Tall Corn Festival Schedule

 TOPEKA (KSNT) – Rossville is celebrating its annual Tall Corn Festival this weekend.

Rossville’s Tall Corn Festival takes place annually, on the second weekend of August. The event started almost 100 years ago on a hot summer weekend, as a way for the town to kick off harvest season and because Rossville is a farming community, the festival is a way to show appreciation for their Rossville farmers.

This year’s festival theme is “Blame it all on my roots” and was held at the city park and in other downtown areas.

The festival began Friday afternoon with a Rossville High School band performance, a watermelon feed, corn eating contest, Rossville High dance performances, and fireworks in the park.

Saturday’s events included an early morning tall corn breakfast, a 5K run, a downtown parade wit special guests The Shawnee County Mounted Posse, a softball tournament and a sand volleyball tournament. The Rossville Rustlers 4-H Club provided a petting zoo, the Topeka High drumline, and live music in the park. Saturday evening provided a street dance with music provided by the Lazy Wayne Band.

Sunday’s events include a communitywide worship service, and a sand volleyball tournament.

The three-day event also included craft booths, horse rides, face painting, a dunk tank, bounce houses, a car show, crafts in the park, a beer garden and food trucks.

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2022 Volleyball Roster

Dick Rylee 9
Fairbanks Paige 9
Frost Karliegh 9
Garcia Alyssa 9
Hubble Shailee 9
Mitchell Lilly 9
Sanders Maggie 9
Springer Brook 9
Foster Kellyn 10
Bergman Claire 10
Haehn Shyanne 10
Johnson Kinsley 10
Kenney Maddie 10
Miller Lilly 10
Rezac Shayla 10
Sumner Sydney 10
Bergstresser Serenity 11
Dohrman Emily 11
Hurla Kendra 11
Leathers Ryan 11
Mendoza Leaira 11
Miller Lillian 11
Mitchell Emma 11
Perine Kinsey 11
Porter Kinley 11
Verschelden Isabelle 11
Balch Kaitlyn 12
Dyche Brinley 12
Johnson Kayleigh 12

Head Coach: Tom Colwell
Assistant Coaches: Kennedy Anderson, Breaira Bergstresser

Manager: Kaitlyn Balch

Bulldawgs To Reload

 From the Capital-Journal

If anyone knows how to reload, it’s the Rossville football team. The Bulldawgs have won five of the last eight state titles in the 2A classification. Coach Derick Hammes will be challenged to replace Torrey Horak and Corey Catron, who combined for more than 2,300 yards rushing and 1,800 yards passing last season.  

Hammes will have seniors Kade Perine and Trenton Barker to build around. Who lines up where is yet to be seen.  

There may be some bumps along the way. To expect a third-straight undefeated season is unrealistic. But culture and tradition are on the side of the Bulldawgs. 

Tall Corn Festival Aug. 19-21

From the Capital-Journal

 Music and magic, beer and bouncy houses, watermelon and worship, pancakes and a parade are just a few finds Friday through Sunday in Rossville.

But the center of attention is on corn — and lots of it. Rossville's Tall Corn Festival will feature corn-eating contests, a "tallest corn stalk" contest and, fittingly, a cornhole tournament. Lots of corn will also be available for those looking to get their fix.

Morgan Hansen, president of the Rossville Community Development Committee, said she loves the way the celebration, now in its 91st year, brings people together.

"It actually was started to celebrate the upcoming harvest," she said. "One thing that you'll notice about Rossville is we have cornfields everywhere."

Rossville is surround by corn, so the festival is just a way to prepare for harvest and thank farmers for their hard work, Hansen said.

"It's just a really fun time to get together before everyone gets out in the field and gets busy," she said. "It's like taking a step back in time. You come out, you're at the park, you're talking face-to-face to people."

Contests for corn eating and corn growing bring in a large crowd

Everyone enjoys the corn eating contest, which starts at 6 p.m. Friday at the tennis courts at Rossville City Park.

"People come from all around to do that," Hansen said. "They love that. It is broken into age groups. There's little kids, school-aged kids and adults. Each winner gets a gift card.

Debra Cain Passes Away

    Rossville—Debra J. Cain, 68, passed away Thursday, August 11, 2022, at Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka.

     She was born October 19, 1953, at Wamego, the daughter of Billy D. and Mary Jo Keeler Wyre.  She was raised in Topeka and graduated from Topeka High School.  Debra lived in Topeka until moving to the Rossville community in 1997.

     Debra worked for the Kansas Department of Revenue.

     She married Randall Spencer in 1974 at Hoyt; they divorced.  She later married Duane M. Cain on July 14, 1995, in Topeka.  He preceded her in death on December 27, 2015.  She was preceded in death by her father, her mother, and step-father Milton Snyder.

     Survivors include three sons, Randy Spencer, Topeka, Shawn Spencer, Rossville, and Chad (Emily) Spencer, Topeka; her daughter, Brandy (Jim) Johnston, Corning, AR; her brother, Rexford (Becky) Wyre, Carbondale; her sister, Susan Crouse, Topeka; two step-sisters, Wanda White, Mayetta, and Karen Snyder, Holton; seven grandchildren, Aaron, Christiana, Jordan, Ainsley, Ethan, Henry, and Hazel.

     Funeral services will be at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys.  Internment will be in the Rossville Cemetery. Debra will lie in state and the family will receive friends Monday, August 15, 2022 from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association or Midwest Transplant Network and sent to Piper Funeral Home, 714 Maple Street, St. Marys, Kansas 66536. 

Juanita (Keller) (41) Raab Dies At 99

     Alice Juanita Raab, 99, Topeka, Kansas, passed away on Friday, August 5, 2022.
     Juanita was born January 2, 1923, in Delia, Kansas, the daughter of Emanuel Levi and Mabel King Keller. She graduated from Rossville High School in 1941.
     During World War II, she worked at the Depot. Juanita married Francis Raab on April 30, 1946, in Assumption Catholic Church in Topeka. She was a bookkeeper at Tip Top Dairies and then Topeka Medical Center. Juanita was a member of The Friendly Matrons and Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church.
     Juanita is survived by her son, Gerald Raab (Jamey Warren). She was preceded in death by her husband, Francis, three brothers and two sisters.
    Juanita will be privately buried in Mount Calvary Cemetery.
    Memorial contributions may be made to Most Pure Heart of Mary Church, 3601 SW 17th Street, Topeka KS 66604. Condolences may be sent online to www.kevinbrennanfamily.com

Hayden New Football Opponent

For the first time in many years,  Hayden High School is on Rossville's football schedule for 2022. 

Haydn always has a good football team and can be expected to be one of the Dawg's toughest opponents.   Week one will show how Hayden responds right out of the gate against quality competition, but week three against Rossville will set the tone of he season for both teams. 

Rossville is coming off its fifth state title and second in a row. 

Both teams pride themselves on defense and return experience in the trenches but also will need to replace skill position players on offense. 

According to KansasFootballHistory.com, Hayden first played Rossville six times between 1925 and 1937, with Rossville holding a 6-0 series lead.

Rossville 2022 Football Schedule

• 9/2 at St. Marys
• 9/9 at Riley County 
• 9/16 at Hayden 
• 9/23 vs. Atchison County 
• 9/30 vs. Silver Lake 
• 10/7 vs. Holton 
• 10/14 vs. Pleasant Ridge
• 10/21 vs. Maur Hill Prep

Jacob Carver, Lineman To Watch

From the Capital-Journal: 
Last year, Jacob Carver was one of three returning offensive linemen for Rossville and with the other two, Brody Leitz and Mshewe Hale, now graduated. Carver is the guy with the most experience on the line.

Carver is now a two-time state champion with collegiate offers as well as a heavyweight wrestling state runner-up that owns the school squat record with a 525-pound lift.

Carver was part of an offensive line that allowed Rossville’s skill position players to thrive. Rossville averaged 406.6 yards per game on offense en route to their second straight, and fifth overall, state title.

Defensively, he was disruptive as a defensive tackle, adding 20 tackles and 5 tackles for loss and will play a key role on the defensive line this season.

Gary Garlock Passes Away

Gary L. Garlock, 63, passed away late Tuesday, July 26, 2022, at his home in Rossville.

Gary was born March 12, 1959, in Davenport, IA, the son of Walter and Helen Jean Fiedler Garlock.  He graduated from Davenport West High School.  He lived in Davenport until moving to the Rossville Community in the spring of 1986.

Gary worked for Custom Wood Products in St. Marys, retiring in 2020 after 32 years of service.  Gary was passionate about both the Iowa Hawkeye and Green Bay Packer football teams.  He loved his family, especially his two grandchildren, Adilynn and Brantley.

Gary was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Greg.

On December 12, 1986, Gary and Rhonda Kizer were united in marriage in Rossville.

She survives at their home.

Other survivors include his two children, son, Kyle Garlock, and daughter, Stephanie (Zach) Robb; two sisters, Linda Divine and Penny Copeland; two brothers, Steve (Jeri) Smith and Tom Garlock; two grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be at 1:00 P.M. Saturday, July 30, 2022, at Piper Funeral Home in St. Marys.  Inurnment will be in the Rossville Cemetery at a later date. 

Lora Lea Wilkinson Passes Away

On January 30, 2022, at the age of 58, Lori Lea Wilkinson of Delia, Kansas, born in Topeka, Kansas passed away. 

She was predeceased by: her father Chester Max Bolton; and her son Justin Eugene Little. She is survived by: her mother Peggy Ann Lawson; her husband Rodney "Rod" Lee Wilkinson; her daughter Nikole Lea Wilkinson; and her siblings, Terry Keith, Brandy Thomas-Zeilinger and Cheri L. Foster. She is also survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.