News from El Dorado, Kansas October 2010 Volume 4, Issue 4
El Dorado Today
Inside this issue:
Holiday Tables event
2
New businesses downtown 2 Free Flu Shot Clinic
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Search for new director at Coutts Museum
3
BCC Headliners in top 4
3
Butler County recognized by KDHE
3
Calendar
4
Reminder! City Neighborhood Revitalization Plan has been extended to Sept. 1, 2011 • All residential real property and improvements located within the City of El Dorado are eligible for the city’s Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. Under the plan the City will offer property tax rebates for certain improvements, renovations and new construction. • Owners wishing to rehabilitate, add to existing homes, or construct new homes, are eligible to apply. All such property shall be eligible for a fiveyear tax rebate of up to $175,000 of new appraised value whose construction begins before September 1, 2011. • For more information call The Building Department at 316-321-9100
Main Street Bridge in Fall
Kansas oil discovery celebrates 150th anniversary Long before men drilled for oil beneath the surface of Kansas, the Native Americans believed that the sticky substance found around “tar springs” had medicinal properties. The early settlers found uses for the greasy substance that collected in rocks or around springs as well. But, by and large, people just considered the stuff a nuisance. It wasn’t until 1860, after Edwin Drake drilled America’s first commercial well in Pennsylvania, that George Brown drilled the first Kansas oil well in Miami County near Paola. As time went on, men began to realize that oil could be refined and used for certain types of fuel, and that gas could be used to heat and
light homes and run factories. The hunt was on! Activity began to occur in other parts of the state, particularly around Ft. Scott where discovery of oil and gas in 1865 transformed the town into one of the earliest boom towns. From 1892 with the discovery of oil at Neodesha, through the early 1900s petroleum exploration centered in the southeast quadrant of the state. After a series of oil and gas strikes around Augusta,
El Dorado’s city council financed the drilling of a test well in 1914 which turned out to be a dry hole. Then in 1915 the Wichita Natural Gas company drilled the Stapleton #1 west of El Dorado. At 2,465 feet the well filled up and steadily pulsed crude oil. By 1916, El Dorado had a refinery, and by 1918 the El Dorado field produced nearly 29 million barrels of oil– more than nine times the total output for all of Kansas, and was the leading oil field in the United States. One may relive this exciting period of our history at the Kansas Oil Museum, 383 E. Central in El Dorado. A souvenir commemorative book entitled The First 150 Years, published by the Wichita Eagle, is available at the museum.
Hubbard Welcome Center opens arms to visitors, community On August 24th, Butler Community College dedicated the Hubbard Welcome Center which now serves as a splendid welcome sentry to visitors of the El Dorado campus as well as a valuable office and meeting space for the college and the community. The building houses the BCC Foundation offices, the office
of the President, the Board of Trustees meeting room, as well as a call center, five meeting rooms which can be leased by the community, the Clifford Stone Community Room which is the largest meeting space in Butler County and can accommodate up to 800 people, and four smaller meeting rooms on the lower level.
Designed by El Dorado architecture firm PKHLS, the building follows two symbolic intersecting grids, representing the intended campus and community use of the center. The design is intended to be a clear demonstration of Butler’s vision of the college and community coming together.
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El Dorado Today
Volume 4, Issue 4
Holiday Tables event raises funds beautifully One minute it’s Christmas, the next Easter, and the next Halloween, depending on which of the imaginative tablescapes you viewed at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Holiday Tables event on October 22 and 23.
SBA Hospital Foundation Holiday Tables charity event
The purpose of the bi-annual event was to raise funds for the Hospital Foundation to support the Free Flu Shot Clinic offered by SBA Hospital each year.
More than twenty local businesses, organizations and individuals set up beautifully decorated tables celebrating numerous holidays, and creating awareness for each entity. Patrons paid $35 per ticket to attend a special preview event on Friday night. Hors d’oeuvres and wine were served as partiers enjoyed a live jazz band and bid on special auction items. On Saturday viewers enjoyed hot
chocolate and cookies as they perused the decorations. Each attendee could vote for their favorite table. Winners in order were: • Sundgren Real Estate and Auction, which chose a cowboy Christmas theme • SBA Hospital Gift Shop with a Christmas wonderland theme • 8 Wonders of Butler County, featuring each “wonder”.
New downtown businesses open in time for Christmas Two new specialty businesses have opened in downtown El Dorado which could be to the delight of someone special on any number of Christmas lists.
Sweet 120 in District 142 can satisfy a sweet tooth with gourmet chocolate.
Sweet 120, located in District 142, 142 N. Main, sells gourmet chocolates, fresh fudge and truffles made in Olpe, Kansas by The Sweet Granada chocolatiers. Owner Joyce Parker feels the chocolate shop is a great pairing with the other food vendors in District 142– Satchel Creek
Steaks, Beyond Napa Wine and Spirits and Scooter’s Coffeehouse. Sweet 120 caters to corporate customers and well as individuals, and Joyce does a bang up job of wrapping her goods for gift presentation. Visit the website at www.sweet120.com. Sugar Bunny Boulevard, 201 South Main in El Dorado, is a new venue for knitters and other yarn crafters to get
supplies. Owner Laura Spradlin offers a nice selection of yarns, patterns, needles, and handpainted buttons. Laura puts a pot of homemade soup on and stays open until 8 p.m. each Friday night. Knitters congregate to work on projects and catch up on each other’s news. The shop offers classes on most Saturdays. For information visit http://specialstuff.typepad.com or see them on Facebook.
Allen Memorial Hospital again offering free flu shots
Allen Memorial Hospital Free Flu Shot Clinics take place in November.
Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital, with financial support from the Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital Foundation, will be holding the annual FREE flu vaccination clinics again this year. 1,750 doses of vaccine (1,500 injectable doses and 250 intranasal doses) will be made available to anyone over the age of 3 on a first-come, firstserved basis at two separate clinics. “We are very pleased that our doses have arrived, and that we’re able to provide this ser-
vice to our community again this year,” said Gene Kimble, spokesperson for Susan B. Allen. “This has been such a positive project in our communities. We feel everyone should have the opportunity to be vaccinated, no matter their ability to pay for it,” said Kimble. Attending the clinic could result in cost savings for a family of four of as much as $100 to $160. The El Dorado clinic will be
held at Susan B. Allen Memorial Hospital on Saturday, November 13th from 8:00 until 10:00 a.m., and the Augusta clinic will be held on Saturday, November 20th from 8:00 until 10:00 a.m. at the Augusta United Methodist Church. Because the clinics are on a first-come, first-served basis, there is usually a large line at the beginning of the clinics. However, the line moves relatively quickly– usually there is only a 15 to 20 minute wait at the busiest times.
El Dorado Today
Volume 4, Issue 4
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Search is on for new director at Coutts Museum The Coutts Museum of Art in El Dorado is searching for a new director to lead the institution into the next phase of a rich continuing history in El Dorado.
new era of increased community involvement by enticing even more spectators through the massive doors to explore the wonders within and take part in museum programs.
The Coutts has long served the community by offering quality exhibits monthly, annual student art shows and monthly Brown Bag programs. However, the museum’s board of directors hopes to open up the institution to a
In addition, the new director will be charged with facilitating plans to improve and expand the physical facility as well as the membership base. Fundraising has already begun to install an elevator, making the second and third floors handi-
capped accessible. Subsequent phases of renovation for the building are on the table for the future. The search committee for the director position has been pleased with the quality and number of applicants, and is now in the process of interviewing. They are hoping an announcement can be made sometime after the first of the year. Stay tuned!
Coutts Memorial Museum of Art
ButlerCC Headliners named to top four in national contest When the Butler Community College Headliners submitted a tape and an essay to the NBC Today Show to compete in the national Show Choir Showdown, they thought winning was probably a long shot. Wrong! The BCC Headliners were chosen from entries from across the nation to be in the top four show choirs. Viewers were asked to vote for their favorite of the four, and 115,000 of them responded. The winning group, announced
on October 22nd, would earn the privilege of performing live on the Today Show. The most votes were cast for a choir from Florida, but that didn’t diminish the excitement for Director Valerie Mack who believes first in the personal value and development of each of her students. Butler Community College has a very strong vocal music program with an excellent reputation among educators. The Headliners are under the
instruction of Valerie Lippoldt Mack, lead instructor of music at BCC. Mack herself has earned a national reputation as a music educator and professional choreographer. Each year the Headliners and Ms. Mack host the Show Choir Festival on Butler’s El Dorado campus. Twelve applicant schools are chosen to participate and work with a professional clinician. Mack believes the experience often changes lives and directions.
Butler Community College Headliners Show Choir a finalist in the Today Show’s Show Choir Showdown.
County recognized for e-waste program Darryl Lutz, Public Works Director for Butler County, and his staff have worked hard to reduce waste at the Butler County Landfill. Last September they were recognized by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for their efforts. Butler County was one of three entities in the state that received the 2010 Kansas Pollution Prevention Award, designed to recognize and encourage pollution prevention through elimi-
nating waste at its source or reducing, reusing and recycling. The State was particularly interested in Butler County’s e-waste program which helps keep computers and other electronics out of the landfill, either by recycling them or redistributing them. If an item is still in correct working order, staff makes it available for individuals to reuse, thus keeping it out of the landfill completely. Another area that was recognized in the award was the
county’s methane gas distribution program. The county has installed an active collection system for the methane gas, a natural byproduct of decomposition, which destroys 21 times the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere if the methane was vented out. According to Lutz, this compares to taking 300 cars off the road. County officials and staff received the award in Topeka on September 13. This is the fourth year for the e-waste program.
Butler County citizens may bring electronic waste to the Butler County Landfill, 2963 SW 40th, for recycling.
News from El Dorado, Kansas
El Dorado Inc. 201 E. Central P.O. Box 350 El Dorado, KS 67042 Phone: 316-321-1485 Fax: 316-321-5419 E-mail: lkjolly@eldorado-inc.com
We’re on the web! Visit us at www.360eldorado.com
El Dorado Inc. is a public/private partnership with the City of El Dorado whose mission is to further the economic development of the El Dorado area and its environs. The primary objectives of El Dorado Inc. shall be to benefit the community as measured by increased employment, payroll, business volume, housing starts and similar factors. For El Dorado Inc. membership information, contact Linda Jolly at 321-1485 or lkjolly@eldorado-inc.com
El Dorado, Kansas—Where we enjoy the fine art of living well!
Calendar NOVEMBER 2010 Through Nov. 10 Perceptions of Reality– Impressionistic Paintings by Dana Hasset Coutts Museum of Art Nov 5 - Dec 6 Jennifer Larsen Art Exhibit Erman B. White Gallery Butler Community College Nov 6 John Walker Iron Horse Concert Hall Nov 7 Region IV Football semifinals Butler vs. Coffeeville in El Dorado Nov 2 - 11 Celebration of Freedom Activities
Nov 11 Home for the Holidays El Dorado Main Street Downtown shopping event
Nov 18 - 20 “Almost Maine” Theatre Production Butler Community College
Nov 12 John Davidson in Concert Community Concert Assoc.
Nov 20 Jack Williams Iron Horse Concert Hall
Nov 13, 14 “High School Musical” El Dorado High School Nov 13 Ann Zimmerman Iron Horse Concert Hall Nov 16 El Dorado Main Street Brown Bag Lunch Noon Coutts Museum of Art
Community Sponsored Thanksgiving Dinner Bu. Co. Community Bldg. Turkey Shoot Golf Tourn. Prairie Trails Golf and Dining Nov 27 Holly Days Kick-off Party Open Mike & Pot Luck Party Food Iron Horse Concert Hall
For complete information on these and other events visit:
DECEMBER 2010 Dec 2 Holiday Visions Downtown Christmas Parade Downtown El Dorado Dec 3 - 4 Dance Concert Butler Community College Dec 4 Small Potatoes Iron Horse Concert Hall Dec 11 Bittersweet Christmas Band Iron Horse Concert Hall Dec 21 El Dorado Main Street Brown Bag Lunch Pros from Dover w/Teresa Bachman