Monarch celebrates first responders

More than a dozen emergency personnel were treated to tours of Monarch Cement Co. and a chicken lunch Wednesday.
Walter Wulf Jr.,, chairman of the board at Monarch Cement in Humboldt, speaks to more than a dozen first responders during a First Responder Appreciation Day lunch Wednesday. Photo by Richard Luken / Iola Register
by Richard Luken
Published: October 29, 2026
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More than a dozen emergency personnel were treated to tours of Monarch Cement Co. and a chicken lunch Wednesday.

First responders from Humboldt, Iola and Allen County law enforcement, fire/EMS and communications departments were treated to a chicken lunch and tours of Monarch Cement Company in Humboldt Wednesday.

Monarch employees Ed Splechter and Daren Peters led a van tour of the plant and surrounding quarries to learn about the concrete-making process, and to show items of note emergency crews would encounter during an emergency situation. Splechter and Peters also serve as fire chiefs in Buffalo and Humboldt, respectively.

Humboldt Police Chief Shannon Moore gets a plate of food from the serving line at Monarch Ceemnt’s First Responder Appreciation Day.
Monarch Cement tour guides Ed Splechter, left, and Daren Peters serve as guides during a Wednesday van tour of the Humboldt facility. Splechter serves as a fire chief in Buffalo in Wilson County. Peters is the Humboldt fire chief.
Among the tour stops, below, was a visit to Monarch’s rotary kiln and control room.
Construction is nearly complete on a new blending silo at Humboldt’s Monarch Cement Co. The silo should be online in early 2027.

Richard Luken

Richard has been a part of the Register family since 1994. Richard covers general news and, on occasion, sports. A native of Moran, Richard came to the paper while still a student at Allen Community College. With mentors former publisher Emerson Lynn Jr. and former veteran reporter Bob Johnson at the ready, Richard learned how to be a star reporter. Over the span of his 28 years his news beats have included school board meetings for Districts 257 and 258, as well as Allen Community College trustee meetings. He’s also routinely covered city council meetings for Iola, Humboldt, LaHarpe and Moran. He’s covered floods, wrecks, true crime — everything from heart-warming to heart-breaking stories. For his work, Richard has consistently won top awards in statewide competitions year after year. Outside the office, he enjoys sports, reading and keeping up with the kids and grandkids.

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