October 19, 1951

• As a feature attraction to celebrate the second anniversary of the opening of the Fairfax Community Hospital, a baby show is planned for Saturday, November 10.

The Fairfax Kiwanis Club voted to sponsor the event, and committees were appointed to make plans for the show. Hospital records show that approximately 200 babies have first seen the light of day in the local hospital. Every one of them will be eligible to compete in the numerous contests planned and invitations are soon to be mailed to the parents of these babies, asking that they bring the babies to the show and participate in the events of the day. Two hundred babies will certainly make a grand show and there will be a gift for every one of them.

Baby and child specialists, living far from the community, will be selected as judges. It is planned to make this show a regular event and it should prove an outstanding one for Atchison and the surrounding countries. Every baby born in the local hospital will get a membership in a club to be organized and at the show some award will be made to every baby.

Prize money and merchandise will be raised by popular subscription. Those who would like to contribute toward the expenses of producing it may contact any member of the Kiwanis Club.

October 21, 1976

• After several months of waiting, Fairfax is getting its name on I-29. Roy L. Elkins, district traffic studies engineer in St. Joseph with the state highway department, said four new exit signs with the name of Fairfax and Craig have arrived the district office and maintenance crews plan to install the signs either late this week or early next week. Elkins said in a telephone interview that the signs were received about a week ago from the highway department’s state sign shop in Jefferson City, but crews were installing in the Bethany area and had not had a chance to install the new signs at the intersection of U.S. 59 and Interstate 29 near Craig. Scheduled for installation are two advance signs, one located a mile north and another located a mile south of the exit. An exit sign at both the northbound and southbound ramps will be installed. On these four large signs will be “U.S. 59” “Craig” and “Fairfax,” Elkins said.

Fairfax has been seeking the new exit signs since I-29 was opened between Craig and Rock Port on July 28. Several residents wrote W.F. Vandelicht, district highway engineer, asking that “Fairfax” be added to the exit signs. At first, Vandelicht replied that the the exit signs were adequate at Craig. In a letter on July 29, he said, “We do appreciate your concern . . . but our position is that no changes are necessary.” Then on August 24, Robert N. Hunter, chief engineer for the highway department, wrote and said the exit signs would be changed and “Fairfax” would be added. Even the Kansas City Star had joined in the effort, by publishing a front-page article on Fairfax and the effects of I-29 traffic bypassing the community. Now nearly two months after Hunter’s announcement, the signs have been made and, hopefully, they will be installed within the next few days.

October 18, 2001

The Fairfax kindergarten and first grades have begun publishing stories. Their newspaper is called “The Paw Print” and the students shared some of their stories with the Fairfax Forum readers. The following story was written by Amanda Law,  a first grade student: “I Am Happy – I’m outside at the park. I’m happy because I can run. I’m running to school. When I get there I’m going to play.