The Parsons Sun - News, Classifieds, Events, and Businesses in Parsons, Kansas.

Jamie Willey/Sun photo Squire Simon Billingsly (portrayed by Hunter Goddard) grabs Katie White (portrayed by Katie Hill) in a bar and demands she turn over a deed to valuable land during the opening night of “Tied to the Tracks or A Good Deed Indeed.” The melodrama written by former Parsonian Jerry James also will be presented by a group of local actors at 7 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Saturday in the Labette Community College Thiebaud Theatre. The melodrama is a first-time offering of the annual Katy Days festival, with most events happening Saturday in Forest Park.

Katy Days Melodrama

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Chris Bussen (sweeping), David Heitman and Chris Moore (in skid-steer loader) clean up debris after cutting down a dead redbud tree in Forest Park in preparation for Katy Days.

Katy Days Prep

May 23, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Parsons firefighters and a Labette Health Ambulance Service crew work to extinguish a house fire at 1414 Appleton Tuesday night. No one was home when the fire started. The cause is under investigation. See story in Local News.

House Fire

May 22, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Capping off their last day of school, consisting of fun-filled activities, Lincoln School students line up to receive flavored ice treats.

Last Day Of School

May 21, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Retiring USD 503 Superintendent Linda Proehl addresses the graduates of the Parsons High School Class of 2013 during commencement on Sunday. See story in Local News.

PHS Graduation

May 20, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Safe Haven Outreach Mission Inc. volunteer Mark Brown makes an adjustment to a makeshift cardboard house set up in Forest Park as part the organization’s annual Tent City fundraising event.

Tent City

May 17, 2013 | 0

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Jamie Willey/Sun photo Labette County High School freshman Justin Sexton sits under the shelter that he and fellow Boy Scouts, along with relatives, built on the playground of Meadow View Grade School with some of his former teachers, Becky Cole (left, seated), Karla Viranda (right, seated), Crystal Stevens (white shirt), Stephanie Dwyer (red shirt) and Amy Eaton (pink shirt), and PTO president Jeremie Hodge. The shelter was Sexton’s community service project that was required for him to earn his Eagle Scout badge. The PTO funded the project. See story in Local News.

Eagle Scout Project

May 16, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Following the men’s softball throw, Paul Walden, Bryce Commons, Nathaniel Alloway and Matt Murphy receive medals from Erie High Charter School student volunteers during the Special Olympics Kansas West track and field events that EHCS hosted Wednesday for the first time. Commons placed first, Walden second, Alloway third and Murphy fourth. Alloway attends Parsons High School, while the other three contenders attend Pittsburg High School. See story in Local News.

Special Olympics Winners

May 15, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Haylee Lang returns for a second time to examine a cow’s brain that Labette Community College professor Barthi Sudarsanam had on display in her classroom for third-grade students visiting during the annual LCC science day Tuesday. See story in Local News.

Science Day

May 14, 2013 | 0

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Jamie Willey/Sun photo Meadow View Grade School afternoon preschoolers take a break from watching “FernGully” Tuesday in Nicki Vanderford’s class. The preschoolers and their parents made cars out of cardboard boxes, laundry baskets and plastic storage containers for the “drive-in” movie. They also ate popcorn with their milk.

Drive-In Theater

May 14, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Labette County High School principal Marty Anderson congratulates graduate Jaieden Winter while Skip Landis, USD 506 superintendent, waits at commencement Saturday morning in Altamont.

LCHS Graduation

May 13, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Labette County High School senior Patience Hosey (right) and Dontae Johnson (left) exchange a good-luck bump of the hands as the seniors were filing into commencement. Jason James watches the exchange.

LCHS Graduation

May 13, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Labette Community College president George Knox introduces graduate Tyler Davis at Friday night’s 88th annual commencement ceremony. Davis, who earned his degree in mathematics and is a member of the All-Kansas Academic Team, was one of two student speakers at the graduation.

LCC Graduation

May 10, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Baileigh Boydston, a Parsons High School sophomore, loads the last tub of donated food into a U.S. Postal Service vehicle Friday afternoon for the 21st annual National Association of Letter Carriers Food Drive. An estimated 302 pounds of food were donated from PHS, and Parsons generally gives about 4,500 pounds of food during the drive, which includes residents leaving cans of food in sacks at their mailboxes today. Nationally, more than 1 billion pounds of food have been donated. This food was headed to Labette Assistance Center for its food pantry.

Food Drive

May 10, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Parsons High School seniors Lindsey Drummond, Levi Phelps, James Carson, sophomore Benjamin Brewer and senior Benjah Wicker clean debris and weeds from the flower bed on the south side of Forest Park Friday and add fresh mulch around the plants. The group of PHS students was one of many that volunteered to perform community service work Friday morning around various parts of the city.

Community Service

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Before heading home from school Friday, Erie Elementary School second-grader Jena Babcock waters a flower she grew from a seed in a special cup she decorated for her mother for Mother’s Day.

Mother's Day Gift

May 10, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Labette Community College nursing graduate Brandy Russell addresses her graduating class at Thursday night’s RN pinning ceremony at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium.

LCC Nurses Graduate

May 09, 2013 | 0

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Nursing graduate Tracy Coonrod adjusts the lapels on classmate Sami Jo Bybee’s nursing coat prior to the procession into the Parsons Municipal Auditorium for the Labette Community College RN pinning ceremony Thursday.

Help From A Friend

May 09, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Labette Community College physical therapy assistant program graduate Leslie Sklamburg receives a hug from PTA program director Lisa Bradley while graduate Amy Shaw receives her PTA graduation pin from fellow graduate Sara Schwaninger during Wednesday night’s ceremony in Thiebaud Theatre.

LCC Graduation

May 08, 2013 | 0

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Courtesy photo Erie Elementary School students Morgan DeMeritt and Darci Summervill work with simple machines during a class field trip to Greenbush: Southeast Kansas Education Service Center. The students had been studying simple machines in class, and the field trip was an activity to finish the study.

Hands-On Learning

May 07, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Queen Krista Dutton dances with her escort, Bryce Vaverka, Saturday night at the Cinco de Mayo Dance at the Elks Lodge in Parsons.

Cinco De Mayo Dance

May 06, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Jasmine Espeseth dances with Aiden Porter at the Cinco de Mayo dance. He was a crown bearer and she carried a bouquet of flowers.

Cinco De Mayo Dance

May 06, 2013 | 0

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Jamie Willey/Sun photo Kendall Young, 7, of Parsons gets some hang time while jumping on the trampoline during the Parsons Recreation Commission tumbling and cheer program’s Flippin’ Fun Friday event at the PRC Multi-Arts Academy.

Flippin' Fun Friday

May 03, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo Parsons firefighters Rob Gartner, Danny Cagle, Ryan Schibi, Darren Lubbers and Casey Irish try a new fruit and vegetable mix created in a new juicer director Shellie Collins brought to the Rector Diabetes Education and Resource Center Thursday. Collins has been providing the firefighters with information they requested on nutrition, exercise and weight loss to help them live healthier lives. See story in Local News.

Healthier Firefighters

May 03, 2013 | 0

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Ray Nolting/Sun photo Assistant Labette County Attorney Stephen Jones shows Labette County Commissioner Fred Vail on Thursday an area in his office where the wall is breaking free of the door frame. The office floor has been sinking more each year. Commissioners toured the Labette County Judicial Center to hear about problems with the floors, walls and plumbing, as well as issues caused by a leaking roof.

Judicial Center Problems

May 02, 2013 | 0

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Colleen Surridge/Sun photo During a Wednesday public dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony, Altamont Grade School fourth- and fifth-grade students displayed thank-you posters they made for all the generous donors who made their new playground possible.

Playground Dedication

May 01, 2013 | 0

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Labette County 911 Director Brandy Grassl (left), U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins and Labette Health Emergency Services Director Chris Way share a laugh after a ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon at the hospital. The ceremony was for the countywide 800-megahertz radio system, which has been operational for a couple of weeks.

Ribbon cutting

Apr 30, 2013 | 0

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Labette County High School seniors Stephanie and Trevor Philbrick relax as they arrive at walk-in for prom Saturday night on a flat-bed trailer that carried living room furniture, complete with a throw rug. The two seniors got married on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

LCHS Prom

Apr 29, 2013 | 0

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Jamie Willey/Sun photo Stephanie Philbrick puts her hand in her husband's, Trevor, while they ride on a flat-bed trailer to the Labette County High School prom on Saturday. The two seniors got married on Jan. 2 in Las Vegas.

LCHS Prom

Apr 29, 2013 | 0

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Volunteers empty a trailer full of electronics on Saturday at Marvel Park to take them to the proper boxes during an electronic waste collection event sponsored by Southeast Kansas Recycling in cooperation with the city of Parsons, Kansas State University Research and Extension — Labette County and the University of Kansas — Lifespan Institute.

E-Waste Collection

Apr 29, 2013 | 0

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Brian Walker, with the Kansas Food Bank, speaks to those gathered at Parsons Area Community Foundation grant awards program Thursday at the Parsons Senior Center. The Kansas Food Bank was given a $5,000 grant to help cover the costs related to its Food-4-Kids backpack program. This year, the Kansas Food Bank provided more than 5,300 backpack full of food to food insecure children in the USD 503 school district.

Grants Given

Apr 26, 2013 | 0

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Third-graders gathered at the Parsons Arboretum to watch as two trees were planted.

Arbor Day

Apr 26, 2013 | 0

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Airbrush mural artist Billy Innes stands beside a mural he completed on a storage shed at Big Hill Lake promoting boating safety.

Mural Artist

Apr 24, 2013 | 0

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Four-year-old Kinsey Bebb of Altamont shows the angel wing bracelet her mother got for her at the Friday fundraiser for Makenzie Forbes, to help her family with covering costs related to her medical expenses from the double lung transplant she received this month, due to her own lungs failing from her battle with cystic fibrosis. Learning of Makenzie's needs, Bebb has decided that in lieu of presents for her fifth birthday, she wants people to send the money to help Makenzie.

Kinsey's Gift

Apr 23, 2013 | 0

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Parsons High School senior Malina Kipp and Mason Vance walk in to the 2013 Prom Saturday night at the high school. The after prom event was held at the Arvon Phillips Community Center.

Parsons Prom

Apr 22, 2013 | 0

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Parsons High School senior Quintin Hammer escorted Talara Renfroe to the 2013 Prom Saturday night at the high school. The after prom event was held at the Arvon Phillips Community Center.

Parsons Prom

Apr 22, 2013 | 0

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Jehmar Summers, a first-grader in Tiffany Hicks' classroom at Lincoln School, and his classmates enjoyed a morning of activities along the Trail to Good Health Friday.

Play Day

Apr 20, 2013 | 0

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The Rock youth center's co-directors are Leaona Ellis and Chris Wyan. They announced this week that the center would close on May 18.

The Rock to close

Apr 18, 2013 | 0

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The FBI's Subject No. 1, in a dark cap, and Subject No. 2, in a white cap, in a security camera screen grab in Boston, Massachusetts, on the day of the Boston Marathon bombing. (Courtesy of FBI/MCT)

Bombing suspects

Apr 18, 2013 | 0

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Eric and Haley Strait, with their son, Owen, stand in front of Grandview Products Co. cabinets at The Home Store Wednesday with Grandview president Sonny Zetmeir (left) and The Home Store owner Richard Babcock. Eric Strait was the winner of the $5,000 kitchen package drawing at the Southeast Kansas Home Show Saturday. The kitchen package includes Grandview cabinets and The Home Store granite countertops.

Kitchen Winner

Apr 17, 2013 | 0

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Local News

News & Notes

May 23, 2013

Medallion hunt The hunt for the Katy Days medallion continues as the Katy Days Committee and Bow...

Man pleads to solicitation

May 23, 2013

A Parsons man faces 10 years in prison for having a sexual relationship with a girl who was 12 a...

Meal program to begin June 3

May 23, 2013

The Parsons District School Food Service is encouraging youths from age 1 to 18 to Fuel Up For S...

Sports

Vikings, Grizzlies earn all-league baseball, softball honors

May 23, 2013

Athletes from Parsons and Labette County High Schools were listed on the 2013 All-SEK League Bas...

2-1A STATE BASEBALL: A ONE-HIT WONDER

May 23, 2013

St. Paul wins thriller 1-0

Three Rivers releases all-league softball team

May 23, 2013

The Three Rivers League Softball Team for 2013 has been released. Chetopa had four girls on the ...

Community

Our Past

May 23, 2013

These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. May 24, 1973 City commi...

Our Past

May 22, 2013

These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. May 23, 1973 Parsons ci...

Our Past

May 21, 2013

These items were taken from the Sun’s editions 20, 30 and 40 years ago. May 22, 1973 A recyclin...

Opinion

Vegetarian diets

by Reno Jain

Apr 23, 2013

Dear Reno: My college-bound daughter has decided to go vegetarian. Will this meet her nutrition...

Public Mind

by Neal Wilkerson

Apr 23, 2013

Bless the heroes

No planning for this

by Donna Seeley

Apr 20, 2013

Recently I read: "Life is what is happening while you are making other plans." That's so true. L...

Classifieds

Louisville Slugger Bats

Brand new wooden baseball bats with lathe ends still present. Great to use or collect.

210 S. 29th; Fri. 5-7; Sat. 8-12; Infant girl - adult clothing; desk; dresser; lawn mower; lots o...

210 S. 29th; Fri. 5-7; Sat. 8-12; Infant girl - adult clothing; desk; dresser; lawn mower; lots of misc.

AUCTION 21004 Pratt Road, Parsons, Ks, Apr 27: 11:00AM

AUCTION 21004 Pratt Road, Parsons, Ks, Apr 27: 11:00AM Tract #1. 4.66 Acres with 1 Story Older Home with Fireplace, new carpet, Carport, screened-in back porch, Barn, ...

Professional

ACCOUNTANT Expanding small firm - SE Kansas - compilation and tax experience. Preference for CPA or EA. Send resume to cpagayle@gmail.com

Wire

Boy Scouts to accept openly gay boys

May 23, 2013

GRAPEVINE, Texas (AP) — The Boy Scouts of America threw open its ranks Thursday to gay Scouts bu...

Negotiations on state budget stall

May 17, 2013

TOPEKA (AP) — Negotiations among Kansas legislators over the next state budget halted abruptly F...

GOP nears agreement on tax plan

May 16, 2013

TOPEKA (AP) — Top Republicans in the Kansas Senate insisted Thursday that they’re not far from a...

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