Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Banner County News, Notes & Nonsense

Several ladies joined in celebrating the arrival of our newest community member, Miss Sierra Sue Johnson with a baby shower held Sunday, December 30, at the Harrisburg Community Church. Mom Stacy allowed us to take turns holding this beautiful little one and I think we all had a great time. Sierra tolerated each of us and simply slept the entire time. Many wonderful and useful gifts were received and a nice strawberry dessert was enjoyed also!

I have not paid much attention to baby items for a while (since our last baby shower) and was surprised at one of the gifts. It was a pair of knee pads made for when she starts to crawl. How cool is that? I bet all of us moms remember our little ones spending hours everyday upon their knees traveling over all different types of surfaces. The pads are a great idea!

And for now as we have celebrated the birth of Jesus and the coming of the New Year we anticipate what this 2013 has in store for us. Some stores have great sales on Christmas decorations right now, some still have fall/Thanksgiving/Halloween sales going on. I recently heard one sales clerk comment to another that they were just re-stocking the shelves from one holiday to the next, and so they were.

Personally, I am really ready to get back into some sort of ‘regular’ routine, if there is such a thing.

Students at Banner County School resumed normal classes last Friday, and basically just were attempting to organize for the next semester and start off with a fun filled, hopefully educational month this January. Students in some other schools held off and began classes this Monday. Yesterday, Wednesday January 9, the elementary students did not have school due to a teacher work day. I spent the day with four kids at the hospital. Only off and on, not for like eight hours straight. We managed okay, and are back in school again today.

Who knew that school for them would be cancelled on this particular day? Anyway, life is just like that sometimes, right?

This has been the first full week of this semester and this year. Happenings this week included varsity basketball games with Hyannis on Monday, the Geography Bee held on Tuesday and a FFA Boosters meeting, and FFA student competition for the District Contest (which hopefully I will be able to report on next week)--all of this which I did not inform you of last week, because I was unaware, I apologize.

Friday, January 11, four games of basketball will be played at Crawford beginning at 3 p.m. On Saturday, January 12, the varsity wrestling team will participate in the Bayard tournament and basketball teams will travel to Minatare, first game to be played at 4 p.m.

The regular School Board meeting will be on Monday, January 14, at 7 p.m. in the school cafeteria. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend.

The boys varsity basketball MAC Tournament will begin on Tuesday, January 15, and for more information you need to call the school at 436-5262 on this one.

At the Banner County Courthouse, Wednesday January 16, the brave Drivers Examiner will be available 9-11:30 a.m. Notice how they always get out of there just before lunch?

One more note of local interest this week. There will be a Bridal Shower for Hannah Brown Sunday, January 20. It will be at the Harrisburg Community Church at 2:30 p.m. Hannah and Ryan Norman plan to wed this spring. I also had this date confused with the baby shower for Sierra in the last news article. Guess I was caught off guard on that one.

Several of our good neighbors and friends have recently been undergoing some pretty tough health issues. John Ragland has returned home after several weeks of hospitalization and in-house physical therapy. He still continues with these treatments, but is back at home. Tom Neal is still in hospital and will be there for quite some time yet. If you would like to send him cards or letters of encouragement his address is at Medical Center of the Rockies, 2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, ICU room 2105, Loveland, Co. 80538.

There will be a benefit soup supper for Tom and his family on Sunday, January 27 at the fire hall. It will be from 12:30-3:30 p.m. and there will also be a silent auction. If you are unable to make this and would like to donate, please send your gift to the fire hall at P.O. Box 93.

Also recovering from recent surgeries or illness’ are Connie Soule, Stephanie Farrow, and Carole Tucker. All three ladies are back at home and recuperating.

Carole, however, was at the Villa during Christmas when the Banner County Elementary children stopped in to sing Christmas carols and give hand-made cards to the residents. She visited with several students who she says were surprised to hear that she spent many years in Banner County. Joe just couldn’t quite figure out how she knew who he was and how I knew about their conversation before he even got home from school. Oh, modern technology and Facebook friends!

Folks celebrating birthdays this week include: David Baker, Charlene Malm, Lita DelCamp, Haddie Grubbs, Savannah Jordan, Wilma Post, Madalyn Soule and David Gifford. Happy Birthday!

One couple celebrates an anniversary, and that is Mr. and Mrs. Travis Cochran. Congratulations!

All for now folks, I am just getting back in the groove of what we have going on here at home, so I am short on what is happening elsewhere. Maybe next week. Until, next time, take care and please send news to 436-7152, 641-1335, or write to [email protected].