What is that?

Skylar Alexander, Omaha, Nebraska, had a lot of questions when he came upon this display at the Cloud County Museum Annex. "Did women really used to do this?" and "Why?" were our two favorite.
Need something to do with your house guests over the holiday?
The museum offers hours of free educational entertainment.
The Cloud County Museum Annex will be open Saturday, January 2, 2010 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the main museum will be open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Happy New Year!

Heat Wave!

While Monday is the official first day of winter, this past week has felt as if winter is already here! It has definitely been long underwear and nice leather glove weather. Today it is almost 40 degrees and it feels like a heat wave.
If you are still feeling a bit cold may we suggest a large bowl of Mulligatawny soup at the Huckleberry Tea House for lunch. In the evening how about some Endorphin Rush Poppers at Heavy's (or is that the wrong kind of hot)?

Concordia's Destination Dolls - Christmas Shopping Trip

Most of you have seen my group of rowdy girls, known as the Destination Dolls, traveling about, but for those of you who have not heard of them before, let me give you a bit of background.
Six local gals who are "Bunco Babes" made a pact to get together as often as possible to "explore" rural Kansas. As the girls travel they document their adventures and how much they spend. Their goals include learning about this great state we live in, and having an impact on the businesses they see along the way.

You should know that I tried to talk them into naming themselves "Claude's Dolls", (after me of course) but they wouldn't listen. I'm amazed they hear anything I say over all that chatting, but that's another story. Anyway, I thought you might enjoy hearing a bit about their latest adventure.

This past Saturday, December 12, 2009, Concordia's "Destination Dolls" spent the afternoon Christmas shopping in unique shops around the area. They began their journey at the Museum Shop Around Gift Shop located in the Cloud County Museum Annex, downtown Concordia. After checking out the new "Prisoner's of Plenty" DVD, the new book on the Col. Brown family, and the Kansas Barn Alliance coffee, they headed for Belleville.

The Rusty Wheel was first on the list. Located in an old house, the Rusty Wheel has an awesome collection of Christmas ornaments, decorations, and collectibles. They truly have something for everyone from modern, rustic, traditional, and county.

The Feathered Nest was next on the list. Home furnishings, home decour, unique baby gifts, and kitchenware are just some of the things you will find. I always love it when the girls bring back some of the great party dips from the Feathered Nest.After wrapping up their purchases the girls then headed to Crossroads Floral and Antique Villa where they found antique jewelry, lovely holiday floral arrangements and unique baskets.



By this time the girls realized they needed to head to Scandia so they wouldn't miss the Wine and Sweet Treats Tasting at the Scandia Antique Mall. Needless to say the Dolls had a great time!
Jane Ann took time out to pose with the Dolls.



While they would have loved to stay longer the Dolls did not want to be late to the Christmas Open House at the National Orphan Train Museum in Concordia. (The Dolls swear it had nothing to do with the wine and hors'dourves being served) If you haven't stopped by to see the new exhibit: "From Orphan Trains to Convents: 5 Stories of Religious Women", you will want to add it to your list of things to do this winter.

It is my understanding that the Dolls ended their day at Heavy's BBQ, although none of them will confirm the events of the evening, I've heard there was a lot of rowdy laughter. (Stories and photos are welcome!) The Dolls had so much fun that I expect there will be more shopping tales to be heard soon.

As you are planning your Christmas shopping, please remember that everything you purchase in a small town, big or small, has a big impact on the local economy.

Loads of Snow!

Two days after Mother Nature dumped over 15" of snow on
Concordia, we are still trying to clear our streets. City Staff have been working around the clock to remove the snow and make our streets safer to travel. Please take a moment to thank the City of Concordia for all their hard work!

Scholars...Saints..and Scalawags

Murder, divorce, political corruption and controversy are just a few of the topics in the newest book about one of Concordia's most famous and prominent figures, Col. Napoleon Bonaparte Brown.
Did you know that our beloved Col. Napoleon Bonaparte Brown was once dismissed from the service in 1865 for incompetency and worthlessness? Did you know that Brown, who is described as being handsome, gallant, charming and kind, was sued by his first wife for divorce on the grounds of adultery?
Check out this new book written by Concordian Marilyn Johnston and her daughter Susan Hoppe to learn these and other fun facts about Col. Brown and his family.
"Scholars..Saints and Scalaways" can be purchased at the Cloud County Historical Museum Annex at 6th & Lincoln in downtown Concordia for just $13.50.
Author Marilyn Johnston will signing copies of the her book at the main Museum, 635 Broadway, Concordia, Saturday, December 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Santa came early for Susie Haver!

Santa arrived in downtown Concordia Friday night for a fun filled evening of sleigh rides, holiday shopping, candy and prizes! Shoppers were given a ticket to enter in a drawing of their choice at participating retailers.
Monday morning Susie was surprised when her office mate told her "you need to go to Rod's".
To Rod's, she went and found her name on the door! Susie was the lucky winner of a $50 Gift Card! The excited winner thanked Rod's and sent hugs to Santa!

My kind of snowflakes!

Over the river and through the streets to Grandmothers house we go to savor turkey, dressing, and pumpkin oh please do not let it snow!

This year I am thankful for no snow on Thanksgiving. It's not that I mind the stuff, it is rather pretty at first. Its just that I would rather be playing and watching football than scooping snow.
I hope many of you are making the journey home to Concordia tomorrow. As you travel, please be careful and don't get into a big rush, we want you home safe. The weather is suppose to be great, which means a little pigskin action between the feasts! (anyone up for a game in the park?) Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Getting Ready for the Holiday!

If I close my eyes I can almost smell the pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, and turkey, fresh from the oven. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! No presents, no fuss, just getting together with people you love, (well, maybe just like, well....that's another story), and sharing great food, great wine, a football game or two and lots of quality time. (which sometimes in my case involves a little shut eye and a good movie or two) Giggles and the noise of rustling paper drifts in from the dining room where the girls are pouring over the "Black Friday" inserts coming up with a game plan for the next morning. The question of who will attend which 5:00 am opening is the topic of conversation. Ah yes, Thanksgiving! The last chance to relax before the big "shopping season" begins. Are you getting ready for the holiday?

Happy Veterans Day!

Happy to be free in Kansas!

Fall Fun in Concordia!

Don't you just love this time of year? Crisp mornings, balmy afternoons, a barrage of oranges, reds, browns, and greens, it's enough to chase away the worst case of boredom.
Raking up the fallen leaves used to be one of my favorite childhood chores. We'd rake the leaves into huge piles and spend hours running and jumping into the pile only to have to rake them up again. Ah, the simple things in life!

Fall Fest 2009

Funnel Cakes, turkey legs, shaved ice, chili pies, homemade ice cream and kettle corn, these are just a few of my favorite Fall Fest things! Thousands of people lined the street to cheer on over 70 parade entries. One of my favorite was the Cloud County Community College Cheer Squad. How do those boys carry those girls so far? WOW!

Saving My Favorite Seat At Concordia's Auction House

While Kearn Auction House has only been open since 2007, the custom of saving one’s favorite seat at a Concordia auction house has been in practice for as long as some of us remember.

In 1962 Clifford Sallman opened the Sallman Auction House. Folks would gather each week to chat, savor Grandma Curry’s famous homemade pie and bid on the treasures of others. Soon Sallman’s was as popular as the local café. Back in those days each number was printed on a wooden paddle. It wasn’t long before certain numbers were always missing from the stack as the “regulars” latched on to their favorite “lucky” number. Prior to each auction, paddles began to show up on certain chairs as a way of “saving” that bidders favorite seat.

I still remember my first time at the Sallman Auction House. The place was packed except for a couple of seats at the back. One seat had a paddle on it. I was a rather shy teenager and it took me awhile to work up the nerve to edge over to the seat. I reached down to move the paddle over so I could sit down and nearly jumped out of my skin when a deep voice behind me said, “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, that seat is saved”.

As a young boy Danny Kearn would go to the auctions with his family which began his lifelong love affair with auctions. As a young man he loved the auctions so much he began to help set up for each auction at Sallman’s. Around 1978, Sallman retired and his daughter and son-in-law took over the weekly auctions. They ran the auction house until their retirement in 1992.

For years Danny hoped someone would re-open the auction house. Finally, in 2007 he and his family scraped up enough money to purchase the building at 220 W. 5^th, Concordia. Just two weeks after finalizing the purchase of the building, on May 19, 2007 Kearn Auction House opened.

Today the wooden paddles have been replaced with paper cards. However, the same twenty or so numbers are signed up for permanently. Just a few short weeks after Kearn’s opened, while wandering in to check out the merchandise to be sold, I noticed pillows marking certain seats in the first two rows on each side of the aisles. Danny laughingly nodded his head. Just like when we were kids, the regulars are marking their favorite seats. Just try to move one of those pillows and they will set you straight. “That seat is SAVED”!

After a few remarks about the hard seats, Debbie added a few more pillows to seats. Not to be thwarted in their effort to “save the seat” a piece of tape with first names and nicknames began to show up on the back of the seats.

Saving your favorite seat at the local auction house has been a Concordia Custom for over 40 years.

Brewing a great cup of joe at the Blacksmith Coffee Roastery!

A couple of weeks ago the girls & I were attending a meeting in Lindsborg, Kansas. On this particular day we had closed up shop a bit early so that we could take in a few of the "Little Sweden" sites. As we strolled down Main Street the air became heavy with the rich aroma of fresh ground coffee. Following the wafting air with our noses we soon found ourselves standing in front of an old Blacksmith Shop. Monarch butterflies were fluttering about on the front deck playfully pointing the way to the door as if to say "come on in". Unable to resist we followed along. Open rafters, brick walls, old barn wood and brick floors transported us back to by-gone days, but then the wonderful smell of fresh brewed coffee overtook us like a drug and we each eagerly reached for a mug. Unable to choose between Swedish Morka and Guatemala Antigua I had to have one of each. Mark and Nancy Galloway, owners of Blacksmith Coffee Roastery were gracious hosts.
While we sat and sipped the delicious brew Mark educated us on his 100% organic, artisan forged, exquisite coffee.
I still have trouble deciding each morning between Swedish Morka, Espresso, and Guatemala Antigua, but I no longer have to drive to Lindsborg to purchase more. Our very own Rod's Food Store in Concordia is selling all my favorite roasts. Next time you are out exploring Kansas make sure you stop by the Blacksmith Coffee Roastery in Lindsborg. Mark always has the coffee on!