Maga z i n e
Huff 40 years of
+ Fiesta Mexicana + Silverbackks + World Horseshoe Champs
SUMMER ‘15 | topekamag.com | $5
’n Puff
summer
2015 vol 9 no. 3
Editor Nathan Pettengill designer/Art Director
Jenni Leiste
COPY EDITOR
Leslie Andres
advertising Teresa Johnson-Lewis representative (785) 832-7109
Ad Designer
Jenni Leiste
contributing Jason Dailey Photographers Katie Moore Bill Stephens Contributing Writers
Linda A. Ditch Jeffrey Ann Goudie Kim Gronniger Cale Herreman Carolyn Kaberline Barbara Waterman-Peters
GENERAL MANAGER
Katy Ibsen
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
from the
editor
At the mercy of the wind …
We did not expect the weather to be this beautiful, as you see it was in the photograph on the left. In the days leading up to last year’s Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally, the storms swept into Topeka and several launches had been rescheduled and then scuttled entirely. We looked to the pilots. They had equipment, devices that rendered the weather forecasts we thought we had understood into something complicated with vectors and percentages, but mostly they had their instincts. And then they launched, as if the weather would obey them. On the ground, we spent the evening on the shore of Lake Shawnee, opposite the launching grounds, sharing the space with a wedding party and their reggae band, a pair of good ol’ boys fishing from the pier, and an old golden retriever alternatively fascinated and scared by movements in the water. At times, all of us on the shore would stop to see a balloon pass over, drifting to the southwest, or maybe this time slightly more southwest by south, as if the winds had designated a cardinal compass point and flight plan for each balloon. And because the balloons were silent, sometimes when your eyes followed an earlier launch that was disappearing beyond the horizon, another balloon would have launched and lurched itself into your field of vision. You are startled, and slightly embarrassed … after all, a gigantic round object sporting clownish fashion sense shouldn’t be able to simply sneak up behind you. None of this—the accidental crowd, the lakeshore, the imaginary flight pattern arrows of the balloons in the sky—had anything to do with what must have been the tremendous sensation of flying above the land in a small basket on that surprisingly serene evening, entirely at the mercy of a wind who had decided to befriend us. Nonetheless, even on the ground, it was still the most beautiful flight I had ever been on. - Nathan Pettengill, Editor
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what's inside
on THE cover
A group of balloons begin an ascent above Lake Shawnee during the 39th annual Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally. Photograph by Bill Stephens.
Artist Shelly Bedsaul creates a new painting from her studio in the NOTO Arts District.
in ev e ry iss u e :
what’s happening
36
features
46 The Big 4-0 for Huff ’n Puff
The city’s beloved hot air balloon rally prepares for its biggest launch ever
54 A hard-working Fiesta
For many in Topeka’s MexicanAmerican community, the city’s largest cultural celebration is not a party, but an inherited obligation and the biggest work week of the year— willingly and lovingly embraced
6
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
topekans
10
artist of the month
Introducing our new section honoring Topeka’s art community
14
rolling thunder families
Grandfathers, wives and daughtersin-law form the backbone of an army of military vehicle preservationists
16
26
The Mulvane Art Museum’s new director is credited for building an audience and bridges across the community
Volunteer group identifies needs and rallies Topekans to meet them
GALLERY ADDITION
21
topeka’s legends of horseshoe
Meet some of our best local hopes for world horseshoe acclaim
the silverbackks
appetite
30
steve’s summer skewer
Adaptive chef offers his take on fresh summer grilling and using every pot in the kitchen
JAYHAWK AREA AGENCY ON AGING
ANNuAl EdItION 2015-2016
viva bob! Elvis impErsonator
bob Lockwood shakEs it up for good causEs
BLOOMING A second
WWII THROUGH A CHILD’S EYE
through life
topeka talk Hunter’s Progress
Thank you for all the compliments on our previous edition’s cover story about local equestrian Hunter Holloway and her horse, YOLO. You can continue to follow Hunter’s quest for international titles through her Twitter account @holloway_hunter or on Instagram at hunterholloway. YOLO, however, does not seem to have an account … yet. JAYHAWK
Also released!
AREA AGENCY ON AGING
ANNuAl EdItION 2015-2016
viva bob! Elvis impErsonator
bob Lockwood shakEs it up for good causEs
BLOOMING A second
WWII THROUGH A CHILD’S EYE
7 QUESTIONS WITH …
By the time you are reading this, Topeka Magazine will have launched “7 Questions With …” a new feature on our topekamag.com website and through our social media accounts. These are short Q+A profiles with area business and professional leaders focusing on that person’s assessment of what is right about the community and what should become new community priorities. Our first “7 Questions With …” launched in late April, prompted by news of the resignation of the long-term CEO of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and GO Topeka. Topeka Magazine sat down with Brent Boles, the organization’s volunteer chair and Scott Griffith, volunteer GO Topeka chair. Let us know who you think we should feature in an upcoming “7 Questions With …” by contacting us by phone, email or letter.
we want to hear from you
topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com
through life
This May, our publishing house is also releasing the annual SR Magazine, a joint publication on senior themes with the Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging. Complimentary copies are available at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and the head office of Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging, 2910 SW Topeka Blvd. next edition ...
Topeka Magazine fall 2015 edition will release on September 5 with a fresh round of stories including two delicious recipes for cooler weather and the upcoming holiday seasons.
facebook.com/topekamag
@TopekaMagazine
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Departments In a parallel universe, horseshoe stars command multi-million dollar contracts, date Hollywood models and release viral videos for “Double Ringer” aftershave. But while we live in this world, even the greatest horseshoe pitchers can gather national titles, set records or perform amazing acts of athleticism … and still rank somewhere between bowlers and foosball teams in the ESPN canon of glory. This pecking order of sports might make sense by some commercial-broadcast standards, but if you play any sport then you know that the hierarchy of sports counts for nothing. When you compete, the only thing that matters is your race, your match, your bout. For any athlete, that is how it should be. In this issue, Carolyn Kaberline and Bill Stephens present a story of four local horseshoe pitchers competing in the upcoming World Championship, such as horse enthusiast and horseshoe competitor Eileen Lake (pictured on this page). Though the story does seek to evoke that parallel world of horseshoe glamor by reframing the sport with legendary status, it is most importantly a portrait of four dedicated amateur athletes with remarkable skills and a love for their game. And ultimately, it is this love of the game that elevates horseshoe—or any other sport—to the level of national pastime.
10 14 16 arti st of the month
rolli n g thunder fami li es
the door-opener
21 26 30 Topeka’s Legen ds of Horseshoe
the silverbackks steve’s sum m er skew er
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Story by
Photography by
Barbara Waterman-Peters
Jason Dailey, Bill Stephens and Katie Moore
artist of the
topekans
month
10
ABOUT THE WRITER
Introducing our new section honoring Topeka’s art community
This detail from Gwen McClain’s Lily Lake demonstrates the artist’s focus on nature and light.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Barbara Waterman-Peters writes, paints, exhibits, teaches and manages Studio 831 in the North Topeka Arts District (NOTO).
H
ighlighting the work of area artists has been an essential part of Topeka Magazine since our first issue in 2006. This spring, arts correspondent Barbara Waterman-Peters expanded our coverage of area artists by selecting and profiling an “Artist of the Month.” Gwen McClain, Doug Frye and Shelly Bedsaul represent vastly different styles and approaches, but each creates works that have enriched our community and inspired fellow artists. We’ll include Barbara’s picks for the coming three months in our next issue, but the full write-up will be posted on the first weekday of each month online at topekamag.com and through our magazine’s social media accounts.
Topeka Magazine’s Artist of the Month for March
Gwen McClain Gwen McClain’s work reflects her life: a concentration on light and reflections that searches to represent concepts such as resilience and energy. Or, as McClain says, “trying to make something beautiful out of tragedy.” Though she does not consider herself a landscape painter, McClain draws on natural lighting in outdoor scenes. “Light that dances in the trees is one way to express energy,” she explains. “My work is all about light. I have that sense in my drawings and I am working on it in my paintings.”
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Topeka Magazine’s Artist of the Month for May
Shelly Bedsaul Topeka Magazine’s Artist of the Month for April
Doug Frye Doug Frye exudes a serenity and quiet excitement. A medical doctor, Frye specializes in the treatment of pain, while his artwork provides a pleasant, yet substantive distraction that conveys the joy of creation that went into these works. The sheer size of Frye’s cutout pieces—3D painted wooden scenes in various shapes—makes them impossible to overlook. They are fun, lyrical and compelling. Equally a physician and an artist, Frye has a simple prescription for good life and good health: “sleep, exercise and art.”
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Working in several genres and media, Shelly Bedsaul has developed a vocabulary of crisp lines and contained spaces easily adaptable to her numerous forms of expression. Figurative pieces, including portraiture, abstracts and folk art reflect her signature style and her approach to art. “My figurative work is most important because it addresses the human condition,” says Bedsaul. “Landscapes are for looking and relaxing; figurative images are for questioning yourself.” Moving to Topeka in 2002 to be closer to her mother, Bedsaul set up a townhouse studio in North Topeka, becoming the first artist with a studio in the area that is now the NOTO Arts District. Here, Bedsaul thrives—showing her work, teaching classes and contributing to other projects, such as providing artwork to fellow NOTO business Bunker Coffee Co.
2942A S.W. Wanamaker Drive, Suite 100 Topeka, 66614-4479 785.440.4000 www.cavlem.com
Story by
Photography by
Carolyn Kaberline
Bill Stephens
Rolling Thunder
ABOUT THE WRITER
topekans
families
14
An avid equestrian, writer Carolyn Kaberline understands the Rolling Thunder club’s deep appreciation of horsepower.
Grandfathers, wives and daughters-in-law form the backbone of an army of military vehicle preservationists
Like many Rolling Thunder members, Stephen Williams has spent many hours renovating old military equipment.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Mission: National Convention
I
t is a group focused on military history, on restoring hunks of metal that were created for battle. Despite being rooted in combat, the Rolling Thunder group of Topeka has always been driven by family connections, beginning when Chester Ginn’s grandson requested a World War II-era jeep, like the ones he had seen in the movie Battle of the Bulge, to drive to school. Like a good grandpa, Ginn didn’t respond with an immediate “no.” “I started asking around locally for a jeep,” Ginn says, “but didn’t have any luck. I remembered seeing a yard east of town with a jeep in it, so I stopped to inquire about it.” That jeep belonged to Harry Barkus, who suggested Ginn join the Military Vehicle Preservation Association (MVPA), whose nearest chapter was in Kansas City. Contacts in that group led to a jeep in Zimmerman, Minnesota. Like many of the jeeps from that era, this one required major repairs. But Ginn bought it, pulled it into his garage and began working on it from the frame up. “The only thing I knew at the time was it had four wheels and a steering wheel,” Ginn says with a chuckle. “I read everything I could find on it and got help from Ed Crocker, who had military vehicles for years.” Gradually, Ginn began contacting other military vehicle enthusiasts, some working on their own projects and many gathering together for the drive to Kansas City for association meetings. By 2007, the Topekans realized they had enough members to form their own group. Stewart Entz, an attorney and military vehicle enthusiast, helped register the 501c organization as Rolling Thunder Living History Educational Foundation. The group has 55 members, all who own military vehicles; most in fact have more than one. Ginn says the rarest vehicle in the group is a 1918 jeep, though that date does not apply to many of the parts that had to be fabricated. Rebuilding sections of a vehicle is common for the members who work with whatever portion of a vehicle has survived.
The jeeps rarely come in one piece— most have been cut into three or four pieces or were intentionally run over by a tank as part of the decommissioning. When the jeeps were no longer used by the military, some were offered to fire departments and groups like the Boy Scouts; others were dismantled because they were considered susceptible to rolling over. In most all cases, the restoration work is extensive. Not only structurally, but in terms of the fine details: from sanding and painting of the frames, to tracing down lights, packing wheel bearings and sewing top and seat covers. The restoration work often pulls in entire families. “My husband started putting several crushed jeeps together for a fellow he knew and said we needed one too,” says Jewell Carlson. “The boys helped, our daughter helped—her fingers were small enough to get into the needle bearings. We’re now on our third generation. Anyone marrying into the family knows they’re going to be involved with these vehicles.” Carlson recalls that the women’s work on the restoration was welcomed, but that the females had to knock down a few barriers to be accepted into the group. “When they started the club, we came to all the meetings—they weren’t going to leave us out,” she says. “When we started bringing treats to the meetings, they were in favor of us staying.” Now Carlson and her daughters-in-law, Bonnie Carlson and Julee Carlson, drive Vietnam-era jeeps to work, take the kids and grandkids to school, drive the jeeps in parades and take them out for trips. “We used to go on yearly vacations in Colorado with the jeeps,” Bonnie says. “When we drove them through small towns, everyone would come out and watch our little convoy go through.” “These vehicles are something we all enjoy,” Julee says.”A lot of this group is made up of family members, but the group itself is a family too.”
THE RESTORATION WORK OFTEN PULLS IN ENTIRE FAMILIES
Get ready for jeeps, tanks and plywood sheets as hundreds of military vehicle enthusiasts return to Topeka
This summer, the members of Rolling Thunder will host the 40th annual national Military Vehicle Preservation Association convention at the Kansas Expocentre on June 24-27. The event provides a rare chance to see hundreds of historic military vehicles and equipment on display from collectors across the nation. This is the second time that the Topeka group has hosted the convention. Members say they have enjoyed having more time for preparation than in 2010, when their group volunteered to become replacement hosts after another association in a different town backed out late in the process. “We were a new group and only had six months to prepare for that one. We went into it, not knowing what to expect,” recalls Rolling Thunder member Julee Carlson. She describes watching exhibition tanks unload and then rushing to help lay down a limited number of plywood sheets under their tracks, leapfrogging the sheets from back to front of the tank in order to keep the tracks from destroying the pavement. But the Rolling Thunder hosts received strong reviews for their work, and many of the attendees remarked on the town’s comparatively cheaper accommodations and costs, as well as the amount of guests who came to the convention. Carlson says having a full year to prepare for the convention has enabled the group to prepare for all arrivals and know what to expect. And she has a stack of plywood sheets ready to go— just in case. This year’s gathering will include a tour of the Combat Air Museum, a trip to Fort Riley a swap meet, a Downtown Topeka shopping run, seminars on preservation work such as restoring a fuel tank and, of course, many military vehicles on display. The display portion is open to the public, with more information available at mvpa.org.
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Story by
Photography by
Jeffrey Ann Goudie
Bill Stephens
gallery
ABOUT THE WRITER
topekans
addition
16
Jeffrey Ann Goudie, former newspaper columnist, is a freelance writer and book reviewer whose work has appeared in the Huffington Post and the Kansas City Star. For Topeka Magazine, she profiles Topekans who are making a positive difference in the community.
The Mulvane Art Museum’s new director is credited for building an audience and bridges across the community
Connie Gibbons has settled into her new role as the director of the Mulvane Art Museum.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
C
onnie Gibbons is a person of eclectic interests and varied experience. When people speak of the director of the Mulvane Art Museum, they often stress her talent for reaching across disciplines. Marguerite Perret, associate professor of art at Washburn University, says Gibbons has a strong interest in research and interdisciplinary connections and that she’s always searching for ways to bring different elements of the university and community together. “She’s trying to create a dynamic, breathing museum,” says Perret. Gibbons scheduled and supported Perret’s “Drift & Drag: Reflections on Water” exhibit that opened in January 2015 and included the work of filmmakers, a mural artist, visual artists, scholars and dancers. The president of the Friends of the Mulvane Art Museum, Jeanie Schuler, says Gibbons has a “wonderful combination of artistic ability and good business sense.” She points out the rising number and wide variety of people who are coming to the Mulvane. A recent First Friday opening saw 425 visitors crowding into the museum. The director for two years, Gibbons has brought to the Mulvane a wealth of experience. She has served as the director of the Lubbock Fine Arts Center; the Buddy Holly Center for Art and Music; a river music exhibit in Davenport, Iowa; Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago; the B.B. King Museum in Indianola, Mississippi; and the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyoming. This rich quilt of experience was stitched out of Connie Gibbons’ personal story. Gibbons was born in Phoenix, Arizona. Her father was an electrical contractor and her mother, a staySummer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Gibbons says one of the more “iconic at-home-mom. When she was seven, her pieces” the staff acquired was the famous parents divorced. Her mother remarried, pair of eyeglasses that the early rock ’n’ and the family “moved just constantly.” roll legend was wearing when he died in Gibbons spent time in Phoenix, but also a plane crash in 1959. After sitting in an in small towns in Missouri around the envelope in an evidence room in a sheriff’s Springfield area. office for years, the glasses were bought Describing herself as a “troubled from Holly’s window and then donated to teen,” Gibbons married young and had the museum. Gibbons retrieved the glassa baby, dropping out of high school. The es and flew back with them to Lubbock. youthful marriage did not last, and when On that flight, her plane hit a big air pockher daughter was two years old, Gibbons et and Gibbons thought to herself: “The moved back to Missouri, where her mothlast time these glasses were on a plane …” er and grandfather lived. But the glasses made it back, and so did A few years later, she was working Gibbons, who spent a total of 17 years in for a prosecuting attorney as an office Lubbock before moving to the Nicolaysen manager of sorts. Interested in taking Art Museum in Wyoming and then on to some college classes, she completed Topeka to be closer to her family in Misher GED and enrolled in a night class at souri. Southwest Missouri State University in When she was hired for the Mulvane Springfield, before switching to Drury position, the curator retired, and the University, where she could fit in two museum hired Julie Myers. Gibbons crednight classes instead of one. She was its Myers with working hard taking mostly literature to put the museum’s “remarkand writing classes, but able collection” into context switched emphasis after through her research. attending a photography Kelly Watt, who teaches class. art history at Washburn, says “It seemed that as a Gibbons’ “intense interest in way to communicate, phophotography gives her more tography was much more of a sympathy” for other forms suited to how I thought and of the visual arts that “might looked and experienced the go unnoticed.” For example, world,” Gibbons says. Gibbons mounted an exhibit The young single – Kelly Watt of walking sticks that grew out mother gained confidence of an interdisciplinary faculty colloquium through her studies and was encouraged at Washburn on the subject of walking. by her professors to apply to graduate “She’s thrown open the gallery school, earning a spot in the art departdoors,” says Watt. ment of Texas Tech University in LubGibbons’ life in Topeka revolves bock. As a graduate student, Gibbons around the museum and the university. needed part-time work and landed a She lives close enough to walk to work and position at what was then the city’s Fine run her dog around the campus daily. She Arts Center. Her graduation coincided takes advantage of the Shunga Trail. with the director’s leaving, and she was “I know when I go into a community awarded the position where she worked that it’s only going to be as good as I make with many departments across the Texas it, and as the work that I put into it,” says Tech campus and made connections in Gibbons. the community. The adaptable, flexible, hardworking When the city acquired a train depot Gibbons is making a good life for herself in that had been a restaurant, Gibbons was Topeka. And Topeka is a better communitasked with renovating the building and ty—intellectually and artistically— adding a room for a new Buddy Holly and because of her. West Texas music exhibit.
Connie Gibbons has “thrown open the gallery doors.”
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
story by
Photography by
Carolyn Kaberline
Bill Stephens
Topeka’s Legends of
ABOUT THE WRITER
Meet some of our best local hopes for world horseshoe acclaim
topekans
Horseshoe
As part of writing this story, Carolyn Kaberline pitched horseshoes for the first time. Thank goodness for safety netting.
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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T
his July, the Topeka Horseshoe Association hosts national and global competitors for the World Horseshoe Tournament. With only 50 members, the Topeka club is one of the smallest groups to host the international event, but full of depth across competition categories. Here are four of the region’s hometown contenders. The Lake Bloomer Eileen Lake came into the sport approximately six years ago, surprising even herself. Though she had been taking lessons at Gage Park court, Lake mostly encouraged her husband to participate. Joining him for a tournament in Libertyville, Missouri, Lake noticed that there was a class needing pitchers and was convinced by her husband to step in for the match. From that first tournament, Lake says she was hooked on the sport. She soon joined the Kansas Horseshoe Association and stepped up her mentoring lessons from veteran pitcher Ryan Reese. She also noticed that the sport was moving from a social event to a serious pursuit. “As you get better, you can’t talk to your partner as much though,” Lake says. “You have to concentrate and not socialize. Horseshoe presents a challenge.’’ But Lake, who has a 36 percent ringer average, never forgets what drew her into the sport. “I’ve met lots of new people, good people of all different age groups,” Lake says, adding that’s what she likes best about the sport: “I’ve made some good friendships. It’s very relaxing; there’s nothing stressful about it—and it’s just plain fun.”
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
The Young Ringer Ten year-old Ryan Russell of Hoyt holds the horseshoe at eyelevel and frowns in concentration as he lines it up with the pin some thirty feet away. Standing in the court at Gage Park reserved for the best players, he is finally satisfied with his aim and pitches the shoe. Any time Ryan tosses a horseshoe, chances are good the shoe will land wrapped around the pin— a ringer. Though he has only just completed fourth grade at Royal Valley Elementary, Ryan sports an impressive 39.15 percent ringer average—meaning that over onethird of his recent competitive throws have landed around the target for an automatic three points. Top-level adult competitors hit a 70 percent ringer average, while the elite horseshoe competitors hit above 80 percent. But nearly 40 percent for an elementary-school student is formidable. Ryan’s skill comes, in part, from playing the game longer than many of the adults he often goes up against. “I’ve been playing since I was four,” Ryan says. “I got interested when I watched my grandpa, Mike McClaskey, play.” “I think it’s good exercise and gets him outside,” says Ryan’s mother, Shelley Russell. “He gets to interact with people of all ages. It teaches him manners and courtesy. I’m proud of all he’s accomplished.” Although none of his friends are into the game, Ryan says his friends know he competes. “They think it’s kind of cool that there’s someone in the class who can do something they can’t.”
Eileen Lake, above, and Ryan Russell, below, are competing in the World Horseshoe Tournament this summer.
Take a Pitch?
The Topeka Horseshoe Association welcomes new members or anyone interested in trying horseshoes. The public is invited every Wednesday evening from 5:45–8:30 p.m., April through October. Association representative Larry Collette is also available by phone (785) 4565001 to provide more information.
The Oakie Old Guard Dan Walrod, who turned 72 this May, grew up throwing horseshoes, but didn’t make his tournament debut until 1963. Walrod then had to put additional competitions on hold for years of service, before being able to enter his first state tournament in 1970. Four years later, he captured the Oklahoma state championship. Walrod says his competitive record went “downhill from there,” and he did not pitch for approximately 21 years after moving to Kansas in 1990. Nonetheless, Walrod continues to post
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strong results, earning a 58.8 percent ringer average at his last tournament and standing at 56 percent ringer average for senior events. “I like the competition,” Walrod says. “I wasn’t good at other sports, but this is something I can do well and don’t have to be a natural athlete to be good.” For Walrod, the World Tournament is a chance to face off again former friends and to compete for his biggest title yet. “I’m qualified and looking forward to seeing a lot of people from Oklahoma I used to pitch with,” says Walrod.
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Horseshoe Fandom 101
The sport of horseshoe is not held in corporate-sponsored megastadiums. There are no high-ticket, air-conditioned luxury boxes. Katy Perry and her left shark won’t be dancing at half time. But don’t let the low-hype fool you—a horseshoe tournament can be a fun spectator sport, especially when it comes to the top-tier pitchers and the final rounds. In fact, some of the pitchers even have a group of followers that travel with them from court to court and cheer loudly when the scores are totaled. So if you want to enjoy attending and joining in the cheers at the right moment, here are some rules you will need to know. Silence is observed when pitchers prepare to toss a horseshoe. The World Horseshoe Tournament guidelines also request that cheers and applause be held until the end of each inning (a round of four throws with a score tabulation). You will want to cheer at the end of the inning if your pitcher landed a horseshoe within a six-inch radius of the stake—that’s one point. And you will want to cheer even louder if your pitcher wraps his or her horseshoe around the stake (a ringer)—that’s three points. But mostly, you will want to cheer if your pitcher walks away from the inning with more points than the opponent. Some games are played under “cancellation scoring,” which allows a player to cancel out an opponent’s ringer points by pitching his or her horseshoe on top of the opponent’s ringer. This would certainly deserve some cheering. Players will take turns throwing two horseshoes each. When both players have thrown each of their two shoes, one point is awarded to the player whose horseshoe is closest to the stake. A match is often played until one player reaches a set amount of points, often 40, or once a set amount of horseshoes are thrown, often 40.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Half of the Fulton Full-House Threat Gary Fulton grew up throwing horseshoes in the backyard with his brother, and then rejoined the sport decades later when his son invited him to join a league in Carbondale. “There was always the competition and striving to get that ringer,” says Fulton. “It was fun, and I never found a bad person to throw against.” In fact, Fulton found at least one very good person to throw against—a woman he met on the court who would become his wife. At first, Fulton was playing in a higher division than his new wife, Susan. But she shortly caught up to him. At a recent tournament the two attended, they ended up playing each other after earning 4-1 scores against their opponents.
“She ended up beating me and taking first place,” Gary says. Regardless of how they place, both say they enjoy pitching. “It’s good for socialization,” says Susan, whose uncle got her involved in the sport. “When you travel to other cities, you get to see those you haven’t seen for a while. It’s also good exercise, you get to be outdoors.” Despite the positives of the sport, Susan does list one drawback: “It’s hard on the fingernails. You can’t have long fingernails and pitch horseshoes.” Both Gary and Susan qualified for this year’s World Horseshoe Tournament. He currently has a 40.68 percent ringer average while she has a 37.50 percent ringer average.
Story by
Photography by
Kim Gronniger
Jason Dailey
ABOUT THE WRITER
Kim Gronniger is a Topeka communications professional who has written for Topeka Magazine since 2007.
the
Silverbackks Volunteer group identifies needs and rallies Topekans to meet them
topekans
A group of Silverbackks volunteers coordinate their roles before serving meals at a Sunday lunch program.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
T
hey come individually, in pairs and in small groups from across Topeka. Some know what to do, others approach Ronnie Wooten or another leader to request a task, and there are a lot of those—from stacking potatoes to spreading sandwiches. Quickly, dozens of hands began to assemble full for at least 100 people. Volunteer organizer Ami S. Hyten, an attorney with Topeka Independent Living, jokingly compares the methodical, frenzied preparations to the Food Network’s culinary grudge-match program, Chopped. But by 11 a.m., the strangers have already begun working in rhythm, setting up a buffet-style meal on a long row of tables. One of the organizers gives a signal, and the doors to 408 SW Jackson are opened to begin another community lunch courtesy of Silverbackks. This non-profit has been running the Sunday lunch program since July 2014, when Kim Weidler requested a birthday barbecue that would feed nearly 150 people. Ever since then, a core group has gathered and organized others—first to hand out sack lunches to the homeless and later to prepare nutritious meals from fresh produce and other items received from Harvesters Community Food Network as well as from individual contributors. Their guests, people without homes or simply in need, typically range in number from 70 to 150. On some weeks, guests can select hygiene products and clothing. In the summer, sunscreen and cotton socks are offered. In the winter, guests can receive lip balm, blankets, caps and scarves (crafted either by the Potwin Fiber Artisans or inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility). Wooten, president and chief executive officer of software company Suntell, says this new apparel can be crucial for people without a home. The impetus for Silverbackks began with cold bottles of water distributed to people on a sweltering day in June 2011. Jude Quinn, Chad Manspeaker and Kacy Simonsen moved a philosophical discussion about social issues from Quinn’s porch to the street where their actions could benefit others, evolving the one-time act into a nimble organization whose mission is to “lead, help, build and protect.” In Silverbackks, volunteer acts have a tendency to inspire other community service projects. The Sunday lunch volunteers, for example worked with other individuals and corporate sponsors last summer to serve supper Monday through Thursday nights at Central Park and Hillcrest community centers, drawing 30 to 50 children at each location for free meals.
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Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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To carry out these acts, Silverbackks relies on Twitter and Facebook followers to organize into one-time or project-groups. If a specific item is sought, people drop it off in baskets at 10 businesses that serve as collection sites. In October 2013, Silverbackks launched SilverBras as an annual luncheon and distribution of not only new and gently used bras but also makeup and hygiene products. Hunger, hygiene and comfort are recurring concerns among the community’s homeless population, and 225 high school students identified by USD 501 administrators are especially vulnerable. When Wooten and Hyten distributed hygiene items at a high school event, a young woman was thrilled to discover a package of maxi pads. “She’d been using napkins she’d taken from McDonald’s, so now we’re able to put hygiene products in the hands of counselors so they can help kids out,” says Hyten. Other Silverbackks initiatives include: SilverTeens, a teen-to-teen service program; SilverThumbs, a community gardening project; and SilverVillage, a parent-to-parent support group.
In a Name 28
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
It is oddly appropriate that an organization so based in social media, would become defined by it as well. Co-founder Chad Manspeaker says the name—a combination of a strong, protective gorilla (silverback) and the abbreviation for the group’s home state (KS)—encapsulates the group’s mis-
sion and reach. But organizers can’t take full credit for the brilliant branding, Manspeaker adds. Silverbackks began to be spelled as it is because of a Twitter mandate—a different group had already taken the commonly spelled handle of “Silverbacks,” leaving the organizers to brainstorm their alternative.
‘we’re All Leaders’ J ude Q u inn crafts a vol unteer m o v e m ent for the digital age
Though Silverbackks prides itself on having a loose network of equally committed and vital volunteers, co-founder Jude Quinn is definitely one of the group’s biggest voices—a larger-than-life, red-bearded, muscular, tattooed idealist who rallies volunteers, pats backs and challenges the community to do more. A locomotive engineer by trade, Quinn arrived in Topeka in 2008 to marry his girlfriend, Jennifer, a BNSF colleague. Meeting new friends and familiarizing himself with his adopted hometown, he encountered several civic organizations. “All these places had great people doing great things and all were in dire need of new blood,” Quinn says. “But I was on call 24/7, and my wife and I had a bit of a ‘Brady Bunch’ household with six kids, so I couldn’t commit to volunteering on a schedule.” But then Quinn says he learned about a concentration of approximately 80 homeless people near his home, and he thought that “was a manageable number where I could work with others to make an impact.” From that moment, the Chicago boy who had no volunteer experience other than being “a Boy Scout for about five minutes,” became a committed community organizer, gorilla-style. “We had this idea of the Silverback gorilla, a loving, protective being—but very strong and forthright. And that’s exactly
what Jude is,” says Chad Manspeaker, a Silverbackks co-founder and board member. Quinn’s voice is definitely heard clearly across the internet where he coordinates actions with an approach that is no-stringsattached volunteerism for the digital age. “People give what they are willing to give when they can,” says Quinn. “A mom of two asked me if she could bake cookies because this was a way she could help. Any talent people have can be used because we’re all leaders in this effort, whatever we bring to it.” That agile approach has helped Topekans and garnered national recognition, such as when Quinn was invited to the White House in 2013 as a Daily Points of Light honoree. Quinn recalls it as “a magical” experience where event organizers underscored the uniqueness of the Silverbackks social media model, lauding its lack of bureaucracy. In helping to lead the group, Quinn says he has learned important lessons. One awakening was when a gentleman refused the water and granola bar Quinn tried to press on him, offering a handshake instead. “We have to first introduce ourselves by name and extend our hand in understanding and establish our respect for their dignity,” Quinn says. “We offer ourselves first, and then provide help if they want it.”
The oldesT new Car dealership in Topeka is now The newesT 2245 Southwest Topeka Boulevard Topeka, KS 66611 Call Us Today! 800-432-2931 www.lairdnollertopeka.com
aLSO OFFerINg a NeW cOmmercIaL vehIcLe d e pa r T m e N T aT 2 1 S T a N d S O u T h T O p e K a B Lv d T O S e r v e Our FLeeT aNd cOmmercIaL cuSTOmerS BeTTer. Introducing the all new Laird Noller Ford. Our facility has been completely renovated and improved with you the customer in mind. We have also added a new truck display lot south of our new car showroom capable of displaying over 150 trucks, vans, cuv’s and suv’s. We have added over 3 acers to our property so we can offer the best ownership experience in a spacious non cluttered environment.
Story by
Photography by
Linda A. Ditch
Bill Stephens
steve’s summer
ABOUT THE WRITER
appetite
Skewers
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Linda A. Ditch has been a freelance writer for almost two decades. Her love for food dates back to times spent watching her grandmother cook in her farmhouse kitchen.
Adaptive chef offers his take on fresh summer grilling and using every pot in the kitchen
Steve Girolami prepares his grilled chicken skewers with vegetables from his new home in Topeka.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Steve Girolami and Dan Brungardt had just spent a day sipping wine on the piazza of Urbino, Italy. So naturally, their thoughts turned to Topeka. Or more precisely, a long-discussed possibility of giving up their frenetic pace of life in Portland, Oregon, and replacing it with a slower pace in the Kansas capital. For Brungardt, the move was relatively easy. A Topeka native, he had family who still lived in the area. And he would be able to relocate his popular Home at Last design store to Fairlawn Plaza. For Girolami, the move was more complicated. An obstetrician-gynecologist, he had medical commitments to fulfill. However, he also knew it was time for his life to slow down. In the end, he joined his partner of 14 years in Topeka while continuing his practice in Oregon by spending a week here and a week there. His goal is to gradually shift to three weeks in Topeka and one week in Portland until he retires. After more than a year of Kansas living, Girolami says he has fallen in love with the blue skies and wide-open spaces, as well as having Brungardt’s family close by. Living in a comparatively smaller town has also been a plus. “I actually think the people here are more friendly,” Girolami says. “To get into conversations with people in the grocery story—that just doesn’t happen in Oregon. Dan knows all the names of the people who live on our street. We lived in Portland for years and only knew the neighbors on each side of us.” “This is where I’m supposed to be,” Brungardt says. “This is home.” For Brungardt and Girolami, part of creating a good home is creating delicious meals to share. Though they say they have enjoyed exploring new restaurants, the couple prefer dining at home with friends and family. “If I’m off work, I’d rather have people over,” says Girolami, the main cook in the house. When friends are in the kitchen, he will often enlist their help with preparations. “I like to get them really – STEVE GIROLAMI invested in the process.” When dining as a couple, Girolami and Brungardt work together in the kitchen, with Brungardt providing much of the cleaning and Girolami the adventuresome approach. “Dan thinks I’m messier than he is. He cleans as he goes along, and I use every pot in the kitchen,” says Girolami. A self-taught cook, Girolami reveres Barefoot Contessa Ina Garten and takes to heart her approach of not cowering before cuisine. “He’s not intimidated by a recipe. If it has more than six ingredients, I think, ‘Let’s not do that.’ But he’s more game to try,” says Brungardt of his partner. By the time Girolami finishes tinkering with a recipe, it might have little resemblance to the original version. Such is the case with this grilled chicken skewers recipe that Girolami cooks during the summer. He shares the recipe version he typically prepares. But, of course, Girolami would not mind if you took the recipe, shook it up and made it your own. “I change it all the time,” he says.
“I USE EVERY POT IN THE KITCHEN.”
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
Steve Girolami’s Grilled Chicken Skewers with Vegetables Preparation Time: 35 minutes (15 minutes for chicken; 20 minutes for vegetables) plus 6 hours to marinate
Steve Girolami, left, and Dan Brungardt bring their very different cooking styles to one kitchen.
Chicken Ingredients: 1/4 cup plain yogurt 2 tbsp olive oil 3 finely chopped green onion (white and green parts) 1 tsp minced garlic 12 drops Tabasco (or similar hot sauce) 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced or cubed 8-10 wooden skewers Salt and pepper to taste Vegetable Ingredients: 3 red bell peppers, seeded and halved 3 yellow squash (about 1 pound total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles 3 zucchini (about 12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-
feeds: 4-6 people
thick rectangles 3 Japanese eggplant (12 ounces total), sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick rectangles 12 cremini mushrooms 1 bunch (1-pound) asparagus, trimmed 12 green onions, roots cut off 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil, divided Salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 1 tsp chopped fresh basil leaves 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
To make chicken: 1. Combine yogurt, olive oil, green onion, garlic and Tabasco in a bowl. Add chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours. 2. Pre-soak short wooden skewers in warm water at least 20 minutes. 3. Thread about 3 chicken pieces tightly together on skewers. 4. Season chicken skewers with salt and pepper. 5. Grill on hot barbecue until cooked through and juices run clear. Do not overcook chicken. To make vegetables: 1. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parsley, basil and rosemary until blended. Set aside. 2. Preheat the grill until hot on medium-high heat. Place aluminum foil over the grill grate. 3. Brush the vegetables with 1/4 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill in batches until the vegetables are tender and lightly charred. (Peppers, squash, zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms will take the longest.) 4. Arrange the cooked vegetables onto a serving platter. Drizzle with the oil and vinegar mixture. Serve.
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Your CulturalStarts Destination Here... Your Cultural Destination Here... Your Cultural Destination Starts Here... YourStarts Cultural Destination Star
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Explore this beautiful, spacious gallery where Gallery some ofHours: the bestM-F, artists10-6 and Sa in the country show their work.
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“It requires a great deal of boldness and a great deal of caution to make a great fortune: and when you have got it, it requires ten times as much wit to keep it.” --Meyer Rothschild What constitutes a “great fortune” is different for everyone, but the desire for financial security is universal. Physiological, emotional, and physical health and well-being are inextricably linked to financial health. Are you on course?
Take this 3 Step Reality Check: 1. Track your expenses for one month.
I know, you would rather have a root canal, but, admit the truth— solve the problem. And don’t forget the cappuccino on the way to the office; everything purchased must be counted. Now ask yourself this question: “Can I sustain this level of spending in retirement?”
2. Add up how much you are saving each month.
Saving is simply postponing consumption, which sometimes requires a fierce negotiation with reality. The other approach, of course, if you can’t save money, is to be really nice to your kids!
3. Set your course.
Once we know where we are headed, we then make a plan. Not a book of calculations that sets on a shelf, but a fluid and sometimes changing GPS that guides us all the way. Beware the twins: Longevity (your own good health) and Inflation (how much stuff your money will buy). Visit our website for tools and calculators at www.reinertwealthmanagement.com
Mark A. Reinert CFP®, MBA
Reinert Wealth Management 3639 SW Summerfield Dr. Suite B / Topeka, KS 66614 (785) 272-3900 mark.reinert@lpl.com www.reinertwealthmanagement.com
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WHAT’S HAPPENING
june Featured Event:
Topeka Magazine release party June 5 | 6:00-8 pm Topeka Center for the Performing Arts, 214 SE eighth Ave.
Topeka Magazine teams up with the Topeka Center for the Performing Arts and SouthWind Art Gallery for a must-see addition to the June Art Walk featuring: • Wine samples as a sneak peak for The Grape Escape, TPAC’s annual fundraiser featuring over 150 wine varieties • Showings from SouthWind’s ongoing exhibition of work by James Pringle Cook, one of the nation’s leading landscape artists • Release party for Topeka Magazine’s summer 2015 edition, with a musical performance and hors d’oeuvres from The Tasteful Olive
June 5 | First Friday Art Walk | Various locations | 5:30–8:30 pm | Performances and displays across the city; for more information and map, see page 36-37 of this edition or go online at artsconnecttopeka.org June 5 | Sundown Film Festival | Kansas Historical Society (Kansas Museum of History), 6425 SW Sixth Ave. | Opening night of free, outdoor, family-friendly movie screenings with Little Women (1994); other showings in the summer series include Lincoln (July 10) and Gone with the Wind (August 14) | Films start at 9 p.m., with special exhibits and presentations on the grounds of the Kansas Museum of History before the show | For more information, go online at kshs.org June 5-13 | Sunflower Music Festival | White Concert Hall, Washburn University | The 29th annual celebration of classical music, with a full schedule of workshops and a nine-day series of free and open community concerts | For more information, call (785) 670-1396 or go online at sunflowermusicfestival.org
Photography credit: Shutterstock, Jason Dailey, Bill Stephens and Shutterstock
Topeka Magazine’s 10 Recommendations for june June 12-13 | Capital City Food Truck Festival | Gage Park | A convergence of food trucks from across the Midwest, plus local favorites such as Ice & Olives | Open to the public with free musical concerts, but bring money to purchase your favorite meal | For more information, call (785) 234-1030 June 12-13 | Mulvane Art Museum road trip to the Garden of Eden | Mulvane Art Museum to Lucas … and back again | Join Mulvane art historians as well as featured artist Isaiah Zagar on the city’s artsiest road trip to the Garden of Eden, the wonderfully wacky, turn-of-the-century concrete monument of native art | Seating and accommodation are limited, so reserve your ticket in advance by calling (785) 670-1124 or go online at washburn.edu/Mulvane
June 18 | Guided Tour of Capitol | Visitor’s Lobby | 9 am | Topeka History Geeks host this walk-through of the city’s showcase architectural attraction
save the date!
June 20 | Wheatstock | Old Prairie Town | 10 am-8 pm | Day-long bluegrass, roots and other acoustic sensations | Free and open to the public | For more information, call (785) 251-2992
June 25-27 | Military Vehicle Preservation Association, National Convention | Kansas Expocentre | A showcase of restored, historic military vehicles with two days of exhibitions (26-27) open to the public | For more information, see our story on page 14
august 28, 2015
tpac
June 27 | Tap That Topeka: A Capital Brew Festival | Downtown Topeka | 11 am-3 pm | A gathering of local and national craft beer brewers | For ticket reservations and more information, call (785) 234-9336 or go online at downtowntopekainc.com
A food and wine festival to benefit Topeka’s Performing Arts Center
June 19 | “Fire & Ice” event | Great Overland Station | 5:30 | Annual fundraiser for the city’s railroad museum, featuring cocktails, auctions, dinner and entertainment by Rusty Rierson | For more ticket reservations or more information, call (785) 232-5533 or go online at greatoverlandstation.com
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
Featuring over 120 world wines, hors d’oeuvres tasting and live and silent auctions
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WHAT’S HAPPENING
Topeka Magazine’s 10 Recommendations for july
July 4 | Spirit of Kansas Blues Festival | Lake Shawnee | Noon-the last fireworks | A day full of blues concerts from national musicians, free and open to the public; followed by fireworks over Lake Shawnee | For more information and to start cueing up your playlist to the featured artists, go online at topekabluessociety.org
july Featured Event: Documerica
July 6-9 | Summer Camp at the Combat Air Museum | Did your summer camp have a vintage fighter plane? This one does. The Combat Air Museum hosts morning sessions for children ages 8-12, with a repeat of the sessions in August | For registration and more information, call (785) 862-3303 or go online at combatairmuseum.org
July 3 (and ongoing until August 2) | 5:30-8 pm Alice C. Sabatini Gallery at Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library
If you have not already gotten your peace-andlove on, then the July Art Walk is the perfect opportunity to head over to the ongoing exhibition at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, Searching for the Seventies: Documerica. For many Millennials and probably all of the YOLO generation, this Smithsonian Institutionsponsored show of daily life in the 1970s might be a fun showcase of freaky fashion. But, in tapping a series of photographs originally commissioned by the Environmental Protection Agency, the exhibition also explores how the turbulent beginning of this decade gave rise to an awareness of environmental issues. On the evening of July 3, gallery staff will help visitors get into the spirit of the Bicentennial year by handing out Bomb Pops. Look also for a series of summer events in the children, teen and adult programs focusing on the 1970s, from the end of the Beatles to the craze of homemade lanyards. Groovy.
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TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Summer 2015
July 10 – August 15 | The Wizard of Oz | Topeka Civic Theatre and Academy | Every Kansas theater must perform this Ad Astra classic at least once … and Topeka’s main community stage provides the chance to see its version. | For ticket reservations or more information, go online at topekacivictheatre.com
July 10-26 | Sunflower State Games | Various locations | Olympic-style showdown of Kansas’ top amateur athletes competing in events such as bocce ball, darts, sailing, cricket and more | For more information, go online at sunflowergames.com
July 11 | Fiesta Mexican Parade | Downtown Topeka | A community parade through the heart of the city ahead of the traditional fiesta week | For more information, go online at downtowntopekainc.com
July 13-25 | World Horseshoe Championship | Kansas Expocentre | Your greatgranddaddy’s sport just got hip again; see the world’s best pitchers and cheer on the local stars at this global contest | For more information, see the article on page 21.
July 14-18 | Fiesta Mexicana | Our Lady of Guadalupe, 134 NE Lake St. | A week full of services, performances, foods and rides open to the public | See related story on page 54 of this edition. July 18 | Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library Book/Media Sale | Marvin Auditorium (TSCPL main building, 1515 SW Tenth St. | All the books and media you can fit into a bag for only $5 | For more information, go online at tscpl.org July 18 | Crushers match | Sk8Away, 815 SW Fairlawn | Any home bout with Topeka’s roller derby crew is bound to offer exciting spills, and here they’ll take on a team where Kansans and Missourians play together—imagine that | For ticket purchases or more information, go online at capitalcitycrushers.net July 19-27 | Shawnee County 4-H Fair | Kansas Expocentre | Clippity Clop pony rides, goat shows, Porubsky’s fire-pickle eating contest (we warned you), a closing concert with Topeka’s own Cruzline Drumline and much more | Free and open (but goodness, bring money to buy some pie) | For a full rundown of events, go online at shawneecountyfair.org
Photography credit: Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives, Shutterstock, Jason Dailey and Bill Stephens
WHAT’S HAPPENING
Topeka Magazine’s 10 Recommendations for august August 14-24 | Capital City Classic dog show | Kansas Expocentre | The Topeka Kennel Club hosts this all-breeds competition, open to the public | For more information, go online at topekakennelclub.org
August 1 | Cruisin’ the Capitol Car Show | Capitol grounds | Classic cars and hot rods on display | Free and open to the public | For more information, go online at downtowntopekainc.com
august Featured Event:
Hot Air Balloon Chase Crew Training August 29 | 6 pm Tinman Circle, Lake Shawnee
“I got a couple of crew members who literally, as they were driving by, saw the balloon in the air, and we welcomed them to join us,” says Sterling Emerson, a balloon pilot and the director of Topeka’s annual Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally. “I’ll take anybody, won’t turn down potential crew.” Though there is only one balloon pilot in each hot air balloon basket, he or she requires an entire crew in setup, takedown, and chase. And the pilots in the upcoming Huff ’n Puff Ballon Rally are looking for some help with their launches. New crew members will be given free training in inflation, deflation, unrolling and re-rolling the fabric into a heavy-but-portable ball. Pilots are also looking for assistance of chase crews who will drive around, keeping their balloon in sight, and prepare for its landing. The balloons can’t travel too fast, but the crew might be required to scout out landing places at the last few minutes. This can include knocking on doors and asking people directly, “Is it okay if our hot air balloon lands in your field?” The club maintains a map of land whose owners are known to be supportive of balloon landing, and those who have indicated they are not agreeable to it. Either way, pilots avoid fields with crops or livestock. If you are interested in helping, you should send an email in advance to huffnpuffcrew@gmail.com. Then, on the day of training, wear sturdy shoes, jeans and leather gloves. Experienced balloonists also suggest bringing patience and a sense of humor. After all, you never know where the wind can take you. —Cale Herreman
August 2 | Kaw Valley Coronet Band | Gage Park Ampitheater | 7 pm | When was the last time you rocked out at a coronet concert? Exactly. And that is reason enough to attend this group’s free concert with nostalgic music perfect for a summer evening.
August 3 | V-J Day: Ending to an Uncertain Future | Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library | 7-8 pm | Special program featuring Fort Leavenworth military historian John Curatola on the lead-up to the end of World War II and the aftermath of the atomic bombs | For more information, call (785) 580-4400 or go online at tscpl.org
Photography credit: Bill Stephens, Shutterstock, Toho and Shutterstock
August 4 | Gojira | Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library | 6:30-8:45 pm | Free showing of the original 1954 monster movie that launched the Godzilla legend. Spoiler alert! Something “big and terrible” this way comes! | For more information, call (785) 580-4400 or go online at tscpl.org August 7 | First Friday Outdoor Concert featuring Top City Ramblers | SW 100 block of Eighth St. | 5:30 pm | Beer gardens and music with the headliner, Topeka’s old-time country sound band— Top City Ramblers, taking the stage at 8 pm | Free and open to the public | For more information, go online at downtowntopekainc.com August 14 | Sundown Film Festival | Kansas Historical Society (Kansas Museum of History), 6425 SW Sixth Ave. | Closing night of free, outdoor, family-friendly movie screenings, featuring Gone with the Wind | Film starts at 9 pm, with special exhibits and presentations on the grounds of the Kansas Museum of History before the show | For more information, go online at kshs.org
August 19 | Red State Blues Band | Gage Park Ampitheater | 7 pm | The Topeka Blues Society closes out the free Gage Park summer concert series with this band from Manhattan (the red state Manhattan) August 21-22 | Laugh Lines | Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy | 7 pm | Topeka’s hometown comedy troupe collaborates with the audience for an evening of improv | For tickets or more information, call (785) 357-5211 or go online at topekacivictheatre.com August 29 | Legend Cap City Triathlon | Lake Shawnee | Competitive triathlon with levels from beginner to international; keep training to compete or come out to cheer on the athletes | For registration and more information, go online at legendendurance.com
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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features Both Fiesta Mexicana and the Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally began as relatively small events, growing in scope because of community-wide support and the work of dedicated volunteers. Now, they are institutions in the city calendar, and we are delighted to feature both of them, as well as the people who make them possible, in this issue’s feature stories.
46 54 th e bi g 4- 0 for h u ff ’n pu ff
A hard-w orking Fiesta
Summer 2015 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
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Huff the big4-0 for
’n Puff
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The city’s beloved hot air balloon rally prepares for its fortieth float over the capital Story by Cale Herreman | Photography by Bill Stephens with Jason Dailey
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This September, the Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally will mark its 40th annual by doing what it has always done: launching hot air balloons across Topeka. For 2015, the rally—billed as the nation’s second-largest free balloon launch—will set 30 balloons into the air over the Kansas capital. From the ground, they should present a flight peacefully majestic in appearance. But from the basket, it will be a carefully calculated event that holds years of experience, months of planning and always some risk. Started by local balloonists Chuck Tantillo and Chuck Klein, the first rally was on the Capitol grounds in the month before the nation’s bicentennial with parades and balloons in bright, Kodachrome designs. For twenty years, the festival continued to launch near the statehouse, but the organizers—by then the Topeka-based Great Plains Balloon Club—decided the trees near the Capitol were getting too big, while the surrounding buildings were getting no smaller, so they moved to more open spaces, finally
settling on the grass at Tinman Circle overlooking Lake Shawnee in 1997, where the rally continues to this day. The move to Lake Shawnee allowed spectators access that is unusual in the ballooning world. “Most other rallies, the public isn’t even allowed out on the field with the balloons,” says James Kennedy, the club’s vice president. “We encourage the public on the field.” So guests come, park on the grass, and mill around to watch a couple dozen balloons grow from a compact three-foot-wide egg, to a puffy sprawling tent, to a full-grown flying creature standing some 70 feet or more in height. Admission and parking are free thanks to community sponsors, and what money the event does make from vendors and fees is directed to a charity, currently the Ronald McDonald House. Another aspect that makes Huff ’n Puff unique is that it is organized by a ballooning club. “Almost all of the rallies in the nation at this point are run either by the
“We do this as a way to thank the local community for being there and helping us.”
Balloon pilot Darrin Harrison
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Huff ’n Puff Balloon Rally
September 11-13 Tinman Circle, Lake Shawnee
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]
Friday, September 11
4:00 PM . . . . Vendor booths and activities open 6:00 PM . . . . Balloon flight 7:30 PM . . . . Balloon glow
Saturday, September 12
7:00 AM . . . . Balloon flight 10:00 AM. . . . Children’s Discovery Workshop (advance registration required)
4:00 PM . . . . Vendor booths and activities open 6:00 PM . . . . Balloon flight 7:30 PM . . . . Balloon glow
Sunday, September 13
7:00 AM . . . . Balloon flight
city, or by the chamber of commerce, or by a private corporation,” says Great Plains Balloon Club member Darrin Harrison. “There are very few that are run by a club or an enthusiast group.” This, perhaps, explains the event’s emphasis on access and education, as members set aside time for conversations with the public. “We encourage anybody, if they have an interest in it, to come talk to the crew, talk to the pilot, ask questions, learn about it, come help, just learn what we’re about,” says club member Brian Carlson. There is also a Children’s Discovery Workshop on the Saturday morning of the rally, allowing students to build a balloon out of tissue paper and test out their knowledge first-hand. One aspect of the rally that the public doesn’t see is the competitions on Saturday and Sunday mornings. “This is more for pilots and crew,” says Sterling Emerson, club president. The balloon crews play “Hound and Hare,” with one balloon taking off first, and the rest following, with a goal of dropping bean bags on a target. “It’s about testing your skills as a pilot,” Emerson explains. Ballooning is highly weather dependent. After all, pilots are entirely at the mercy of rising air and wind, with only their navigation skills to protect them. The clouds can’t be low. The wind can’t be stronger than 8 mph, but it must be blowing, or the balloons won’t go anywhere. Like any outdoor event in Kansas Huff ’n Puff has been cancelled a few times due to storms or high winds, but if flying conditions are not perfect, there is usually balloon inflation and an evening “glow,” where balloons remained tethered to ground but fire up their burners to create a lantern-like effect. If the balloons do launch, then pilots and their crews will take to the air whenever they please, and wherever the wind pleases to take them. And even if you do not attend any of the Huff ’n Puff events on the ground, the balloonists in the baskets above the city hope you will look up as they drift by and get some pleasure from their trail of peaceful blossoms of bright color floating over the city. “As much as anything, we do this as a way to thank the local community for being there and helping us,” Harrison says. “It’s a chance for us to share what we like to do with the community.”
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The Floating Family
The aren’t many hot air balloon clubs around anymore, so the Great Plains Balloon Club is a survivor. How is it staying afloat? It turns out that Topeka has developed a balloon culture. “We have, per capita, one of the largest populations of balloon pilots in the country,” says James Kennedy, the club’s vice president. There is a chicken-and-egg relationship between the club and the Huff ‘n Puff Rally. As the first rally was being organized, Kennedy says, the pilots received help from volunteers, many of whom went on to form the club. Sterling Emerson, the club’s president, explains how he caught the fever: “At Huff ’N Puff, I thought, okay, that is too cool, I’ve got to be around them. After our first flight, driving back in the car, I told my wife, ‘I’m going to buy a balloon.’ She says, ‘What?’” Ballooning, then, is clearly contagious. The afflicted use words like, “beautiful” and “majestic” to describe their experiences. “It brings the kid out in you,” says club member Brian Carlson. Pilots always need help in setting up the balloon and packing it up after landing. Children and curious onlookers can easily lend a hand or be roped into helping, and they may even get balloon trips as rewards. Thus, the benign epidemic spreads. If people want to become pilots, they have to log hours with FAA certified instructors, for which there are local options, and take the pilot test, which would mean a trip to Iowa (or farther). The members of the club describe themselves as a family. They enjoy their sport together, laugh together, even grow up together. “Touching a balloon is my first memory,” says Kasey Schwemmer, a balloonist in his twenties. Mostly, though, they help each other reach the sky. “We fly year-round,” says club member Darrin Harrison. “We get together and fly whenever we want to.”
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A hard-
fies Story by Kim Gronniger | Photography by Jason Dailey
F o r m a n y i n T o p e k a’ s M e x i c a n - A m e r i c a n c o m m u n i t y, t h e c i t y ’ s l a r g e s t c u lt u r a l c e l e b r at i o n i s n o t a p a r t y, b u t a n i n h e r i t e d o b l i g at i o n a n d t h e b i g g e s t w o r k w e e k o f t h e y e a r — w i l l i n g ly a n d l o v i n g ly e m b r a c e d Topeka’s Fiesta Mexicana, arguably the Midwest’s biggest summer celebration of Mexican-American culture, began in 1933 as a simple communal meal for parishioners of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the home church of the city’s Mexican immigrants. At the time, unwritten codes of segregation isolated the community into one church and into the old-shade streets of Oakland neighborhood. The fiesta was an opportunity for parishioners to affirm cultural ties to Mexican villages, to their adopted enclave and to their faith.
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Over the years, the annual meal grew with the parish, but remained mostly dishes of homemade tamales and enchiladas stuffed with peas and potatoes, lovingly cooked in small batches across the kitchens of Oakland—the greatest Mexican potluck on the plains. But as civil rights struggles began to tear down cultural barriers in the city, parishioners noticed the rest of Topeka was slowly adopting their celebration. By the 1970s, Fiesta Mexicana had evolved in scope and size—and the families of the parish
working
sta welcomed the community, retaining the worship service, but expanding the fiesta into what is now a five-day street party featuring music, dancing, carnival rides and a seemingly endless supply of authentic Mexican cuisine. But someone has to bake that endless supply. As the lines at the food stands grew, parishioners began to form year-round committees, collecting cardboard flats from local businesses to carry food items and creating food “captains” for each vending tent. Shelly Valdivia, a fifth-grade teacher at State Street Elementary, co-chaired the food committee for five years and continues to serve as a captain, a role she describes as cajoling her relatives to participate, even invoking her grandmother’s name to encourage compliance. Showing a photo of her grandmother, Simonita Valdivia, preparing fiesta food, Valdivia says, “She was
a strong woman who walked to Mass every day. During the fiesta, our family all worked as a team pushing food through those little windows in the old facility. I don’t mind being the ringleader for my Valdivia family and using Grandma-guilt to get help by reminding everyone she’s up there watching.” But it is not just to please grandma. All the proceeds from the food and the fiesta events—typically more than $250,000— benefit Holy Family, the parochial school sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe and its sister parish, Sacred Heart. This sense of mission continues to bind many generations to the celebration, including those who no longer live in the area, such as Mary Lou Escobar. A graduate of Hayden High School and retiree from the BNSF purchasing department, Escobar no longer lives in the Guadalupe parish but continues to be a member and to volunteer for the fiesta.
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“My grandparents helped start the parish, and it feels like home here,” she says. “I learned from them and my parents the importance of volunteering. As a girl, I remember my mom and grandma making tostados in big tents,” says Mary Lou. “My aunt would clean egg shells and dye them and fill them with confetti to make cascarones to sell at the fiesta, and people would smash them in each other’s hair. It was just a fun thing. I danced during the fiesta and liked to play bingo because you could win big prizes like lamps.” Escobar’s husband, Ronny, who retired from Southwestern Bell, recalls Sundays of family breakfasts before mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe with his grandparents, followed by a weekly haircut at their home. Now during the fiesta, Ronny is in charge of the storage shed and tamale preparation, a role inherited from his father-in-law, who died in 1998. The family’s archive of tamale sale figures reflects the enormous effort from volunteers. “My mom, Erma Rodriguez, kept track of everything with a notepad, a pencil and a cigar box,” says Mary Lou. “From 1988 to 2014, we made 213,564 tamales.” That number, slightly over 8,000 a year, would fall to 5,300 tamales in 2014 as taco salads, smothered burritos and other options were added to the menu.
“
We’re eager to share our culture, music and art, and we’re proud of what we contribute to Topeka,
”
-Margaret Martinez Hope Cuevas, 86, has been a member of the parish since she was 16 and has worked in a variety of fiesta roles, starting when her children finished grade school. In 2014, she helped cook meat in the evenings and prepared food for royalty candidates’ community sales. She recalls fiesta volunteers visiting food trucks selling hamburgers and hot dogs after all the dishes were done and the kitchen closed. “The last thing you wanted after you worked your shift was Mexican food,” she laughs. Margaret Martinez, who works in the administrative offices of Stormont-Vail HealthCare, has been the fiesta coordinator for ten years. She says that as the fiesta has grown, it increasingly relies not only on retirees, but also on those who work full-time jobs and take a week or more of vacation each year to ensure the event’s success. Others, who have moved away from Topeka, return during the fiesta event to carry on family traditions in making the fiesta possible. At any given day or night during the fiesta, an average of 50 volunteers are foregoing the food, music, dancing and rides to be engaged in some essential task. “You miss out on a lot while you’re slinging beans or hauling stuff around,” Martinez says. “You get fiesta feet by the time the week is over. If your feet weren’t flat when you started, they are when you finish.” But for the volunteers, this is a chance to give back to an institution central to their family history and to open their neighborhood to the city, again and again as each generation passes on their roles to the next. “We’re eager to share our culture, music and art, and we’re proud of what we contribute to Topeka,” says Martinez. “We do it because our ancestors came here with very little and built so much, and we want to keep that spirit going. We hope the kids selling tickets or working the snow-cone machine at the fiesta will replace us, just as we have replaced those before us.”
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Frying
until crying
Whether a fiesta guest wants tamales or tacos, the dish will usually include the staple ingredient of ground beef, 3,900 pounds of which are fried, seasoned, weighed, bagged and frozen in five freezers in the Our Lady of Guadalupe parish hall and in five more in the Marlo Cuevas-Balandran Activity Center. Preparing the meat for the fiesta takes two shifts of volunteers working for about three weeks. Each day of the fiesta, 500 pounds of meat are thawed and mixed with other ingredients to ensure that everyone can be served. “We use three mixers and follow a written recipe, but we still have tasters who tell us if we need to add a pinch of this or that,” says Ronny Escobar, a member of the parish and a retired Southwestern Bell employee. “We play music and talk and sometimes we dance and drink a beer. We can’t turn the skillets off until the pans are crying.”
Sister Rebecca Granado teaches at Holy Family School.
Culture and
Classroom
The nearly quarter-million dollar proceeds from Fiesta Mexicana are allocated entirely to Holy Family School to provide a Catholic education for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. This school was created as a merger of two parish schools, including the Our Lady of Guadalupe school, in 2006 when the regional archdiocese chose to consolidate the number of Catholic grade schools in Topeka from seven to five. Since that time, Holy Family School has supported students from Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sacred Heart/St. Joseph, also located in Oakland. The combined Sacred Heart/St. Joseph parish, whose roots are found in the city’s German-American community, holds its own cultural celebration, welcoming the city at an annual Germanfest, where fellowship takes place over beer, brats and homemade bierocks.
fiesta•goers
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F i e s ta o r g a n i z e r s e s t i m at e t h at some 65-70 thousand guests will at t e n d t h i s y e a r ’ s c e l e b r at i o n . G u e s t s a r e p r i m a r i ly f r o m T o p e k a ,
t h o u g h o r g a n i z e r s n o t e t h at a g o o d p o r t i o n a r r i v e f r o m o u t s i d e o f t h e c i t y t o at t e n d . I n b o t h c a s e s , h o w e v e r , f i e s ta - g o e r s r e p r e s e n t a b r o a d r a n g e o f a g e s a n d c u lt u r e s , c o m i n g t o g e t h e r f o r m u s i c , f o o d , c a r n i va l r i d e s a n d a c e l e b r at i o n o f M e x i c a n - A m e r i c a n h e r i ta g e .
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