At the Mike

At the Mike Weekly column that runs in the local newspaper and extras revolving around sports in the Great Bend

09/11/2026

At the Mike - September 10, 2026

Goodbye triple digits, football gets started, and getting a little older

Finally, a break in the heat. Wow. The stretch of 100 degree days to open September was crazy.

Eight straight days over 100. It went something like this 100, 105, 103 to open. Then it cooled off to 102 for the next four days before dipping to a chilly 101 Tuesday. Man.

But I am going to step on a limb and say there will be no more triple digits this year. Yes, that limb is probably creaking as we speak.

The next 10 days, according to Accuweather, five of those days with a high in the 80s and one with a high in the 70s. Yes, 70s. Sure it lists four more in the 90s, including 96 on Sunday.

A handful have a chance for rain as well. Wouldn’t that be nice. Rain.

Prep Sports

And away we go. The football season is underway.

Locally, Great Bend got off to a nice start to the season as it competes at 4A this year. The Panthers rolled by Scott City, 47-28. They get a big matchup this week that will help gauge where they stand on the west side of 4A.

The east side of 4A is definitely top heavy with Bishop Meige and St. Thomas Aquinas. The west not so much. Great Bend, Buhler and Wamego are near the most mentioned in the polls. Right below those three is McPherson, Mulvane and Wellington. The foe for the Panthers this Friday is McPherson, a 42-6 winner over Augusta to start the season.

Last season the Panthers rolled by the Bullpups. This year will be more of a challenge as GB looks to establish itself as a team to beat on the west side of 4A with its second home game to start the year. A trip to Buhler is set for a couple weeks as well.

Hoisington had an easy win in its opener, 26-8 over Hillsboro. The next two weeks will tell a lot about this year’s edition of the Cardinals. Right now the Cards are ranked No. 5 in 3A. Friday is a trip to traditional power Hesston, an easy winner of Halstead in week one. Week three sees Hoisington host No. 4 Cheney. Those two games should give Zach Baird’s squad a pretty good idea of what is working and what needs to be worked on.

Larned lost its opener under new coach Jason Duvall at Smoky Valley and hit the road again at Hillsboro this week. That same Hillsboro team that lost to Hoisington. Larned lost this game 35-0 last year.

Ellinwood is not playing for the first time but it will be the first game that counts. Last week the Eagles made the long trek to Southwestern Heights only to have lightning end the contest in the first half. This week the Eagles will be at home to take on Smoky Valley.

In 8-man play, Central Plains scored a huge win to start the season. The Oilers knocked D-II ranked Victoria on the road, winning 26-18. The win moved CP into the rankings at D-I. Victoria was by far the toughest foe on the slate until week six when the Oilers take on defending champ and top-ranked South Central. This week Central Plains hosts Ell-Saline.

St. John lost a tough one to start the season, falling 38-36 at home to Ness City. Macksville opened its season with a tight game as well, winning 50-44 over Pretty Prairie. This week the two Stafford County foes hook up on the field at the St. John makes the 20 minutes to Macksville.

Stafford got off to a good start as well, winning 30-6 over Fairfield. The Trojans will travel to Skyline this week to take on a Thunderbird team that opened with a 20-18 double OT win over Norwich.

And Finally

It happens every year. We get older. And that is a good thing. The alternative is not.

So why do I mention that, you ask? School pictures and football made me think of that.

Actually, as I was filling out my seating chart this past week for class I noticed how much the middle school students change in appearance from 7th grade to 8th grade from their photos in stock. Normal stuff.

Then I realized we had school pictures Wednesday. Staff went just before school started. I stood in line, stepped up and one click. Done.

One photo and move on. I think others around me had two, maybe three. Me? One.

So that makes me think the fella looked at me, snapped a photo and thought ‘I really can’t do much with this subject. No need to waste my time.’

Getting older, yep.

Last Friday on the way to our football game I was sitting by Steve Webster. One of my best friends since we first met in 1989. Some 37 years ago. Wow. That is a long time.

As we were heading to the football game I thought to myself, Steve is actually older than his father was when I first met Steve. Big Jim, as he was known, was 57. Steve is about 10 years older than that now.

For myself, when Steve and I met, my father was 52. I am now 59. Also older than my father when we first met. Makes you stop and think a bit.

After the football game, soreness. First game of the year and all, I know. It will get better. The next morning it was a struggle to get up. And I had a volleyball tournament to help do the scoreboard. At least that was sitting down.

Week one is in the books. Hopefully week two comes with a little less sore muscles the following day, which will again be a volleyball tournament day.

09/04/2026

At the Mike - September 3. 2026

Hot weather and football, football, and more football

It cools off in September. Yep. If any, at absolute most 1-3 days over 100. Yep. The average number of days over 100 in September is less than one. Yep. Okay then.

But no, September is starting off with a hot-streak not seen in our area in like 100 years. Another triple digit number there.

Every day through next Wednesday, that would be Sept. 9, has a chance to hit 100. All nine of those days are forecast at 100 or over. Three are right at 100. What are the most 100 degree days in September in Great Bend? How about seven from the Dust Bowl days of 1931 - nearly 100 years ago.

There is hope though. Following the first 10 days of the month, temps are to drop into the 80s for a high. And yes, 60s overnight. Nice.

Prep Sports

Tee it up. Let’s go.

Football season is here. Let’s take a look at the teams in our area where they stack up for the upcoming season.

Great Bend drops to 4A this year for a 2-year cycle. The Panthers open the season ranked No. 3 in the coaches poll. Powers Aquinas and Bishop Miege are the top two in 4A. Both are on the east half of 4A. The Panthers lost a lot from last year’s graduating class. But the west side of 4A is far from loaded. The Panthers are at home against Scott City to start. Stay tuned.

Hoisington and Larned both went up to 3A and will be in the same district again. Hoisington is No. 5 in Kpreps opening poll. Pratt is also in the district and is among others listed. Lyons and Nickerson round out the 5-team district.

Hoisington hosts Hillsboro and Larned, under the direction of new coach Jason Duvall, heads to Smoky Valley on Friday.

Ellinwood will line it up with defending 1A champion Sterling in district eight of 1A. Medicine Lodge and Syracuse join them. The Eagles, also under a new coach this year in Dave Kempke, are at Southwestern Heights Friday.

At the 8-man level, Central Plains and St. John will compete in district seven. The Oilers are set for a good season but in that district is defending 8-Man I champ and the No. 1 ranked team to start the year in South Central.

Central Plains will head to D-II No. 4 ranked Victoria to open the 2026 season while St. John, with new coach Reuben Martin, hosts Ness City.

At 8-Man II, Macksville and Stafford are in different districts. The Mustangs will hang out in district five while the Trojans will compete in district six. Macksville will be with Hodgeman, Kinsley, Meade, Minneola and Skyline. Meanwhile, Stafford gets a gauntlet of a district. In that district is No. 3 Little River, No. 4 Victoria, and No. 5 Sylvan-Lucas. Man. LaCrosse and Ellis join that quartet.

Macksville, also with a new coach in Jeff Savage, opens at Pretty Prairie. Stafford heads to Fairfield.

Football 2026 is underway. Let’s go.

And Finally

Ahh, football season is here. Friday nights in September and October. Football, football, football.

That has been the case for me since the fall of probably about 1972. For some 50-plus years I have been a part of high school football in Kansas in one form or another.

My earliest memories are sitting on the box that held the metal numbers for the scoreboard at the football field in Glen Elder. It was my job to change the numbers when points were scored. I was roughly in 1st or 2nd grade when I started doing this so it would have been 1972 or 1973.

That was my first job ‘inside the fence’ at a high school football field. By the time I reached late grade school and junior high, an electronic scoreboard replaced me. But I moved up to the press box to help the announcer with who made the tackle, who carried the ball, etc. for those home Waconda East football games.

Then came high school and I played for the Vikings. From there it was on to college, where I started writing for the school newspaper. With that came a call to help at the Hays Daily News. The sports editor at the University Leader at Fort Hays and suggested me to Diane Gasper-O’Brien at the Hays Daily.

That first year was mostly taking calls in the office but late in the season I got assignments to go to area games to cover in person. That fall, 1985, began a 15-year run covering games for newspapers. First for the Hays Daily News, then on to Pratt where I was the Sports Editor for the Pratt Tribune.

Late in the summer of 1999 at Green Valley Golf Course in Pratt, perhaps after a b**r or two, I remember being convinced to referee some junior high games in the area. Bruce Pinkall, Bob Householter and Steve Holmes talked me into it. It wasn’t Friday’s but it started my career as a football referee.

In 2001 I made the move to Great Bend. That summer I made my way over to Larned to watch the Pratt American Legion team and my favorite baseball coach of all-time Smoky Ford. Jon Shaver, a friend since college, saw me and asked me to officiate some games with him. By this time I was no longer writing for the newspaper but working in Sports Information at Barton.

The transition was made to a full-time football official on Friday nights. Here we are 26 years later and still officiating with Jon.

From a 6-year old scorekeeper, to press box help, to player, to sports writer, to football official at now age 59. My Friday nights in September and October have been spent at or on a high school football field in the state of Kansas.

08/27/2026

At the Mike - August 27, 2026

August and the heat, hopefully, are coming to an end; volleyball rankings are out and recalling the malls

The end of August is in sight. August often tends to drag on a bit, I think mostly due to the heat.

This year has been no different as 10 days topped out at 100 or higher during the month. That is more than July this year. Since July 20, there have been 16 days over 100 degrees in Great Bend. That is nearly half of the days.

Last year July only saw three days over 100 and August five. So this year has been hotter. You don’t have to go too far back to get to 15 days over 100 between the two months. In 2023 there were 16 and in 2022 there were 17.

Historically, the temperatures reaching 100 in September are rare. In fact, during the heat wave of 2011 when both July and August had a staggering 21 days over 100, September had just four.

So cooler days are ahead. I think. No promises tho.

Prep Sports

Prayers go out to the Pawnee Heights football team, school and the communities of Rosel and Burdett. The passing of Rylan Reece is devastating. Unfortunately it brought out the worst in social media as folks began to criticize some individuals without knowing all the facts. RIP Rylan.

Volleyball rankings are out and some area teams are near the top.

Defending 2A champion Ellinwood is at the top of 2A again. Last season the Eagles went unbeaten on their way to the state title. Ellinwood did lose some key contributors but are ready to make another run.

Great Bend is ranked in 5A, coming in 6th in the preseason poll. Last year the Panthers advanced to the state tournament going 1-2 in pool play.

Hoisington is set for another big season as well. The Cardinals made it out of pool play at state last year, but lost in the semifinals to eventual state champion Silver Lake in two close sets before placing fourth at the event.

Finally, St. John is listed in the 1A, DI poll at No. 7. The Tigers won their regional last year but did not make it out of sub-state, losing a heart-breaking 3-set match to Spearville in the sub-state title match.

The Referee House

It’s almost time for us old fellas to start up the season. A Jamboree in Larned Friday, then a junior high visit on Thursday to Ellinwood before the Friday schedule begins.

While we have the same five guys for a stunning 15th year, a couple major changes are set for this season. It mostly deals with the two wings officials but definitely has an impact on the umpire as well. The umpire is the guy in the middle by the linebackers.

The biggest change is the wings will switch sides at halftime. Not sure how I feel about this yet being one of those wings. I have been running the chains for nearly all of my 26 years on the field.

During a game, the crew on the chains and myself gain some camaraderie. Shoot, I often see the same people through the years. As an official with the chains you communicate with them every play. Their job is to wait for you to move. Not before. It is second nature to me to do this every play at this point.

As the official from the other side comes over for a half, he is not used to this. Sure, adjustments can be made and most likely will be. But the habit of doing this every play is not there. The flow will be different for the chains.

This also affects penalties and measurements. Each official has a job to do on penalties. Small stuff, sure. And veterans will figure it out quickly, but still new stuff.

There is also a major shift of officials on kickoffs. Both wings now go back with the white hat to the return man farthest back. There used to be a stagger on the sides but not all are back. On field goals or extra points, the umpire now goes back to the goal post.

These changes are the biggest for officials since KSHSAA added that fifth official some 17 years ago. That was a change all officials were for. It made the game a better officiated game. These changes, we will see how it plays out.

And Finally

I often like to talk about how the 80s were. The time I was going through junior high, high school and into college. Fun times.

One of the major hot spots in the 80s were malls. I remember up in God’s Country of Glen Elder, the Salina Mall was the place to go. Hays had a pretty good mall as well.

As a youngster, there were a lot of other kids your age there. That was fun. The music store was the place to hang out.

Malls lasted well in the 2000s before they began to fade. I remember going to malls during this time. But my focus on the malls during this time frame shifted from hanging out in music stores to finding a good bench and sitting while my wife and daughter went shopping.

The Food Court was a pretty good hang out spot by this time because they had multiple benches. I may have even fallen asleep there. Maybe.

As I was shopping in Great Bend the other night, I thought about those malls. The reason? I just wanted to sit down while the others did the shopping. Why are there not more benches inside stores, even near the door, where you can just sit and hang out.

Shoot, maybe even throw in a coffee pot nearby and some cups for us older fellas that don’t really want to deal with all the people. Or even just want to walk around.

What would be really cool is a couch, a pot of coffee and the Andy Griffith show playing on a television. That would bring more 60 years into department stores for sure.

Oh well, until that time comes, I will mosey along behind those that are doing the shopping. Trying to pay enough attention that I don’t get lost somewhere in the shuffle.

08/20/2026

At the Mike - August 20, 2026

School is back everywhere, fall sports are underway and year 26 in stripes

I gotta go back … back … back to school again. Whoa, whoa, I gotta go … back to school again. I did that with my best Four Tops rendition running through my mind.

Some area schools started last week, the remainder are now underway as well with a few getting started today.

At Great Bend Middle School, we had the 7th graders only on Wednesday to get them accustomed to not only a new place but an entirely new way to do school. You change every hour. For eight hours.

And use a lock on a locker for your stuff. Let’s see 25 then counter clockwise past 7 once and stop at 7 the second time. Then clockwise to 20. Dang it, I went past it. Spin quickly like five times and start again.

The high school here does similar as only the freshmen were in on Wednesday with the rest of the students rolling in today.

Speaking of school, I have to give a shoutout here to my sister. Rhonda Farwell is starting her 45th year teaching. She has been in the Waconda USD 272 district the entire time. Junior high the entire time. She is in her third town thanks to consolidation. First Tipton, then Cawker City and Downs for the past several years. You are truly a gem Mrs. Farwell. Have yourself a great school year.

Whoa, whoa I gotta go … back to school again.

Prep Sports

Here we go. Practice is officially underway and the heat came back just to make things a little more fun for the outdoor sports.

Many in the area are using that evening slot to practice but the heat really doesn’t drop that much during that time frame. Tuesday was a really hot one. Wednesday and today are a little better in the low 90s, but still mighty warm. High 90s and 100s return for the weekend. Fun stuff.

For some sports, the games will get started next week. Not even two full weeks of prep. Football all gets underway that first Friday in September.

And Finally

Rules meeting, check. Test, check. Schedule set, check.

Year 26 officiating is ready to roll on the football field for myself to make sure kids play fair. I can’t wait.

Once again, the Jon Shaver crew has the same five dawning the stripes again this year. This will mark the 15th year we have had the same five on our crew. That is very rare in the world of high school football in Kansas.

Jon is ready to begin his 39th year. He has been the ‘white hat’ or head referee for the crew for 24 of those years. I am next in line as I start by 26th year. Right behind me is Mike Myrick, who is set for year 25. Steve Webster starts his 17th year and, the kid, Ty Racette begins year 15.

Together, the total number of years is 122. Wow. Pretty big number there.

Looking through the list of football officials in Barton County, the 26 years is the second most among the 17 registered officials. Four have more than 20 years under their belts - Jay Scheck with 39, Brett Middleton at 23 and Todd Moore at 22.

Four more have double digits year beside their name including Steve Webster. The other three officials from our crew are out of Larned. Ron Cooper, 44 years, and Lupe Perez, 33 years, are among the seven from Pawnee County.

A couple more names I will throw at you from our area are Bruce Stanford in Stafford County with 54 years. Yes, 54 years. Also Richard Anschutz in Rice County with 25. You won’t meet a better guy than Richard.

As I have stated before, with this crew the games itself are just part of the fun. Friday nights are an adventure for us. Travel has never been a problem. We don’t mind going a couple hours to a game because the ride there and back is with great friends.

This year’s schedule has a quartet of games that are more than two hours as we head to Beloit, Norton, Smith Center and Leoti for contests. The trip to Leoti is my first for a football game there I do believe. If I did it was way early in my career.

So Friday Night Lights are closing in for us. Good luck to all the area crews this season. I can’t wait.

08/15/2026

At the Mike - August 13, 2026

Garage sales, meteor showers, prep practice and time with grandkids

It’s another weekend full of activities in Great Bend.

The City Wide garage sale is set for this weekend. The Tribune is the place for the full listing of those sales. Get out early on Saturday if you want to beat the heat. Temps are looking to hit triple digits that day for the seventh consecutive day. Wow.

Another fun event is the tracking of the Perseid Meteor Shower. It’s been around for a bit but it’s peak viewing should be this weekend. Getting out of town, obviously, makes it easier to see.

Friday night at the Wetland Education Center they will be having a watch party. The full moon we are having helps with the viewing actually. As the weekend progresses and moves into next week, the ability to see it drops rapidly.

For some, this is the final weekend before school starts next week. Others in the area get underway today.

Prep Sports

So as we close in on the first day of fall sports practices, it is not out of the ordinary to peek ahead to the temperatures. A quick glance last week showed that perhaps some days in the 80s were on the docket. But as we get closer, that is changing.

A peek into the future as of now tells me Monday will be the only day that does not top out in the 90s or higher. In fact, Wednesday thru Friday shows 100 as a high. Water, water, water, right?

That is different from some 45 years ago when you got a single water break about halfway through practice. That was if you didn’t get that break taken away. Yeah, things are a bit different now.

Oh well. Monday is the day. That first day of practice. Fun stuff.

And Finally

I’ve said before that the best job in the world is being a grandparent. Wade and Willow are absolutely precious. Wade just turned three a little more than a month ago and Willow just turned two a few weeks back.

The fact they live right here in the area is a priceless commodity. Their visits to our house and ours to theirs are absolutely awesome. They smile big when they see Crystal and I and even cry sometimes when we leave.

Then there are the sleepovers. We are always ready for a sleepover. Perhaps the kids don’t get to bed at their regular time. Perhaps. Just maybe they can run around at any time of the night. Just maybe. Who knows.

Maybe the fact they get a peanut butter and honey toast sandwich and chocolate milk before bedtime keeps them up. Maybe so. That is my nighttime treat so why not share the wealth, huh.

Then there are the extended stays. Lots of fun there. Four days of grandkids. Load up on apple juice and mac and cheese. Orange juice and muffins. Lemonade and pizza. Yum.

Trips to the splashpad. Walks in the stroller to the GB Rec playground. Work in the yard (with the sprinkler and bubbles perhaps). Wade is all about nature. Dancing and singing.

That is the case this weekend. Katelyn and Robert are away for a handful of days to celebrate their anniversary. Four years under their belts. Good stuff. So from Wednesday to Saturday or perhaps Sunday, Wade and Willow are all ours.

For the first few days I almost forget that I am nearly 60 years old. Watching them and all their excitement and energy is contagious. Staying up late and getting up early. I am used to getting up early. Check. Staying up late? Well, I used to do that.

The main factor here for me as the days move along is those afternoon naps. I am not against joining in on the afternoon naps. Shoot, I’d even have one in each arm napping with them.

There are photos to prove it. These are the times my wife likes to take pictures of me napping and post them on Facebook. I think that she believes this embarrasses me. But it doesn’t. It does not bother me to nap with my grandkids. I am participating. Not napping. Participating.

The long stays with the grandkids are fantastic. My wife and I prepare, anticipate and look forward to these times.

I should let Pastor Robert know ahead of time that if I fall asleep in church on Sunday it is not because his sermon is boring. It is because by day four or five, I just might be worn out a bit.

Happy Anniversary to Katelyn and Robert. Have fun. We got the grandkids covered.

08/08/2026

At the Mike - August 6, 2026

Cool wave hits, prep sports 11 days away and mud volleyball takes center stage

Was that a cool wave that hit Wednesday? Did it really not get even to 90 degrees? Wow. Again today, 90 is about as high as it gets. Some rain mixed in? Sorta.

But don’t get comfortable with that. Nope. Not at all.

Try, perhaps, five straight days of 100 or higher, try three straight of 107, 106, and 105 starting Saturday. Those three are bookended by days of 101. Maybe later next week we get some … dare I say it again ... rain. Yeah, that’s it. Hopefully we get some more of that there rain stuff late next week.

But I’m not holding my breath.

The Dog Days are far from over. Hopefully by the time prep practices get started and schools in the area get rolling, some next week, the temps will go down. You know, 80s would be good but at this point low 90s are more realistic.

But for some reason it is still cold in my house. I am not allowed to touch the thermostat.

Prep Sports

It’s getting closer. Summer activities are in the rearview mirror. Physicals are in the books for most of the athletes. The countdown is on.

The first day of fall practices for high schools in the state of Kansas is knocking on the door. Just 11 days away to be exact. Monday, August 17.

That date gives coaches less than three weeks to get teams ready for play. Heck, tennis for the girls can go on Friday, August 21 and golf for the girls the following Monday, the 24th. Think about that, tennis can go just five days into the fall season. Golf in just one week.

Most programs don’t start that fast. Many do start late the 2nd week, however. For Great Bend, tennis starts the next Thursday and golf on the 31st. Cross Country, volleyball and football all start the first week of September. Several of the area teams will start its cross country season at Lake Barton on Sept. 3.

Most volleyball teams will open that same Thursday while football kicks things off the next day.

Yep, the fun is just around the corner. Practice is 11 days away. The first competitions are now less than one month away.

And Finally

There are several unofficial starts to the summer. There is the end of school. Perhaps Memorial Day. Or maybe, just maybe, the official start of summer in late June.

The same can be said about the end of summer. Two stick out for sure - the start of school and Labor Day weekend.

Perhaps it's the first day of sports practices for those in high school. Maybe here in Great Bend the last unofficial day of summer is Party the Park on Saturday.

The 14th annual event this year is actually as early as it has been. Party in the Park is held the second Saturday of August and the 8th is the earliest date that can be.

This year’s event should be as busy as usual. With the re-organizing of June Jaunt and its transition away from Jack Kilby to the streets of Great Bend, Party in Park has become the biggest event of the summer in town.

This year’s edition will once again kick off with mud volleyball at 9 am with vendors set up. The Kiwanis Wet/Dry Parade will go at 10 am. It has become a pretty cool event for sure.

Of course there will be lots of activities for kids and the car show by the McKinley entrance always draws a big crowd.

The mud volleyball event has turned into one of the biggest events in Great Bend in and of itself. Up 30 teams with crowds over 1000 and more.

This draw of the event to Party in the Park showed in 2024 when the volleyball tournament was moved to the Expo Complex and not at Veterans Park. Party in the Park took a hit that year. Big time. It was brought back to Vets last year and it showed as the crowds swelled once again.

My mud volleyball days are very much in the past. I did play in my share of mud volleyball events at Waconda Lake up in God’s Country. Through the high school and college years it was a must. Let me tell you, mud gets everywhere on and in your body. I mean everywhere. I can’t even imagine not having a lake to head to after your game is over.

Yeah, I know they have the ‘hose-down’ stations, but, well, yeah, a lake does a much more thorough job.

But mud volleyball is a fun time for sure. It would get tougher to play as the day went along as the pits got a little softer mud in them. Diving for balls was never an issue. Splashing your teammate was never an issue. Shoot, doing a belly flop was not out of the question for some.

Okay, so the temps are to hit three digits Saturday. Not that uncommon for Central Kansas in August but I don’t think it has made it past 100 in the previous 13 years of Party in the Park.

Get out early if that number is too high. Watch some mud volleyball. Get sprayed down in the parade. Grab some food and let the kid have some fun in the kids zone. Tour the car show. Go nice and slow.

The first ‘unofficial’ end of summer is this Saturday in Great Bend. Get out and celebrate.

07/31/2026

At the Mike - July 30, 2026

August set to roll in as we say good-bye to a very hot month of July

Good bye July. Adios. Sayonara. Bon Jour. See ya next year.

Yeah, and as they say, ‘don’t let the door hit ya where the dog shoulda bit ya’. More on that later.

Welcome, August.

Come on in.

Just the word August brings the thought that school is ready to start back up.

Online enrollment is underway for most area schools. In person enrollment isn’t far away. Monday and Tuesday, in fact, for USD 428 schools here in Great Bend. School starts August 19 and 20 for GB.

Hoisington is a week earlier on Aug. 13. Ellinwood starts on Aug. 20 and Central Plain a day before on the 19th. The 13th and the 20th are popular start dates in the area. Stafford and Macksville start on the 13th while Larned and St. John get underway on the 20th.

August is also time for Party in the Park. That will be a week from Saturday. The wet/dry parade is always a hit at the event as is the mud volleyball.

The 14th annual event will have mud volleyball get underway at 9 am with the wet/dry parade set to start an hour later at 10 am.

So, goodbye July. The door is open for August to head on in.

The Referee House

Some major changes are heading the way of football officials this fall at the high school level. I’ve been at this for 26 years. The biggest change during that time has been the adding of a back judge to crews. That came in, officially with KSHSAA, in 2009.

This is probably second only to that.

While this year’s changes are not adding anyone, it involves a lot of changes as to where an official will line up. For an old-timer like me, I’m not sure how I feel about them just yet.

More on that as we get closer to the 2026 football season.

And Finally

It’s Kansas. It’s July. It’s hot. I get it already. But, man, enough.

Today will mark the 11th time in 13 days it has been over 96 degrees. And the two that weren’t higher than 96 were refreshing 91 and 92.

This is what they call the Dog Days of summer. For Kansas that often means hot. July is the hottest month of the year on average - barely edging out August.

Those refreshing days of 91 and 92 are pretty much the average for July in these parts. August runs a couple degrees cooler is all.

September's average hits the low 80s. Ahhh. The low 80s. Nice.

Anyway, July is wrapping up inside a blast furnace. The last week of July, starting last Saturday, temps have topped 100 three times and have been at least 98 for a high every day. It’s likely to top 100 at least one more time as well.

Oh, and the 111 degree explosion we had on Monday, was as hot as it’s ever been in Great Bend, according to my friend Gemini.

It’s been 111 on several occasions but never 112. The last time it hit 111 was in June of 2012. It also happened in 1980 and 1954.

This month the average daily high has been 96. Yes I said the average daily high of 96. Only a handful of months have been hotter.

The hottest month on record for Great Bend is July of 1936. The Dust Bowl. That July it averaged 105.4. Man. I shouldn’t really complain about 96, huh.

Two more months had averaged over 100 degrees and are much more recent. Well, recent for us old folks.

The aforementioned July of 1980 had an average July temperature of 101.2. That year 24 of the 31 days were over 100 degrees, including 18 straight at one point, topping out at 110 and 111 on a few occasions.

Yep. The average of 96 is feeling cooler all the time.

More recently in July of 2011 it averaged 100.1. Just 15 years ago we had 14 days over 100 in July as part of a staggering 36 days total that year that went over 100 degrees. August had 11 more days over 100 that year as well. September even had a couple days early in the month.

I might even grab a jacket now.

A few more years had temps a bit higher on average, including the previously listed 1954 and 2012.

So, yeah, it’s been a hot month. Absolutely. But at least it’s not 1936 or even 1980. Shoot, it’s better than 15 years ago.

Don’t it just seem cooler already.

We won’t talk about the temps on August 8 and Party in the Park.

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