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Calendar of Events
DICKINSON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY - ANNUAL BANQUET 
Thu, Nov 17th @ 6 pm
St. Andrews Parish Hall
311 S. Buckeye
(785) 263-2681
"TROLLS" at the Great Plains Cinema
Fri, Nov 18th to Wed, Nov 23rd 7 pm
401 Cottage Avenue
(785) 263-4574
4-H ACHIEVEMENT BANQUET
Tue, Nov 22nd @ 6:00pm
Sterl Hall, County Fairgrounds
(785) 263-2001
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS - KANSAS BEST REAL ESTATE
Thu, Dec 1st @ 5 pm 
327 N. Broadway Street
(785) 263-7332
Chamber Board of Directors
Kyle Becker, Chairman

Marc Beswick, Past Chairman
 
Todd Moore, Vice Chairman
 
Raelyn Swisher, Secretary
 
Diane Miller, Treasurer
 
Matt Engle
 
Denise Guy
 
Jeff Hoover
 
Becky Schwab
 
Jennifer Waite
 
David Walters
 
 
Travis Sawyer
     
Glenda Purkis
   
November 16, 2016
40th ANNUAL HOMES FOR THE HOLIDAY TOUR ANNOUNCED - TICKETS AVAILABLE
The 40th Annual Homes for the Holidays tour, Dec. 3 and 4, features a wide variety of historic homes from the grand to the quaint.  This year's tour includes:

  • Eisenhower Boyhood Home;
  • Seelye Mansion (1st floor), 1105 N. Buckeye;
  • Birchmore-Nichols Home - 1204 N. Buckeye;
  • Shirley Meysenburg Home - 1003 N. Buckeye;
  • Laura Soelter Home - 804 N. Kuney;
  • Terry Jackson Cabin - Red Bud Estates, 2191 Eden Road, #11;
  • Brethren in Christ Church - 1005 N. Buckeye, and
  • the Volkmann Cabin - Historical Society, 412 S. Campbell.
  •  
    Soelter Home
    Seelye Mansion

    Tickets for the tour, which will be from 4 to 8 pm on Saturday, Dec. 3, and from 1 to 5 pm on Sunday, Dec. 4, are $10 and will be available from the Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce, the Dickinson County Historical Society, and the Seelye Mansion.  Ticket-holders who would like to have a tour of all three floors of the Seelye may purchase a pass for an additional $5 at the mansion.

    For tickets and more information, contact the Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce at (785) 263-1770 or 800-569-5915.

    Birchmore-Nichols Home
    Meysenburg Home

    The tour is organized by the Heritage Homes Association, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting education, preservation and appreciation of Abilene's rich history through historic homes.  

                      

         

          

    AROUND TOWN

    Cow Town Corral closed abruptly this past week.  The building owner is confident that a new tenant will be found in the near future.

    The TCT Solution Center, 120 NE. 14th, hosted a Chamber Business After Hours, which was well attended.  Jared Waite (Family Eye Care of Abilene) and Ruth Worman won door prizes.  Many of those in attendance were pleasantly surprised by the selection of computer and electronic equipment and accessories available at the TCT Solution Center.  With Christmas less than 6 weeks away, it would behoove our readers to become familiar with their offerings.  If you can't stop by, call them at (800) 362-2576.

    Midwest Hearing has closed their Abilene office, which had been co-located with the Brian Tajchman, American Family Insurance Agency. Batteries and filters will continue to be available at 104 NW. 3rd Street until the end of the year.  

    The 2017 Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce Board has 5 positions available with one of them being a 1-year remainder term.  Board terms are for 3 years and an individual is allowed to serve 2 consecutive terms.  David Walters (First Bank Kansas) and Raelyn Swisher (Memorial Health System) have agreed to serve a second term.  Chamber members agreeing to serve an initial 3-year term is Darwin Alderson (Holm Automotive) and Kenny Roelofsen (Abilene Machine).  Hanna Nagely (Kansas Best Real Estate) will serve the 1-year remainder term.  This article serves as notice to the membership of the nominated board members.  
     
    NEW MEMBER

    Allegro Creative
    Creative profession al specializi ng in writing, graphic design, photograph y and digital marketing. Licensed dealer of Envelopmen ts fine stationery .
    Shannon Krueger, 928 1890 Avenue, Abilene, Kansas  67410
    (785) 479-1633, shannon@allegrocreative.com

    RENEWING MEMBER

    Historic Abilene, Inc. (Hitching Post Restaurant & General Store)
    Mary Jane Oard,  P.O. Box 662,  Abilene, Kansas  67410
    (785) 263-1868,  mjo@eaglecom.net

     

      

    INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF YOUR COMMUNITY
    Kristine Meyer, President
    Community Foundation of Dickinson County
     
    Kristine Meyer
    Ralph Snyder was born and raised in Dickinson County, near Talmage. He graduated from Dickinson County High School in Chapman in 1937. Although he and his wife, Lucille, traveled to more than 60 countries and he lived away from Kansas for a large part of his life, he always considered it home. Ralph died on January 23, 2016. Ralph gifted over 1.2 million dollars through the community foundation to support organizations that were meaningful during his life.
     
    This story-alongside the countless others like it-demonstrates the tremendous impact and unique importance of community foundations in this country. From November 12 to 18, we celebrate Community Foundation Week, our chance to share and reflect on these stories. Though you may not yet know your local community foundation, you've likely felt its impact.
     
    That's because the Community Foundation of Dickinson County and more than 780 other community foundations across the country help to bring donors and residents together. The community foundation unites their efforts behind the efforts that will help the places we call home continue to flourish and grow.
     
    Since the incorporation of the Community Foundation in 1999, over 4 million dollars in grants have been awarded. The Foundation manages over 10.8 million in charitable assets.
     
    As we enter the giving season, America's generosity surges. Millions of people from every background will be looking to give back to the communities that have supported them. They'll also look to ensure that their heartfelt giving-however they choose to give-will have the most impact. That's why so many of them will choose to give to a community foundation.
     
    A gift to your local community foundation is really an investment in the future of your community. The funds will go to work immediately supporting vital services, but they will also provide sustained support for years to come. We like to say that community foundations are "here for good." At the Community Foundation of Dickinson County we don't think about the next election or business cycle, we think about the next generation and the next after that.
     
    That can seem a daunting task, but it's one that we all share. During Community Foundation Week, I hope you'll join us in recognizing our collective impact and the difference we can make together.

          

     

      

    James' Random Thoughts ....................

    Endangered Airport Pastime

    I don't fly as often as I used to.  However, this past week I boarded airplanes four times on my way to and from Portland, Maine.  Flying has changed since my first flight in 1979, back when people dressed up for air travel.  Actually, the flying part itself hasn't changed.  Flight is still a cramped and slightly nauseating experience.  While the people watching in the terminal hasn't changed, other pre-flight activities have changed in big and small ways.  A few notable changes include:
    • Oversized carry-on bags people try to stuff in the overhead bins - Why don't they just check those things in or travel light?
    • Psychologically distressing TSA screening - In my opinion, this Orwellian relic of the inappropriately named Patriot Act is ineffective, annoying, expense, and an unnecessary invasion of privacy.
    • Self check-in, cell phone charging stations, zone boarding, credit cards accepted for beverages on flight, and other efficiency and convenience improvements.
    There is one change that struck me, primarily because it made me suspect that I must still be in the stone age.  I travel light.  The only thing I carried with me was a "book", which also served as a filing cabinet for my boarding passes, baggage claim ticket, and rental car contract.  My traveling filing cabinet has a title, "Eisenhower - In War and Peace".  You remember "books", don't you?  The kind made of paper with "pages" you turn with your fingers and don't require a charged battery.  I used to see a lot of them in airports.  Not anymore.  While I do suspect some of the tablets people travel with are being used to display e-books, based on the number of frequent swipes and pokes, I suspect that most are not.

    I remember when book reading was one of the planned activities you went on vacation for.  Regardless of the location or climate, you packed at least one book to lose yourself in during the trip.  Whether you basked in the sun by the pool; sat by the fireplace in a snow covered ski lodge; or sipped native beverages at a cafe in a bustling metropolis, you often did so with a book.  I look forward to traveling, so I can get caught up on my reading, or at least reduce the rate of my falling behind.  There's a phrase you don't hear very often anymore - "falling behind on my reading". 

    It is widely reported that highly successful people are readers.  The next time you "hurry up and wait" in an airport, remember that reading a book is a relaxing and beneficial way to spend time before boarding the next flight.
     
    Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce
    201 NW. 2nd Street
    Abilene, Kansas  67410
    (785) 263-1770