Through a local grant, the Tonganoxie High Art Department is drawing up plans for park benches with a theme.

A total of $750, through the Eastern Kansas Career Network Consortium Mini-grant, will fund the department’s project.

Benches can be pre-ordered or purchased during a Tonganoxie Days auction sponsored by the Kansas Auctioneers Association. KAA members from across the state also will bring items to the auction in June, and ticket packages for events at Kansas Speedway this summer will be auctioned off as well.

THS art instructor Jennifer Dixon-Perkins said the department likely would paint 10 benches, but they could do more if people pre-ordered benches.

The high school welding department will build a model, probably with wooden benches in mind.

That’s the art instructor’s plan at this point.

“If that doesn’t work, we’ll probably go to Home Depot and buy some brackets,” Dixon-Perkins said.

Groups of between two and three students will design each bench. Students are submitting sketches for their park benches. The department will then vote on which benches are the best and those will be constructed for the auction.

Part of the bench proceeds will go toward the auction and the other half to the art club for community projects.

Dixon-Perkins would like to see business owners preorder benches that could convey their businesses line of work, such as a medical theme for a dentist office.

“Then it would stay downtown,” Dixon-Perkins said. “That’s kind of what I’d like to see.”

In other Tonganoxie Days news, Mark Zerrer presented information Thursday about a 3-on-3 basketball tournament set for June 14 at Chieftain Park. The event will have five divisions — fifth and sixth grade, junior high, high school, 19-29 and 30 and older. Registration is $50 and signup deadline will be in early June.

Also during the meeting at council chambers in city hall, Connie Torneden reported that 20 of 60 booths for Tonganoxie Days already have been sold. The Country Cruisers Car Show will run at VFW park again this year, but unless sponsorship is found for the annual motorcycle show, it will not be part of this year’s festivities.