CHOCOLATE GOODNESS
Strawberry Hill’s Povitica: Richly Historic, Always Fresh // Holiday Cookie Shops // Barn Quilt Revival
Holiday Mansion Tours // Our New Kansas Poetry Section // And More!
42 What About a Chocolate Shop? A mother-daughter confectionery grows into a community business anchor and beloved tourist destination
50
Holiday in the Heartland Kansas high school students present their takes on life and realities around them
Featuring artwork from the collection that has never been on view
Kansas Tourism, a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce
Andrea Etzel EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Laura Kelly GOVERNOR
David Toland LT. GOVERNOR & SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
Bridgette Jobe TOURISM DIRECTOR
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Bill Uhler PUBLISHER
Shelly Bryant
DESIGNER/ART DIRECTOR
Joanne Morgan MARKETING, (785) 832-7264
Alex Tatro
ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Bob Cucciniello DIRECTOR
Nathan Pettengill MANAGING EDITOR
Kalli Jo Smith MANAGING EDITOR
Leslie Andres COPY EDITOR
ALLENPRESS.COM | LAWRENCE, KANSAS PRINTER
Kathy Lafferty ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
Lisa Mayhew ACCOUNT MANAGER
KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year by Kansas Tourism 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: (785) 296-3487.
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The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.
NEW PHOTOGRAPHY CREW
This edition’s feature photo essay of “Holiday in the Heartland” came about through a partnership with Kansas Scholastic Press Association, a nonprofit organization of Kansas teachers and students dedicated to education and promotion of the values and responsibilities of a free press.
Headquartered at the University of Kansas and partnering with Emporia State University, Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Pittsburg State University and Wichita State University, the organization holds an annual contest for Kansas high school students, including photographers. All the work submitted for our photo gallery was part of the 2021 event.
“I was delighted that students from across the state submitted photos to us, and that their images embraced such a wide range of themes and vignettes sharing with us their perspectives of life in Kansas.”
–ANDREA ETZEL
You can visit the site’s contest page, kspaonline.org/category/ monthlycontests, to view monthly award-winning student submissions from across the state in photography, design and reporting.
around the state
IT’S ALL IN THE “EXTRA” details
COMING UP!
Our next issue, which arrives in February, will be a special edition focused on Native culture. The staff of Haskell Indian Nations University’s Indian Leader—the nation’s oldest Native American student newspaper—will head up most of our editorial content as we explore the heritage and modern lives of Indigenous people and Native nations in Kansas.
NEW IN THIS ISSUE!
We are proud to introduce our new section, the “KANSAS! Poetry” page. In each issue of 2022, the state’s poet laureate will select and introduce an original poem by a Kansas poet.
Poet laureate Huascar Medina debuted his poem “Papel Picado” in our previous edition. In addition to writing, Medina works with the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, under the Department of Commerce, to present his program, May Our Voices Ring True, across the state. You can read more about his program and request to bring Medina to your community by going online at kansascommerce. gov and entering “poet laureate” in the search bar.
A hello FROM OUR EDITOR
There’s nothing quite like walking into a chocolate shop—it’s a full-sensory experience.
First, you’re welcomed with the scent of rich cocoa and sugary sweetness, then, the visual parade of glass displays filled with an abundance of truffles, chocolatedipped fruits, caramels, fudge, and other decadent treats. And if you’re able to wait until after leaving the store before trying the delicious goodness, then you, my friend, have more will power than I.
In this issue, we provide you with a ready-made list of local candy shops for this holiday season. Throughout this edition of KANSAS! you’ll notice our editors curated stories to spark gift ideas. On page 49, you’ll find eight suggestions for gifting Kansas products and experiences. By shopping small and keeping your dollars local, you give a treasured gift while nurturing and strengthening your community. As you make your lists, keep in mind independent bookshops, bakeries, restaurants, culinary stores, boutiques, artisan galleries, and the local art studio. Over the last couple of years, many local businesses have adapted to offering online shopping and delivery services they may not have had before.
Along with the thought of giving local, there is also the gift of experiences—memberships to a museum or zoo for a young family, or tickets to their favorite event or attraction. If someone has a special interest, maybe they would like to take a class? Or, for that special outdoor adventurer, a state park passport. Get all your shopping done, with gifts right here in Kansas.
I want to share a special thank you to our partner Kansas Scholastic Press Association and the high school student photographers who shared their remarkable work featured in the “Holiday in the Heartland” photo essay (beginning on page 50). Last winter, they were challenged with the concept to capture Kansas during the holidays through their lens. Contributing student photographers from across the state provided an intimate insight into their world. I know you’ll enjoy this series of images as much as I did.
Warm wishes and a happy New Year!
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@KANSASMag
KansasMagazine (get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)
ANDREA ETZEL EDITOR, KANSAS! MAGAZINE
KANSAS DETAILS
Holiday Cookies
Where in Kansas?
Kansas bakeries create customized treats with holiday themes
Prairy Bites
Prairy Market and Deli ships its cookies from its production line and storefront in Newton. Their specialty cookies are the Prairy Bites, based on the German Pfeffernüsse anise spice cookie.
“In our family, these cookies are very small, about the size of a marble,” says owner Aaron Gaeddert. “The tiny shape of these traditional, bite-sized cookies make them perfect for setting out for company or passing around the table.”
The bakery produces a wheat-free variety and an anise-free version flavored with ginger, cloves and cinnamon to retain the traditional flavor. Other bite-sized cookie varieties include chocolate crunch, made to resemble the crunch, deep cocoa flavor, and texture of a brownie’s edge; orange dream, a Swedish citrus-flavored shortbread; and lemon sugar, a crisp, buttery sugar cookie with a hint of lemon. prairy.com | (316) 283-6623
Cookies by Gayla
Throughout the year, Cookies by Gayla specializes in placing a photo image and/or text on frosted sugar cookies. But during the holiday season, the Topeka-based bakery adds flavored cookies such as gingerbread and molasses, as well as their many classic and gourmet flavors like red velvet, coconut macaroon, snickerdoodle, oatmeal raisin and even sugarfree and gluten-free varieties. All non-frosted cookies can be shipped throughout the United States. Owner Gayla Kirk recommends placing orders two weeks in advance.
Facebook.com/cookiesbygayla (785) 478-3148
By Cecilia Harris
Sharing cookies spreads holiday cheer, and Kansas bakeries are ready to ship out specialized or classic cookie orders to help gift-givers this holiday season.
In Overland Park, Connie’s Cookies Kansas City creates holiday-themed frosted cookies in the shapes of dreidels, stars of David, Christmas trees, a tree-farm truck, angels, bells and more. For the past years, the bakery has mailed out some 300–500 shipments of these holiday sugar cookies.
The bright-colored layers of frosting are variations of the bakery’s popular line of frosted cutout sugar cookies that can be ordered throughout the year with designs such as pandas, cats, aliens, mustaches, tractors and more. Owner Elizabeth Barnett and her crew also bake special cookies for other holidays such as Easter, Fourth of July and Halloween.
“We choose the sugar cookie designs knowing the materials we have to work with, what the frosting can and cannot do, and knowing what people want,” says Barnett. “This is a custom business; we like finding out what people want the cookies for so we can customize for them.”
Some customizations are more difficult than others. Requests for a unicorn cookie from several customers, including one regular, led to several bake and design modifications until Barnett was satisfied with the final product, which she now shares on the bakery’s website.
For those who prefer cookies without frosting, Connie’s also supplies two flavors per dozen in classic varieties such as chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin and more. Barnett advises customers to order by the first week of December for shipments to arrive by December 25. conniescookieskansascity.com | (913) 649-6700
Above Elizabeth Barnett, owner of Connie’s Cookies Kansas City, shows off her bakery’s assortment of holiday-themed sugar cookies. Opposite The sugar cookies include a variety of Hanukkah, Christmas and winter themes.
Where in Kansas?
Soup’s On
By Cecilia Harris
An early pioneer in fresh soup mixes thrives in western Kansas
Bill Petersen has long enjoyed spicing things up in the kitchen.
Forty years ago, he began selling his own spice blends at trade shows and fairs around Kansas City.
“We started with spice mixes in 1981, and in the mid-90s started selling soup mixes,” Petersen says. “That was a time when soup started becoming popular, and we were a natural because we had all the spices.”
That business evolved into the family-owned Olde Westport Spice & Trading Company, now operating from Goodland. Taking two semi-truck loads of production facilities to the west Kansas location from 2009 to 2010 allowed Bill and his wife to move closer to their daughter and her family, and it lowered costs for overhead and property.
The Goodland facility—located in a 1920s former Ford Model-T garage—produces 17 soup flavors, including Mesa Flats Chicken Enchilada, Italian Sausage and Lentil,
Kansas City Steak & Ale, and New Orleans Red Bean & Rice.
“I try to give everybody a variety to hit all the bases for people’s different tastes,” Petersen says, adding the Southwestern Corn Tortilla Soup and the Creamy Potato Soup reign as the most popular.
“They are all very tasty; they have lots of flavor,” he says. “People nowadays are tuned into more seasoned foods than in the past. Their taste buds have evolved.”
The soups typically serve six, are lower sodium, cook in 30 minutes, and require only one or two additional ingredients normally found in the kitchen, such as milk for the Broccoli Cheese Soup or cubed chicken and water for the Chicken Veggie Noodle Soup. Creative cooks may even add leftover meat and vegetables.
The mixes are available online, at various fairs and shows, and at multiple retail outlets. oldewestportspice.com (800) 537-6470
Elsie Grace’s Frankfort
Owner Nan Lisher stocks her own soup mixes on shelves alongside other food and gift items at Elsie Grace’s Gift Shop in Frankfort. The time-saving and tasty mixes, which also may be purchased online, include flavors like Kickin’ Chicken Southwest, Broccoli Cheese, and Spuds and Cheese. elsiegraces1.com
Twisted Pepper Co. Wichita
Ellie Hughes began selling salsa at a local farmers market and wound up creating the 22 gourmet soup mixes she sells through her company, Twisted Pepper. Available online, her soups are all-natural, low in sodium, gluten free and made with no chemicals, preservatives or MSG. Customer favorites include Baked Potato, Chicken Enchilada, and Tortilla. twistedpepper.com (316) 252-6300
Above The Olde Westport line includes spices as well as soups. Opposite Olde Westport Spice & Trading Company is a family business for (from left) Bill Petersen, Judy Petersen and their daughter, Ann Myers.
KANSAS DETAILS
heartland
High School Arts Award
An annual statewide arts honor comes to Pittsburg
Pittsburg High School has figured out its formula for nurturing a wildly successful performing arts program, and the southeast Kansas school’s hard work was rewarded when it was named 2021–2022 Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) Performing Arts School of Excellence. The award encompasses theater, vocal music, instrumental music, debate/forensics and speech.
“I believe that we are successful because of our focus on student involvement, collaboration, individual growth, and celebration of the successes of others,” says instrumental music director Cooper Neil, who has taught orchestra, jazz and music theater at Pittsburg High School for 11 years. It’s a sentiment echoed by every performing arts teacher at Pittsburg High.
“We see each other every morning to make sure we know what’s going on in each other’s day, just so we know what’s best for the kids,” explains vocal music director Susan Laushman, who teaches choir, piano lab and musical theater, and has been at Pittsburg High for a total of 20 years.
Last year, Pittsburg High School lost longtime theater director Greg Shaw, who taught from 2006 to 2020, to brain cancer. It was an emotional blow to the entire arts program, kids
and teachers alike, yet Pittsburg High was able to push through its loss and succeed.
“The team is amazing,” says new theater director Caitlin Almond. “I think that’s what makes it such a strong program—we have high expectations of the kids and each other.” Even though Pittsburg High might not have access to all the resources of a high school in a larger city, Almond explains, “We hold the kids to the same standard that say a Kansas City or Wichita school would.”
Between the pandemic and having to fill Greg Shaw’s shoes, Almond’s first year as a head teacher has “been a little overwhelming, to be honest,” she admits. Fortunately, she was a student teacher under Shaw. “I think that helped the kids a bit, with them getting to know me and accepting me, because of course they went through a lot of trauma with his loss,” she says.
The other teachers on the team say Almond has risen to the challenge of directing the theater program admirably, sharing their philosophy of putting the kids’ needs above all else.
Julie Laflen has been the debate, speech and forensics coach at Pittsburg High for 13 years. “I tell my kids constantly that if every day we are learning and having fun, we are going to win debate rounds.” Still, Laflen says, the medals and trophies are short-term rewards. “When
By Amber Fraley
you’re learning and having fun, you take those lessons and apply them to other aspects of your life, whether it’s another class or your friends or your family. I want them to be good humans.”
Chuck Boyles has been the technical director at Pittsburg High for seven years. As such, he’s in charge of making sure audiences can see and hear all of the arts program’s theater and musical productions in the manner in which the theater and music directors expect them to be seen and heard. He also teaches those skills to his students in his theater design and stagecraft classes. His mantra for his students: “Show up early and be ready to stay late.”
Boyles also credits parents with the program’s success. “I would have to say we have a wonderful support community of parents who love to come to shows, help out with shows, and help out with our online presence.”
“These kids are worth all of this effort,” says Laushman. “We couldn’t be more proud of them.”
KSHSSA has selected a Kansas high school for its arts award each year since 2018. Other finalists for this year’s award were LawrenceFree State High School, McPherson High School, Olathe East High School, Paola High School, and Bishop Miege High School.
McPherson
Olathe Lawrence Pittsburg Paola Roeland Park
“When you’re learning and having fun, you take those lessons and apply them to other aspects of your life...”
–Julie Laflen
Oh Manhattan!
VISITMANHATTANKS.ORG
CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS
Manhattan is home to celebrations that stir the passions of the community and attract nationwide visitors. While here, visitors should take advantage of amazing dining options and exciting city-wide attractions.
TtKdik
Kansas’ Largest Barn Quilt
Ashland
After an ambitious community project with contributions from 50 artists across the state, Ashland proudly claims the title of being home to the state’s largest barn quilt. Made up of 96 2x2 squares and 8 4x4 squares, the design features sunflowers, roosters, deer, wheat and other images. The 30x16-foot ensemble is attached to the local grocery store’s exterior wall and can be seen by the public. facebook.com/kslgbarnquilt (620) 635-5383
Walls of Quilts
Kirwin and Logan Phillips County Barn Quilt Tour features barn quilts throughout the county and in 11 cities, including two large ensembles in Kirwin and Logan. On the Kirwin depot, 12 smaller blocks reflecting local agriculture surround a larger block symbolizing the town square. Logan’s Wall of Quilts on the city’s post office contains 63 blocks in various patterns. Discoverlogan.org (785) 877-2448
phillipscountyks.org (785) 543-2321
Flint Hills Quilts
Various counties
Discover barn quilt sites throughout the Flint Hills region. ksflinthillsquilttrail.blogspot.com
By Cecilia Harris
Barn Quilts
A rural art tradition thrives in towns and communities throughout Kansas
Brightly painted geometric patterns mimicking stitched quilt blocks hang on barns and sheds throughout Kansas. These colorful, oversized wooden barn quilt squares continue to gain in popularity.
“They are all over everything, not just on barns,” says Lori Hambright, Dickinson County barn quilt coordinator and a barn quilt class instructor. “They are everywhere.”
According to Hambright, the town of Chapman alone is home to more than 100 of the over 250 barn quilts found in Dickinson County. The town of 1,200 people takes pride in being the self-proclaimed “Barn Quilt City of Kansas” after increasing the number of the folk art pieces from just three in 2015.
“I call it rural Americana art; I feel that truly describes it,” Hambright says. “Patriotic patterns are most popular by far, and red, white and blue, sometimes mixed with gold, are the favored colors no matter the pattern.”
Stitching a fabric quilt together is a timeconsuming process; however, it only takes a few hours to paint a barn quilt.
“It’s something simpler without costing a lot of money, and they don’t have to be perfect,” she says, adding some painters even copy a block from a fabric quilt passed down from generation to generation.
Simply driving around Chapman, and also nearby Abilene, reveals a number of barn quilt patterns. Information on this folk art throughout rural areas of Dickinson County may be found on the websites of both cities. chapmanks.com | abilenekansas.org (785) 313-6565
Kirwin Logan Ashland
KANSAS DETAILS
kansas air
Where in Kansas?
Winter Trout Fishing
The colder months bring some of the best Kansas fishing
Don’t pack that fishing pole away too soon. Kansas trout season runs November 1–April 15, and an estimated 75,000 hard-fighting, great-tasting rainbow trout will be regularly stocked into more than 30 waters across the state.
For anglers with even just a little bit of experience, this winter trout fishing can be some of the most productive, yet least complicated, of the year.
State trout stocking program
Trout aren’t native to Kansas because they can’t survive our state’s warm summertime water temperatures. But for about the past 30 years, state officials annually have released trout imported from hatcheries in the Rocky Mountains and Ozarks into our waters.
To get in on the fishing, trout anglers need a regular fishing license plus a trout stamp, which helps fund the trout program. Costs for the stamps are $7 for kids 15 and younger, and $14.50 for adults 16–74. Those over 74 fish for free.
Stamps and licenses can be purchased at most KDWP offices, licensed vendors, online at ksoutdoors.com, or by downloading the agency’s HuntFish KS app.
Some municipalities operate their own trout-stocking programs and require their own special licenses and stamps, particularly Wyandotte County (wycokck.org) and Johnson County (jcprd.com).
Where to fish
The state stocks waters that include ponds from the semi-arid desert near Elkhart to the towering timber and hills along the Missouri River in Atchison. Most are small city, county or community lakes that are easily accessed and fished.
Many have well-kept shorelines and some even have fishing piers for those with mobility issues.
The ksoutdoors.com/fishing website lists all of the waters, license requirements and more.
Getting geared up
Most trout stocked within the Kansas program are around 12 inches long. That’s a perfect size for frying. It also means about any tackle will work.
Thousands are caught annually on old-fashioned push-button reels on inexpensive, medium-action rods and 10-pound-test line.
But ideally, casting anglers want to use the same ultra-light spinning rods and reels they use to catch crappie and bluegill in the
By Michael Pearce
spring. The light-action rods not only make fish more fun to fight but also help convey a trout’s often whisper-like bites and nibbles.
The lighter the line the better. Sixpound test will work, but four-pound is better. Those experienced enough will catch even more on two-pound test. The lighter the line, the easier it is to fool the fish. It also allows the casting of the tiny baits and lures that do best on Kansas trout.
Small spinners, like size 0 Mepps or 1/16 oz. or smaller Panther Martins can work well. Tiny marabou jigs, from 1/100 oz. to 1/32 oz. fished several feet below small floats can be particularly effective.
Fly fishing works as well. Tiny streamers, often black or olive in color, can be productive as can a number of wet flies allowed to float with the current or in a water column.
Traditional trout bait like salmon eggs, corn, cheese and worms work, but commercial trout dough bait probably catches more Kansas trout than those others combined.
While you watch the rod tip for signs of a soft-biting fish, you can be deciding if dinner that night will be smoked, grilled or fried rainbow trout.
Actually, the season is so long and so many trout are stocked, you’ll have ample opportunity to try all three.
Scott Bean is a landscape/ nature photographer based out of Manhattan, Kansas. As a lifelong Kansas resident who has lived in different areas across the state, Bean enjoys photographing Kansas landscapes and showcasing their unique features. The chalk formations in western Kansas, the Gypsum Hills, and the Flint Hills all hold special connections for Bean. The beauty and tranquility of the wide-open views of Kansas prairies and the changing light... are what Bean aims to highlight in his photography.
What was the moment you wanted to become a photographer? How old were you at the time? I really got serious about photography when I was in graduate school, probably when I was 25 or 26 years old. I spent a lot of time outside when I was growing up, and I found that I really missed that. Nature photography was initially an outlet for me to get back outside and roam around the countryside.
Scott Bean
A conversation with KANSAS! photographers about their lives in photography
What was your first camera? What did you like about it? My first camera was a Canon Rebel film camera. It was inexpensive but had good features for landscape and nature photography and was easy for me to figure out how to use.
What is your favorite Kansas landmark to photograph? I know it isn’t a specific landmark, but I would have to say my favorite area to photograph is the Flint Hills. I love the textures and shapes of the Flint Hills and the vibrant greens of spring when the grasses are coming back to life, the wildflowers that bloom from early spring to fall and the beautiful colors of the prairie grasses in fall.
Tell us about your best chance photo taken in Kansas. Where was it? How did it come about?
I was out photographing a beautiful foggy fall morning and was driving towards some distant fog when I crested a hill and saw an incredible scene at the bottom of the hill. The rising sun was shining through a tree and the fog. It was amazing. I
grabbed my camera and ran over to the scene and only had time to take a few photos before the sun had moved enough that the scene completed changed. If I had driven by just a few seconds later I wouldn’t have been there to see this magic moment and get a few photos of it.
What have you learned from being a photographer that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise? Photography has helped me to be more aware of the world around me, especially the natural world. I wouldn’t have noticed or experienced many of the things I have since I first picked up a camera. Photography has definitely helped me be more mindful and more present and less on autopilot.
What was your favorite photo shoot of your entire career?
My Dad [pictured above] and I share a passion for photography and have been able to go out shooting together on several occasions. I will always be very grateful for those times and anytime I’ve been out with Dad has been a “favorite photo shoot.”
“Photography has helped me to be more aware of the world around me, especially the natural world.” –Scott Bean
@scottbeanphoto
“Being there for the kids, but also being there for all different groups of people and helping special needs kids and adults, was especially rewarding. But as great as that picture was, it was the chance to go out and see the nursing homes and those with special needs that hadn’t seen people or had physical touch in months—it was almost a tearjerker for some of them and me. They would follow me and put their hand up on the glass. It had another deputy crying behind me and I said, ‘Hey, look, you better get it together,’ but all we really wanted to do was [make someone’s day].”
–BRIAN PLUMLEE, AKA SANTA CLAUS
When he’s not Santa Claus, Brian Plumlee works as a deputy for Allen County while simultaneously running his business Bullseye Glass Repair of Kansas. Plumlee has been a Santa Claus in Iola, Kansas, going on two years and hopes to continue bringing joy to kids, adults and those with special needs in the community.
KANSAS DETAILS reasons
Where in Kansas?
Reasons
We Love Kansas
By Cecilia Harris
Nearly 100 years old, these structures are reminders of an ambitious federal program that left its mark
Following the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, New Deal programs like the Works Progress Administration (WPA) hired laborers to create public improvements, including several structures still being used in Kansas.
CORONADO HEIGHTS PARK
Lindsborg
At 300 feet, Coronado Heights is the tallest of the Smoky Hill Buttes. In 1936, the WPA chose this site to erect a distinctive, castle-like sandstone shelter, 15 picnic areas, and a restroom building. Offering scenic views in all directions, the 16-acre park also includes WPAbuilt sandstone steps and two capped sandstone entry walls that flank the road.
CIVIC CENTER/FAIRGROUNDS
SWIMMING POOL AND BATHHOUSE
1 4 5 6 3
Fowler
Among 40 Kansas pools improved or constructed by the WPA, the Fowler pool may be the most unique. A 90x120-foot oval concrete structure, its shallow area encircles the deeper diving area marked by a concrete diving platform rising above the water from the pool floor. The park’s decorative stone retaining wall also was part of the project.
2 4
Horton
Constructed in 1939 for the purpose of holding community events, Horton’s Civic Center consists of a stone wall with three entrance gates, two exhibition halls, two sheltered areas, and a salt storage building. During the county fair, the site can hold 400 animals.
CITY PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT
Abilene
Remaining New Deal-funded projects in Abilene’s city park include the stadium where General Dwight D. Eisenhower announced he was running for president, a bathhouse, 17 picnic tables, three picnic ovens, and a pergola, all built of limestone in the 1930s.
5
WATER TOWER
Paradise
Completed by the WPA in 1938, Paradise’s water tower can store up to 58,000 gallons of water. Artistic as well as functional, the 35-foot tower of rusticated limestone blocks also features double-leaf wooden entrance doors surrounded by Art Decoinspired limestone ornamentation.
6
BAND SHELL
Pittsburg
The 1937 WPA band shell in Pittsburg is named after John Joseph Richard, who conducted the city’s municipal band and later became music director for the Ringling Brothers Circus.
KANSAS DETAILS
Christmas in the Foothills
November 20 | Hutchinson
Celebrate the 25th annual Christmas in the Foothills from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Enjoy over 60 boutique vendors with unique handcrafted gifts to share. travelks.com/event/christmas-inthe-foothills/24179/
Home for the Holidays Festival
November 27 | Great Bend
The city of Great Bend presents the Home for the Holidays Festival, Parade and Trail of Lights. From 10 a.m.–9 p.m. enjoy local shopping, an annual cookie contest, horse drawn carriage rides, ice skating and more. travelks.com/event/home-for-theholidays-festival-parade-%26-trailof-lights/23405/
71st Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony
November 27 | WaKeeney
Since 1950, the Wakeeney Tree Lighting Ceremony has been a treasured tradition. Enjoy a soup supper, musical entertainment, carriage rides and more. wakeeney.org/christmastreelighting
Christmas in the Courtyard
December 3 | Merriam
Merriam Parks and Recreation presents the annual Christmas in the Courtyard lighting ceremony. Meet Santa Claus and enjoy food, live music and games. Don’t forget to donate a canned food item, toy or cash for the Johnson County Multi-Service Center. exploremerriam.com
Christmas on the Prairie
December 11
Maxwell Wildlife Refuge
Visitors will enjoy a 45-minute tram ride with a visit into the Maxwell bison and elk herd. Then warm up next to the Christmas tree with hot cocoa and cookies. Email maxwellwildliferefuge@gmail.com to reserve your spot on the tram. maxwellwildliferefuge.com/ events.html
Merry
Country Christmas
December 18 | Iola
Live from Nashville presents Merry Country Christmas at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center from 7–9 p.m. ci.ovationtix.com/35493/ production/1057461
Topeka Farm Show
January 11–13 | Topeka
The 2022 Topeka Farm Show will take place at the Stormont Vail Event Center with over 700 booths dedicated to agriculture. tradexpos.com/topeka-farm-show
2022 Cars for Charities Rod & Custom Car Show
January 14–16 | Wichita
The Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center presents the 2022 Cars for Charities Rod & Custom Car Show featuring over 300 classic cars. The show welcomes visitors Friday, Saturday and Sunday. carsforcharitiesshow.com/event/
Take Flight
January 30 | Salina
The Salina Symphony presents Take Flight featuring music about birds in motion. The concert will take place at the Stiefel Theatre for the Performing Arts at 4 p.m. stiefeltheatre.org/portfolio-items/ take-flight/
TASTE OF KANSAS
Strawberry Hill’s Baked Heritage of Taste
Brought from Europe, through Ellis Island, uphill from the floods, and down through the generations … a family holiday bread recipe continues to delight customers
Story by Meta Newell West
Photography by Katie Moore
Combine an Old World recipe with a vision, add hard work, skill and determination, and the result is an eye-popping loaf of povitica (po-va-teet-sa), a Croatian bread that forms the foundation of Strawberry Hill Baking Company’s product line.
Marc O’Leary, third generation baker, co-owner and executive director of the company, describes povitica as a delicate, flakey pastry with a rich, cake-like texture loaded with rich fillings. The name povitica is derived from a Slovenian term that means “to wrap in.” Several Eastern European cultures bake breads similar to povitica, but it is the Croatian version that Strawberry Hill creates because of the bakery’s history.
Strawberry Hill Baking Company
Retail Store Hours: M-F 9-5 / Sat. 9-2
(800) 631-1002
O’Leary, half Irish and half Croatian, traces his company’s beginnings back to his great-grandmother Anna Momchilavica (shortened to Monchil at Ellis Island), who immigrated to the U.S. at age 16 with a group of other Croatians. Jobs in the meat packing industry and at Standard Oil led them to Sugar Creek, Missouri, and then
7226 W. Frontage Rd., Merriam, KS 66203
Groups of 10 or more can arrange a baking tour via the company’s website strawberryhill.com
Above The traditional English walnut povitica can be cooked as French toast. Image courtesy Strawberry Hill Baking Company.
Opposite Marc O’Leary is the executive director of his family’s bakery.
on to the west bottoms in Kansas City. However, when the Great Flood of 1903 wiped out that area, the Croatians and other ethnic groups headed for the nearest hill, settling in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood on the Kansas side of the Kaw River.
The family’s bakery enterprise picks up in 1984. “My dad, Harley, worked in the restaurant business, seven days a week and on holidays, too,” says O’Leary. “He wanted to find a job where he would have weekends and holidays free. He knew his in-laws’ povitica recipe, the one Anna had handed down to her daughter, was special. He began making 30 loaves a day to sell at the city market and shortly after moved into a small bakery in the Strawberry Hill area. As the business continued to grow, they changed locations three more times, following their customer base farther to the south.
At the current location in Merriam, Kansas, customers walk into an atmosphere of polka music, walls of family photos and the intoxicating aroma of baking bread intermingled with the scents of walnuts, cinnamon and chocolate. There’s free coffee and a 20-foot-long table filled with pastry samples. According to O’Leary, they designed the space to create a feeling similar to “a visit to Grandma’s house.” Visitors can view the stages of the bread-making, baking and packaging process through a 110-foot-long glass display O’Leary refers to their retail area as the “Unofficial Croatian Welcome Center for the Midwest and the Povitica Center of the United States.”
To best convey how povitica is made, O’Leary starts with an explanation of Great-grandma Anna’s method: On povitica-making day, she would get everyone up early to strip their beds. After washing the sheets in a wringer-style washer and hanging them on the line, she’d spread them on tables, creating a work surface for the six or so ladies who would arrive to help stretch and roll the dough until it was very, very thin—so thin they could insert a newspaper between the bed sheet and dough and easily read the print.
The Monchil family was part of an influx of Eastern European families who settled in Kansas City’s Stawberry Hill neighborhood.
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Grandma’s Bread Pudding
Handwritten in the corner of Grandma Anna’s original bread pudding recipe was the comment Only for special occasions Yield: 6 to 8 individual pudding-filled ramekins
Ingredients
• 2 cups milk
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 4 large eggs, slightly beaten
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ cup raisins (can omit or replace with cranberries or chocolate chips)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6-8 (1-inch thick) cubes of povitica (any may be used, but Strawberry Hill Baking Company recommends the apple cinnamon povitica)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a two-quart saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium heat.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and salt.
4. Place cubes evenly into 6 to 8 ungreased ramekins.
5. Pour liquid mix in each ramekin making sure to coat each cube of povitica completely.
6. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean.
Filling was then added and the bed sheet was used to nudge and roll the delicate povitica into long cylinders. Baked loaves were wrapped in newspapers for storage in the basement. Because of the laborintensive process and the skill required, in Anna’s days, povitica was generally made only at Christmas, Easter and for weddings.
Today, Strawberry Hill bakes povitica about every other day in the summer and almost every day in the fall, winter and spring (particularly leading up to Easter). The process is made easier as the yeast bread ingredients are combined in large industrial-sized mixers then transferred to a 1960s-era mechanical sheeter, basically an electronic rolling pin that can easily flatten the dough into paperthin sheets. Everything else in still done by hand, including rolling the dough around the filling, forming it into the bakery’s signature “S” shape, and adding a milk wash prior to baking. “We have no intentions of changing that,” O’Leary says. He believes that today’s process incorporates much of the alchemy used by his ancestors, a seemingly magical process that combines ingredients and transforms them into an outstanding product.
If anything changes, it is usually the bread fillings or sideline products. In 2019, the company added a line of hand-layered cream cheese coffee cakes by combining Grandma Anna’s cheesecake and coffeecake recipes. The family has also added their own 20th-century spin to the original flavors. While the traditional English walnut povitica, the apple cinnamon povitica, and cinnamon cream cheese coffee cake are the bakery’s best sellers, Strawberry Hill offers seasonal favorites including pumpkin and chocolate chip for fall and winter. At any given time, there are at least 13 flavors to pick from, including strawberry in honor of their former Strawberry Hill location. Cokolada, the Croatian word for chocolate, seemed to be the perfect name for the company’s chocolate povitica, a fitting way to add another layer of culture to a modern version of their original recipe.
Last year the company produced 700,000 loaves, including coffee cakes. Most of that business is mail order. A call center on the premises processes hundreds of calls each day. In addition to their retail store, trucks deliver wholesale orders to about 100 area grocery stores.
Strawberry Hill Baking Company’s cherished family recipe, adapted for large-scale baking, is a tale not only of commercial success but also of cultural and family heritage. With three of O’Leary’s children now working in the business, Great-grandma Anna’s legacy continues to delight customers as they gather for meals and special occasions throughout the region and wherever there arrives a package of bread inspired by her memory.
Above Cubes of Strawberry Hill povitica are stacked to display the different bread varieties.
Right Company founder Henry O’Leary began running his family’s grocery in Strawberry Hill.
Strawberry Hill Baking Company
Holiday Homes
Two historic mansions open to visitors for holiday tours
Story by Cecilia Harris
Uncle Sam, Wilt Chamberlain, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, and a multitude of other nutcrackers stand at attention on mantels, beside bright red poinsettias, and beneath decorated trees at the Seelye Mansion in Abilene.
Seelye Mansion owner Terry Tietjens honors Seelye family traditions when decking the halls of the 25-room, three-story Georgian-style mansion. Dr. A.B. Seelye, who made his fortune in patent medicines, hired a New York architect to design a new home for his wife, Jennie, and two young daughters.
Above Christmas trees decorate Seelye Mansion. Photograph courtesy Michael Hook. Right Terry Tietjens greets visitors for holiday tours at Abilene’s historic Seelye Mansion. Photograph Bill Stephens.
“Christmas has always been special in this home from the very first Christmas here in 1905,” says Tietjens, adding the Seelyes celebrated that year with an extended family dinner honoring the golden wedding anniversary of Dr. Seelye’s parents. “We still have the Haviland [china] and sterling silver, including four silver candlesticks that are inscribed on the bottom December 25, 1905.”
During holiday tours, the original dining room table is set with the same tableware used during that first Christmas dinner.
“We still have the Haviland [china] and sterling silver, including four silver candlesticks that are inscribed on the bottom December 25, 1905.”
“We believe she [Jennie Seelye] was one of the very first people in Kansas to decorate with poinsettias, or at least the first to introduce the plant to Abilene,” he says. “The daughters said people here were surprised because they had never seen that plant before.”
–Terry Tietiens
At an open house on December 26, 1906, the Seelyes astonished over 300 guests by decorating with 50 vibrant red plants from Mexico.
A few years later, the Seelyes began entertaining military personnel from nearby Fort Riley during the holidays, including hosting 900 soldiers during World War II, Tietjens says. During that time Mrs. Seelye decorated with 50 poinsettias, garland, red bows, and at least 40 trees trimmed in Victorian fashion. Even the ceilings, adorned with Christmas bells, rang during the season.
Greeting today’s tour guests in the Grand Hall stands a 10-foot-tall tree, one of the home’s
Seelye Mansion
seelyemansion.org | (785) 263-1084
Holiday decorations will be up the Friday after Thanksgiving through mid-January. Tours run Monday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m., and Sundays, 1–4 p.m.
Tickets cost $10 for adults, with discounts for groups and children.
80 decorated trees; there is one in each of the 11 bedrooms, and smaller versions perch on dressers and tabletops. Greenery, the nutcrackers and 80 to 100 poinsettias also decorate the house.
Tietjens encourages singing as he plays Christmas carols on the 1920 Steinway piano in the music room or on the 120-year-old organ in the Grand Hall during guided tours. The mansion contains the original Tiffany-style mantel, Edison light fixtures, and furniture purchased at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
“It’s a beautiful home any time, but then to accent with greenery up the stairway and the red bows and poinsettias, it’s just spectacular,” says Tietjens, adding that nothing is roped off. “That’s what makes it nice; when you come to visit, you’re visiting a home, not a museum.
Brown Mansion
Coffeyville
Coffeyville’s historic Brown Mansion welcomes guests with the glow of candles and holiday decorations
in December. This 16-room Colonial Revival was constructed from 1898–1906 by lumber, oil and gas mogul W.P. Brown for his wife, Nancy, who loved to entertain, according to Darla Thornburg, Coffeyville Historical Society board member and the mansion’s Candlelit Tour coordinator. The home includes a Tiffany hammeredbronze gasolier in the dining room, a Tiffany lamp in the library, and Tiffany leaded-glass doors. Original furniture, purchased in Chicago, New York and Europe, remains in the home, as do tableware, linens and rugs.
“It is a gem,” Thornburg says. “Everything in the mansion belonged to the Browns.”
In preparation for the Candlelit Tour, each room is decorated by a community organization, family, business, or group.
“There are all kinds of decorations,” Thornburg says, adding that past décor has included Christmas trains, Santa collections and even trees made out of ladders. A Christmas village traditionally stands in the ballroom amidst decorated trees.
CHRISTMAS CITY OF THE HIGH PLAINS
WIDE OPEN spaces
The family-friendly, self-guided tour includes a map with information on each room, including one or two items of special interest. Patriotic rather than Christmas colors distinguish the Taft Room, a guest room where President William Howard Taft, a friend
of Mrs. Brown’s family, freshened up before giving a campaign speech. The room used by the Browns’ only daughter, Violet, is traditionally decorated with items reflecting the Victorian era. Adding to the festivities are live music and a scavenger hunt for hidden stuffed Scotties (the Browns raised Scottish terriers).
Thornburg says tragedy also accompanied the cheer and warmth under this roof. The Browns lost all four of their sons at an early age to various illnesses, and she believes the sorrow of these deaths dampened the family’s
Above and Opposite The Brown Mansion welcomes visitors for scheduled holiday tours. Photographs courtesy Brown Mansion
what about a
A mother-daughter confectionery grows into a community business anchor and beloved tourist destination
Story by Lisa Waterman Gray
Photography by Dave Leiker
t’s been 17 years since The Sweet Granada opened in the south storefront of Emporia’s fully restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style Emporia Granada Theatre. With a tag line of “Sugar Highs & Smiles Since 2004,” this family-owned business has enjoyed a sweet ride ever since.
“My mom [Toni Bowling] was retiring from education, and we knew that we wanted to start a business together,” says co-owner, Kim Redeker. “I had fallen in love with the idea of revitalizing Emporia’s downtown arts and entertainment district, with the Granada as its centerpiece. Mom and I literally looked at the tiny little storefront in the theater’s south section, and she said, ‘What about a chocolate shop?’ We fell in love with the concept.”
Learning to make professional-grade chocolates required Bowling and Redeker to devote months to studying and perfecting recipes before their formal opening. “We bought a little chocolate tempering machine, and we set it up in my mom’s kitchen during the first year,” Redeker says. “And all of our friends were our guinea pigs. Mom spent about three days working with a great chocolate maker and mentor out of the Lawrence area, and our trade association, Retail Confectioners International, has helped too.”
Testing new recipes continues nearly two decades later, but now the new confections go through a tried-andtrue process from the shop’s in-house kitchen. Throughout the year, Redeker and her team gather new ideas among themselves and from customers and online comments. “Our production manager and lead candymaker keeps a running list taped inside one of our cupboards,” Redeker says. “After Easter, we put up all the ideas on a large board, and our whole staff participates as we select from 6 to 15 flavors that we will test-run for a three-month period. Some of them make it to the cases; others don’t.”
Beyond Chocolates in The Sweet Granada Line
Chocolate bites or chocolate truffles are the centerpiece of The Sweet Granada’s offerings, but the chocolatier offers a variety of gourmet items with vegan, white, milk, dark, and/or extra dark Guittard chocolate.
There are chocolate-covered pretzel knots, mint malt balls, toffee almonds, caramel drizzles, as well as Oreo duos, the popular cookies enrobed in white or milk chocolate. Bags of best-selling Pop-Choc popcorn fill several bins near the store’s window. Nearby, tall glass canisters display chocolatecovered espresso beans, raisins, and peanuts.
Display cases offer fudge flavors such as cookies and crème or Butterfinger. Macarons line a top shelf, with a variety of flavors such as strawberry cheesecake, raspberry rosé, pistachio, and pink champagne. There are also double-dipped cherries, whose hard coating is part white chocolate and part dark chocolate.
For a truly original confection, try Granada Goo, milk chocolate/ peanut butter mixture covering gooey, peanut butter rice crispy treats. Or indulge in chocolatedipped s’mores (all the classic s’more flavors, covered in chocolate) or the Avalanche Bar (a blend of white chocolate and creamy peanut butter, with heaping handfuls of rice crispies, marshmallows, and milk chocolate chips stirred in).
For dogs, there are Milk Bone large or small biscuits dipped in white chocolate (which is not toxic for dogs as dark chocolate is). You can buy them as singles or as a “barker’s dozen.”
A pistachio-fudge combination was one of those surprise washouts. “It’s my favorite flop,” Redeker explains. “Pistachio pairs so well with a lot of things, but we decided that fudge is not one of them.”
Other trial tastes become favorites. Cappuccino crunch, which Redekar describes as “a hit from the get-go” is now in regular production. Another new chocolate that is about to debut from the 2021 taste tests is a chocolate truffle featuring beer infusions from Walnut River Brewing Company of El Dorado.
And then there are new chocolates that reflect changing tastes since the chocolatier first opened.
“One that is doing really well is our vegan truffle; it’s a dramatically dark, dairy-free truffle,” Redeker says. “Consumer choices have changed, and there is a heightened awareness of allergy concerns and dietary choices since we first began. We are very mindful of how we prepare chocolates and how we work in the back of our shop.”
Visitors to Sweet Granada can watch the preparation through storefront windows that open into the kitchen. Since 2013, the shop has been located one door south from its original location— now next door to the Granada rather than inside of it—and its staff has grown to include 18 people, including 2–3 full-time candy makers, a baker, interns, and part-time student staffers. In addition, several additional family members have helped with store design, bookkeeping, retail sales and more.
Redeker says owning her storefront in downtown Emporia is part of her commitment to the community, and it’s part of the benefit she receives from a revitalized shopping and arts district.
“I remember in 2013 or 2014, standing outside my shop with an out-of-town guest and looking around at all the renovation around us. Just rattling it off from just what was in my line of sight, I came up with 7 million dollars reinvested in our community,” Redeker says.
803 Commercial St.
Emporia
(620) 342-9600
sweetgranada.com
Online orders include free shipping for orders over $100; orders should be placed by December 10 to help ensure domestic deliveries by December 25.
“That’s a huge commitment and investment, both private and public, that really had an impact for our downtown revitalization, and I am really proud to be a part of that,” Redeker says. “The stronger we are as a business district with unique destinations, the more impact we have in providing visitors and tourism dollars to our community. This benefits not only business owners, but helps improve the city in general, the lifestyle and services we are able to provide for the people who live here; it’s a true win-win.”
Toni Bowling (left) and Kim Redeker began The Sweet Granada as a mother-daughter business.
Cocoa Dolce Artisan Chocolates
Wichita
Opened in 2005, and acquired by the Voegeli family of Wichita in 2015, Cocoa Dolce now operates three Wichita chocolate lounges. Their main lounge on St. Francis Street includes their production line, which can be viewed through large glass windows.
Each week, 13 chocolate makers and pastry chefs produce 5,000–10,000 chocolate pieces (and three times that amount during holiday season). Belgian chocolate and ganache are the foundations of Cocoa Dolce chocolates. Their confections include a range of products such as a rum and Coke cordial, gianduia-flavored bonbons and an Earl Grey tea confection with vanilla and white ganache. For the holidays, Cocoa Dolce will roll out products featuring caramel apple cider, pumpkin spice and mint.
Amber Travis, director of operations, says that Cocoa Dolce will be offering more themed gift boxes for the coming year.
“We have noticed a lot of people like these themed gift sets. So, while we allow people to customize their own gift boxes, we are also looking to create more confection boxes with themes such as ‘coffee and chocolate,’ ‘nutty,’ or ‘pairs well with red wine.’”
Travis says their chocolates are best consumed no more than five weeks after production, so she advises ordering gifts with the expiration date in mind: by the first week of December for Christmas deliveries and not too long after February 1 for Valentine’s Day arrivals. cocoadolce.com (316) 315-0508
Salon, including the highest-category Grand Master Chocolatier designation (one of only four chocolatiers in the United States to achieve this ranking). Panache’s Caramel Macchiato Hazelnut Bar received silver as Best Flavored Chocolate Bar, and Bronze, as Best Chocolate Bar. Honorable mentions recognized its ingredient combination, taste, and texture. In addition, the Sweet Spiced Nut Bar won gold for taste and texture among Top Spicy Chocolate Awards 2021, plus silver for Best Dark Chocolate and Most Unique.
Other Kansas Chocolatiers
Annedore’s Fine Chocolates Westwood Hills annedores.com (913) 831-0302
Hazel Hill Chocolate Topeka hazelhillchocolate.com (785) 215-8883
Henry’s Candy Co. Dexter facebook.com/henryscandies (620) 876-5423
Laura Little’s Candies Prairie Village lauralittlecandy.com (913) 722-2226
Maps Coffee & Chocolate Lenexa mapscoffee.com (913) 281-6508
Russell Stover Chocolates Abilene Russellstover.com (785) 263-0463
“We keep our pulse on what is going on in the food trends, but some of the things we do are inspired by favorite childhood recipes and experiences,” says owner and lead chocolatier Julie House. “I did a honeysuckle entry for the white chocolate competition because honeysuckle is something I remember as a child, running through the fields and stopping at the honeysuckle bush and taking out the nectar. That is what I wanted to recreate with that truffle.”
Sweet ideas also spring from local inspiration and collaboration. A recent lavender-bourbon truffle was inspired by a candle scent being sold by a vendor at the Park Place Farmers’ Market. Panache also partners with local businesses to create customized truffles, such as a classic cocktail flavor with infusions from Union Horse Distilling Co. out of Lenexa. For the 2021 holiday season, Panache is partnering with Kansas City Ballet to create a Nutcracker-themed holiday gift box inspired by The Land of Sweets dances in the ballet’s second act.
Other favorites, such as their regular line of truffles, caramels and chocolate chunk popcorn are also available for holiday orders. House advises that Christmas orders should be placed by the first week of December. Valentine’s Day orders should also be placed at least two weeks in advance for domestic shipping. chocolatekc.com | (816) 931-3191
Grandma Hoerner’s preserves collection
Send a themed, all-natural assortment of preserves from this family-owned Flint Hills food company. Four-jar collections cost just under $35, and you can add a customized mug, pie fillings or other items to qualify for free shipping. grandmahoerners.com (785) 765-2300
Prairie Lavender Farm lavender products
Prairie Lavender creates a range of culinary and self-care products featuring the lavender grown on their land in Bennington. The $36 Lavender Body Care Gift Box features body lotion, body butter, a lavender sachet and more. prairielavenderfarm.com (785) 488-3371
Prairie Chicken viewing trip
If you want to gift an unforgettable and uniquely Kansas experience, sign up your friends or loved ones for a guided prairie chicken outing. During March and April, these birds perform a captivating mating dance that will reward viewers with photoworthy memories. There are numerous private tours as well as ones offered by educational organizations.
Kansas Wetlands Education Center wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu (620) 566-1456
Flint Hills Discovery Center flinthillsdiscovery.org (785) 587-2726
Spicin Foods KC football team’s BBQ sauce 6-pack
Presented in an Arrowhead Stadium–themed box and featuring players Patrick Mahomes, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill, Frank Clark, Tyrann Mathieu and Clyde Edwards-Helaire, this gift pack of six extra-spicy sauces sells for $42 from this Kansas City–based sauce house. spicinfoods.com (800) 568-8468
Kansas gifts and experiences for the holidays
Chocolates might not be for everyone. These are some of our favorite items that have appeared in KANSAS! in recent years, and they are all from the Sunflower State.
Authentic ranch adventures
Kansas working ranches provide opportunities to ride horses and wagons, drive cattle, and get an understanding of the cowboy culture. Experiences range from working cattle, assisting with prairie burns, and taking moonlight wagon rides.
Gyp Hills Guest Ranch gyphillsguestranch.com (620) 886-3303
Lazy T Ranch lazytranchadventures.com | (785) 537-9727
Prairie Fire Candle’s beef lover’s gift basket
This $43 Kansas-themed gift basket includes local summer sausages, as well as salsas or fruit spread, a sunflower chocolate medallion and more. This Paxico-based shop also has a range of candles and is a sister business of Prairie Fire Winery, which also ships out gift bottles. prairiefirecandles.com (785) 246-6500 (for text messages)
Hatman Jack’s customized hat appointment Wichita’s famous hat shop offers concierge services to customize a Western or modernstyle hat to personalized tastes and style. Individualized fittings are best done in person at the shop but can also be done through a video connection and email. hatmanjacksict.com (316) 264-4881
From the Land of Kansas gift boxes and baskets
Authentic made-in-Kansas foods and gift items are packaged together in a variety of themes and price ranges from the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s official supplier of authentic Kansas items. shop.fromthelandofkansas.com (785) 564-6759
Heartland Holiday in the
Kansas high school students present their takes on life and realities around them
FIRST PLACE
“Ad Astra Award”goes to Meg Keeten of Phillipsburg High School.
or this edition, KANSAS! magazine and Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA) asked students from across the state to photograph one image representing “Holiday in the Heartland.”
It was a timeless, joyful theme—but also one that we asked them to capture during the height of the 2020 pandemic, when losses and pre-vaccination lockdowns forced Kansans to view everything, even traditional holiday times, through a new perspective.
We received approximately 70 submissions from students in schools of all sizes. KSPA chose winners for its annual contest, and we chose our favorite selections for prize payments and publication in these pages.
We are pleased to recognize rising talent, as well as to complement the themes and mission of KSPA,
a nonprofit educational organization with nearly 8 decades of history dedicated to promoting journalism and the writing, photography and design that go into creating student publications.
“The principal reason we have our contest is to give the students feedback. We love that they get feedback from professionals and experts in the field,” says Eric Thomas, KSPA executive director. “And the biggest public service that KSPA and student journalism gives to our society is media literacy on behalf of our young people. … We know that students who have media literacy by the time they graduate from high school are more likely to vote, more likely to understand what is going on in their community and more likely, I think, to be good citizens in so many other ways.”
(continued on page 56)
A SECOND-PLACE “Sunflower Award”goes to Ava Speropoulos of Blue Valley West High School.
A THIRD-PLACE
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to Brooklyn Ellis of Humboldt High School.
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to Megan Biles of Shawnee Mission East High School.
“Cottonwood Award” goes to Kynleigh Chard of Chanute High School.
A SECOND-PLACE “Sunflower Award”goes to Megan Kueser of Chanute High School.
SECOND-PLACE
SECOND-PLACE
A
“Sunflower Award”goes to Hadleigh Hilt of St.Francis Community High School.
A
“Sunflower Award”goes to Owen Musser of Lawrence High School.
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to Adelaide Edwards of Blue Valley North High School.
But while student photography is focused on learning how to become better, high school student photographers also bring unique perspectives and experiences.
Linda Drake, a journalism and media instructor at Chase County Junior/Senior High School in Cottonwood Falls, says this generation of digital natives is not afraid to make mistakes, adjust their approach, and try again. And giving them a professional camera and a theme prompts them to explore subjects they might not otherwise consider.
“We are in the Flint Hills and surrounded by this beautiful scenery, but the kids who have lived here their whole life, they sometimes take that for granted. Once
they start taking photos and see what is out there, they become aware of their surroundings. A lot of them will have a greater appreciation for where they come from.”
For Thomas, a student’s ability to discover an image that perfectly represents their world and the lives of their fellow students is one of the most valuable contributions they can make to their community.
And now, this gallery is also a permanent visual memory of what these talented Kansas students saw as their Holiday in the Heartland. It was a holiday during a period of uncertainty, but also—judging by their images—a time of routine comforts, joy, family, friends and confidence in the future.
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to Chloe Chesney of Salina Central High School.
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to JD Biehler of Kapaun Mt. Caramel Catholic High School.
A THIRD-PLACE “Cottonwood Award”goes to Madi White of Humboldt High School
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gallery KANSAS!
TOM ARNHOLD | JOHNSON COUNTY
MARILYN FRIESEN | McPHERSON COUNTY
CALAH KING | WOODSON COUNTY
• Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum
FROM THE Poet Laureate
Capacity
by Michael Kleber-Diggs
For many years, we believed we humans used only 10% of our brains. We had all this untapped capacity. We learned over time every part of the brain is often active—we can see it on machines. Of course, there remains the difference between a muscle used and a muscle used fully. I think about this sometimes when I wonder about faith. Unmoored and adrift as I am, casting about as I do from time to time—with no god to praise or curse, uncertain, conjecturing about the afterlife—the unseen thing that requires a faith I do not have. In my casting about I imagine an existence in which we regain all knowledge lost, achieve whatever wisdom eluded us on earth. Our perspective on ourselves and others, on matter and time, on cities and galaxies, widens and deepens. Perspective. Knowledge. Wisdom. We still live in our minds, but we do this with our earthly senses, so with what we’ve lost—with our expanded capacity—we have no choice but to review our days and how we lived them: the times we were kind, the times we were cruel, our bravery and cowardice—all seen through the memories of our actions and inactions. The times we stayed silent when we should have spoken, every time we helped and every harm we caused, the way our choices rippled out in the lives of other creatures, how far, how long. In this afterlife, I imagine, we still exist, but we exist beyond our physical selves. We exist in a place that cannot be seen or understood as we understand place. Every physical thing, every tangible thing gone—except memory. No, I don’t believe we ascend to clouds or descend to fire. I don’t believe in ledgers kept by someone or something else. I do not believe in angels or a place with wailing and gnashing of teeth. But there is measuring there—capacity—the distance between who we were on earth and who we could have been. For some, this will be kind of like heaven; for others it will hurt like hell.
From the Laureate
I met the words of Michael Kleber-Diggs before I met the poet. Worldly Things by Kleber-Diggs is one of the best debut collections of poetry I have ever read. I was ecstatic to learn that he’s from Kansas. Kleber-Diggs’ poetry feels vulnerable, tender, and calming— a stark contrast to the difficult subject matters in his work. It takes a great deal of skill, bravery, grace and grit to write the way he does, holding both vigil and protest in the same hand.
Kleber-Diggs and I met at the 10th anniversary Kansas Book Festival at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas, in 2021. One of the first things he asked me was how I was doing. He cared enough about me to ask that question. Up until that moment, I was a complete stranger, but he still offered immediate compassion. Today, we are friends and we check in on one another. I have to admit, I feel a sense of comfort knowing Michael Kleber-Diggs is writing poetry. He cares enough to say what needs to be said.
–Huascar Medina, Kansas Poet Laureate
About Michael Kleber-Diggs
A native of Kansas City, Kansas, Kleber-Diggs grew up in Wichita and attended Kansas State University before earning his law degree from the University of Minnesota and becoming an awardwinning poet, with recognition such as the recipient of the Loft Mentor Series in Poetry. He has served as a fellow with the Givens Foundation for African American Literature, and as the former poet laureate of Anoka County libraries. Since 2016, Kleber-Diggs has been an instructor with the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop.
