Reservations are available until April 17 for the 2024 Finney County Historical Society Annual Banquet and Meeting, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the recently revised Finney County Pioneer Awards Program.
Reservations may be made at the Finney County Historical Museum, 403 S. Fourth Street, 620-272-3664.
The gathering is set for 6 p.m. April 27 in the Christian Life Center of the First Southern Baptist Church, 2708 N. Third Street in Garden City.
Dinner is $20 per person, payable by cash or check.
The evening has featured one or more Finney County Pioneer Awards each year since 1974, recognizing the impact on the community’s history made by local families, couples, and individuals. Since that time, more than 130 recipients have been honored.
This year, the award series is being updated with a change voted into effect last September by the FCHS Board of Directors. The Pioneer Award will now be considered for individuals, families, businesses, or organizations which arrived in Finney County from 1879 to 1940, with a new Horizon Award for those arriving in 1941 or later. The Pioneer Award will continue to be based on 40 years of presence in the community, with the Horizon Award based on 25.
HONOR TO DR. LUTHER & ARDIS FRY
The FCHS Pioneer Awards Committee will now be selecting one award annually, with either the Horizon or Pioneer designation. The first recipients of the Horizon Award are Dr. Luther and Ardis Fry. The couple founded Fry Eye Associates in Dodge City and moved the practice to Garden City four years later in 1978. Their legacy includes the largest ophthalmology practice in Southwest Kansas, drawing patients from across Kansas and surrounding states; as well as a tradition of community service, involvement and philanthropy that has touched numerous lives over the past 46 years.
In addition to the dinner and Horizon Award, the evening will include an election, open to all attending members of the historical society, since a portion of the FCHS Board of Directors is voted in each April. There will also be a report on the society’s challenges and accomplishments during 2023; and a silent auction to raise funds for museum exhibits, as well as for FCHS programs, events, activities and services for the community.
The annual banquet is a tradition that goes back to 1949, one year after the FCHS was founded in 1948. The event is sponsored by Homestead Assisted Living of Garden City and by Fry Eyes Associates. Both organizations have supported the banquet for many years.
