The Eudora Chamber of Commerce is being rebooted for the second time this year with Mary Kirkendoll, owner of the Yoga Center, taking on the job of the organization’s project coordinator earlier this month.

Kirkendoll said her decision to take the position was a natural progression of her decision to sit on the chamber board and make her old Yoga Center site at 706 Main Street available as office space for the chamber. The chamber’s phone number is 785-542-1212.

“When we had the position of project coordinator open and went through the hiring process but didn’t find anyone, I volunteered to do it,” she said. “It just happens it’s very convenient for me because I live here. The chamber has always had very good intentions, which is why I joined the board in the first place. We’ve just needed to give it a little bit of attention.”

She will be in the office from 1 to 4 p.m. weekdays. It’s not a long commute to the job as she lives above her yoga studio next door, Kirkendoll said. Moreover, Brian Dennis of University of Kansas Small Business Development will be in the office from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, she said.

Kirkendoll invited residents to stop by the office to visit, expressing hope the space becomes a place people can gather and enjoy a cup of coffee.

She hasn’t had much traffic through her office yet because few chamber members or Eudora residents know about the office or her taking the position. That will change in the next week with the mailing of a chamber newsletter and announcements at the chamber’s monthly meeting.

The meeting will be from noon to 1 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Yoga Center, 704 Main. There will be a free lunch provided by the Yoga Center. Guest speakers will be Leslie Herring, assistant to the Eudora City Manager, who will speak on September’s Great Kaw Adventure Race, and Lindsey Sanchez, children’s librarian at the Eudora Public Library, who will provide updates on children’s programs and the library’s expansion plans.

Kirkendoll said another immediate goal is an update of the chamber’s website, groweudora.com.

Baldwin City residents have probably noticed a slight increase in foot traffic downtown and near the Baker University campus and additional cars parked near residence halls or greek houses. They are the early arrivals of the annual influx of about 830 students who will start showing up in greater numbers in the next week.

Baker will greet the students with an Aug. 20 Wildcat Welcome, which includes the annual evening picnic. Baldwin City businesses or organizations who hope to be a part of the event should contact Randy Flowers at 785-594-8304 or by email at randy.flowers@bakerU.edu by Friday, Aug. 12.

The Kansas Highway Patrol has certified the Baldwin City Police Department to give pre-registration inspections of vehicles with out-of-state titles. Baldwin City Police Chief Greg Neis said the department sought the certification so that residents in the southern part of Douglas County or northern Franklin County wouldn’t have to go to Lawrence or Ottawa sites for the inspections. Unlike those two sites, the BCPD at 811 Eighth Street is open for inspections from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Neis said.

Eudora will celebrate the city’s location near the Kansas River with two events in the next two months. Eudora Parks and Recreation and the Friends of the Kaw are sponsoring an Aug. 27 Kansas River float in canoes and kayaks from the city’s Wakarusa River boat ramp downstream 11.5 miles to the De Soto boat ramp. The cost is $20 and includes canoes or kayaks, paddle, life jacket, refreshments and bus ride back to Eudora. The float will leave at 1 p.m. and end at 6:30 p.m. A bus will bring participants back to Eudora.
Preregistration is required and can be made by calling Jimmy Kegin at 785-542-3434.

Registrations also are being accepted for two-person teams competing in the Sept. 24 Great Kaw Adventure Race. The teams will be given six hours to complete the course that includes a 7.5-mile run, 11.5-mile canoe leg from Eudora to De Soto and 11-mile bike ride on paved and gravel roads back to Eudora. Registration is $150, with proceeds going to Friends of the Kaw and can be made online at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=39710.