June / July 2011 - The Hays Daily News

Haus
Das
HOME & LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE
the gift
of home
Several hands
have blessed local
maternity home
JUNE / JULY 2011

for the
Savings,
for the
Coverage!
Nex-Tech Wireless offers superior nationwide coverage
- try us out with our 30-day coverage guarantee
Nationwide Plus calling starts at only $30 per month
More free minutes with expanded free mobile-to-mobile
calling and the Calling Circle
Friendly, local customer service and over 40 convenient
store locations
Large selection of phones including Android and
BlackBerry ® smartphones, texting and camera phones
877-621-2600
Nex-Tech Wireless is eligible to receive support from the Federal Universal Service Fund in designated areas. As a result, Nex-Tech Wireless must meet reasonable requests for service in these areas.
Questions or complaints concerning service issues may be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection by calling 1-800-662-0027. BlackBerry®,
RIM®, Research In Motion®, SureType®, SurePress and related trademarks, names and logos are the property of Research In Motion Limited and are registered and/or used in the U.S. and countries
around the world.

BEDROOM | DINING | LIVING ROOM | HOME OFFICE | ENTERTAINMENT CENTERS | ACCESSORIES | LAMPS | & MORE!
Kansas’ Largest
Ashley Furniture Homestore!
I-70
Vine St
27th St
HomeStores are independently owned and operated. ©2009 Ashley HomeStores, Ltd.
1-800-748-8314 Since 1903 Downtown Claflin
1 STOP SHOPPING
Best Furniture Selection In Kansas!
Statewide Deliveries!
FREE DELIVERY*
Shop 24/7
www.millersofclaflin.com
Store Hours
Mon. & Thurs. 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Tues.-Wed.-Fri. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Sat.
9 a.m.-5 p.m.
*See store for details

Haus
Das
features
7 Safe and Secure
Tips for keeping your home protected
while you’re on summer vacation
10 At home IN hays
Th e g i ft o f h o m e
Hays home provides shelter for unwed mothers
8 Lighting Up the Night
Creativity can brighten up outdoor
living spaces this summer
14 Enter Here
Sprucing up an entryway
gives the home a new vibe
4 • JUNE / JULY 2011 DAS HAUS • w w w.HDNe w s.n e t

ask listen solve
Bank anytime, anywhere!
With FREE Mobile Banking* you can:
account balances
transaction activity
Transfer funds between eligible Commerce Bank accounts
If you are an Online Banking customer, log in at commercebank.mobi
If you are not an Online Banking customer, activate today at
commercebank.com on your personal computer. It’s easy! Just go
to the Online Services section and click “activate now.”
call click come by commercebank.com
* Your mobile carrier’s text messaging and web access charges may apply.
785-625-6542
J10963 Das Haus Mag Ad Hays Dec 2010.indd 1
Niche Web Sites
Daily Newspaper
www.HDNews.net
Mobile
10/14/2010 8:15:05 AM
Reach Your Customers
In Your Choice of Media
Pixel Power Haus
Custom Videos
Specialty
Publications
507 Main • Hays, KS www.HDNews.net (785) 628-1081

Haus
Das
Published and distributed by
The Hays Daily News
507 Main, Hays, KS 67601
HDNews.net
(785) 628-1081
Y
our home is your sanctuary, your showplace and your biggest
investment.
When you purchase a Therma-Tru® fiberglas door, you can feel
confident that its beauty will endure the test of time.
We have all the products and services you need to make the doorbuying
process as easy and convenient as possible. At Therma-True,
our goal is to make it easy for you to “Make Your Great Entrance.”
www.heartlandbuildingcenter.com
Email: sales@heartlandbuildingcenter.com
Stockton
918 South Cedar
785-425-6715
Hays
2510 Gen. Hays Rd.
785-625-6554
Check Out
Russell
86 South Fossil
785-483-2161
Publisher
Patrick Lowry
plowry@dailynews.net
Advertising Director
Mary Karst
maryk_ads@dailynews.net
Designer
Gayle Weber
gweber@dailynews.net
Contributors
Diane Gasper-O’Brien • Writer
Judy Sherard • Writer
Kaley Conner • Writer
Raymond Hillegas • Photographer
Steven Hausler • Photographer
Doug Kepka • Creative Services
Tiffany Lovelady • Creative Services
Dave William • Creative Services
Account Executives
Joleen Fisher
Sandra Harder
Eric Rathke
Ian Tompkins
An online
show with
new recipes
showcased
weekly
www.HDNews.net/cooking/
Online Edition at HDNews.net
Created by Pixel Power Haus
Web design division of
The Hays Daily News
pixelpowerhaus.net
Das Haus is published by The Hays Daily News.
Copyright © 2011 Harris Enterprises. All rights
reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without
permission is prohibited. Das Haus is a registered
trademark of The Hays Daily News.
Printed by
Northwestern Printers,
114 W. Ninth, Hays
northwesternprinters.com

7 • DAS HAUS
SAFE
and
SECURE
home protection can be
simple with security
system, common sense
It’s the time of year when many
families likely are planning summer
getaways. But even in the
event of an extended absence,
there are several ways to keep your
home secure.
The most high-tech option is
to install a home security system.
Those services are offered locally
by Nex-Tech, and the technology
can be as
s a f e a n d s e c u r e AT HOME
By KALEY CONNER
simple or
as complex
as the homeowner
wishes, said Justin McClung, Internet
solutions manager.
“There’s literally tens of thousands
of sensors that you can buy,”
he said. “Just like smoke, heat, cold,
moisture. ... Anything you can think
of, there’s a sensor the guys can rig
up.”
Some of the more popular
systems are used to secure gun
cabinets and garage doors. Carbon
monoxide detectors also are available.
While the idea of a home security
system might be appealing for families
leaving town, most customers
use the services for peace of mind
even when they’re home, he said.
“The bulk of our customers
are people, the need for it is when
they’re at home to protect them at
nights or things like that, or when
they’re at work,” McClung said.
The company offers home secu-
First line of defense
• Make sure garages and shed
doors have working locks.
• Keep ladders stored in a locked
shed or garage so they can’t be
used to climb into your home.
• Don’t leave toys, tools and
equipment in the yard.
• Do yard work before you leave.
• Have someone you trust bring
in your mail and newspaper
while you are gone. Give them
a key to keep at their home, but
don’t leave a key in a hiding
place.
• If you use an answering machine,
do not record a message
that indicates you are out of
town.
— Hays Police Chief Don Scheibler
rity services to residents in a large
area extending from Atwood to Great
Bend. Maintenance of the system is
provided locally, he said.
Free consults are available for
customers who might be interested
but aren’t sure which system is right
for them.
Before leaving town, there are
several other precautions homeowners
can take to secure their property,
said Interim Hays Police Chief Don
Scheibler.
“Before leaving for a summer
vacation, review the security of your
home and make improvements to
reduce its vulnerability to break-ins,”
he said.
Bright lights should be installed
over porches and walkways, and
785-625-3278
1-800-248-3270
1224 E. 27th
Hays, KS
timers can be used to turn selected
lights on and off automatically, making
it look like someone is home, he
said.
Residents also should make sure
all locks are working properly and
double-check that all doors and
windows are secure before leaving.
It also is a good idea to make sure
automatic garage doors close all the
way, he said.
Bushes and shrubs should be
trimmed under windows, ensuring
burglars can’t hide in them. Shades
or curtains should be kept closed
after dark.
For extra peace of mind, Hays
residents can request the police
department to conduct patrol checks
of the home while they are away.
KITCHEN SUITES
Used in Europe for over 80 years
It’s a hit at every party

LIGHTING
up the night
Outdoor lighting isn’t just for
Halloween and Christmas
anymore. It’s a growing trend
in the Hays area that has
endless possibilities.
Derrick Unrein, manager of
Unrein Earth Design in Hays, said
lighting up a landscape is relatively
inexpensive and can be done with
some planning.
Solar lights
Using solar lighting in a landscape
is less expensive than having
the lighting wired in.
“You have to have good sunlight
to get the lights bright to get it to
accent everything,” said Unrein, who
has 10 years of landscape experience.
For
l i g ht i n gu p THE NIGHT
By GAYLE WEBER
instance,
placing solar
lights on
the north sides of bushes when the
sun comes from the south during
the day won’t produce the desired
amount of light. Strategically placing
lights is the key to using solar.
“Plan it out and think about
where the sun’s going to be,” Unrein
said. “Try to get your solar rays
aligned with it so it has sunshine
most of the day.”
Below ground
Brighter and more consistent
lights are possible through the use
of wired-in lighting, a method Unrein
usually recommends to his customers.
However, he said homeowners
should always think “below the
ground up.”
“Don’t try to do something to
where you’ve got (all the landscaping)
done and now you have to tear
everything apart” to put the wiring in
for the lights, Unrein said.
Sometimes, the wiring can be run
along with a sprinkler system installation.
Unrein said he hand-trenches
the wiring about 4 to 6 inches below
the ground to avoid tearing up too
much of the yard.
On a wooden deck, wires can be
hidden in posts.
Unique uses
Halloween and Christmas lighting
ideas can be continued all year,
such as when a resident puts a
spotlight on a tree at Halloween.
8 • JUNE / JULY 2011 DAS HAUS • w w w.HDNe w s.n e t

Shop In Store or Online
www.tri-central.com
“They do some pretty creative
things, but then they tear it all down,”
Unrein said. “Keep it going yearround.
It looks cool when the tree’s in
full bloom or not.”
Unrein’s customers are coming
up with unique ways to use lighting in
their yards.
Instead of spotlighting a tree from
the ground, he suggested putting a
spotlight in a tree or on the roof of a
house to bring attention to something
below.
“You don’t have to just put lights
up at Christmas,” Unrein said. “You
can have lights in a tree year-round if
you want.”
He said highlighting newly planted
trees is one way to pull off the look.
Another idea is to place lights
toward the back of a row of shrubs
so the “light’s coming from the inside
out,” Unrein said.
Using rope lighting along the
edges of landscapes is another trend
he has seen.
An important factor in landscape
lighting is to remember the landscape
looks different with natural lighting
during the day than it does with artificial
lighting at night.
“At night, it’s a whole different
scenario when you don’t have the sun
shining on it. You can accent what
needs to be accented,” Unrein said.
9 • DAS HAUS
BACONRIND
APPRAISING SERVICES, INC.
Patty Baconrind, PhD
Certified General Appraiser
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
MANUFACTURED HOUSING
APPRAISALS
RELOCATIONS
EVALUATIONS
Cell: 785-635-7533
bulletteb@aol.com
From Concept
TO CREATION
www.paulwertenberger.com
We carry
a full line
of Ink
Cartridges
and
Office Supplies.
We Service
Most Makes
of Office
Machinery.
Remodeling
Room Additions
New Custom Homes
Commercial
Our goal is to provide you
with the highest quality
of construction possible.
When we’re finished, we
want you to be satisfied
beyond your expectations.
Call us for all of your
building or remodeling
needs.

The
gift
of home
“I wanted to do something tangible
to honor (my husband’s) memory.
I thought this home would do that.”
Elizabeth Marcotte, former owner
At home IN hays
story by
Diane Gasper-O’Brien
photography by
Raymond Hillegas
You’ve surely heard the
phrase, “If these walls could
talk ...”
One wall just inside the front
door of the Mary Elizabeth Maternity
Home in Hays says it all.
The words “Miracles happen”
hang just above a statue of the risen
Christ.
Some thought it a miracle when
Elizabeth Marcotte donated the
former George Philip home on the
corner of Seventh and Fort in 1997
to be used as a boarding house
for unwed pregnant teenagers and
young adults.
From that time, nearly 180 little
“miracles” have happened.
10 • JUNE / JULY 2011 DAS HAUS • w w w.HDNe w s.n e t

The home, started as an alternative
to abortion for unwed expectant
mothers, has housed girls
from four states and 85 counties in
Kansas.
The dream of Hays resident
Shirley Dinkel became a reality
because of a lot of hard work from
a lot of people.
A major piece in the puzzle was
Marcotte.
A widow with two young daughters,
Marcotte donated the spacious
two-story house to a group
planning to establish a home for
unwed mothers-to-be.
She made the gift offering in
honor of her husband, Ron Marcotte,
who died at age 31 in a
recreational rock climbing accident
in 1993 while serving in the U.S.
Navy in California.
The Marcottes were parents of a
2-year-old girl at the time and were
expecting their second child.
Soon after her husband’s death,
Elizabeth Marcotte, a native of
Rooks County, packed her belongings
and returned to more familiar
territory.
She decided to settle in Hays,
with intentions of attending Fort
Hays State University to work on a
bachelor’s degree, and eventually
purchased this particular house
“because I just loved old homes.”
Marcotte never did finish that
college degree, but she accomplished
so much more.
DAS HAUS • w w w.HDNe w s.n e t JUNE / JULY 2011 • 11

She met Dinkel, a member of the
Legion of Mary group at St. Joseph
Catholic Church who was heading
up the planning group for the maternity
home.
“I thought that I probably had
done all I could do to that point with
the house,” Marcotte said, “and I
knew this group had in mind they
wanted to establish a home for unwed
expectant mothers.”
Marcotte said she visited a similar
home in Colorado Springs and knew
immediately she was on the right
track.
“It was something that my husband
and I had been quite passionate
about, (unwed) mothers facing
some pretty tough situations,” she
said. “I wanted to do something tangible
to honor his memory. I thought
this home would do that.”
And how.
Numerous groups, individuals
and businesses contributed to
readying the home for opening, to
the tune of a couple hundred thousand
dollars, all through donations.
Those included a new roof and
siding, windows and furnace, a fire
escape and upgrades to the plumbing
and electrical.
It was just a coincidence the
middle name of the home is Marcotte’s
first name.
12 • JUNE / JULY 2011 DAS HAUS • w w w.HDNe w s.n e t

Actually, it was named after the
women in the second joyful mystery
of the rosary, where both Mary, the
mother of Jesus, and her cousin,
Elizabeth, were both pregnant.
Now, Mary Elizabeth is a household
word in the area.
“We needed a home for guidance
and nurturing, where the girls could
learn other life skills such as money
management, along with parenting
skills,” said Dinkel, president of the
Mary Elizabeth Maternity Home board
of directors for the first 10 years.
“What a way to be able to welcome
new moms (to be) and embrace
them and be a comfort to
them,” Dinkel said.
Because of the generosity of so
many people, highlighted by Marcotte’s
gift of the house, new mothers
and their babies can find comfort and
safety in the home in much the same
way children of three generations of
the George Philip family did.
George Philip III bought the house
in 1908 from Justus Bissing, who
had built the dwelling as a small twostory
home in 1889. Bissing added
on to the home several times through
the years, ending up with a multibedroom
dwelling and a large yard
that covers three lots.
“He just kept adding on and adding
on,” said George Philip V, who
grew up in the spacious home as one
of four children of George “Scotty”
Philip IV.
Philip V toured the house recently,
for the first time in several years. He
obviously was enjoying himself, and
there were a lot of “I remembers” and
“there used to be’s” as he peeked in
and around corners.
“It was a great house to grow up
in,” he said.
Dinkel is sure those who inhabit
the home now feel the same way.
Ditto for Ron Marcotte.
“He would be very, very pleased,
deeply gratified with what’s going on
there,” Elizabeth Marcotte said.
“I believe,” she said, pausing, “he
probably knows.”
1889
1908
1992
1994
1997
The hands that blessed the house
Justus Bissing builds the home as a small, two-story house.
George Philip III purchases the now-sprawling home.
After 84 years in their family, the Philips sell the house to Doug Shaw.
Elizabeth Marcotte buys the home following the death of her husband.
Marcotte deeded the home to be used for unwed mothers. Mary
Elizabeth Maternity Home is established.
Green Energy Today
Earn Federal Tax Credits
Or, Save Up To $500
Industry certified in geothermal
heating and cooling systems:
785-625-2115
FREE GIFT
Visit www.glassmancorp.com
and click on FREE GIFT
Human comfort
on demand
13 • DAS HAUS

Enter
here
A
home's foyer or entry should
be warm and welcoming, said
Theresa Weigel, visual merchandiser
for
Ashley Furniture
HomeStore.
c r e a t i n ga WELCOMING ENTRY
“It’s the first By JUDY SHERARD
thing people
coming to the house see,” she said.
“You want it to be inviting.”
Its furnishings often include functional
pieces such
as benches, mirrors
and hall trees.
A bench placed
there for putting on
or removing shoes
can provide storage
in what might be a
small space, said
Erica Berges, interior
design saleswoman
at Keller Furniture
Galleries.
Bench seats often
lift up or have baskets
tucked underneath
for gloves and
scarves.
A hall tree or coat rack in the entry
also is functional, giving guests a place
for coats.

“You can create a warm environment
with a console or sofa table,
mirror and lamp,” Berges said.
Often a small
space, the foyer will
look larger with lamp
light reflected in the
mirror, and it adds
sparkle, she said.
Silk floral arrangements
are a popular choice to add
color to the space.
“Silk flowers are less trouble.
They last longer,” Weigel said.
They can be changed easily for
the different seasons.
Seasonal items can be displayed
longer than holiday decor. For
instance, using pumpkins for fall
decorating rather than witches for
Halloween means it looks timely until
Christmas.
Foyers make ideal places to display
collections, too, Weigel said.
Family photos also personalize a
space, Berges said.
Adding scent with potpourri or
“It’s the first thing people
coming to the house see.
You want it to be inviting.”
Theresa Weigel
Ashley Furniture HomeStore
candles creates a warm and appealing
atmosphere.
Those living in homes without a
defined entry can
create one with
furniture placement
or screens, Berges
said.
Tile, laminate or
hardwood flooring
with an accent rug is a better choice
for an entry than carpet, Weigel said.
If the foyer is open to other
rooms, the wall color usually blends
with the other spaces, but a contrasting
accent wall can add interest,
Berges said.
Some clients already have ideas
about what they want the space to
look like before they come to the
furniture galleries. Others need guidance.
“We go into the home to see the
space ourselves,” Berges said.
MOST ENERGY
EFFICIENT
Washer and Dryer
Tier 3 Rated
Do You Remodel Bathrooms?
Make sure your business can be found on the internet.
KanConnect.net is the most complete
and reliable directory in Northwest
Kansas-with more than 15,000
businesses and organizations
Share your story with potential
customers-offering expanded features
like pictures, interactive videos,
coupons and more.
WTW5500XW
Whirlpool
Washer
WED5500XW
Whirlpool
Dryer
825 N Main 219 W 10th
Russell, KS 67665 Hays, KS 67601
4908 W 10th
Great Bend, KS 67530