With Barton Community College’s 50th Anniversary event just days away, college trustees learned Tuesday that everyone is ready to show off the campus.

“We’re going to party hearty,” said Coleen Cape, executive director of institutional advancement. “We have over 100 volunteers.”

Family-friendly activities will take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the public is invited to explore the campus. Activities, programs and demonstrations will all be free of charge. Concessions will be available to purchase from a variety of vendors. Welcome stations will be open all day. All-day activities will include bounce houses; coloring, pumpkin painting, crafts and face painting; a table of freebies; giant lawn games; hay bale maze and a zip line.

There will be photo ops with Bart and Miss Kitty, and the Learning Resource Center will be the place to learn about Barton’s history.

The “food court” will be located at the Case I-H Building, where Barton President Dr. Carl Heilman will give a welcoming speech at noon. From 1-3 p.m. the college will have a Program Expo, highlighting everything from the new Active Learning Classroom in the Classroom Building to the welding program in the Technical Building. There will also be programs in the Fine Arts Building and the Science and Math Building.

The Planetarium will present the program “50 Years Since Apollo 11” at 11:20 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m.

Fine arts and performing arts will be featured at 3 p.m., although the Shafer Art Gallery will be open all day. Saturday is the final day to catch the exhibit “The Light of Future Past: Photography by Blair Hayes.” There will be hands-on art projects in the gallery from 1-3 p.m.

The 3 p.m. program in the Fine Arts Auditorium will include performances by the Barton Jazz Ensemble, Barton Art Program, Barton Dance Theatre, Barton Theatre and the Hilltop Singers, featuring the Hilltop Singers Alumni Choir.

The event concludes at 4 p.m., but the public can also cheer on the men’s soccer team at 4:30 p.m. when they host Garden City. The women’s soccer team vs. Garden City plays at 2 p.m.

The Kirkman Student Activity Center will be open all day and people can sign up for a campus tour or apply for a chance to win a scholarship. Anyone interested in employment opportunities at the college will also want to stop at the Kirkman Center. There will be free throw and hot shot contests in the gym; children’s swimming activities (bring your own suit and towel) at the pool; and a tennis activity at the tennis court; all from 12:30-2 p.m.

The Student Union will also be open, and the Bookstore will have Barton merchandise for sale from 1-3 p.m.

Action items

Action items at Tuesday’s board meeting dealt with personnel, for the most part.

The trustees met in executive session for 15 minutes to discuss the performance of a college employee. Dr. Heilman joined the trustees for the discussion.

The board also approved hiring four new employees: Marty Wonsetler, custodian; Jason Martin, assistant track and cross country coach; Cherish Robinson, administrative assistant (Academics); and Jamie Hatfield, academic adviser (EOC), all at the Barton County campus.