Plans are being made for the annual Freeman Homecoming | The Kansas City Star

EAST LYNNE

▪ East Lynne/Gunn City fire had two calls for June 17-18, a welfare check and a mutual aid from Garden City on a structure fire.

▪ The fire board met June 19, with Jackie Groblebe, Max Schmoll, Roy Sparks, Anthony and Terry Faulkenberry and Mischaele Bearce present. Anthony Faulkenberry and Zach Taylor took a class on extrication at Dolan-West Dolan on April 29.

▪ Get well to Pam Groblebe. She was involved in a wreck and has had to have both hips fixed. She also broke several bones in her back, but nothing could be done about them immediately. She needs our prayers for the next several months as she recuperates.

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▪ Sympathy goes out to the Kircher families on the passing of their sister Velda Lee Kircher Kelley. Velda grew up on her family’s dairy farm in East Lynne. In 2000, they built a home on Phillip’s family farm, atop the hill on 2 Highway East known by most in the area as “thrill hill.” Most people will remember her as a member of the Red Hat Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution and as being involved with the Cass County Historical Society.

▪ John and Mischaele Bearce went to Wallace State Park this past weekend for the “Bills” family reunion. It was very nice to see the family and to have the younger generation (cousins) show up this year.

▪ Happy anniversary to Adam and Jaurie Wells, Shelly and Paul Kreimeyer, Kim and Glen Bevan, John and Nancy Call, David and Tina Long and Jess and Michele Smalley.

▪ Birthdays for this week: Kimber Vassar, Sandra Hentchell, Lisa Mitchell, Marie Darnell, Jacob Youmans, David Harrelson, Wayne McConnell Jr., Adrianna Chamberlain, Emma Culpepper, Donovan Richter, Lucas Wade, Trista Gaskins, Rachel Gregory and Lucy Reece.

▪ Please contact me with family or community news.

FREEMAN

▪ Plans are being made for the annual Freeman Homecoming on Saturday, Sept. 16. The event will begin with the parade at 11 a.m., with games, booths and entertainment throughout the day and evening. This event will mark the 147th anniversary of Freeman, and that means that Freeman’s sesquicentennial will be in 2020.

It is time to start planning for that big event, and I would encourage families to get involved, as some of the families in our community have ancestors who came here at that time. Although nobody in our community now carries the Hart name, my maternal great-grandfather, Harvey A. Hart, a native of Indiana, came to Cass County in 1872, and received his education in the old Wolf School northeast of Freeman.

At age 17 he went to work for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad, which went through Freeman, for 18 years. In 1901, Hart went into partnership with John Gregg, and formed a mercantile business under the name of Hart & Gregg. The business was begun on the southeast corner of Main and Washington streets, where the lot next to the Freeman Community Center is located.

Eight years later he became the sole owner and put up a building on the northeast corner of Main and Washington. That building still stands and is now occupied by Eberle Construction Co. Great-Grandfather Hart married Caroline (Callie) Wilson in January 1883. Callie Hart died in 1899, and Mr. Hart died in 1920. The house where Great-Grandfather Hart lived, and in which my grandmother and my mother were born, is at 103 E. Third St.. in Freeman.

My parents also set up housekeeping in that house. Next week we will follow the history of the Wilson family, as Freeman’s rich history continues.

▪ Our community expresses our sympathy to the family of Michael “Mick” Shipley, 70, who passed away on June 22. Mick was a 1965 graduate of Midway and a Vietnam veteran. He lived in the Virgin Islands for 34 years before returning to this area.

▪ At the Freeman Baptist Church the Women’s Bible Study meets on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 at the church, and the Men’s Bible Study meets at 7 p.m. Regular services include Sunday School at 10 a.m. each week, followed by Morning Worship at 11. There is also a Children’s Church at 11 a.m. All-church Bible studies are held at 6 p.m. on Sundays and 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. Youth Group, RA’s & GA’s meet at 7 p.m. each Wednesday. Vacation Bible School will be held July 10-14 this year. Everyone is invited to any or all of these activities.

▪ “The Story” continues at the Freeman Presbyterian Church at 9:45 each Sunday morning. The Wednesday small group meets at the church at 10 a.m. to study the book of Daniel. The Friday small group “What the Bible is All About” meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Fridays at the Gurnett home. All of these groups are following “The Story” format. Sunday morning worship service is at 11 a.m. each week. The quilting group, “Seeds from the Sewers,” meets on the first Monday and third Wednesday each month. You are invited toany or all of these groups.

▪ The Living Essentials Pantry is available to anyone in need of assistance, and now includes personal care items that cannot be purchased with food stamps. For contacts or additional information, call the Cleveland Baptist Church at 816-738-3532, the Freeman Presbyterian Church at 816-899-2367, or the West Line Christian Church at 816-250-5479 or 816-899-2481. The pantry is sponsored by the Tri-Community Church Alliance. Many times people are too proud to ask for assistance. If you know of families who could use this help, contact one of the numbers above.

▪ Check out the Free Libraries in Freeman, Lake Annette, West Line and Cleveland. In Freeman and Cleveland they’re by the City Hall and in West Line and Lake Annette they’re by the Community Buildings. Leave a book and borrow a bookd. Sponsored by the Cass Midway R-1 Libraries.

▪ Boy Scout Troop 256 meets on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. at the Freeman Community Center.

▪ The Cass County Library Bookmobile is available in Freeman every Tuesday from 2:30 to 5 p.m.

▪ To rent the Freeman Community Center, text or phone Candy Bailey at 816-738-4297.

▪ For information regarding the Freeman RV Park, contact Randy Alvord at 816-509-5095. The RV Park is a owned and operated by the Freeman Community Club.

▪ For information regarding the Freeman Cemetery Association or to purchase cemetery lots, contact Kenny Duncan at 816-899-5463. The Freeman Cemetery Association is a non-profit set up for the sole purpose of operating and maintaining the cemetery.

▪ To reserve the shelter houses at the Jacob Carver Memorial Park in Freeman, contact Freeman City Hall at 816-250-2902.

▪ If you or your organization have coming events or interesting news, please contact me at the email address or phone number listed below.

▪ Have a safe and enjoyable Independence Day.

WEST LINE

▪ The Fourth of July is fast approaching, and please be careful while celebrating. Remember the celebration at the West Line Park on Saturday starting at 5 p.m. with activities for the whole family. The evening will end with fireworks. There will be a raffle for Luke Bryan tickets.

▪ The West Line Opry will be playing its music show on Wednesday from 6 to 9 p.m. July 8 is the date of the Opry’s monthly dance, also from 6 to 9 p.m. Both events will be at the West Line Community building on Main Street.

▪ The West Line Christian Church’s Women’s Retreat was a huge success. Forty-seven women were able to attend this wonderful spiritual day. Alicia Whitcraft presented the Father’s Day Program earlier this month. for Sunday and Church. The Vacation Bible School program, following this week’s VBS, will be held Sunday during the regular church service which starts at 10:30 a.m.

Everyone is invited to attend services at the church. Sunday School starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by the 10:30 Worship Service.

▪ If you have news to publicize, please let me know.