Letters to the Editor

To the Editor:

Please accept my sincere congratulations to you for yet another successful and enjoyable gala benefiting the Fort Scott community. I have had the pleasure of attending several of your past galas as a guest of Ken Lunt, and I am always impressed with the fun atmosphere, the classy ambiance, the stimulating conversations and the clear love of community that is everywhere evident.

As a transplanted Midwesterner, I have come to realize that Kansans are remarkably generous, civically engaged people, who are unquestionably our state's best natural resource. I came to this area 24 years ago from New York City to assume the leadership of Music Theatre of Wichita, an organization that also enjoys a great deal of support from its community. We are reportedly the largest subscribed arts organization in the state of Kansas. Last summer (our 40th anniversary season), we attracted over 67,000 theater-goers to downtown Wichita, but our ticket sales only cover about two-thirds of our annual costs.

It is very clear that we could not survive without the additional support of people who believe in what we do, and offer their time and energies so that we may provide employment and educational opportunities for this region.

Volunteerism is the most important single factor in our being able to stay afloat in these challenging times, and volunteers make it possible for us to grow and thrive. It's clear that the volunteers of Fort Scott are equally committed to their community, and the annual gala is a perfect example of the power generated when many individuals come together for the common good. This unique event, which has raised both funds and awareness for Fort Scott, is a thrilling demonstration of all that is wonderful about our state and our country.

Again, my most sincere congratulations on all you have achieved and on all the successes that await your community in the future.

Wayne Bryan

Producing Artistic Director

Music Theatre of Wichita

To the Editor:

(Recently), I wrote to you, the editor, about the importance of controlling heat when cooking a cake. The word heat seemed to trigger a line of thought for me. Since we are believed to have global warming, I wondered what effect global warming is having on the Earth. We are sure the North Pole ice cap is melting. What else is affected? Could our hot summer be caused by global warming? We know that if certain things are heated, they expand. Something like popcorn -- if heated to a certain point it explodes. If the Earth expands, what would be the results? Could it cause earthquakes? There have been a few earthquakes recently. A violent one in Japan and a light one along the East Coast of the United States. One of the strongest earthquakes happened at the boot heel of Missouri in (the) early 1800s. It was so violent that it tossed houses into the air. The Mississippi River ran backward for a few days. When I mentioned river it brought to mind the effects of heat on water. Heat can cause water to go from a solid to a gas. It takes on heat slowly. I can remember the hot water bottle as a source of warmth on a cold night. My question is, as the Earth heats up will more than usual water evaporate? Could the flooding along the East Coast be the result of global warming? Now I have come to some wild speculating. Texas has less than normal water in its soil. Does that mean they will have a very cold winter?

If they have a cold winter and since we get our winter wind from the southwest, will we have a cold winter? Since the Gulf of Mexico is being warmed more than usual and our lakes, ponds and rivers warmed more than usual, there will be more evaporation than usual.

If there is more evaporation than usual, there will be more clouds. If there are more clouds, there will be more snow. The big speculation! Will we get six feet of snow this winter?

Hill DeMent

Fort Scott