m
manhattan magazine
Summer 2008
Taking furry friends to work
Plumlee Ranch: Where the buffalo roam Studio Clark on the Poyntz strip Summer’s retreat: The screen porch
$3.00
m
Vol. 1 | No. 1I
anhattan agazine
editor’s note
I have created a fair share of magazine issues,
each geared to a different type of reader and all offering inviting and relative content for such eyes. However, I still haven’t a clue as to what exactly makes a writer, or an editor, excited about certain stories, especially ones that are unexpectedly intriguing. Naturally, this was the case with this summer’s burgeoning issue of Manhattan Magazine. I encourage writers to propose story ideas for the magazine—possibly a piece on a neighbor they find fascinating or a home they recently visited with exotic décor. Story ideas are lurking around every corner, often waiting to bite us if we get any closer; this quickly became the case with “Teaching in Kabul” on page 44. The story idea presented an intriguing angle: Two women were teaching in a country affected by great destruction and witnessing little hope beyond religion and education. And with today’s political atmosphere, a story about the greater good in Afghanistan would not only be an enticing read but a local connection
Summer 2008
to a distant country Manhattanites are well aware of, whether it be through Fort Riley, academia or even the nightly news. I was intrigued. What the writer and I did not foresee was the delicacy that would be required for this story pitch turned storytelling. It’s an example of genuinely and accurately narrating the experience of others—something we strive for in profile pieces—while respecting the nature of its origins. My connection with this story still baffles me considering the many timeless pieces that appear in this summer issue. It’s as though I should be more astounded by the number of stories that share surprising inspiration in various ways. Such as the curious creation of Tim Clark’s new studio on Poyntz Avenue or one collegian’s desire to be a nanny and create her own business, Manhattan Nanny Services, or even the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of the Flint Hills and area mentors who are volunteering during their retirements. I was equally interested in Kennita Tully and her passion for knitting, which has seamlessly helped create her local business, Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear, and the love for music and guitars that has made Rick’s Music Shop the go-to source for guitar service in Manhattan. And it’s easy to be enamored by lazy summer days at the lake when you are Bob and Barb Newhouse, who built their dream home at Tuttle Creek Lake. Inviting, intriguing, inspiring— however you find this issue of Manhattan Magazine to be, I know each story that passes across my desk sparks one kind of reason or another to be printed onto these glossy pages. I hope you too are engulfed into all of them.
Publisher/Art Director Darby Oppold Editor Katy Ibsen Copy Editor Susie Fagan
Account Executive Dave Lewis (785) 537-5151 Ad Designers Shelly Kemph Tamra Rolf Photographers Adam Hofmann Alan Honey Jonathan Swinton Contributing Writers Debbie Bengtson Leslie Hanson Karen McCulloh Olivia Blanco Mullins Maria Nilges Andrew Sample Mary Renee Shirk Alecia Stuchlik Lou Ann Thomas Richelle Tremaine Manager Bert Hull Subscriptions $20 (plus tax) for a one-year subscription to Manhattan Magazine. For subscription information, please contact: Christopher J. Bell 609 New Hampshire St., P.O. Box 888 Lawrence, KS 66044 (800) 578-8748 | Fax (785) 843-1922 Or e-mail comments to manhattanmagazine@sunflowerpub.com Manhattan Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of The World Company. www.sunflowerpub.com
Katy, Editor
manhattan magazine
1
t.o.c. Summer 2008
1 | Editor's note 61 | Q & A 72 | Calendar of events
manhattan living
4 | Lake-style living Barb and Bob Newhouse keep it clear at Tuttle Creek Lake 8 | Flowing features Fountains and waterfalls are a treat for the senses and a cure for life’s stresses 12 | Screening the porch See how these homes are using their screen porch this summer—and beyond
manhattan businesses
20 | Hobby and passion chug on Don’s Railroad Hobby Shop is the place for model train enthusiasts and beginners
health & fitness
24 | Furry work These loveable companions are keeping their owners company
50 | Sweet success with a ‘sweet science’ The CEO of K.O. Boxing builds teamwork through her business and enthusiasm for fitness
28 | Music to my ears Rick’s Music Shop and Guitar Services remains a guitar destination
52 | Manhattan Farmers Market Year after year, vendors share the fruits of the season with loyal customers
local profiles
for the family
36 | The student’s teacher Meet the woman who makes school transitions an easy thing to do 40 | One stitch at a time Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear is a product of passion and skill 44 | Teaching in Kabul Two K-State professors travel to Afghanistan to renew English education 48 | Responding volunteers RSVP of the Flint Hills is aiding the community with years of experience
32 | Where the buffalo roam The Plumlee Buffalo Ranch remains a popular hometown attraction 56 | Lofty living Tim Clark’s eye-catching studio is a step in the green direction
62 | Legends of jazz The MHS Blue Notes Jazz Ensemble continues to entertain Manhattan audiences 64 | Life of the party Art studio parties at the MAC are in fashion with kids 66 | A gallery of bugs Don’t let the insects bug you—learn to love them at the K-State Insect Zoo 68 | Modern Mary Poppins Manhattan families see the benefits of using a nanny
get away
70 | Unlocking the Keys Travel south from Miami to experience natural beaches, fishing and history
2
Features
manhattan magazine
On the cover Tammie Weeks, co-owner of The Palace in Aggieville, 704 N. Manhattan Ave., plays on the floor with her co-working, child-entertaining, treateating Shih Tzu, Mr. Beans.
| manhattan living
Lakestyle living
| Story by Karen McCulloh
Bob and Barb Newhouse keep it clear at Tuttle Creek Lake
The back of Bob and Barb Newhouse’s home on Tuttle Creek Lake features large windows that allow the couple to take in lake views as well as watch the visiting wildlife.
4
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Alan Honey
w
hen you walk into the home of Bob and Barb Newhouse, it seems a bit like walking on water. You feel the sky and the wind and the everchanging movement of the water in Tuttle Creek Lake. Growing up in Michigan, the Newhouses were always close to water, ranging from the Great Lakes of Michigan and Huron to the abundant smaller lakes throughout the state. Even when they moved to Eugene, Oregon, while Bob worked on his Ph.D., they were only an hour from the Pacific Ocean. So when they accepted positions at Kansas State University in 1972 they decided they would someday live by the only lake in Manhattan. It took them 25 years to get there. The Newhouses appear to have found the perfect spot in their Tuttle Creek Lake home perched above Crappie Cove in the Stony Brook south addition. They had enjoyed the lake for years, even buying a boat for waterskiing and wakeboarding. However, a few years after moving to the lake, they traded in the speedboat for a more leisurely paced pontoon boat. The new boat
| manhattan living
They have uninterrupted 180-degree views of the lake from the dam and spillway to midway down the expansive waterway.
makes it easier for Bob, an avid fisherman, to go after the white bass, crappie and channel cats. “As much as we love the lake, we have also come to love the sky,” says Barb. The Newhouses discovered that by building farther from the shore, they would have a magnificent view of the lake from every window in their house. Their lot is larger than most in the area—featuring nearly 4 acres compared with adjacent lots of 1.3 acres—and provides plentiful views of nature surrounding the lake. They have uninterrupted 180-degree views of the lake from the dam and spillway to midway down the expansive waterway. “It’s a dream house with intriguing angles and one-of-a-kind curved walls giving every room a spectacular panoramic view,” says Daryl Folkerts of Custom Care Builders who built the house. No trees block the view from the 15-foot windows that seem to open to the sky and make it challenging to look anywhere but out. The landscaping is kept to a minimum to preserve the unobstructed views. With that comes a great deal of four-legged traffic on the front lawn, happy to
TOP LEFT The family room is home to a model sailboat, a piece that represents the home’s nautical décor. BOTTOM LEFT A trunk formerly belonging to her grandmother displays pictures and books. RIGHT The Newhouses commonly see deer and other wildlife playing on their lakeside property.
6
eat anything the Newhouses plant. Raccoons have even dined on the deck while the Newhouses built a small fish pond. “We have lots of deer, wild turkeys, eagles, pelicans, hawks, buzzards and smaller birds, and it is wonderful to sit on the deck and watch them,” says Barb. The deer are so tame that they amble across the lawn at will. Not quite so welcome are the field mice that try to spend winters inside, and even more problematic is the occasional packrat. Aside from the overly attractive views outside, the house and its interior are delightful, airy and spacious with nautical décor. The living room boasts inviting leather couches surrounding a gas fireplace that is backed by a large mirror and mantel supporting a 5- by 6-foot model of a ship. It’s a piece that punctuates the other maritime details, especially the blown-glass shell created by the well-known artist Dale Chihuly. Above the living room is a small loft where the couple often read the Sunday papers while enjoying yet another view of the lake and sky. There is no formal dining room as they prefer informal entertaining on two large decks facing the lake. The living room flows into the kitchen where granite countertops reflect the frosted maple cabinets. The Newhouses are avid antiquers, which explains the pieces of frontier Kansas furniture throughout the house. As young assistant professors with a limited budget, they developed a good eye for pieces that needed a little work and a lot of paint stripper to be restored to their original beauty. Somehow they had the ability to see that under layers of paint—and in one case linoleum—lurked a lovely table or chest, such as the butcher block table in the kitchen. They discovered this piece during a weekend antiquing jaunt to Leonardville. It had layers of paint and was missing a middle leg, which they found at another shop years later.
manhattan magazine
The couple cherish their home on Tuttle Creek Lake, which reminds them of living in Michigan near the Great Lakes.
The main floor of the house holds the day-to-day living space. To the left of the main living room is a study with built-in cherry cabinets that they share. The nearby master bedroom echoes the living room’s nautical theme and features a charming antique trunk belonging to Barb’s great-grandmother. Off the master suite is a sunlit bathroom with more boat decor and an enormous walk-in closet. The bathroom has its own deck and great views of the lake. Downstairs has space for their children and grandchildren, including a special closet just for toys. A larger bedroom has a bee theme as Bob is a beekeeper and the Newhouses even package honey under their own label. Just off this bedroom is a children’s bedroom that keeps the kids close to their parents when sleeping away from home. Dotted throughout are antiques collected from yard sales in Manhattan, shops in the neighboring small towns and weekend trips throughout Kansas. Another guest bedroom on the lower level contains memorabilia from the Newhouse Hotel, a landmark in Salt Lake City that was demolished in 1983. Bob and Barb happened on information about the hotel while searching eBay for another hobby. They were fascinated with the history of this landmark, which was the height of luxury with a bath in every room when it was built in 1904. Bob and Barb have filled the guest room with matchboxes, cigar tokens and even larger items like a silver food warmer and a table crumb duster, all stamped Newhouse Hotel. The lower level features a miniature storm cellar below the front door. It holds two rocking chairs, flashlights, water and blankets just in case Kansas weather gets dangerous. Good and bad weather, the Newhouses have made Tuttle Creek Lake a place to call home, finding a bounty of delights in their various surroundings.
m
manhattan magazine
7
| manhattan living
Flowing features
| Story by Alecia Stuchlik
Fountains and waterfalls are a treat for the senses and a cure for life’s stresses
The waterfall in Kathy Buyle’s backyard appears to come straight from the nearby woods. The well-designed stream flows over stones and into a small pond. Lights illuminate the water feature at night.
8
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Adam Hofmann
a
lthough water nourishes the body, it also sustains the mind and soul. And in Manhattan, this natural essence is slowly flowing at some homes in the form of fountains and waterfalls. Still considered unique landscape features, waterfalls and fountains have an undeniable allure and add whimsical charm and dimension to yards. The sound of splashing water creates a calming effect, pulling listeners into a slower, more serene world where worries seem to flow away.
Streaming waterfalls For Kathy Buyle, one necessity for the fountain now inhabiting her backyard was “to have it look as though it was coming out of the woods … streaming out of the woods.” The result is one that any nature lover can appreciate. A layered limestone wall holds back the encroaching woods as a waterfall flows down the stones, merging with the pond below and sounding of a bubbling brook.
t h e
A R t
A n d
S C I e n C e
o f
Mercy Imaging Services
Offering state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging technologies 24/7. • General Radiography • Cardiac Cath Lab • 64-Slice CT • Interventional • Ultrasound • Open MRI Radiology • Nuclear Medicine • Mobile PET * 2008 Award of Excellence from the American College of Radiology Women’s Imaging Center & Mercy Imaging* 1133 College Ave., Building E | 785.565.4707 Mercy Regional Department of Radiology 1823 College Ave. | 785.776.2888 MercyScan 333 Seth Child Rd. | 785.587.4217
| manhattan living A babbling brook runs through the backyard of Karen and Phil Brockenicky, adding to their intriguing water features.
Buyle and her husband, Ken, had the pond and waterfall installed at their Sharingbrook home last October. The feature itself, with the surrounding landscape, is still in its infancy. Around the pond, Buyle strategically planted maiden grass to hide the power box responsible for helping to illuminate the pond at night. The lighting perpetuates the beauty of the waterfall, allowing it to be enjoyed 24 hours a day. In the water, a few plants poke out, while the meticulously mulched areas around the pond are ripe for vision and plans for more flowers and plants. As for the best part of having the waterfall, “something about running water is like living,” she says.
For Kathy Buyle, one necessity for the fountain now inhabiting her backyard was “to have it look as though it was coming out of the woods … streaming out of the woods.” Bird’s play Nestled in her peaceful neighborhood, Anemarie DeYoung is primping her recently acquired stone fountain. It has the shape of a child, molded in time and gracefully holding a jug while water flows out and down scalloped edges of the tiered fountain. The fountain adds an attraction to her carefully kept yard and keeps company with another stone statue of a bench and angel sitting beneath one of the front windows. Although a fountain serenades the ear with a calming melody, what it attracts—birds, namely—only adds to its charm, she says. “It’s having the water and the birds come … it’s life, in a sense,” says DeYoung. Judging by the number of birds swooping around her yard, it’s obvious they have found an especially appealing place to call home. The birds are not the only species to fully enjoy the beauty of a fountain. “It’s not just for adults,” says DeYoung. “Kids just love playing in the fountain.” Fountains serve many purposes, like acting as a birdbath or a statue sans water. Even a nonoperational fountain offers an abundance of uses, making it a viable, sometimes necessary, part of the landscape.
“Kids just love playing in the fountain.” The delicate fountain in Anemarie DeYoung’s backyard displays the peaceful benefits of a well-designed fountain for all ages.
10
manhattan magazine
manhattan living | The stately lion fountain at the Brockenickys' home greets visitors with the calming sound of flowing water.
Invitations Walking up to Phil and Karen Brockenicky’s front door, visitors are greeted by the music of splashing water from a luxurious fountain mounted on a wall perpendicular to the front door. The eye-catching, dark-colored water feature with the face of a lion presiding benevolently over pipes gently spits water into the narrow basin below. “When people walk in the house, I guess I wanted them to have the same calming that I enjoy,” Phil says. Contrary to the more common practice of keeping water features bound to the backyard, the fountain in front lets the passerby in on the soothing effects of the sound of water. Yet behind their house on the back patio stands a stately rosecolored fountain. From a large round basin, the fountain rises, appearing as a flower unfolding. Both fountains were purchased in Dallas and installed after the house was built. In fact, the back patio was designed especially for the dimensions of the rose fountain. The Brockenickys’ backyard feels cozy and intimate, permeated by the continuous sound of flowing water. No matter how aesthetically pleasing a fountain’s structure may be, the treasure in having one seems to lie in the sound. “There’s something about moving water that has a calming influence,” Phil says. “I think the beauty is there, but more important is the sound.” It is, perhaps, the sound of living conducted through nature’s own running water.
m
| manhattan living
Screening the porch
| Story by Karen McCulloh
p See how these homes are using their screen porch this summer—and beyond
Beth Unger’s large porch has been used for much more than the morning coffee. It's also served as the site of two wedding receptions.
12
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
manhattan magazine
orches are a midwestern phenomenon, perhaps considered a Middle America tradition when compared with the East Coast rowhouses and stoops or West Coast patios and decks. This is not to say there aren’t lovely decks and patios in Manhattan, but for truly livable outdoor space that can be used all year, nothing compares to a screen porch. Even in the days before air-conditioning the porch was an extension of the home. A screen porch helps keep away bugs and provides protection with a roof that offers cover and allows for the installation of ceiling fans to make those hot evenings much more enjoyable. In Kansas, the screen porch has become a coveted location to watch a summer storm roll in off the prairie with dazzling displays of thunder and lightning. Today’s screen porch can be the best seat in the house. When the morning air is cool and the birds are darting about the yard, it’s a wonderful place to start the day with a cup of coffee.
| manhattan living
Design Gary and Suzanne Siepl-Coates have a treasured porch. As members of the Department of Architecture at Kansas State University, they almost would be expected to incorporate interesting design elements into their structure. Working with builder Ray Nelson, they created a charming porch that seems to have a touch of the Orient. “My intent was to create a bioclimatically designed structure that would provide shade and insect protection in the summer while letting in winter sun so we could use the porch for most of the year,” says Gary. The butterfly roof on the porch captures rainwater, which then flows into a small fishpond and fountain by means of a cantilevered gutter. Gary explains that excess water is channeled through a large, rockfilled “dry well” into the garden for deep-root watering. The recirculating fountain helps oxygenate the pond and provides a source of fresh moving water for birds. The porch is open, spacious and heavily used from morning coffee to evening wine. As the porch extends from the house, it is screened on three sides; there is a feeling of being in the garden and a part of nature, albeit without pesky bugs. The porch allowed Gary and Suzanne to add substantial living space to their home at a lower cost than an interior room.
The screen porch behind the home of Gary and Suzanne Siepl-Coates is designed with a butterfly roof to capture rainwater and pour it into the small fishpond below.
14
manhattan magazine
| manhattan living
Nostalgia Linda Thurston can attest to the added space as the owner of one of the oldest houses in the area that now boasts a modern screen porch. The house is between 110 and 120 years old, but Thurston only got around to having the porch built five years ago. Growing up in Chase County, she slept on a wonderful screen porch during the summers; with this memory she knew she wanted one for her house. After planning for years, she finally found a builder and designer, Stan Koehn, who was able create a porch that became an organic extension of her home. The slope of the roof echoes the slant of the gables in the original roofline, and the door from the porch into the backyard is painted salmon to match the other door in her home. Koehn also placed the screens in panels so they can be easily removed and replaced if damaged. “We tried to respect the original house and make the porch look like it had always been a part of the home,” says Koehn, owner of Flint Hills Design Build Company. “I spend as much time as I can on the porch,” says Thurston. “I even snuggle up with a blanket to use it in the winter.” The porch is on the east side of the house so it catches the morning sun and the south wind but not the west afternoon heat. She can also look north from the porch and keep an eye on her garden and birdfeeders or visiting grandchildren. Best of all she often invites neighbors and her twin sister, who lives just across the street, over for a glass of wine when she sees them out and about. Linda Thurston’s screen porch reminds her of a sleeping porch she slept in during childhood summers.
manhattan magazine
15
| manhattan living
Parties Jon and Lila Levin live in an 80-year-old house, which they added a porch to about 20 years ago. It’s an addition they have used extensively ever since. “We use it about six months of the year and love having the added space. We love to have our morning coffee out on the porch,” says Lila. The south-facing porch has a ceiling fan that catches the early-evening breezes and makes it a pleasant place to dine in the summer. The porch also features roll-down blinds on the west for daytime cooling. Upkeep is easy with painted wooden floors, all-weather rugs and white wicker furniture. The porch comes into its glory during the Levins’ annual Fourth of July party. With 30 to 40 guests ranging from old friends to young grandchildren, the porch is the center of a daylong celebration and perfect for protecting the picnic from the bugs.
TOP From left, Lila, Amy, Ethan and Jon Levin relax on their screen porch. Lila and Jon say they use the porch nearly six months out of the year.
16
manhattan magazine
| manhattan living
Zen Beth Unger has lived in Sharingbrook for 11 years in a relatively new home with a large screen porch on the north side. Stepping out of the family room, the porch helps create a great space for entertaining. Unger has had two wedding receptions on the porch and in adjoining rooms. Like many other porch dwellers, Unger enjoys starting her day with coffee on the porch. She also enjoys working on the porch, as the setting is without the usual computer glare found inside. A small inside fountain even gives her a peaceful Zen-like atmosphere, which helps keep her creative work flowing. Her company includes the local wildlife that often claim her backyard as their own; she’s seen deer, fox and even bobcats and says the birding is wonderful. By using a ceiling fan and a small space heater she can extend her time on the porch to seven or eight months of the year.
Beth Unger has also been known to use the porch for working, setting up her laptop while enjoying the outdoor air.
18
manhattan magazine
| manhattan living
Neighborhood Jack and Susan Oviatt live in a house built in 1906. Through their research into the house, reaching back to 1918 to 1919 during the great flu pandemic, they learned that porches were used to keep people healthier and free from the flu. The Oviatt house had been expanded by adding two rooms to each of the two stories with a porch downstairs and a sleeping porch upstairs. The Oviatts extended the downstairs porch in 1996 as part of a kitchen expansion, making an L-shape 20- by 20-foot screen porch that wraps around the house. The renovation by Appletech Construction was designed with a slight slope in the floor to encourage drainage, but they still have to shovel the porch when it snows. The Oviatts probably are among the few people left in Manhattan without central air conditioning. Susan says, “We really haven’t missed the AC. We usually have breakfast on the porch and dinner after the sun goes down.” By closing their house in the morning and using an attic fan in the early evening, the porch keeps the house cool. Susan and Jack have landscaped their yard to provide privacy on the porch with its glider, comfortable couches and chairs. Susan is involved in her neighborhood organization and the porch’s size offers enough space for community meetings. It’s also a perfect destination for hosting a Sunday Knitting for Peace group that knits sweaters and other warm clothing for children in Mongolia through the Dulaan Project. “We are more a part of the neighborhood in a friendly, interactive way,” she says.
m
Jack and Susan Oviatt have kept a vintage décor on the screen porch attached to their home. They expanded the porch in 1996.
manhattan magazine
19
| manhattan businesses
| Story by Maria Nilges
Hobby and passion chug on Don’s Railroad Hobby Shop is the place for model train enthusiasts and beginners
| Photography by Adam Hofmann
a
yellow metal sign above the side entrance of a Pierre Street home identifies Don’s Railroad Hobby Shop, a tiny business operating in Manhattan since 1979. For the past 30 years owner Don Clagett has proudly served patrons and collectors through his stocked model railroad business. Locomotives, power packs, plastic scenery pieces, track pieces and VHS tapes on how to build model trains fill the shelves of the shop in the basement of his home. A model train chugs around a track close to the ceiling. “I’ve always been a railroader,” says Clagett of his lifelong hobby. The lead car of the model is the Missouri Pacific, the railroad Clagett’s father, Alvin, worked for as a builder. And it was his father who turned Clagett on to trains at an early age. The family even lived in a bunk car in Corning for a period of time while Don was in first grade. “It was hard to do well in school and live like that, so we moved into a small apartment that same school year,” says Clagett. It was by chance that Clagett, a former electronic technician at Kansas State University, decided to open the shop.
“I’ve been thinking about closing for three years, but business picks up. So I keep it.” “I had a friend, Daniel, who had a hobby shop in his garage on Vattier Street. I went over to buy a locomotive and he said I should buy his shop,” recalls Clagett. So he simply bought the locomotive he went in for and decided to discuss the idea with his wife, Beta. “I was surprised she was so excited about it,” recalls Clagett of Beta’s delight. She has since passed away, leaving Clagett to tend the shop with Black Beauty, his lively miniature dachshund. Besides children and their parents stopping in the shop once in awhile and around the holidays, many
Don’s Railroad Hobby Shop 1223 Pierre St. (785) 587-9075
Monday-Friday 2 p.m.-8:30 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sunday 2 p.m.-8 p.m. Don Clagett stands below signs at the entrance of his small yet mighty Don’s Railroad Hobby Shop.
20
manhattan magazine
| manhattan businesses
customers are members of the Manhattan Area Rail Joiners (MARJ), a collectors club that meets once a month to share the hobby. Members of MARJ set up model railroad displays every November during Train Month at the Manhattan Public Library. Children come and go throughout the month with their parents and teachers learning about, and watching, the models circle the tracks. “It’s there for the children,” says Clagett. The group will set up displays again this November when Clagett plans to incorporate a lot of people in his scenes. “People want to see people around the tracks. It makes it more realistic,” he says. The shop fields about 15 to 20 phone calls a day ranging from MARJ members to solicitors trying to upgrade Clagett’s internet service; of course, he has only used a computer in the shop since 1998. Owning his own business gives him the luxury of clos-
ing periodically throughout the week to do errands or go to appointments. Today the hobby has even worn off on Clagett’s daughter, Verleta Myers. Myers fondly remembers when the family took a train ride to California in 1959. The trip took three days after they boarded at the train station on Fort Riley Boulevard when it still was operating. “He instilled a love of steam engines in me. I love a good steam whistle,” says Myers. Clagett often took her around Manhattan to help get scaled pictures for his models. “He took pictures of me holding a yardstick and standing next to oil derricks. He later even used an ink pen to make the model look like it was pumping oil,” she says. The future of the shop is unknown. City officials have approached Clagett about moving his business to the Third Street development area, but for now it’s not the best financial move so Clagett continues to work from his basement. “I’ve been thinking about closing for three years, but business picks up. So I keep it,” he says. Clagett enjoys sharing his knowledge with other model train enthusiast in and around the community. And for Clagett, who retired from his job at K-State at age 62 and will turn 79 this summer, it’s been a great way to spend his retirement. His favorite part about running the shop is being able to help people who are having trouble with their tracks. “If I can get people going and doing this, it’s better for them and me,” says Clagett. “We learn so that we can teach.”
Model trains and tracks circle the basement shop where Clagett serves a number of members of the Manhattan Area Rail Joiners club.
22
manhattan magazine
m
| manhattan businesses
| Story by Mary Renee Shirk
| Photography by Alan Honey
a
Furry work These loveable companions are keeping their owners company
cross Manhattan four-legged, furry workers are putting in long hours for no pay, and they couldn’t be happier about it. Customers and patrons find Mr. Beans, a 4-yearold Shih Tzu, greeting customers at The Palace. Longhaired dachshunds Cocoa and D.K. spend their days meandering through the displays at Lilacs on the Prairie, while Ginger, a 13-year-old Boston terrier, fetches balls at Humble Abode. But it’s not just dogs gracing stores throughout town. Cats are just as likely to be seen in offices and businesses: Napping and sunning in the windows of The Dusty Bookshelf is Cleo and catnapping on a desk at S&N Design are Ed and Ellie. Collectively, these are the furry faces keeping store owners company and customers happy.
Mr. Beans Tammie Weeks, co-owner of The Palace in Aggieville, 704 N. Manhattan Ave., says the demands of her store are reason enough to explain why she brought Mr. Beans to work. “I was here long days and couldn’t leave him alone,” says Weeks. It’s not all work, as Mr. Beans has a bed under a table at the store for … napping. As might be expected, the Shih Tzu has a lazy work ethic; in fact, there are days he just doesn’t want to come to work. “If he doesn’t get out of bed then he doesn’t want to go to work,” she says, adding that some days he is ready to go home by 1 p.m. He will play with children who come into the store as he lies on the floor to let them pet his soft white fur. Currently, Mr. Beans doesn’t have any girlfriends to speak of but is fond of a particular customer who brings him special treats. “He knows her car and stands at the door and scratches,” says Weeks. Mr. Beans and the mailman have a cordial relationship, most likely due to the treats he gives to the furry companion. Beyond the company of generous humans, Mr. Beans doesn’t always like other dogs and isn’t shy about barking at them to guard his 9-to-5 palace.
Mr. Beans and the mailman have a cordial relationship, most likely due to the treats he gives to the furry companion. Mr. Beans, the official Shih Tzu of The Palace in Aggieville, sits in a basket, patiently waiting for shoppers or a treat.
24
manhattan magazine
manhattan businesses | TOP Cleo takes plenty of naps in the window at the Dusty Bookshelf. BOTTOM Ed and Ellie are notorious for lounging on the desks at S&N Design.
Cleo and Maxine Sixteen years ago a litter of kittens was left in a parking lot in Aggieville. Diane Meredith, owner of Dusty Bookshelf, 700 N. Manhattan Ave., kept the smallest two and helped find homes for the others. The two cats called the shelves and stacks at the bookstore home. Sadly, Maxine, the black cat known to be fond of sleeping in the green leather chair, died of old age in late May. Now Cleo will be the only cat at the Dusty Bookshelf. “Cleo is too dominating of a cat to take in another cat,” Meredith says. The multicolor cat has on occasion been caught taunting dogs from her sunny, book-lined windows. She has never been very interested in the customers but will allow them to pet her if the need arises. Cleo knows she is the envy of book lovers everywhere with her life of leisure surrounded by the works of great authors.
Ed and Ellie Nancy Raleigh, co-owner of S&N Design, 121 N Eighth St., says cats Ed and Ellie are strays who didn’t find other homes fast enough. Raleigh and co-owner Steve Lee did try to find homes for these two. A Kansas State University student adopted Ellie, but she howled all night during finals week and was returned. Five-year-old Ellie and 2-year-old Ed now have a permanent home atop paperwork on Raleigh’s desk. Otherwise the cats spend their days in the office alternately running around and resting in front of the windows at the unique brick house that is home to S&N Design. Lee says most everyone likes the cats, but the felines are not invited to meetings with clients. “It’s very nice to have them here,” says Raleigh, petting Ed’s jet-black coat as he sits on her planner and closes his eyes.
manhattan magazine
25
| manhattan businesses TOP Marty Wellington brings Cocoa and D.K. with her to Lilacs on the Prairie where the two pups are often found entertaining children. BOTTOM Bill Kazer and the nearly blind Ginger keep Humble Abode a little cozier for shoppers.
Cocoa and D.K. Marty Wellington and husband Ron began bringing Cocoa to their store, Lilacs on the Prairie, 327 Poyntz Ave. #101, to protect him from the large dogs at home. Eventually D.K. began coming to the store to be a sort of companion to Cocoa. And family is always nearby: Cocoa’s littermate and D.K.’s sister, Arty, lives just down the avenue at the Strecker-Nelson Gallery. Cocoa did her best to teach D.K. how to behave in the store, but it is clear D.K. is his own dog. Both dogs are very well-mannered and Wellington suggests they give children something to do as adults shop. “A lot of people just come in to say hi to Cocoa,” she says. The pair also serve as great conversation starters. “I consider the dogs an asset,” Wellington says. “They make [Lilacs on the Prairie] more of a friendly, family atmosphere.”
Ginger Bill Kazer, owner of Humble Abode, 620 Fort Riley Blvd., says Ginger enjoys coming to work so much that if he didn’t take her, he would have to push her back into the house. Now she comes to work even when he doesn’t. “Dogs love their routine,” says Kazer. “If I go out of town one of my co-workers will bring her to work.” Kazer often must explain Ginger’s blindness to confused customers when they bend down to pet Ginger and she doesn’t respond. She lost her vision due to a love of playing Frisbee. It seems almost cruel when Kazer picks a bumpy green dog ball from the floor and tosses it. After the squeak of the ball and the thud of it landing, Ginger takes off across the store. A few moments later she returns, ball in mouth. She can still fetch by sound and smell and loves doing it. “She was a Frisbee dog,” says Kazer. “People would stop and watch her. She was amazing.” Ginger would dive after a Frisbee anywhere, including into bushes and brush, which is what eventually ruptured her lenses and scarred her eyes. Kazer says he has thought about not bringing her to the store anymore, but she still loves coming in. After all these years of playing and working, Ginger doesn’t want anyone’s pity; she just wants them to throw the ball.
m
26
manhattan magazine
manhattan businesses |
Ginger
Cleo
Cocoa & D.K.
Ellie
manhattan magazine
27
| manhattan businesses
| Story by Staff Writer
| Photography by Alan Honey
t
Music to my ears Rick’s Music Shop and Guitar Services remains a guitar destination
he sounds of an amplified guitar being tuned and the hiss of the lacquer paint gun being used to repair a guitar neck fill the roomy store known as Rick’s Music Shop and Guitar Services. It’s busy with those looking for new gear, as the assorted novice browsers and musicians needing repairs or maintenance teem around displays and instruments. “I’ll be with you in just a few,” says owner Rick Hood over his shoulder—a greeting he’s already used a dozen times today. The scene illustrates a regular afternoon at Rick’s. As you enter the store in the Tuttle Creek Plaza Center, a 4-foot by 8-foot mural featuring Rick and his 1957 Reissue Fender Stratocaster greets customers, immediately letting them know they are in the business of an artist.
Known as a Manhattan cornerstone for 17 years, Rick’s not only offers top-of-the-line gear but also understands and fulfills the demands and needs of local musicians. To the left are glass-topped display cases filled with guitar accessories including tuners, replacement knobs, pickups, guitar picks, instructional DVDs and CDs from local artists. On the walls are an assortment of guitar straps, strings and a mound of cables for various needs and assembly. The back of the room resembles the workshop of a craftsman: small tools and parts scattered on the repair bench in orderly disarray. To the right starts a seemingly yellow brick road aligned with guitars suspended from the walls throughout almost three rooms. New, used, electric and acoustic guitars can be found scattered about. It’s these magnificent pieces of sculpted wood that give the shop its livelihood and main purpose.
Rick’s Music Shop and Guitar Services 314 Tuttle Creek Blvd. (785) 539-5900 www.ricksmusicshop.com Rick Hood has a passion for music and especially guitars, all adding to the success of his Manhattan store, Rick’s Music Shop and Guitar Services.
28
manhattan magazine
Now INtroducINg...
6 1 8 F o r t r i l e y B lv d .
(785) 776-9740
|
|
M a n h at ta n , K S 6 6 5 0 2
thepaintbucket.biz
Give a Gift subscription and share the Manhattan lifestyle with a friend! 3 Easy ways to subscribe: Mail in this form, call or send us an e-mail! Yes! Send me a year of Manhattan Magazine, 4 issues, for just $20 (plus tax). Last Name
First Name
Address
City
Phone Number
Yes! I would like to send a gift subscription to:
Just $20 per year! if you are a reader living outside of our home delivery areas, you may subscribe annually for only $20, plus tax, and enjoy the convenience of having Manhattan Magazine mailed directly to your home.
Payment included $ Please bill me later! (Check and credit card payments accepted)
Mail this form to: Manhattan Magazine c/o Sunflower Publishing 609 New Hampshire Lawrence, KS 66044
Or call us at (800) 578-8748 Or e-mail at manhattanmagazine@sunflowerpub.com
| manhattan businesses
Now a retired musician, Hood says the shop barely allows him time to dabble on his own music and recordings, but he seems content staying busy at work. “My job is to keep the wheels turning,” says Hood as he writes up another repair order. “I keep the musicians’ instruments repaired, give them the products they need so they can enjoy their instruments with no worries.” Known as a Manhattan cornerstone for 17 years, Rick’s not only offers top-of-theline gear but also understands and fulfills the demands and needs of local musicians. “People want a name-brand product and the companies that have been around the longest offer the best products for the best price. If I can’t get support from the manufacturer, I’ll get support from someone else,” Hood says confidently. Of course, after working in the industry as a musician and owning a retail and service shop, Hood has seen
Rick’s ability to maintain, strengthen and even create guitars and guitar parts sets his business apart. LEFT Mason Wheatley practices on a guitar while hanging out at Rick’s Music Shop. CENTER Guitars on display fill the walls of Hood’s store. Local musicians and some big-name stars visit the store regularly.
30
plenty of change. Home-based recording equipment and expanding computer software continue to give nonprofessional players more options for recording and releasing music. “The music community and the musicians are a constant here. What’s changed are the outlets surrounding the musicians,” says Hood. “There just aren’t many places to play, so they continue to come up with innovative ways to fix that problem.” Hood is supportive of the do-it-yourself musician and plays a key role with local aspiring artists. “I sort of just roll with the punches like the musicians and bands do, and we all hope for the best,” he says. Aside from the retail end of the business, Rick’s Music Shop offers guitar and drum lessons six days a week from more than half a dozen teachers, several of whom are Kansas State University students. “I’ve usually got at least two music majors teaching here. … They all read and write music well and I require that they all perform and play live,” says Hood. “I’ve got a great group of instructors right now.” But it’s the repair side of Rick’s Music Shop that he enjoys most, and on slow days he spends up to 75 percent of his time on the bench. His ability to maintain, strengthen and even create guitars and guitar parts sets his business apart. “I really get into custom shop guitars and building guitars for people. I’m a real tech-oriented person, and that’s an innovation of mine that I’m constantly living and working with,” says Hood. Although the Little Apple is far from the bright lights of Hollywood, Nashville or Broadway, famous faces can be found at Rick’s from time to time. “Kenny Chesney and his crew came in once when he was playing Country Stampede, really nice folks. A few years prior Mark Wills had come in and bought a (Fender) Telecaster from me—that was cool,” smiles Hood with satisfaction. Hood and the shop have even seen some of Garth
manhattan magazine
A little extra help when you need it...
Private, professional and affordable assistance in your home.
Home Options Made Easy Access to Independent Living
200 Southwind Dr. Suite 103 Manhattan, KS 66503 Phone: (785) 537-8985
408 Lincoln PO Box 408 Wamego KS 66547 Phone: (785) 456-9915
Toll Free: (800) 555-3994
www.threeriversinc.org Serving all of Northeast Kansas. Offices in Manhattan, Wamego, Clay Center, Topeka, Seneca and Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation.
Brooks’ crew wander in, as they are originally from Manhattan, and plenty of local musicians including Nashville success Mark Selby. “And there will always be the younger touring bands that will stop in either when they’re gigging in Manhattan or just passing through and somehow they heard of the shop,” he adds. An easygoing and focused individual, Hood says his main satisfaction in running his business is seeing the effect that his products and services have on the local music community. “To know and see that the musicians’ instruments play correctly and sound good, and the satisfaction of making their instruments right for them, make it all worth it for me,” says Hood. “It’s a good feeling for me to help keep the music community going here.”
m
manhattan magazine
31
buffalo roam where the
32
manhattan magazine
Story by Olivia Blanco Mullins • Photography by Jonathan Swinton
the
Plumlee Buffalo Ranch remains a popular hometown attraction
a
s they sit in the pasture eating grass, the buffalo of Plumlee Buffalo Ranch look peaceful and calm. Up close their eyes are dark and deep as they stand large with curiosity. Shirley and Larry Plumlee, who own and operate the ranch, let their animals—29 females and a lone male—roam freely on two large pastures visible from Kansas Highway 18 and the Manhattan Regional Airport. Ranching is nothing new to the Plumlees, who both grew up on cattle ranches in Missouri. However, it was Larry’s 20 years in the Army that brought them to Manhattan in 1979, when he was stationed at Fort Riley. “We both love animals of all kinds,” says Shirley. But while with the military the Plumlees couldn’t raise animals because they never knew if and when they would have to move. When it was clear they would not be leaving Manhattan, they started their dream. “We bought cattle [right] before Larry was out of the military,” explains Shirley. At first they tried their hand with cattle and horses. Six years ago they settled with buffalo, which they say are, believe it or not, easier to take care of. “You have to do things that fit into who you are,” says Larry. “I am too old to fight with calves. With buffalo, which are 40 pounds when they are born, you never have to help them [during birth].” “They do it all by themselves,” says Shirley. “We don’t do anything but give them hay and let them be.” In fact, the Plumlees’ buffalo are what now is considered all natural. They eat grass, sometimes supplemented with alfalfa, but no one ever touches them or gives them any kind of shots for vaccines or hormones. Buffalo and bison are not technically the same thing, although most people use the words interchangeably. Buffalo originated from manhattan magazine
33
• buffalo can run at a speed of 35 miles per hour • they can jump a fence up to 6 feet 6 inches tall • a mature male weighs around 2,000 pounds, while a mature female is
Africa and Asia, while bison are North American bred. They are referred to as cows or heifers and bulls in order to distinguish gender, while offspring are known as calves. The Plumlees raise the animals as breeding stock for other ranches and expand their business each year with the birth of new buffalo. They also eat and sell the healthy, lean buffalo meat. “My goal is to raise a 3,000-pound bull,” Larry says. “You see old pictures and they had huge buffalo,” he says admiringly. Their eldest bull, Samson, is 6 years old, already taller than 6 feet and weighs about 2,200 pounds. Buffalo grow until they are 10 years old, and Larry expects Samson to grow to 7 feet tall.
a lifestyle
The gravel road leading to the Plumlee home divides two pastures on the ranch and often provides an up-close experience with a bull. At their house a burly yellow Labrador greets visitors. Inside, buffalo décor punctuates furniture and walls. The home has a tribal look to it, and it is no coincidence. “It is one and the same. If you get into buffalo, you get into Native Americans,” says Shirley. Two large albums of buffalo pictures sit on their coffee table, and Larry is quick to show a print of a buffalo from yesteryear. “They are so sweet, so amazing; they are fun to watch,” Shirley says of the animals.
Plumlee Buffalo Ranch 2181 W. 52nd Ave. www.plumleeranch.com (785) 539-2255
34
manhattan magazine
about 1,100 pounds • female buffalo have their f irst calves at 3 years old • Buffalo live around 20-25 years • buffalo meat is low in fat, with about 2 percent per serving.
For Shirley and Larry raising these animals is a hobby, not a lifeline. They enjoy spending time educating their visiting grandchildren and other kids lucky enough to see the bison during visits from area schools. The Plumlees are happy to teach others about Kansas’ official state animal and welcome all visitors to the ranch. In late spring when the babies are born, anyone driving down K-18 will notice. And the Plumlees aren’t shy: They’ll take you into the pastures on a small golf cart for a free hands-off mini tour. Patrons also can purchase certified buffalo meat at the ranch, by the pound or as a quarter buffalo.
a new home
Today, some of their new herd grazes peacefully atop a hill off the intersection of Interstate 70 and Kansas Highway 99. Because the Kansas Department of Transportation plans to buy some of the Plumlees’ property on K-18, they are moving their animals to the new site. “You should see it out there with all the native grass,” says Larry. “It has some hills, and the buffalo like the hills.”
m
Larry and Shirley Plumlee have found great enjoyment in raising their buffalo. They welcome visitors at the ranch, inviting students from Manhattan and area schools to learn about and watch the burly animals.
manhattan magazine
35
| local profiles
| Story by Lou Ann Thomas
The student’s teacher Meet the woman who makes school transitions an easy thing to do Lori Kandt has made strides at Manhattan High School by shaping the Student to Student program, aiding students who are new to the school and Manhattan.
36
If you’ve ever been the new kid in school you know it can be a little scary. You wonder how you’ll fit in, meet new friends or even find your way around an unfamiliar building. Manhattan High School’s West Campus welcomes more than 100 new students facing these kinds of challenges at the beginning of each school year, and another 30 to 40 at the beginning of second semester. Many of these students are from military families who have been deployed to nearby Fort Riley. “We have a large number of military-dependent students coming into our school each year, as well as a number of foreign exchange students and students
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
transferring here because of the university,” says Lori Kandt, personal social counselor at MHS. When Kandt came to MHS two years ago there was a student orientation program in place and the school had recently added a Student to Student program sponsored by the Military Education Coalition. Kandt quickly combined aspects of the new student orientation program with the Student to Student program, creating a single program addressing the needs of all new students. The new Student to Student program lasts six to eight weeks and offers weekly meetings at the beginning of the semester. “We talk about issues involved in transition and separation. I always have a good response from my military students. They come to every meeting and really want to connect and get involved,” Kandt says. Gleish Gonzales-Orama is one of those military students who found the Student to Student program helpful in making her transition from school in Germany, where her family was stationed before deploying to Fort Riley, to MHS.
| local profiles TOP From left, Bethany Jensen, Kandt, Autumn Gilliam, Andre Pablo and Gleich Gonzales-Orama hang out after school. All students have participated in Kandt's Student to Student program. BOTTOM From left, Kandt, Victoria Sanque and Autumn Gilliam review some notes.
“Mrs. Kandt does a great job of helping us adjust,” says Gleish Gonzales-Orama. “She’s a good resource and a good person to talk to about the challenges of being a new kid in a new place.” “It helped me a lot. It offered me the opportunity to talk to other students who were also new and understood what I was going through,” says Gonzales-Orama. At the first few meetings Gonzales-Orama met the administration, school nurse, counselors and student leaders from all the clubs and organizations. Autumn Gilliam, another military student who moved to Manhattan from Germany, also found these introductions helpful in adjusting to a new town and new school. “Meeting the administration and facilitators of the school, as well as learning about the different clubs and organizations, helped me feel more acclimated to a new place and school,” she says. Coming to Fort Riley was Gilliam’s eighth move, and she says it was difficult to leave Germany, a place that she loved. “Moving around so much has helped me learn how to meet new people. It has built a confidence in me that comes from practice. It’s a learning process,” Gilliam says.
38
manhattan magazine
Gilliam and Gonzales-Orama came to MHS in 2006-07 as juniors and stayed involved in the Student to Student program during their senior year as well. “I can relate to new students, having been one myself, and my experiences provide insights I can share with them,” says Gilliam. Her advice to new students is the same as Kandt’s: Get involved. “The most common difficulty I hear new students express is how to fit in with established cliques. At this level there are a lot of longtime groups of friends that have known each other since elementary school. As a new kid, how do you break into these? I tell them to get involved. Try out for things, play in the band and join clubs. We have over 40 clubs and
local profiles |
organizations at MHS. Pick one,” says Kandt. That’s what Gilliam and Gonzales-Orama did. Gonzales-Orama was French Club treasurer, on Tribe Council, played softball and was a cheerleader her senior year. Gilliam served as vice president of the Black Student Union and was a member of French Club and the National Honor Society. Neither of these young women was happy to learn they would be leaving Germany for Kansas, but they have found the Student to Student program helpful to them in making the transition. “Coming to Kansas was out of my element. I was very resistant to mov-
ing here, but once I got here and got involved the barriers I put up began to break down,” Gilliam says. Gonzales-Orama’s transition to Kansas was more difficult because she hadn’t lived in the United States for many years and missed the culture and lifestyle she became accustomed to abroad such as using public transportation in Germany. Now she has to drive everywhere. “Mrs. Kandt does a great job of helping us adjust,” says GonzalesOrama. “She’s a good resource and a good person to talk to about the challenges of being a new kid in a new place.”
m
“I tell them to get involved. Try out for things, play in the band and join clubs. We have over 40 clubs and organizations at MHS.”
| local profiles
| Story by Olivia Blanco Mullins
One stitch at a time Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear is a product of passion and skill Kennita Tully shares her love of knitting with customers at her store, Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear. In addition to running the store, she creates and sells patterns for other knitters.
40
It’s a space full of color and texture, a shop better described as a knitter’s dream that holds every type of yarn in every color with accessories to complement. But for Kennita Tully, this can actually be a problem. As owner of Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear, she has the ability to pick up new yarn whenever she feels like starting a fresh project. Knitting for six to eight hours a day is what Tully would consider a good day. “On Sundays I get up early in the morning and just knit while the house is still asleep,” she says. She’s been knitting for as long as she can remember thanks to her mother, who taught her the art of knit and crochet. Of course it seems as though yarns
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
and stitches have been a lifelong theme for Tully, who laughs at the memory of a slumber party she threw when she was in fifth grade. She and her mother taught the rest of the girls how to knit. “I couldn’t decide if I was excited or disappointed that we were so focused on one thing during the slumber party,” she reminisces. During college at Murray State University in Kentucky and graduate school at the University of Michigan, Tully studied art, photography and textiles. But she always wanted to sell what she knitted. With her husband Steven, a civilian who works for the Army, she has lived in Kentucky, Michigan, Germany and Washington, D.C. They moved in 1991 to Manhattan, where the Illinois native found a sense of home. She’s named after her father, who was from Kansas.
Building a pattern Tully describes knitting as relaxing, a sort of “yoga for the hands.” Putting her skill to use, she has recently been more of a pattern designer, and an accomplished one at that. Many of her designs have appeared in national
| local profiles
Wildflower Yarns and Knitwear 300 Poyntz Ave. (785) 537-1826 www.wildflowerknits.com
Essentially Kennita Tully would knit anything—anything but socks. “I really like sweaters. I enjoy wearing sweaters and putting the pieces together. Socks would just take time away from sweaters,” she says. magazines, such as Vogue Knitting and Knit Simple, Cast On, Interweave Knits and Knitter’s Magazine. It started when she submitted two designs in the fall of 1999 and both were picked up. Today her designs can be found at her store and wholesale at other retail stores. Wildflower started as a studio above Mel’s Tavern on Third Street where Tully set up her knitting machine and other equipment. It was a destination she could come to during the days while her children were at school. After her studiomate left, the space was too large. A retail store would solve the problem and allow Tully to buy more yarn. “I had good timing [with knitting in 1999],” she says. “Knitting was on the upswing.” In 2001 she moved to another space on Fourth Street and in 2005 set up shop at her current store on Poyntz Avenue. Beyond running the store, knitting for herself and raising a family, Tully organizes an annual fashion show in Manhattan to showcase her garments and those of other area knitters. At the store people will donate garments for charity, such as chemo caps for cancer patients and mittens for the annual Manhattan Library Association Mitten Tree.
Sweaters over socks “I enjoy watching her come up with something and talk about it. I have knit some of her designs,” says Gale Hughes, a knitter of 30 years and Wildflower Yarns shopper. “I admire her.” When inexperienced knitters look at a design pattern, it can appear like an unsolvable crossword puzzle. Each little square has a sign telling knitters what kind of stitch they should knit. Making one stitch after another seems easy, but the end result can be as simple as a
42
manhattan magazine
cable knit scarf or as complicated as a lace camisole. Most of the garments Tully designs are sweaters or some kind of shrug. That is what she likes to wear, thus that’s what she creates. And when you are the designer, an unwritten rule is to only wear the sweaters and shrugs you design. “Once I wore a shell from a yarn company and just didn’t feel right,” she says. Essentially Tully would knit anything—anything but socks. “I really like sweaters. I enjoy wearing sweaters and putting the pieces together. Socks would just take time away from sweaters,” she says. Some of her designs have big stitches and are meant to be worn with a shirt underneath; others are chunky and look warm enough to curl up under for a
The sign of strength in today’s real estate market.
http://www.prudentialcopeland.com/
nap. Some of her knitted creations are for display and for sale at her store.
Family ties Tully’s family members say they are fortunate to reap the benefits of her skill. One sweater, yet to be knitted, is for her son, who has been asking for many years now. “I should really get that sweater done,” she nearly apologizes. But if she never gets to it he may be able to knit it himself as both her children—Raymond, 15, and Hazel, 18—know how to knit. “My daughter knits for function. If she needs a bag, she’ll knit it,” says Tully. Although her husband does not knit, he has adapted to sharing time with her yarns and needles. By now, the family is used to Tully’s craft. “[They] got jealous of the knitting. But I was obsessive about it,” she says. “My daughter told me she didn’t want me to knit during her choir performances.” Now, she says, she is taking it a little bit easier, and she has a support group of sorts that comes to Wildflower Yarns every Thursday evening for a knitting clinic. She also organizes specific knitting clinics for various skill levels, taught by her or by other experienced knitters. But on Thursdays young collegians and elderly ladies gather around a table, each with her own ball of yarn. They stitch, chat and let the time fly by. This is a cherished time for Tully, since the needs of her business have cut into her knitting time. “Now I am lucky if I can knit three hours a day.”
m
manhattan magazine
43
It’s essential in today’s real estate market to work with a company you know and trust. Internet marketing tools jump-start your home search or sale. Online listings at prudential. com give you a powerful way to put your home in front of literally thousands of potential buyers, as well as find the perfect home for you. Net-savvy professionals on your side. When you list with Prudential Real Estate, you’ll receive daily reports of web activity on your listings, and on recent sales activity in your neighborhood. We know how to get the job done, whether you’re in a military relocation, executive relocation, moving up, scaling back, or starting over.
Copeland & Company, REALTORS®
www.prudentialcopeland.com
Phone: 785-539-1455 Toll Free: 877-930-903 Fax: 785-539-8497 © 2008. An independently owned and operated member of Prudential Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. is a registered service mark of The Prudential Insurance Company of America. Equal Housing Opportunity.
| local profiles
| Story by Leslie Hanson
Teaching in Kabul Two K-State professors travel to Afghanistan to renew English education Ketty Reppert, left, and Angela DiCostanzo, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, in early 2008 to teach English as a second language at Kabul University. The experience gave them a new appreciation for the Afghan people and their culture.
44
Angela DiCostanzo taught English as a second language and worked in Africa. Ketty Reppert was a middle school teacher in Guatemala. Currently they both teach English as a second language in the English Language Program (ELP) at Kansas State University. When the opportunity to teach English in Kabul, Afghanistan, arose in September 2007, it was too good for either one to pass up. After Mary Wood, director of ELP, announced the opportunity, both women packed their bags and headed to Afghanistan. The visit was a result of K-State’s partnership with Kabul University through the Strengthening Higher Education Program sponsored by the World Bank. Their adventure was sched-
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Adam Hofmann
uled from January to March and the women were unsure what cultural learnings they would need to prepare for. “How could I not go? It’s fascinating to see another part of the world and experience a different culture,” says Reppert. The two boarded a plane on New Year’s Day. “This is why I choose to be a teacher,” says DiCostanzo. “I had done relief work before and decided that education is the best way to make a lasting impact.” With a population of approximately 3 million, Kabul is nestled in a valley surrounded by mountains. It was taken over by the Taliban from 1996 to 2001, changing the city’s dynamics. Safety was an obvious concern for the pair, as it would be in any unfamiliar country. “You had to be aware that a random act of terrorism could happen at any time, but you didn’t want to be paranoid,” says Reppert. “You had to use common sense and good judgment whenever you go out in public.” The women quickly adapted to the culture. Before the trip they spent hours shopping online for clothing to respect the cultural foundations. They each wore
| local profiles TOP DiCostanzo, left, and Reppert stand on top of the Safi Landmark Hotel in downtown Kabul during an afternoon of shopping and sightseeing. BOTTOM LEFT A view of the Shah Jahan mosque and its surrounding neighborhood. BOTTOM RIGHT A view of a masque in Babur’s Garden, known as the mosque of Shah Jahan, built around 1646 and restored in 2003 and 2005.
traditional head scarves known as chadars. “In the winter, I was glad to have it. It was just like a scarf,” says DiCostanzo. They also purchased several in Kabul and received a few as gifts. They lived in a house occupied by other K-State teachers who were working for the university. Everyone had their own bedroom, but they shared a living area and kitchen. Breakfast was served at 7 a.m. with meals varying from omelets to oatmeal to apple pie. “The food wasn’t very different from what we would eat in Kansas. I think the cook tried to serve us what we were familiar with,” says Reppert. Typically by 8:30 a.m., the driver was ready to take them to school. In January, Reppert and DiCostanzo each taught one class they call content-based English skills. They also created lesson plans—combining reading, writing, speaking and listening—for teachers at Kabul University. Reppert says it was a lot of extra work, but the teachers appreciated it. “We had a mix of men and women teachers. One of the things they had the most difficulty with was increasing their reading speed, which is something every language learner has to work on, so we spent a lot of time on that,” says DiCostanzo. In the afternoons, the two would prepare lesson plans for the following day. All the while, they shivered in their shared office, bundled up in coats and gloves. “The university didn’t have central heat,” says DiCostanzo. “We had only small space heaters, and if you plugged in too many, a fuse would blow. It was really hard to balance warmth with other necessities for teaching.” As for other conditions, they squinted down dark hallways, tolerated broken windows and managed with only one working bathroom. In late afternoon they were ready to be driven back home where they had internet access and could continue working. After taking a break for dinner, they returned to their computers to respond to e-mails and search for textbooks. In February, their job descriptions shifted from teaching to advising Kabul teachers and administrators on how to create a standard curriculum, which required updated ESL textbooks. “Very few ESL publishing companies send teaching material and books to Afghanistan, so it was a challenge to find the few that did,” says DiCostanzo.
46
manhattan magazine
Safety was an obvious concern for the pair, as it would be in any unfamiliar country.
local profiles |
After the short break for the cold weather, they returned to the classrooms in March Reppert and DiCostanzo taught advanced academic writing to senior students. Typically after a break for lunch and prayer, classes reconvened in the afternoon with the teachers. “We tried to be careful to schedule our class time around their prayer time, although there were different degrees of devotion to it,” says DiCostanzo. “Some students were very concerned about getting out of class in time for prayer while other students were more flexible about it. And some didn’t seem concerned at all.” As for academic work, Kabul students and teachers wrote extensively about how technology hinders and helps culture, among other topics such as women’s rights and arranged marriages. Teachers would often write about their favorite childhood place. “So many of them described their homes that they’ve been driven away from as their favorite place, and those essays in particular were very poignant,” says Reppert. While their trip focused on academics, Reppert and DiCostanzo did get to experience some of the city. After making arrangements, their favorites included an internet café, Chailas, plus a Korean restaurant and a French bakery where they enjoyed bread, desserts and doughnuts. Of all the relationships Reppert and DiCostanzo cultivated, they speak most fondly of Zahra, the woman who cleaned their
office. She only spoke two words of English but would chat away in her native Dari. “She was desperate to be able to communicate with us, so we used a lot of pointing and sign language. She was our Dari teacher. She would point to objects around the room and give the Dari name,” says Reppert. The two soon realized her effort to communicate was an attempt to overcome her illiteracy, even in Dari. Reppert says this is an indication of Kabul’s huge educational gaps, which in part contribute to the social instability. Reppert and DiCostanzo returned to Manhattan at the end of March. Although they are both grateful for their Afghan experience, they welcomed the return to taking hot showers every day, sleeping in their own beds and being free to drive and go out in public alone.
m
“Some students were very concerned about getting out of class in time for prayer while other students were more flexible about it. And some didn’t seem concerned at all.”
| local profiles
| Story by Lou Ann Thomas
Responding volunteers RSVP of the Flint Hills is aiding the community with years of experience Lee Elementary student, Christine Shiau, and RSVP volunteer, Patty Petty, have created a mentoring relationship through various activities at the school.
48
When the Hand to Hand Program for tutoring and homework assistance at the Douglas Community Center had more students than tutors, founder Marianne Cullers called the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of the Flint Hills (RSVP) for help. “They had a list of people available who had an interest in working with kids and were able to help us meet our needs. Many of our tutors are retired teachers,” Cullers says. The free homework assistance and tutoring program for kids in kindergarten through 12th grade now has 250 to 300 tutors who volunteer at least one hour a year to help at-risk children. In addition to those assisting through RSVP, program volunteers include students
manhattan magazine
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
enrolled in Kansas State University’s College of Education and people from other area service organizations. But Cullers, who was selected as the National RSVP Volunteer of the Year in 2007, credits RSVP for stepping up and stepping in when her program needed the boost. “It’s nice to know when I have a need there is an office and people who will deliver,” she says. Approximately 500 RSVP volunteers provide nearly 100,000 hours of annual service to a variety of public and nonprofit agencies in Riley, Geary and Pottawatomie counties. Skills and interests of this pool of volunteers, who are at least 55 years old, are matched with the needs of area service organizations. “We have a wealth of volunteer opportunities here and programs that are targeted to a wide range of people, from young children to older adults, including homebound elderly and at-risk youth,” says Lori Bishop, executive director of RSVP of the Flint Hills. The volunteer program is celebrating 30 years of service and is funded nationally by a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and locally by the United Way and the Riley County Council on Aging.
local profiles |
For more information call RSVP at (785) 776-7787
One growing program created by RSVP is the Most Valuable Players mentoring program (MVP). In this program volunteers and students in grades K-12 participate together in activities that help build intergenerational relationships and life skills. For Valentine’s Day MVPs and sixth-grade students from Lee Elementary School made 300 valentines for soldiers at Fort Riley’s Wounded Transition Battalion. The RSVP volunteers delivered the valentines to the soldiers on February 14. “One of our 83-year-old volunteers was hugged by a soldier who told her he hadn’t hugged his grandma in over two years,” says Bishop. The Valentine’s Day project was such a success that for May Day the MVPs and students made 300 May Day baskets for the soldiers. Bishop says they secured funding through a grant to rent a bus and take the kids, volunteers and teachers to hand-deliver the baskets and have lunch with the soldiers on May 1. “That way the children saw for themselves that they too can make a difference in someone’s life,” Bishop says.
Pat Petty knows about making that difference. Not only is Petty a mentor with RSVP’s MVP program, but she helps deliver Meals on Wheels, assembles mailings for the Chamber of Commerce, assists with the Festival of Trees fundraiser, is in her third year as a pen pal with students at Lee Elementary School, and is in charge of registration and canteen volunteers for the annual Red Cross Blood Drive. “My family can’t ever find me because I’m always out doing something,” she says. “But I get such satisfaction from helping others and the community. I get back more than I give.” In 2007 Petty, a retired office manager for the Department of Horticulture, Forestry and Recreation at K-State, was named the local RSVP Volunteer of the Year. A new project, RSVP and Veterans: Together in Service Pen Pal Program, will kick off in August. This program will pair elementary school students with retired veterans and current soldiers. RSVP will organize a Take a Vet to School Day two weeks before Veterans Day when activities will entertain soldiers and veterans as they meet their student pen pals. “With the expansion at Fort Riley the needs in our community increase. Every social service agency in the area is seeing an increase in demands. But that’s what we’re here for—to go out into the community and help as many people as we can,” says Bishop. “When you’re doing something good for your community, that makes you feel good.”
m
To learn more about volunteer opportunities,
RSVP of the Flint Hills invites those 55 and older to Vista Drive-In for a cup of coffee and a featured speaker at 10 a.m. the first or second Friday of every month. Coming up:
Volunteer Patty Petty and Lori Bishop, executive director for RSVP of the Flint Hills, have collaborated on volunteer programs for children at Lee Elementary School and members of RSVP.
manhattan magazine
• July 11 – Bevin Landrum, Fort Riley/Warrior Transition Battalion • August 8 – Mandy Sample, Manhattan Emergency Shelter • September 5 – Lori Bishop, Mentoring Programs • October 3 – Jaime Morris-Hardeman, Sunflower CASA Project • November 7 – Karen Hibbard, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce/CVB • December 5 – Cheryl Collins, Riley County Historical Society/Museum
49
| health & fitness
In the Blue Hills Shopping Center, nestled between restaurants and retail outlets, a fury is brewing inside K.O. Boxing, Gymnastics, Dance & Fitness. It’s home to Manhattan’s next great sports story: amateur boxing. Made up of men and women from Kansas State University and Fort Riley, this team is packing an impressive punch on the national amateur boxing scene. “These guys work hard,” says Lorissa Ridley-Fink, CEO of K.O. and head coach. And the effort they put into their training and matches pays off for the community, she says. “They don’t call us K.O. Boxing when we’re at a match. They call us Manhattan.”
| Story by Debbie Bengtson
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
Organized by Ridley-Fink in August 2006, the team has grown from three fighters to 10 in less than two years. At their first fight in February 2007, they received two trophies at a Hutchinson match. Continuing to build on that success at the Kansas/ Oklahoma Regional Golden Gloves tournament this spring, K.O. fighters received three trophies in the preliminaries and the coveted sportsmanship award. They also tied for the team trophy, an honor often earned by more experienced boxing clubs. “You are talking about real heart,” says K.O. volunteer trainer Johnny Taylor, a former amateur boxer from Florida. Knowing the importance of praise, Taylor
organized youth boxing matches in his neighborhood as a teen to keep kids out of trouble. He would award the young winners and losers with his own boxing trophies earned in amateur events. “When I watch these guys at K.O. train and compete, my feelings are immeasurable,” says Taylor, who works as program director for the Flint Hills Job Corps Center when he’s not at the gym. K.O.’s success has all been done without the aid of community sponsorship or even a suitable place to spar. Boxers pay for their accommodations and tournament fees, while RidleyFink and her husband, Rich, pay for transportation and team clothing. All the while the team keeps growing. “We would love to work in partnership with a sponsor. It would be great to have space and a boxing ring for practice. With 10 guys on our boxing team, some over 200 pounds, we’re quickly running out of space,” says Ridley-Fink, adding that an expansion would also help build youth programs.
An accidental boxer
Sweet success with a ‘sweet science’ The CEO of K.O. Boxing builds teamwork through her business and enthusiasm for fitness 50
manhattan magazine
A Chapman native, RidleyFink began dance lessons at age 2. At 14 she taught gymnastics at the Junction City YMCA and as a student organized the first-ever gymnastics class at Chapman High School. She even founded CATTS Gymnastics and Dance in Wamego. After graduating with a degree in dance from Wichita
Conner Pole stares fiercely at the boxing bag as he is currently in training to join the K.O. Boxing team.
health & fitness |
“They don’t call us K.O. Boxing when we’re at a match. They call us Manhattan.” State University in 1990, she moved to Arizona to dance professionally. Among a variety of opportunities, she performed during a Phoenix Suns halftime show. She continued to dance, choreograph and assist with gymnastic teams, drill teams and pageants. Then one evening while goofing around with a punching bag machine at a local bar, Ridley-Fink shocked even herself by hitting 350 of 350 points, sounding the bells. “The bar owner came over, handed me a quarter and said, ‘Do that again,’” she remembers. Soon bar patrons were challenging her for money. One of them was a Golden Gloves trainer amazed by RidleyFink’s raw talent. Days later she was in his gym learning the art of boxing as he trained her. “I think with the dance background, with the coordination, I just picked it up,” says Ridley-Fink. “Everything was just easy.”
More than boxing K.O. Boxing, Gymnastics, Dance & Fitness does more than produce awardwinning amateur boxers. It also provides Manhattan with a plethora of youth and adult fitness classes including yoga for combat sports, kickboxing, personal training, youth boxing, boxing for fitness, introduction to boxing, adult hip hop and dancenastics. “Unlike other gyms, it’s small and intimate here,” says Caleigh Cost, a K-State
K.O. Boxing, Gymnastics, Dance & Fitness 2303 Tuttle Creek Blvd. (785) 341-1708 http://koboxing.awardspace.com
Trainers, Kristin Odell, background, and Diana Grauer, foreground, teach a Boxing 101 class at K.O. Boxing.
student and K.O. youth boxing instructor. “Everyone who works out here gets to know one another. It’s a fun and safe environment to be in.” While Ridley-Fink holds a USA Boxing coaching certification and has taught the sport since 1999, she has been coaching fitness for more than 25 years. Any night of the week K.O. is a cauldron of activity that Ridley-Fink oversees with ferocity.
The sweet science K.O.’s boxing classes are popular with men, women and children of all ages. In 2004, Ridley-Fink began offering Boxing 101 through Manhattan’s nonprofit community education program UFM. This introductory class is for those 16 years and older who want to learn the art and science of boxing for weight loss, self-protection or stress relief; they can continue as long as they want. If they take to it, intermediate and advanced boxing classes are also available for credit. But these classes involve more than learning how to throw a punch. “There is a reason boxing is called the ‘sweet science.’ It’s just that: a science,” says RidleyFink. “If you don’t plan on understanding it, you better plan on not doing it.” Trainers and clients agree that Ridley-Fink brings an unusual mix of order and professionalism to K.O. often not found in other gyms. “Lorissa teaches people to train right and makes it fun,” says Tauna Spain, a client who travels from Topeka to take K.O.’s boxing classes because she knows she’ll get a varied, complete body workout. “There is a real sense that everyone respects each other and new people are always welcomed.” Respect for staff, clients and equipment is clearly outlined in the “K.O. Code of Conduct,” posted in the gym. While the code is intended for everyone, safety is paramount, especially for boxers. “Whether my clients are there for dance, gymnastics, boxing, weight training, personal training, weight loss, it doesn’t matter,” she says. “K.O. members will gain self-respect, selfdiscipline and self-confidence. And they will understand they can do anything they put their minds to.” Much like Ridley-Fink herself.
m
manhattan magazine
51
| health & fitness
The only place you can find fresher produce than at the Manhattan Downtown Farmers Market is in your own backyard. But for those not interested in seeding and weeding their own garden, the market, in operation since 1979, provides a great alternative. Patrons will find produce, plus baked goods, handmade crafts and a variety of other products. “It’s a very stable market and is the longest continuously running outdoor market in Kansas. We’re there rain or shine, even in snowstorms,” says Barbara Jones, acting secretary and treasurer of the Manhattan Downtown Farmers Market.
| Story by Lou Ann Thomas
| Photography by Adam Hofmann
Jones, a retired teacher, and her husband, Judson, joined the Farmers Market in 1997. “After I retired I wanted to bake, so I tried the market. I love it. There are so many loyal customers who come by every week. If I don’t see some of my regulars for a few Saturdays, I begin to worry about them,” says Jones, better known as the Cookie Lady. One such loyal customer is Carole Setser of Manhattan. She has shopped the market since it opened; the only time she misses is when she’s out of town. “I lived in Europe for several years and I got used to going to the open-air mar-
kets there. I like the fact I can get locally grown and fresh produce, berries and other items here, and you get to know the growers. It’s a fun thing to do on a Saturday morning,” Setser says. The Downtown Manhattan Farmers Market, located between Fourth and Fifth streets on Humboldt Street, is open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays beginning the first weekend in May and runs through the last weekend in October. A Wednesday market is also open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Cico Park during the same season. “You never know what you’ll find at the market. In addition to a full line of fresh, locally grown vegetables, there is also locally grown honey, natural lotions, handmade crafts, photography, pottery and flowers, of course,” says Erin Borchardt, who’s known as the Plant Lady at the Farmers Market, where she’s been selling fresh-cut flowers since 1988. There is even locally grown beef, pork and bison. George LeRoux, of Flint Hills Prairie Bison Reserve in Alta Vista, has been involved with the market for five years. He sees the market grow each year with more vendors as well as more customers. “People are becoming more worried about how their food is being produced, so shopping at a local farmers market allows them to find out how their food was grown,” says LeRoux. “They can talk to the person growing the produce or meat.”
Manhattan Farmers Market Year after year, vendors share the fruits of the season with loyal customers 52
manhattan magazine
Photo cutline goes here
health & fitness |
Recipe
Grilled Bacon Onion Appetizers 2 large sweet onions
(Dick Blaske recommends his sweet Vidalia onions)
12 hickory bacon strips ½ cup packed brown sugar ½ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup molasses 2 tablespoons barbecue sauce Cut each onion into 12 wedges (close to bite size). That interaction between vendor and customer is one reason Dick Blaske, president of the Downtown Farmers Market of Manhattan Inc., returns each year. Blaske has sold jams, jellies, produce and baked goods at the market for nine years. “As a vendor, the best part is meeting and visiting with people. We’ve made some good friends at the market that we’d never have met otherwise. Consumers like to visit with us about how we grow our products, and we can often help them with information about how they can grow their own,” Blaske says. At the height of the growing season—from June through early September—there are usually close to 30 vendors at the Saturday morning market. As the season progresses the products sold at the market change. Spring offers more asparagus, lettuce, broccoli and other cold-weather produce. Later in the summer sweet corn, potatoes, peas and green beans start to show up. In the fall berries, watermelons and cantaloupes are in season. Since 1981, Bob Brown has sold watermelons, cantaloupes and other melons at the market. Brown says he is “hot-wired to want to do this.” His father and grandfather were both farmers, but after getting out of the service Brown went to medical school. “I was Doctor Brown then. Now I’m Farmer Brown. I’ve always wanted to grow things and doing the Farmers Market is a fun experience. As a customer, coming to the market is more than a shopping trip. The local produce is important, but it’s also a fun social event,” says Brown. Like most of the other growers, Brown picks the products fresh from the patch usually no more than a few hours before he sells them. “I do this for my mental health,” he says. “I plant the seeds and pull the weeds, and I think that will help me live longer.”
m
Cut bacon strips in half and wrap one around each onion wedge. Secure with toothpicks. Place in ungreased 13x9x2 ovenproof dish. Combine brown sugar, vinegar, molasses and barbecue sauce; pour half of mixture over onions. Cover and refrigerate one hour. Remove appetizers from refrigerator and grill, covered, over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, turning and basting frequently with unused half of marinade.
Orthodontist
Specializing in Braces for Children & Adults
Mark C. Tindall, DDS, MS www.tindallortho.com Manhattan
manhattan magazine
53
1133 College Ave. Bld. D
(785) 537-0136
Junction City
505 N. Washington
(785) 238-8151
lofty
living T i m C l a r k ’ s e y e - c a tc h i n g s t u d i o i s a s t e p i n t h e g r e e n d i r e ct i o n s to ry b y o l i v i a b l a n c o m u l l i n s | p h oto g r a p h y b y j o n at h a n s w i n to n
I
t was always meant to be an architecture studio. The tower with an apartment came later. Tim Clark’s green and silver architectural structure at 1431 Poyntz Ave. has easily become a point of curiosity as people talk, wonder and ask about the project. Clark, proprietor of Tim Clark Architecture and general contractor, may have even encouraged all the speculation when he realized that by not putting up a sign, more people would venture into the building to satisfy their curiosities about the rising structure. He might even say it created a sense of community.
56
manhattan magazine
CLOCKWISE from top left: Tim Clark stands outside his new architecture studio and residential loft on Poyntz Avenue. – An interior view of the loft reveals a kitchen that keeps in tune with the steel design. – A courtyard of sorts leads to the loft entrance. – The exterior view glistens with the large windows and stainless-steel siding.
manhattan magazine
57
T i m C l a r k ’ s g r e e n a n d s i l v e r a r c h i t e ct u r a l s t r u ct u r e a t 1 4 3 1 P o y n t z A v e . h a s e a s i ly b e c o m e a p o i n t o f c u r i o s i t y a s p e o p l e t a l k , w o n d e r a n d a s k a b o u t t h e p r o j e ct.
“Almost every day I give a tour. Every day someone comes in and wants to see what it looks like,” says Clark. For the last year Clark has almost given daily impromptu tours of the structure to inquisitive neighbors. He admits he likes the attention. But most of all he likes getting people to talk about modern architecture while displaying the creation he not only designed but built with the help of his nephew Jason Clark. The building’s exterior is stainless steel for a reason. “I live on a farm and every building there is wood. It is constant maintenance. … Limestone wasn’t an option [either]. It is too expensive. So I started looking at metal.”
As for the color, he knew he didn’t want a neutral. While he though he would like white, he ultimately decided on spruce green, which he says looks good with the sky, the snow, the nearby blue of the bank and the red of the Manhattan Arts Center across the street. As it turns out, with the addition of Clark’s building, Poyntz appears as a color wheel of neighboring structures. He covered the lower two-thirds of the building in the green sheets and used bright-annealed 16 gauge stainless steel for the upper third. “It looks like silver. I like it a lot. It is pretty showy, and sometimes I like to be showy,” says Clark. “It grabs attention, and a lot of people ask what it is. I get a lot of compliments.” On the inside Inside the structure is divided into two parts: the studio and the tower. The studio is separated into two main rooms by a small hallway and a conference room. The main room still has an undecided use although it offers a coveted view of Poyntz Avenue through two 11- by 6-foot windows. One can see the width of Manhattan’s main street and the south edge of City Park. Clark’s office on the southern side of the building is slightly smaller with windows on three of the four walls. High ceilings, bright lights and what seems like infinite desk space (a dream for anyone who has ever toiled in a cubicle) make for a desirable destination to work. The conference room looks out to 15th Street through a horizontal window that nearly covers the wall. Furniture was slowly placed into the space this spring. The tower, which houses a one-car garage on the ground level and a small apartment, is accessed through a separate entrance. Getting to it requires a bit of legwork on a steep dark wood staircase near the front door. Once up to the first floor, a living room and small kitchen are illuminated by a two-story window, 11 by 3 feet, and
58
manhattan magazine
CLOCKWISE from left: Clark is seen from the loft built into the architecture studio portion of the structure. – A tall window peers up and into the loft. – Lanterns handmade by Clark and his nephew, Jason Clark, show their creativity and craftsmanship.
T h e b u i l d i n g ’ s e x t e r i o r i s s ta i n l e s s s t e e l f o r a r e a s o n. “ I l i v e o n a fa r m a n d e v e ry b u i l d i n g t h e r e i s w o o d . It i s c o n s t a n t m a i n t e n a n c e . … L i m e s t o n e w a s n ’ t a n o p t i o n [ e i t h e r ] . It i s t o o e x p e n s i v e . S o I s ta rt e d l o o k i n g at m e ta l .”
a basketweave and metal chandelier handmade by Clark. A large bedroom on the second floor features an overhang that looks below into the living room and out on to Poyntz Avenue—it’s a little scary, but the sort of view you can’t look away from. The tower apartment is currently rented, but Clark says as he grows older he may consider moving there. The green accents transcend the building and apartment’s interior. It’s not just the color of the walls but the spirit of reusing material instead of buying new. The windows are recycled from the Manhattan Mall. The doors and frames came from an arcade at the mall, and the floor, made of energy-efficient concrete, has radiant heat, which cuts energy consumption. Eventually Clark plans to install solar panels to heat the floors. Built by hand Clark’s nephew came on board as a full-time employee when the project was in its infancy, bringing good craftsmanship and some construction experience to the table. While Clark would work alongside his nephew on the weekends, it took the team more than a year to finish the building. “I taught him a few things, he taught me a few things,” Clark says. One of the few tasks the uncle-nephew team did not do is pour the concrete in the office; Clark wanted to be sure it was perfectly even. They opted to not mount the drywall because it would have taken Jason too long to mount on his own, and hired others to install the large glass windows, which required machinery.
The five outdoor light fixtures, all of them different, are reminiscent of water and handmade by the duo. “I wanted to do something different. I had scrap stainless steel … I had some thoughts of what I wanted, but stainless steel only bends certain ways with the tools that I had,” says Clark. “It’s been enjoyable, making lights. I might make some more.” As it stands today, the studio is the result of the final of four designs Clark created for the lot. The first was for a client who owned the land before selling it to Clark. The second was too expensive, the third too simple and this one—a mix of inspiration and the lot’s sheer spatial needs—is just right. “I am really enjoying never having to turn the lights on, [I am] enjoying the volume inside, the natural light, the openness of it all,” says Clark. “It makes me happy. … It is like a feeling you have when you get a new car—it’s kind of fun.”
m
60
manhattan magazine
q&a with
Ruth Ann Wefald Outgoing first lady of Kansas State University
Interview conducted, condensed and edited by Katy Ibsen.
What have you learned as the first lady of K-State, and standing by your husband during his tenure? Really a lot of things. I guess some important life lessons. I think the important thing is to be true to yourself always. It’s a very valuable place thanks to you and Jon. How often do you visit the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art? Not as often as I would like. One of the fun things that I really enjoy is that my grandchildren have gotten involved. They have a little program called the Beach Buddies and they let children come over and have different art experiences, so I’ve gone with my grandchildren to various Beach Buddy programs. What exhibit do you cherish most? There are a number. The very first exhibit that we opened was really one of my favorite exhibits, and that was the Dan Mitchell exhibit. He is a Kansas City artist and … there’s just something really spiritual about his work. I also love Marjorie Schick’s
Photograph courtesy Dan Donnert K-State Photographic Services
exhibit on wearable art because the colors were just magnificent. It kind of knocks you when you walk in. … I liked the way it spoke to audiences of all ages. That was really fun. You are a philanthropist in all aspects of the word. What has caused you to value such work? I think it just begins to flow from your … I don’t know … your soul, I guess. If you follow what you believe in, it usually begins to unfold what sort of activities are right for you. What I found is if you’re working for a cause that you really, truly believe in, it’s really easy. The rest kind of comes naturally because you’re passionate about what you’re doing. What is your favorite part of living in the historic President’s House? The setting is magnificent. I love the flowers and the garden. While we were there the vice president of the university suggested to me that we put in a small pond and that has been just a lovely addition.
It’s probably no surprise that Ruth Ann Wefald considers Marianna Kistler Beach a role model. In fact, she will openly admit that she would like to be just like her. “She just is a lovely, gracious, beautiful person. Beautiful inside and outside,” says Wefald, the first lady of Kansas State University. What is possibly more of a surprise is that Wefald also admires Eleanor Roosevelt. “I’ve always looked up to her as a woman of conviction—a woman that stands even when it’s not easy to stand for what’s right and true. I think her stance concerning race was something that I’ve always cherished,” she says. As a woman who has served alongside her husband, volunteered in the community and spearhead one of the most praised museums in Kansas, Wefald appears to be a combination of Marianna Kistler Beach and Eleanor Roosevelt. All this suggests she herself is a role model to many at the university and in the community.
And I think the other thing that I loved about living there are the people I worked with. As a sort of ambassador for the community, what do you enjoy most about Manhattan? Without a doubt the thing that just pops in my mind is the fact of the people, [they] are such an incredible group … that work hard for the community. In some communities they talk about the divide between town and gown, but in Manhattan I have not found that to be true. I think that the community is very supportive of the university and vice versa. If you had a life list (and maybe you do), what has yet to be accomplished? One of the goals I’ve had in terms of traveling … I’d like to take our two sons and their wives back to Norway. The Wefald family is from Norway and there is a little village there called Wefal. … But the village of Wefal is very close to the Wefald family farm. … I’d like to take the family back and do a little trip around Norway and see some of the family that’s still there.
m
manhattan magazine
61
| for the family
| Story by Mary Renee Shirk
| Photography by Alan Honey
Legends of jazz
P
laying three gigs in one week is rough on any band, and the members of Manhattan High School’s Blue Notes Jazz Ensemble know all about it and then some. These talented students balance their busy end-of-the-year performance schedule with prom, college entrance exams and extracurricular activities yet never miss a beat. “I appreciate people who do this for a living,” says Annie Lundin, who played trumpet and was a featured soloist before graduating this year. Toward the end of the year the performance lineup for this student group is as hectic as any professional band’s. In one month, the ensemble performed at area elementary schools, the annual MHS variety show, the annual fine arts showcase, an end-of-the-year band concert and Wine in the Wild at the Sunset Zoo. As a professional musician, director Ron Manges knows what kind of dedication it takes for these kids. He is keyboardist for local band Mainstreet and a trombonist in the Manhattan Municipal Band, also serving as its assistant director. Manges has directed the high school jazz
The MHS Blue Notes Jazz Ensemble continues to entertain Manhattan audiences
62
The Manhattan High School Blue Notes Jazz Ensemble has been a mainstay in the school as well as the community since the 1950s.
manhattan magazine
for the family | Dane Sargent, a recent Manhattan High School graduate, plays the trumpet during a performance by the MHS Blue Notes Jazz Ensemble.
ensemble for 23 years, continuing a tradition of music education and great jazz that started in the 1950s. Blue Notes began as a stage and dance band under the direction of Larry Norvell, the namesake of the band shell in City Park. Today, these 22 students in grades 10 through 12 wow audiences with their high-energy performances showcasing jazz in its many forms. “A typical set might include everything from a classic Mack the Knife to Chuck Mangione’s Feels So Good to a contemporary funk tune,” says Manges. Offering a variety of pieces for all kinds of performances, the student musicians experience a genuine jazz experience. Bobby Scharmann, a 2008 MHS graduate and one of two bass players for the band, says Blue Notes expanded his music knowledge and talent. “I was classically trained and this turned me on to jazz,” says Scharmann, who is also a pianist and viola player. Beyond school performances, Blue Notes has shared the stage for some popular performances. In 1996, Blue Notes had the honor of opening for the Count Basie Orchestra performance at McCain Auditorium. The ensemble also participated in the 2006 Little Apple Jazz
manhattan magazine
63
Festival. “The students were Blue Notes has excited to perform and the audience gave them talent and a sound that good feedback,” says has earned the ensemble Beth Bailey, Union Program Council adviser not only applause but awards at K-State who worked and top ratings at jazz with the festival. This year’s Wine in festivals across the state the Wild, a fundraiser for the Sunset Zoo education year after year. center, featured jazz performed by Blue Notes. “They are very popular and well-received,” says Val Rosenow, treasurer of Friends of Sunset Zoo. Getting to play these venues is no fluke. Blue Notes has talent and a sound that has earned the ensemble not only applause but awards and top ratings at jazz festivals across the state year after year. Since Manges became director in 1985, the group has been selected for Kansas Music Educators Association performances on three occasions. Over the years members of Blue Notes have been featured in the allstate jazz band and gone on to be professional musicians. Aside from many performances and accolades, Blue Notes is first an academic class unlike others at MHS. Auditions are held each spring and those selected meet for an hour a day during the school year. Students are expected to practice on their own and travel with the band to appearances at festivals across the state. Despite the demands, interested band members come out every year, many of whom are involved in other school and community activities. “We had a lot of opportunities to hear other bands and other styles. It exposed us to musical culture,” says Lundin. And that’s exactly what Manges wants to relay in the class. The members of the group get a sense of how to present a program to a varied audience and have a good time doing it. For Manges, jazz has always been a passion and he enjoys continuing to expose these young musicians to its different styles. Nathan Cortner, a recent MHS graduate and three-year member of Blue Notes as an alto saxophone player, agrees. “There is something about jazz that makes you want to be a better musician.”
m
| for the family
| Story by Mary Renee Shirk
| Photography by Alan Honey
Life of the party
k
ailey is going to be a princess complete with dress, tiara and necklace for her seventh birthday. During her art studio party, Kailey, her friends and siblings will turn the Manhattan Arts Center into a castle of sorts. With the help of an art instructor and bins of feathers, yarn, ribbon, construction paper, beads and crayons, they will construct royal pieces with an air of childhood creativity. “We did something similar at an art studio in Oklahoma City,” says Julie Carnine, Kailey’s mother. “Kailey loves taking classes here.” Clay and art studio parties provide an option for Manhattan parents who are looking to host something different for children’s birthdays and other celebrations. Parties are held at the MAC annex and include an instructor along with all art supplies. “Parents come up with the themes and I go around it,” says art instructor Lindsey Darter. As a Kansas State University student in illustration who has been teaching classes at MAC for two years, Darter knows kids get excited about these parties. “They like using their imagination and building things with their hands,” says Darter. Par-
Art studio parties at the MAC are in fashion with kids
64
Andrew West makes small clay characters while attending an art studio party at the Manhattan Arts Center.
manhattan magazine
zfor the family | Lindsey Darter, Kansas State University student, has helped lead many art studio parties as an instructor at the MAC.
Clay studio parties offer hand sculpting or wheel-thrown clay projects.
Five children minimum for an hour and a half is $15 per child. Art studio parties offer stamping, quilting, watercolor painting, cartooning or 3-D found-art sculpture.
Five children minimum for an hour and a half is $10 per child. Manhattan Arts
Center studio parties 1520 Poyntz Ave.
(785) 537-4420 www.manhattanarts.org
ties aren’t limited to construction paper or clay; Darter remembers a party featuring a teddy bear theme where the children painted oil portraits of their bears. For the Carnines, this party consists of a royalty theme. Julie likes that the event is fun for all of Kailey’s friends. “Today the girls are going to make tiaras and the boys are going to make crowns,” she says. The chairs behind the canvas-wrapped tables have balloons tied to them and Julie has brought a cake, more balloons, goody bags and presents. Even Kailey’s little sisters Jenna, 3, and Alyssa, 18 months, will get in on the fun.
Something special Penny Senften, MAC director, says the parties are a great idea for parents who have exhausted all kinds of birthday options or just want to do something special. “Kids enjoy having something different to do and the parents don’t have to clean up,” says Senften, adding that the kids actually learn some-
thing as well. Children can bring their friends— boys and girls of all ages—and introduce them to art. Senften recommends scheduling parties far in advance because the art annex is used for a number of MAC classes and programs. Two years ago the MAC began offering the parties as an expansion of its educational programs. “We thought that it would be a nice way to serve the community, and give parents an alternative to the pizza place or the gymnastics party,” says Tess Purvis, education and marketing director for the MAC. “Also, parents have to do very little planning and cleanup, which is always a bonus.” Parents have been pleased with the parties. “Compared to other venues, we’re inexpensive. And the kids get a chance to express themselves, and everyone has something to take home,” says Purvis.
A party for everyone Clay and art parties provide an activity with direction that is fun and social. Kids talk while working the clay with their hands and tools; wooden paddles, rolling pins and pointy metal tools are used to sculpt bowls, dragons and other clay creations. Ayla LaMaster, 11, claims getting messy is one of her favorite parts of working with clay. Her advice for kids and adults is to “try not to make it perfect, just as good as you can,” Ayla says. “It doesn’t have to look perfect, just good to you.” For a party with the theme Knights and Castles, the clay studio became a tea party where everyone made their own teacup. Clay items created during parties are fired later and available for kids to pick up in a week. Purvis says these parties—especially the clay studio ones—are for kids of all ages (including adults). As partygoer Thomas Billam, 10, says: “Clay is art and art is for everyone.”
m
| for the family
| Story by Leslie Hanson
| Photography by Adam Hofmann
A gallery of bugs
t
welve-year-old Colin Sikes was thrilled when he was allowed to buy the baby tarantula he was admiring. The little critter, small enough to fit in Colin’s palm, is among roughly 200 others available for purchase at Kansas State University’s Insect Zoo. The spiders typically find permanent homes in elementary school classrooms or with individual collectors, according to Kiffnie Holt, zoo outreach coordinator. Holt is often sad to see the tarantulas go because they are her favorites. “They all have different personalities. Some are friendly. Some are shy. Some prefer to be left alone,” she says. But tarantulas aren’t the only insects to get excited about, she says. Cockroaches are equally fascinating, according to Holt, and have a tendency to get lonely if they are in solitude. This is why they are sold in pairs. Among the 4,000 or so cockroach species, only 20 are considered pests. “We want people to learn to appreciate them,” says Holt. Other must-see permanent displays at the insect zoo feature leaf-cutter ants, adult tarantu-
Don’t let the insects bug you—learn to love them at the K-State Insect Zoo
66
CENTER Yoshi and Kye Tomoyasu look at an African millipede while visiting Kansas State University’s Insect Zoo. BELOW An Asian walking stick.
manhattan magazine
for the family |
las and honeybees. The zoo keepers also educate the public about how to deal with critters that find their way into kitchen drawers and cupboards—a realistic fright for many—through a mock kitchen display complete with small countertop, sink, stove and refrigerator. “Our mission at the insect zoo is to educate everyone about insects and help them understand how insects contribute to our ecosystem and the environment,” says Holt. Some of the education involves dispelling myths that kids have picked up from the schoolyard or internet. For example, daddy long-leg spiders are not dangerous
and camel spiders from Iraq are not 3 feet long. But, yes, cockroaches can live without their head—for a period of time. Holt believes that a fear of and disgust with insects is a learned response children often pick up from their parents. “When a kid comes in with family or adults and mom or dad cringes or makes a face, the kid picks up that response and then they are afraid too. But when kids are given the freedom to wander around here and just explore and learn, they always have so much fun,” says Holt. “It’s the movies and television that scare adults into thinking all insects are absolutely disgusting.” Ralph Charlton, a professor in the entomology department at K-State, started the concept of the insect zoo in 1998 with his tarantulas. Today, entomology department head Tom Phillips is working to expand the zoo and has established a fundraising organization known as “Friends of the Insect Zoo” with a membership drive slated for this fall. “This insect zoo is an excellent way to promote science education for children and youth. We try to do a lot to promote that at K-State, and it has to start when the kids are young. That’s why we will continue to design the zoo to appeal to them,” says Phillips.
manhattan magazine
K-State Insect Zoo Located in the K-State Gardens (785) 532-BUGS (2847) www.k-state.edu/butterfly Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
The zoo’s busiest day is always during K-State’s Open House weekend when cockroach races are held and beetle larvae are fried and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar for snack. There was a devoted following of 4,000 regulars when the zoo opened in the fall of 1999. Now the annual number of visitors has increased to 8,000, and that’s primarily through word of mouth. “We couldn’t handle any more than 8,000 visitors a year right now,” says Holt. “That’s just right.”
m
Madhav Nepal peers into dishes containing various bugs and beetles. The K-State Insect Zoo educates visitors with hands-on experiences and various displays.
67
| for the family
| Story by Leslie Hanson
| Photography by Jonathan Swinton
Modern Mary Poppins
j
ennifer Clements arrives at the home of Scott and Stephanie Gillam around 8 a.m., just in time to wave goodbye to the couple and their first-grader, Kiersten, as she leaves for school with mom and dad. Meanwhile, Clements begins making pancakes for Karlie and Kaden, the younger two Gillam children. She feeds them, cleans the kitchen and gives Karlie a bath then the two negotiate on an acceptable outfit to wear. By this time it’s almost 10:15 and time for Kaden and Karlie’s gymnastics lessons. An hour later, both children are hungry for lunch and Clements prepares chicken nuggets and pasta. Now it’s nearly 12:45 and Karlie is off to preschool while it’s time for Kaden to take a nap and Clements to get some studying done, as she is also a fifth-year senior at Kansas State University majoring in business with a minor in psychology. But the dust doesn’t settle for long. Clements is on the go again to pick up Karlie from preschool and Kiersten from her school. Karlie’s dance classes begin at 4 and while she is occupied with that, Clements treats the others to a snack and playtime at the park.
Manhattan families see the benefits of using a nanny
68
TOP From left, Aiden, Nancy and Henry Descarreaux sit with their nanny, Jennifer Clements. Clements operates Manhattan Nanny Services, employing 13 to 14 nannies in the area.
manhattan magazine
for the family | Learn more about Manhattan Nanny Services at http://manhattannannies.blogspot.com/ or by calling (785) 817-1989. when comparing her services with other day care options. As of June, Clements also offers last-minute sitters for events such as emergencies, cancellations and date nights, all for a slightly higher hourly rate. “A huge advantage we have over day care is that our services include light housekeeping and educational projects for the children,” says Clements. “We only charge for the hours each family actually uses.” The Descarreaux family is one of several military families that use Clements’ services. Denis and Nancy Descarreaux have lived in Manhattan for almost a year with their children, Henry, 4 and Aiden, 16 months. Nancy works part time from home as a project manager for an electronics distributor. Last summer she placed an advertisement in K-State’s student newspaper, The Collegian, for a nanny. She had responses but found the process of screening the applicants and negotiating fees tedious and time-consuming. “Through a friend of a friend I learned about Clements’ business, and she makes it all so much easier,” says Descarreaux. “She does all the interviewing and screening and takes care of the fees.”
A changing role
Clements reads to Aiden, whom she has watched as a nanny from almost a year.
It’s a typical day for Clements as she works for one of her favorite Manhattan families.
The need Stephanie Gillam helps her husband in his property management business. She also is taking classes part time to earn her M.B.A. and stays active as an avid runner, so she’s grateful for Clements’ help. “She gets my kids to all their activities … she bakes cookies and doesn’t leave a trace of flour anywhere,” says Gillam. “When I’m not here, she takes over my job.” She and Clements met about a year ago through a mutual friend and child care provider. Clements then started her own business, Manhattan Nanny Services, at the end of January 2008. “I really thought that this was something Manhattan needed, because there wasn’t anything like this,” says Clements. “It was fairly easy because I knew a lot families already who would use the help.” Clements’ Manhattan Nanny Services employs 13 to 14 nannies in the area. With rates based on length of care and the number of children and their ages, families pay between $10 and $12.50 an hour. According to Clements, families with multiple children can save at least $300 to $400 per month
The term nanny originally meant “children’s nurse” in the 18th century. Today the definition has evolved into a person, usually with special training, employed to care for children in a household. In larger East or West Coast cities, nannies typically live in-house with their employers. However, few people employed to care for children in their home actually live in the same home in other areas, such as Manhattan. “Today, and in this community, the mom gets to decide exactly how involved she wants the nanny to be with her family,” says Clements. “I have experienced opposite extremes of how involved to get. Every family is different. Some moms want lots of help and others not as much.” Although Clements has spent the night once or twice when the Gillams have been out of town, she has never lived with them or any other family in Manhattan. “No one here requests that nannies live with them,” says Clements. Thanks to the success of her business, Clements plans to turn Manhattan Nanny Services into a career.
The advantages “It’s very important for me to stick to a routine,” says Gillam. “My children need consistency and by having in-home care they get to keep a consistent routine.” In-home child care also eliminates back-and-forth driving for mom to day care or the home of a playdate. “I feel safer when there’s always someone to call at a moment’s notice when you need help,” says Gillam. As for Descarreaux, she loves raising children in Manhattan. “We have lived in so many different places since my husband is in the military. I used to be a K-State student, so when we got the opportunity to return here as adults we were thrilled. There’s always so much for kids to do here,” she says. Her nanny comes two days a week. Her typical day might include arriving early enough to make Henry breakfast before he needs to leave for preschool, then picking him up afterward and taking a trip to the park or zoo, followed by some reading or crafts. “I can be a working mom and still see my children when I want,” says Descarreaux. She also appreciates the one-on-one attention a nanny can give one or two children compared with the realities of a day care setting. “My son gets a full-time playmate and teacher."
manhattan magazine
m
69
| get away
| Story and Photography by Richelle Tremaine
Travel south from Miami to experience natural beaches, fishing and history
Unlocking the Keys
t
he air is different here, heavy with moisture and filled with the scent of sea air. Tropical flourishes pepper the scenery with bursts of color while warm, crystal blue waters beckon. Once you begin to travel along Overseas Highway, the nature of the Florida Keys soon surrounds you, while your cares fade away in the rear view mirror as you point the car south and head down U.S. Highway 1. The 125-mile strand of islands dangling off the tip of Florida offer a certain sense of serenity. It is an area largely governed by nature, a haven for divers, snorkelers, fishermen, sailors and ecotourists—water is the prevailing culture here. Choosing to get lost in the serene culture is easy, but actually getting lost is virtually impossible as you can either head south toward Key West or north toward Miami, traveling next to well-noted mile markers. Visiting the Florida Keys is more about dividing the water with miles of islands that suit your desires and calm the frenetic everyday life.
70
manhattan magazine
get away | For more information on the Florida Keys, call 1-800-FLA-KEYS or visit www.fla-keys.com. Marathon It’s important to note that while Florida boasts some of the country’s best beaches, the Keys are known more for their coastal fishing and preserved marine life. In fact, the entire stretch of islands is zoned as the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where the nation’s only coral reef remains. Near Marathon, Florida, visitors will find Bahia Honda State Park (mile marker 37) on Bahia Honda Key featuring a splendid little beach. The 524-acre park, open to daily visitors from sunrise to sunset, offers camping facilities, a marina, rental cabins and a water sports shop. Dolphins, sighted regularly in these waters, are studied year-round here and provide quite a treat for those not yet acquainted with marine life. The Dolphin Research Center, on Grassy Key (mile marker 59), is one of a handful of places providing opportunities for visitors to get up close and personal with the intelligent animals.
Islamorada The village of Islamorada spans six islands and basks in its reputation as the “sport fishing capital of the world.” Here anglers can cast a line in a morning quest to catch enormous, elegant sailfish or head to the backcountry waters to fish for tarpon, redfish or bonefish. If reeling in fish isn’t your aim, try feeding the prehistoric-looking tarpon at Robbie’s Marina, a one-stop shop for fishing excursions. Robbie’s proves to consistently please and surprise guests. Purchase a bucket of bait to coax the large-fin tarpon beasts to the surface as they wait in the waters just off the dock. Be sure to heed the signs to not feed the pelicans—they have no fear of humans and no regard for personal space. The Cheeca Lodge and Spa (mile marker 82) is a luxury resort sitting on 27 oceanfront acres and brings the atmosphere of the West Indies to life. Here, visitors will enjoy 1,200 feet of beach, on-site golf, tennis, fishing and pretty much every water sport you could imagine. Long Key Long Key State Park (mile marker 67.5) is a favored destination of nature lovers, campers and those seeking a less developed atmosphere. This state park is also one of the few where campfires are allowed.
If you want a bit more sophistication for your stay along the Keys, consider the Lime Tree Bay Resort (mile marker 68.5), an award-winning small lodge that is pleasant and affordable. This place is noted as one of Fodor’s Travel “Best Bets” resort hotels in the Keys. Each room has access to nice hammocks, grills and plenty of nestled private areas among the 100 or so palm trees. Here, the Looe Key National Marine Sanctuary is considered to be one of the best shallow-water dive experiences to be found. The sanctuary on Big Pine Key is named for the HMS Looe, a British frigate operating in 1744. The waters surrounding the reef run 5 to 35 feet deep, providing great views of sponges, soft corals, elkhorn and staghorn coral thickets, as well as a variety of fish.
Key West The last stop in the island chain, Key West was once home to an eclectic mix of artists, musicians and writers. Prime for inspiration, this tropical hamlet was a favorite destination of Harry Truman, Thomas Edison, Lou Gehrig and Tennessee Williams. Ernest Hemingway and John James Audubon both had homes in Key West that stand as legacies today. At the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, descendants of his six-toed cats still grace the property. The Audubon House Gallery of Natural History provides a bit of time travel back to a more elegant period and showcases much of the work of this noted naturalist. The islands have long enjoyed a reputation for being free-spirited, especially Key West. If on a family vacation, be prepared to explain some things to the kids as the community features a lively nightlife. This southernmost island tends to lean more toward an adult atmosphere, where onlookers can expect all kinds of activity and attention. Of course, throughout the Florida Keys lawlessness was common 200 years ago, as these waters provided both bounty and harbor for pirates. Those days are long gone, replaced by travelers seeking the marine environment and a laid-back culture. The Keys are known as the world’s most popular dive destination. Conservation reigns here and before you know it, you too will be reciting the “Ten Keymandments” for an unforgettable vacation.
m
manhattan magazine
71
July-September 08
e v e n t s
July 5
July 24-27
Friends of Sunset Zoo Kids FREE day.
Summer Sidewalk Sales Sidewalk
9:30 a.m.–5 p.m.
July 11-13
Seven brides for Seven brothers
largeSt Wine
Selection in the area
More iMported SelectionS
than anyone elSe
Micro-BeerS We have it all! Single MaltS rates our
ann
ivers
40
y
th
ar
2008
Celeb
The performance play of seven brothers meeting brides at a barn raising. Unfortunate circumstances and misunderstandings ensue leading to one large, shotgun wedding. Performed at the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, 521 Lincoln St. Showtimes include Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. Additional dates: July 17-20 and 24-27. Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children. (785) 456-2029, www.columbiantheatre.com.
July 19
(785) 539-9441 Westloop shopping Center 1338 Westloop pl Manhattan, Ks
“A Company to grow with”
2040 Fort Riley Blvd. | Manhattan, KS 66502 | 785-539-2842 www.masterlandscapeinc.com
Fort Riley Prairie Run A 10-, 5- and 2-mile run for military personnel and civilians. Hosted by the sports office at Fort Riley, cost is $12 (before July 11) and then $15. Runners can register at the sports office at King Field House or call (785) 239-2172.
July 24-26
Kaw Valley Rodeo The 33rd annual Kaw Valley Rodeo during the Riley County Fair day features top-notch professional PRCA cowboys, seven rodeo events and little buckaroos on wooly sheep. Activities include Kids Night, the Kaw Valley Special Rodeo, Tough Enough to Wear Pink supporting the Terry C. Johnson Basic Cancer Research Center at K-State and Military Appreciation Night. Riley County Fair GroundsWells Arena, Cico Park. 8 p.m. Tickets at the gate include: reserved $10, general admission $7, children 12 and under $4. More information call (785) 564-1385 or visit www.rileycountyfair. com.
sale within the mall showcases the sale items from each merchant. Manhattan Town Center, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. (785) 539-3500. www.manhattantowncenter.com
August 15-16
Relay for Life Relay for Life brings millions of people together to raise money to save lives, help people affected by cancer and empower all to fight back against this disease. The American Cancer Society Relay for Life of Riley County will host the 24-hour event at Memorial Stadium, Anderson and 17th. Events begin at 6 p.m., (785) 537-3107, www.cancer.org.
August 15-17, 22-24
HOO HAW IV Country, gospel and the sidesplitting antics of all your favorite Korn County residents and country stars return to the Columbian Theatre stage. Performed at the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, 521 Lincoln St. Showtimes include Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. (785) 456-2029, www. columbiantheatre.com.
August 28-29
Purple Power Play on Poyntz Celebrate
the upcoming football season with this two-day pep rally including inflatable carnival, food, games and live music and entertainment followed by a pep rally on Friday night. Children can have their pictures taken with Willie the Wildcat 5-7 p.m. Thursday and Friday inside Manhattan Town Center. Downtown Manhattan Poyntz Avenue. Festivities begin at 5 p.m. (785) 537-9683.
August 30
K-State Football hosts North Texas State The 'Cats are back! The K-State Wildcats open their 2008 season at home against North Texas. Bill Snyder Family Stadium, 1800 College Ave. For ticket information call 1-800-221-CATS, or visit www.k-statesports.com.
September 7
4th Annual Petpoolooza Get ready for some wet fun in the sun! In addition to an open dog swim, there will be other activities and opportunities to visit with local pet businesses and win prizes. Come join the annual fundraiser for the T. Russell Reitz Animal Shelter. Cico Park Pool, 3309 Robinson. 1-4 p.m. (785) 587-2757.
September 13-14 Prairie Wildflower Weekend Enjoy
wildflower and medicinal plant hikes, Kansas Native Plant Society education programs, prairie bus tours, special speakers, nature trails and more. Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Route 1, Box 14, Highway 177. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Contact Heather Brown at (620) 273-8494.
September 26-28 Wizard of Oz
The famed musical follows Dorothy and Toto as they travel through magical Land on a journey to Oz. Performed at the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, 521 Lincoln St. Showtimes include Thursday-Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. Additional dates include: October 2-5 and 9-12. Musical tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children; musical and dinner tickets are $37.25 for adults and $20.75 for children. (785) 456-2029, www.columbiantheatre.com.
All events are subject to change. E-mail your upcoming events for the calendar to manhattanmagazine@sunflowerpub.com