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🌱 How a basketball game in Great Bend will support Rubi Perez’s family
Hello Great Bend! Stay connected with the latest updates from around town. Let's dive in! ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- How a basketball game in Great Bend will support Rubi Perez’s family
- How Great Bend’s girls nearly pulled off a stunning soccer comeback
- Which GBHS students brought home 20 medals from Job Olympics?
Today's riddle: What did the inventor of the knock-knock joke win? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Friday: Partly sunny and windy, with a high of 73 and low of 32 degrees.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny; breezy, cooler, temps: high: 64, low: 33.
- Sunday: Sunny and pleasant, with a high of 78 and low of 48 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. Great Bend Fire Department raising money for family of Rubi Perez (kwch.com) — Great Bend firefighters are teaming up with the Harlem Wizards for a charity basketball game at Great Bend High School on Thursday at 7 p.m. They’ll collect donations for the family of 14-year-old Rubi Perez and match the first $1,000, with additional gifts accepted at both fire stations or through local firefighters. 
2. Panther girls lose overtime heartbreaker (gbtribune.com) — Great Bend’s girls soccer team rallied from two goals down to force overtime before falling 5-4 to Liberal at Cavanaugh Field, despite another hat trick from standout scorer Xali Arias. The Panthers are now 5-4 overall and 2-2 in WAC play, with key league and non-league matches coming up through May, including Garden City, Hays, Dodge City, and 5A regional action.
3. Hard work pays off for GBHS students at Job Olympics in Hays (greatbendpost.com) — Great Bend High School students recently brought home 20 medals from the 2026 Job Olympics in Hays, highlighting their workplace and life skills. Supported by GBHS special education staff, ten students competed in hands-on events that build employability, while the school continues expanding vocational opportunities for local teens preparing for future careers.
4. Central Kansas Nonprofit Network Invites Nonprofit Leaders To Quarterly Meeting of Inaugural Taskforce (adastraradio.com) — Nonprofit leaders in and around Great Bend are invited to a Central Kansas Nonprofit Network meeting at Barton Community College on Wednesday, April 22, from 8 to 11 a.m. Attendees can network over refreshments, discuss shared challenges, and explore ways to collaborate, reduce service overlap, and stretch community resources more effectively across Central Kansas.
5. Headlines for Thursday, April 16, 2026 (kansaspublicradio.org) — A statewide news roundup includes a Great Bend attorney, Jeffrey Kuhlman, who was questioned in Washington about his role defending officials after the 2023 Marion County Record raid. The digest also covers a Topeka teen homicide arrest, a kratom ban affecting Kansas shops, a new state education commissioner, and an upcoming Wichita veterans benefits event that Great Bend residents could attend.
📸 Around Great Bend
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🗓
Upcoming Events in
Great Bend
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
★ Featured events ★
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Unlock Your Chamber Benefits: Member Info Center & Marketing Opportunities Lunch & Learn
Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, 1125 Williams St, Great Bend
12:00 pm
Tuesday April 21
Want to see your event featured? Click here!
Other local events
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Great Bend Bash USSSA Baseball (7-14U)
City of Great Bend Calendar , Great Bend Sports Complex 41 McKinley Street , Great Bend -
Open Farm Day
City of Great Bend Calendar , Heartland Farm 1049 CR 390 , Pawnee Rock
10:00 am -
Spring Barrel Classic
City of Great Bend Calendar , 355 SW 60 Road 245 NE 30 Rd , Great Bend
1:00 pm -
High School Playwrights Festival
City of Great Bend Calendar , Barton Community College 245 NE 30 Rd , Great Bend
7:30 pm -
Sunday Brunch
City of Great Bend Calendar , VFW Great Bend Post 311 504 Washington St , Great Bend
9:30 am -
City Council Meeting
City of Great Bend Calendar , 1209 Williams St , Great Bend
5:30 pm -
WILD ADVENTURES: A Smart Zoo Experience in Great Bend
City of Great Bend Calendar , 918 Stone Street , Great Bend
2:00 pm
Saturday April 18
Sunday April 19
Monday April 20
Tuesday April 21
📣 Great Bend Shout Outs!
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🗓 Events Nearby
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HS Track @ Larned
St John-Hudson USD 350 Saint John, KS 67576
3:00 pm -
V Baseball vs. Hesston
Hoisington High Hoisington
4:00 pm -
V Softball vs. Hesston
Hoisington High Hoisington
4:00 pm -
LHS (H) V BSB vs Haven
Ft. Larned Unified School District 495 Larned, KS 67550
4:00 pm
Friday April 17
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐎𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.
We have a special talk with Charles Fitz, owner of Avast Ye Java. It starts with coffee… but goes deeper than most expect. Be on the lookout to… (Nextdoor Twin Lakes)
- Red Demon Track is headed to Great Bend today, as this meet was orginially scheduled for tomorrow, but moved to today, due to possible inclement... (X: RedDemonSports)
- #BREAKING: A boy has been charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 14-year-old girl in Great Bend.... (X: KSNNews)
- Bradley-Morris, Inc. posted a job opening for Production Supervisor in Great Bend. Apply here.
- Taco Bell posted a job opening for Team Member in Great Bend. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Great Bend here.
Ok Great Bend! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: The NO-BELL prize (Thank you Gina M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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