Steve Pringle was the winner of the Great Bend Recreation Commission’s “Longest Tail Feather” contest, turning in a pheasant feather that is 24.5 inches long.
The contest ran through pheasant season and Pringle will receive a $30 Great Bend Chamber of Commerce gift certificate donated by Goss Insurance, GBRC Director Diann Henderson said.
At Monday’s GBRC board meeting, Henderson and staff reported on recent and upcoming activities.
Today at the Great Bend Senior Center, for example, an early Valentine’s Day celebration will take place at noon. Program Coordinator Megan Hammeke reported that a king and queen will be crowned, and students from Jefferson Elementary School will sing for the seniors. Another popular program for senior citizens is the Fit for Life exercise class. In January, the class met 11 times, averaging 24 people per class.
Hammeke also coordinates programs for special needs populations. In January, these included cooking and nutrition programs, and bowling.
Sports Director Chris Umphres said his department is getting ready for indoor soccer. So far, 34 youth teams have signed up, along with eight high school teams and seven adult teams.
Leisure Programs Coordinator Garet Fitzpatrick was not at Monday’s board meeting, but Henderson shared his report, which included the results of the tail feather contest. It was also reported that 130 students attended the Great Bend Middle School winter dance in January.
For the month of January, GBRC offered 1,258 hours of supervised activities.
The board also named the Great Bend Tribune as GBRC’s official newspaper for public notices, and named Farmers Bank & Trust as the official depository for GBRC funds, along with Wheatland Card Solutions for electronic credit/debit card processing. Henderson noted that these official designations have not changed for several years, and the board is not required to make the designations annually, but the action was recommended as “housekeeping.”
Henderson also reported on the recent Kansas Recreation and Park Association conference at Manhattan, where she accepted the Blue Chip award from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas. Great Bend was one of four Kansas communities – the others being Greensburg, Lawrence and Wichita – recognized for efforts to create healthier communities. Each city will receive $2,500 to further its healthy initiatives. Henderson said GBRC is sharing its $2,500 with four other “partner agencies,” Great Bend USD 428, the City of Great Bend, Barton County Extension Agency and ElderCare. Henderson said at least part of the money will be used either to improve the walking trail at Veterans Memorial Park, or for activities that encourage using the trail.