KANSAS! Magazine | Spring 2015

Oink

mouthwatering

save room for

pie

Flames in the Flint Hills ignite tradition

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deliciousness

Kansas barbecue is in a world all its own $4.99

spring 2015 | vol 71 | issue 1 | kansasmag.com

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“We don’t have skyscrapers or the seashore or mountains in the Sunflower State. But we have land and grass and uninterrupted sky. We have silence where we can listen and the land talks back.”

-Bill Kurtis, Tallgrass Beef

spring 2015

spring spring

“I still think, though, that Kansas City has the best barbecue in the world, no doubt about it.�

features

-Barbecue enthusiast Bruce Wehling, Marysville

32 | Hog Heaven

From legendary small-town ribs and homemade sauces to pit masters who know their smoke--Kansas barbecue is in a world all its own

44 | Hope Springs Eternal

Flames in the Flint Hills helps this storied land endure and prosper

on the cover Pulled Pork Sandwich

Photograph jason dailey

Photograph by Jason Dailey

01 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

spring spring departments

04 | In This Issue

06 | Editor’s Letter 09 | In Season

10 | Eat

13 | Shop

14 | Culture

15 | Sampler

16 | Ride

18 |

Reasons We Love Kansas

22 | Spring 2015 Events

24 | Wide open spaces:

The Modern Homestead

Community-supported agriculture preserves the “lost art” of family farming

28|

Wide open spaces: Flying High near Osage City

From skydiving to barbecue festivals, various attractions entice visitors

53 | KANSAS! Gallery:

Photo Essay Traveling Kansas, A Unique Bond

58 | Taste of Kansas:

Passion for Pie

At cafes and diners across Kansas, pie is more than a mere dessert—it’s a proud tradition

64 | Milestone of Kansas

@kansasMag KansasMagazine Get spotted use #KANSAS! to tag us

02 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

Photograph Doug Stremel

facebook.com/kansasMagazine

inthisissue

Waiting for our cue!

It’s no secret that Kansas and Kansas City are associated with barbecue. But not everyone knows just how good our barbecue is. So this season we tucked our napkins into our collars and bellied up for one finger-lickin’ good issue! See the joints, the flavors and the people that define barbecue in Kansas. Don’t wait; read now on page 32.

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Welcome to our new department, Wide Open Spaces, starting on page 24. Here we plan to cover regional excursions, profiles of interesting and magnificent Kansans, and reminders of what we enjoy about Kansas the most … like sunsets! Got an idea? Send us a note at ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com.

Oh, by the way ...

KANSAS! magazine has extra reason to beam in 2015 after being named Magazine of the Year by the International Regional Magazine Association. The 34th annual awards honored KANSAS! with this prestigious accolade, as well as Cover of the Year for the winter 2013 edition. Bravo to all those who have contributed to the magazine, advertised with us or allowed us to tell your stories!

04 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

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A treasured spring sight is the burning of the Flint Hills. This traditional agricultural practice, used to rejuvenate the land, has become a popular attraction for land conservationists and shutterbugs. See Kimberly Winter Stern’s story on page 44 about Flying W Ranch’s Flames in the Flint Hills.

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Join us all year as we celebrate 70 years in print! The anniversary will culminate with a special winter edition. KANSAS! magazine is proud of its roots, having begun as a publication that covered the state’s economic developments.

of

contributors

11 8

This spring, our team of well-fed contributors includes:

writers

photographers

KANSAS!

spring 2015 Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Andrea Etzel

Midland Railway Historical Association editor

Brownback 1515 Sam W. High Street governor Robin City, JennisonKS 66006-0005 Baldwin KDWPT Secretary Phone (913) 721-1211 Depot (785) 594-6982 www.midlandrailway.org

Proud Past – Brilliant Future 785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.OsageCity.com Smoke in the Spring – April 10-11, 2015 www.smokeinthespring.com

www.sunflowerpub.com lawrence, kansas

design & production way operates excursion Katy Ibsen editor riginally constructed in managing Shelly Bryant s feature an over 20- Designer/art director Dailey om Baldwin City via Jason photographer as” to Ottawa Junction,Joanne Morgan marketing, (785) 832-7264 through scenic Eastern Bert Hull and woods via vintagegeneral manager KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published quarterly nt. The Midland by theRailway Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612; olunteer-staffed, non-profi 501c3, common carrier (785)t 296-3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: (785) 296-3487. d to preserve and display transportation Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS, history as an and at additional mailing offices. onstration railroad.

Join$4.99 usperfor asubscription train ride – bring the Newsstand price issue; price $18 per year; international subscription price $22 per year. All all applicable tax. e are in easy reachprices ofinclude Kansas City,salesOverland Park, Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: 678-6424communities. and Lawrence, Topeka, and(800) nearby KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146 ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com al excurions trains e-mail: June-October every year.

Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS! P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146.

Special Events Include; Easter Bunny Train Thomas the Tank Engine Haunted Halloween Train Santa Express

Midland Railway Historical Association

M

M

Join us for a train ride — bring the whole family!

Normal excursioN traiNs specialRailway events Historical Association Midland JuNe–october

include:

1515 W. High Street maple leaf train Baldwin City, KSrobberies/ 66006-0005 1515 High St. Baldwin City, KS Phone (913) 721-1211 steam special, Haunted Phone (913) 721-1211 Depot (785) 594-6982 Halloween trains, santa claus Depot (785) 594-6982 www.midlandrailway.org express, easter egg Hunt trains www.midlandrailway.org

Operations Beginning The Woodward Inns on Fillmore Late 2012!

Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 e-mail: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com

The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

Additional restrictions may apply.

and thomas the tank engine

/midlandrailway

The Midland Railway operates excursion Special Events Include; trains on a line originally constructed in Easter Bunny Train 1867. Train rides feature an over 20mile round trip from Baldwin City via Thomas the Tank Engine “Norwood, Kansas” to Ottawa Junction, Haunted Halloween Train Kansas, traveling through scenic Eastern Santa Express Kansas farmland and woods via vintage railway equipment. The Midland Railway one GoThIc mansIon + is a completely volunteer-staffed, non-profit 501c3, common carrier railroad operated to preserve and display transportation history as an Three sTaTely educational demonstration railroad. Join us for a train ride – bring the whole family! We are in easy reach of Kansas City, Overland Park, execuTIve Inns + Olathe, Ottawa and Lawrence, Topeka, and nearby communities.

Three FamIly Inns = Normal excurions trains June-October every year.

A long running tradition of 24 yeras is coming to Baldwin City, KS 05 Topeka’s Luxury Lodging/

Operations Party Destination Block Kansas!

The WoodWard Inns onmeal FIllmore  5-course evening Dinner Meals & casual Sunday 3-course Magazine Beginning Chosen Best of the Midwest Travel 2014 and 2015 by Midwest Living Magazine 1272 SW Fillmore Street, Topeka, KS 66604 • (785) 354-7111 • www.TheWoodward.com 2012!  Reminisce as you travel in our 1940’s Era decoratedLate cars A long running tradition of 24 yeras is spring 2015

 Big Band Era Music

coming to Baldwin City, KS

extras Essay by Tom avErill

from the editor

Since Midwesterners often complain, as I have, about being labeled “Flyover Country,” I wanted to fly over it.

So I chartered a small plane, took several loops and flew over Kansas in order to see, not to avoid seeing.

I saw wheat harvest, the Flint Hills at dusk, the places where I’d lived, the river valleys—with and without water, but visible either way—the Smoky Hills, the populated little towns of Central Kansas, where Mennonites farm by the century and not the year. I went up in a hot-air balloon, where, once lifted, silence is complete. No wind, because you are the wind. Into the sunset, from Topeka—a field that was once a little airstrip, between Fairlawn and Belle Avenues—over Lake Sherwood, 10 miles, and landing with a little bump.

To fly over, to oversee (rather than overlook), is to gain perspective on my state and myself, and it comes naturally to me, for I was initiated into flight as a Kansas boy growing up in a state closely associated with aviation.

F l y in g o v e r Fl y o ve r C o u n t r y

Finding Home, Being Home

ThE FEEling oF FlighT

PhotograPh Jason Dailey

At one time in his life my father was irrationally afraid to fly, and his fear clenched him tightest when I was a boy. He was scheduled to fly to a conference, and as a psychiatrist, he naturally sought help. He flew. On his return, he wondered how he might help his children so we wouldn’t have the same irrational fear.

So one Saturday morning, on a clear, bright summer day, my father and mother took my two brothers, my sister and me to Billard Airport in Topeka, where we would climb the air with the pilot of a small plane for a spin around our home city. The airport, or some charter company, was having a special: Flyers were charged not by the passenger, nor the time, nor the distance, but by the pound. How inexpensive, then, to put four young children into the sky.

I vividly recall the pilot unsnapping the guy-wires that held the small airplane to its resting place near the runway. He pushed the craft backward, as though it were nothing more than a child’s toy, flimsy as a red wagon, a scooter, a bicycle. We climbed

22 Kansas!

Magazine winter 2014

23 Kansas!

Magazine winter 2014

buffalo roam where the

Yearning for Wide Open Spaces

Happy Spring!

Last winter was an exciting time here at KANSAS! magazine.

First, let me express what an honor it is to be the new editor of KANSAS!. I’m a proud fifth-generation Kansan who loves capturing the natural beauty of our state with my camera, enjoying family cookouts and attending festivals around Kansas. I look forward to sharing this new Kansas adventure with you.

winter 2014 | vol 70 | issue 4 | kansasmag.com

This winter 2014 issue is awesome! “Flying Over Flyover Country” hit a spot for me, as did “Where the Buffalo Still Roam” and the “Small Town” Kansas article.

I am where I am at today because I flew over the flyover states. In mid-1978 I was invited to take a ride in a 1942 Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing that was hangared on a farm in western Kansas, where I was born and raised; I could go on for a while with stories about that aircraft. From that point on I was hooked, couldn’t get enough “flying over one of the flyover states.”

My growing-up stomping grounds were just north of the “Where the Buffalo Still Roam” [area] in the small western Kansas town of Dighton. In my small town, I worked for the local Chevrolet-Buick garage. As I read the Small Town Kansas article, I remembered a day when the boss yelled from the Parts window, telling me to go uptown and get Miss Pearl’s car. He said she had trouble with it; it wouldn’t start. I asked for the keys; the boss looked at me and said, “The keys are in it.” That’s when I learned that every car on Main Street had its keys in it. Small-town Kansas … there’s no place like it!

As for the exciting news, in October KANSAS! was awarded “Magazine of the Year” and “Best Cover” by the International Regional Magazine Association. This prestigious accolade shows the dedication our team of editors, writers and photographers have to producing the best magazine. Thank you to all involved— and to our loyal readers.

To me, springtime in Kansas is about the rebirth of the prairie.

Before the emerald seas of tallgrass, blooming wildflowers or roaming bison calves appear each year, Kansans are treated to the burning of the plains. And nowhere can you have a more immersive and entertaining experience than at Flying W Ranch’s “Flames in the Flint Hills” event. Find out more details on page 44.

(It’s on my Kansas Bucket List!)

LET’S EAT! Did the cover make your mouth water? Mine too! For a “foodie” like myself, working on this special barbecue edition has been heaven. In this issue, we take a look at the who’s who in Kansas barbecue. Now, sit back and enjoy while you take a yummy journey from farm to table, and everywhere in between.

(Be sure to save room for dessert.)

Thanks for reading and welcoming me to the KANSAS! magazine family!

Michael Paine Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

send your thoughts to:

Correction

06 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

In the Winter 2014 edition, we published an incorrect Web address for the Kansas Department of Transportation. The correct Web address is www.ksdot.org.

Photograph jason dailey

Editor, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 or e-mail ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com

bed & breakfast

association www.kbba.com

gift certificates • 888-572-2632 • info@kbba • www.kbba.com

spring 2015

spring 2015

in season

Photograph Doug Stremel for KDWPT

10 eat / 13 shop / 14 culture / 15 sampler / 16 ride

Welcome to KANSAS! magazine’s “In Season.” Here we explore what’s new and buzzing throughout the state—from restaurants and shopping to cultural happenings and attractions. And this season, we are taken away to Lucas— where it’s all about the bologna.

09 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

in season

eat

written by Linda A. Ditch

An Old-Fashioned

Meat Market Doug Brant

great tasting products and customer service that brings people into this small town from around the globe.“We’re an old-fashioned meat market,” Brant says.“That’s what we do.”

Named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, Brant’s sells fresh meats cut to order. The shop is known for homemade smoked sausages, liverwurst and ring bologna made from Grandfather’s Czechoslovakian recipes. Brant also offers dry-cured slab bacon, a variety of cheeses and Kansas-made jerky.

“We’re a small town of about 400 people, so we have to have something different to get clientele to come in and see us,” Brant says.“I meet people from all over. These are people who travel, so they tend to be outgoing people.

We try to make coming here a memorable experience.” brantsmarket.com

“I carry a few groceries.

What I carry are what you forgot to pick up somewhere else.”

– Doug Brant

Kansas Food Events

10 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

International Pancake Day Liberal

Millfest Lindsborg

February 14-17 Three days dedicated to celebrating pancakes, topped off with the International Pancake Race.Women in Liberal run while flipping pancakes, attempting to beat the race time of fellow pancake-flipping women in sister city Olney, England. pancakeday.net

May 2-3 Tour the 1898 flour mill, which is made operational for the weekend.Also enjoy music, pioneer arts and food at the McPherson County Old Mill Museum. mcphersoncountyks.us

National Festival of Breads Manhattan June 13 The nation’s only amateur bread-baking competition.

The festival also features baking demos, taste tests and a trade show. nationalfestivalofbreads.com

PhotographS Doug Stremel for KDWPT, Shutterstock

The big white sign and green awning outside of Brant’s Meat Market is what sets the unassuming brick building apart from the few others on Lucas’ South Main Street.

The sign also reveals the store’s remarkable longevity:“Since 1922.” Inside, customers discover the original meat counter and a big, old-time cash register.

Owner Doug Brant’s grandfather started the business, which then was passed on to Doug’s father and uncle. Even though he grew up around the meat market, Brant had other plans for his life. He received a degree in animal science from Kansas State University and, after a stint with the Army in Vietnam, worked on a cattle ranch in western Kansas.When his uncle died, however, he decided it was time to join the family business.

With longevity came a reputation for quality,

N I F W I E T L I D S I a i t l n K e a s n s s e a t s to w , V quin

n!

the

Make Winfield your next travel destination!

Fri. Sat. & Sun., 12-6pm or by appointment

VisitWinfield.com

www.wheatstatewineco.com

Winfield, KS | (620) 229-WINE (9463)

123 E. Ninth Avenue, Winfield, KS 67156 | 877-729-7440

It’s All Here for YOU in Lawrence Arts & Culture • Shopping • Dining • History Museums • KU • Sports • Activities • Entertainment

Convention & Visitors Bureau

shop

written by Kimberly Winter Stern

in season

Parade of Quilts Yoder

Get your sale on

What could be more fun than shopping for arts, antiques and crafts; touring museums and historic attractions; or listening to music while sampling local cuisine on a beautiful June day?

Consider a three-day weekend along a 175-mile stretch to jaunt about the Kansas countryside and discover treasures, meet new friends and experience life in rural America.

The Fourth Annual K-96 June Jaunt, slated for June 5-7, is a rollicking good time along a stretch of highway spanning seven counties and eight communities eastward from Colorado.

The family-friendly event showcases life and good old-fashioned fun in westcentral Kansas, and is packed with arts, crafts, music, food and sales.

Residents of Dighton and Scott City came up with the idea in 2010, after hearing about Nebraska’s successful Junk Jaunt, and they collaborated with their Sunflower State neighbors—Tribune, Leoti, Ness City, Great Bend, Ellinwood and Rush Center—to design a unique Kansas event. The first K-96 June Jaunt wowed and entertained and was deemed a success by organizers.

Christina Hayes, community coordinator for the City of Great Bend,

rallies the troops in her neck of the woods.

“Although we used Nebraska’s event as a model, we kicked ours up a notch or two and added Kansasspecific elements,” Hayes says.

“Families, couples and visitors love experiencing authentic, small-town fun. There’s such a variety of things to do in each location, plus we always have some type of traveling activity.”

There’s no shortage of community spirit during the K-96 June Jaunt, when residents of the eight host towns pull out all the stops and unfurl the welcome mat. If you’re a first-time Jaunter, expect to find history, charm— and the unexpected.

“We like to say you can get your fix along K-96,” says Hayes.“It’s the perfect way to spend a summer’s weekend and sample a slower-paced lifestyle. And who knows what you’ll find along our June Jaunt route?”

For more information on this year’s K-96 June Jaunt, visit k96junejaunt.com or their page on Facebook.

Shop-worthy events

Photograph Courtesy of City of Great Bend staff

at the K-96 June Jaunt

March 2-31, 2015 Beautiful handmade quilts in contemporary and traditional designs abound at the annual Parade of Quilts in Yoder each March.Women from the tiny Amish community of Yoder, which was established in 1889, along with other Amish and Mennonite communities from around the country, display their heirloom-quality quilts at merchants throughout town. Prices range from $100 to more than $1,500 for quilts sporting patterns from the Double Irish Chain to the Desert Star,Twinkling Star and more. yoderkansas.com

Marble Crazy 2015 Bonner Springs March 7-8, 2015 The name of this annual event hosted

by Moon Marble Company pretty much sums up the marble mania that gobbles up Bonner Springs each March.Thousands of marble collectors, enthusiasts and others visit this contemporary art glass marble show featuring more than 20 artists from around the country for demos, marblemaking techniques, the marvelous marble machine and more. If you’ve lost your marbles, you’re sure to find new ones at Marble Crazy. moonmarble.com

McPherson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Club Rock Sale and Swap McPherson May 1-3, 2015 There’s a treasure on every table at McPherson’s annual gem show and rock swap. Rockhounds, dealers, mineral hunters and the curious descend in passionate pursuit of the usual mineral suspects, such as rubies and emeralds, but also looking for specimens and oddities.

And because shopping for gems, jewelry and lapidary work can be grueling, you can buy supper, too, on Saturday night.

Hourly door prizes, Kids Spin-N-Win and more are all part of the three-day extravaganza. travelks.com

13

Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

culture Tall-Tale Takedown in season

(Shovel Included)

The winner walks away with bragging rights (which are nothing to sneeze at in the hands of a storyteller) and also a ceremonial storytelling shovel (you can supply the symbolism of that award).

Traditionally, the storytellers will think up new tales for the final round. Keyta Kelly, an attorney from Tonganoxie and one of the four finalists, says she has been busy trying out new themes, turning factoids to fibs in order to bring an original tale into the competition.“I practice in my car whenever I drive to anywhere,” says Kelly.“Hopefully, people think I’m on Bluetooth.”

Audience members will have the chance to hear Kelly’s tale—and vote on how she did in comparison to the other three finalists—at the festival’s opening night.

14 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

Other stories,

other places …

In photos: “50 Greatest Photographs from National Geographic”

the story is ...

This spring, the town of Downs will host the state’s 22nd-annual Storytelling Festival. Part competition and part workshop, the two-day event draws in regional and national talent, such as headliner Kim Weitkamp. A versatile storyteller, the 2014 winner of a national Storytelling Award for adult audiences is known for her signature eerie tales that appeal to family audiences as well. Weitkamp will be joined by fellow professional storytellers Sherry Norfolk, Adam Kansas Storytelling Booth and Linda Batlin—each with a different take on their Festival timeless craft.

Downs “We try to add a diverse April 24-25 Tickets begin at $3 and lineup,” explains Glennys Doane, 2015 festival committee chair. are available per-day or for the entire festival. “We look at storytellers that can A two-day pass for an bring historical stories, musical entire family costs $55. interactions, children’s stories and kansasstorytelling.com also anecdotal life experience— first-person stories that people relate to.”

The four professional storytellers will perform and lead workshops at the event’s four stages.These workshops include college-level credit courses through Friends University, but are also open to any practicing or aspiring storyteller.

The Storytelling Festival is right at home in the community of Downs, population 800-plus, whose civic groups cook meals and lend hands to make the annual tradition possible.

Tickets for the event are available online or at the festival. Meals can be bought from food booths sponsored by groups such as the local 4-H club, all within a few steps of the festival performances.

Stauth Memorial Museum, Montezuma March 22-June 14 Normally dedicated to showing the artifacts and photographs of one family’s global collection, this small museum in southwest Kansas brings in works by some of the world’s best photographers.Free admission. stauthmemorialmuseum.org

on stage: Deathtrap Salina Community Theatre, Salina April 10-25 A storyteller is short on ideas and low on money. His turn to crime leads to a suspenseful tale that became one of Broadway’s most successful productions. salinatheatre.com

On your plate: A meal out at …

Story, Prairie Village If you haven’t treated yourself to a night out in quite some time,consider this your excuse.

Award-winning chef Carl Thorne-Thomsen combines local ingredients for global palates—a perfect beginning to a night out at any of Kansas City’s theaters or performance halls,or simply the main event in itself. storykc.com

Photograph shutterstock, KDWPT

What’s a festival without a bit of competition? Each year, the Kansas Storytelling Festival features a talent showdown in its Tall-Tale Competition.This event requires contestants to start their 5-7 minute story with an authentic fact, then narrate the plot through seamless transitions until the entire tale has slid into the absurd. In the hands of a master storyteller, an audience will have difficulty pinpointing the exact moment the tale became a whopper—but will enjoy the entire ride, hoodwink and all.

written by Nathan Pettengill

written by Marci Penner, Kansas Sampler Foundation

sampler

Researching a guidebook has its perks. One is that you have to eat at as many locally-owned restaurants as possible. In the name of research, we’ve learned so many valuable things.

Heavy’s in Concordia is about living large and going all out. Try the TK’s Smokehaus Pineapple Sticky Hays Ribs—just imagine tkssmokehaus.com gooey ribs with pineapple and honey.

Heavy’s Or maybe you want Concordia Maple Pork Loin ribs heavysbbqnck.com featuring Southwest seasoning covered in Hillsdale Bank brown sugar and maple Bar-B-Q syrup, topped with Hillsdale hillsdalebankbarbq.com roasted red pepper cherry chutney.

If your pants are loose around the waist, we have the perfect appetizer and sandwich for you at TK’s Smokehaus in Hays. Start with

in season

Rattle Snake Eggs, which are jalapeño poppers stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped in bacon and slow-smoked.

Follow up with The Barfait, a delicacy that includes TK’s legendary pulled pork topped with cheesy hash browns, ranch-hand beans and creamy coleslaw. This should help you let your belt out a notch.

If you think the words “healthy” and “barbecue” could not possibly go together, then you haven’t heard about the Hillsdale Bank Bar-B-Q. Since opening the restaurant in 1989, the Beverlin family has used only fresh meat smoked with 100 percent hickory wood.They don’t use rubs or salts, and the award-winning sauce is all-natural, gluten free. Salads are enhanced with tomatoes and peppers from the garden outside the building, which was once a bank. Customers appreciate the effort and keep coming back in droves.

Enjoy your own research!

15 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

in season

ride

written by Katy Ibsen

u.s. 50 By the Numbers

Expansion of new 4-lane and existing 2-lane roads started east of Garden City to the Finney/Gray County line. time of renovation: project length:

10 miles

total project cost:

$23.9 million

New expressway and intersections as well as railroad overpass of U.S. 50 were later constructed from west of Holcomb to U.S. 83 at Garden City. time of renovation:

February 2009August 2011

project length:

4.6 miles

total project cost:

$79.3 million

On the road? Don’t miss these gems

16 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

Ad Astra Food & Drink strong city

Tour De Florence bike ride florence

Cosmosphere hutchinson

Established in 2012, this delicious Kansas eatery is open on the weekends in the heart of the Flint Hills.The menu explores Midwestern cuisine that is both familiar and homey. Consider specialties such as Mac & Cheese with Smoked Duck Breast, the Elk Union Pizza or the “Oniontended” Consequences Bison Burger. Not to mention, Kansas beers on tap. adastrafood-drink.com

See the Flint Hills on two wheels in this fun, local bike event. Only 3 years old, this scenic ride is filled with picturesque views of the Flint Hills’ most treasured areas, followed by a sit-down meal with participants. Sign up for this only-in-Kansas ride, planned for October 4, 2015. http://florenceks.com

June 13 The Cosmosphere brings space to the heart of Kansas.Visitors will see real U.S. space artifacts that tell the story of the Space Race.Through exhibits, interactive features and regularly scheduled events, the Cosmosphere will open the mind to infinity and beyond. cosmo.org

Photographs Doug Stremel for KDWPT, shutterstock

The Kansas Department of Transportation tips its hat to history with the preservation of highway U.S. 50.

Many know the story of the Santa Fe Trail; it was one of the most significant trails during westward expansion. The Santa Fe Trail was a primitive highway for settlers. The military used the route to transport supplies to New Mexico and Arizona. Merchants and mail lines also set up along the route, providing travelers with amenities.

Today, U.S. 50 rests in the trail’s ruts. Running from east to west, the highway runs through many Kansas communities, such as Syracuse, Lakin, Garden City, Cimarron, Dodge City, Hutchinson, Emporia, Ottawa and Olathe. It also runs near Larned, Great Bend, McPherson, Council Grove, Osage City and Baldwin City, among others. ksdot.org

January 2004February 2006

KANSAS!

There is plenty to see and do in Kansas.

Be sure to call ahead for complete details.

Manhattan

Abilene

Topeka

El Dorado

Lecompton

Historical Lecompton Civil War Birthplace Where slavery began to die

Visit Constitution Hall & Territorial Capital Museum 10-5 pm Wed-Sat • 1-5 pm Sun Tours (785) 887-6148 www.lecomptonkansas.com

reasons

2

we love kansas written by Fally Afani

We search Kansas far and wide to find even more reasons to love our Sunflower State. Share your Reasons to Love Kansas (see page 20).

1

small town, big flavor

The small town of Assaria leaves a big impression with food lovers.

The Renaissance Café, not your typical main street diner, offers items like Crispy Calamari “Fries” and Balsamic Glazed Salmon. This fine dining stop just south of Salina brings a touch of class to any Kansas road trip. renaissancecafeassaria.com

18 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

life on the prairie History fans can take a trip back to the days of life on the prairie, thanks to the extraordinary Prairie Museum of Art & History. Located just off Interstate 70 in Colby, the museum is full of historical treasures, but the Cooper Barn is the real treat. It is the largest barn in Kansas and was named an 8th Wonder of Kansas Architecture in 2008. The Cooper Barn measures 66 feet wide by 114 feet long and 48 feet high. Come for the world-class Kuska collection, stay for the costumed social activities. prairiemuseum.org

reasons

Photographs (Clockwise from bottom left) Larry Harwood, North 40 photography, Doug Stremel for KDWPT, Shutterstock (2)

we love kansas

3

A flush in Lucas The Bowl Plaza in the cultural arts community of Lucas was recently honored as the 2nd Best 2014 Public Restroom, in America in Cintas’ America’s Best Restroom Contest. The mosaic masterpiece embraces the “loo” with the larger-than-life toilet bowl design at the downtown public restroom with design and construction led by the Grassroots Art Center. grassrootsart.net

go marbles!

Find your marbles at Bonner Springs’ Marble Day, taking place on May 2. This annual celebration offers a colorful and vibrant experience for families all weekend. A marble tournament and oldfashioned games are some of the bigger draws, but there’s nothing quite like watching the Running of the Pinkys. The eye-catching race dumps 5,000 pink rubber balls down Oak Street, racing through obstacles to the finish line. marbleday.com

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The Old Time Ice Cream Truck

What started as a hobby grew into a big attraction at local fairs, as Dave Eshelman’s Old Time Ice Cream Truck was converted from a vintage construction trailer to a major feature at events such as the Smoky Hill River Festival and the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield. “I didn’t intend for it to be a business,” says Eshelman.

“But everybody wanted the ice cream, so I started selling it. That’s just what it turned out to be.” Look for the truck at upcoming festivals this spring.

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Magazine spring 2015

reasons

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we love kansas

encore!

The Brown Grand Theatre is a cultural establishment in Concordia. The elegant structure, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, boasts an active community schedule. A series of restorations have left the building with several impressive enhancements.

Enjoy guided and self-guided tours. browngrand.org

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Shake it Up, Bogey’s (Salina and Hutchinson)

There is no flavor too wild for Bogey’s, which has become an institution in not one, but two Kansas communities. The vibrant interiors of these two burger stops in Salina and Hutchinson are social hot spots known for savory burgers, huge portions and more milkshake flavors than you can imagine sprawled across a huge menu board. bogeysonline.com

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Magazine spring 2015

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kansas zoos!

Lions and tigers and bears, oh yes! As the weather warms up, it’s time to go wild and check out all the critters in Kansas at the state’s many zoos.

From Salina’s Rolling Hills Zoo to Topeka’s world-famous zoo, you will find yourself having a Zoo-tiful day this spring.

Reasons

We Love Kansas

Send your “Reasons We Love Kansas” to ksreasons@ sunflowerpub.com or to Reasons, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612.

Photographs (Clockwise from bottom left) Debra Walker, Emily Krampe, Shutterstock, Bruce Hogle , Shutterstock

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KANSAS!

reasons

we love kansas

take a break

Nature works in mysterious ways, and you can see some of that mystery with your own eyes in St. Francis. The Arikaree Breaks are some of the roughest and most awe-inspiring terrain you’ll find in Kansas. Formed by wind-deposited particles, the deep ravines and gullies stretch across the north part of Cheyenne County. Nature buffs can enjoy this natural wonder with a self-guided tour. stfranciskansas.com/Enjoy-Us/Arikaree-Breaks

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WGMS’s Annual Rock & Gem Show 62nd Annual Show

April 24, 25, 26, 2015 Earth’s Hidden Treasures

2744 George Washington Blvd Wichita Kansas Friday, April 24 ~ 9am-6pm Saturday, April 25 ~ 10am-6pm Sunday, April 26 ~ 10am-5 pm Adults: $5.00; Ages 12-17: $1.00; Under 12 FREE with paid Adult Featuring dazzling crystals, minerals, fossils and meteorites. See how rocks are cut and polished. See how unique jewelry is created using the wonders of nature.

KANSAS VOICES WRITING CONTEST

Enter the Kansas Voices Contest by sending in your short story or poetry to Winfield Arts & Humanities.

C Arrow stables

Hold onto your horses: A trip out to this Kansas hot spot is one wild ride! From boarding and riding lessons to a petting zoo and pony parties, Maize’s C Arrow Stables offers a full ranch and stable experience. The stables’ scenic location is a pleasing draw for Kansans of all backgrounds. c-arrow-stables.com

Like to write?

Deadline March 13th Entry fee is $4.00 per story or poem. $975 in prizes being awarded

Underwritten by Winfield Convention and Tourism

For more information, visit

www.winfieldarts.org or call 620-221-2161

Kansas

Soundscapes 2nd annual Music Composition Competition for Kansas Residents

by Winfield Arts & Humanities Council

21

DeaDline for entries february 16, 2015

reception with performances held on april 18, 2015

At Baden Square in Winfield,Kansas!

KS

Cash prizes given to winners of Formal and Song-writing categories.

Magazine spring 2014 620 221-2161 | winfieldarts@gmail.com | www.winfieldarts.org

events s p r i n g

Monuments Men Exhibit Hutchinson Through May 26 New exhibit featuring costumes and props used in the 2014 motion picture The Monuments Men. The film recounts the story of eight men and women who search for artwork stolen by Nazis during World War II. underkansas.org

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No Limits Monster Trucks Dodge City February 6-7 Monster trucks like Bigfoot, Unnamed & Untamed, Wicked Sickness and more will race side by side over jumps and old cars as part of the $50,000 Monster Truck Challenge. Begins at 7:30 p.m. at the United Wireless Arena.

Admission required. unitedwirelessarena.com

Bleeding Kansas 2015 Series Lecompton Through March 1 A series of talks and dramatic interpretations on the violent conflict over slavery in the Kansas Territory in 1854. Constitution Hall, Sunday beginning at 2 p.m. http://kshs.org/constitution_hall

22 Kansas!

Lincoln Days Lincoln February 13-14 25th Annual Lincoln Reenactment honoring Abraham Lincoln and the end of the Civil War. See the signing of the terms of surrender by Gen.s Lee and Grant.

Presentations by Abraham Lincoln and other reenactors, a look-alike contest, a buffalo stew meal and a band concert. Times vary, admission required.

Popovich Comedy Pet Theater Iola February 22 A beloved family show featuring an amazing cast of house cats, dogs, parrots and more. Gregory Popovich is a fifth-generation circus performer who has been featured in mainstream media. Admission required. Begins at 3 p.m. bowluscenter.org

PSU Theatre Presents: Eurydice Pittsburg February 26-March 1 In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. pittstate.edu/psu-theatre/

Parade of Quilts Yoder March 2-31 Soak in the quilting tradition of the Amish community of Yoder during its 15th annual Parade of Quilts, with a self-guided tour of many beautiful handmade quilts on display. yoderks.com

villagelines.com

Magazine spring 2015

find more events at travelks.com

/

All events are subject to change.

NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Hutchinson March 16-21 Enjoy six exciting days of the best Junior College men’s basketball in the nation at the Hutchinson Sports Arena. njcaabbtrny.org

Photographs shutterstock

2014 NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship Salina March 16-21 Enjoy 26 teams from around the U.S. vying for the championship at The Midway in Salina. bicentennialcenter.com

and peaceful scenery. Experience includes horse, tack, equipment, meals and lodging. moorelonghornranch.com

Weekly Racing Series at DCRP Dodge City April 11 Dodge City Raceway Park is one of the finest dirt tracks around. DCRP Sprint Cars, IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Sport Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars and Hobby Stocks—see them all at this premier track. Tickets are $10. dodgecityraceway.com

St. Patrick’s Day Parade Leavenworth March 17 Enjoy the 32nd annual parade in historic downtown Leavenworth—the “first city in Kansas.” Begins at noon. visitleavenworthks.com

Youth Symphony Spring Concert Salina April 12 Inspiring performances will feature more than 170 members of the Youth Symphony, Junior Youth Symphony and Preparatory Orchestra. Hosted by the Salina Symphony. Begins at 4 p.m. salinasymphony.org

American Music in Motion Salina March 29 Experience a fusion of classical music and contemporary dance featuring popular American classics, such as Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” and Bernstein’s West Side Story. This collage of American music features characters who will tell a story through music and dance. Begins at 4 p.m. salinasymphony.org

Party for the Planet!

Salina April 18 Celebrate planet Earth with fun activities focused on conservation and education about endangered animals at Rolling Hills Zoo. Begins at 9 a.m. Admission varies. rollinghillszoo.org

Spring longhorn Cattle Drive Bucklin April 1-3 Moore Ranch will be trailing some of their longhorn cows from winter pasture near Mullinville to the ranch south of Bucklin. Guests mount up and drive the longhorns over the prairie, viewing some very beautiful

Wings N Wetlands Birding Festival Great Bend April 24-26 Both experienced and novice birders will enjoy this weekend, which includes meals, guided van tours, educational opportunities and a chance to socialize with other enthusiasts. Times vary for daily events. visitgreatbend.com

Fort Leavenworth Post-Wide Spring Yard Sale Fort Leavenworth April 25 Great bargains post-wide. Shop for vintage items and find new treasures. Begins at 6 a.m. fortleavenworthfmwr.com

Antique & Barbed Wire Festival La Crosse April 30-May 3 A festival featuring barbed wire and fencing-related tools along with other antiques and collectibles. Don’t miss the Miss Barbed Wire Pageant, Talent Show and World Champion Barbed Wire Splicing Contest. rushcounty.org/Wireshow

McPherson Gem, Mineral and Fossil Club Rock Sale & Swap McPherson May 1-3 The Annual McPherson Gem & Mineral Club Sale and Swap highlights rocks, minerals, fossils, gems, meteorites, jewelry and lapidary. visitmcpherson.com

Prairie Rose Western Days Benton May 2-3

Experience the Old West at this annual festival, where you can learn about the history and lifestyle of the Kansas cowboy with black powder shooting, chuck-wagon cooking, cowboy music, wagon rides, mountain-men encampments, tomahawk throwing and more. Gates open at 9 a.m. and admission is free. prwesterndays.com

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Magazine spring 2015

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Modern

Homestead Community-supported agriculture preserves the “lost art� of family farming Story by Mary R. Gage Photography by Kevin Anderson

I

f great meals, barbecue or otherwise, start with the best ingredients, then Amy and Dan Saunders, owners and operators of Amy’s Meats at the Homestead in Jefferson County, are eating well. After all, what could be more satisfying and delicious than growing all your own fresh ingredients?

The lowing of the cattle and bleating of the sheep greet the Saunders family early in the morning. Their day starts at 5 a.m. when Amy begins breakfast and Dan rises for work. Soon the children—12-year-old Tucker, 8-year-old Ethan and 6-year-old Ailya—are up and ready to help with the chores. There are cows to be milked, eggs to be gathered and animals to be fed. Sweet country air and the soft light of dawn mark the beginning of another day.

The Saunders’ dream of carving out a life and career in agriculture began over 15 years ago. Initially, raising cattle was their focus, so they rented land and began raising Angus steers. They established a clientele by taking their beef to farmers’ markets and selling directly to consumers. Before long, “Amy’s Meats,” as they dubbed their new enterprise, was a thriving business.

Eventually, Amy says, “We serviced three to four grocery stores, five restaurants and six farmers’ markets. I was on the road four to five days a week.”

A bountiful CSA By 2010, the family had grown to include three children, and Amy’s schedule left her feeling spread thin. With the national economy sagging about that time, beef became more of a luxury item, and sales stalled.

“We can, freeze and dehydrate.

We do it together, and it makes it so much more fun. When people realize they don’t have to do it all themselves, it’s not as daunting or scary, and many hands make light work.”

Scenes from around Amy’s Meats at the Homestead. (Above) Amy Saunders and Ailya share an Eskimo kiss early in the morning.

-Amy Saunders “We had to shift gears and figure out how to stay in agriculture,” Amy says. “I needed something that would help me focus on what was really important to me. And what is really important to me is education and getting people back in touch with their food.”

A career change gave them an opportunity to purchase their own land, and “it allowed us to start farming in the way we wanted to,” Amy says. “I was able to do day camps and a big vegetable garden and to expand the CSA.” CSA—community-supported, or shared, agriculture—has been embraced in the last decade or so by consumers who are interested in buying fresh, seasonal food directly from a local farmer. Memberships are purchased from farmers, and in return customers receive a share of the farm’s product.

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Magazine spring 2015

“A CSA is a unique marketing channel for small farmers,” says Marlin Bates, Douglas County horticulture extension agent for K-State Research and Extension. “It is a form of direct-to-consumer marketing. Small farmers benefit a lot because they capture a larger value for their products, and by offering subscriptions to consumers, farmers get operating capital on the front end.”

When Amy began her CSA in 2006, it was one of the first meat CSAs in the region. It has since evolved into a mixed CSA, providing both meat and vegetables for members. Participants now reap the bounty of Amy’s heirloom vegetable garden and fresh eggs from laying chickens, as well as pork, chicken and lamb. And the Saunders’ switch from beef steers to Jerseys, a small breed of dairy cattle, supports a milk co-op.

“What we do is sell shares of the dairy herd,” Amy explains. “So you don’t have to pay for the milk, but for the care and maintenance of the herd. You get your dividend in milk. People come out and meet the cows and see the herd, and there’s not that disconnect.”

ABOVE It’s a family affair at Amy’s Meats.

OPPOSITE Ethan Saunders with a chicken from the flock.

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Magazine spring 2015

A popular camp These days, much of Amy’s “free” time is spent educating both children and adults on the fundamentals of how food is grown, harvested and processed. In the summer and fall, the farm hosts a variety of educational day camps and special events. One of them, Little Red Hen’s Bread Camp, is based on the folktale of a hardworking, bread-baking hen.

Amy says she came up with the idea of a bread camp when “it dawned on me—we had kids come out to the farm who had never had warm bread fresh out of the oven!

“The camps are one or two days during harvest; that way the kids get to see the whole process,” she says.

Spaghetti Camp and Pizza Camp introduce kids to grinding wheat into flour and making dough, as well as subsequent steps such as collecting eggs for the pasta; picking tomatoes, onion and garlic to make sauce; and milking cows to make cheese. Adults, who often enjoy the camps as much as the kids, additionally have the option to participate in work-days set aside to preserve the farm’s bounty.

“We can, freeze and dehydrate,” Amy says. “We do it together, and it makes it so much more fun. When people realize they don’t have to do it all themselves, it’s not as daunting or scary, and many hands make light work.”

Kara Reed, from nearby Tonganoxie, relishes the fresh vegetables and meat during harvest as a member of Amy’s CSA. She also has enjoyed having her children, ages 6 and 12, participate in both the Bread Camp and the Pizza Camp.

“It was definitely an eye-opening experience for them to go through the whole process of finding, blending and boiling down tomatoes into sauce,” Reed says. “Sauce at our house comes out of a jar.”

The benefits to the camps, however, run deeper than learning food basics. “What my kids were struck with the most,” continues Reed, “was the lifestyle—the cows and chickens and kittens running around, being outside and playing in the dirt. Amy’s wonderful with the kids; she’s patient and kind, and they learn a lot.”

The summer event season begins with a wine and cheese tasting in June and an Ice Cream Social in July. It may also include a Farm to Fork Dinner, and last year there was a Fourth of July Concert.

“To me, it’s so important for people to come out and see how we and other [small farmers] do it,” Amy says. “It’s almost a lost art. There are a lot of really good families trying to save agriculture.” amysmeats.com

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flying high near

Osage City From skydiving to barbecue festivals, various attractions entice visitors

T

he charming community of Osage City offers travelers multiple reasons to stop.

Thousands of energetic visitors flock to the area each year to enjoy the lakes, jump out of planes and get down with some world-famous barbecue. But perhaps it’s the view that really draws people out. Some of the finest landscapes in the Sunflower State can be found here, delighting hikers, horseback riders and boaters.

This spring, plan for a detour to Osage City and its nearby communities.

28 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

Story by Fally Afani

Skydive

Kansas

Osage City isn’t your average, quiet little Kansas community—this is where thrill-seekers come to flirt with adventure, thanks to Skydive Kansas. This skydiving business has seen more than 42,000 jumps and attracted visitors from several foreign countries. The 1972 Cessna 206 that pilots skydivers up to jumping altitude has been lovingly nicknamed “The Shark,” and dons a shark-teeth paint job. First-time skydivers can “jump The Shark” in tandem.

The next time you’re looking for a breathtaking experience with one heck of a view, head down to the big red hangar on the south side of Highway 31. skydivekansas.com

The Great Photographs (Clockwise from left) Fally Afani, Skydive Kansas, Fally Afani, Jeremy Gaston of the Osage County Herald-Chronicle

outdoors

One popular recreational area lies just south of Osage City.

Stretched across 18,000 acres of the Flint Hills, Melvern Lake boasts 7,000 acres of water, five parks and ample amenities. Nature trails are available for hikers ready to set out on a half-mile self-guided walk, while equestrian riders can take in the Flint Hills on a trot down the scenic, 17-mile Bridle Trail on the western portion of the campground. Eisenhower State Park offers a familyfriendly atmosphere with playground equipment, horseshoe pits and a swimming beach, and history buffs will enjoy learning about some of the region’s earliest residents, including Kansa Indians and Welsh farmers. ksoutdoors.com

Smoke

in the spring Fire up those taste buds, it’s time to indulge in some of the finest barbecue Kansas has to offer. This April, Osage City’s Smoke in the Spring State BBQ Championship will mark its 12th year. The event attracts teams from all across the nation vying for more than $10,000 in prize money. The popular competition has been featured on national television and is a sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society contest. The friendly competition offers everyone the chance to sample some of the savory eats and take in live music and an auto show as well. Smoke in the Spring is Osage City’s biggest event, so expect to see all the camaraderie this bustling BBQ community has to offer. smokeinthespring.com

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Magazine spring 2015

Marilynn’s place

You can’t pass through Osage City without hitting up the social hot spot in town—Marilynn’s Place. Considering the first thing you see inside is a glowing tower of delicious pies, it’s no wonder the locals adore this country restaurant. The family-run eatery gets crowded on Monday nights when they serve hot, open-faced sandwiches smothered in brown gravy. But what keeps everyone coming back are the overflowing slices of pie. Chocolate-peanut butter cream fills plates to the brim, and the gooseberry pies feature a mouthwatering crust.

With easy access right off of Highway 31, there’s no reason you can’t hit up Marilynn’s on your way out of town.

1216 Laing St., Osage City | (785) 528-3769

Burlingame Schuyler museum

For anyone on a mission to connect with their ancestors, a visit to the Burlingame Schuyler Museum is a must. Located in a 113-year-old former elementary school building, the museum houses a wealth of resources for genealogy research. You can shuffle through official county records, microfilm, pedigree charts or even an old box of unidentified pictures. Farming and mining opportunities drew a wide variety of people to settle in Osage County starting in the 19th century, including immigrants from England, Wales, Ireland and Sweden.

Residents from a wide range of ethnicities can trace their ancestries to colonial times and beyond. The museum also offers seasonal community events throughout the year. burlingamemuseum.org

The Sweet Granada chocolates

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Magazine spring 2015

The glorious Granada Theatre isn’t just a historic fixture and popular music venue in Emporia, it’s also an ideal stop on a Kansas road trip where you can satisfy your sweet tooth.

The candy crafters at this store specialize in sugar rushes via fresh fudge, handmade chocolates and fresh confections. The décor of this mother-daughter business matches the glamorous Spanish revival architecture of The Granada. If you can’t make it down to Emporia for these sweet treats, they’ll ship them to you. sweetgranada.com

Photographs (from top) Fally Afani, Courtesy of the Burlingame Schuyler Museum, Courtesy of the Sweet Granada

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Kansas barbecue is in a world all its own Here’s a prescription for dining out: Look for places that know their ingredients better than you do, and chefs who prepare dishes that take longer than you have time to spend cooking. Find someplace unique, where you’re liable to see interesting people. Find a place that will linger in your memory long after your meal.

To fill this Rx, you can’t do better than one of Kansas’ fine barbecue joints.

Your ribs, burnt ends, smoked hot wings, brisket, ham and turkey will all be selected by experts who know meats from wing to hoof, rib to rump. They know how to age and cure, rub and marinate, grill and smoke, and bring the slow-cooked meat to such tender juiciness that each order nearly melts in your mouth.

You’ll be in a place where you can often see the pit master working the wood, the fire and the meat to a succulent doneness. And each establishment will be unique—gas stations, patios, cozy dens, barstools, booths—with a tang in the air, a thick redolence condensed to a slick floor.

Barbecue is so unique, so individual, so particular in its practitioners, venues and patrons that nobody even agrees on the spelling of the word. You might be eating in a place named for the pit master—Gary, Leroy, Mary, Bob, Billy or Arthur. Or you might be dining in a wood yard, a shack, a smokehouse, a barn, a hickory house or just someone’s place.

And once you leave, you’ll have more than the fine meal. The smoke will linger on your clothes, rich meat scenting your fingers, tartness in your nose.

And now you are introduced to tasty, tangy Kansas barbecue. Enjoy the approach, the smells, the menu board, the paper plates, the mandatory white bread and fistfuls of napkins, the immediate tastes, the lingering memory and the itch to return soon.

–Tom Averill

33 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

It’s All in the Wood What’s barbecue without smoke?

The Woodyard’s pit master, Mark O’Bryan

When it comes to barbecue, low and slow cooking is important. So is the flavor of the rub and the sauce. The key element to good barbecue, however, is wood smoke. Seriously, without the smoke, it’s just well-cooked meat.

In Texas, mesquite wood is big. In the Northeast, apple is popular. Hickory is king just about everywhere. What about Kansas?

Frank Schloegel III’s family has sold wood for almost 65 years. Over half the business at his Woodyard Bar-B-Que in Kansas City is to barbecue people. According to Schloegel, the big five Kansas barbecue woods are oak, hickory, pecan, apple and cherry.

“People will smoke with whatever wood they can get their hands on,” Schloegel says. While hickory is a favorite barbecue wood in Kansas, most pit masters like to mix it with other varieties to get just the right flavor. “Hickory is the most significant wood for barbecue, but pure hickory is too bitter,” he says.

“Mixing it with oak is the best blend.”

Eddie Moege, owner of HHB BBQ in downtown Topeka, is a fan of using just oak. “It has a nice soft, mellow smoke that doesn’t add flavor,” Moege says. “I grew up around hickory. I didn’t want that flavor. I like my meats to have a nice, smoky flavor, not a wood flavor.”

When Schloegel’s dad sold wood, he gave customers samples of meats he smoked in his backyard so they could taste the difference between the woods. This inspired Schloegel and co-owner, Ciaran Molloy, to open a restaurant at the Woodyard to sell a variety of smoked meats made in an outside wood-fired pit barbecue.

The Woodyard’s pit master, Mark O’Bryan, likes to mix up his wood selection.

“My perfect combo is pecan, white oak, a bit of hickory and a bit of apple when I can get it,” O’Bryan says. “I can have 15 different meats going at a time, so I came up with a basic wood blend that works for all of them.”

While some barbecue masters get wood from places like the Woodyard, many scrounge up wood for themselves. “There aren’t many people in the organized wood business,” Schloegel says.

“Most people get wood by making a deal with a local farmer.”

For many barbecue aficionados, picking wood is a lot like selecting a wine. “They’ll say things like, ‘I have to have cherry or it’s not right,’” Schloegel says. He admits, however, that “for most people, once you have on the rubs and sauces, it is hard for them to taste the difference in the smoke.”

– Linda A. Ditch

LaVon’s Bakery & BBQ Location: Buhler

Specialty: “Country eats”

lavonsbakeryandbbq.com

Photographs (from left) Jason Dailey, Aaron East

concept is simple: no gas, all wood and at least 12 hours of cook time.

To make matters even simpler, customers can enjoy only one homemade barbecue sauce—one that’s not too spicy, not too sweet, but “just the middle of the road so it fits everyone’s palate,” says LaVon. Customers get their first pick of the barbecue fare when the restaurant opens for the week on Wednesdays.

Between that and the homemade fried chicken, the joint is buzzing with locals, regulars and special visitors LaVon’s Bakery & BBQ may be off the beaten path in Buhler, but it’s that gravel road path that has inspired so much of what owners LaVon and Gary Manear have done throughout their 26 years in the restaurant and catering business.

A block east of Buhler’s hustle-andbustle Main Street lies the quaint, westernthemed local eatery that boasts a wide array of delicious eats, including melt-inyour-mouth barbecue, as well as delicious sides including baked beans, macaroni and cheese, party potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, salads, pies and more.

Every Tuesday, LaVon can be found cooking her famous pulled pork, ribs and leg quarters inside the barbecue pit that her husband, Gary, built. Her barbecue

The menu at LaVon’s Bakery & BBQ doesn’t stop at ribs. Consider trying the fried chicken, bierocks, chicken enchiladas, and homemade sides including party potatoes, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and baked beans—and of course, homemade pies.

who are check-marking the place off of their must-eat restaurant lists. They all experience a small dining room area where it feels more like a holiday dinner inside Grandma’s house, complete with Manear family pictures on the wall along with quirky but meaningful Westernthemed memorabilia that the couple has collected throughout the years.

Buhler resident Greta Smith has been frequenting the hometown eatery for years, first with her parents, and now, passing her love for LaVon’s down to her two sons and husband, Troy.

“You step into the place and it’s like walking into a piece of art,” Greta says.

“Everything surrounding you tells a story, from the pictures and quotes on the walls to the tiles on the floor. We love that we can have such a unique place to go that is right here in Buhler with such great food.”

Greta’s taste buds prefer LaVon’s chicken enchiladas with the party potatoes.

Troy, meanwhile, goes for the barbecue ribs and always saves room for pie.

LaVon’s décor and menu mirror each other with their wide array of offerings.

And while every customer has his or her favorite menu item, Gary says there’s one constant with each one he and LaVon meet and greet on a daily basis. “We just want people to feel good,” he says.

That, they definitely do.

– Amy Conkling

The

wood guide Know your wood. This guide will provide insight on how the Top 5 woods will burn, especially when smoking meat.

Oak

Hickory

Pecan

Apple

Cherry

Burns clean and hot, with a smoky flavor that is not overpowering.

Creates a strong, smoky flavor like what you find in bacon or ham.

A favorite among barbecue folks because it gives meat somewhat of a hickory flavor without being over the top.

Provides a delicate, sweet smoke flavor.

Has a slightly sweet, fruity smoke flavor.

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Magazine spring 2015

Joe’s Kansas City

The restaurant is congested. It’s noisy. Blues wafts through the sound system. The smell of luscious, slowsmoked goodness greets visitors in the parking lot–which is a good thing because customers often have to wait in line outside for a while when they come to Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. Open since 1996, this barbecue joint has become more than a place to eat—it has become an experience synonymous with Kansas City, Kansas.

In a gas station on the corner of 47th Street and Mission Road, Joe’s draws thousands of people every week—including, on occasion, President Obama’s Air Force One flight crew. Yes. That’s right. The president of the United States makes sure to order food from a gas station when he’s in Kansas City.

“There’s something about the flavor of the meat. It’s probably the best I’ve ever had,” explains one customer, Lucas Gardner, a Kansas City native who has been eating at Joe’s for about 10 years. He was in a fairly short line, only 20 or so people ahead of him.

The passion that makes customers willing to stand in line as much as an hour just to say the name “Z-Man” (a favorite brisket sandwich topped with onion rings and smoked provolone cheese) to the person taking orders, borders on religious devotion—even for a barbecue town like Kansas City.

The house specialty is the pulled pork, but that Z-Man is popular.

If the name of this tastiest gas-station

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Specialty: “Z-Man”

barbecue in the world doesn’t sound familiar, maybe “Oklahoma Joe’s” is more recognizable.

After almost two decades, the hometown eatery known as “Oklahoma Joe’s” decided to drop its geographically inappropriate title. Devoted followers cried “sacrilege.”

Joe’s director of marketing, Doug Worgul, says they understand the problem. “People feel very possessive of their barbecue joints, and they want the place to be the same 10 years from now as it was 10 years ago,” Worgul says.

The restaurant strives for consistency, but there really wasn’t a choice about the name. The owners, Jeff and Joy Stehney, never owned the Oklahoma Joe’s name. They were just borrowing it. Regardless, the Stehneys have a great local story.

They started out in barbecue competitions and became successful entrepreneurs—and they are still in the flavor game with Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que. The Stehneys pride themselves on continually making efforts to improve their product. In recent years they began making their own sausage and potato salad just to make sure customers in that line are getting a good experience every time they walk through the door.

Kasondra Thompson, waiting on the chance to order a Z-Man, says it is worth every minute in line. “It’s just delicious. It’s the best barbecue place, and I’ve been to all the other barbecue places. This is by far my favorite,” says the Kansas City native.

– Karen Ridder

joeskc.com

what’s in a name?

Despite the lines of happy customers at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, some are still taken aback by the brand’s recent name change. So what’s the story?

Turns out that owners Jeff and Joy Stehney never actually owned the name, but instead “borrowed” it.

The long story involves going into business with a friend who did own the name and subsequently sold it to a company that sold it again to a multinational corporation.

And as you can imagine, that company has the right to do whatever it wants with it. And this corporation is completely disconnected from the barbecue restaurant that started in a gas station and won Kansas City’s heart.

So now they are Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que, but one thing won’t be changing: the secret recipe that will keep hungry customers coming back.

Photographs jason dailey

Location: Kansas City

Diners dig in at Joe’s Kansas City.

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Magazine spring 2015

Love and special sauce What all goes into a bottle of barbecue sauce? More than you might imagine.

To the uninitiated, barbecue sauce is simply a condiment. To these Kansans, it is a family heirloom, a remembrance of a lost family member—or simply a way to bring people together.

A condiment? No. To them, barbecue sauce is love.

Roy’s hickory pit BBQ Take Anne Armstrong, owner of Roy’s Hickory Pit BBQ (RoysBBQ.com) in Hutchinson. Don’t ask for Roy; there hasn’t been a Roy working there in decades. The business, purchased by Anne and her late husband Mike more than 30 years ago, was already named Roy’s when they bought it.

“When we bought the building, we were too cheap to change the sign,” Anne remembers with a laugh. “Plus, we thought ‘Roy’s Barbecue’ sounded better than ‘Mike’s Barbecue.’”

Mike’s own Hickory Pit BBQ Sauce was so good, it was what led the Armstrongs to purchase the restaurant in the first place.

“Definitely a backdoor way of owning a barbecue restaurant,” Anne says. “But Mike

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knew he had a winner.”

The sauce has been celebrated locally, nationally and even globally. There’s a photo of George W. Bush on the wall, framed along with a note from the 43rd president thanking the Armstrongs for their delicious barbecue sauce.

This one-of-a-kind sauce has been the driving force of their business for these last 30-plus years.

“It’s not a typical sauce,” Anne says.

“It’s a lot of layers—delicious layer after delicious layer.”

Anne says her husband was a people person, and had a tremendous number of friends in Hutchinson. It would be fair to say he was as beloved as his Hickory Pit BBQ Sauce.

“He was like the sauce: He also had a lot of layers,” Anne says. “He loved his family, he loved his work. He loved to golf, loved to play tennis. To this day, people come in here and talk about him. It’s his sauce, his place, and it still reminds me of him every day—and that’s a great thing.”

In 2006, Mike was diagnosed with liver cancer. He passed away the next year,

but he held on long enough to train his wife and son Ryan Collum on the ins and outs of running the business.

“My son and I were in school for 10 months, getting tutored on everything,” Anne says. “It shows you what kind of guy he was. Here he was dying, and he was still looking out for people.”

Carper’s Barbeque Sauce Barbecue sauce is not just a condiment to Eric Hamm, either. It’s a family heirloom, as well as a reminder of his father.

Originating in Topeka, Carper’s Barbeque Sauce (Carpersbbqsauce. com) was first produced by Eric’s greatgrandfather, Harry Carper Sr., in 1920. The sauce was the spark that started a barbecue restaurant in Topeka, followed by a chain of restaurants in the state capital.

The business was passed down from generation to generation until Eric’s father, Harry “Butch” Carper III, died young, at the age of 44. Eric was still in high school at the time. The restaurant closed, and the recipe for Carper’s barbecue sauce was stashed away.

Roy’s Hickory Pit BBQ Carper’s

Photographs jason dailey

Grill Side Barbeque

“I miss him. I was young when he passed—it got to me,” Eric says of his father’s untimely death. “If he was still around, we’d have a barbecue place together.”

Eric got into the construction business, and moved away from Kansas. The whole time, Carper’s Barbeque was a fond memory of the place where he worked with his dad as a kid, and nothing more—until 2002, when his grandmother passed at the age of 83. At the funeral, his aunt told him that Grandma Margie had left the Carper’s barbecue sauce recipe to him, to do with as he wished.

“My grandma knew I would do something with it,” Eric says proudly.

And do something he has. Eric, now 49, has gone to work getting his family barbecue sauce into grocery stores in different states, including eight stores in Kansas. He does taste tests at Hy-Vee in Topeka, and when people see the old Carper’s Barbeque logo, it’s a trip down memory lane.

“People don’t remember me—I was a kid,” Eric says. “But they remember Carper’s Barbeque.”

His dream is to get the sauce into the “big-box stores” like Walmart and Sam’s.

The family sauce is special enough to make it there, he says.

“It’s got a unique taste…. There is no molasses in the sauce, and there’s no liquid smoke—that’s the difference from a lot of sauces,” he says. “Plus, it’s my family’s....

It’s got longevity. It’s good because it’s been around for a long time.”

Grill Side Barbeque For Bill Pikus of Overland Park, his Grill Side Barbeque (grillsidebbq.com) sauces reflect his passion for cooking and for entertaining friends.

Bill’s sauces—Downtown Heat, Suburban Sweet and Hometown Hot— originated from cooking for friends. An insurance agent in Kansas City, Bill and his wife started hosting blind taste tests at their house. “Our sauces were consistently in the top three,” he says.

Bill then took his sauces to barbecue competitions. The results were positive, including a 2nd place ribbon for Downtown Heat in the 2012 American Royal

competition, and a 3rd place ribbon for Hometown Hot at the 2013 National Barbecue Association.

Downtown Heat is the most popular of the sauces. It contains all-natural, premium ingredients and is gluten free.

“It’s sweet, spicy, a good middle-of-theroad sauce for people,” Bill says. “You want to have good meat because our sauce will make it even better.”

Getting his sauces into retail outlets is a challenge, he says, but making a barbecue sauce that people love is worth the effort.

“Cooking, across the board, is my passion,” he says. “It brings people together.”

Whether it’s a family heirloom, a reminder of a lost loved one, or just a way to get friends together, one thing is for sure—a simple bottle of barbecue sauce isn’t so simple.

“We believe that the sauce is the crown that goes on top of great barbecue,” says Anne Armstrong. “This barbecue sauce is our lifeblood.”

-Seth Jones

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Guy & Mae’s specialty: “The original”

“Some stories we can tell, some stories we can’t. But everybody has those.”

– Judy Simpson

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“Take a seat wherever you like,” Judy Simpson hollers.

Judy’s welcoming demeanor only adds to the enticing homey ambiance at Guy & Mae’s. But when the barbecue is this good, there is no need to entice eager diners—they just show up.

“A lot of nice people come in,” Judy says. There is no end to the variety of customers who make the trip to downtown Williamsburg to indulge in the entrees from family recipes created by Judy’s father and mother, Guy and Mae Kesner.

“We have a range from farmers, plumbers, judges, lawyers, the governor—several different governors,” Judy says, adding that “Governor Brownback’s mother had her 80th birthday here.”

As the story goes, Guy returned home one evening in 1973—and announced he had bought a bar!

And yes, the rest is history. Judy joined the ranks when she found herself returning home after a stint in western Kansas. When she asked to store her stuff in back of the bar, Guy agreed—with one condition.

“Dad said, ‘Yep, but we need you to help out for a little bit, sissy.’

And I said, ‘OK. I’ll stay a week.’ …

It’s been a long week,” Judy laughs.

119 W William St. (785) 746-8830

She is at the restaurant now with her family all lending a hand.

In the kitchen, the pit turns with ribs that fall off the bone. Instead of plates, a stack of last week’s newspapers are used to serve up the racks—topped off with two slices of white bread.

The small, yet delectable menu keeps things simple. “Dad always said, ‘If it’s not broke, why fix it?’” Judy says.

Choose between a half slab or full slab of ribs (their specialty); or a small, medium or large sandwich of ham, turkey or brisket (or craft a combo). Then try to decide among the four classic sides, and be sure to save the best for last: the pickle—spicy or regular, sliced or whole.

The old-timey cooler doles out bottles of beer and cans of soda pop while the draught helps to serve up red beers. All the while, the jukebox plays classic rock and families dine in the oversized booths throughout the one-room barbecue joint.

The magic behind Guy & Mae’s isn’t magic at all—but rather, a healthy dose of Kansas hospitality with a delectable side of ribs.

– Katy Ibsen

Photographs jason dailey

Location: Williamsburg

41 Guy & Mae’s owner, Judy Simpson.

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Magazine spring 2015

Barbecue Connoisseur

Bruce Wheling

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When Bruce Wehling, along with a group of seven Marysville residents, decided to add a barbecue contest to the town’s popular annual Auto Fest, the Big Blue BBQ Championship was born.

For more than two decades now, several thousand people have descended on Marysville the first weekend in June to see an array of vehicles including classic and custom cars, hot rods and motorcycles.

Now the barbecue competition has drawn a complementary group of fans and expanded the scope of the event.

In its ninth year, the championship features ticketed barbecue tastings with contenders from across the country.

With tickets sold by Marysville High School students as a fundraiser, the event attracts 1,000 people eager to sample meat prepared with varied cooking methods and cast their votes for the People’s Choice award.

Competition for the sanctioned Kansas City Barbeque Society event is limited to 30 teams, drawing participants not only from the region but also from states as far away as New York, Virginia, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas and Florida, all vying for prize money announced at the awards banquet concluding the event.

“People who come here from other states comment about how nice everyone is and how the people who sample their food thank them for participating,” says Wehling, who helped launch the Big Blue BBQ Championship. “They have such a good time that many of them come back each year.”

Each participant in the barbecue competition prepares chicken, pork ribs, pork butt or shoulder, and beef brisket.

“I like them all, but I’m a brisket guy at heart,” says Wehling, a Pepsi-Cola sales manager and a Kansas City Barbeque Societysanctioned judge.

His decision to become a judge stemmed from his curiosity about how to best to conduct the Big Blue BBQ Championship competition. “I made friends in the barbecue business, learned some tricks and got more involved,” he says.

Wehling’s childhood concept of barbecue was hamburgers and hot dogs, but now his palate is more sophisticated and discerning, having savored techniques favoring vinegar in the Carolinas, dry rubs in Texas and sauces in Kansas City.

“I still think, though, that Kansas City has the best barbecue in the world, no doubt about it, and that includes barbecue made on both sides of the border,” he says.

Wehling, who comes from a large family, has become the go-to guy for friends and loved ones gathering for celebrations and Kansas State University tailgate parties. His own barbecue technique has evolved over time through experimentation with “a whole world of ingredients.” But being patient and “taking the time is the big thing,” he says.

Wehling is looking forward to this year’s event, taking place June 5 and 6. “It’s gratifying that we’ve been able to make the car show even better while helping the high school and knowing that people in our community are working together to do something good for our town,“ he says. visitmarysvilleks.org – Kim Gronniger

Plank’s Barbeque

Photographs (from left) Jada ackerman, jason dailey

Location: Garden City

specialty: Slow roast

planksbbq.com

Plank’s Barbeque gives new meaning to the “farm to table” trend.

Long before restaurants began routinely teaming up with local farmers to fill menus with fresh meat and produce, Mike and Velda Plankenhorn opened their Garden City establishment a decade ago to complement their other-family owned business, Ehresman Packing Company.

The adjacent meat market, just a few steps away from the barbecue joint, provides the fresh, locally-raised, high quality beef and pork that are turned into mouthwatering barbecue entrées. The menu is so flavorful and juicy that customers in the restaurant’s red and white dining room often bypass the barbecue sauce but reach for extra napkins.

Keeping the fresh-cut meat moist during the cooking process is the secret to succulent barbecue, says the Plankenhorns’ son, Josh. Now the pit master at what he calls “a mom and pop brand barbecue joint,” Josh seasons the brisket, pork and ribs with a spice rub that is absorbed over several hours.

He then follows in his father’s footsteps, using a cooking process Mike developed through trial and error. The meat is placed in pans in a rotisserie smoker to slowly and evenly roast in its own juices over smoldering hickory or mesquite wood for 12 hours.

“Having the meat in a rotisserie smoker makes a big, big difference,” Josh says. “The advantage of the rotisserie over a pit is that it provides consistent heat throughout the entire process as the product rotates.”

Once removed from the rotisserie, the meat cools in its own juice, a portion of which remains with the meat when the pork is pulled apart and the brisket is sliced.

“When it stays in its own juice throughout the process, that retains the moisture content and makes for better meat,” Josh says. “The juice just soaks into the meat, so it’s even more tender and not dry.”

Ribs, however, are a bit trickier. To keep them moist, Josh removes the ribs in the middle of the cooking process, wraps them in foil and then returns the wrapped meat to the rotisserie to finish roasting.

Matt Meng, a Garden City native who is somewhat of a barbecue connoisseur, says he favors Plank’s because of its quality products that are always juicy, full of flavor and never disappointing— especially his favorite, the brisket sandwich.

“My job requires me to travel all over Kansas, and I hit every little barbecue place I can find,” Matt says. “Plank’s is the one I always go back to.”

– Cecilia Harris

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hope springs eternal Flames in the Flint Hills helps this storied land endure and prosper

Story by Kimberly Winter Stern Photography by Doug Stremel

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Guests use garden rakes to guide the burn.

T

days I pinch myself to make sure it’s not a dream.” here are many reasons to love the Kansas Gwen and Josh married in 1998, after he Flint Hills: far-flung views from wide-open spied her cowboying on a Flint Hills ranch. “He prairies, a fabled history kept alive today told his cousin Skip that he was going to marry by devotees who live on the hallowed land, the me,” laughs Gwen. distinctive grasses and wildflowers that help The newlyweds discovered by happy comprise its fragile and unique rock-strewn accident that Gwen’s great-great-great-great-greatecosystem. grandfather homesteaded the area.

Then there is the landscape plucked straight “Born in 1853, his name was Nelson Munroe from a vintage Western movie—rugged yet fluid, a Patton, or N.M. Patton for short,” Gwen says. “He seemingly never-ending swath of undulating hills, moved here, where Josh, Josie and I live, in 1868 valleys and plains, land that rises up to embrace and homesteaded. He sold the property to Oscar spectacular sunsets.

Duehn in 1884.”

The people who live among the Flint Hills are comfortable with anything the often harsh environment will throw at them. They’re on horseback, riding trails and herding cattle under summer’s The event, which begins in the afternoon, features Flint Hills blazing sun or in winter’s education and history, a steak dinner, music, the prairie fire and driving blizzards. They cruise a fireworks finale. Save the date for April 11, 2015. Tickets are along desolate roads in dusty $110 per person and require advance purchase. pickup trucks or walk the sturdy flinthillsflyingw.com | (620) 274-4357 land on foot. Above all, they are Josh’s family is deeply entrenched in the Flint fierce stewards of a land defined by flint, limestone Hills, too. In 1877, Josh’s great-great-great-great and a calcium-rich soil that fortifies cattle. grandparents William and Mary Ann Davison Hoy While the hills can be experienced in many left Ohio for Kansas and purchased 80 acres along ways, one in particular strikes a chord with the Walnut River, one mile west of present-day aficionados: the flames. Every year, the spring Cassoday in northeastern Butler County. They paid prairie burns attract enthusiasts and curious $900 for a farm with three houses and a stable novices to a sight unlike any other. boasting limestone walls and a straw roof. Josh Flying W Ranch, in the Cottonwood River Valley of Chase County, personifies the determined still operates the 1,000-acre Flying H Ranch along with his parents, Jim and Cathy Hoy. The Flying pioneering spirit that threads itself throughout the W Ranch has two 2,200 head of cattle during the Flint Hills. And with that spirit, the denizens of the grazing season of April to the end of July. ranch and their guests set the land aflame in a “The Flint Hills are amazing, and not just tradition as old as the Flint Hills themselves. because generations of my family spent their lives raising children and tending the land,” says Josh.

Past and Present “There’s simply no place like it on earth.”

“Out here you can see the roots behind you Josh and Gwen are generous with their and the ones in front of you,” says Josh Hoy, a Kansas spread, opening the Flying W to guests for fifth-generation Flint Hills rancher and owner of boisterous cattle drives and serene trail rides. Their Flying W Ranch, referring to the land and the rich much-anticipated Flames in the Flint Hills event ranching heritage he inherited from decades of each April attracts hundreds of people eager to caretakers. “The land reflects many seasons of hard work and perseverance by our predecessors.” participate in lighting and managing a prairie fire.

Nearly 200 people—representing a blend of city and Josh, wife Gwen and 11-year-old daughter country folk from around the region—converge on Josie live on the sprawling, 7,000-acre working cattle and guest ranch that he started in 1996 with the ranch for the daylong event.

This year’s event, slated for April 11, marks his cousin, Warren Kruse. Gwen grew up on a row the fifth year that the Hoys have hosted Flames in crop farm in Burlingame, near Topeka, and has the Flint Hills at the Flying W. Originated by fellow vivid memories of driving through the Flint Hills Flint Hills resident and rancher and naturalist Jan as a child to visit relatives. She imagined riding Jantzen on his Grandview Ranch outside Emporia, her ponies on the enchanting land. the event serves up a genuine taste of the cowboy “Little did I know I was related to people Kansas! and prairie culture as indigenous to the area as from these parts or that I would fall in love with a Magazine oak and sycamore trees. cowboy and actually live here,” she says. “Some spring 2015

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Flames in the Flint Hills guests enjoy gourmet fare by Josh Hoy along with presentations by Jim Hoy.

Tallgrass Express String Band performs for guests prior to igniting the flames.

“People learn the science of range burning, the importance of it for the Flint Hills health and the conditions under which we burn,” Gwen says.

“And,” she adds, with a twinkle in her eye, “they have a darned good time.”

producers and Flying W steaks,” Gwen says.

Live music follows the meal, and at 7:45 p.m. well-sated guests head to the prairie for the night burn.

That, according to Flames in the Flint Hills enthusiasts Frank and Karen Bannister of Gardner, is when the magic starts.

“We’ve been to the event for two years, with friends and family,” says Frank. “When I think of the Flint Hills’ historical significance in the role of Kansas, going back to the Native Americans

Feel the burn Gwen Hoy is fond of a saying Jan Jantzen often shared with attendees of Flames in the Flint Hills at his Grandview Ranch.

“He would say, ‘It’s an educational experience, but you only have to get as close as you want to…. We burn it, but learn it, too, and that’s what makes it memorable,’” she recalls.

Many ranchers throughout the The annual Flames in the Flint Hills event on Josh and Flint Hills engage in the practice of Gwen Hoy’s Flying W Ranch is a ritual not to be missed. prairie burning to preserve the area’s well-being by controlling the growth of Limited to 200 guests, the daylong celebration combines brush and woody plants. prairie preservation with education, history, live music, an “We don’t want that vegetation authentic cowboy-style chuck-wagon dinner and a day and overtaking the land,” explains Gwen. night burn, which yields ample photo opportunities. The day “But the burn also helps the rate of of communing on the land ends under a star-dappled sky weight gain for the cattle that graze with s’mores around a campfire, in a place that many call on the grasses—which has a direct paradise on earth. economic impact on ranchers.”

At the Flying W, the Hoys burn “Along with flashlights, gloves and sturdy shoes, we different patches and rotate the areas encourage people to pack their sense of adventure for this of land they burn every three years. unique experience,” Gwen says.

Depending on weather conditions, day … the very land that was part of the great buffalo burns can involve 10 to 50 acres at a time, while roams 150 years ago and more and is still very night burns can include anywhere from 100 to present today…. We have the privilege of being thousands of acres.

Guests attending Flames in the Flint Hills burn on that land.”

Karen speaks to the educational aspect of the prairie alongside the Hoys and their ranch Flames in the Flint Hills. hands and employees, including Josie.

“Josh and Gwen have a remarkable way of “This year Josie will be on her horse, helping making it real and teaching people about the to guide people around the ranch and the land’s vibrant history,” she says. “Learning about burns,” Gwen says. “She is very social, and loves the flint rock, how it came to be famous for welcoming people to the ranch.” richness … the Hoys are interested in keeping Flames in the Flint Hills commences with the Flint Hills relevant so people respect and drinks and appetizers, horse-drawn wagon rides honor it.” and horseback riding. Jim Hoy speaks on the area’s Gwen says making the ancient prairie folklore and history, and there are educational accessible to people through the burns and cattle talks about the prairie burns and the importance of drives is part of the Hoys’ responsibility and their nature conservation of the Flint Hills. unwavering commitment to ensuring the Flint “Then around 4:45 p.m., we escort everyone Hills’ regeneration and appreciation. to the site for the day burn,” says Gwen. “We teach “The prairie,” she says, “allows us to see our safety tips and give everyone a book of matches to past and our future.” light the fire line.”

Certainly, as the tender green shoots of grass About 90 minutes later, guests return to the pop up from the prairie’s impossibly complex barn for a hearty steak dinner prepared by Josh, network of centuries-old roots, after the guests a chef who was professionally trained at the have helped the Hoys with the annual burns and prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Kansas! left the Flying W for their busy lives, hope springs Park, New York.

Magazine eternal for the Flint Hills.

“The meal includes products from local spring 2015

the hills come alive

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Guests help control the flames as they light up the night sky.

the campfire dinner The process of cooking and eating around a fire is one of the most satisfying and primal acts humans can know.

I have been doing it since I was a kid running around in the woods playing cowboys and Indians. Some of my best childhood memories are of eating meals with cowboy crews before and after days spent on horseback at my grandparents’ Flying H Ranch in the heart of the Flint Hills. My great-uncle Marshall Hoy was famous for cooking chuck-wagon food for horse sales and other Flint Hills events, and we Hoys are shirttail relations to Charlie Goodnight, the renowned rancher and Great Plainsman who blazed the Goodnight-Loving Trail and invented the chuck wagon.

As a result, my whole life has shaped and prepared me to love feeding people after a day spent cowboying.

We have always moved our longhorn cows from one pasture to another in rhythm with the seasons here on the Flying W Ranch; and I have always fed the cowboy crews who have helped us with our ranch work. So when we started inviting the public to come along to move our cows a few years ago, it became a fun and natural part of our lives here on the Flying W. I have fed our guests many meals on the porch of our bunkhouse after driving our longhorns through the tallgrass prairie—from enchiladas to brisket to Son-of-a-Gun Stew, but my favorite meal to feed people is a grass-fed steak cooked over a fire.

It is a satisfying thing indeed to barbecue a juicy, flavorful steak produced from a steer born and raised right here on the Flying W Ranch. It is even more satisfying to watch our guests from around the world, who have chosen to come here—to the Flint Hills of Kansas—to experience the ranch life we love, take a bite of that steak while sitting on our bunkhouse porch and looking out over the tallgrass prairie.

–Josh Hoy, Flying W Ranch

Grilled Grass-Fed Aged Longhorn Bone in Ribeye

Watercress Chimichurri

• 2 grass-fed longhorn bone in ribeyes (grass-fed beef should be a deep red in color and very lean) • Kosher salt, black pepper • Clarified butter

I make chimichurri out of anything that is fresh, flavorful and in season. In the summertime, the watercress that grows wild in our springs has a fresh horseradish flavor that goes well with basil and parsley. Chimichurri is also a fun dish to make with children.

The trick to cooking grass-fed beef is to cook it low and slow. Begin by rubbing the ribeyes several hours ahead of time with kosher salt and black pepper.

Refrigerate. Brush both sides of the ribeyes with clarified butter; sear on both sides over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and cook to desired doneness, approximately 6 to 7 minutes on each side for medium rare. Brush with more clarified butter on each side just before removing from heat. Let the steak rest at least 5 minutes before serving. Serves 2

• Several cloves of garlic • The juice of 1 or 2 limes • cup of good olive oil • 1 or 2 red jalapeno peppers • A bunch of basil • A bunch of parsley • A bunch of watercress • A dash of coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper Simply chop all ingredients up and toss in a bowl with the olive oil, season to taste with the salt and pepper, and muddle with a wooden spoon. I often add berries or radishes, or whatever is in season.

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Traveling Kansas

Photo Essay by Brad Neff, Mike Valdivia and Dennis Heath

Editor’s Note: With a cadre of professional photographers submitting to the seasonal gallery within the magazine, we thought it might be time to see what they are keeping in the archive. As a result, we are opening this space to veteran KANSAS! magazine photographers starting this season in the form of a Photo Essay. What follows are images from a series of road trips that photographer Brad Neff has taken with friends across Kansas.

Accompanying these images, photographer Mike Valdivia offers his thoughts on sharing these journeys with Neff.

words by Mike Valdivia

53 Barber County Brad Neff

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gallery Photo Essay

Gove County Mike Valdivia

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gallery Photo Essay

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s the readers of KANSAS! magazine already know, there are many opportunities to explore the boundaries of our great state.

I must admit that I took this for granted until my good friend Brad Neff, a frequent contributor of scenic photographs to KANSAS! magazine, invited me to explore the state with him and another good friend, Dennis Heath.

All three of us were previously portrait photographers for a number of years. “This is how we initially connected with each other and developed our bond of brotherhood,� says Dennis.

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gallery Photo Essay

Wabaunsee County Brad Neff

Chase County Dennis Heath

gallery Photo Essay

All of us now having retired from portrait photography, Brad invited Dennis and me to take a three-day tour across the state to challenge our creative eyes in another way. Our first journey was in October 2010 to central Kansas. This was the first in what has since become a biannual exploration of the many scenic sites throughout Kansas.

“These trips extend beyond challenging our photographic creativity,” explains Brad. “It’s more about our bond of friendship.”

We have explored each corner of the state and crossed the majority of Kansas’ counties during these trips. The people we encounter are genuine, and we always come away with unique photos and stories about our experience. The history each section of the state offers, the hotels with reasonable rates, restaurants with great food, unique shops along the way, special events throughout the year—and the continuing bond of friendship—are what we all look forward to each year.

For all these reasons and more, we challenge you as a KANSAS! magazine reader to explore our great state and … travel Kansas!

Neosho County Brad Neff

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Passion for pie

At cafes and diners across Kansas, pie is more than a mere dessert—it’s a proud tradition

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fter some great barbecue, or any good meal, there are no sweeter words for a dessertlover than, “Keep your fork—there’s pie!”

What is it about pie that sparks such excitement? A pie is nothing more than a simple crust filled with creamy or fruity yumminess.

Right? Well, technically, yes. But, emotionally, there is a lot more to a slice of pie than the list of ingredients on a recipe card.

Story by Lou Ann Thomas Photography by Jason Dailey

recipe: Ladybird Diner

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Use your favorite double crust for a 9-inch pie plate.

For the filling: 3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced ¼ pound (1 stick) butter, melted 2 tablespoons cornstarch ¾ cup light brown sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Pie can take us back to our childhood and to a time when someone—our mother or maybe a grandmother—made us this special treat. It is part of our history. The women, and even some of the men, who first settled the prairie of Kansas brought their treasured pie recipes with them. It was a way of serving fruits and even some vegetables and meats in an easy-tohandle container—a crust.

Today, however, pie triggers memories of simpler times: of lazy summer picnics with a cool slice of coconut cream to top off the fried chicken, or of family dinners with tables groaning under the weight of turkeys and hams, but where everyone checks out the pies before sitting down so they know how much room to leave for their favorite slice.

And everyone has a favorite slice of pie. Maybe it was Grandma’s cherry, with a little extra tartness to it, or Aunt

Pauline’s gooey and sweet pecan pie. Whatever the flavor, pie is the star of the meal and is—well, as American as apple pie.

Making it flaky The foundation of a pie is the crust, and the flakier the better.

Although most pie bakers are happy to share their recipes for the filling, many of which have been passed down through generations, there are few who will give up their recipes for the crust.

To make a perfectly flaky crust takes a lot of trial and error, and it is rare that piecrust masters will give up their well-learned and treasured secrets.

But once it’s made, that crust is filled with a favorite fruit or cream.

Sounds simple, but a good pie is not easy to make; it is a very laborintensive process. That is another reason pie is such a treat: It takes time, effort, knowledge and a lot of patience to make a great pie.

For the caramel: 1 cup white sugar 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) ¼ cup heavy cream 2 teaspoons flaked sea salt Instructions 1) In a medium saucepan, melt white sugar over low heat until it registers 380 degrees on a candy thermometer.

2) Remove from heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter, stirring constantly (caramel will bubble and seize, but press on—it will relax as you coax it), stir in heavy cream and salt. Set aside.

3) In a large mixing bowl, coat sliced apples with cornstarch, brown sugar and cinnamon.

4) Add to melted butter in a large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until apples begin to soften and sauce begins to thicken.

5) Transfer apple mixture to pie plate lined with bottom crust.

6) Spoon salted caramel mixture over top of apples.

7) Top with upper crust and crimp as desired. Vent top crust.

8) Brush top crust with egg wash or heavy cream and dust with white sugar for an added crunch!

9) Bake in preheated 400-degree oven for 45 minutes or until apple filling is bubbling through vents and crust is nicely browned. Cool and enjoy!

59 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

It’s an act of love both for those making one and those savoring one, and when you’re fortunate enough to eat a pie made by someone who loved making it, you can taste that love.

Kansas has many small, hometown cafes and diners that are known for serving great pie. Whether it’s the Whiting Café, in Whiting; the Dutch Kitchen, in Hutchinson; or Bradley’s Corner, in North Topeka, there is a slice of pie-love waiting in every corner of this state.

Meg Heriford

A pinch of special Ladybird Diner, in Lawrence, is new to the Kansas pie scene, but it is quickly growing a reputation for serving some of the most unique slices. Chocolate potato chip pie, anyone?

“There is a kind of magic about pie that I don’t taste in any other dessert. I love being able to provide that for people,” says Meg Heriford, owner and operator of Ladybird Diner.

Heriford and her fellow Ladybird Diner pie makers bake 30 pies a day during the week and as many as 60 each weekend day, and these are no ordinary pies.

The peach might have a pinch of cilantro in it, and the blueberry,

“There is a kind of magic about pie that I don’t taste in any other dessert.

I love being able to provide that for people.”

– Meg Heriford, Ladybird Diner

with a hint of basil, becomes a brighter version of the traditional blueberry pie.

“I like to have fun with pies,” Heriford says. And she takes great pains to do them right by making them from scratch and starting with small batches of dough. By using small batches and not reworking that dough, every crust is as light and flaky as possible. ladybirddiner.com Winning pie In 2008, Sommerset Hall Café pie baker Norma Grubb’s coconut cream pie was named the “Best Pie in America” by Good Morning

The writer’s favorite: Blueberry Basil at Ladybird Diner

“I love blueberries, and this pie was just so interesting and unique.

It had such a bright pop of flavor. And the crust!

Well, it was so flaky and light that I asked if I could check the kitchen; I was certain my grandmother was back there lovingly mixing and rolling out her crust recipe.”

-Lou Ann Thomas

61 Kansas!

Magazine spring 2015

recipe: Sommerset Hall Café

Benita Schultz

Sour Cream Raisin Pie Use a prebaked piecrust, 9 to10 inches Ingredients: 4 egg yolks 2 cups sour cream ¼ cup milk ¼ cup sugar ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon ground cloves 1½ dash allspice 1½ teaspoon cinnamon ¾ cup raisins Instructions 1) Mix all ingredients together and add ¾ cup raisins.

2) Cook on stove and allow to boil for 2 minutes.

3) Pour into crust and add meringue.

4) Bake in 350-degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes until meringue is light brown.

recipe: Mr. K’s Farmhouse

Coconut Cream Pie America. Diane Sawyer even ordered one for her Christmas yacht trip that year. Since Grubb’s passing in 2011, Benita Schultz, who learned pie making from her mother, has continued the Sommerset Hall tradition of serving great pie.

Coconut cream remains a favorite at Sommerset Hall, and Schultz always tries to have two or three on hand ready to slice. But she likes filling the display case at the back of the historic café with a variety of selections such as pecan, chocolate cream, gooseberry, sugar-free strawberry rhubarb and other flavors from her overflowing recipe box.

Bernie Kahler of Dover, a regular at Sommerset Hall Café, has a difficult time picking a favorite among Schultz’s pies.

“The coconut cream is outstanding,” Kahler says. “But the cherry is good, too, and so is the strawberry rhubarb. They’re all good.

It’s the best pie around.” sommersethallcafe.com order pie first Coconut cream is also a favorite at Mr. K’s Farmhouse, in Abilene,

where they serve an average of 40 to 50 generous slices a day. In addition to the coconut cream, other offerings might include peanut butter, pecan and, during the summer, strawberry. And be sure to go back for pumpkin and pecan pie in the winter.

The coconut cream is estimated to be the best year-round seller.

Owner Todd Kuntz says some customers grab a slice from the cooler as they walk in the door just in case the restaurant runs out of it before they finish their meal. And no wonder: The pie is packed full of coconut and is denser than many cream pies. Kuntz says that is because of the way the milk and cornstarch in his recipe work together, creating a more full-bodied filling.

Kuntz has been baking pies for over 20 years, having learned pie making from his mother, father and grandmother.

“Growing up, we always had dessert after dinner, and it was often pie,” Kuntz says.

Just one more childhood memory triggered by a great slice of pie. mrksfarmhouse.com

Use a prebaked piecrust, 9 to 10 inches Ingredients: 6 egg yolks dash of salt ¼ cup cornstarch 4½ cups whole milk 1 cup sugar 2 cups shredded coconut 1 tablespoon butter 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Instructions 1) Mix eggs, salt, cornstarch and milk with wire whisk.

Microwave for 6 minutes.

2) Take out and stir again with whisk. Microwave for another 6 minutes.

3) Then add shredded coconut, butter and vanilla extract. Mix well and add to 9- to 10-inch piecrust shell. Let cool in refrigerator.

4) Top with meringue and coconut.

5) Bake in 350-degree oven for 10 minutes or until top is golden brown.

n e of ka

Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association celebrates 25 years Over the past 25 years, Kansas’ bed-and-breakfasts have been sharing their hospitality with guests across the state.

Roughly 175 inns have been members of the Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association, which celebrates 25 years in 2015.

Today 80 members comprise the KBBA, which maintains high standards for guests as well as a commitment to providing a unique lodging experience in the heart of America.

The association began as an initiative by the Kansas State University Small Business Development department.

According to the KBBA, Dr. Fred Rice suggested that rural homeowners consider opening their own bed-and-breakfasts as an additional source of income. Rice’s suggestion led to the formation of a small steering committee, which later became the association.

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Lynda Fort, owner of Fort’s Cedar View, was integral in getting the association off the ground. She served as president from 1990 to 1991, and from 1998 to 1999.

“Of our original 31, The Barn at Valley Falls; Cottage House Bed and Breakfast Inn, Council Grove; Fort’s Cedar View Bed and Breakfast Inn at Ulysses; and Hunters Leigh Bed and Breakfast at Salina are still active members,” Fort says.

Each inn maintains its own guidelines for guests, while the association requires compliance with various codes and assists with the collection of taxes according to an inn’s county.

Today the association continues with a dedication to promoting inns and ensuring that every stay, wedding, event, anniversary and birthday spent at a Kansas bed-and-breakfast is a memorable one. kbba.com

Photograph KDWPT

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