• 2nd Annual Cheylin Entrepreneurship Fair
• Strategic Plan Town Hall Meetings
• Kansas Day 150th Celebration
• Bird City's 125th Celebration a Success
• 1st Annual Cheylin Entrepreneurship Fair
• Bird City Becomes an "E-Community"
• CHDO Housing Project Approved
• Park Benches, Picnic Tables & Trash Receptacles
  

2nd Annual Cheylin Entrepreneurship Fair

Another Successful Entrepreneurship Fair for Cheylin

On Tuesday, March 15th, nine students from Cheylin schools participated in the Second Annual Cheylin Entrepreneurship Fair, hosted by Bird City Century II Development Foundation. The E-Fair is open to all Cheylin students in grades
7th-12th. This year we had a young group of participants, six 8th graders, two Freshmen and one Junior.

In weeks prior, the participants created their own business idea, gathered information pertinent to their business (product research, marketing ideas, feasibility, and so on), and wrote a business plan.

The morning of the E-Fair, participants had one hour to set-up their booths. At 8:30 am, the 3 judges went from booth to booth, judging the participants on their displays, their presentations as a whole and a short 5-8 minute personal interview. The students were judged on the following categories: Business Plan, Product Knowledge (Research & Development), Marketing Ideas, Product & Financial Feasibility, Commitment to Rural Economy/Lifestyle and Overall Impression of the Contestant/Product (Verbal Presentation).

The nine entries were:

Shawn Pochop - Porkchop Fencing
Mary Anne Orten - Mary Anne's Green Thumb
Eddie Frisbie - Trapping Services
Shayla Hubbard - Shayla's Kiddy Care
Wil Orten - Wilhelm's Custom Reload
Michael Barnett - Get Hooked Marketing
Jaime Davison - Jaime's Grocery Express
Ty Carmichael - Ty's NW Kansas Hunts
Cheyenne Hewitt - Hot Shot Photo Stop

Ben Blecha, an entrepreneur from Benkelman, NE, spoke to the audience about his motivation behind his entrepreneurial story. Ben was diagnosed with bone cancer at the age of 16, which led to the amputation of his right leg when he was in college. After finishing college and working for other employers, Ben decided to turn his career focus to something he could truly relate to, prosthetics. He received his training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. Ben took a job in the Denver area before following his heart back to his hometown and starting his own business in Benkelman, "Sky Prosthetics", where he makes the prosthetics, and his only need for travel is for the initial one-on-one consultations with his clients. Since then, he has opened an additional business, "Ace Ortho Solutions", offering prosthetics and orthotics for animals. Ben's personal experience and will to succeed, and his motivation for 'small town' growth, are a few of his attributes that make him stand-out as an excellent role model for future entrepreneurs.

Following the speaker, three scholarship awards were given out on behalf of Bird City Century II Development Foundation totaling $1,000. This year’s winners were:

1st Place - Wil Orten ($500)
2nd Place - Mary Anne Orten ($300)
3rd Place - Ty Carmichael ($200)

All three winners have been accepted to participate in the Rawlins County REGIONAL Entrepreneurship Fair in Atwood on April 1st.

2011 Strategic Plan Town Hall Meetings

Meetings to be held at the American Legion Hall in Bird City:

March 8th - Cancelled due to weather

March 15th

5:30 pm - Fundraising Dinner (American Legion Post#352*)
6:00 - 7:30 pm - Town Hall Meeting

March 22nd

5:30 pm - Fundraising Dinner (Bird City Swimming Pool)
6:00 - 7:30 pm - Town Hall Meeting

*Fundraising Dinner on March 8th is for American Legion Post #352 who is raising money for new tables and chairs for the American Legion Hall. Current tables are very heavy; new tables will be lighter and much easier to move.

Kansas Day 150th Celebration

Presentation Explores German Heritage of Kansas

Cheyenne County Kansas – Kansas Day Committee in Bird City, Kansas will host The German Heritage of Kansas, a presentation and discussion by William D. Keel on January 29, 2011 at 1:30 PM at American Legion Hall, Bird City, KS.  Members of the community are invited to attend the free program.  Contact the Kansas Day Committee at 785-332-3569 for more information. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council.

Registration for the 150th Birthday Celebration of Kansas Statehood will begin at 10:00 AM. A potluck lunch will follow at noon. The St. Francis Singers will entertain.

More than a third of Kansas residents are of German ancestry.   Keel’s presentation explores the major German immigrant groups and their impact on Kansas agriculture, education, and midwestern culture.

William D. Keel is professor of German and chair of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Kansas.  His research interest is German settlement dialects in Kansas and he is the editor of the Yearbook of German-American Studies.

“Kansans claim German as the largest ancestry, according the U.S. Census,” shared Keel.  “Over 25 percent of Kansans have German roots.”

German Heritage of Kansas is part of the Kansas Humanities Council’s Kansas 150 Speakers Bureau commemorating the Kansas sesquicentennial.  The special edition Speakers Bureau features presentations and discussions about Kansas and what it means to be a Kansan over time and across generations. 

The Kansas Humanities Council conducts and supports community-based programs, serves as a financial resource through an active grant-making program, and encourages Kansans to participate in their communities.  For more information about KHC programs contact the Kansas Humanities Council at 785-357-0359 or visit online at www.kansashumanities.org.

Bird City's 125th Celebration a Success

Happy Birthday Bird City, 1885 - 2010

For the past year, members of the community have been working hard to prepare for Bird City's 125th Celebration, which took place the weekend of June 11, 12 & 13.

The events that took place on Friday afternoon included: Golf Tournament, Cajun Boil Dinner (sponsored by Cheylin Spirit Squad), and a street dance.

Saturday, events kicked off early that morning with a Mini-Triathlon, followed by Bed Races, Parade, Sidewalk Art Contest and Car Show downtown. Various vendors were set up through the lunch hour. The afternoon activities included: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, Horseshoe Tournament, Co-Ed Volleyball Tournament, Turtle Races and Blind Golf Cart Races. Inflatable Bounce 'Toys' were available all afternoon for kids of all ages, including: Bungee Basketball, Velcro Wall and a Scooby Doo Bouncer. A historical play, re-enacting the early years of Bird City, was performed in the park.

Later that afternoon, there was a 'Ping-Pong Ball Drop' where numbered ping-pongs were raised in the air by a bucket-truck and dropped onto a target below. The ping-pong that landed closest to the bulls-eye was the lucky winner of $200. Drawings were held for a commemorative 125th Rifle and commemorative #125 Belt Buckle. And last, but not least, a Beard Contest was judged, featuring several men who chose to participate in this 'hairy' event.

The night ended with a free barbeque, serving approximately 830 people; followed by a dance at the park.

Sunday morning, Pastor Dan Carson led an old-fashioned community church service, complete with a 'fire and brimstone' sermon. A potluck dinner followed. It was a great finish to a full weekend!

Special visitor's who chose to partake in the weekend festivities, were descendents of Benjamin Bird, founder of Bird City. A total of 9 family members, (2 Great-Great-Great Grandsons, 1 Great-Great Granddaughter, 2 Great-Great Nephews, and their families), traveled from Nebraska, Missouri and Arkansas to help honor and celebrate our community turning 125 years old!

For a more detailed summary of the weekend celebration, including winners of the various events, click here.

1st Annual Cheylin Entrpreneurship Fair

Tuesday, March 23, 2010 - Kickoff to an Annual Event

A total of 18 participants from Cheylin, ranging from 7th - 12th grades submitted entries for the First Annual Cheylin Entrepreneurship Fair, hosted by Bird City Century II Development Foundation.  Out of the 18 participants, a total of 15 entries were submitted as 2 of the projects were ’team’ projects.

The Entrpereneurship Fair goal is to encourage our youth to ‘give it a try’, and give them the support and encouragement to succeed!  We want to help students realize there are endless possibilities out there for one looking to start their own business, and that “moving back” to this area, (Bird City/McDonald), can be an option!

The students were judged on their business plan, product research, marketing ideas, feasibility, and 5 minute verbal presentation.

After all entries were judged and toured by the public and Cheylin classes, a great entrepreneurial message was given by Val Reiss, an entrepreneur from Weskan, KS. His primary message revolved around the quote…”You can choose to live where you work, or work where you live.”

Following Val's presentation, the 18 students who participated at the Cheylin E-Fair were recognized. They included:

Jacob Brubaker - Jacob’s Lawn Care Service
Aleece Rosales, Ellie Pochop, Shandy Manners - Horse Hair Jewelry
Ty Carmichael - Bird City Bird Houses
Walker Janicke - The Dirt Days (Motorcycle Track)
Casey Vandike - Casey’s Lawn Care
Connor Hazuka - Connor’s Mowing Service
Adam Orten - AO Rappelling (Farm Silo Rappelling Wall)
Joshua Keltz - Josh’s Pheasant Farm
Austin Cobb - Austin’s Airsoft Wars (Airsoft Course)
Kenan Reeh - K-R Spraying (Home and Yard Spraying)
Stephanie & Craig Busse - Busse’s Bountiful Harvest Flour Company
Caleb Keltz - Caleb’s Pellets (Biomass Pellets for Heating Homes)
Health Antholz - Antholz Breakers (Horses)
Lance Leonard - Leonard Soil Sampling
Hudson Louderbaugh - Prairie Dog Roping & Hunting

Three scholarship awards were given out on behalf of Bird City Century II Development Foundation totaling $1,000, and $200 was given through Bird City E-Community, (entrepreneurial funds made available through Bird City Century II and Network Kansas).

The winners of the 2010 Cheylin E-Fair were:

1st Place - Busse's Bountiful Harvest Flour Company (Craig & Stephanie Busse)
2nd Place - K-R Spraying (Kenan Reeh)
3rd Place - Josh's Pheasant Farm (Joshua Keltz)
E-Community Award - Jacob's Lawn Care Service (Jacob Brubaker)

For detailed information on this event, including photos, check out birdcity.blog.com

Bird City Becomes an "E-Community"

NetWork Kansas Expands "E-Community" Partnership
Seven Kansas Communities to
Leverage $1.2 Million For Entrepreneurs

Wichita, Kansas, October 29, 2008 - NetWork Kansas today announced that it has selected seven additional Kansas communities to participate in its innovative Entrepreneurship Community (E-Community) partnership, which was introduced in September, 2007. The following communities were granted $775,000 in tax credits, enabling them to raise more than $1 million in seed funding for entrepreneurs in their respective communities: Augusta; Bird City; Chase County; Kiowa County; Linn County; Marion; and Woodson County.  
 
"Being selected as an E-Community is particularly important as we move toward rebuilding-not just in Greensburg, but throughout the county," said Jeanette Siemens, Kiowa County Economic Development Director. "Partnership with Network Kansas is an excellent avenue to help us grow and improve our economy by encouraging entrepreneurship throughout Kiowa County and we are excited to participate."
 
Each E-Community benefits from an injection of capital raised locally through the NetWork Kansas Entrepreneurship Tax Credit Program to help start and grow businesses in rural Kansas communities. The first six E-Community partners were granted more than $1 million in tax credits, which they used to raise $1.6 million in funding in 2007.
 
"We're very excited by the progress our six pilot communities have already made," said Erik Pedersen, NetWork Kansas Operations Manager. "They have committed funding to six businesses in a relatively short amount of time. The lessons we have learned together will help expedite the process of providing capital to entrepreneurs in these new communities."
 
Each E-Community partners with NetWork Kansas to achieve the following results:  1) Through a tax credit grant, communities establish a fund for entrepreneurs and small business owners that is administered at the local level;  2) Each community identifies local, regional and state assets available to assist entrepreneurs and businesses;  3) Each community establishes a long-term tracking and accountability system to measure business and economic growth; and  4) A long-term partnership with 448 NetWork Kansas resource partners statewide provides assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses.
 
In addition to providing access to capital to these new E-Community partners, NetWork Kansas also allocated more than $150,000 of additional funding to the Anderson County (Garnett) E-Community, increasing its total investment in the existing E-Community partners to more than $1.75 million. "It is our hope that every rural community in Kansas will become an E-Community," added Pedersen. "This will result in each community having the ability to connect any entrepreneur in their community to the expertise, education and economic resources they need." 
 
For more information about the NetWork Kansas E- Community partnership or the Entrepreneurship Tax Credit, visit www.networkkansas.com, or call 877.521.8600.  NetWork Kansas was established as a component of the Kansas Economic Growth Act of 2004 to further entrepreneurship and small business growth as a priority for economic and community development in the State of Kansas.  Backed by 448 partners statewide, the NetWork Kansas service promotes an entrepreneurial environment by connecting entrepreneurs and small business owners with the expertise, education and economic resources they need in order to succeed.

CHDO Housing Project Approved

Bird City will see construction this spring to build two 3-bedroom single-family homes and four duplex 2-bedroom units as a result of a cooperation effort between the City of Bird City, the State of Kansas, Northwest Kansas Housing, Inc. a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) based in Hill City, and Bird City Century II Development Foundation.

All units and homes come with the following appliances: stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, garbage disposal, garage door opener, water softener, and a washer and dryer. The landlord will provide lawn care for the duplex units and with the help of the tenant, will provide lawn care for the homes. The single-family homes will be approximately 1500 square feet with an unfinished basement and 2-car attached garage. The duplex units will be approximately 1200 square feet with attached single car garages in between the units.

All homes will be available to moderate income renters that meet the 50-60% of median income level, and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information on this project you can contact City Hall, 785-734-2616, or Cathy Domsch at Bird City Century II Development Foundation, 785-734-2556.

Park Benches, Picnic Tables & Trash Receptacles

Another great opportunity to make a tax deductible donation to the VanDoren Park Project in memory of, or in tribute to someone!

The VanDoren Park Project is a multi-year project of the Foundation. In 2005, a committee of community minded individuals began fundraising and planning for the renovation of the city park in Bird City. The entire project has been funded by grants from Bird City Century II Development Foundation and donations from area organizations, private foundations, friends and citizens of the Bird City community. With new playground equipment, a new walking trail, renovated sand volleyball court, new electrical, plumbing, lighting, sprinkler system and grass, the park is welcoming to Bird City residents and visitors.

Stop by the Bird City Century II Development Foundation office at 107 West Bressler to pick your location in the park!

TEL 785-734-2556

EMAIL centuryii@bcks.net