A reaction that was priceless. That is how Kiley Klug described the reaction her son had when members of the Kansas State University men’s basketball team came to visit Owen this week.

Owen Klug is an 11-year old from Odin that attends fifth grade at Eisenhower Elementary School in Great Bend. At the age of six, Owen was diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome, a disorder characterized by severe, chronic epilepsy and global developmental delay.

The Klug family are big supporters of K-State, and Kiley sent out a message on Twitter that noted despite Owen’s surgery at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City this week, they would at least be nearby the Wildcats as they compete in the Big 12 Conference Tournament at the Sprint Center.

Kiley Klug Audio

Owen underwent a six-hour reconstructive surgery on his hips that were dislocated, a major surgery that Kiley mentioned is fairly standard for children with cerebral palsy characteristics or tendencies.

Kiley says she was starstruck when the Wildcat bus showed up to Children’s Mercy Hospital Wednesday and eight players, including Dean Wade and Barry Brown, came to see Owen. Just waking up from the surgery, Owen lit up at the site of the K-State basketball players.

Kiley Klug Audio

Owen will have casts on both his legs for two weeks. The recovery process is six to eight weeks.

*Kansas State went on to beat TCU 70-61 in the quarterfinals the following day.

The Great Bend Jazz Festival takes place Saturday night with the 25th Anniversary Concert at the Barton Community College Fine Arts Auditorium. Great Bend resident Robert Feldt says the idea for an annual jazz event started with conversations between local musicians and jazz enthusiasts 25 years ago which led to the event taking place every year in Great Bend.

Robert Feldt Audio

This year the festival headliner is Karrin Allyson, who was born in Great Bend in 1963, as the daughter of a Lutheran minister. The family moved when she was a young girl as she went on to study classical music and began writing songs. She came back to perform in Great Bend 17 years ago and according to Feldt, has made quite a career for herself.

Robert Feldt Audio

But instead, tickets for Saturday night’s Jazz Festival are only $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for students and will be available at the door to enjoy the music of Karrin Allyson, who has been nominated for five Grammy Awards. There will also be performances by several local musicians.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night.

On Tuesday, March 12 at approximately 11 a.m. officers from the Great Bend Police Department stopped a vehicle in the 1600 block of Lakin for traffic violations.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Hannah Kennedy, age 18. Officers determined Kennedy did not have a valid driver’s license and the vehicle had an illegal license plate and no insurance.

Kennedy was placed under arrest on these charges. A search of the vehicle was conducted, prior to it being towed. Officers located narcotics inside the vehicle. Kennedy was also charged with the possession of methamphetamine and booked into the Barton County Jail.

Formal charges will be filed in Barton County District Court.

The Barton County Sheriff’s Office booking activity log shows Kennedy being booked into jail with a $10,000 cash or surety bond, a bond she posted through Dyn-O-mite Bonding.

On Wednesday, March 13 at 10:39 p.m. Barton County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched to a reported motor vehicle accident on US 56 Highway near mile marker 208. This location is approximately one mile east of the city of Great Bend on US 56.

Upon arrival Sheriff’s deputies located a two-vehicle accident on the north shoulder of the roadway. Investigation indicates a 2006 Dodge ram pickup, white in color was eastbound on US 56 when it crossed left of center. The vehicle may have been attempting to pass at the time of the collision. The vehicle was operated by Jaron Brittain, age 17 of Hudson.

The second vehicle, a 2003 Ford F250, black in color was westbound. The operator was identified as Sergio Rutiaga of Liberal.

It appears the Britton vehicle attempted to avoid the accident by steering towards the left (north) ditch. The 2003 Ford, operated by Rutiaga, struck the Brittain vehicle broadside in the passenger door.

A passenger in the Brittain vehicle identified as Wyatt Henkel, age 15 of Hudson sustained fatal injuries upon impact and was pronounced dead at the scene. Britain and Rutiaga were both transported to KU Medical Center Great Bend, with non-life-threatening injuries. Their condition is not known at this time.

The accident is currently under investigation by the Barton County Sheriff’s Office. It does not appear alcohol was a contributing factor. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by units from the Great Bend Fire Department and EMS service, the Great Bend Police Department, and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

BOOKED: Pablo Martinez of Great Bend on a Barton County District Court warrant for failure to appear, no bond.

BOOKED: Alexander Cifuentes of Great Bend on a Great Bend Municipal Court case for no DL, no insurance, leaving the accident scene and upon striking a vehicle, bond set at $500 C/S.

RELEASED: Zackery Jacobs of Great Bend on Barton County District Court serve sentence.

Russell Community Theater has announced its 2019 slate of plays.

“About Time”, written by Tom Cole and directed by Bob Roe, opens the season April 30 through May 4, 2019 at the RCT Playhouse located at 5^th and Kansas in Russell.

In “About Time”, an elderly married couple is found in the kitchen of their condominium at breakfast, lunch, dinner and finally for a late snack. The couple talks about everything under the sun, including food, sex, children and aging. She is slowing down some and he can’t get around like he once could, but they are both still sharp as tacks. Through the four scenes, they grapple with what it means to share – and come to the end of – a life together.

“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridge) [revised] is written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield. Mitch Eaton will direct the summer production which will be presented June 25-29 at the RCT Playhouse.

Celebrating over 30 years on the stage, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]” features all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays (SURPRISE!!) performed in just over 90 minutes (WOW!!) by three actors (NO WAY!!). Fast paced, witty and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lover and haters alike. Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through the Bard’s Comedies, Histories and Tragedies in one wild ride that will leave you breathless with laughter.

The 2019 season wraps up at the RCT Playhouse October 8-12 with “Four Old Broads”, written by Leslie Kimbell and directed by Crystal Craig.

Retired burlesque queen Beatrice needs a vacation from Magnolia Place Assisted Living and a Sassy Seniors Cruise sounds perfect if she can convince her best friend, Eaddy Mae, to join her. Other residents are facing their own issues – memory loss, soap opera obsession, unrequited love – and things just haven’t been the same since Nurse Pat began working there. Mysteries unfold as the gals try to outsmart the evil Nurse Pat. If everything goes as planned, they’ll make it to the cruise ship after all.

Russell Community Theater is a non-profit theater company in Russell, Kansas. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater. Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 94 full-scale theatrical productions. For more information, call 785-483-4057 or find us on Facebook.