by Bert White was used for Deerfield’s first organized mode of transportation for school children.

The school housed both grade and high schools with the high school faculty consisting of only one teacher, C. Edgar Funston, who taught Latin, algebra, English, ancient history, geometry, medieval and modern history to freshmen and sophomores. Funston also taught a full course of eighth grade subjects. His classes were conducted on the upper story while the two lower rooms were used for the primary grades. The following year, the high school classes were moved into the west room upstairs which had been partitioned to provide for a class room and to accommodate an additional teacher. By the end of the 1914-1915 school year, Deerfield had become a fully accredited three-year high school. The first graduating class in May of 1916 had three students.

The school term of 1915-1916 saw many improvements made to the school building. Among these was the addition of electricity and running water. Wells were drilled and equipped with automatic electric pumps, and pressure tanks were installed in the building. By the end of the 1919-1920 school year, Deerfield’s high school had become an accredited four-year school. Enrollment increased significantly necessitating the need for a new high school building. A new brick building was ready for classes in the fall of 1920 at a cost of about $33,000. The new building had the added bonus of a gymnasium. At this time, there were approximately 30 students and three faculty members in the high school. Rosamond James Eves and Oscar Maddux were the first two graduates from the new high school in the spring of 1921.

Coal-burning furnaces gave way to more modern gas heating systems in the 1920s, and 1948 marked the end of the school system’s private water system as water was then provided by the Deerfield’s city water system. Indoor rest rooms were installed and first used in the old grade building in 1951.

In 1946, the rural Prairie View and Harmony schools consolidated with the Deerfield Grade School while Pleasant View School District was added to the Deerfield district the following year. With added students and overcrowded conditions, Deerfield High School District No. 3 voted to build a new high school. In February 1950, 46 students and faculty moved into the $330,000 building.

Meanwhile, more space was badly needed at the grade school. A lunch program was added which required space for a kitchen and dining room, and the addition of a music room further depleted the available classroom area. More elementary teachers were added which ultimately provided a teacher for each grade. Since there were not eight classrooms available, the seventh and eighth grades were housed in the old brick high school from 1951 until 1957. After considerable groundwork, a bond election was held in January of 1956 in which bonds in the amount of $294,000 were approved for building and equipping a new grade school which would house kindergarten through eighth grades as well as a lunch room. Construction began in September of 1956, and the school was ready for occupancy in October of 1957. An estimated crowd of 300 people attended the dedication of the building on November 11, 1957. The school’s all-purpose hall was also dedicated that day in memory of Rex Miller, a member of the school board who had perished in an explosion in August of 1956.

The two old brick school buildings were razed, and recently city crews uncovered some of the bricks from the buildings when they were installing a new sewer extension for lots north of Deerfield’s tennis courts and swimming pool.

SOURCES: History of Kearny Co. Vol. I; archives of The Advocate and Lakin Independent; “Deerfield School Advancement” by Norval Gray, Supt. Of Deerfield Schools 1951-1962; information provided by the late Mary Russell, granddaughter of H.Charles and Belle Nicholls; and Museum archives.

Although numerous outdoor enthusiasts, families and scout troops enjoyed Lake McKinney’s benefits, the reservoir was also the sight of several tragedies. The first of many drownings occurred on the second day that the lake was being filled, Feb. 12, 1907. John Phillips, Harry Beckett and Fred Frost went to the lake to complete some unfinished work. They were returning to Lakin in their wagon when they came to a spot where water covered the road. Certain that they knew where the road was and that the water was shallow, the men decided to cross the strip instead of going around. Frost turned the team of mules into the water. Head surveyor Henley Hedge was following them in his buggy and watched as one of the mules slipped off the road bed into deeper water, pulling the other mule and wagon in after him. Hedge jumped into the icy water, cut the mules free and managed to pull Frost to safety. Hedge pushed into the cold chilly water to rescue Phillips, but Phillips refused to take hold of the pole extended to him. Both Phillips and Beckett drowned. Beckett was the rodman and chief assistant to Phillips, a rising young civil engineer who had been the engineer in charge of the project.

In July 1908, 14-year-old Fred Schagun of Deerfield drowned when he and his brother were fishing. The boy waded into the water to unfasten his tangled line and got into one of the channels where water was several feet deep. In February 1909, 17-year-old Gilbert Kimball was mortally wounded while on a hunting expedition with his brother and four friends on the east side of the lake. The Lakin teen was getting out of a surrey when his gun inadvertently discharged, the ammo hitting Kimball in the throat. Clarence Parcells died a month later after being shot while hunting ducks with a number of other Lakin businessmen at Lake McKinney. The 24-year-old Parcells was inside a hunting blind with Charles Waterman and stepped in front of Waterman’s gun just as he pulled the trigger.

In August of 1910, teachers James Hemphill, Frank Hibner and Will Bruner rowed their boat about 200 feet from shore and anchored it in order to fish. Noticing their team of horses which had been tied on the bank was loose, the 24-year-old Hemphill jumped into the water and began swimming to shore. Hemphill had swam about 50 yards then called for help but could not be reached in time. Seventeen-year-old Eulojio Montoya drowned in July 1922. He had come from New Mexico to work in the sugar beet fields and was with four companions, all of whom jumped from a leaky boat when 150 yards from the bank. Montoya was seized with cramps while swimming to shore.

Milton Clare Downer, 22, of Garden City, drowned in August of 1946 when the boat in which he was riding capsized in about eight feet of water. Downer could not swim. Thirty-five-year-old Ray Barrett of Syracuse drowned while attempting to swim to shore after his motorboat overturned in June of 1948. Barrett was approximately 500 yards from shore. The lake at that time was described as rather windy with raising six-inch high waves. In July that same year, a Garden City family of four drowned when the two-man boat they had borrowed was swamped by waves and capsized. Clarence and Angeline Jansen and their young sons, ages 3 and 4, were fishing in the middle of the north end of the lake. A fifth person in the boat, Preston Jones of Garden City, managed to fasten himself to the side of the boat and stay afloat until he attracted the attention of fishermen on the shore.

In December of 1953, Sam McGinness was hunting ducks and apparently had gone after one that had gone down on the ice. The 49-year-old Garden City man broke through the ice nearly 400 yards from shore. McGinness’s cries for help were heard, but he drowned before rescue boats could reach him. Orval Glancy, 55, of Garden City, lost his life when he fell from a small speedboat while fishing in September 1957. After searching futilely for 15 minutes, Glancy’s companion summoned for help. Glancy’s body was found after a seven-hour search. Garden City brothers, Gary and Larry Gossman, ages 12 and 13 respectively, drowned in May of 1959. They were on a 12-foot fishing skiff with five other passengers when their boat was swamped by high waves fueled by 30 to 40 mph winds. Another boat took three of the passengers to a nearby fishing raft and returned for the brothers and their parents, but while trying to pull them into the rescue boat, the boat that the Gossmans were in capsized.

Seventeen-year-old John Yager Jr. was on his way to see his parents at Lake McKinney in June 1962 when his car went out of control and rolled into an irrigation ditch that filled the lake. The Lakin teen was pinned under the car which was in about two and a half feet of water. The other occupant in the car, Robert Yoxall, attempted to free Yager but was unable to do so and ran about three quarters of a mile to a field where Jim White was working and collapsed. White revived Yoxall and phoned officers for help when he learned of the accident. The car was lifted using a chain and jeep belong to White, but Yager was pronounced dead at the scene.

In April of 1970, Joseph Randolph of Lakin was hunting with two friends at the spillway bridge where the Amazon diverted into the west end of the lake. The gun of one of Joe’s companions accidentally discharged, and the bullet struck Randolph in the head. The 16-year-old Randolph was taken to Kearny County Hospital for treatment and then flown to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita where he died three days later. In 1972, a young Wichita father was killed instantly when his car plunged from a low dike on the east shore which ran from the recreation area near the boat docks. Charles Heuett apparently attempted to pull his car back when it went out of control on a sharp curve, but the car flipped and then landed on Heuett who was ejected. The 35-year-old suffered multiple injuries including a skull fracture.

In June of 1998, 16-year-old Tiana Marie Vasquez went to the lake with three of her friends to swim. The Deerfield girl immediately disappeared after jumping in near the spillway. She was apparently dragged under by the strong undercurrent and sucked through the spillway as her body was recovered in the Great Eastern Ditch about a mile and half from where she jumped into the lake. Vasquez’s drowning was tragic and serves as a sad reminder about the dangers of trespassing on public property. Since Lake McKinney closed to the public in 1978, there has occasionally been scuttlebutt about re-opening the lake, but the fact remains that the lake and the surrounding property is owned by The Garden City Company. The only people allowed on the property are company personnel and persons who have been given prior authorization.

Sources: Diggin Up Bones by Betty Barnes; History of Kearny County Vols. I & II; Archives of The Garden City Telegram, The Advocate, Lakin Investigator and the Lakin Independent; and Museum archives.

The Kearny County Fair is a long-standing tradition that began in 1914 in a shady grove just west of Lakin. The fairgrounds were west of present-day Bopp Boulevard between Lincoln and Railroad avenues on the timber claim of F.L. Pierce where he had planted walnut, Osage orange, cottonwood, locust, catalpa and mulberry trees in the 1880s. Through Pierce’s continued efforts, the fairgrounds became a shady picnic ground. A large grandstand sufficient to hold 400 or more people overlooked a half-mile race track and baseball park, and amusements and lunch counters dotted the grounds under the shade of the walnut trees.

The highly anticipated fair opened Thursday, Sept. 24, and attendance for the first two days was estimated at 1,100. Even Lakin’s schools closed so that all the children and teachers could have the opportunity to attend. The Lakin Independent reported that Pierce, who was the fair association’s secretary, “was in the ticket office shoving out the tickets and gathering in the nickels. Crowds from the four corners surged through the ground looking over the displays of machinery, farm products, horses and cattle, quilts, needlework, finery, etc.” To maintain order and make all fair visitors feel at home, the fair association recruited a squad of mounted police.

Horse racing was a big draw of the fair. Good purses attracted owners of some of the best horses in the country. Categories included pony racing, horse racing, ladies riding, Roman racing, harness trotting race and a relay race, but the racing was not limited to horses. There were also foot races, auto races and dog races. Other competitions included wrestling, a potato race on horseback, a sack race, bucking broncos, greased pig contest, and a challenge to see who could stay under long enough in a tub filled with water to secure a big silver dollar with their teeth. Fair-goers were also entertained by the Lakin band, the “hippodrome” or equestrian riding performance, and pole-vaulting demonstrations. A baseball game was played in the late afternoon each of the three days, and every game was called before ending because of darkness. Lakin, Deerfield, Midway and South Side were the competing teams, with Deerfield taking the championship game, 5-3.

That year was a very good year for gardeners, and produce entries ranged from grapes and sweet potatoes to an 80-pound pumpkin. Crops of wheat, corn, rye, oats, and broom corn were also entered. The poultry department had a good showing of geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens. Mules, a fawn and even guinea pigs were on display. Baked goods, handiwork and art rounded out the line-up.

The Oct. 2, 1914 Advocate declared, “The fair is over and success is written in large letters by the large number of people who attended the exhibition.” The Kearny County Fair Association attributed much of the fair’s success to local farmers and other exhibitors but also gave credit to those from Grant County who had entered items in the fair.

The movement for a county fair and fairgrounds had begun two years earlier. Stocks in the Kearny County Agriculture and Fair Association were sold for $10 each, and a board of directors was elected in the spring of 1914 to lead the organization. The association secured a membership in the Grain Belt Racing Association in May of 1914, and the fairgrounds were officially opened on June 13^th with a running race between George Rider’s and William Gillespie’s horses followed by a baseball game.

The annual fair took a hiatus in 1918 and 1919 during World War I but resumed in 1920. As time progressed, more buildings were added and amusements and lunch counters increased. The fair took on a carnival air adding such amusements as a tug-of-war between communities, motorcycle races, airplane exhibitions, and a fat man’s race. The hard times of the 1930s forced the fair association to disband and dismantle its buildings and discontinue the fair. About that time, 4-H club work was started, and the annual fair became a 4-H event. A location was hard to find so booths and home economics projects were displayed in stores, the courthouse or wherever possible. Livestock was exhibited in some vacant lot, in the lumber yard or on a town street where trees could provide shelter. A few interested persons started working on a regular location for a fair and other entertainment early in 1950. Many were interested in horses so the Kearny County Saddle Club was organized, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Loucks deeded a tract of land where the rodeo and fairgrounds are now located.

When county commissioners were preparing their budget for 1957, they approved the allocation of funds to operate a free county fair and the establishment of a fair board. Although the fairs may look differently than they did in the 1900s, commissioners, fair boards, the Kearny County Extension Service, 4-H groups, Kearny County Saddle Club, and other organizations, businesses and individuals have worked cooperatively through the years to ensure that the tradition that started over a century ago continues.

If you get the opportunity, venture out to the rodeo and fairgrounds this weekend and next week to partake in the fun at the Kearny County Saddle Club’s annual amateur rodeo and the Kearny County Fair! And don’t forget to attend the rodeo parade Saturday morning at 10 a.m. followed by a free ice cream social at the Kearny County Museum!

Sources: History of Kearny County Vol. I; Advocate and Lakin Independent archives; museum archives.