All-School reunion is still annual

Written by Joel Klaassen Wednesday, 03 October 2007 13:37

Mark Twain’s observation, “The reports of my demise are grossly exaggerated,” can also be applied to the HHS All-School Reunion.

Contrary to what might have been said recently, the all-school reunion will not be held less frequently. It will be held each year on the Saturday night before Mem­orial Day, as it has since 2000. An All School Reunion committee will be taking over the event, so stay tuned.

Congratulations to our office manager and accountant Nicole Suderman and her husband, Kevin, on the birth of Colby James. Nicole runs a tight ship at the office, so it’s no fluke the little guy arrived right on time.

Baby Colby, Mom and Grand­ma Williams stopped by Friday so we could be introduced. He is very good looking...

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A tale of two parallel journeys

Written by Joel Klaassen Wednesday, 26 September 2007 08:04

A few months ago I read an interesting profile in my Kansas Alumni magazine about a man named Waldo Dick

He was born in the Ukraine almost 90 years ago but ended up in Newton, where he worked for a Mennonite paper. I’m guessing it was the Mennonite Weekly Review. The article stated he attended Bethel College and then transferred to KU.

He still goes to work each day at the East Allen Courier, afree-circulation weekly newspaper in Grabill, Ind., which he has ownedsince 1955.

My path has been similar. I worked at the MennoniteWeekly Review, went to Bethel one year, transferred to KU and haveownership in a free weekly newspaper. I just have 30 more years to goto catch up with this guy. I wonder if we are related, since my...

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Economies are huge in this nation

Written by Joel Klaassen Wednesday, 19 September 2007 10:25

It’s hard to put into perspective how big the U.S. economy really is. I found a Boomtown USA blog recently that compares the economies of our 50 states with those of other countries. The piece was written by Mike Harvey of Winfield, who does a weekly newsletter titled “Flourishing.”

For example, Texas generates as much annual revenue as the entire country of Canada. The Kansas economy is as big as Romania’s. California’s equals Italy’s. If you are interested in seeing a U.S. map showing the relative economies of each state in compared to other countries you can check it out at: http://boomtownusa.blogspot.com/2007/09/losing-our-competitive-edge.html

The safety of food sold in grocery stores has been in the news lately...

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Early birds make good shoppers

Written by Joel Klaassen Wednesday, 12 September 2007 11:04

It happens every year, I am told. Someone from near or far shows up a week early for the Arts & Crafts Fair. That’s a good thing, because they usually do a little shopping while they’re here. Haven’t heard of anyone being a week late, though.

This is the big week. Here’s our chance for Marion County to shine. Even if you don’t always feel like it, this is the time to be extra helpful and nice to the thousands of visitors who help our church and civic-group fund-raising efforts by bringing outside dollars into our communities.

If I was a kid again, I would be sure to become proficient in two things: One, I would learn to speak Spanish; two, I would learn to kick extra points.

I hated to miss Phyllis...

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