__ It has been fun here in Stockton City watching an artist put paint to the bare wall on the southeast corner of U.S. 183 and 24. As of Friday, Sept. 30, Matt Miller, from Hays, had started adding some details to the S, T and O of STOCKTON, with the two highway signs in the S, tiger stripes in the T, and the background behind what will be an oil pumper. This postcard greeting from Stockton will be amazing, I have no doubt, as I’ve seen the amazing work Matt has done on several murals in Hays. Matt has a goal of being finished with the mural around the 20th of this month. Before he finishes, RoCo Arts Council needs to bring in about $3,000 more in donations. I know there are many of you who are enjoying the progress on this project, and I invite you to help the arts council raise the funds to finish the work. This mural is a statement of “who we are” in Stockton with bits and pieces of our lives incorporated into the design. Financial support from the community is a great way to identify with the art and the story it will tell about Stockton. Please help support this awesome project by dropping off a donation at the Sentinel office towards the remaining balance needed.

__ In the business of rental property, I have experience only with government property, such as the HUD apartments that I manage for the Stockton Housing Authority. And within the five-inch-thick manual of rules and regulations, there is the allowance for an “emotional support animal.” This would be an animal that has been prescribed appropriately by medical or mental health care professionals. Much has been written on this subject, whether it’s in the housing industry, or travel, or restaurants, etc., and I’m thankful that so far, I’ve not had to deal with support animals other than dogs or cats. But out there in the big, wide world, someone will have a pony or a pot-bellied pig that is their emotional support animal. But never would I expect to hear of an emotional support alligator. Until now. Meet WallyGator, the only alligator in the United States who has earned his emotional support animal certification. He lives in York, Pa., with his devoted owner, Joie Henney. Wally came into Joie’s life six years ago at a pivotal time, having lost three family members and four lifelong friends in two weeks’ time. Depression hit him hard. That’s when a friend, who rescues gators, introduced Wally to him and suggested that Joie adopt him. It didn’t take long for Joie to realize that Wally is not your typical alligator, and Wally has become quite the local celebrity in Joie’s hometown. Joie brings him to restaurants, shops, and the mall, and he draws a crowd of admirers wherever he goes. Wally has never shown anger or aggression; Joie even sleeps with the gator and trusts him implicitly. He is as docile as any other indoor pet and has never bitten anyone. When Joie began treatments for cancer, he really leaned on Wally for support. That’s when a friend suggested he register the gator, and WallyGator is now a card-carrying, licensed, emotional support animal, which means Wally gets to tag along wherever Joie goes. I’ve seen and heard and learned a lot in my years of managing public housing, but I’m just glad I’ve not (yet!) been approached by a tenant wanting to house an emotional support alligator!

Last week I shared the story of my Goertzen ancestors who immigrated to America from Russia in 1874. The story kept growing as I went along, to where—late Sunday evening—I decided to break the story into two parts. Anything of this importance to my own life story is worth a thousand words. (No, I’m not counting!) Thousands of immigrants had emigrated to America where they could worship God as they wanted without fear of death. My great-great-grandparents were among this crowd. They brought with them a very precious possession: bags of Turkey Red Wheat. As soon as they could, they started planting these precious seeds into the soil, anticipating their first harvest. Along with farming, my great-great-grandfather, Heinrich Goertzen, was also the neighborhood blacksmith, sharpening the plowshares for the English-speaking people.

Last week I shared the story of how the last name of my ancestors was changed way back in the 1600s. I can understand that it may not mean much to you as a reader, but for me, it is fascinating, and so I was happy to share the story. That name change occurred in the family that I’ve only known as Wedel—that being my Grandmother Goertzen’s maiden name. This week I want to tell you the story of my Grandfather Goertzen, and eventually, I’ll get to the family farm where I grew up, which was in the Goertzen family for over 100 years.

By Nancy Becker I have in my possession the story of my ancestors, dated in the mid-1600s. This story is archived in the church records of the Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, my home church, in Goessel, Kansas.

Are you running low on good news these days? Here’s a story that will make you smile, give you goosebumps and maybe even a tear, so you may want to have a box of Kleenex nearby. This was written by Beverly L. Jenkins and posted on August 23, 2022 to an online blog: InspireMore. The story melted my heart, and I’m betting it will do the same for yours.

By Nancy Becker __ Not happy with where you live? I’d suggest you just hunker down and stay put, because Kansas was just recently ranked as the 2nd cheapest state to live in during the current inflation surge. A survey titled America’s Top States for Business considered 88 different metrics and 10 categories of competitiveness.

__ With the Rooks County Free Fair now in the rear-view mirror, I have a these reflections over the past week. First of all, it was HOT, and that had to have created a lot of anxiety and exhaustion for the kids and their parents participating and trying to keep livestock cool. This is where lessons are learned and memories are made— and just like life in general, you gotta take the good with the bad. But in spite of the heat, the week was all about fun. Everywhere I went and wherever I looked, people were having FUN. I must say, however, I missed the rain that the fair so often brings. But as someone pointed out, rain was in the forecast for this week, which would be the “traditional” week for the fair schedule.

Whereas, The people of Rooks County have generally signified their intention of attending the Fair to be held in this city, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week, and Whereas, The citizens of Stockton are desirous of assisting all visitors in the enjoyment of said Fair, and that all business men should be enabled to lend their presence a portion of the time; Now therefore, I, Chas. Alexander, Mayor of Stockton, by the request of many citizens, do hereby recommend and request that all places of business within this City be closed between the hours of 3 and 5 p.m., upon Thursday and Friday of this week. Done at my office in Stockton, this 1st day ofOctober, 1895.