Discover Eudora is an official publication of the City of Eudora, the Eudora School District and the Eudora Chamber of Commerce, with editorial, design and advertising placement provided by Sunflower Publishing.
City Liaison Zack Daniel
Chamber Liaison Meagan Cox
School District Liaison Albania Andrade
Editor Nathan Pettengill
Art Director Alex Tatro
Copy Editor Leslie Clugston Andres
Advertising Angie Taylor
Photographers Fally Afani
Jason Dailey
Carter Gaskins
Writers Fally Afani
Melinda Briscoe
Wende Dailey
Cindy Higgins
www.eudorakansaschamber.com
President Meagan Cox www.cityofeudoraks.gov
Mayor Tim Reazin
City Manager Kevyn Gero
www.eudoraschools.org
School District
Superintendent Stu Moeckel
www.sunflowerpub.com
Director Bob Cucciniello
Publisher Bill Uhler
All material and photographs copyright Sunflower Publishing, 2024.
For editorial queries: Nathan Pettengill (785) 832-7287 npettengill@sunflowerpub.com
’24 a community guide. on the cover.
For advertising queries: Angie Taylor (785) 832-7236 ataylor@sunflowerpub.com
04 | ‘The Best Investment’ Eudora school district launches the first year of its early childhood learning center.
09 | When Business Met Bushwhackers
Owning and running your own business have never been easy, but entrepreneur Charles Freeman succeeded despite some of the most difficult conditions in 1850s Eudora.
12 | Big Park Dreams
This fall, the City of Eudora seeks your input on a document to guide priorities and spending for parks and recreation services over the next decade … so what will it be?
24 | ‘Of the Year’
The Eudora Chamber of Commerce's Annual Gala honors dedication and commitment to the community.
30 | Making Time for Ice Cream
Eudora Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year began with a chance encounter.
Main St Scoops and Sweets, the Eudora Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year, serves up this triple scoop treat of (from top) strawberry, brownie cascade, and peanut butter cookie dough with sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Photograph by Jason Dailey.
Story and photography by Fally Afani
‘The Best Investment’
Eudora school district launches the first year of its early childhood learning center.
These puppets represent the Early Learning Center’s balance of education, social enrichment, and play.
With just days to go before the opening of the 2024–2025 school year, the Early Learning Center was ready. The halls were decorated with bright colors, murals of trees and green spaces (a theme for the school). The classrooms were decked out with toys, and the cubbies were ready for jackets. All that was missing were the kids—and when they arrive this year, the district will be able to begin measuring the success of a carefully constructed plan long in the making.
The Early Learning Center, an addition to the school district office’s building, contains eight classrooms with books and enrichment activities designed for the learning goals of three- and four-year-olds.
Kristen Lewis, the director of the Early Learning Center, explains that the explosion of color and welcoming atmosphere are part of a rigorously designed new curriculum plan with the whimsical name of Frog Street.
She describes the majority of a day’s activities with Frog Street as a type of educational play called “play vision,” an essential core to the goals of comfort, socialization, and early learning.
But there are also several other activities in the day’s schedule.
“We’ll have small and large group activities, outdoor playtime to support the continued development of their gross motor skills, and story times, as well as many other activities,” Lewis says.
What sets the Early Learning Center apart from the rest of the district is that it is a yearround program. “In the summer, we don’t have enough certified teachers because of their agreement, so classes will continue in a style similar to summer camp. However, both summer and school-year classes will follow educational standards,” Lewis explains.
She adds: "The Kansas standards—math, literacy, and writing—are subjects we have really focused on to make sure our curriculum is meeting them."
Kristen Lewis leads a team of instructors across the Early Learning Center’s eight classrooms.
Heather Hundley, the district’s director of school improvement, notes that support from the Eudora Board of Education and financing from the recent school bond have helped make this program possible. She says the play-based learning at the program’s core “positions the district to continue its work toward increasing kindergarten readiness for all children.”
Superintendent Stu Moeckel says studies have shown the importance and positive effects of early childhood education.
“Almost every study would show that any investment into early childhood education over the course of that student’s career pays for itself tenfold,” he says, noting that the center also helps Eudora residents avoid issues like a lack of childcare or
waitlists for other learning facilities. “We are committed to investing in early education by providing a strong curriculum, hiring exceptional staff, and offering engaging lessons that meet the needs of our community. That has made this program of such high interest.”
Moeckel also notes that the district will be able to assess the impact of the early learning program as soon as the first group of graduates enters kindergarten. “Teachers will have students who can already write their name and be kindergarten-ready. Early childhood education is the best investment we can make for our children’s future because it gives them a strong start.”
Lewis adds that she and her team are ready to begin.
“When the kids are prepared for kindergarten, that's a key metric of success for us. Especially during their first year at the center, where they're learning new things, we get to see what works for them and what doesn’t. Preparing those kids for kindergarten is one of our main goals,” Lewis says.
Lewis states that at the Early Learning Center they’re dedicated to fostering a love for learning and creating a vibrant supportive environment where children can explore and develop essential skills. “I want to create a space where every child feels valued and inspired and where we foster strong relationships with families. I love working with children and I’m excited to see them learn and grow everyday.”
District leaders and educators believe that investments in early childhood education—and the classrooms and enrichment materials that support this—will easily pay off in the course of a student’s education.
Teri Ediger, Realtor 785.766.4248
Teri@reecenichols.com
Teri.reecenichols.com
Chrisie Wiseman, Realtor 913.258.0355
Chrisie@reecenichols.com
Chrisie.reecenichols.com
SamDriggs@reecenichols.com
SamDriggs.reecenichols.com
Christina Sipes, Realtor 785.218.1563
ChristinaSipes@reecenichols.com
ChristinaSipes.reecenichols.com
Story by Cindy Higgins
When Business Met Bushwhackers
Owning and running your own business have never been easy, but entrepreneur Charles Freeman succeeded despite some of the most difficult conditions in 1850s. Eudora
Charles Freeman might have been one of early Eudora’s most successful entrepreneurs. And he earns this title, having faced what would seem to be impossibly difficult circumstances.
Freeman entered business as a hotel owner and operator in Worcester, Massachusetts. Louise Gates, a neighbor who had seen Freeman’s hotel, left behind an account that the Freeman “kept a first-class boarding house, with some 20 rooms all amply furnished.”
Freeman continued this line of work when he came to Eudora after the Kansas Territory opened to Euro-American settlement with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. He arrived with his hotel furniture and everything else he would need to operate a hotel.
He also partnered with the right people. Freeman set up his hotel with Paschal Fish, the influential partShawnee Native who would sell most of the land that became Eudora and is commemorated with the statue at Pilla Park. Together, Freeman and Fish set up a lodging site in an ideal location along the Oregon-California Trail, now the southwest area of present-day Eudora north of K-10 Highway. They offered one of the only boarding homes from Kansas City to Lawrence and had a continual stream of travelers.
Even better for business, Freeman also operated a tavern and general supply store at the hotel. Delawares
The arrival of Euro-American settlers into Eudora and eastern Kansas, as depicted by this unknown artist in 1856, was marked by armed conflict and cross-border raids.
on their reservation north of the Kansas River and Shawnees from their land south of the river proved to be the store’s best customers.
All the businesses proved lucrative, especially the store. Freeman cleared $200 a month at a time when the average worker made $10 monthly.
Alas, any success Freeman achieved was short-lived. Whenever his business began to succeed, outside forces—usually armed and unruly—would set him back.
Pro-Confederate guerrilla Missouri bushwhackers and their opponents vanquished Freeman’s enterprises during the Bleeding Kansas conflicts.
The first blow to Freeman’s business occurred only six months after he arrived in the spring of 1855.
According to accounts from Fish, about 400 Missourians, “all armed,”
took 400 bushels of corn from Freeman’s field. “They loaded it up in their wagons and hauled it, just as if it were their own,” Fish wrote.
The following May of 1856 proved worse. Led by Henry Clay Pate, havoc-wreaking Missourians camped along the Wakarusa River and gutted Freeman’s hotel store for food supplies. At that time, the store contained “a good assortment of groceries and provisions, such as flour, bacon, pork, sugar, corn meal, rice, cigars, and all the various articles kept in a retail grocery,” Gates recorded.
“They took everything that was in the store that was worth carrying away,“ Fish added. “Freeman and I stood out in the street and looked on but what could three or four unarmed men do with seventy or eighty well armed and infuriated men?”
Helen Hutchinson, who saw the store afterward, said, “It looked like the Goths and Vandals had been there.”
There was some justice. Shortly after the raid, Pate was attacked and defeated by abolitionist John Brown outside Baldwin City in the Battle of Black Jack.
And ever the businessman, Freeman rallied.
He bought new provisions that he took along with his furniture, “at the time hard to be got and very costly,” wrote Samuel Fry, who later became Freeman’s business partner. Freeman took these items a few miles further southwest on the Oregon-California Trail at a Wakarusa River crossing and set up a hotel and store in the unoccupied double log house owned by Shawnee brothers George, Henry and Charles Blue Jacket.
For four months, business was good.
Then Missouri marauders struck again.
Led by John W. Reid, a group of bushwhackers burst into Freeman’s buildings while Freeman was in Lawrence, getting care for his sick wife.
George Blue Jacket recorded that he saw the bushwhackers gather everything up into their wagons “excepting two bottles of preserves.”
Another Blue Jacket, Stephen, also lost a fortune in the raids. Bushwhackers destroyed his corn, potato, and oat crops. They also took his ferryboat, guns, bed, three horses, six hogs and an ox that they roasted to eat.
Was Freeman defeated? Nope.
Freeman yet again started a new but different business. This time, he went in with new partners to open a bakery in Lawrence.
It might have succeeded, but it never got off the ground before it was ransacked.
This time, pro-Union militia Jayhawkers, who organized in Lawrence during September of 1856 to combat the Missourians, did in Freeman’s business. The militia took all the bakery contents, including bread, flour, bacon and other foodstuffs worth $1000 for their own use. Charles G. Hancock, a Douglas County resident who later would lose his life in the Civil War, recorded seeing the militia “carry large quantities of provisions, particularly bread, not paying for it and even not intending to pay for it.”
After having a corn crop stolen as well as two stores and a bakery stripped bare, all within 18 months, did Freeman give up? Nope again.
In the 1850s, newspapers across the United States carried stories about Bleeding Kansas. The events in Eudora were later recounted in F.A. Cooper's 1967 illustrated history book, It Happened in Kansas
In 1858, Freeman opened a Lawrence ice cream and dessert restaurant.
He announced his opening in the Western Home Journal, telling readers that he “has recently fitted up, in good style, an Eating Saloon, nearly opposite the Morrow House, where he is prepared to furnish all who may favor him with their patronage with eatables of all kinds, embracing–Ice Creams, All Kinds of Sherbets, Cakes, Pies, Fancy Dishes, &c., &., &c., of Every Variety.”
Also brightening Freeman’s economic future was the 1859 legislation compensating Kansas Territory citizens for the loss of property from armed Missouri bands from November 1, 1855, to December 1, 1856. Of the 487 loss claims, Freeman had the second on record.
After hearing five testimonies supporting Freeman’s claim, three commissioners granted Freeman almost his total compensation request for all that he had lost, plus 2.5 years of interest at 6%.
And with that success, the known historical record of Charles Freeman runs dry. It’s a common enough name to be lost easily.
It’s possible that Freeman’s last known business was a success. And, it’s more than possible that if it lasted for four years, it would run into familiar troubles when Missouri bushwhackers under William Quantrill would ride into Lawrence on August 21, 1863, to burn much of the city and kill much of the male population.
And, given everything that history tells us about Charles Freeman, it’s likely that if he survived, he would have set out on a new venture again.
Story by Nathan Pettengill Photography by Jason Dailey
Big Park Dreams
This fall, the City of Eudora seeks your input on a document to guide priorities and spending for parks and recreation services over the next decade … so what will it be?
Sally Pennington, director of the city’s parks and recreation department, is asking Eudora to dream big.
More specifically, she wants residents to imagine how they would upgrade or expand the city’s parks, trails, pools, stadiums, gathering spots, sports leagues, exercise rooms, and more.
“There’s no wrong answer,” Pennington says. “We don’t have to know how it is going to be done or how we are going to get there. We want to know what would benefit you, your family, your kids, your grandkids, or anybody.”
Eudorans will have the chance to do exactly this in the coming months as the city forms a task force and asks residents to share their ideas for new parks and recreation services and facilities. The city will then draw on these responses to create the 2025 Parks and Recreation Master Plan, a document that will serve as a road map for city leaders and staff to develop everything from parks and trails to facilities and program staffing through the year 2034.
Pilla Park is one of the core green spaces slated for a renovation.
Out with the old, in with the new Having a master plan is not new for Eudora’s parks and recreation programs.
The 2025 Parks and Recreation Master Plan will supersede the 2012 Parks and Recreation Master Plan and build on the 2016 Park System Survey Report. Together, these two previous documents outlined a number of goals, such as establishing a senior center and prioritizing creating a trail system throughout the city.
Pennington, who came to her position at Eudora in 2019, describes the previous two documents as essential, successful references that enabled the department to meet community needs.
Of course, like any document, they were unable to predict the future. The documents could not have anticipated a global pandemic and the vast changes it would impose on gatherings and people’s daily habits. The 2012 and 2016 documents didn’t foresee the extensive need for pool repairs to prevent leaks. While the previous documents expected Eudora to grow, they didn’t foresee the arrival of the Panasonic plant, which could substantially increase the city’s population and need for additional parks and recreation services.
Zack Daniel, the city’s assistant manager, agrees with Pennington that the 2012 master plan and the 2016 parks survey guided the city through major changes with a “demonstrable” track record of improving parks, trails, and recreational services. But, he stresses that the city requires an updated plan to be flexible and respond to changes, such as the emergence of new community partners and new recreation trends.
Resources and history
The thing about dreams is that they have a price tag when you go about making them a reality.
Fortunately, Eudora has funds set aside for the new park and recreation services and plans to tap state grants for an even wider range of possibilities.
For example, in considering possible developments for Pilla Park, the city has set aside $217,000 from capital improvement plan sales tax funds. The city is seeking an additional $650,000 from a Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), for a total of $867,000 for renovating this central and historic park.
Share Your Thoughts
The City of Eudora will soon announce its schedule of community forums and open the link for the community survey. You can find the latest information through the city’s web portal at cityofeudoraks.gov/515/ParksRecreation-Master-Plan
Case Study: What the Chief Thinks
Monte Pearson walks 1.2 miles to and from his home to the Eudora Community Center five days a week to lift weights and use exercise equipment.
The 85-year-old retired Eudora firefighter battalion chief describes Eudora’s recreational facilities as a superb asset for the city.
“I can’t think of a nicer town that has such a facility for our use,” Pearson says. “The Eudora Parks and Rec is just invaluable to me.”
When asked what he thinks Eudora should focus on in updating its parks and recreational facilities, Pearson points to the pool.
“I’d like to see them put a cover over the pool so people are able to use it in the wintertime,” he says. “Water aerobics is excellent for aging bodies, but we also have a swim team, so the swim team would be able to swim and compete during the winter. It would have a lot of use.”
Pennington says preserving and possibly reimagining these historic green spaces can be just as important as adding new equipment or facilities, and these changes can be made while preserving Eudora’s character.
“Just because we might add in something new doesn’t mean the history is lost,” Pennington notes. “In fact, a lot of planning goes into highlighting the history.”
One idea she has is to bring a splash park with historic-themed water attractions to the CPA Park to highlight the long-standing importance of this green spot and to attract even more people to it.
But that’s just her idea, she stresses.
Ultimately, it will be up to Eudora.
“It’s bigger than me,” Pennington says.
The input
The job of ensuring Eudora residents have a voice on the master plan falls on JEO, a Nebraska-based consulting firm with a branch office in Lawrence and experience surveying city goals for parks and recreation projects.
JEO was hired after submitting a project report plan that would cost $158,000, which was $42,000 less than the City of Eudora budgeted.
JEO plans to work extensively with a designated advisory task force, hold two community open houses, and create an online survey for all Eudora residents.
“We want to hear from community members at large as to what they are interested in, what they might see as a problem with the existing program and potentially looking at needs they see,” explains Jon Hauck, JEO’s lead project manager for the Eudora report.
“What the community is interested in will probably be the top priority. If there is an immediate need, that is probably where the master plan will focus,” Hauck adds.
“I don’t go into a new master planning project with a preconceived understanding of what I think a community needs. I like to hear that from them, and then I can communicate how they can help manage or address how they can achieve that,” Hauck says. “I do want people to dream big, but the priority items on the list should be achievable and have the most effect on the current state of things.”
City officials say they want to hear from Eudora residents about their priorities in developing the community’s green spaces and recreational programs.
PRICING YOUR HOUSE IS RUFF.
Hauck says his firm will also submit a survey report comparing Eudora’s current park and recreation programs and services to those of other cities similar in size, demographics, and income levels.
According to Hauck, this type of report often yields a clear picture of a city’s strengths and weaknesses compared to its peers. A data-based analysis, what Hauk calls allowing “the numbers to speak for themselves,” can be helpful if a community has competing needs or groups with different priorities and decides to base its decision on which groups are underserved or which types of facilities are underrepresented.
Ultimately, Hauck says, it is about a community’s character and goals and how it wants to define itself.
That’s a sentiment Pennington supports. From her office in the city recreation center, she says she always wants to hear from residents—but especially now, and especially with big-scope ideas.
“We always know we can do better, and we want to know what we can do now—if there is trash that needs to be picked up or if we need new dugouts or fences,” Pennington says. “But we want people to dream big—’cause you never know what can happen.” Located just 15 minutes east of
Preschool • All Day Child Care • 12 months to
Eudora along the K-10 Corridor.
OCTOBER
1
Calendar of Events
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
4
Homecoming
Eudora High hosts Louisburg for football homecoming game. www.eudoraschools.org
5
Eudora Fest
The city’s 28th annual fall celebration with vendors and free musical performance runs all day downtown. Look for Eudora Fest on Facebook.
10
Main Street Market
Vendors and food trucks gather downtown for an evening of shopping and entertainment. Market runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is the last market of the season before it resumes in summer 2025. Look for Eudora Main Street Market Event on Facebook.
19
Spooky Sprint 5k Eudora Parks and Recreation hosts a Halloween-themed run. Costumes encouraged. www.eudoraparksandrec.org
17–18 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 holds conferences and work days; no classes for elementary, middle and high school students.
26
Downtown Eudora Trunk or Treat Downtown merchants treat children to Halloween candies and goodies in a safe environment open to all. Look for Downtown Eudora Trunk or Treat on Facebook. eudorakansaschamber.com
NOVEMBER
1 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 holds professional development day; no classes for elementary, middle and high school students.
5 Election Day
5
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
16
Presentation on Eudora History
Eudora Area Historical Society offers a free presentation on the history of the community. Theme TBA. cityofeudoraks.gov/100/EudoraCommunity-Museum
25–29 No School
Eudora Schools break for Thanksgiving.
30
Mayor’s Christmas Tree
Lighting of holiday tree in downtown Eudora
30 Holiday Market
Eudora CVB and Eudora Chamber of Commerce host local vendors offering holiday craft items at the Eudora Community Center. eudorakansaschamber.com
DECEMBER
3
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
11
Quarterly Mixer
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts holiday-themed quarterly mixer at Bluejacket Winery eudorakansaschamber.com
23–31 No School
Eudora Schools break for winter holiday.
JANUARY
1–3 No School
Eudora Schools break for winter holiday.
7
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
20 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
FEBRUARY 4
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
14 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 holds in-service work day.
17 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 observes Presidents’ Day.
MARCH 1
Annual Chamber Gala
Eudora Chamber of Commerce holds annual gala gathering for members. Event includes announcement of Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, and Citizen of the Year awards.
4
Monthly Coffee Connection
Eudora Chamber of Commerce hosts its monthly gathering of members and guests from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. eudorakansaschamber.com
14 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 holds teacher work day.
17–21 No School
Eudora Schools USD 491 closes for spring break.
Interviews conducted by Melinda
Briscoe
‘Of the Year’
Photography by
Carter Gaskins
The Eudora Chamber of Commerce's Annual Gala honors dedication and commitment to the community.
On March 1, 2025, the Eudora Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual gala, a chance for Eudorans to network and celebrate achievements from the previous year.
One of the highlights of this evening will be the presentation of the annual award winners in three categories: Business of the Year, Nonprofit of the Year, and Citizen of the Year.
Meagan Cox, the chamber’s president, estimates that the organization has been awarding a Business of the Year and a Citizen of the Year since the early 2000s. The Nonprofit of the Year is a new category, awarded for the first time last year.
Cox writes that all three awards
“spotlight outstanding individuals and organizations that make a real difference in our community, through leadership innovation and dedication.”
As the chamber prepares for the nomination and voting process for the upcoming awards ceremony, we spoke to last year’s winners about the significance of the award and their ongoing work in the community.
These winners included Business of the Year, Main St Scoops and Sweets (owners Mark and Stacie Blubaugh); Nonprofit of the Year, Eudora Schools Foundation; Citizen of the Year, Laura Smith (United Way of Kaw Valley Eudora Resource Navigator).
Mayor Tim Reazin spoke at the Chamber of Commerce 2024 Annual Gala, which featured the awards ceremony honoring the Business of the Year, Citizen of the Year, and Nonprofit of the Year winners.
Criteria for Award Nominations and Winners
Each award category has separate criteria for eligibility and evaluation. The final wording or process might differ slightly, but in general the criteria will be the following:
Business of the Year
• Business has grown or expanded
• Business has objectively stood out among its peers in how it approaches production or service
• Business has demonstrated community involvement by dedicating personal or business resources in the community
• Business has exhibited entrepreneurial spirit
• Business has overcome challenges
Nonprofit of the Year
• Organization must have active 501(c)3 status within Eudora or throughout Douglas County
• Organization must have been in operation for a minimum of 2 years
• Organization’s staff and board have demonstrated strong leadership and management with a clear vision for future growth
• Organization has demonstrated innovation, problem-solving, original programming and collaboration with other organizations
• Organization’s work has resulted in positive changes
Citizen of the Year
• Individual lives in Eudora
• Individual has made a significant contribution to the Eudora community
• Individual has demonstrated leadership on a specific issue, resulting in the enhancement of community life
• Individual has led or been a key part of an initiative that has brought about positive change and added value to the community
• Individual has demonstrated inspiring qualities and served as a role model for the community
How to Nominate for the Awards
The Eudora Chamber of Commerce is now accepting nominations for the March 2025 award ceremony. Members may send nominations to admin@eudorakansaschamber.com.
Chamber staff will review and compile the nominations, then send a list of qualified candidates to all chamber members for a vote.
Eudora Schools Foundation Inc. Eudora Chamber of Commerce’s Nonprofit of the Year
Founded in 2006 and registered as a tax-exempt nonprofit since 2008, the Eudora Schools Foundation bolsters the mission of the city’s public schools through grants and initiatives that support both students and teachers.
With a staff of one, executive director Shanda Hurla, the organization has directed more than $600,000 to classrooms and teachers while also spearheading programs to give parents and community members
a firsthand understanding of how a school works. Eudora Schools Foundation supports student career development, hosts musicians and professional drama troupes, honors retired teaching staff, and offers community members the opportunity to spend half a day as an acting principal.
We visited with the Eudora Schools Foundation’s leadership to discuss the importance of this recognition.
Discover Eudora (DE): What does the chamber’s Nonprofit of the Year award mean for the foundation?
Shanda Hurla, executive director: We were really honored. This is the first time the chamber has selected a nonprofit, so to be the first, that’s like icing on the cake. It’s just exciting that our board, which has about 21 community members, can celebrate the work it has been doing.
Denise Dietz, 2023–2024 board president: It’s good to know that we’re seen. That’s pretty important.
Frances Lyon, 2024–2025 board president: The awards night was really a lot of fun. It really showcased Eudora that evening. To be able to celebrate people who live and work in our community—that made it special.
DE: The foundation has several community outreach programs. Which are your favorites and why?
Lyon: Right now, I really enjoy seeing the enrichment programs at the middle school. They allow kids to do things they are interested in. It’s a really great way for students to connect with each other in different ways.
Hurla: The enrichment programs are for both before and after school. A lot of times with the foundation, we listen to a lot of needs that the schools have. And one of the needs on the middle school level is more hands-on exploration activities for students. These programs can be hosted by a principal, a staff member, or a teacher, and these adults do it on their own time. The variety of enrichment programs is amazing. For example, last year there was a grill masters club.
Dietz: There is something for everybody. Ninety percent of the kids in the schools are participating in these programs.
Hurla: The backpack giveaway is just a great way to start the school year with less pressure on the parents to have to afford all the required supplies. And the community is truly involved in that program because they donate so many of the supplies. The other big one is the teacher excellence grants. Teachers are able to have an idea, a project, and they submit their idea and tell us the cost. We’re able to vote on them as a board and select them and then we surprise them with a big check if they won. And that’s so much fun. It just is full circle; it gives to the teacher, the teacher gives to the students. And they’re able to do innovative and different things that they normally wouldn’t be able to do.
DE: Can you tell us about the Principal for a Half Day program?
Hurla: That’s a program I really enjoy because it allows business and community leaders, about 30 of them, to spend a half day getting a behind-the-scenes look at our school district. We’re really trying to give them an authentic look at what it’s like in our schools. So, 10 “principals” are hosted at the elementary, 10 at the middle, and 10 at the high school. After the half-day, we get together for a luncheon, and we discuss what they learned. We have been doing this for seven or eight years. It’s one of our most acclaimed programs. A lot of partnerships have come out of that program.
DE: What are some of the foundation’s main goals for the coming years?
Lyon: A short-term goal would be to increase our visibility and our reach. And as Eudora has the potential to grow over the next few years with Panasonic, we are thinking about how that will impact our schools. We need to be nimble enough to change and meet the needs of a different student population. I think about how new students and new families will connect to the community. And that’s where I think the foundation can help in playing a role in welcoming those families to Eudora and helping them know where to go if they have needs.
Dietz: It’s always important to understand that we have great things in place … but what can we do to do more? How can we get the community’s involvement to help us do more? And we need to continue being transparent about how we use our funds and what we use them for. Eudora is a bedroom community, but we have a great school system. It’s super important to keep enhancing that to make it better and better.
Eudora Chamber of Commerce’s Citizen of the Year
Laura Smith,
United Way of Kaw Valley’s Eudora community resource navigator
Since moving to Eudora in 2005, Laura Smith has volunteered with numerous community groups. In 2022, she accepted a position as the Eudora Community Resource Navigator through the AmeriCorps project and, a year later, extended this position with United Way of Kaw Valley. Her work has a broad scope and mission, but Smith takes a focused approach to achieving her goals. She talks to us about her work, her goals for Eudora, and the Citizen of the Year award.
Discover Eudora (DE): What does the recognition from this award mean for you and your program?
Laura Smith: It is an incredible honor and means the world to me!
The navigator program is a recent addition to the United Way of Kaw Valley and our community, but it has significantly helped hundreds of local families.
DE: The organization often mentions four cornerstones. Could you go over those?
Smith: The navigator role in Eudora is built on four cornerstones: antipoverty efforts, food insecurity programs, rental and utility aid, and behavioral health services. In the past year, a significant aspect of my role involved engaging in the Douglas County Community Health Plan (CHP). I had the opportunity to advocate for the Eudora community in group discussions centered on the fundamental aspects of my position. Within the anti-poverty CHP conversations, we emphasized adopting United Way of Kaw Valley’s
“whole-family approach” to address the community’s needs, recognizing that families often span multiple generations, and each requires unique but integrated support. Food insecurity initiatives have gained significant awareness in the Eudora community. The residents here demonstrate genuine care and unity by coming together to fulfill everyone’s basic needs. I’m currently the director of Feeding Eudora, a food security program that provides meals for all community members during the summer. Supported by volunteers, we serve 150–200
people three times a week through a program initiated by the Eudora Community Library. This endeavor embodies the essence of community, and I feel honored to be involved in it.
By collaborating with the Housing Stabilization Collaborative (HSC) of Douglas County, Eudora secured dedicated funding for its residents. Through this partnership, $40,000 was allocated to assist 27 local families last year, a resource previously unavailable before the navigator role was established. This initiative has enabled families to stay in their homes and maintain essential services like heating, air conditioning, water, and trash removal.
Since starting as a community resource navigator for Eudora, I’ve been dedicated to the Behavioral Health initiative. It’s a pressing need in our community, but providing services has been challenging as no behavioral health therapists are practicing locally.
DE: What are your goals for 2025?
Smith: In 2025, my focus will remain enhancing access to resources for the Eudora community. My primary objectives revolve around improving transportation and behavioral health services for individuals of all ages
DE: If someone wants to volunteer more in the community, where do you point them? Are there specific areas that could use more help?
Smith: A top priority in Eudora is ensuring food security for our community. Whenever community members inquire about ways to contribute, I consistently recommend initiatives that support food security. This could involve volunteering at the Eudora Food Pantry, organizing a food drive, or donating monetarily to Feeding Eudora.
DE: How do you think the arrival of the Panasonic plant might affect Eudora in terms of social services and community well-being?
Smith: I foresee both positive and negative impacts on Eudora and our community. I have confidence in our leaders’ preparedness for the future. However, my primary concern revolves around ensuring affordable housing for our residents. The housing crisis is becoming evident nationwide and in Eudora, and it is crucial to address this issue promptly.
Making Timefor Ice Cream
Eudora Chamber of Commerce’s Business of the Year began with a chance encounter.
Story by Wende Dailey Photography by Jason Dailey
Main St Scoops & Sweets features fresh ice cream from their family-owned partner, Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream in Wisconsin.
Inspiration can emerge from the unlikeliest places, even when we aren’t seeking it.
For Stacie Blubaugh, a life-changing moment of inspiration came in July 2022 during a visit to her sister Nicki in Clyde, Kansas. It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Stacie was preparing to leave when Nicki asked if she’d like to get some ice cream. Stacie recalls that she almost declined but decided to go, curious to see the Big City Scoops ice cream shop in their small hometown.
That seemingly small decision would become a pivotal moment.
“If I had passed on getting ice cream, I am pretty confident we would not have Main St Scoops and Sweets open today,” Stacie reflects.
At the time, Stacie and her husband, Mark, had just moved to Eudora
from Olathe. One of their daughters, Brooke, had recently completed the renowned pastry program at Johnson County Community College and had opened a kitchen to create and sell delightful treats.
That experience, and her pleasant encounter with Big City Scoops, got Stacie thinking about opening a premium ice cream shop that could also feature Brooke’s pastries.
She just required a location—and soon found it on Main Street.
As new residents, the Blubaughs were enchanted by Eudora’s small-town charm with a traditional downtown. They met with G.W. Weld, the owner of a historic building at 714 Main St. that would eventually become their ice cream shop.
Stacie describes Weld as a “visionary” for his passion for preserving historic downtowns. His enthusiasm for
Treat Yourself
Main St Scoops and Sweets
714 Main St.
revitalizing Main Street resonated with the Blubaughs, and they knew they had found the perfect spot for their new venture.
With the building secured, Stacie and Mark partnered with Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, a premium ice cream maker in Madison, Wisconsin. They were impressed with the quality of their supplier’s product and with the fact that it was a family business offering in-person operational training and ongoing support.
With their ice cream sourced and Brooke’s baked goods in place, the Blubaughs opened Main St Scoops and Sweets at 8 a.m. on a fitting day, February 4, 2023, National Ice Cream for Breakfast Day.
Now more than a year later, they recall the overwhelming response. A line stretched the length of Main Street, and the shop remained open until 10:00 that night. Since then, Main St Scoops and Sweets has become a beloved fixture in the community, winning “Business of the Year” in the Eudora Chamber of Commerce ceremony in March 2024.
This success has allowed Stacie to explore possible expansions, including securing additional space to host events, family game nights, karaoke evenings, or other possibilities. Stacie describes the idea as creating “very much a community gathering place.”
Stacie says however the business expands, she is committed to keeping a shop downtown, which she sees as “the heart” of Eudora.
With six children ranging in age from 12 to 26, Stacie and Mark have multiple responsibilities but are well-staffed. Each of
Scoops & Sweets takes its name from the treats it serves: Wisconsin ice cream and baked goods made on-site by Brooke Blubaugh.
the Blubaugh children plays a vital role in the shop, and Stacie emphasizes the importance of instilling a strong work ethic and the discipline required to be successful.
Each month, a new shipment of ice cream arrives from Wisconsin, and Brooke creates several new batches of baked goods. Her mother proudly notes how popular the sweet rolls, chocolate caramel bars, and cake pockets have become.
A chance stop for ice cream in a small Kansas town led to a thriving family business and a community gathering stop.
There are many lessons to learn in creating and running a new business, but Stacie says one lesson stands out: “Don’t pass on getting ice cream.”
The entire Blubaugh family has assisted in running Main St Scoops and Sweets.
“We are living into God’s dream of a community that welcomes everyone, grows spiritually, and serves others.”
Sunday Worship - 9:00 a.m.
Livestreamed on our Facebook page.
Sunday School - 9:45 a.m.
Men’s Fellowship Group United Women in Faith Handbell and Vocal Choir Youth Group
Harvesters Food Pantry on the 3rd Wed. of month
1310 W. 20th Street, Eudora, KS 66025 785-542-3200 www.eudoraumc.com www.facebook.com/EudoraUnitedMethodistChurch
Now enrolling children ages 1-5
Open M-F from 7:00am - 5:30pm
Full Time and Part Time options available
Half day program for ages 3-5 years old
Hometown healthcare happens in Eudora.
When you or your family need exceptional healthcare, find it in your own backyard!
The professionals at LMH Health Primary Care have served the Eudora community for more than 30 years. And, they are supported by specialists at LMH Health in Lawrence to address specific conditions.
LMH Health Primary Care—hometown healthcare experts connected to a network dedicated to being your partner for lifelong health.
600 E. 20th Street, Suite 200 Eudora, KS 785-542-2345
Choose your primary care partner today at lmh.org/primary-care.
