Small Town Kansas: Reading
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Reading - a small Kansas town
In 2011, Reading suffered huge damage from a tornado. I recently talked to my second-cousin who lives in Reading. Sad to hear of all the houses destroyed by this tornado. I've included some photos, video and news coverage about this disaster.
I don't remember Reading, Kansas but family photos show me there, a toddler among bigger cousins. My dad's parents, Ren and Cora Martin lived there for awhile after they sold their farm.
Since I've been working on my father's book, I started to wonder about this small Kansas town. Here's what I found out about it.
(the photo shows a Martin family reunion at the house in Reading)
Poster/Kansas by smclayton
Contents at a Glance
- Finding Reading on the Map
- Tornado Hits Reading
- News Footage of the Reading KS Tornado
- Storm Chaser Video of Reading Tornado
- Facebook Page for Reading Tornado May 21...
- Photos by KansasHorizons.com
- Commemorative Issue about the Reading To...
- Earlier Benefits for Reading
- Statistics for Reading, Kansas
Finding Reading on the Map
(HINT: it's near Emporia)
Tornado Hits Reading
May 2011
- Delay in state aid blamed as Minneapolis charter school closes
- Academy of North Minneapolis officials blamed the delay in state aid payments and last May's tornado. For charter school advocates, the closing of a north Minneapolis charter this week highlights the consequences of the Minnesota Legislature's decision ...
- And from Oklahoma, a big whoops
- George Dias, vice president of NorthStar Risk Management & Insurance Services in Walnut Creek, received an e-mail last week from the Oklahoma Insurance Department with the subject line: "Organizers of the 2012 National Tornado Preparedness Summit Seek ...
- Anonymous-Backed Attacks Took Nasdaq Website Offline
- In a post to Pastebin, a group calling itself "the 'L0NGwave99' cyber group" said Sunday it was going to launch "Operation Digital Tornado" in support of the "99% movement" Monday at 9 am New York time. A later message promised the same for Tuesday.
- A twist on summer with rare waterspout
- Christine Keller Smith glanced up from a book she was reading in her Northcote living room and saw a dark, spiralling, "menacing" cloud form next to the Sky Tower about 3.45pm. "It was just so extraordinary - it was a spectacular sight and was really ...
Facebook Page for Reading Tornado May 21, 2011
Click LIKE to join this Facebook page
This helpful page has postings for benefits to help Reading plus information about phone numbers, workers, donations to help residents rebuild.
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Photos by KansasHorizons.com
Jim Saueressig
You can order prints of the photos from his website. Click on the photo to see it larger. These were taken the day after the tornado of May 2011.
Earlier Benefits for Reading
I get shivers just hearing how different towns, agencies and individuals have stepped up to help Reading after the tornado.
Is there something you or an organization that you are in can do to help?
Is there something you or an organization that you are in can do to help?
- 1The money collected from the art auction goes to the communities of Reading and Joplin ($316.75 a piece from The Topeka Artists Group here in Topeka Kansas). The money for Reading will be donated to the organization that is helping get supplies for the school so the kids can have a great start to the new school year. The money for Joplin will be going to the Spiva Center for the Arts to help artists replace supplies they lost.
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2Note from Barbara Schlobohm
"Thank you again, Ottawa and Franklin County. You not only gave us $3000 for the park and the Chamber of Commerce added $2000, but you came and built a handicap accessible ramp into the temporary city hall so that the city clerk could come back to Reading to work FREE OF CHARGE. WOW! Ottawa, you are g-o-o-d people!" -
3Note from Barbara Schlobohm on July 8 at 10:59am
Kansas City West Kiwanis....THANK YOU! They raised $2,048.16 for the school supplies for Reading students. We normally spend around $1800 so this is perfect! -
4Post from Barbara Schlobohm on July 8
Free soil has been provided by Wildlife and Parks for the past couple weeks. They even load it. There is no need for ANYONE to pay for soil...it's free. Whomever hauls it might charge. There is a list of haulers on the information board in front of the school. -
5Post from Barbara Schlobohm on July 7
Jean-Paul Cheraud of the Kansas City Foundation has just called to say they will be sending $10,000 to the United Way of the Flint Hills to help with the rebuilding process of people's homes. My cousin, Brenda Chumley, works with him and put us in their eyesight. Thank you Jean-Paul and Brenda! -
6July 5th Note on Facebook from Barbara Schlobohm
July 5 and 6th, the Freddy's franchise in Emporia is donating 20% of sales to the recovery of Reading.
Statistics for Reading, Kansas
The population of 66868 is 832.
That's #23544 out of all 42,305 zip codes.
98% of the population is white, which is 24 points more than the national average.
The average household income in 66868 is $33,750, which is $4,052 more than the typical average.
This contributes to the average house being worth $34,300. When the survey was done in 2000, that represented a difference of -56% from the typical value.
Men make up 51% of the population, and the typical age in this part of KS is 38.4.
Stats about: Reading, KS
Population: 832Number of Households: 351
Average House Value: $34,300
Average Income per Household: $33,750
Elevation: 1,150 ft
Population Breakdown:
Photos of Reading, Kansas
Do you have any to contribute?
The Ren Martin home in Reading, KS in the 1950s
Clyde's father ran a grocery store in Reading
Preview of Clyde Owen Martin
This is the book about my dad's life. He is now 86 years old.
Links to Sites that mention Reading, KS
- Preview the book, Clyde Owen Martin
- Clyde's father moved to Reading and ran a grocery store there, before retiring to Emporia.
- Welsh Settlements in Kansas
- It describes the founding of Reading as "This is a new Welsh settlement on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe RR. between Arvonia and Emporia in Lyon Co."
- Topix news of Reading, KS
- Recent news of the area and residents.
Gail Lee Martin's Website
Read more about this Kansas author and her books. She wrote My Flint Hills Childhood: Growing Up in 1930s Kansas and Clyde Owen Martin: Family Memories of His Life and Times. She has several more books underway in collaboration with her daughter, Virginia Allain.
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBooks about Small Kansas Towns
on Amazon
Kansas Related Gifts Available from Zazzle
Hunting Tornados in Lyon County, Kansas
Lyon County, KS mentions in the blogs
- Through with Chew
- By Special to the Gazette The Flint Hills Community Health Center/Lyon County Health Department (FHCHC/LCHD) is participating in ?Through With Chew Week? Feb. 19 through Feb. 25 to raise awareness about the dangers of smokeless tobacco and encourage ...
- Kansas man charged with poaching 14-point buck
- By John Giffin (Contact), AP The Lyon County Sheriff's Department confirmed this morning that the brother of the man who shot and killed Beau Arndt has been charged with poaching a 14-point whitetail buck that could have broken a state record that has ...
- Lyon County Commission seeks amenities for Bowyer building
- It met with Sam Seeley to review low bids to purchase amenities for the Bowyer Community Building on the Lyon County Fairgrounds. Those included chairs, tables, table carts and chair trees from Navrat's; trash cans, floor mats and smoking urns from ...
- Walk Kansas
- Listed below is a summary of events for Lyon County's Walk Kansas 2012. Kick-off party at the Fairgrounds on March 27. This will be in conjunction with the first Tuesday Walk About. This event is underwritten by Subway Eat Fresh.
Reading Is Rebounding from the Tornado
Amazon Spotlight
Read about other Kansas towns that have dwindled away or didn't have the stamina to weather changes or disaster.
Faded Dreams: More Ghost Towns of Kansas
Amazon Price: $10.20 (as of 02/17/2012)
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Current Weather in Reading, Kansas
Invalid License Key.
More by Virginia Allain about Kansas Small Towns
Please Leave Some Encouraging Words for Reading KS as They Struggle to Recover from the Tornado
of May 2011
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Reading Kansas Will Rise Again by vallain
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FlaminCatDesigns
Oct 16, 2011 @ 8:12 pm | delete
- I enjoyed reading the section where it was reported what was done with the donated money. It's great to see things pull together. Sadly my mother's family homes are all gone from Kansas, between age and tornados, they don't seem to last.
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Ladymermaid
Oct 8, 2011 @ 4:48 pm | delete
- It seems that tornado's and other strong storm activity is becoming more common. Sorry to hear of the tremendous losses in Reading Kansas.
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veryirie
Oct 3, 2011 @ 1:20 am | delete
- I grew up in Missouri, so Kansas was my next door neighbor. Kansas people are nothing if not resilient. Blessings to the people in Reading.
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vallain
Jul 21, 2011 @ 8:11 am | delete
- It was suggested that the house shown became the Miracle Cafe. I've asked my dad if the address for the cafe was where his parents lived. I saw the photos on Facebook of the Miracle Cafe being torn down after the tornado. Sad to see these old houses and important community businesses affected like this.
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Susan52
Jun 24, 2011 @ 12:22 pm | delete
- I continue to pray for the tornado victims around the country this year. What a year! What a great page about Reading, Kansas, too. Excellent!
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d-artist
May 31, 2011 @ 5:15 pm | delete
- Nice lens! One of our daughters lives in Lawrence Kansas...we use to live in KC area of Missouri and the Tornado watches and humidity was too much for me...I love visiting but not living there
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Margo_Arrowsmith
May 30, 2011 @ 6:20 am | delete
- LOVE the sunflower clothes
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vallain
May 30, 2011 @ 7:06 am | delete
- Those are sunflower photos that I took. Being a Kansas girl, I love sunflowers and they always cheer me up.
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prosperity66
May 24, 2011 @ 5:10 am | delete
- I'm so sorry for those who's got hit by this horrible tornado in Kansas! It's almost unbelievable seen from overseas, although we finally had a tornado last year - a very rare event in this area of the world.
All Reading and Kansas towns hit by this tornado are in my thoughts!
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scarlettohairy
May 23, 2011 @ 8:55 pm | delete
- Nice lens about a small town. Tornadoes are terrible. I hope Reading is recovering.
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TeamSTM
May 23, 2011 @ 8:28 am | delete
- Wow I'm almost embarassed to share this, at first I thought this Lens was about Books or something but this Lens is Rather interesting!! I would now venture to say that Small Towns are making a Comeback and people like that kind of Living, Peaceful, Quiet and Quaint!!
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vallain
May 23, 2011 @ 3:28 pm | delete
- It won't be very peaceful there for awhile as people try to clean up and get back to normal after the tornado.
I do like a small town atmosphere and find them more relaxing places to live.
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NanLT
May 31, 2010 @ 6:14 am | delete
- I remember basegall games between the teams at Lebo and the teams in Reading. I also recall.
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vallain
May 31, 2010 @ 9:42 am | delete
- Nan, I remember hearing the name Lebo over the years, but never visited that town. I enjoyed your lens on your childhood there.
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First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy—access to books. Since 1992, First Book has distributed over 60 million free and low-cost books in thousands of communities.
by vallain
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