Kansas Shrine Bowl Update
Good Show!

Many who were there have reported that the 2000 Kansas Shrine Bowl was a good show. All indications point to that being true and to the game being another financial success.

It was a good show because nearly one hundred Shrine volunteers called on their local businesses to support the players, band members, and/or the cause (Shriners Hospitals for Children). The program book is 434 pages full of hospital information, Shrine Bowl information, and advertising. Gross proceeds for the program this year were $132,306.00 including trade ads. For a copy of the 2000 program send $5.00 (including postage and handling) to .K. S. B. Program Book, PO Box 176, Wamego, KS 66547.
It was a good show because several dedicated Shriners and their ladies arrived in Topeka on Thursday ready to work for the cause at whatever needed doing; all day Friday and Saturday, if needed. Sure, they had some fun along the way, but they helped by working the banquet hall, putting up tents, running errands, or anything else needing to be done. 
It was a good show because one thousand and twenty-eight attended the banquet Friday evening. The largest Kansas Shrine Bowl Banquet in its' 28 year history enjoyed delicious, hot food & good service by a courteous and efficient Ramada Inn banquet staff. The banquet featured special sound amplification and the entire event was projected on two giant screens. The Kansas Masonic All-State Marching Band got things going at 6 p.m. with a preview of their half-time show. Each player, coach, trainer, team manager, and camp director was spotlighted and introduced. Sprint, the banquet sponsor, paid for all of the player's meals. Of course, there were many introductions, but the most emotional was the film and introduction of Tiffany Yorks. Born with her legs fused together (commonly called mermaid syndrome) Tiffany (now age 13) is the only survivor of the many operations it takes to correct this birth defect. She attended the Kansas Shrine Bowl with her grandmother and nurse from Tampa, Florida, thanks to a grant by Mirza Shriner, Bill McAdam and his lady Nadine. The banquet MC, Stan Weber, a 1980 Kansas Shrine Bowl player and radio/TV sports analyst for the past several years, eventually introduced the featured speaker of the evening, Blaise Winter of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Blaise held all 1028 banquet goers spellbound. He told about being born with a clef lip and pallet. About being determined to succeed. About the help and support he needed and received along the way. And about his 11 years as a defensive lineman in the NFL. Blaise's banquet appearance was sponsored by the Federal Drug Enforcement Administration. 
It was a good show because of the largest annual Kansas Shrine parade Saturday morning. The parade formed with units from all five Kansas Shrine Centers and all corners of Kansas. It proceeded around the Kansas Capital Building and featured the players on large flatbed semi-trailer trucks and the nearly 200 piece Kansas Masonic All-State Marching Band. 
It was a good show because Most Worshipful Stanley Browning opened Grand Lodge to officially receive the Imperial Shrine Representative, Burton Ravellette Jr., and all five Kansas Shrine Center Potentates with their officers. His purpose was to display unity between the Masonic Bodies and the Shrine in Kansas and to encourage support for the York Rite and Scottish Rite Bodies in Kansas. 
It was a good show because game day volunteers began showing up at Washburn at 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. in plenty of time to make necessary preparations for the crowd to arrive from 5pm to 7pm. 
It was a good show because of a great pre-game ceremony. It started with "Rolling Thunder". A demonstration parade around the field by members of various Harley Davidson Motorcycle clubs. They raised the excitement level several decimals. The Potentates of all 5 Kansas Shrine Centers were escorted by the 1901 Olds Unit. A cartoon unit penguin ( and possibly some of his friends) were also seen wondering around the track. The invocation was given by Noble Bud Barnes of Fredonia and the National Anthem was sung by Davina Schopf of Wichita. Skydive of Kansas presented the game ball with a precision demonstration jump by four of their professional skydivers. Pre-game concluded with Shrine patient, eight year old Gabriel Cook, helping with the coin flip. 
It was a good show because it was a close game. West scored first and last, but east scored more (E 21, W 13) in a battle that went down to the wire with the west having a chance to tie in the closing minutes. All players, coaches and staff realize however that the score did not indicate who the winners were. The score only indicates how the scoring totaled. The real winners of the contest were the Shriners Hospitals for Children. http://cjonline.com/stories/073100/spo_shrinebowl.shtml 
It was a good show because of the nearly $20,000.00 received in game day proceeds. Parking income, program sales, ticket sales, souvenir sales, and auction income accounted for a 33% increase in receipts over the game in Topeka in 1996. Unfortunately, the Kansas Shrine Bowl received no income from concession sales, but neither were we responsible for the product or services offered. Many Shrine volunteers and their ladies helped provide parking attendants, ticket takers, ticket sellers, souvenir clerks, stadium crew, and security personnel. Hundreds of volunteer man hours ( and woman hours) helped make this Shrine Bowl a success and helped increase our contribution to Shriners Hospitals. 
It was a good show because of a great half-time performance by the Kansas Masonic All-State Marching band. The crowning touch of half-time was the televised presentation of thousands of dollars by Kansas Shrine Bowl sponsors: the Kansas Shrine Bowl Alumni Association, Days Inn of Topeka, Senate Suites of Topeka, Outback Steakhouse of Topeka, AAA of Kansas, Dodge Dealers of Kansas, Best Western Hotels of Kansas, Kansas Farm Bureau Insurance, CocaCola, Wal-Mart, McLeod USA, and Sprint. 
It was a good show because the weather was nice and there were no serious injuries. The game ended and the lights were turned off, but the light this game helps produce for the kids of Shriners Hospitals will glow brightly for years to come. 
It was a good show because of the hospitality and good cheer provided in the Joint Shrine Center Hospitality following the banquet, the parade and the game. Shriners, their ladies, and their guests enjoyed great food and refreshment in a festive atmosphere. Because of the Joint Shrine Center Hospitality the Kansas Shrine Bowl is becoming an annual "Party with a Purpose!

Note: for copies of the highlight VHS tape (12 minutes) or the full game tape send $20.00 each or $35.00 for the pair to K.S.B. Film, PO Box 176, Wamego KS 66547, or call 800-530-5524 to charge to a major credit card. The quoted price includes postage and handling.

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Kansas Shrine Bowl
PO Box 176
Wamego KS 66547
Contact: Dave Mize
800-530-5524
ksshrine@kansas.net
www.kansas.net/~ksshrine

For Immediate Release,
Nov. 3, 1999

Wamego: The Kansas Shrine Bowl announced the mailing of the nomination forms for next year's Kansas Shrine Bowl game to every football coach in Kansas. A notification of the nomination form mailing was also sent to each high school principal and athletic director. No player can be considered by the media voters to be selected unless his coach first nominates him. The Shrine Bowl invites football coaches to nominate all-state caliber football players who are good school and community citizens. The nomination deadline is noon, November 24, 1999. Media ballots listing all eligible nominated players will be sent out on November 29, 1999, with voting deadline noon, December 9, 1999. Ballots will be tabulated and verified and selected players will be announced December 15, 1999. The Kansas Shrine Bowl also announced that the head coaches for the 2000 game have been selected. Coach Tom Audley of Andover will head the west squad and the east head coach will be Coach Brooks Barta of Holton High School. Both were selected from the assistants who worked last year's all-star game. Coach Barta was a Kansas Shrine Bowl player from Smith Center in 1988. The Kansas Shrine Bowl is one of the top high school all-star football games in the nation. It is played each year on the last Saturday in July on a major university campus. The 1998 game raised $250,000.00 for Shriners Hospitals for Children, where children are treated to the best medical care absolutely free, without regard for the patient's race, religion, nationality or relationship to a Shriner. Next year's event will be July 29, 2000, in Topeka, Kansas. For additional information 800-530-5524.

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