April 1: Abilene is one of three finalists for the Kansas Sampler Festival. Josephine Graham of Marquette gets the Viewer’s Choice Award for her entry, Whole Cloth World, at the Ida Stover Eisenhower Quilt Show at the Dickinson County Heritage Center.
April 2: Local gospel group the “Emmanuelaires’ will perform during the Good News Spectacular planned April 7 at the Abilene High School gymnasium. The Abilene Community Center will be closed Sunday, April 4 to observe Easter.
April 3: Ed Seaton, editor-in-chief at the Manhattan Mercury will speak in Abilene about the years he spent on The Pulitzer Prize committee. Seaton will speak to the Ladies Literary League on April 8. A story remembers the Grace and Truth Gospel Chapel. The church held services for 91 years and closed its doors on March 21.
April 6: Volunteers are needed to move a movie screen into the Great Plains Theatre. The 24-foot-wide screen weighs about 800 pounds. Abilene officials approve a resolution to refinance two bond issues and save more than $40,000 in interest.
April 7: Fourth graders from across Abilene receive spruce tree seedlings from the Fourth Grade Foresters program, sponsored by the Abilene Tree Board. The activity is tied to Arbor Day activities. Herington voters elect Julie Schlesener to a third term on the city commission by a write-in vote. Schlesener resigned the seat in late 2010. Phil Weishshaar is elected Mayor in Chapman.
April 8: Officials from the Kansas Department of Transportation will assist with the set up of detour barriers for the April 10 Eisenhower Marathon. Rain moves a planned outdoor rededication of the Abilene Public Library to the visitors center at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum.
April 9: Michael and Michelle Combs make the first stop of their 50-state flight in a Remos Weishaar plane at the Abilene Airport. The Denton, Texas, couple have a second home in Abilene. Dickinson County commissioners okay a resolution to allow Sunday packaged beer sales in unincorporated areas of the county. VFW Post 3279 in Abilene is honored on its 75th anniversary.
April 10: Bill and Helen Foerschler of rural Enterprise are selected as parade marshalls of the Western Downtown Parade. Carol James of Abilene is inducted into the Kansas Quarter Horse Hall of Fame.
April 13: Diane Miller becomes Abilene’s mayor when the commission reorganizes during its April 12 meeting. Miller has been on the board since 2003. Ben Smith is named the new principal at Abilene High School. He has been principal at Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville for several years.
April 14: Plans are underway for the April 25 Community Mingle. Chapman High School prepares for its April 17th Prom. A recital is planned April 17 for the Spring 2010 Violin Group Lesson Classes, sponsored by the Arts Council of Dickinson County.
April 15: Abilene planners discuss growth patterns and zoning issues. Community development director James Holland said an interlocal agreement between Abilene and Dickinson County that attempted to address development standards in areas close to Abilene has expired.
April 16: SRS offices in Abilene and Wamego will close on April 30. An Old Settlers dinner, to benefit the Hope Community Historical Association, is planned April 18.
April 17: A fire in a downtown Chapman building caused damage to a second story apartment at 417 N. Marshall. Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters will celebrate National Volunteer Week April 18-24. The First National Bank of Hope joins other members of the Community Bankers Association of Kansas in celebrating Community Bank Week April 19-24.
April 19: A six-year-old Abilene boy, Matthew Lillich, is injured April 17 after he was backed over by a pickup truck driven by his father.
April 20: An Abilene teen died April 19 in a hunting accident. Dickinson County Sheriff Gareth Hoffman said Devin Ray Taylor, 16, was hunting in a field east of Enterprise when the accident occurred. Four finalists have been announced for the position of superintendent of the Abilene schools.
April 21: St. Andrew’s School plans its kindergarten roundup. Food vendors are sought for Cinco de Mayo, which will be celebrated in downtown Abilene on May 1. About 150 soldiers of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat team, also known as Dragon Brigade, returns to Ft. Riley on April 24.
April 22: Secretary of State Robert Gates will speak at the Eisenhower Library and Museum during the May 8 VE celebration. Dickinson County District Court will be closed Friday, April 23 due to lack of funds in the state’s judicial budget. This is the third of four planned furlough days this spring.
April 23: Shelly Swayne is hired as new secondary principal at Solomon. Hi Noon Hero, owned by Wayne Strong, of Abilene, was named to the All American Team at the Greyhound Hall of Fame. Heavy rain fails to dampen the spirit of fourth graders attending the Save-A-Drop Water Festival sponsored by the Dickinson County Department of Environmental Services. Devin Taylor is remembered in a memorial service. The teen died earlier in the week in a hunting accident.
April 24: During its annual meeting, the Community Foundation of Dickinson County celebrates accomplishments of the past year, welcomes incoming chairman Larry Coulson and awards $10,000 in scholarships. Gruen Von Behrens, a cancer survivor who spoke to Abilene High School students earlier in the year, will make several presentations to elementary and middle school students and the public.
April 26: Cancer survivors, supporters and others walk laps during the Dickinson County Relay for Life event at the Abilene High School track. NGA spring results are announced
April 27: The Abilene City Commission okays a maintenance pact for the city water towers. Abilene assistant police chief Pat Soukup is remembered by staff and co-workers. Soukup, 62, died of a heart attack on April 24.
April 28: Soldiers from the Dragon Brigade at Fort Riley return after being deployed to Iraq in September 2009. Abilene’s governing body offers its support for a five-star museum district for the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, the Greyhound Hall of Fame, Old Abilene Town, Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad Association and the Dickinson County Heritage Center.
April 29: Garfield Elementary prepares for the 68th birthday celebration at the school. Local census workers will be knocking on the doors of people who have not returned their census forms.
April 30: The Abilene Downtown Association begins its Cinco de Mayor activities in downtown.