As the front-porch figurine demonstrates in the photo above, Hillsboro and Marion County got a “bowlful” of snow from Thursday night through Friday night last week. Reports of 7 inches were common. The thick blanket of winter white caused the cancellation of Hillsboro High School basketball games here with Hoisington for the second time since the start of the new year, and kept Trojan wrestlers from competing in the Hoisington wrestling tournament. City crews busy with snow removal. Beyond that, it kept city crews (previous photo), business owners such as Todd Jost Todd Jost shovels snow. (middle photo) and homeowners clearing streets and sidewalks for drivers and pedestrians. As another touch of Mother Nature, a hoarfrost (frozen fog) made trees glisten under clear skies on Sunday (bottom photo). The snow was beginning to slowly melt on Monday under cloudy skies.

Hillsboro celebrated its 125th anniversary and 100th anniversary of the Schaeffler House with a vintage fashion show. During its 125th anniversary year, the city of Hillsboro had some nice presents during 2009, but the occasional lump of coal as well—mostly in the form of tight budgets and an uncertain economy.

January

Hillsboro Community Found­ation announced the recipients of its second annual Impact Fund grants Jan. 9. Grants totaling $6,000 went to: Hillsboro High School Chess Guild ($500), Main Street Ministries ($1,000), Kids Connection ($500), Hills­boro Elementary After-School Program ($1,000), Hillsboro Senior Center ($1,000) and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marion County ($1,000).

City Administrator Larry Paine announced that for only the second time in his 35 years in city administration, he would be monitoring the city’s cash flow each month because of the uncertain economy.

Avid fishermen Max Heinrichs, Len Coryea and Jacob Fish were responsible for rescuing between 60 and 80 trophy-size bass and crappie from the pond in Carriage Hills in preparation for the professional excavation of silt and moss buildup from the pond.

February

A rash of burglaries in Hillsboro since mid-October until early December 2008 generated 29 counts of felony theft and 13 counts of misdemeanor theft. The crimes were allegedly committed by a 19-year-old Hillsboro man and two juveniles.

With the biggest turnout in recent memory, Hillsboro-area citizens demonstrated their political interest in the economic challenges facing the state and nation. About 45 people attended the annual Legislative Coffee Feb. 28 with state Sen. Jim Barnett and Rep. Bob Brookens.

Fourteen freshly clean-shaven men signed up to compete in the beard-growing contest for the Hillsboro 125th celebration this summer.

March

The city council agreed to apply for federal stimulus funds to rebuild and resurface a portion of North Ash Street. The project had been priced months earlier at $377,000, which the council felt the city could not afford to carry through on its own.

A few weeks later, the Kansas Department of Transportation announced that Hillsboro will receive $412,900 in federal stimulus funding for the North Ash Street project.

Potential food vendors for the Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair in September met to hear about new, more stringent state guidelines regarding public food preparation.

Clint Seibel, economic development director, told the city council about a new revolving fund, created by the marketing of state tax credits. It is being established to provide seed capital for entrepreneurs and small-business owners in the Hillsboro area. The program is through NetWork Kansas.

April

Turnout was low for local elections in Marion County with about 16 percent of eligible voters participating. In contested races, Kevin Suder­man was newly elected and Bob Watson was reelected to the city council. Uncontested, Delores Dalke was awarded her 14th term as mayor.

The Hillsboro Easter Egg Hunt drew a record turnout, with all 240 baskets of Kiwanis candy handed out to youngsters through age 10.

Mary Dudley succeeded Karly Winter as director of the Hillsboro Senior Center.

May

Max Terman, professor emeritus of biology at Tabor College, was featured at a book-signing for his new Civil War novel, “Hiram’s Honor,” which is based on the experiences of his great-uncle, Hiram Terman.

The Hillsboro Museums was awarded a long-awaited state grant of $84,261 that will enable it to repair the chimneys and roof of the historic Schaeffler House at Grand and Jefferson streets. The cost to replace the slate roof in restoration style is estimated at $105,327. The city will pay the difference.

Hillsboro Lion Tonja Wienck received the Lions International President’s Leadership Award at the Kansas Lions state convention in Wichita, May 29-30. She was feted for her statewide work with Leo Clubs, the youth branch of Lions.

June

The culinary skills of Hillsboro’s Tim Unruh were captured by the film crew for a new Canadian Food Network show tentatively titled “Fearless Chef.” Unruh demonstrated Low-German ethnic dishes in the kitchen of the historic Peter Paul Loewen House.

A series of three weekend events marked the 100th anniversary of the William F. Schaeffler House at Jefferson and Grand. The events were sponsored by Friends of the Hillsboro Museums.

Hillsboro celebrated its 125th anniversary June 25-28 with a variety of activities. Several residents volunteered for city-enhancing improvements projects as “birthday gifts” to the community.

The city council approved a demolition permit for Emprise Bank to raze the adjacent building it owns at 106 N. Main. Bank officials said the structure, known historically as the Entz Building, had “declined to the point it needs to be removed.”

The interpretative exhibit “Joining the American Mosaic” opened at the Visitors Center for the Hillsboro Museums on Memorial Drive. It was funded in part by a $12,000 grant from the Kansas Humanities Council.

The Carson & Barnes Circus drew more than 250 people when it set up for one day of shows at the county fairgrounds.

July

The city council was asked by Clint Seibel, economic development director, to consider donating city-owned residential lots for an affordable-housing project that would lead to at least five new homes. The project would be managed by Mennonite Housing, Wichita.

Residents of the Willow Glen housing development raised concerns about the city donating residential lots within Willow Glen for the Mennonite Housing project, fearing its effect on home values.

August

The Hillsboro City Council opted to raise utility fees instead of property taxes in order to balance the 2010 city budget.

A record turnout of about 200 people for Rep. Jerry Moran’s annual listening-tour stop indicated interest by Marion County voters in health-care reform efforts in Washing­ton, D.C. This year’s gathering was on the Tabor College campus.

The city council began discussing whether to allow golf carts to be driven on city streets. It was illegal to do so by state law until recently. The law was changed to allow golf carts on streets if a city sanctions it.

September

The 2009 Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair was called “one of the best in a while,” as an estimated 45,000 people came to town inspect the wares of 301 vendors at the annual craft market.

Workers from APAC Kansas, based in Emporia, were in Hillsboro to chip-seal D Street. Over the following weeks, the limestone gravel used in the project to save money resulted in troublesome clouds of dust—and numerous citizen and business complaints.

October

Mary Dudley resigned as director of the Hillsboro Senior Center.

Tabor College officials signed documents establishing the “Expanding Our Influence Campaign” fund through the Hillsboro Community Founda­tion.

The intent of the fund is to provide a way for community-minded people to contribute tax-deductible funds toward the new football stadium rather than by giving directly to Tabor College.

National American Legion Commander Clarence Hill was in Hillsboro briefly Oct. 19 to talk with local veterans during his 27-stop tour of Legions in Kansas.

After listening to the concerns of a half-dozen citizens, the city council approved fee increases for electricity, water and recycling services but held off on increase electricity fees until its Nov. 3 meeting.

November

The city of Hillsboro and the Willow Glen homeowners group may be heading toward a legal confrontation regarding the authority of the group to amend its declaration of covenants and restrictions in response to a potential low-cost housing project within the subdivision.

Brenda Moss, Hillsboro, was appointed the new director of the Hillsboro Senior Center.

December

Adam Miller, 24, of Hillsboro, was found guilty by a jury Dec. 21 of one count of child abuse in Marion County 8th Judicial Court.

The incident in question, debated by expert witnesses for both the prosecution and defense.

Beard growing contest held during the celebration of Hillsoro's 125 anniversary and the Schaefler House's 100th. Construction began on Joel A. Wiens Stadium in late February. The project was a joint venture of USD 410 and Tabor College. Some 45,000 buyers and browsers enjoyed one of the best Arts & Crafts Fairs in recent years. The crew from APAC Kansas applies the chip-seal to D Street. The use of limestone was used to pave the city money, but it unleashed a cloud of dust that lasted weeks. As Tim Unruh (center) watches, master chef Lynn Crawford offers her cameraman a sampling of Unruh’s cherry mousse during a break while filming for the Canadian Food Network in June.

HMC/CAH Consolidated Inc., owner of Hillsboro Community Hospital, has secured a source of funding for the construction of a new hospital facility for Hillsboro, according to Mike Ryan, HCH chief executive officer.

The Marion County Board of Commissioners Monday approved a temporary variance by a 2-1 vote that would allows TransCanada Keystone Pipeline to use trucks overloaded to 80,000 pounds in the construction of its oil sands slurry pipeline instead of being limited to the county’s usual legal high weight of 65,000 pounds.

Commissioner Randy Dallke voted against the measure apparently as a precautionary message to Keystone that it must take care of county roadways.

Commissioners Dan Holub and Bob Hein joined in saying that although they voted in favor of the variance, Keystone must understanding that it will pay for any road damage.

The variance was allowed with the condition that Keystone agrees to pay the county’s engineering firm of Kirkham-Michael an estimated $25,000 for mapping its best truck routes through Marion County rather than having county government act as a middle man.

Road and bridge supervisors, John Summerville, acting director, and Tom Holub, shop foreman, noted that Kirkham-Michael doesn’t take responsibility for any damages to the road system that Keystone might do.

They said Keystone may strengthen bridges to go across with new surfacing or supports, or sometimes a company actually will put something like a flat-bed rail car across the stream to drive over.

Holub said the road and bridge department would like to replace its high-mileage winch truck with a single-axle dump truck.

He had one bid on such a truck, but the commissioners decided to wait for additional bids before opening it.

Dallke said he favors buying a snow-plow blade to go with the truck.

Holub, in answer to questions, said a double-axle truck could push a higher load of snow, but the single-axle is more maneuverable. Even the newer county dump trucks have 180,000-plus miles on them, so he said it’s time for new vehicles to be added.

Gayla Ratzlaff, coordinator of the Department for Elderly, said at a county meeting of representatives from senior centers, a majority vote was taken to change the name of department to “Department on Aging.” Ratzlaff said some seniors felt “elderly” had a more negative connotation than saying “aging.”

The commissioners voted 3-0 to make the name-change permanent.

Ratzlaff said she would like to encumber amounts of about $2,500 to make a research directory of services available to those she serves, $3,000 for a laptop computer to use when she visits places such as assisted living homes, and $3,500 to hold an exercise day for senior citizens.

She said computer Internet use is needed to assist senior citizens in such things as signing up for the best medicare pharmaceutical program. Ratzlaff said computer use is increasing among new seniors in their 60s, but not noticeably so among those in their 80s or 90s.

The commissioners appointed Nick Draus to replace Jeff Bina on the planning and zoning commission, and reappointed Linda Johnson to the Mid-Cap board.

County Extension Agent Nancy Pihl said she has been holding health seminars with school children on things such as proper hand washing.

She is beginning a new program on becoming a “Kansas Saver, build wealth, not debt.”

The commissioners voted to lower the county mileage rate for use of employee private vehicles from 55 cents to 50 cents a mile.

They met for the following executive sessions: 10 minutes among themselves; 10 minutes with Ratzlaff; 5 minutes with Rollin Schmidt, director of the transfer station and the Noxious Weed and Household Hazardous Waste Department; and 20 minutes with Teresa Huffman, economic development director.

Jeff Davis (left) and Wally Roberts of Topeka, investigators with the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office, were on the scene Wednesday to help determine the cause of the shed fire at 309 S. Cedar. But they did not cite a cause in their report. Two investigators with the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office were unable to determine the cause of an early morning shed fire Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 309 S. Cedar, Hillsboro.

Based on this new information, Hillsboro Police Chief Dan Kinning said Thursday that his office will be assisting state and local fire officials in determining the “exact” cause of the blaze, and whether it should be ruled accidental or suspicious.

With four structural fires in about six weeks, Hillsboro Fire Chief Ben Steketee said it was a good idea to call in the experts.

“We are not suspecting foul play,” he said. “It’s more of a precaution.”