Another Kansas City Marathon will come and go this weekend without Kristen McBride at the starting line.

But the Level I teacher at Trojan Elementary School is not going to let a nagging knee injury cloud her dream of running the ultimate race.

“I’m going to be there next year, even if I have to crawl across the finish line,” McBride says Monday.

McBride injured her knee in the 18th mile of a workout in July. Her doctor recently gave her the go-ahead to start running again, but she’s no longer in top form after the long layoff.

“I’m itching to get out there again,” McBride says.

McBride had planned to run in the marathon last year, but she suffered the same knee injury in August 2009 – also in the 18th mile of a long run.

“There’s a curse on the 18th mile,” says McBride, laughing.

Her running partner, dad Steve McBride, tore a calf muscle during training this summer, too.

On a friendlier day for the McBrides last April, the father-daughter team could be seen crossing the finish line together of the 5K Running the Rails for a Reason race in Osawatomie.

And Kristen is planning to run in a half marathon in Louisburg next May in preparation for the 2011 KC Marathon.

“I decided to run (the marathon) because my grandmother told me I couldn’t do it,” McBride says.

McBride, a 2006 graduate of Benedictine College in Atchison, Kan., has been teaching in Osawatomie for two years. She began working out at the Miami County Family YMCA a little more than a year ago and credits workouts there with starting her on the path to a healthier lifestyle.

“I’ve lost 120 pounds,” says McBride, who will turn 27 on Nov. 27. “I have a personal trainer, and my goal is to do a pull-up by myself on my birthday. I’ve never done a pull-up before.”

Running has provided another outlet for McBride – it sparked her business creativity. She launched a cupcake business last May called Cupcake Queen.

“I was running without my iPod, and these kind of things pop into my head,” McBride says.

Her business has taken off and continues to grow, like a marathon runner building stamina for the 26-mile journey.

“I have three or four orders a week now,” McBride says. “Each order is for at least two dozen.”

McBride’s favorite is mocha chip, though she doesn’t have to worry about cupcakes spoiling her physical conditioning.

“I don’t like cupcakes, but I enjoy making them,” she confesses.

McBride plans to stride onto the runner’s path in the coming days, waiting for the chance to compete in her marathon.

“The weather is cooling off,” she says, “it’s a great time to go running.”

The title will be “Cultural Influences on Language and Literacy Teaching Practices: Part 2 of 3”. An instructor from The Family Conservancy will teach the class. Participants do not have to attend all parts of the series. Discussion will be on the importance of examining teaching practices and reflection on how culture may influence the ways of teaching and supporting young children’s early language and literacy. Participants will also explore their powerful and professional role in using the process of reflection as an essential component of high quality teaching practices.

Two hours credit will be given for this class. To receive full credit for the class, participants must arrive by 6:30 p.m. Late arrivals will not be guaranteed full credit. More information is available at the following Web site: http://www.moccrrntrainingcalendar.org/index.cfm?go=interface:calendar.week Click on training calendar and go to the Oct. 21 date and topic for more information.

There is a cost of $12 per person for the class. This class is co-sponsored by K-State Research and Extension, Miami County Family and Consumer Science program and The Family Conservancy. The deadline for paid registrations is Oct. 19. For more information contact (913) 342-1110, ext. 1913

Registrations by credit card can be made by calling (913) 342-1110, ext. 113, or 1-800-7550838, ext. 113, or mail payment and registration form to: The Family Conservancy, Attn: PD Department, 444 Minnesota Ave, Suite 200, Kansas City, KS 66101. Call (913) 342-1110 to pay by credit card. All payments and registration must be received by Oct. 19. Make checks payable to: The Family Conservancy.

For more information, contact Diane Burnett at (913) 294-4306.

By Doug Carder

The award-winning short film “Change for a Dollar” made a warm impression on Jessi Beets and her friends during a screening Sunday at City Auditorium.

Area residents of all ages turned out to catch the first glimpse of the 10-minute film which was made in Osawatomie in March.

The film was shot in one day at various locations throughout the community. It’s a story about a homeless man who affects several individuals’ lives for the better, with just change from $1.

Filmmaker Sharon Wright, a former Osawatomie resident, was pleased to be able to show the film to the community.

“I think the people in Osawatomie will see the film a little differently than most, because they will identify with every location in the film,” Wright said.

Beets and a group of seventh-graders said they enjoyed the film.

“I liked the message. I thought it was heartwarming,” Beets said. “It nearly made me shed tears.”

Wright said Beets’ reaction was exactly the response she had hoped for.

“When a film evokes an emotional response, you know you’ve done a good job,” said Wright, who wrote, directed and co-produced the film.

The short has already garnered praise from critics.

“Change for a Dollar” was nominated for a Sirroco Award – given to films with a positive message – at the AOF International Film Festival in Pasadena, Calif. And first-time director Wright was nominated for Best Female Filmmaker.

The short won the Audience Choice Award at the Moonlight Film Festival in Leesburg, Va.

The film’s next showing will be in mid-October at the Gig Harbor Film Festival in Gig Harbor, Wash.

Also an actress, Wright has been working on several films since “Change for a Dollar” was shot. But in three weeks, the filmmaker plans to begin work on her second project, which is untitled at present.

“This one is going to be a psychological drama, shot in Kansas City,” Wright said

“Change for a Dollar” will be available for purchase in the coming months.

“We are going to let it play the film festival circuit,” she said, “and then we’ll offer it for sale on Amazon in a few months.”

Renovating the Osawatomie city pool would cost up to $2.7 million. But the work could be completed in phases.

David Burbach, with Burbach Aquatics Inc. Architects and Engineers, provided a written assessment of the pool’s needs, as well as estimated construction costs of the renovation project, to the Osawatomie City Council at its Sept. 23 work session.

Burbach told the council the pool, which opened in 1963, was designed to last 40 years.

“The pool is 47 years old, and the design life is 40, so you’ve got good value out of the pool,” Burbach said.

The aquatics expert said the pool’s bathhouse is beautifully designed but would be difficult to renovate.

“We recommend building a new bathhouse, rather than trying to renovate the existing one,” Burbach said. “We also recommend moving the site of the existing bathhouse.”

With renovations to filtering and pump systems, fixing water leaks, refurbishing the pool vessel, pool decks and a host of other needs, the price tag comes in around $2.7 million.

“The water is safe, but ideally the pool should circulate 682 gallons per minute, and it circulates about 500 gallons per minute,” Burbach said of the dated pump and filter system.

Burbach said the work could be completed in phases or all at once.

Council members asked what the cost would be to start from scratch.

“You’re probably looking at another $500,000 ($3.2 million total) to redo the whole thing,” he said.

Burbach said a pool has four uses: recreation, wellness, education and competition.

Burbach acknowledged that small communities struggle to break even with their pools. While not a moneymaker, a pool can enhance the quality of life.

“A pool can be a social center of the community,” he said.

Ron Maring, director of park and recreation, told the council the pool’s average attendance this season was about 50 to 60 people, which equates to about 1 percent of the community’s population.

“For those who come to our pool, we don’t have a lot to offer,” Maring said of the pool’s amenities.

Renovations could provide a springboard for increased daily attendance. The pool’s capacity is 336 persons.

“I would like to serve more than 1 percent of the population,” Mayor Phil Dudley said.

The council plans to establish a pool committee at its next meeting, which would be charged with studying a possible renovation and bringing its recommendations to the council.

Tickets are available now at the Miami County Family YMCA, 300 11th St., and all proceeds go toward the Y’s annual mission campaign to help local families and individuals. Advance tickets are $3 per person and $10 per family, or $12 per family at the door.

Activities – such as dodge ball, a cakewalk, kids’ games, three-point shooting, face painting and a Wii bowling tournament – will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mac Steele and Red gyms.

Local musical acts will perform from 7:30 to 10 p.m. at Lynn Dickey Field. Those groups include Jamaican Bobsled Team, Asylum Bridge, Debbie Shadden & Pony Express and Scare Crow. Brad Howard with KOFO Radio 1220 AM will be master of ceremonies.

T-shirts will be available for purchase at the concession stand.

— Doug Carder

Osawatomie USD 367’s enrollment is down 11 students, but that’s not enough to affect the district’s budget for the 2010-11 school year.

The district’s total head count on Monday, when official enrollment was turned into the state, was 1,185 students, down from 1,196 students last school year. The district’s full-time equivalency was down 12.5 students compared to last year. For state funding, non-special education kindergarten students are counted as half students, as are preschool students.

“We can use the 1,196 number from last year for the budget. And I haven’t heard any discussions (from the state education department) about cutting funds, so our funding should be fine this year,” Superintendent Gary French said. “It (lower enrollment) might affect us next year, though.”

By grade, enrollment on Monday was 77 kindergarten students, 83 first graders, 80 second graders, 74 third graders, 90 fourth graders, 103 fifth graders, 103 sixth graders, 95 seventh graders, 84 eighth graders, 91 freshmen, 86 sophomores, 98 juniors and 83 seniors. Preschool enrollment was 39, and 4-year-old, at-risk preschool was 22.

With regard to enrollment by building, OHS is down two students, OMS is up nine students and Trojan Elementary is down 18 students. Swenson Early Childhood Education Center enrollment is up, because of additional preschool students.

“We were up 50 students (district-wide) last year, so if you look at the two-year average we’re doing OK,” French said. “We do not have all the weighted numbers figured yet (such as the number of students with free and reduced lunches) but we could be slightly up or about the same as last year (in state aid).”

Union re-enactors Mary Beth Menold and Matt Walker of the Colorado Volunteers were married Saturday at the gazebo in John Brown Memorial Park. The ceremony was conducted according to Civil War-era customs, and the wedding party was clad in period attire.

Florella Adair, sister of John Brown and wife of the Rev. Samuel Adair, died of exhaustion at age 48 at Fort Leavenworth.

Robert E. Lee, future commanding general of the Confederate armed forces, oversaw the hanging of John Brown at Harper’s Ferry, Va., as a junior officer in the U.S. Army.

President Abraham Lincoln’s assassin, actor John Wilkes Booth, also was present at the hanging of John Brown at Harper’s Ferry, Va. Booth disguised himself as a soldier so he could attend, because soldiers were keeping the public at a safe distance from the hanging for fear Brown’s men would try to liberate him at the last moment.

Baseball players, clad in replica uniforms for the re-enactment of an 1870-era game on Saturday, represented the Wichita Red Stockings and the Wichita Bulldozers – two authentic Wichita teams from the 1860s and ’70s. Team member Toby “Hoosier” Ortstadt explained the Bulldozer nickname: “A bulldozer in those days meant a person who liked to come into town and stir up trouble – a brawler or ruffian.”

The cannon roaring during the re-enactment of the Battle of Osawatomie on Saturday and the Civil War skirmish between Union troops and Confederate partisans on Sunday was a 12-pound Mountain Howitzer operated by McLain’s Independent Battery, which fought with the Second Colorado Cavalry. The cannon was mounted on a “prairie carriage” for greater mobility on the plains. A canister load resembled a tin can full of large caliber musket balls, and was lethal up to 500 yards.

Union re-enactors at the festival represented McLain’s Independent Battery and the Colorado Second Cavalry. That Colorado cavalry contingent actually patrolled this border area during part of the Civil War and fought in the Battle of Mine Creek on Oct. 25, 1864, in Linn County.

Confederate armament supplies were so scarce that brass church bells were melted to use in the making of weapons.

President Theodore Roosevelt, a graduate of Harvard in 1880, once said: “A thorough knowledge of the Bible is worth more than a college education.”

— Doug Carder

The reopening of the Osawatomie Public Library, which was scheduled for Monday, has been pushed back to Oct. 4 because portions of the renovation project have not yet been finished.

“There are several things that the contractors have not completed to make the renovation of the library ‘substantially complete,’” said Elizabeth Trigg, library director.

An occupancy permit often is not issued by inspectors until the contractor “substantially completes” the construction or renovation of a project.

The first phase of the renovation project included widening doorways and putting in a censor-activated front door. Patrons also will notice a quiet reading room, a computer room, wider aisles between bookshelves, an elevator, new ADA-compliant stairs, brighter lighting and a new circulation desk.

A room has been added near the front entrance as a meeting space and work area for people who run their businesses out of their homes and the library.

Trigg said patrons can continue to drop off their checked out materials in the drop box and no items will be considered past due.

“We realize this has caused inconvenience to our patrons, and the staff and board of the library deeply regret this,” Trigg said.

Story hour and toddler time will resume as soon as the library is able to reopen. Phone lines currently are not connected at the library. For more information, Trigg can be contacted by email at etrigg23@yahoo.com.

“Mrs. Hays. Do what you can with what you have where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt.

Local historian and columnist Margaret Hays was the recipient of this quotation from Roosevelt, sketched by first-person narrator Joe Wiegland onto a photograph from the president’s famed trip to Osawatomie in 1910 to dedicate John Brown Memorial Park.

Hays, who was wearing an original gold medallion that commemorated Roosevelt’s visit 100 years ago, was among the audience members who gathered Sunday to hear Wiegland perform as Teddy Roosevelt during the annual Freedom Festival.

The festival attracted scores to the park to hear first-person narrators give presentations about John Brown, Florella Adair, Gen. Robert E. Lee and other notable figures from the past.

Festival goers also had the chance last weekend to take in an 1870s baseball game, the Battle of Osawatomie reenactment and watch a pair of re-enactors get hitched in the gazebo, in wedding attire and uniforms from the Civil War period.

“The festival has gone off without any problems. I’m really pleased,” said organizer Grady Atwater, site administrator for the John Brown Museum State Historic Site. “This festival gives us the chance to share the rich history of our community with others.”

Wiegland, a renowned narrator who has performed at the White House, used the opportunity to share some rich stories about Theodore Roosevelt.

Roosevelt battled asthma as a small child, and his father used to take him on carriage rides at night, racing through the streets of New York to force fresh air into his lungs.

As a young child, Roosevelt also was forced to smoke cigars and drink bitter black coffee, the idea being that forcing him to cough would stimulate his breathing. Not a prescription any doctor would likely issue today.

Roosevelt graduated from Harvard in 1880 and entered Columbia Law School, deciding he would become a lawyer. But he quickly grew disenchanted with that idea and took a liking to politics – much to the disappointment of his family, who thought politics were not becoming of a gentleman.

One cousin quipped that, dissected, the word is poly, meaning “many,” and tics, meaning “blood sucking insects.”

Wiegland talked of Roosevelt’s days as a cattle rancher in the Badlands and of his love of nature, and hiking and hunting, his Christian upbringing, the loss of his first wife and mother on the same day – Valentine’s Day 1884 – and of his ascent through the political ranks until he came within one breath of the White House.

Roosevelt did his job so well of cleaning up corruption while a New York official that his own Republican Party decided they would put him where he wasn’t likely to ever be heard from again – the vice presidency.

But Vice President Roosevelt did become commander in chief soon when President McKinley was assassinated. Roosevelt said the greatest triumph of his administration (1901-1909) was overseeing the building of the Panama Canal. Others may argue that protecting the Grand Canyon from development, over the objections of Congress, was equally monumental.

While in office, Roosevelt helped break up business monopolies and establish public lands for parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

His nemesis, J.P. Morgan, once toasted Roosevelt after the former president left for an African safari with his son, Kermit. Morgan raised his glass: “To the lions, may they do their job.”

Roosevelt, in his drive to give every person “a square deal,” captured the hearts of Americans as well as people from other nations the world over.

A toy manufacturer created a new stuffed animal he named in Roosevelt’s honor: “Teddy’s Bear,” or more commonly known by children today as “teddy bear.”

Not always a teddy bear, Colonel Roosevelt led the Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War of 1898 in Cuba. He took command of his unit when legendary Confederate cavalry Gen. “Fighting” Joe Wheeler from Alabama was stricken with yellow fever and succeeded his leadership role over the Rough Riders to Roosevelt.

“We were routing the Spaniards, and General Wheeler shouted, ‘After ’em, boys. We

have those damn Yankees on the run.’ We decided it was time for the general to go to sick bay.”

Proslavery forces had John Brown’s men on the run. With overwhelming numbers, the forces ransacked and burned Osawatomie and threatened to destroy the Adair Cabin, if not for the bravery of Florella Adair, portrayed by Mary Buster, Florella’s great-great-granddaughter.

Buster mesmerized the audience with tales of a tough life during those Bleeding Kansas years and that fateful day when the Battle of Osawatomie took place Aug. 30, 1856.

“Fifteen to 20 pro-slavers raced down on our house and faced a cannon at our cabin door. ‘Who lives here?’ I told them, You can have anything you want, if you spare our lives,” Florella said. “The leader said, ‘There is nobody here but women and children. We are gentlemen, but if we find your men we’ll put a rope around their necks.’ Then they stole our horses and cattle.”

In constant danger of attack, John Brown’s sister Florella repeatedly used the words poverty, persecution and death to describe those years.

John Brown, portrayed wonderfully by Kerry Altenbrand, provided insight into Brown’s upbringing and his desire to see all slaves freed, culminating with his ill-fated raid on Harper’s Ferry, Va., where he was captured and sentenced to be hanged.

Robert E. Lee was in charge of overseeing Brown’s hanging as a junior officer in the U.S. Army.

Lee, who resigned his commission with the U.S. Army and eventually became commander of the Confederate armies during the Civil War, also paid a visit to the park on Saturday.

Portrayed by Norman Joy, Robert E. Lee talked about his struggles during the war and about that fateful surrender at Appomattox Courthouse. In his final order to his troops, Lee said:

“Because the Army of Northern Virginia was compelled to yield to overwhelming forces … and we are determined to avoid useless sacrifices, the officers and men can now return to their homes … with unceasing admiration, I bid an affectionate farewell.”

Lee went on to say, “I expected to surrender my sword to General Grant. He did not offer to even touch my sword.”

Other performances included Revolutionary War soldier Deborah Sampson, who disguised herself as a man so she could fight and actually met General George Washington, portrayed by Anna Smith. And Miss Clara Gowing, missionary and teacher to the Delaware Nation, portrayed by Lynsay Flory.

The event also provided the setting for the first performance of the Osawatomie Time Machine players, who portrayed several men and women who helped shape Osawatomie’s history – for good and bad. The performers were Julane Williams, Phyllis Sharp, Audrey Tate, Israel Gulley and Asher Gulley. Museum curator Atwater, who heads the group, said anyone is welcome to join who wants to learn how to perform first-person narratives of historical figures.

An 1870s baseball game between the Wichita Red Stockings and Wichita Bulldozers provided spectators with a fun glimpse into how the game used to be played, including being able to instruct the umpire to tell the pitcher to throw a fair ball, and players ringing a bell every time they crossed home plate to score a run.

Not to be outdone, Civil War re-enactors representing the Second Colorado Cavalry and McLain’s Independent Battery on the Union side and Elliott Scouts on the Confederate side put on quite a show.

But perhaps Grady Atwater had the best line of the weekend. At the conclusion of his lecture, “John Brown – Saint or Sinner?” Atwater talked about a former settlement called Brownsville, to which a shot from a re-enactor’s rifle rang out in the distance. Atwater smiled at the audience: “See, even the mere mention of the name Brown draws gunfire.”

— Staff Writer Kevin Gray contributed to this article.

By Doug Carder

“I wore my red shirt today because it’s football day,” kindergartener Caden West told senior football player Joe Van Vlack. “I watch you guys play.”

Van Vlack and about a dozen other Osawatomie football players are participating in a mentoring program at Swenson Early Childhood Education Center.

Andrea Manes, Swenson principal, said the players make good role models for her students.

“The boys do things like help the kids with their letters, play with them at recess and sit with them at lunch,” Manes said. “They serve as good role models. They can teach students about having a good work ethic and about things like manners at the table.”

Manes said the mentoring program – a partnership between the high school team and Swenson – is new to her school.

“The Swenson program came out of summer leadership training,” football coach Troy Bomgardner said. “We want these guys to have an impact on the next generation of Trojans.”

Bomgardner said the team hopes to expand the program and get more guys involved next year. Players must sign a contract that they will be drug and alcohol free.

“They need to realize they have a responsibility to the community,” Bomgardner said, “that they are more than just football players. And that it’s a privilege to step on this field every Friday night.”

Van Vlack was joined by several of his teammates Friday at Swenson.

“I’m getting to know a lot of the kids. I think it’s a good program,” football player Drew Needham said. He and teammate Brant Johnson were helping kindergarteners play games at recess.

“I knew a couple of the kids already,” Johnson said as he swung one little girl in the air. “I think the kids were a little intimidated at first, looking at these big guys sitting beside them at the lunch table. But once they get to know you, they really latch on to you. I like the program.”

Inside the classroom, Van Vlack was helping Cassie Cornielson make the letter D.

“I enjoy helping the kids. I think they like seeing us in the classroom,” Van Vlack said.

Teacher Christina Durham said the program is going well so far.

“When I tell the students the football players are coming today, they always want to know how soon are they going to get here. They can’t wait,” Durham said. “And, it’s always nice to have an extra helper in the classroom.”