FSHS band finishes second in KU competition

Free State High School finished second Saturday in the 13th annual Heart of America marching band festival at Memorial Stadium. Twenty-nine high school marching bands from Kansas and Missouri competed.

The Blue Springs High School band took home the highest honors, winning first place in the 6A division. Blue Valley High School took second.

Teams were judged by a panel of experts on their marching, playing and general effect.

Kansas University music professor Tom Stidham helped organize the event.

“It was an excellent festival,” he said. “We had some really outstanding bands.

New KU Lions Club to celebrate charter

The new Kansas University Lions Club will celebrate its charter during a ceremony today at the Kansas Union.

The 27 charter members will sign documents officially establishing the new club, the third Lions Club in Lawrence.

Olathe North High School drum major Robert Moore directs the marching band in the song Celebration during the 13th Annual Heart of America Marching Band Festival. The Saturday event featured high school marching bands from both Kansas and Missouri.

The dinner and ceremony is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the union’s Big 12 Room. Ernest Young Jr., of Lansing, a member of the Lions’ international board of directors, will be the keynote speaker.

Lori Kesinger, adviser to the group, said planning began this spring to establish the volunteer organization. Plans call for eyeglass collection drives and volunteer days with other organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Cottonwood Inc. and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

KU medical student to study in Lawrence

Kansas University medical student Angela Stueve is participating in a rural family practice experience with Lawrence physician Steven T. Thomsen and will study in Lawrence for four weeks beginning Monday.

Dr. Thomsen, of Lawrence Family Practice Center, is a volunteer mentor or preceptor, with the School of Medicine in Kansas City, Kan. The program places all fourth-year medical students in communities across Kansas to expose them to the practice of primary care in nonurban areas and increase their awareness of professional opportunities in rural areas.

Local bars to compete in tug-of-war for charity

Teams from several Lawrence bars will be competing in the first “Bar Wars” charity tug-of-war tournament today.

The competition, sponsored by Toys for Tots and Jayhawk Beverage, will take place at 4 p.m. in Centennial Park, near Ninth and Iowa streets.

“We’ve set the limit at 10 people or 2,000 pounds per team,” said tournament organizer Merle Zuel. “But we won’t have a scale.”

Each team will pay an entry fee of $100 that will be donated to Toys for Tots.

The winning team will receive a trophy, T-shirts and free tickets to the upcoming Toys for Tots Blues Review, a fund-raising concert Nov. 6 at Liberty Hall, 644 Mass.

Bars and restaurants interested in putting a team together for the event can contact Zuel at 331-0799.

Lawrence schools begin Red Ribbon Week

Red Ribbon Week, Monday through Friday, is intended to teach children about the dangers of drugs to create a drug-free America.

Schools in the Lawrence area have planned activities for each day of the week, including team-building, drug prevention and other activities that promote healthful lifestyle choices.

Participating schools include Prairie Park, Woodlawn, Quail Run, Cordley, Broken Arrow, Langston Hughes, Wakarusa Valley, Schwegler, South Junior High, Kennedy, Sunflower, Central Junior High, Pinckney and Hillcrest.

For more information about Red Ribbon Week, call 832-5000.

Extension Council plans elections

The annual Douglas County Extension Council election will be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Deal Six Auditorium at the Douglas County Extension Office, 2110 Harper St.

A nominating committee has selected these nominees:

Agriculture, David Bunker, Doug Gaston and John Bradley; family and consumer sciences, Annette Larson, Cheryl Hunsinger and Rachel Purvis; economic development, Bruce Flanders, Andrea Zuercher and Chris Durflinger; 4-H youth development, Jana Dunbar, Twilla Brown and LaDonna Wilson.

Any Douglas County residents who are eligible to vote can cast a ballot at the office.

KU sets final exam

Kansas University has announced the following final examinations:

• Chad S. Braun, pharmaceutical chemistry, “Biophysical Analysis of Structure/Function Relationships of Gene Delivery Systems,” 3 p.m. Nov. 4, Simons Auditorium.
• Eric B. Berg, philosophy, “A Philosophical Introduction to Norman MacLean by way of Kierkegaard: Distinctions Between Fear and Anxiety,” 4 p.m. Nov. 5, 3097 Wescoe.