Palm trees are hot property

Glen Smith, owner of Glen’s Opry, wants to find out who’s been taking his palm trees on the west side of his business, and he’s willing to pay to find out.
“I want to make an offer of a $500 reward for the arrest and conviction of whoever took them,” Smith said Saturday.
Smith’s first tree was stolen about two weeks ago from the Opry, 707 E. Fourth. Another was stolen Thursday. The trees are valued at $3,500 each.
“That’s $7,000 worth of palm trees, and I”m back to where I started,” he said.
The 12-foot-tall decorative trees are too durable to have accidentally broken, he said. They are guaranteed to withstand winds up to 80 mph. The trunks are made of fiberglass and the limbs are Teflon-coated rebar.
Before this summer, the palm trees had shaded the Opry house for three of the five years Smith has been in business.
“They”re beautiful, everybody likes them, but I can”t keep buying them,” he said.

Lawrence ready for arts festival

The work of more than 150 artists and craftsmen will be on display Sunday during Lawrence’s 20th Annual Fall Arts and Crafts Festival.
The original artwork and handmade crafts will be shown in South Park, 1141 Mass. Admission is free.
The fall festival, which has developed a national reputation, draws exhibitors from as far as California, Texas and New Mexico.
“We work hard to ensure that visitors to the festival find a unique collection of original art and truly handmade crafts,” said Duane Peterson, special events supervisor for the Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department.
The festival also includes children’s activities, music, dancing and a variety of food concessions.

Basehor car show scheduled Sept. 26

Family activities, a craft show, music and more will accompany the third annual Basehor Car Show. The event will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 26 at the Basehor-Linwood High School.
Winners of the car show will receive trophies, with more than 20 awards presented. High school students are invited to enter cars in a class of their own.
The Basehor-Linwood High School is located eight miles east of Tonganoxie, just north of U.S. Highway 24-40. Admission is free for the event, parking is $1. For more information, contact Bob Purtee, (913) 724-1108.

Recycling drop-off to be at fairgrounds

The next S.O.R.T. recycling effort will be from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds.
The fourth-grade students of Karen Stephenson will collect items at this drop-off.
The location for the drop-off has been moved to the east gate entrance of the fairgrounds.

5K walk to benefit Leavenworth Arc

If you”re looking for a way to get some exercise and help an area group, head out on Saturday, Sept. 18, to Fort Leavenworth.
That’s the day The Arc of Leavenworth County will hold its sixth annual Arc Walk/Fun Run at the fort.
Registration for the 5K event will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Family Support Center, Grant and Kansas avenues. The walk itself will begin at 9 a.m. An additional 5K loop will be available for runners.
The registration fee is $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger.
All registered walkers will receive a walk T-shirt, a goody bag and a free breakfast. Many prizes and gift certificates will go to walkers who help raise money by collecting pledges.
All proceeds from the walk will be used within Leavenworth County to fund the services The Arc provides to people with mental retardation.
For more information, call The Arc office, Wednesday through Saturday, 913-651-6464, or stop by The Arc Thrift Store, 217-A Delaware, Leavenworth.

Area towns approve year 2000 budgets

In recent weeks, the Basehor and Linwood city councils have approved their budgets for next year.
The Basehor City Council approved a budget with expenditures totaling $1,102,000.
This means an estimated tax rate of 14.831 mills, a drop from the 16.738 mills assessed in 1999.
The ad valorem tax levied by the city will be $164,732, compared to $178,044 in 1999.
The Linwood City Council approved a budget that carries a new levy of 25.03 mills, which is slightly above the 1999 levy of 24.450.