3rd Annual Diggin' It With Friends

The 3rd annual FMDF Diggin' It With Friends Treasure Hunt is being held at Huntress Park in Clay Center, Kansas. Saturday, April 9th. We are meeting when the park opens at 7:00 a.m. We'll start hunting when everyone is ready to get after it... rain or shine.

We never charge an entry fee or sell tickets to raffle off any prizes and this will not be a seeded event. However we will be giving away a few prizes after the hunt and having a bbq/picnic. Bring your spouses, your children or your best hunting bud, everyone is welcome to attend our event! If you are interested in meeting and socializing and having a great time. Make your plans now to attend. It is going to be a diggin' good time and we're looking forward to seeing you there.


Now a little about the park we plan to hunt.

Mr. and Mrs. Orville Huntress came to Clay County in 1861 and bought a farm on what is now called Huntress Creek. Since the Huntress home was on a road traveled by soldiers going from Fort Riley to Indian outposts such as Scandia and White Rock, these men often stopped at the Huntress well for water. The first post office in Clay County was in the Huntress Home. Early settlers from England began homesteading in Clay County in 1862 in the area now, Clay Center. Clay County was named for Henry Clay, the famous U.S. Statesman. In 1886 Mrs. Huntress sold the Huntress farm, but reserved eight acres which she gave to Clay Center for a park. A Chautauqua was held in the park in 1904 and has been the site for thousands of picnics and family reunions over the years.

The original homestead of Orville Huntress is now a portion of the city of Clay Center and is built over, with the exception of eight acres, which was given to the city for park purposes and is named "Huntress Park." The old Huntress home, built in 1861, is located in this park and is preserved by the city in its original condition, as a monument of her first pioneer. It was not only the Huntress residence, but Clay Center's first post office and hotel. The widow of Orville Huntress, born in Canton Me., Aug. 21, 1821, married for her second husband, C. M. Anthony, a distinguished member of the Kansas bar and a resident of Clay Center. She passed away Dec. 6, 1894.

The closest accomodations to the park is the Cedar Court Motel located about 1/5th mile East of the park at 905 Crawford St. Be sure to mention to them, that you are there for the Diggin' It With Friends Treasure Hunt.

The number to call for reservations is 1-800-999-5774.

The economy: 1 queen bed 52.00 per night, 2 queen beds 57.00 per night.
The middle: 1 or 2 queen beds 62.00 per night
The new section: 1 king or 2 queen beds, recliner, whirlpool tub, 70.00 per night.
All of the rooms have a refrigerator, coffee pot, ironing board and iron.
Continental breakfast included.

There is a Mexican restaurant located next to the motel.

Leave a comment for answers to questions and/or concerns.

Clad for Kids 2010: UPDATE

Another update from Brian Duvall on the goings of this years Clad for Kids Charity event.

"Hey folks, the donations are all in and I have received all the kids' information for this years final push!!! I started this earlier this year, and the phenomenal outpouring of donations had pushed us over $1600 for the year! Here's the family info of those that we are helping this year....

Family #1 (2 Boys, grade 1 and grade 8)
I talked to the mom and she is raising the two boys on her own. One boy goes to the elementary where I regularly substitute. The 8th grade boy is being home-schooled due to his heart condition. He can't participate in much due to his condition. I was humbled by the meager requests from this family and I'm looking forward to getting these kids many things that they might not otherwise have ever got. A used Nintendo Gamecube is the wish item for these kids... I found one for $35 and got a couple of games for them so far.

Family #2 (3 Girls and 1 boy, ages 5, 9, 10, and 11)
They have just fallen on bad times and have limited income coming in. She was very grateful on the phone and very modest about asking for anything. I am amazed at how the kids tend to know the situation and did not ask for much... It is a sign of the times that the kids are now asking for clothes rather than toys... Zhu Zhu pets are the wish item for these kids...

Family #3 (3 Boys, ages grade 5, grade 2, and 14 months)
This family is really in turmoil... They are currently without home and are staying with relatives. The mom is getting out of a really bad situation with the father and is really struggling to stay afloat. They focused on clothing as their main items. The kids are not picky about the gifts in any way. This is not only helping her and the kids, it will be a big relief on her family too. I could tell when I talked to her sister that the situation has them all very stressed...

Family #4 (2 Girls, 1 boy, ages 9, 7, and 10 months)
Ok, this one is truly breaking my heart... First of all, I know the kids in this family and they are fantastic. Let's begin... As you see, the youngest is the little girl that was born 10 months ago... soon after giving birth, the mom began to have severe headaches. They began testing on here and found a brain tumor. They performed surgery on her and removed part of the tumor, but could not get it all or she would have lost all motor skills. She is currently going through radiation 5 days a week. She is in her 30's and this has taken a toll on her physically. She now walks with a walker and struggles to get through her days. She cannot work at this point, but she held a nice job prior to all this happening. If I find that we have some extra money when all the gifts are bought, I'd like to her and her husband some gas cards and grocery cards. My wife's family donated a bunch of beef from a steer to help them out too.

Okay, so this is our list for this year.... I want to express how proud I am of everyone who participated in this program! I've got a BUNCH of work to do this week... I'm working each day and still have to do all the shopping and wrapping after work... I'll be posting pics of the gifts and maybe even a video like I did last year... I apologize for not being able to photograph the recipients, but when you deal with school kids, different rules apply with photographs. And I know the people we are helping are people that are not accustomed to receiving a helping hand...it's uncomfortable enough for them. I may ask them to write a small letter of thanks to all the people who donated from around the world this year! I hope to make you all proud this year!!!! Wish me luck!!!! "


"Last night, my wife and I finished up the shopping getting all of the clothing and necessities. We started shopping at 7pm and didn't check out until 12:30am. I honestly have to say it kicked my but... I'm whooped! I had to work all day today until 6:30pm and my wife spent the day wrapping gifts. I'm so glad I have her here to help, because I wouldn't have made it without her. We had our first drop-off to our first family at 7:30pm tonight.

I have to tell you that this one was really special to me... This family is going through THE roughest of situations. As I mentioned, the mom is going through radiation treatment for a brain tumor and she has one of the most beautiful baby girls I've seen who is 10 months old. They also have a 2nd grade girl and a 1st grade boy.

I called her when we were on our way up and made sure the kids were in their rooms while we made the drop. When we arrived, the dad was holding the baby girl and mom made her way in to greet us. Her hair had been shorn from the surgery and she is swollen from the steroids and radiation treatments... I'm pretty sure that she is not able to hold the baby girl during the radiation treatment, which has weighed upon my mind through this evening. Her eyes welled with tears the entire time we were there and I was holding back myself. She's being so brave and strong for her family when you can tell she is quite weak. We didn't stay long and before we left, she gave my wife and I the biggest hug. She expressed that she never thought she'd be in this position and said that next year it will be different and they want to contribute to the program and pay it back to someone else in need. I'm proud that I was able to bring my little girls along to see what life is like and show the importance of helping others in their time of need.

I am trying to be as descriptive as possible to allow you to share the joy that I feel this evening. WE have done something special. This family is going to have a wonderful Christmas because of what we have done. The kids will have new clothing, shoes, coats and some awesome toys to open. After my wife and I finished getting everything on the lists... we were left with $200. I felt the need to get the parents of this family something to help them out. We gave them a $100 gas card to help with the transportation costs of her treatments, and a $100 grocery store card to get them well fed.

I wish you all could have been with me tonight to experience this... You've all made a big difference in 5 peoples' lives tonight!"

Clad for Kids 2010: GRAND TOTAL

A message from the founder of Clad for Kids, Brian Duvall:

"Okay folks... First, I have to tell you how proud I am to be amongst the many great people in the Metal Detecting Hobby!!! What started out as just an idea that I had no idea if it would work or not, has grown into something very very special! It all started with a little girl in Kindergarten that stole my heart and made me want to do something... We helped her last year and made her little life much easier for the remainder of the school year, and gave her parents a chance to recover and get on their feet again. The generosity that you folks have shown by giving money to someone you have never met for someone you don't know is amazing! I am humbled by the fact that you folks think enough of me to entrust your hard earned money so that we can help these kids have a glimpse of a better life. So, from the bottom of my heart...Thank you.

I will be giving updates on the families that we are helping and will show pictures of the gifts and such when we get them. My hope is that you feel the same sense of pride come Christmas morning that I have...and know, you made a difference today!

Now for the moment we have all been waiting for.......The grand total for the 2010 Clad for Kids campaign is...."



I'd also like to thank many of my readers, as well as my hobby peers over at FMDF and T'Net for their generosity is nearly tripling last years total and doing their part to help these families have a wonderful holiday.

And be sure to check back for updates shortly after the holiday season.

Thank you personally from me, Jimmy here at JimmysMDBlog.com!

Also, Brian has hooked up with my good friend Bill Grey of greyareagraphics.com in Florida and has designed a decal from my C4K logo above and as a donator, you are entitled to one... these will be sent via posted mail. Brian plans on making a thread on FMDF to gather addresses for those he may not have.

Clad for Kids 2010

It's that time of the year folks. The time when families come together and be thankful for each other and what they have. The time when gift giving is as much a part of the season as the warmth of an open fire.

Unfortunately, there are those out there, that due to a single, or combination or circumstances, cannot provide for the ones they care about and will most likely awake to understanding, yet disappointed faces come Christmas morning.

In 2009, a hobby peer of ours sparked a wonderful movement to turn that despair into joyous smiles and endearing embraces for a number of families in his rural Ohio community.

With a great personal effort, and with the help of fellow hobbyists like yourselves, he was able to raise over $600 and provide new clothing, toys and gas cards to a handful of needy families.

Please join Jimmy's MD Blog in donating all, or a portion of your 2010 clad finds to the 2010 Clad for Kids charity, hosted by Brian Duvall.

Click the button below or the one in the sidebar to donate. You can also contact me for mailing information if you do not wish to use PayPal to send your donation.

And here are a few pics of items purchased from last year's donations :)