Changes

     There has been a great deal that has happened since I have written last.  We have had several new people move into Barnard.  A new mayor has taken over.  There are three new council members.  A new sewer lift station has been constructed.

     Nick Wallace sold the old Blair house to family members of Nancy and Doug Houghton.  They've also had relatives move a vacation home onto the old Miller lot.  Meghan has moved into the old Clark place.  Randy Steven and his wife (Buck's daughter) have moved in and Randy has also joined the city council.  A new person has moved into Darryl Eilert's old place towards the north end of Main Street.  Dwight and Tracy Watson's daughter and her husband, Braden Sahfeld, have moved into the Baptist parsonage.  They have had a son who is growing fast.  Braden has also joined the city council.  I (Travis Zirkle) have also joined the city council and my fiancé is in the process of moving to Barnard.  Randy Pickering has taken over as mayor and has continued his hard work for the city.

     This year was a big year for city projects.  The city obtained grants to put in a new sewer lift station and to replace the lines from the lift station to the city lagoons south of town.  The old lift station was nearing its end of life and was approaching desperate condition.  The levee drain pipes are going to be flushed and scoped with the assistance of the Barnard Fire Department and the City of Concordia.

     There have been some loss of buildings as well.  The old Meyer place on Cathanne had to be demolished because of hazardous conditions caused by the occupation of the house by over two dozen dogs.  Wind collapsed a building on Main Street and a few years later a remaining wall on that building collapsed onto the two buildings south of it.  Those buildings now have to be demolished.  Monty Fuller is willing to give the old hardware store building to anyone interested in it. 

     I promise to do better about writing.

Bill and Charlene Watson Celebrate 60 Years of Marriage

Bill and Charlene Watson are celebrating 60 years of marriage.  They married in 1954.  They have five children; Vicki, Beverly, Dwight, Jeana, and Ginger.  They continue to live on the farm where Bill's parents got their start.  Bill and Charlene have been active in many organizations including the First Baptist Church of Barnard and  the Barnard Lion's Club.  Charlene is an accomplished local musician and writer.

There is a public reception from 2-4 p.m. at the Barnard Community Center on Saturday, June 14th.

The Barnard Christmas House 2013

Well, this year is the Christmas display that almost wasn't.  After an electrical problem burnt out most of my lights, timers, etc...and $400 later, the display is back on track.  The display will be on from Thanksgiving night until December 31st from 5:30 until 10:30 p.m.

Randy Longino

Barnard's Cafe...A Memory?

Previous to the November council meeting, a serious water leak developed in the café building in downtown Barnard resulting in damage to the building, fixtures and equipment, and furnishings.  The city collected approximately $6,000 from the insurance company to cover repairs. 

The building, its future, and the insurance money were the topics for discussion during the November and December council meetings.  The points of discussion were what to do with the insurance money and what to do with the building. 

Discussion points:

1.  Repairing the building for a new tenant.  Barb Rathbun had been in communication with Munchies in Lincoln to determine the interest in the Barnard café.  Their response was unknown in November.
2.  Using the insurance money to reimburse the angel donors.  This notion was dismissed because the donors had given the money to the city for the building.  It was not a loan.
3.  Repairing the building and selling it.
4.  Keeping the insurance money and selling the building as is.

During the December council meeting, it was determined that the city would keep the insurance money and put the building up for sale as is.  It was stated that there were several interested parties interested in the building.  The city will be accepting bids through the end of December.

The café had several re-starts after Betty Loy closed Betty's Place a number of years ago.  Subsequent attempts at opening the restaurant were unsuccessful for various reasons such as arbitrary hours of operation, food quality, price, and hospitality.  Several community members stated that the café had nothing to draw people in unlike Betty's Place, which received national attention.  State highway employees said that they all wanted to get the Barnard run when they had to work on the roads.  If they got the morning run, they could get cinnamon rolls and if they got the afternoon run, they could get Betty's chicken.  Could Betty be persuaded to re-open Betty's Place? 

It's A Marshmallow World...

We had a little "white" for Christmas, but we definitely had it for the beginning of 2013.

City Council Elections Coming Up In April

There are three Barnard city council positions that are up for election in April.  Those positions are:

Mayor, currently held by David Abell
Position 1, currently held by Nancy Houghton
Position 2, currently held by Randy Pickering.

According to the Lincoln County Clerk, at the time of my inquiry, no one has registered for election and the city has not sent in election notices.  The clerk informed me that filing fees were $5.  If you are interested contact her to confirm the registration procedure.

According to the Kansas League of Municipalities, the filing deadline for all city elections is NOON on January 22, 2013.  If you are interested, please confirm this with the Lincoln County Clerk's office.

Barnard 2012...A Year in Summary

Wow…2012 was quite a year for Barnard.  I really don’t know where to start…and where to stop.  It has been a political rollercoaster this year.

I still believe in Barnard.  Barnard is capable of being a stable and vibrant community. The last year saw the Barnard Jam maturing into a staple event twice a month, a summer movie (Joyful Noise) being shown on the lot where the former Kansan Theater was located, the beginning of a library that will eventually be available to all in the area, and some much needed street repair.  The Barnard United Methodist Church celebrated 130 years of service in the Barnard community.  The little town, with a 2010 census population of 70, seems to be continuing. An eatery also opened its doors.

Also in 2012, the city government embarked on a project to put a new standpipe up and demolish the WPA built water tower.  That project is approximately a quarter of a million dollars.  The city’s part of the project came to about $108,000 and was met by selling general obligation bonds.  Construction is estimated to begin around the end of February or the beginning of March.  Three houses were demolished…the former Wolting residence, Corrine Matyas’s former house, and the former railroad section house.  The former section house was tied with Mrs. Coover’s house in the position of the second oldest remaining building in Barnard.

There have been arrivals in the community.  New people have moved into town, others were born into the community (the Biggs family added two new members on December 11^th), and some long time residents have moved elsewhere with family while others are transitioning to homes away from the Barnard community. 

There have been weddings (the Wallace family legally added a new member on December 12^th).  Funerals have also taken place.  The Banter has grown to over 14,000 readers in 46 countries across six continents.  Readership includes nearly a quarter of the countries around the globe.  The Banter also had a booth this year at the Lincoln County Fair with many people stopping by to share memories about Barnard and learn about Barnard for the first time.  Life seems to go on in our little town…mostly peaceful, sometimes serene, occasionally scandalous, but never boring.

Travis Wallace
January 1, 2013

A letter of friendship published in the Lincoln Sentinel on July 12, 2012.

Barnard Christmas House

More Pictures From The Barnard United Methodist Church's 130th Celebration

Submitted by Jan Dowlin

Barnard Bee Excerpt from May 5, 1938

I spent the afternoon looking through several years of Barnard Bee articles.  This is a capture from the May 5, 1938 edition.  There is a larger Barnard Bee spread on the way in the near future.

Barnard Main Street Receives Some Much Needed Attention

Main Street in Barnard received some much needed attention today when the state had some asphalt remnants that they were willing to let the city have.

Randy Pickering, Crystal Pickering, Kenny Wallace, Marilyn Switzer, and Travis Zirkle were out cleaning out the damaged areas and filling them with asphalt.