As classical music played softly in the background, Linda Cross welcomed customers and friends into the old world feel of her new business, Main Street Gallery, located at 412 Main in Stockton. Linda and her husband, Randy, live in Tucson, Arizona and commute back and forth to Linda’s hometown of Stockton. With an array of art work including American Indian items, brass, bronze, pottery, blown glass, jewelry, beaded serving pieces made by Cross, imports, textiles, china and crystal, Linda states that she has something for everyone’s tastes and pocketbooks. She was particularly excited about showcasing local artisans and felt it would be a great tourist draw for the area.

The City of Stockton received a pleasant surprise—a $120,000 unsolicited grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, “to be used exclusively for public purposes in Stockton in whatever manner and for such purposes as your governing body determines advisable.”

Crowned SHS Homecoming King and Queen before the Tiger football game on Friday, Sept. 21, were seniors J D Baughman and Katy Carsten. J D is the son of Dave and Lorraine Baughman, and Katy is the daughter of Deb Carsten and the late Terry Carsten.

At the regular monthly meeting on Sept. 10, 2007 of the Stockton USD 271 Board of Education, after a lengthy discussion, a motion was made, seconded and voted upon favorably to go to 8-man football, beginning with the 2008 season. Tiger Homecoming

The Solomon Valley Antique Engine & Machinery Association, Inc. was proud to announce its 30th annual Antique Machinery Show, set for Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 15-16, 2007. For the first time in many years, the event was to take place back at the Rooks County Fairgrounds in Stockton, where it originally began 30 years ago.

Mike and Denise Kemp announced they had changed the name of the Stockton Funeral Chapel to the Kemp Family Funeral Chapel. On August 24, 2007, the P.A.R.K.

For the first time in recent history, the number of students attending USD 271 had increased over the previous year, though it was a modest increase. Enrollment for the 2007- 2008 school year in the district was 346, adding nine students over the previous year.

A large crowd in attendance at the Rooks County Free Fair on Friday night was treated to one of country music’s rising stars — Taylor Swift, who “wow’d” the crowd with such hits as “Tim McGraw” and “Teardrops On My Guitar.” Following her knock-out performance, Taylor Swift hung around signing autographs for two hours after the show.

Braving the heat, Rooks County Farm Bureau members served the meal at the barbeque on Sunday night, kicking off the 128th Rooks County Free Fair. Helping serve the meal were David Reed, Dana Pieper of Palco, Staci Ketelsen, Jennifer Braun, Mike Braun, Ellie and Repp Braun.

What started out as a routine flight in his Beechcraft Bonanza six-passenger airplane on Sunday morning, Aug. 5, 2007 became a test of Jonathan Berkley’s flight training when, flying at about 6,000 feet, he heard a loud bang in the engine. Jonathan’s parents, James and Vicki Berkley, had driven to Lawrence on that Saturday with their daughter Renee to help her settle back into her second year of college life at Kansas University. The plan was for Jonathan to pick his parents up the following day at the Lawrence airport since they had traveled to KU in Renee’s car. After he had been in the air for about 90 minutes, the plane began shaking and warning lights lighting up on the instrument panel. Jonathan notified air traffic control of his engine problems, and by that time, smoke was coming out of the engine and into the cabin. Radio control out of Topeka/Lawrence was in constant contact with Jonathan as he visually looked for a place to land. Highway K91 was visible to him, and he informed traffic control of his plan for an emergency landing. Since the engine had been cut, Jonathan was set to glide the plane down, but there was one more obstacle to overcome, and that was to glide his plane under a powerline that went across the road. Though much of that stretch of highway is hilly with curves, the Kansas Highway Patrol officer who filled out the aviation accident form told Jonathan that he had literally found the only straight stretch of Highway K92.