The 60th Annual Meeting of the Kearny County Historical Society was held Saturday, April 14, 2018, at the Deerfield Community Building. Despite Mother Nature’s nastiness, a large crowd braved the high winds and attended the grand event. Pulled pork, cowboy beans, hash brown casserole, cole slaw, homemade bread, assorted fruit cobblers and ice cream were served for supper. This was followed up with a short business meeting. Next on the agenda was voting for board members. Dave Horner, Cary Henderson, Joe Eskelund, Karen Burden and John White were reinstated for two-year terms. They are joined by newbies Bob Price and Judy Scott.
The program for the evening was provided by Ken Weidner, a living historian from Copeland, Ks. Weidner is a farmer and rancher, but his true passion is history and the American Indian in particular. His interest in history began at a young age and in the 1980s he became involved in historical re-enactments by participating in fur trade rendezvous. Eventually Ken began portraying a Plains Indian from the 1860s and became fully immersed in the Native American way of life. He handcrafts Native American replicas using the Plain’s tribal methods to tan hides, do beadwork, make tepees, saddles, tools and more. His work is widely recognized because of his discipline and attention to detail. His artistry has been on display in historic sites and museums across the country, including Little Big Horn Battle Site, Fort Larned Historic Site and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. Weidner brought with him many of his re-creations which he passed around for the audience to see up close. He gave a very informative and appreciated talk.
The evening ended with the drawing of door prizes. Thank you to all those who attended, to everyone who cooked and helped serve, and to our guest speaker.
