News in Pawnee Rock

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Keep up with the most recent news by reading section of PawneeRock.org.

Pawnee Rockin' Days canceled

Pawnee Rockin' Days, an annual festival that has featured a parade and other entertainment, has been canceled for 2006. It had been scheduled for the second weekend of August.

City Clerk Konny Trinka's monthly note in the July issue of the Pawnee Rock News said, "There is not enough community involvement to try to hold this every year."

High water blocks road near Pawnee Rock

High water blocked Southwest 70th Road -- the correction line -- west of Pawnee Rock on Friday, June 23, after two days of heavy rains.

The flooding was called in by a citizen about 7:30 a.m. and confirmed by law enforcement about three hours later. The road was barricaded.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning until 1 p.m.

Storm rips roof off city building/school

Wind blew a lot of the roof off the Pawnee Rock city offices/school building during the night of April 23-24.

Damage was estimated at about $89,000, said city clerk Konny Trinka. A lot of roof ended up on the lawn. Included in the wreckage were some skylights and the gym roof.

"It peeled the outside tin and the sealant and all that off," she said. But the wooden gym floor remains in good shape.

Insurance will pay for most of the damage, but there's a $20,000 difference to replace the roof as it was.

To help cover the expense, she said, Washington Roofing and Insulation of Great Bend and the city plan to make some changes that will reduce the cost. The deficit might end up around $2,000.

An example of where money can be saved is skylights. "We're removing a couple of skylights to cover the cost of putting them back in," Trinka said.

The building houses offices for the city clerk, the superintendent, and police and fire departments, as well as the library. (More about Pawnee Rock's government.)

People who want to help cover the costs of repairs should get in touch with Trinka at pawneerock@hotmail.com or 620-982-4386. Checks can be sent to the city clerk's office, Box 218, Pawnee Rock, KS 67567.

Storm pounds Pawnee Rock

April came in like a lion, pounding the Pawnee Rock area Saturday evening with the kind of thunderstorm people will talk about for months.

The April 1 wind blew down a shed a Pawnee Rock couple had parked their car in to protect it from the storm, according to the Great Bend Tribune. Southwest of town, Thomas Anderson watched a fifth-wheel trailer and its truck be blown across the road into a car. Four people were taken to St. Joseph hospital in Larned.

The storm blew in around 6:15 p.m., dropping the temperature a quick 10 degrees and delivering enough rain so fast that the National Weather Service issued a flash-flood warning. (Check the day's weather charts at Weather Underground.)

Do you have photos of the storm or its damage? Send photos to PawneeRock.org, tell us where the photo was taken and who took the photo, and we'll post them for all to see. (Size: 500 pixels wide maximum.)

The basketball heroes of 1966-67

My sister, Cheryl, dug into her 1966-67 Pawnee Rock High School yearbook and found the roster of the Braves, who placed fourth that year in the state basketball tournament.

That tournament was memorable for me because I spent each of the three games stretched out in front of the living room radio, keeping a scoresheet on a piece of looseleaf notebook paper.

Cheryl typed up the book's article for us:

"Pawnee Rock's 1966-67 basketball team compiled one of the best, if not the best, records in the school's history. The Braves, under the guidance of Ron Folk, placed fourth in the State Class BB Basketball Tournament at Dodge City.

"The Braves won 21 of 26 games through the year.

"Lanny Unruh, senior, was named to the Class BB All-State team. Unruh, one of two Pawnee Rock players to make the South 50-6 All-League team, averaged 14 points per game for the year and hauled down an average of 11.7 rebounds per game.

"Steve Crosby, junior, made the All-Tournament team for his play during the state tourney. Crosby, the other Brave named to the All-League team, averaged 20.5 points per game. He led the team offensively."

The roster: Terry French, Steve Crosby, Glenn Mull, Lanny Unruh, Howard Deckert, Ron Darcey, Mark Dirks, Doug Weathers, Rick Tutak, Glen Grunwald, Mike Schmidt, assistant coach Jerry Snyder and head coach Ron Folk

Hail to basketball's conquering heroes

Congratulations to the high schools in nearby Macksville and Great Bend for their 2006 state championships in basketball.

In 1A boys basketball, Macksville beat Claflin and claimed its first state title. In 5A, the Black Panther boys from Great Bend beat Highland Park, a Topeka school.

Thirty years ago, the Macksville Mustangs made a run at the title with a set of starters composed mostly of boys from Pawnee Rock: Rob Bowman, Mark Smith, Ray Tutak and Dean Lakin, if I remember right. Kelly Meyer, a hometown Macksville guard, was another starter. This was the third school year after Pawnee Rock High School was closed by USD 495, and many of the 80 or so high schoolers chose to drive to Macksville, a 24-mile trip, rather than go to Larned or Great Bend.

The Pawnee Rock boys had played together since grade school on dirt driveway courts with baskets mounted above garage doors. In particular, the game was learned under the elms at the Brights' home and in the open at the Bowmans'.

And it was in the mid-1960s (maybe 1966) that the Braves of Pawnee Rock HS reached the state tournament as a member of the South 50-6 League. The team names included Crosby, Darcey, Tutak, Unruh and maybe Dirks. That was the year Dwight won its second straight championship. (If you know the members from that PR team, please send me the names and I'll list them.)

As you can see on this list of high school champions compiled by the Kansas State High School Activities Association, old South 50-6 members Hanston and McCracken have done well at the state tournament over the years. Mullinville and Lewis, familiar opponents in Pawnee Rock's and Macksville's competitive history, also have 1A titles.