KANSAS! Magazine | Summer 2020

SUMMER 2020

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with pie Our list of great spots to grab a slice

O U R S P E C I A L F E S T I V I T I E S I S S U E Where to Go, What to Plan, How to Celebrate once We’re Done Staying Home // P A G E 2 8 A family business revives its 100-year-old barbeque sauce for new generations // P A G E 3 2 The state celebrates Kansas connections to the Pony Express

SUMMER 2020

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‘Value in the Journey’ Annika Wooton helps redefine Miss Kansas for a new generation

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Big and Small Festival Events in Kansas No matter how big or small an event, Kansas traditions offer unique experiences for everyone!

PHOTOGRAPH Aaron Patton

features

We are now accepting submissions for future KANSAS! Gallery sections.

For submission details, go online at travelks.com/kansas-magazine/magazine/submit or send a query to editor-in-chief Andrea Etzel at andrea.etzel@ks.gov.

When uploading photos, please include a contact email or phone number.

MEET IKE & MAMIE AGAIN...

FOR THE FIRST TIME! “The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower, June 22, 1945

Visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum to experience Ike and Mamie’s story in their own words.

Old Abilene Town One of the Top 20 Best Small Towns to Visit Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Great Plains Theatre Smithsonian Magazine Dickinson County Heritage Center Greyhound Hall of Fame Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum Best Historic Small Town Seelye Mansion USA TODAY Unique specialty shops & restaurants

DerbyKS.com/StayandPlay

VisitAbilene

AbileneKS

VisitAbilene

AbileneKansas.org

SUMMER 2020

inside departments

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PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) KDWPT, Nick Krug, KDWPT, Doug Stremel

Kansas Details | Cuisine Fine Food and Good Eats | Made in Kansas Must-have Local Items | Heartland People and Places that Define Us | Culture Arts and Experiences | Kansas Air The Freshness of Outdoor Life | Lens A Conversation with KANSAS! Photographers 22 | Reasons We Love Kansas

Celebrating Unique Attractions 24 | My Reasons

An Advocate for Grassroots Art 26 | Must See

Upcoming Events to Enjoy

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From the Editor

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In this Issue

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Wide Open Spaces 28 | Taste of Kansas: Feasting on History

A Kansas BBQ Sauce Celebrates 100 Years

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32 | Along for the Ride

Kansas Pony Express sites celebrate the 160th anniversary of the legendary, short-lived mail system 36 | ‘You See Them There, at the Kansas State Fair’

With rich agricultural roots, thrilling rides and deep-fried cuisine, the state fair welcomes Kansans of all backgrounds

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ON THE COVER The juice of the cooling cherry filling creates a heart shape on the top of a pie from Upper Crust Pie Bakery in Overland Park.

Photograph by Doug Stremel.

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KANSAS! Gallery #KansasMag

SUMMER 2020 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published quarterly by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: (785) 296-3487.

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

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Founded by pioneers driven to create a state where people of all races would be free, Lawrence has continued to define itself as open, energetic, and welcoming. We invite you to explore a city where you are free to be you!

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

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SUMMER 2020

in this

issue Music in Isolation The self-isolation of 2020 has presented problems for everyone, including William Cason, the senior high school student and clarinet player featured in our story about the Sunflower Music Festival.

As a senior, Cason would have been spending much of his time traveling with his music ensemble and performing at various competitions around the state. But the emergency public health measures prevented that, and Cason spent the last weeks of his senior year completing his classes and recording his songs from home.

He also had to rely on technology for his crucial college scholarship auditions.

“I had to do it through video calls, and that is weird because the sound quality is not the same as a live performance,” Cason notes.

Nonetheless, his talent must have carried through. Cason received a music scholarship to Washburn University and plans to attend—in person—this fall.

PHOTOGRAPHS (CLOCKWISE FROM TOP) Bill Stephens, Dick Smith, Jeffrey McPheeters

KANSAS! Shoots Along with everyone else in the state, we’ve had to adjust our plans in order to support statewide efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19. For KANSAS! magazine, this meant postponing our first KANSAS! Shoots event at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge. This photographer-led exploration of one of our state’s natural treasures is being rescheduled, and we are continuing to make plans for our second KANSAS! Shoots event, a night-sky photography session at the Volland Store in late August. For the latest updates and information on both events, go online to travelks.com/ks-mag.

As we go to press, we realize that some of the annual festivals and events included in this special “Festivities” issue might also be rescheduled. We believe now more than ever, it is important to support local culture, businesses, organizations and charities. We hope that you will join us in making a special effort to get out and experience these Kansas opportunities when it is safe for everyone to do so.

New Traditions

Like many cities and towns across Kansas, St. John has become noticeably quieter as people remain at their homes in an attempt to lessen the impact of the new coronavirus.

Playgrounds are empty. The city square is quiet. And the stores and cafés are no longer bustling.

So, when somebody called out for Stafford County locals to show up at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night for a safe community event, people poured from homes and into individual vehicles: pickup trucks, classic cars, golf carts and more, all to drive around the county square and show up for one another.

Friends and neighbors kept a safe social distance from one another, but they waved “hello,” smiled, honked their horns and brought along their dogs who stuck their head out from car windows and barked in approval of it all.

“You know that scene from the movie Field of Dreams where cars are lined up across the horizon, making their way to the baseball field?” asks KANSAS! writer and St. John resident Beccy Tanner. “That’s what it’s like to live in St. John when someone says to show up and show your spirit.”

Or, as one handheld sign from that night read: “Loving You From 6 Feet Away!”

around the

state

These are just some of the locations represented in this issue of KANSAS! magazine.

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Lenora

42 18 Wichita Cedar Bluff Reservoir

Hollenberg

Carbondale

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Marysville

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Overland Park

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SUMMER 2020

from the

editor Most publications take months of planning before you see their glossy covers on store shelves.

For a seasonal magazine like KANSAS! we begin working on an issue one year in advance. When we sat down to plan our anniversary year, there was no knowing that our summer issue—meant to celebrate Kansas festivals—would fall in the middle of global pandemic, and that many of the events we covered would end up postponed or canceled.

In reflection, our upended plans are of little concern. Our greatest concerns are the challenges our readers and our communities are facing. For now, we hope you’ll find comfort in reading stories of Kansas’ treasured destinations, while escaping to our state’s beautiful landscapes through photography. Brighter days await us, and we hope to help you to look forward to future travels. Our beloved towns and businesses, big and small, need our support now and going forward.

As you read this event-filled issue, know that some events may have been postponed or canceled. Before setting out, call or visit websites and Facebook pages to confirm the latest information. Also, many events are held annually—if an event is not held this year, keep it in mind for next.

Being home these last few weeks, I have found a new level of gratitude for the power of service, from restaurants and farms providing meal assistance to local attractions finding innovative ways to provide educational tools to families. These are just a few ways Kansans have supported each other. My hope from this is that we will have a deeper appreciation for one another and that, through distancing, we will be closer.

I would so enjoy hearing about what you’re going to do first “when this is over” (mine is taking a mini road trip to devour a slice of pie from each of the eateries listed on page 15). Or maybe you wish to share something good you’ve seen or experienced through these times. Feel free to email me at andrea.etzel@ks.gov or send a letter to 1020 S Kansas Ave, Ste 200 Topeka, KS 66612.

ANDREA ETZEL

EDITOR, KANSAS! MAGAZINE

facebook.com/KansasMagazine

KansasMagazine (get spotted; use #kansasmag to tag us)

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

PHOTOGRAPH Andrea Etzel

@KANSASMag

cuisine

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

CHICKEN CENTRAL The rich tradition of Kansas fried chicken

By Cecilia Harris

BLOODY MARY ROLL OUT PARTY June 3 | Shawnee Bloody Mary cocktails, beer and wine are served with tomato-inspired appetizers at this event to kick off the Tomato Roll Fundraiser.

There also will be a raffle and silent auction to benefit the Shawnee Town history museum. Reservations are required before May 29.

Shawneetown.org (913) 248-2360

BIKE BREW Q July 25 | Great Bend

PHOTOGRAPHS KDWPT (2)

Mulberry Frontenac Pittsburg

Girard Olpe

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

Where in Kansas?

Abilene Great Bend

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bikebrewq.com (620) 804-2929

Shawnee

Though Kansas is known for its cattle ranches, there is also a rich tradition of chicken cuisine, with some family restaurants serving their chicken specialties for over 50, or even 100, years.

Charlotte Coble, co-owner of The Chicken House in • facebook.com/ Olpe, is part of a Coble family tradition of serving up chicken Olpe Chicken House fried in the secret-recipe breading since 1958.

(620) 475-3386 “Once the order is received, the chicken is dipped in • chickenanniesoriginal.com the breading, then in water, and dipped in the breading (620) 231-9460 again before being deep-fat-fried,” says Coble, who notes • Chicken Mary’s the restaurant also sells the house breading by itself for (620) 231-9510 home-cooking.

The chicken meals at The Chicken House kitchen are • Gebhardt’s Chicken created by three generations of the Coble family and longtime (620) 764-3451 employees who also prepare the sides of mashed potatoes • Bartosidlehour.com and onion rings as well as the house meringue pies.

(620) 232-9834 In Crawford County, deemed the Chicken Capital of Kansas with its six fried chicken restaurants, Chicken • Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s near Pittsburg and Gebhardt’s (620) 232-9260 in Mulberry continue to serve fried chicken with German • Chickenanniesgirard.com side dishes as they have done for more than seven decades.

(620) 724-4090 Barto’s Idle Hour in Frontenac began serving chicken in • brookvillehotel.com the mid-1960s, Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s in Pittsburg is in (785) 263-2244 its 50th year, and Chicken Annie’s in Girard will celebrate its golden anniversary in 2021.

Note: Locations listed without web Perhaps holding the record for longevity is the pages do not have an official web Brookville Hotel in Abilene, which began serving its familypresence; sites claiming to represent style chicken dinners over a century ago, in 1915, when the these restaurants are not associated with the establishments. kitchen was at its original location in Brookville.

A trio of 20-mile, 40-mile and 62-mile fun rides is at the heart of this cycling event, but the 5th annual celebration in Great Bend also features a craft brew expo with more than 20 Kansas breweries, a home brewing competition, and a broad range of barbeque food trucks— all to support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. All activities are independent, so participation in the cycling races is entirely optional.

GRANDMA HOERNER’S TREATS Natural Foods from the Flint Hills

PHOTOGRAPHS Courtesy Grandma Hoerner’s

By Amber Fraley

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

In 1986, Duane McCoy decided to honor his grandmother Mabel Hoerner by recreating her applesauce recipe. It was a chunky-style applesauce that Hoerner had perfected while growing up on a farm with an apple orchard just outside Manhattan in the late 1800s. Missing the applesauce of his childhood, McCoy experimented with fresh-sliced apples, fruit-juice concentrate and all-natural ingredients until he reproduced her recipe. McCoy began marketing Big Slice Kettle Cooked Apples, developing more flavors, which currently include the original as well as apricot, berries and chia, caramel, blueberry pomegranate, cherry vanilla and cinnamon French toast.

Today, Duane and his wife, Regina McCoy, release these products under the banner of Grandma Hoerner’s Foods. The brand includes a line of natural and organic foods such as pie fillings, organic 50%-reduced sugar preserves, fruit butters, chutneys, McCoy’s Real Kansas City BBQ sauce, coffee, salad dressings and salsas. Recently, they added scented candles to the line.

Located near Alma, right off Kansas I-70 (exit 324), Grandma Hoerner’s Foods is closed on Sundays and major holidays but otherwise open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In addition to sampling coffee and purchasing fresh products in the gift shop, visitors can get a behind-the-scenes view of the products being cooked, canned and labeled on-site. “You can see product coming down the line Monday through Friday,” says McCoy.

made in kansas MAKERS STREET—THE LINDSBORG ART WALK Second Friday of every month Lindsborg Every second Friday of the month, organizers of Makers Street–The Lindsborg Art Walk choose a theme as inspiration for local artists and creators to show off their talents. This summer’s themes are wood crafts (June 12), pie (July 10), and busking (August 14). The event is always accompanied by live music along with food and drink vendors.

lindsborgarts.org/makersstreet

grandmahoerners.com | (785) 765-2300

DANE G. HANSEN ARTS & CRAFTS FAIR August 15 | Logan For one day each summer, Kansas artists and crafters gather at the Hansen Plaza Square in Logan for an open-air market honoring the spirit of pride in western Kansas communities championed by the festival’s namesake, a business leader and friend of President Eisenhower. The festival, which has been held since 1973, also includes food vendors and live music with free admission all day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

hansenmuseum.org/arts-crafts-fair

Where in Kansas?

Alma

Lindsborg

Logan

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heartland

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

The Refuel: Sommerset Hall Cafe, Dover Made famous in 2008 when Good Morning America named it the “best place for pie in America,” Sommerset Hall Café remains a Kansas pie legend. Norma Grubbs earned the title for her pies, of which she made more than 10,000 from 1995 until her retirement in 2009. Norma passed away in 2011 at age 90, but folks from all across Kansas still make the pilgrimage to Sommerset Hall for a taste of its world-famous pastry.

The Refuel: Bradley’s Corner Café, Topeka Bradley’s casual café atmosphere adds to the overall experience (and just makes the pie taste even better). No matter what flavor or texture you choose, you can’t go wrong and you will want to come back. Plus, after your sweet treat, you can step out the doors and into Topeka’s NOTO arts district.

RACE 2 Midnight Run 5K/10K, Leawood, July 25 Support the Special Olympics by running the first of two races in this year’s series. The run begins at midnight as a way to avoid the hot July sun.

The Refuel: Rye, Leawood Kansas received another national nod to best pie in the country, this time from People magazine in 2019. Rye earned the publication’s accolades thanks to Megan Garrelts, who has been a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef from 2017 to 2020. Daily pie flavors follow the season, so you will always have a fresh, exciting option.

The Refuel: The Upper Crust Pie Bakery, Overland Park Open since 2005, The Upper Crust focuses on tradition. Owners and sisters Elaine VanBuskirk and Jan Knobel use family recipes from their mother, Patricia Nuss, and

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

Overland Park

RACE 1 2020 Sunflower State Games Cross Country 5K, Topeka, July 18 Calling all serious runners! This race is the largest amateur race in Kansas and is held on the grounds of Iliff Commons, a course of rolling hills, prairie and woodlands. For maximum enjoyment of the course, competitors are required to leave their phones and digital music-players behind.

Leawood Topeka

A great way to see the state is to take part in a road race. You get outdoors, you move, you support good causes with your registration fee—wins all around. And after you’ve burned off all those calories, it is time to refuel in one of the best ways possible: a slice of local pie. Here is a listing of upcoming summer races paired with two nearby pie bakeries.

Buhler Hutchinson

By Kelly Banks

Dover

Here’s to you, pie strider: A pairing of road races and pie places

their grandmother, Lorene Jost. Both are present in the spirit and even the décor of the Overland Park storefront.

For example, a rolling pin that Jost gave to her granddaughters as a graduation gift now serves as the store’s inside door handle. Guests can choose from cherry, apple, rhubarb and many more pie varieties; guests who stop by on the third Friday of any month can also sample Upper Crust’s “pie flight” offering, slices of three different pie varieties for $10.

RACE 3 Smallville 5K, Hutchinson, June 18 You, too, can be a superhero by running the third annual Smallville 5K, celebrating Kansan-by-lore Superman. This family- (and pup-) friendly race begins at 8:30 p.m. to beat the heat and is one of a series of races hosted by the Hutchinson Recreation Center.

The Refuel: Dutch Kitchen Restaurant, Hutchinson This Amish-inspired restaurant is known for its pies (and its special Christmas-time menu of more than 72 made-fromscratch, take-home pies).

The Refuel: LaVon’s Bakery and BBQ, Buhler LaVon’s is only open Thursdays and Fridays, so plan accordingly. The offerings change day to day, but pie is always on the menu. Enjoy a moment of unplanned discovery.

PHOTOGRAPH Doug Stremel

PACE YOURSELF

Where in Kansas?

FOR MORE INFORMATION RACES • sunflowergames.com • ksso.org • hutchrec.org PIES • Sommerset Hall Cafe sommersethallcafe.com (785) 256-6223 • Bradley’s Corner Café (785) 235-0086 • Rye ryekc.com (913) 642-5800 • The Upper Crust Pie Bakery uppercrustpiebakery.com (913) 642-2999 • Dutch Kitchen Restaurant dutchkitchenrestaurant.org (620) 662-2554 • LaVon’s Bakery and BBQ lavonsbakeryandbbq.com (620) 543-2411

culture

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

MOONS OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM Exploring the Galaxy’s Version of Social Distancing

By Cecilia Harris

(785) 567-3037

SMALL TOWN SATURDAY September 12 | Basehor Formerly known as Basehor Dairy Days, Small Town Saturday continues to celebrate the rich dairy history in Basehor with farm-themed entertainment and live music. Guests can register for the Crazy Cow 5K run, or simply walk up to various inflatables, a corn hole tournament, bingo games, craft displays, food trucks and other entertainment.

Basehorchamber.org/small-town-Saturday (913) 662-1626 Where in Kansas?

Basehor

Girard

We see ourselves as a community resource for astronomy in southeast Kansas and are honored to open our observatory to the public.”

–Josh Cochran

For more than a century, the annual Lenora Jubilee has brought summer entertainment to northwest Kansas. In the past, that meant headliners such as barnstormers and minor league baseball games, but most recently it has included carnival games, plenty of food and hot country music. This year’s June 20 event and the headline concert by stars Ross Ellis and Brandon Lay have been canceled because of the coronavirus, but organizers are working to line up headline acts for the next Jubilee. The Jubilee boasts an impressive lineup for any festival, but particularly one held by a town whose population is approximately 300 people. “Depending on the music, we get between 1,000–3,000 people,” notes Sherri Hachmeister, the jubilee’s president. “The population of Lenora increases dramatically that day.”

Lenora

PHOTOGRAPH KDWPT

What do we know about the other moons in our solar system? On June 26, astronomer and educator Josh Cochran guides visitors through a study of the night sky and the visible moons of the solar system using the research-grade telescope at the Pittsburg State University-Greenbush Astrophysical Observatory in Girard. Smaller telescopes, binoculars, and iPads loaded with astronomy apps also will be available for extended viewing.

“If skies are clear of clouds that night, we will be able to see the four major moons of Jupiter. The human eye can’t see the details of these moons, but you can detect movement. And over the course of several minutes, the moons will have changed position. And then, looking at Jupiter itself, you should be able to see quite a lot of detail of Jupiter’s atmosphere, different layers of altitude, and the Great Red Spot. And if you have a decent camera on your phone, then you should be able to take a nice photograph of Jupiter through the observatory telescope,” says Cochran.

“Even if we have some clouds, we should still be able to see our moon clearly, and on that night we will have a great view of the first-quarter moon.”

This event is part of the observatory’s ongoing monthly public educational programs. The 2020–2021 events will be announced in late July.

The observatory was built through a partnership between Pittsburg State University and area community educational organizations, and Cochran says public education remains at the center of the observatory’s mission.

“We see ourselves as a community resource for astronomy in southeast Kansas and are honored to open our observatory to the public,” says Cochran. “We have people who arrive for our programs from several hours away and welcome them to the observatory for these monthly gatherings and for any major astronomical event such as the appearance of a comet. We’ve also added a camp and retreat center with on-site lodgings for groups who are staying late at the observatory and need a place to stay.” greenbush.org | (620) 724-6281

SMALL TOWN, BIG MUSIC June 26 | Lenora

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kansas air

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

SUMMER FISHING ALERT This should be a great year

By Michael Pearce

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

Also, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism biologists have mastered a hatchery technique to trick bass into spawning weeks earlier than they would otherwise in the wild. The result has been fish entering the waters at a larger size, which improves their survival rate.

Best bets to catch bass Crystal Lake and North Lake at Garnett should be excellent this year, as should Butler and Cowley state fishing lakes. At the larger reservoirs, La Cygne and Sebelius reservoirs should offer excellent bass fishing.

Glen Elder and Wilson reservoirs both have great smallmouth and largemouth populations waiting for anglers in 2020.

Channel catfish and blue catfish We’re already seeing some evidence that blue catfish may have washed through some dams as high water was being released, which could improve river fishing in already robust populations. And there’s no shortage of other great fishing places, especially for those who like catching a nice stringer of channel cats.

Best bets to catch catfish Every reservoir in Kansas offers prospects for good to excellent channel catfishing, but this summer it will be tough to beat the opportunities at Lovewell, Hillsdale, Kanopolis and Big Hill reservoirs.

Most state and community lakes have solid channel cat populations, but also annually stock fish.

Coldwater, Plainville, Afton lakes should be tops for 2020. Rooks State Fishing Lake looks impressive, too.

Kansas’ best blue catfishing remains in Wolf Creek, Milford, El Dorado, Melvern and Lovewell reservoirs.

Crappie Few species respond to high water as well as crappie. Successful spawns from high-water springs often keep anglers entertained for three or four years. And, thankfully, that looks like exactly what we’re in for.

Kansas anglers are coming off some of their best fall and winter crappie fishing in many years. Most reservoirs produced quality and quantity. This spring’s spawn angling should offer more of the same for anglers who like watching a bobber above a minnow or using an extra-long fishing pole to vertically fish tiny jigs amid rocks or flooded brush to catch crappie aggressively protecting a nest.

Best bets to catch crappie Northeast Kansas’ Hillsdale, Clinton and Perry reservoirs are looking especially good for this year. The same for Kirwin Reservoir in western Kansas and Elk City, Toronto and Fall River reservoirs in southeast Kansas.

McPherson State Fishing Lake, Eureka City Lake and Kingman State Fishing Lake are three good smaller waters for crappie this year. Cedar Lake in Olathe and Banner Creek Lake at Holton should also be good.

PHOTOGRAPH Michael Pearce

Last year’s flooding was a nightmare for Kansas anglers, making many boat ramps and favorite fishing holes inaccessible for months.

Yet that same high water created plenty of shelter and favorable survival odds for last year’s spring fingerlings (both naturally spawned and statestocked). It also meant that adult fish got an extra year of growth because of low angling pressure and plenty of nourishment amid the vegetation-rich flooded areas.

So, after a year of bad fishing, we now have a boom in the fish population and the potential for dream-come-true angling at most Kansas waters over the next several seasons.

Here is the year’s outlook for catching some of the state’s favored species, along with suggestions on some of the best places in 2020 to wet your line.

Bass Largemouth bass anglers are hoping history repeats itself.

In the mid-1990s, heavy rains raised some western Kansas reservoirs to their highest levels in decades. And for several years afterward, Cedar Bluff Reservoir was rated as one of the best bass lakes in America. Sebelius (a.k.a. Norton) Reservoir wasn’t far behind.

Things could be even better this time around. Smallmouth bass populations were already rising in many reservoirs and lakes over the past several years and will be much larger after last year’s floods.

FOR MORE INFORMATION To learn more about fishing in Kansas, be sure to head to https:// ksoutdoors.com/Fishing. There, you will also find updates about fish populations at your favorite public waters. Much of the best angling is at state and community fishing lakes, which can easily be fished from small crafts or shore.

Also on the website, check the department’s Community Fishing Assistance Program, which provides public fishing access rights to dozens of county and community-owned waters across the state. The Walk-In Fishing Access program opens hundreds of privately owned ponds and lakes, plus many miles of stream and rivers, for public fishing.

lens

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

LUKE TOWNSEND

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY Luke Townsend

A conversation with KANSAS! photographers about their lives in photography

Shoot what matters to you. You have to care about what you’re shooting. If you’re just shooting without having a real interest, the pictures will show that, and you’ll wind up making a bunch of terrible pictures you don’t really care about.”

–Luke Townsend

Manhattan native Luke Townsend is a cultural and social documentary photographer who started out at the Manhattan Mercury before moving to New York City to assist and work with Robert Clark at National Geographic. Through contacts in the Tibetan community of NYC, Townsend began documenting the Tibetan struggle for independence as well as cultural celebrations of Losar, the Tibetan New Year, in India and Nepal. Now back in Kansas, Townsend photographs people and locations around Manhattan. Some of his recent projects include documenting the impact of tariff wars on soybean farmers and examining the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on daily life.

What was the moment you wanted to become a photographer? It always seemed like something I would do. When I was in grade school, I would carry around an old Polaroid Landview camera and pretend to make pictures of my friends playing kickball at recess.

What was your first professional camera? What did you like about it?

My first real camera, the one I really learned on, was my dad’s Minolta x-700 with a 50mm lens. I loved the simplicity of those old cameras, the tactile feel of everything being manual. And because it photographed on film, you had to think about what you were doing and make each frame count.

What are some recent directions your photography has taken? For most of my career, my work has been driven by people and stories—dive-deep documentary/ journalism kind of work. But here, I live on 180 acres of land, and I’m trying to find ways to make what I see around me everyday interesting in a visual way that I might not have seen before. It’s slower, calmer, and the tools and techniques I use have to match the space and pace of what’s happening around me. Trees are of interest, mushrooms/fungi, tiny details of animals. It’s all fascinating stuff.

If you had to describe your photography in terms of a color wheel, where would you fall on it?

I feel like I’m a bright-colors guy. The classic warm/cold contrast you’ll see in a lot of my light painting. For work on the street or in documentary projects, I gravitate toward bright colors, harsh shadows and poppy light.

What is your favorite Kansas landmark to photograph? Perhaps the Flint Hills. I see them from my window every morning and every evening. I am currently shooting a project of this scene from my window. I’m facing south, so, instead of brilliant sunsets, I get to watch as the light slashes across the hills in the most poetic of ways I can imagine.

What is the most common photography advice you share with amateur photographers? Shoot what matters to you. You have to care about what you’re shooting. If you’re just shooting without having a real interest, the pictures will show that, and you’ll wind up making a bunch of terrible pictures you don’t really care about. Find that one thing and then become obsessed about it. Go all in.

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reasons

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

Reasons

WE LOVE KANSAS

By Cecilia Harris

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

IN THIS ISSUE

Unusual Art Attractions

reasons

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

OPEN RANGE ZOO | Lincoln County 1 Dragons, birds, dinosaurs, giant insects and other creatures constitute the subjects of artist and welder Jim Dickerman, who displays them in what he calls an “Open Range Zoo” along Highway 18 between Beverly and Lucas. Dickerman fashions his beasts from old farm equipment, scrap metal, and other found items, painting many in bright colors so they may be easily spotted from the highway.

livelincolncounty.com | (785) 524-8954

STARK STATUES | Kingman 2 AGLENN braying mule and an irate farmer, totem poles, and the Good

2

Shepherd carrying a lost sheep are among about 20 wood carvings and concrete sculptures by Glenn Stark on display in Depot Park. The late self-taught artist spent decades creating and often painting these pieces of art, many of them humorous.

GIGANTIC GRASSHOPPER | Goodland 3 THE A bright green giant grasshopper and a metal palm tree, created by farmer and artist Lloyd Harden, stand in a field alongside Highway 27 north of Goodland. Before his death, Harden spent his winter hours salvaging metal pieces from his worn-out farm machinery and fashioning them into what he called “Creative Art from Used Parts.”

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visitgoodland.com | (785) 899-7130

POLITICAL ART OF M.T. LIGGETT | Mullinville 4 The late M.T. Liggett’s metal sculptures and whirligigs, shaped and welded from machinery parts, road signs, and scrap metal stand on poles near the fencing along Highway 400 west of Mullinville.

Liggett’s artwork reflects people he knew, the area in which he lived, and his humor regarding political issues. A new visitors center has begun construction with hopes to open in 2021.

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greensburgks.org | (620) 723-2600

| Topeka 5 TRUCKHENGE Antique trucks, bearing slogans such as “Rise Up,” jut out of the ground at odd angles to form Truckhenge on Ron Lessman’s farm near Topeka. Also displayed on the property, open by appointment, are Boathenge, rock carvings, paintings, chainsaw art, and a sculpture garden featuring pieces fashioned from salvaged items, all created by the talented Lessman.

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truckhengefarm.com | (785) 234-3486

6 JOHNNY KAW | Manhattan

This 24-foot-tall statue, originally designed by artist Emily Haefeker O’Neill for Manhattan’s centennial in 1955, looms proudly over the central City Park. Panels on the new plaza surrounding the figure tell yarns about this pioneer wheat farmer who, among other unbelievable feats, ended a drought by wringing out the clouds.

6 Where in Kansas?

Topeka

Goodland

Lincoln County Kingman Manhattan

mhkprd.com | (785) 587-2757

Mullinville

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY (CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE) Kris Heinze, Leslie Schrag, Leon Volk, Bob Dixson, Brook Greene, Courtesy Manhattan Parks and Recreation

kingmanks.com | (620) 532-3111

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my reasons My Reasons with ...

ROSSLYN SCHULTZ

By Cecilia Harris

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

For Rosslyn Schultz—the executive director of the Lucas-based Grassroots Art Center for the past 28 years—a working vacation might include a trip to Tobe Zweygardt’s metal sculptures near St. Francis, the Paul Boyer Museum of Animated Carvings in Belleville, or M.T. Liggett’s roadside sculpture poles near Mullinville.

Often, she will combine these trips with side excursions to Kansas festivals, museums, historical sites, and areas of natural beauty such as the Gypsum Hills.

“I like to add an extra day to explore onto any family-related trip or work trip,” Schultz says. These side trips are often off the beaten path, an approach she encourages others to take. “Plan to roam or be led astray when touring Kansas,” she says. “Do not have an itinerary, but let the locals tell you where to go, what to see, and who to meet.”

Her favorite destinations are Lindsborg (because Schultz is of Swedish descent) and anywhere in the 18-county Greenhorn post rock limestone region in which she resides.

Schultz says she appreciates how early Euro-American settlers used limestone as building material on this treeless prairie.

“Stone masons working from 1870 to 1920 created posts, homes, barns, bridges, courthouses, and more, incorporating design detail from the utilitarian to the ornate,” she says. Examples of some of these artistic carvings are on exhibit in the courtyard behind the Grassroots Art Center; and, of course, they can be seen while driving along the roads throughout the region.

Plan to roam or be led astray when touring Kansas,” she says. “Do not have an itinerary, but let the locals tell you where to go, what to see, and who to meet.” –Rosslyn Schultz Rosslyn Schultz’s Top 5 Reasons for Loving Life in Kansas

Clean air and sky

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

Displays of self-taught yard art

Friendly, caring people and families

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One-of-a-kind post rock limestone art and architecture

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Sunsets PHOTOGRAPH Ann Dean

1 2 3

WHAT’S THERE TO DO IN TOPEKA? Splish. Splash.

Adventure Cove | Shawnee Lake

A LOT. ENOUGH TO FILL YOUR DAY AND YOUR FEED.

Find Your Path.

Cedar Crest Trails

Topeka cares less about what others think and more about our ability to think for ourselves.

Scott Bean Photography K A N S A S L A N D S CA P E A N D N AT U R E P H OTO G R A P H S

WORK HARD. PLAY HARDER. 7 8 5 - 3 4 1 - 1 0 4 7 | S C OT T @ S C OT T B E A N P H OTO . C O M

www.scottbeanphoto.com

Music & Food Trucks Downtown Topeka

JUNE

Territorial Days June 6 | Lecompton Spend the first Saturday of June helping Lecompton celebrate its heritage with historical reenactments, museum tours and pioneer skills demonstrations. The festival also offers family events with food, arts and crafts, carnival rides and music.

travelks.com/event/territorial-days No Idle Hands June–Ongoing | Wichita Get away from the heat this summer and visit the Wichita Art Museum’s exhibition “No Idle Hands: Treasures from the Americana Collection at the Wichita Art Museum.” The exhibit features art and artifacts that reflect daily life in America’s early history.

wichitaartmuseum.org/exhibitions/current Flags 4 Freedom June 27–July 11 | Merriam Take a break from the festivities this summer to view the annual placement of more than 1,500 United States flags throughout the town of Merriam in honor of those who have given their lives for American freedom.

JULY

Libertyfest July 4 | Garnett

Spend this fourth of July enjoying a free outdoor concert by the Garnett Area Community Band, followed by a public display of fireworks over Lake Garnett.

simplygarnett.com/community-fireworks

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

Cherokee County Fair July 21–25 | Columbus Head down to Southeast Kansas for one of the state’s premier county fairs.

The event offers 4-H and FFA exhibits, livestock shows, carnival rides and free entertainment for everyone.

cherokee.k-state.edu/county-fair Riley County Fair July 23–27 | Manhattan There’s something for everyone at the Riley County Fair! Fair goers can participate in pedal tractor pull and check out the carnival rides while indulging in sugar-filled foods. Don’t forget to check out the Kaw Valley Rodeo, too!

AUGUST

Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo Parade August 1 | Phillipsburg Phillipsburg Chamber of Commerce presents Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo Parade!

Join rodeo-goers as they celebrate their Western heritage in downtown Phillipsburg. Parade begins at 2 p.m.

kansasbiggestrodeo.com/schedule.html Party in the Park August 8 | Great Bend Celebrate the end of summer with a party for all ages at the Veterans Memorial Park.

The annual event includes an obstacle mud run, mud volleyball, wet-dry parade, a car show, concert, fireworks and more!

travelks.com/event/party-in-the-park 13th Annual Jazz By the River August 15 | Leavenworth The Richard Allen Cultural Center presents the 13th annual Jazz By the River! The event will feature musical guests including James Robinson, the Richard Allen Cultural Center Youth Community Choir and more.

travelks.com/event/13th-annual-jazz-by-theriver/21243/

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Wichita Art Museum

must see

Woman with Boa, unknown artist, early 19th century, oil on canvas; courtesy Wichita Art Museum

K A N S A S D E TA I L S

must see FIND MORE EVENTS AT TRAVELKS.COM/EVENTS Because all events are subject to change, confirm with organizers before finalizing plans.

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By Amber Fraley | Photography by Nick Krug

Taste of Kansas

Feasting on History A Kansas BBQ Sauce Celebrates 100 Years

W

hen it comes to Kansas barbeque, Eric Hamm is a caretaker of history: He is the sole keeper of Carper’s BBQ sauce recipe, developed 100 years ago in Topeka by his great-great-grandfather William Carper.

The family sauce didn’t start as a commercial enterprise; Eric’s great-great-grandfather simply loved to barbeque. “He dug a hole in his backyard, put a grate over it, and he would barbeque—with the sauce— and just give it to the neighbors,” Hamm explains. It was Hamm’s grandfather, Harry Nathaniel Carper Jr., and his wife, Marjie Hayes Carper, who took the sauce and their smoking

... whatever the future holds for Hamm’s culinary plans, he has already ensured that the family sauce recipe will survive for another generation.

OPPOSITE Eric Hamm creates a batch of his family’s heritage barbeque sauce from a kitchen in Topeka.

skills to open Carper’s Bar-B-Q restaurant in 1942 in North Topeka.

Harry also worked as a fireman in Topeka, so Marjie did the bulk of the cooking and preparation. Their restaurant served sliced pork and ham sandwiches, brisket, sausage, rib tips, macaroni and potato salads, and baked beans.

“It was open from 4 p.m. in the afternoon to 2 a.m. at night,” says Hamm. “It would serve workers who had just finished the late shift and people who wanted to cross over the bridge at night for a meal.”

Many family members worked at the restaurant, and eventually, Hamm’s father, Harry Nathaniel

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Carper III, took over and brought young Eric along. “I was the guy who took out the trash, washed the dishes and took orders. I didn’t make the sauce,” Hamm laughs.

When Hamm’s dad died in 1985, the restaurant closed. His grandfather had died the year before, and the two losses were too heartbreaking for his grandmother Marjie, whom Hamm describes as “the backbone of that restaurant,” to continue alone.

Hamm eventually started his own business, but in construction and in Colorado.

“The recipe went dormant for 27 years,” he says.

But when Hamm’s grandmother Marjie passed away in 2002, she left Hamm just one inheritance—the secret sauce recipe. “I got the most important thing,” says Hamm.

Immediately, Hamm tried to revive it from paper to cooking pot. “I got the recipe and was messing around with it, and I called my aunt and said, ‘This doesn’t taste like the sauce.’”

“What chili powder are you using?” she asked. When Hamm replied that he was using a typical grocery store brand, she replied “Oh, no. It has to be Pedro Lopez’s chili power,” a

Topeka-based brand of Mexican foods that’s been in business over 100 years.

Once he captured the taste, Hamm began cooking up small batches of the sauce and sharing it with friends and family. In 2011, a cousin in Topeka said, “Eric, you ought to bring it back to Topeka where it originated.” Capital Label in Topeka worked with Hamm to develop the label and provided the commercial kitchen where Hamm makes batches of his sauce when he’s in Topeka. When he’s in Denver, he uses a commercial kitchen there. “It has to be cooked, strained, bottled, labeled … it’s some work. When I cook up a batch, it’s in a 40-quart kettle, and if I do two batches, it makes eight cases, twelve bottles to a case. “In Topeka, the sauce is available at CW Porubsky Grocery & Meats. It’s also available in a couple of restaurants in Denver, and Hamm plans to expand the availability. Eventually, Hamm wants to retire from the construction business and open his own food truck to sell barbeque.

But whatever the future holds for Hamm’s culinary plans, he has already ensured that the family sauce recipe will survive for another generation.

Hamm’s

BBQ Meatballs Ingredients • • • •

•

1 pound hamburger 1 egg 10 saltine crackers, crushed 2 teaspoons garlic seasoning salt (such as Lowry’s) ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper (or to taste)

Directions

Mix all ingredients and roll meatballs to about 1½ inches in diameter. Brown meatballs over medium heat in a frying pan coated with oil. Once browned, place meatballs in a slow cooker with a bottle of Carper’s BBQ sauce and let cook for 1½ to 2 hours on high before serving.

Carper Family

Baked Beans Ingredients • • • •

1 pound hamburger 1 green pepper, diced 2 28-ounce cans of prepared baked beans (such as Bush’s) 1 bottle of Carper’s BBQ Sauce

PHOTOGRAPH Shutterstock

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Dice pepper and sauté it in a large pot with the hamburger until the hamburger browns.

Pour out excess liquid then add baked beans and barbeque sauce. Place in a large roasting/ baking pan and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, until beans are hot and bubbling at the edges.

ILLUSTRATION COURTESY Kansas State Historical Society

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By Cecilia Harris

Along for the Ride Kansas Pony Express sites celebrate the 160th anniversary of the legendary, short-lived mail system

W

anted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen.

Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week. Apply Pony Express Stables.

In one of the West’s most fascinating stories, young men who courageously answered this advertisement rode horses across the Kansas prairie and rolling hills, traveling through summer heat, spring thunderstorms and winter’s blowing snow to carry mail from Missouri to California and back.

This year, the Pony Express, which operated between April 1860 and October 1861, celebrates its brief but fabled history on its 160th anniversary.

The first westbound Pony Express mailbag filled with letters, telegrams and newspapers left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860, and arrived ten days later, on April 14, in Sacramento, California.

As the Kansas State Historical Society notes, this delivery speed was considerably faster than the overland stage system previously in use. The riders were able to deliver at this

Pony Express Festival Over 25 period demonstrators such as wheelwrights, flintknappers, blacksmiths, and weavers will share their skills during the 35th Annual Pony Express Festival on Aug. 30 at the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State Historic Site.

“The people that come say we have one of the best festivals for demonstrations,” says Gary Minge, president of the Friends of the Hollenberg Pony Express Station, which hosts the annual event. “People seem to really appreciate it because they say they don’t get a chance to see these things elsewhere.”

The event also includes music, such as cowboy trail songs.

kshs.org/hollenberg (785) 337-2635

OPPOSITE Illustration of a Pony Express rider arriving at a station along the route. Courtesy Kansas State Historical Society.

pace because of the system created

by The Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company, who established the Pony Express.

Once mail from the eastern part of the country arrived by train in St. Joseph, it was carried west by a succession of riders traveling day and night on horseback. Every 10 to 15 miles along the route stood a relay station, often in the home of a local resident who readied food, water, and a saddled horse for the incoming rider, who was given just two minutes to switch to the fresh mount before heading off to the next stop with the mail pouch. Riders traveled 50 to 75 miles before being replaced at a home station, where they stayed until the mail returned from the west. Before the Express was outmoded by telegraph system, it relied on the work of approximately 500 horses, 80 riders, and nearly 200 relay and home stations staffed by around 400 employees.

To this day, Kansas offers several sites to visit along its 139 miles of the Pony Express National Historic Trail.

Two of unique significance are the Hollenberg Pony Express Station State

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Historic Site near Hanover and the Pony Express Barn in Marysville, both in their original locations.

The Hollenberg Pony Express Station, which also is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, tells the story of Gerat H. and Sophia Hollenberg, who agreed to open their home as a relay station that served as the last Pony Express stop in Kansas along the western route.

Site administrator Kristina Cook says the site’s surrounding acreage of native grasses and plants allows visitors to easily imagine a rider approaching on horseback with a pouch full of mail.

Inside the Visitors Information Center, exhibits discuss westward expansion, including information on both the Pony Express and the Oregon-California Trail, which also brought travelers to the Hollenberg home.

Cook provides personal, guided tours of the site where visitors can see artifacts including a mochila, the four-pocket mail pouch that flipped over the saddle and could not be removed until the rider dismounted. Period furnishings and clothing offer insight into daily life at the station.

Just south of Hanover, at the intersection of Kansas Highways 36 and 148, stands a large bas-relief brick sculpture featuring a rider on a galloping horse. A Kansas historical marker gives a brief history of the Pony Express and the nearby Hollenberg Station. In the distance stands a silhouette sculpture of a Pony Express Rider urging his horse, in full stride, up a hill.

The second intact historical site in Kansas is the Pony Express Barn in Marysville. Built by Joseph Cottrell in 1859 and leased to the Pony Express in 1860 as a livery stable, it also housed a blacksmith shop, according to Jan DeGroot, administrator of the Pony Express Museum located in the barn and an annex.

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Re-Riding Through Kansas Watch Pony Express riders gallop across Kansas June 12–13 as part of the National Pony Express Association’s Commemorative Re-Ride, a nearly 1,900-mile, eightstate event.

Over 750 volunteers will relayride horses 24 hours a day for 10 days to deliver mochila with around 1,000 commemorative letters, according to Lyle Ladner, Kansas president of the National Pony Express Association (NPEA).

The annual re-ride alternates directions each year; this year’s event follows the trail west-to-east from Sacramento to St. Joseph. A rider is expected to cross the NebraskaKansas border on June 12 near Hanover, and another will depart the state June 13 at the St. Joseph bridge. Among the notable stops along the way are the Hollenberg Station, Marysville, Guittard Station, the Seneca Pony Express Museum, and Horton.

“We just want the public to come to see history,” says Ladner. “If we are on time or ahead of time, we allow about 10 minutes so people can visit with the riders; if we’re behind time, the mail will go on, but there are people around to discuss the history.”

Some sites offer refreshments or other revelry, depending upon the arrival time of the rider. This year, Seneca will mark its 150th anniversary with a festival to coincide with the NPEA Re-ride stopping in the city, according to Mary Jane Fleming, president of the Seneca Pony Express Preservation Society.

nationalponyexpress.org/ annual-re-ride (785) 799-5538

Inside, a movie explains why the Pony Express was needed.

Mail sent by ship around South America took six months to get to the West Coast; by stagecoach, it took several weeks, if it arrived at all, DeGroot says. By the time it reached its destination, the information in newspapers and personal letters was most likely out of date, particularly in regards to national matters such as the country’s growing division over slavery at the time.

Among the artifacts displayed are period household items, blacksmith tools, and a replica mochila.

Less than two blocks away, Pony Express Plaza features Kansas artist Dr. Richard Bergen’s bronze sculpture of a horse and rider en route to the next station. Nearby is a unique mural that, when observed from a stationary position, is a fixed image of a Pony Express rider galloping across the prairie; however, as the viewer moves from one side to the other, the mural becomes a moving picture of the rider’s long duster coat lifting in the wind to reveal the mail pouches.

The Pony Express Museum in Seneca sits across from what was the original location of the Smith Hotel, where riders and horses switched, according to Mary Jane Fleming, president of the Seneca Pony Express Preservation Society.

Inside the museum are recreations of a stable, blacksmith shop, saloon, school, and a Smith Hotel kitchen, which includes original artifacts.

Although successful in delivering the mail in just 10 days for 18 months, the Pony Express ended when the transcontinental telegraph line was completed in the fall of 1861.

kshs.org/hollenberg | (785) 337-2635 visitmarysvilleks.org | (785) 562-3825 Facebook: Seneca Pony Express Museum | (785) 336-1977

s a s n Ka

DESTINATIONS & ATTRACTIONS

M

HOLM TR CHIS USEUM AIL M

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Y

Y

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Open May thru November Call for current days of operation Hours: 1-5 PM 502 N. Washington Wellington, KS 67152 620.326.3820 | facebook.com/ctmuseum www.ctmuseumks.com

Weekend full of festival fun!

CAR SHOW

November 1 through January 1 170 victorian, antique Christmas trees and ornaments 10-5pm Wed-Sat | 1-5pm Sun (785) 887-6148 | www.lecomptonkansas.com

FOOD VENDORS FIREWORKS KIDS ACTIVITIES KAW NATION INTERTRIBAL POWWOW & MUCH MORE! PURCHASE FESTIVAL ENTRY BUTTONS ONLINE

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CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & TOURISM

Check out councilgrove.com for other fun area events such as Ladies Night Out & Evening on the Riverwalk.

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By Beccy Tanner | Photography by Justin Lister

‘You See Them There, at the Kansas State Fair’ With rich agricultural roots, thrilling rides and deep-fried cuisine, the state fair welcomes Kansans of all backgrounds

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or a good portion of the Kansas State Fair’s 107-yearplus history, the Sasnak Farm near Inman has sent its best sheep and dairy cows to the annual event.

The tradition started in 1937 with Irvin Knackstedt and his milking shorthorns. Along with Irvin came his daughter, Helen, who showed dairy through 4-H and then, when she and Vernon Thiessen married, broke with tradition and began showing sheep. In the 1950s, one of their prize-winning rams won the Thiessens championships, not only at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson but at competitions in Fort Worth, San Antonio and Denver.

Agricultural fairs have been a big part of our country since the beginning.”

–Robin Jennison

OPPOSITE Jessica Thiessen stands with one of the Thiessen family’s prize-winning Brown Swiss cows.

ABOVE The Thiessen family (from left): Seth (with prize-winning milking shorthorn), Merle, Karen and Jessica (with the farm’s brown Swiss, which won a championship at the 2019 Southwest National Brown Swiss Show in Stillwater, Oklahoma) continue a tradition of raising dairy cows and showing them at the Kansas State Fair.

The family’s winning tradition continued with their son, Merle Thiessen, who now has almost 59 years of perfect attendance at the Kansas State Fair. He was born in 1961, just seven years before the family switched back from showing sheep to showing milking shorthorns. And from his earliest years, he was already adding to the family’s fair lore … in his own way.

One of the family’s favorite stories is of how a young Merle wandered off in the flowing crowd, causing a frantic family search. For young Merle, though, it was a grand old time.

“They found me at the highway patrol office,” he recalls. “I was eating an ice cream cone and was happy as a clam.”

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Over the decades, Merle and the family continued to show up at the fair. The only year they didn’t show livestock at the fair was 1993, the season after their milk barn had burned down and just after Vernon Thiessen died.

But they returned the next year—and have shown every year since.

“My kids are the same way,” Merle says. “If we just drive by the fairgrounds, my daughter will say she can’t wait for the fair.”

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Alma, KS

All the Attractions Jennison’s favorite part of the fair is a simple, age-old tradition: people-watching.

“I can sit out here on a bench and watch people,” he says.

“That’s just to me one of the best things about the fair. You see the diversity of this state.”

But the fair supplements its focus on agriculture with modern carnival rides, tractor pulls and headliner country musicians to pull in larger audiences. And then there’s the fair cuisine.

785-765-3300

info@kbba • 316-765-1845

OPPOSITE (CLOCKWISE FROM UPPER LEFT) 1) For many years, the author’s father (left, Raymond Tanner) and uncle (Wiley Tanner) kept a tradition of meeting at the Kansas State Fair. Her uncle would arrive from Canon City, Colorado, and her father would arrive from Wichita. This photograph was taken in 2004. 2) A very young Beccy Tanner models a 4-H competition dress created by her oldest sister. The photo was taken in 1961 at Wiley’s department store. The dress went on to win a blue ribbon. 3) Visiting the prize pumpkins has become an annual tradition for the author.

PHOTOGRAPHS Beccy Tanner

ESCAPE TO A SAFE ENVIRONMENT

FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED

How Kansas’ Fair Roots Began In the United States local fairs became widespread in the early 19th century.

Fairs became the gatherings in young states and rural areas for showing off the best breeders of livestock and the best growers of crops.

“Agricultural fairs have been a big part of our country since the beginning,” says Robin Jennison, general manager at the Kansas State Fair. “Early on, they were to introduce new technology to basically an agrarian society where everybody understood agriculture and they would go to see who had the best cattle, hogs and sheep.”

According to the Kansas State Fair archives, Hutchinson hosted its first Reno County fair in 1873, six years after the county was founded.

From 1875 until 1913, the Kansas Board of Agriculture did not promote a state fair, but rather encouraged local county fairs.

Nevertheless, several communities such as Wichita, Salina and Topeka hosted events that they referred to as the Kansas State Fair, some with rides and exotic attractions such as ostrich races.

After a legislative battle in 1913, Hutchison emerged with the official title to the fair and has hosted it every year since. But while the fair’s location has remained set for the past century, the Kansas it represents has changed drastically. According to a Wichita State University study conducted by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research, nearly 70 percent of Kansans now live in metropolitan areas.

“There are less and less people actively engaged in production agriculture,” Jennison says. “The challenge for us is, how do you get people that aren’t associated with that to come and see us?”

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My

Kansas State Fair tradition There is only one thing in life I have perfect attendance on.

It’s not work or church, but the Kansas State Fair.

I started when I was two months old.

Born into a 4-H family, I was the youngest of five kids with four over-achieving older siblings, so of course the state fair was a family tradition.

We went before the wheat was planted and the rains came.

I watched as my brothers and sisters gave talks, drove tractors, showed cattle and modeled their sewing projects. We all did.

My father, when he died in 2006 at age 88, had gone to the Kansas State Fair for 86 years. He missed a few fairs, but he had a good excuse—those were the years he was stationed at Tinian Island during World War II. Some of my first memories are of meeting my grandfather under a tree near Ye Old Mill and then floating along in the boat together through the ride’s dark channels.

At the fair, I have eaten countless Pronto Pups, Our Lady of Guadalupe enchiladas and South Hutchinson United Methodist Church chicken and noodle dishes.

I keep the fair tradition of walking among the crowing roosters and quacking ducks in the poultry building, of viewing the tractors and seeing the state’s biggest pumpkins and watermelons.

After all, how can you not stand in awe of the butter sculptures or not grab a selfie alongside Kansas’ biggest pumpkin? I’ve never been able to resist it. And I wouldn’t want to miss any of the coming years.

See you there in September.

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020

By the Numbers Last year, the Kansas State Fair featured 101 marching bands, 650 exhibitors and more than 200 Kansas performers on the fair’s free entertainment stages, according to Amy Bickel, director of communications for the Kansas State Fair.

While the state fair is considered a small agency in regard to numbers of fulltime employees, it is one of the larger agencies in the State of Kansas when judged by its physical plant, equipment, and the number of annual visitors.”

–Robin Jennison The state fairgrounds’ 280 acres and its 4.5 miles of walkways and roadways require maintenance and upkeep, says Robin Jennison, general manager of the Kansas State Fair. That means state fair workers keep an eye on 384 toilets, 225 sinks, 138 urinals and 82 showers.

“While the state fair is considered a small agency in regard to numbers of full-time employees, it is one of the larger agencies in the State of Kansas when judged by its physical plant, equipment, and the number of annual visitors,” Jennison says. Indeed, the Kansas State Fair, which annually attracts 350,000 people, is billed as ‘Kansas’ largest gathering.’

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY Beccy Tanner

Enter Pronto Pups, the purveyor of high-carb, deep-fried corn dogs synonymous with fair-food.

The first Pronto Pups were sold at the Kansas Fair in the early 1960s. Ten years later, Dick Yoder bought the franchise and ran it for many years.

In fact, there is a wood sculpture of a Pronto Pup on the fairgrounds dedicated to Yoder.

“It is one of the icons,” says Yoder’s son-in-law, Doug Wedel, who has been selling Pronto Pups for more than 35 years on the grounds along with his wife, Dixie. These days, their children and a few family friends help run all five of the Pronto Pup fairground buildings that the Wedels own.

And Wedel continues The Pronto Pup corn dog has been to show up. Every morning sold and eaten at the Kansas State Fair for more than 35 years. during the fair, he eats a Pronto Pup for breakfast.

“Some people like to put ketchup and mustard in a cup, and dip,” Wedel says. “Some just smear mustard all over and eat them that way. Some prefer to eat them plain and savor the flavor. I like to mix German mustard with ketchup and put it on a bite at a time.”

Beyond the food, the fair continues to feature entertainers, adding to past lineups that have included names such as Garth Brooks and the Beach Boys. The musicians perform in the grandstands that once housed a racetrack for horses but now also hosts monster truck and motorcycle shows.

And the fair’s midway continues to be an attraction for farmers and city-dwellers alike. There is Ye Old Mill, constructed in 1915, and billed as one of oldest working carnival rides in the Midwest with more than 1,000 feet of watery channels filled with scary props and chills. The Sky Ride, a glorified ski-lift, gives fairgoers a bird’s-eye view of much of the fair. But the heart of the midway are the thrill rides: the Sizzler, the Ring of Fire, the Orbiter, the Bonzai and the gravitydefying, stomach-turning Giant Wheel.

Inman’s Merle Thiessen probably won’t take in any of the carnival rides, but he and his cows are ready to greet the world and everyone who stops by their stall.

“It takes all sorts of people to make the world go around, and you see them there, at the Kansas State Fair,” Thiessen says.

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‘Value in the Journey’ Annika Wooton helps redefine Miss Kansas for a new generation

Story by David Garfield Photography by Aaron Patton

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A

nnika Wooton had dreamed of this moment since participating in her first pageant at 14 in the Outstanding Teen program. She had dreamed about it for the six winless years she competed in the Miss Kansas pageant.

And then it happened.

On June 8, 2019, at 25 years of age, in her last year of eligibility, Wooton won the crown in the 78th Miss Kansas competition.

“It was an out-of-body experience,” Wooton recalls.

“I was standing there trying to brace myself for either outcome. When I heard my name, I almost sank to the ground. It was so surreal to finally be in that moment.”

For Wooton, winning the crown was a journey of profound resilience.

“If I had won the first year, I wouldn’t have learned nearly as much, not just about what it means to serve the state but also about myself,” Wooton says. “Each perceived loss helped me win something else, courage or friendship or being able to compete with and support women. It’s of course heartbreaking to not achieve a dream when you’ve put everything into it each year. But you couldn’t have written a better ending.”

Kansas and Beyond As Miss Kansas, Wooton traveled across the state, making over 400 appearances at schools and community gatherings where she created speed paintings and gave talks on her theme, “The Artist’s Fingerprint: The Transformative Power of the Arts.” She worked with both the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism and the Kansas Department of Transportation, and she served as an ambassador for Children’s Mercy Network (CMN) Hospitals, providing “hope and healing” and expanding on the tens of thousands of dollars she had already raised over the past four years.

At the national Miss America competition in December 2019, Wooton placed in the top 15 and

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became the first Miss Kansas to earn the Social Impact Initiative Award for her exceptional work in arts advocacy and CMN Hospitals.

Among the candidates, Wooton stood out by winning the non-finalist talent section with her 90-second speedpainting portrait of Chief Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (widely known by her initials, RBG).

Wooton says it was one of her biggest thrills to paint her hero, an empowered woman who Wooton says represents everything about the Miss America 2.0 official mission: “To prepare great women for the world, and to prepare the world for great women.”

For Wooton, the wording of “great women” was no exaggeration. She has tremendous respect for the talents and achievements of those who competed against her.

“One of the best things is the women you’re with,” Wooton says. “They’re the best of each state. It’s so cool to stand with these women with these insane goals and realize that I’m one of them and this dream has finally been achieved.

The other women made the experience incredible.”

A Festival Remade Wooton follows the legacy of the first Miss Kansas (Donna Frye in 1924) and three Miss America winners from the Sunflower State: Deborah Irene Bryant (1966), Debra Dene Barnes (1968) and Tara Dawn Holland (1997).

Wooton became Miss Kansas’ highest finisher at Miss America since Theresa Vail (top 10 in 2014).

But when Wooton hands over her Miss Kansas title this summer, she will be passing on a title with a new meaning. Over the past years, Miss Kansas has evolved to reflect female empowerment, social impact and inclusion.

Both the state and national competition have formally rejected the label of “pageant” and rebranded as the “Miss Kansas Organization” and “Miss America 2.0.” The organization is one of the nation’s leading achievement programs and world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women.

‘Some Kind of Healing’ Wooton, who became the first Miss Kansas under the Miss America 2.0 rebranding, has used her role to continue advocating for the arts and education. A 2017 University of Kansas graduate with a bachelor of arts in illustration, Wooton became the youngest member of the Kansas Alliance for the Arts in Education’s board of directors. She says “arts are really the heartstring of our world and what has connected us as humans from the beginning of time.”

For Wooton, some of those connections are highly personal. She says her most gratifying moment came after a presentation at a high school, when she was approached by a student and held heartfelt conversation with the girl for 40 minutes.

“She told me her struggles, and we were able to relate to each other,” Wooton says, adding that she wouldn’t have had the chance to meet that student if she had won the Miss Kansas competition earlier.

For her own part, Wooton says she has learned much about the state touring it in her role of Miss Kansas.

“We are incredibly passionate and hard working,” she says. “We always wake up with a goal. There’s very deep roots each of us have, and we’re constantly trying to figure out how to honor that tradition but push forward in who we’re meant to be.”

Her tour ends this summer, but Wooton knows how she wants to remember it—and be remembered for it.

“I want to be remembered as somebody who didn’t give up,” she says. “I’ve worked very hard to not only make this year impactful and special and memorable for me, but for whoever comes after me, [so] they have every support they need to have that impact now and find value in their journey, as opposed to value in the crown.”

Annika Wooton grew up in a family of artists in Richmond, Virginia, and fell in love with art as soon as she held a marker. To this day, she recalls her first art project—a Sunday school lesson at age 4.

“I got a new box of Crayola markers, and my teacher taught me how to draw Noah’s Ark using the fat side of the marker and the skinny side to do different details.”

Wooton continued drawing through her early years.

By her senior year of high school, she was creating speed paintings as part of a joint performance with her school’s jazz band. Art was a highlight of her student years, but it was also something much more important.

Wooton thinks back to her “darkest moments, especially in high school when you’re dealing with bullying and peer pressure and your identity and your personal family struggles.” She says she found salvation in theater and the art room where she would “hide and find safety, comfort and conversation with people I had created community with.” She would also explore her fears, thoughts and emotions in a personal sketchbook. “I wondered if I didn’t have an opportunity to express myself through the notebook, what would I have done otherwise,” she explains. “Arts saved my life.”

Wooton would revisit these troubled years when she finished her senior illustration project at the University of Kansas by creating a new illustration book titled I Killed Myself a Thousand Times Without Leaving the Pages of My Sketchbook.

“There was a character I drew in high school; she died a million ways. She was what I took everything out on with ink on paper instead of myself in real life,” Wooton says. “If I didn’t have a sketchbook and that encouragement from the beginning of my life, would I have done that to myself instead? I think about the times I used art naturally to support myself and heal. I want other people to have those opportunities.”

Wooton reformatted and published the book as a series of 14 illustrations in 2017. Shortly afterward, she met with two readers, a younger woman and an older man, who said her story was also theirs.

“I created that for my self-healing, and it connected so deeply with somebody I had never met,” Wooton says.

“I can relate to a young girl and imagine what she’s going through in adolescence, but I didn’t immediately see a connection with this man. Yet he was identifying with my illustrations, and it’s overwhelming—heartbreaking—to know somebody else has gone through the darkness you’ve gone through, but very special to know you’re able to share that connection and hopefully offer some kind of healing for them as well.”

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No matter how big or small an event, Kansas traditions offer unique experiences for everyone!

By Kalli Jo Smith

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W

e all look forward to a weekend of gathering with family and friends, and forgetting our cares for a bit as we reconnect with each other and the people around us. Whatever your interests— listening to symphonic music, watching hot air balloons take to the sky or enjoying a carnival with the family—you can find the perfect destination among Kansas’ many festivals and events. Even if you are not able to enjoy all or any of these festivals this year, be sure to make future plans with your family and friends to enjoy one of these home-state opportunities.

PHOTOGRAPHS Doug Stremel

Symphony in the Flint Hills Classical music featuring green pastures Enjoying classical music in the fresh air of the rural outdoors is a tradition many Kansans look forward to every year.

The Symphony in the Flint Hills offers just that: classical music performed by the Kansas City Symphony in beautiful, green pastures.

This year, the 15th annual event will be held June 13, 2020, at the Wade Pasture in Wabaunsee County, Kansas, near Eskridge. The festival will feature 15time Grammy Award winner Béla Fleck.

Fleck is a renowned banjo player best known for his band Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, and his ability to incorporate banjo playing in classical music and jazz.

Leslie VonHolten, executive director for Symphony in the Flint Hills, says she is most excited to see how Fleck incorporates the bluegrass instrument into the classical concert.

“I’m especially excited because I love Béla Fleck, but I’ve never heard him with banjo symphonic-type music, so I think it’s going to be so interesting,” VonHolten says.

Jason Seber, associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, will be conducting the event for his third time this year. Seber says the event is special given its rural setting.

“There’s really not a more beautiful, natural concert stage than the tall grass prairie of the Flint Hills,” Seber says. “It’s

really humbling and satisfying to perform many pieces which were inspired by the landscapes and people of this most stunning part of the country. And all for a very appreciative audience of thousands of people.”

VonHolten says she is optimistic about this year’s festival despite last year’s cancellation due to a microburst that left equipment damaged and frustrated customers who weren’t guaranteed refunds.

“There is an insurance policy now if we have to cancel for weather, which is guaranteed with a ticket when customers purchase them,” VonHolten says. “We’re excited to have people back this year. A lot of families count this as something they do every year and we were left really disappointed after last year.”

Additionally, the organization will be offering 25 percent off for customers who purchased tickets for the 2019 canceled festival.

In the event of weather postponement on June 13, the event will be moved to the rain date on June 14.

However, Fleck will be unable to perform this day due to scheduling conflicts. If bad weather persists or the unknown happens, VonHolten says ticketholders are covered.

“It’s impossible to predict today,” VonHolten says. “If we cancel, all general admission ticketholders will get a full refund.”

The festival will also include the famous cattle drive while patrons sing “Home On the Range,” an artisan fair where attendees can buy handmade works, prairie walks, stargazing and story circles.

VonHolten says the cattle drive is her favorite part of the festival.

“There’s something about watching the cattle drive while the crowd sings ‘Home On the Range,’” VonHolten notes. “It’s emotional. Your chest just fills with pride and it’s really magical.”

Gates open at noon and the concert is set to start at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets go on sale March 7 and general admission tickets are $95 plus tax for adults and $50 plus tax for children 12 and under. To find out more about the organization and its event, visit symphonyintheflinthills.org.

More Events to Look Forward To Renaissance Festival May 2–3 | Scott City Huzzah! Join the Scott City community as they celebrate the start of summer at the Scott City Renaissance Festival. Visitors have the opportunity to dress up in their favorite medieval outfit and enjoy food and drinks all day. Other activities include fun games and homemade crafts from local vendors. The festival begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday and ends at 7 p.m. at the Scott County Fairgrounds. Fairgrounds reopen at 10 a.m. on Sunday and the festival ends at 3 p.m. Visit the Scott City Chamber of Commerce for ticket prices and more details at chamber.scottcityks.org/june-jaunt/ renaissance-festival.

Sunflower Balloon Fest May 8–10 | Anthony The Anthony Chamber of Commerce presents the 23rd annual Sunflower Balloon Festival. The event will be held from May 8-10 and features hot air balloons and pilots from all over the state. All flights are weather permitting. Check out facebook. com/Sunflower-Balloon-Fest to stay current on upcoming events.

Midsummer’s Festival June 20 | Lindsborg Take the third Saturday in June off this year and celebrate this national Swedish holiday with Swedish food, music, dancing and more! The family-oriented festival will take place in Riverside Park and welcomes the arrival of the summer solstice. The day is set to include a 5K run and 2 mile walk, Swedish demonstrations downtown, food and games in Riverside Park, the raising of the Maypole and so much more.

Admission to the festival is free of charge. To find out more about what the day will include, visit midsummersfestival.com/events.

(Continued on page 55)

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Sundown Salute

“It’s basically a huge party.

Daytime is fun for families and kids, and then in the night the live music and alcohol keep the party going for adults who love a good live show and local musicians from all over the state.”

–Luke Townsend Luke Townsend, a professional photographer originally from Manhattan, Kansas, has attended the Sundown Salute for years. Townsend says it’s one of the area’s most popular events and offers lots of great options for all ages.

“It’s basically a huge party. Daytime is fun for families and kids, and then in the night the live music and alcohol keep the party going for adults who love a good live show and local musicians from all over the state,” Townsend says.

Townsend also notes it’s a great excuse to enjoy the foods you might not eat regularly.

“You can stuff your face on funnel cakes and smoked turkey legs, ride the ferris wheel and other rides,” he says.

“You can also see a killer live show ending with a massive fireworks display all in one day.”

Stimatze notes her favorite day of the festival is always the Fourth of July, when the entertainment is at its peak.

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“The Fourth [of July] is my favorite day just because that’s the day when all of the events and hard work really come together. But really the whole thing is really exciting,” Stimatze says. “It’s one time when the community comes together.”

Stimatze says the 48th annual summer festival’s official schedule hasn’t been finalized. However, Stimatze was able to provide an overview of what the four-day festival will include. All events except for the carnival are free of charge. Because all events are subject to change, keep your eye out for the official schedule of events coming soon at sundownsalutejc.org/events.

Thursday • Comedian performance • Bands • Carnival opens Friday • Car Show • Music starting at 5:30 in Heritage Park • Peace Love and Music • Brian Howe Saturday • Freedom Run • Parade (10:00 a.m.)

• Veteran Ceremony • J.J. Johnson Band • Shooting Star • Foghat • Fireworks (10 p.m.)

Sunday • Christian Day, featuring performances

by Christian bands

PHOTOGRAPHS Luke Townsend

A free Independence celebration in Junction City Known as one of the largest, free multi-day Fourth of July celebrations in Kansas, the Sundown Salute runs from July 2–5 in Junction City.

This year’s event will take place in Heritage Park and will feature a multitude of attractions for all ages, such as a carnival, fireworks and bands taking the stage nightly.

The main music headliner this year will be Foghat, an English rock band originally formed in London in the early 1970s. Other musical performances will feature Brian Howe, Peace Love and Music and more.

Michele Stimatze, the event’s chairman, says she is excited about the musical lineup this year.

“We’re really excited about our lineup. We have some different bands we’ve got some really good music coming again,” Stimatze says.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY Columbus Chamber of Commerce

Hot Air Balloon Regatta The City That Comes Alive When the Balloons Come to Town Since 1969, the Columbus Day Festival has been an event members of the community look forward to all year long. Over the years, the festival has evolved into something much more than just a day featuring local vendors.

It’s become an event that not only brings the community together but also attracts travelers from near and far to see 15 to 20 hot air balloons, all differing in shape and size, decorate the skies of Columbus, Kansas.

This year’s weekend-long festival runs from October 9–11 and will be located at Industrial Park. All balloon take-offs will be weather permitting.

The event requires no tickets other than a $5 parking fee per car. The car pass will get all visitors inside the car into all four balloon events. Visitors will be asked to place the parking pass in their front windshield, and they will be waved through for the rest of the balloon festival.

Hot air balloon pilot Lori Hutchinson who took her first balloon ride at just 8 years old, has attended the event for the past 7 years. Hutchinson, a pilot inspired by her own father (once a pilot himself ), looks forward to the event every year.

“The best part for us, and probably most of the pilots, is the city comes alive,” Hutchinson says. Hutchinson also notes this event is unique because participating pilots stay with a host family during the long weekend.

“It’s really kind of different, but it’s a really warm and welcoming environment that is just different from the other rallies I attend,” Hutchinson says. “People wait all year long for the balloons to come. So to see the crowd and the people come out on top of the living with a host family, I think it’s a really cherished event for us.”

Initially, the event didn’t feature the hot air balloon festival, but in 1989, the Chamber board felt the festival needed revitalization. And with her background in aviation and tourism, Jean Pritchett, director of the

Columbus Chamber of Commerce, says the idea to invite hot air balloon pilots kicked off a chain of events that led to 31 years of a cherished tradition.

Each year, Pritchett says she and a committee spend hours finalizing details to make certain the event runs smoothly. And with the help of around 125 volunteers, Pritchett says the event grows each year.

Read below to find out more about the main events. To see the full schedule, visit columbusdayballoons.com/scheduleof-events.html.

Friday Balloon Glow On Friday evening, pilots will take the field shortly before dark.

Balloonists are tethered for about 30 to 40 minutes before pilots are advised to light their burners. This event offers a unique glow-in-the-dark experience for visitors as they watch the hot air balloons take flight in the night sky.

Saturday Hare and Hound Races This fun competition will feature a race between balloon pilots. One pilot is drawn as the hare, he/she then departs the field when ready. Once the balloonist deemed the hare is in the air, the remaining pilots will begin working to inflate their balloons to get them into the air. Meanwhile, the hare lands some distance away and lays a large fabric X on the ground. Each pilot following attempts to drop an object on top of the X. Pilots who aim closest to the X will win a cash prize for first, second and third place. Viewers have several chances to get a glimpse of the unique balloons in flight: on Saturday, balloons lift off from Industrial Park between 7–7:30 a.m. and again at 5:15 p.m.

Columbus Day Festival This all-day, familyfriendly event features local food vendors, a craft fair, car show and much more.

Sunday Hare and Hound Races Balloons will lift off Sunday morning at Industrial Park at around 7 a.m., as well on Saturday afternoon around 5:15 p.m.

Camp Leavenworth September 18–19 | Leavenworth The city of Leavenworth will be hosting Camp Leavenworth for its second year. The two-day street festival will feature live music, entertainment, street food, family activities, shoppings, fireworks and more. The festival was launched in 2019 with hopes that it would become an annual event that would help unite the community.

The festival is planned to return to the same streets, parking lots and areas surrounding the Leavenworth Landing Park. Notable attractions returning this year include Silent Disco, Camp Crafty and the S’mores Station. Admission to the festival is free of charge. For more information, visit campleavenworth.com.

Prairie Festival September 25–27 | Salina Held over the last full weekend of September, the Prairie Festival will provide education presentations by noteworthy authors, artists, advocates and more. Conversations and presentations will focus on agriculture, food, the environment and science. Festival goers will have the opportunity to eat from food trucks, listen to live music and camp along the banks of the Smoky Hill River outside of Salina. The festival’s keynote speaker will be announced summer 2020. For more information about the 2020 event and what to expect, visit landinstitute.org/newsevents/prairie-festival.

Maple Leaf Festival September 26 | Hiawatha The city known for its beautiful maples brings the Hiawatha Maple Leaf Festival. This local event will feature a variety of activities such as arts and crafts, food trucks, pony rides, live music and more.

The local event will be held in the town’s historic downtown area.

Vendors will be located around the courthouse, while games, food and live music will take up majority of the surrounding brick streets.

Admission to the festival is free.

For more information, follow the event’s Facebook page at facebook. com/pg/hiawathamapleleaffestival/ events, to stay current.

SUMMER 2020 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

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Ann Arbor, MI

Berlin, Germany

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MUSICIANS

from Near and Far The Sunflower Music Festival features performances by musicians from all over the globe.

Bronx, NY Dallas, TX

Los Angeles, CA São Paulo, Brazil Sydney, Australia

PHOTOGRAPH Bill Stephens

The Sunflower Music Festival An educational music experience for all ages This year, for the first time since it began, the Sunflower Music Festival and Blanche Bryden Institute at Washburn University canceled its summer program due to the global spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In announcing the cancellation, Washburn University President Jerry Farley wrote that he was disappointed, but was “already looking forward to hosting the Sunflower Music Festival next year at White Concert Hall,” and was anticipating “a wonderful series of outstanding performances.”

Founded in the spring of 1987, the concert series features performances by professional musicians from all over the world and are held in the evenings at the White Concert Hall on the Washburn University Campus. The Blanche Bryden Institute performances feature high school and collegiate ensembles with professional guests and conductors.

David Wingerson, the event’s coordinator, says he values the festival because it offers community members a chance to step into the realm of classical music completely free of charge.

“It’s a unique way we do it; that is, that we don’t charge any admissions. So, it provides us the ability to share world-class music and education opportunities with Topeka and the region,” Wingerson says.

The start of the festival includes nightly performances from professional musicians. However, despite these noteworthy performances, the daytime during the week is an extra special time for Wingerson as the Blanche Bryden Sunflower Music Festival Institute affords young

musicians from across the country, ages 16 to 26, the chance to learn from professional clinicians.

“Students can apply and we have students from the state, region and international who apply because they have an opportunity to study. If they’re selected, during the week they’re here, they have rehearsals, clinics and those of the Sunflower Orchestra serve as master clinicians.”

Each year, hundreds of high school and collegiate musicians audition with the hopes of being invited to study and perform with professional musicians.

William Cason, a high school senior and clarinet player from Carbondale, Kansas, participated in the festival last year. Cason says the festival provided him a real-world experience working in a professional environment. He notes working with professionals completely changed his view on how to manage his practice time.

“All week you’re listening to ensembles perform, and you practice performing in front of an audience,” Cason says. “This totally changed how I viewed my practice time and taught us about getting over performance nerves.”

He also notes the opportunity afforded him the chance to work with other students who take performing seriously.

“The people that also make it are very good players themselves, and pretty good people because they care about what they’re doing and they want to get better,” Cason explains. “I’ve always had trouble finding people that are interested in what I’m interested in. Here, you develop long-lasting friendships with people who enjoy what you enjoy. I still talk with the people I met last year.”

To find out more about the Sunflower Music Festival and its plans for 2021 visit its official website at sunflowermusicfestival.org.

OPPOSITE William Cason, a high school clarinet player from Carbondale, was scheduled to be one of the returning Blanche Bryden Institute musicians at the annual Sunflower Music Festival.

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K A N S A S !

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BRUCE HOGLE | JOHNSON COUNTY

JEFFREY McPHEETERS | BUTLER COUNTY

KATHY SWIGER | WABAUNSEE COUNTY

HARLAND SCHUSTER | JEFFERSON COUNTY

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MARK ALEXANDER | GOVE COUNTY

SUMMER 2020

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