A Healthy Living Master Plan has been developed for Lincoln County, with a goal of creating walking trails, making accessibility improvements, developing and improving parks and installing splash pads.

Schwab Eaton, an engineering firm in Beloit, was hired to research ideas and develop schematic designs, cost estimates and the master plan document, which was presented at a public meeting. The goal is to have all phases of the plan implemented within the next five years.

The cost of developing the master plan, which was proposed by a Strategic Doing group, was funded by grants from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the Post Rock Community Foundation.

Community representatives from Sylvan Grove, Lincoln and Barnard participated in the Strategic Doing process, which led to development of a countywide approach to address similar goals in each community. The plan includes projects that have been discussed for years by various organizations and volunteer groups that previously did not have the necessary information about what would be required to turn the ideas into reality.

WALLACE – New bucking chutes, holding pens, bleachers and a renovated announcer’s stand have given the Fort Wallace Rodeo grounds a fresher look and a safer rodeo environment.

Following the upgrades, which were paid for with grant funds, the 65^th annual rodeo attracted more spectators and participants than it had in several years. In 2018, the Cole Hudson Memorial Saddlebronc Challenge, held to honor a young Sharon Springs cowboy, was moved to the Fort Wallace Rodeo.

The younger generation is maintaining an interest in rodeo competition. A second annual rodeo, the Wallace County Ranch Rodeo, was started by a local young man, and it occurred in the first week of June in both 2018 and 2019.

MANKATO – The woolly mammoths that once roamed in Jewell County have inspired a festival that brought about 1,000 visitors in its second year.

The success of the Kansas Mammoth Art & Music Festival, held June 7 to 9, was as big as its shaggy namesake. Mankato City Park and the city’s downtown were bustling with visitors from far and near. License plates were spotted from Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, California, Iowa and Indiana.

The festival featured activities enjoyed by both adults and children. Make your reservations early for next year! Hotel rooms sold out.

NICODEMUS – Nicodemus is growing – one tiny house at a time.

Although there were people interested in moving to Nicodemus, a town established by freed African American slaves during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War, housing options were not available. Grant funding for the tiny homes project made possible construction of three affordable 500-square-foot single-family homes, with the third being constructed as a team project by employees of Home Depot in Hays.

In addition, two single-wide mobile homes have been placed in Nicodemus, and a third was expected. The houses are to be homes for a person with disabilities, three senior citizens, a certified caregiver and a senior citizen veteran, increasing the population from 15 people to 42.

The tiny homes have been constructed at a cost of $38,000 to $47,000 each.

Plans are being made to build a fourth house, which will be a two-bedroom micro home of 870 square feet. The Kansas State University College of Architecture, Planning and Design has assigned a graduate student to assist as part of his final project.

Five public buildings in Nicodemus — Township Hall, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church, St. Francis Hotel and the Nicodemus schoolhouse – were designated the Nicodemus National Historic Site by an Act of Congress in 1996 to preserve the history of the town founded in 1877. Nicodemus was home to about 700 people at its peak, and it remains home to several descendants of original settlers.

HAYS – New equipment to test hearing of students in the Hays school district is ensuring that children with hearing problems are being identified so they can get the assistance they need.

The screening machines replaced old equipment and were ready for use at the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.