TEG
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27, 2016
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PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING
FAMILY OWNED SINCE 1895
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Good Evening
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Never drive through
standing water.
WWW.EMPORIAGAZETTE.COM
NEW CHAMPIONSHIP DISC GOLF
COURSE UNVEILED IN OLPE
Course will be
used for Glass
Blown Open
deal with the state on the lake and
the water flow.
State officials and the Army Corp
of Engineers had to sign off every
step of the way with regards to the
water flow, which turned challenging at times.
“Olpe Mayor Keith Pimple did a
By Chris Walker
great job pushing the project at the
[email protected]
state level,” Smith said.
As the project pushed forward
As Dynamic Discs prepares to the volunteers built islands, peninhost the largest disc golf event in his- sulas, seven bridges, moats and contory, one the items receiving plenty crete tee pads. Smith built the strucof excitement among the players is tures in his garage, with the largest
the new championship level disc golf one spanning 180 feet.
“We built a 50-foot bridge in my
course in Olpe.
The 18-hole course winds around shop and took it to the course on
my 20-foot trailer,”
Olpe Lake and combines challenging “We have spent three years Smith said “It got
some funny looks
obstacles, narrow
fairways and many working on this project and going down the
shots over the wa- we are extremely honored road.”
Despite all the
ter. But people say
to be part of the GBO.”
work the men have
it is not the hazards
put in and the trethat will get players
MIKE SMITH,
mendous economic
— it’s the wind.
course creator
benefit it will bring
The course was
to Olpe, not all the
the creation of Mike
neighbors were
Smith and a team of
volunteers. Smith could not be hap- happy to have the course installed.
pier to have the course be included A petition was even started to stop
the project.
in the GBO.
“Some of the neighbors were
“We have spent three years
working on this project and we are upset because their lake views
extremely honored to be part of the changed,” Smith said “But, as the
project went on some of those peoGBO,” Smith said.
Smith lives in Olpe and has been ple came out and saw the project,
a disc golfer for more than 20 years. then really liked what we were doHe and his friends spent years dis- ing and even made donations to the
cussing and dreaming of putting a project.”
Leading up to the Glass Blown
championship course in Olpe like
Emporia has. Then, one day the Open, the staff of Dynamic Discs has
men got to work and thousands of helped fine-tune some of the basket
man hours and thousands of dollars locations.
The course has a par of 62 and
in donations later the course is now
the current record is held by Dya reality.
“When we started the project we namic Discs sponsored professional
had World Champion Disc Golfer Ron Convers Jr. who shot a course
Eric McCabe go out to walk the record of 58.
Smith and his volunteers are excourse and he didn’t think it could
be done due to the all overgrowth,” cited to see all the GBO competitors
Smith said. “We spent a year clear- play the course this week and are
ing timber and then had him come looking forward to hearing the comout again and he was amazed by the ments. However, the volunteers are
most thankful to all the donations
transformation.”
In addition to the timber and and efforts people made to make
overgrowth, the volunteers had to to their dream a reality.
LENGTH:
8,014 ft.
PAR: 62 par
COURSE
RECORD:
58 by Ron
Convers Jr.
COST: 100%
funded by the
community
donations.
HEAVY RAINFALLS LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING
By Jessie Wagoner
[email protected]
Storms passed through the Emporia area on Tuesday evening,
saturating the region with heavy
rainfall and some hail. The storm
system, which was predicted to be
significant, kept Emporians on edge
throughout the day Tuesday, leading to many cancelations and closings in advance of the storms.
Both Emporia State University
and Flint Hills Technical College
closed their campuses early and
canceled all evening activities.
Abundant Harvest and the Emporia Senior Center canceled evening
activities and multiple activities at
local schools were canceled or postponed. The Emporia Symphony Orchestra concert was postponed until
May 3.
JOHN ROBINSON/GAZETTE
A sign posting the new rule regarding playground closures at
Emporia elementary schools. Playgrounds will now be closed
from sunset to sunrise.
EMPORIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
PLAYGROUNDS CLOSED
By John Robinson
[email protected]
Please see Weather, Page 5
VOL. 124, NO. 256
CORBIN MCGUIRE/GAZETTE
Rain begins to fall over Jones Park on Tuesday evening.
The newest addition to playgrounds at Emporia elementary
schools isn’t a new slide or a
swing set, but a sign which informs those looking to spend time
on the blacktop that they need to
be gone when the sun goes down.
Citing “unlawful activities” recorded on outdoor video cameras, Nancy Horst, director of communications for Emporia Public
Schools, said the new rules are
not designed to prevent children
Please see Playground, Page 5