Topeka Magazine | Spring 2024

70 years after Brown v. Board, an artist leads Topeka in reckoning with and mending unresolved harm from injustice and segregation.

Brookwood Retail Liquor

Dillons

Fox The Barber

H&R Block

Heart and Home Design Co.

Interior Design Resources

Kansas Drug Testing

Linen Tree & Company

Madison Avenue Boutique

Pam Luthi Insurance Solutions

Prairie Trading Company

Ryan’s Pub

Sewing Shack

SoulFire Nutrition

Stillpoint Massage and Body Work

Stitching Traditions

Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant

The Burger Stand

The Laundry Chute

The Tasteful Olive

The Wild Bird House

TopCity Tech

Tuxedo Shack

Wheatland Antique Mall

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Welcome to the spring 2024 edition of TopekaMagazine!

It could have been safe and superficial.

When ArtsConnect Topeka began drawing up ideas to mark the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (the monumental Supreme Court decision that effectively ended legal segregation in US public education), the organization could have settled on a traditional series of events.

Instead, the organization chose a bold program, winning a prestigious grant from the National Endowment of the Arts and hiring acclaimed artist vanessa german (who styles her name in lowercase) to create a series of community projects drawing on conversations with and contributions from Topeka residents.

Speaking with Visit Topeka in November, german said she was struck by “how vibrant the pain and heartbreak” continue to be for Topekans who endured Jim Crow segregation and the white supremacy that did not automatically end with legal desegregation.

German compared the lasting impact of segregation and racism to stepping on a piece of glass. “You don’t just put a Band-Aid on it, you have to get the glass out, then you have to wash the wound, and then you have to stitch,” german said. “What we are offering … is a model of co-created communal, social healing—social mending.”

Sarah Fizell, the executive director of ArtsConnect, told our magazine that german’s plans for events that are both a difficult reckoning and a needed healing will benefit Topeka.

“Topeka is not a stranger to having hard conversations,” Fizell said. “If you make clear to people that the version of the [race relations] story you want to hear is the happy-shiny version, then they probably aren’t going to feel comfortable about telling the bumps-and-bruises version. But it all has to be part of that experience and that understanding so that we can move forward, and so that we can truly learn from what happened.”

That is a sentiment that german echoed in outlining her goals for co-creating “work that is courageous, vulnerable, and ultimately loving enough that it awakens something in the human heart.”

—NATHAN PETTENGILL, EDITOR

Editor

Art Director/Designer

Nathan Pettengill

Alex Tatro

Copy Editor Leslie Clugston Andres

Advertising Representative Angie Taylor ataylor@sunflowerpub.com (785) 832-7236

Photographer

Writers

Angel Haze

Nick Krug

Bill Stephens

Frank Barthell

Melinda Briscoe

Susan Kraus

Christine Steinkuehler

Bill Stephens

Subscriptions

$27 for a one-year subscription; email topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com

Please contact us at topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com for all comments, subscription and editorial queries.

Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of Ogden Publications.

Director: Bob Cucciniello

Publisher: Bill Uhler

Ogden Publications

1503 SW 42nd St Topeka, KS 66609

On the Cover

Artist vanessa german stands at the entrance of the Todd home, a house which hosted crucial planning meetings for Topeka residents who challenged legal segregation in the Brown v. Board court case. Photograph by Angel Haze.

sunflowerpub.com

topekamag.com

Artist vanessa german leads the Love & Justice Civil Rights Summer 2024 art and performance projects. Photograph by Angel Haze.

WHAT’S INSIDE

DEPARTMENTS

08 THE CORPOLONGO CORNER

By finding delight in hydrangeas and small crabapples, a Topeka couple has created a garden perfectly adapted to a neighborhood of shade

12 SPRING BREAK IN KANSAS

Travel writer Susan Kraus suggests a two-day family road trip to southeast Kansas for spring break or a weekend getaway

14 HOBSON’S PACE

Running coach Sherry Hobson inspires runners of all ages to cover distances and reap rewards

18 WHAT'S HAPPENING

Spring events

FEATURES

22 HUMMINGBIRD SEASON

Photographer Bill Stephens talks about one of his favorite spring events to capture on camera— the arrival of the hummingbirds

26 ‘THE WORK OF LOVE'

A city-wide art project marks the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board with celebration, reckoning, and a challenge for the future

The Corpolongo Corner

By finding delight in hydrangeas and small crabapples, a Topeka couple has created a garden perfectly adapted to a neighborhood of shade

STORY BY Christine Steinkuehler PHOTOGRAPHY BY Nick Krug

I have a friend whose mother does not live in Topeka, but she visits the city often in order to see grandchildren and gardens.

This grandmother and avid gardener often takes her grandchildren to tour Topeka gardens and teaches them that the only way to really see a garden is to walk through it and appreciate its details. One of her favorite Topeka gardens to tour is the Corpolongo garden—a beautiful intertwining of different varieties of sedums, hostas, and other perennials set in the Potwin neighborhood, on the northwestern corner of CW Potwin’s original plot.

Armand and Judy Corpolongo have lived here for 50 years. During those decades, they have learned to adapt their gardening to their conditions, but it took a bit of time to adopt this approach.

Armand grew up in Frontenac, Kansas, where his father was a baker and always kept a garden. These family gardens were in a slightly more temperate growing zone and at a time when many people grew vegetable gardens.

When they first moved into their home, Armand and Judy tried this same approach— growing vegetables surrounded by plots of grass, but, despite reseeding practically every year, they were never satisfied with their lawn or vegetable harvest.

Realizing that their plot simply had too much shade, the couple switched to sedums that Judy received from her father and grandmother.

Armand and Judy Corpolongo, along with their dog, Dylan, sit in front of their home in the Potwin neighborhood.

Armand says he has grown to delight in shrubs; hydrangeas are his favorites. He has 28 different varieties and says he is willing to baby them to ensure they get through the summers. That means dragging the hose around the property almost every day in the summer and even sometimes erecting a large shade umbrella to protect his darlings from the worst of the sun. Armand has considered adding a sprinkler system, but they require a lot of maintenance. Coverage would be difficult because he is always moving things around in the garden.

The property does provide a lot of space for repositioning plants and shrubs. Because it sits on a corner, it basically has two front yards—double the space to garden.

That increased space presents an opportunity, and Armand also has taken advantage of the easements between sidewalk and street, but he has lost plantings several times when the city has dug up the area for utility work, as is the city’s right.

Still, the last time the city planned to dig, the city contractor came to Armand and warned him in advance, allowing Armand to save those plants by moving them to another location on the property.

Just as plants and shrubs have been moved around to find their ideal location, the rest of the garden has been series of trial and error. A Bradford pear tree that Armand had once planted is a good example. The pear was surviving, but it frequently suffered from fire blight (a bacterial infection that particularly affects pear trees).

When Armand learned that the Bradford is considered an invasive species, he stopped struggling to keep it alive and replaced it with a crabapple. He notes that the crabapple has fantastic spring blooms (his tree’s blooms are white, but they come in a range of pinks, purples, and reds) and that its tiny fruits provide food for birds through the winter.

Not all crabapple varieties are ideal for a shaded property in Topeka, or in general for gardening. Armand cautions that some crabapple varieties frequently sold at box stores are susceptible to fire blight; they also produce large fruit that birds will peck at but not completely eat, so they create a mess that makes it difficult for other plants to grow under or around the tree.

But with this crabapple, the birds devour the entire fruit, and then fly over to the property’s other birdfeeders or birdhouses, mostly built by Armand.

After a few years of trial and error, the Corpolongos learned to adapt their garden to its particular condition— extensive shade with patches of intense exposure to the sun.

The garden’s water fountain, however, was a purchased splurge—one that Armand says was well worth the money.

When the birds are enjoying the garden’s bath and crabapples during the winter, Armand and Judy have often moved their focus from their lawn to their home.

Perched atop a hill, the couple’s lemon-yellow Victorian cottage features a wraparound porch that Armand has rebuilt. When the coupled decided to close in the back sunporch, Armand sanded and reused the flooring for the front porch floor. He also made the decorative exterior spindles and gingerbread in his basement shop.

Over the past five decades, every surface inside and outside has been retouched many times. The couple says it is difficult to decide when to stop, because there are always things to do, to think about, and to look forward to doing, both with the home and the garden.

Fortunately, not all work is work— particularly when it involves being outside with shade plants.

“Gardening is therapeutic and cheaper than a therapist,” Armand explains. Perhaps best of all, working in the garden is something that benefits more than the gardener, as the birds and the touring garden-wise grandmother will attest.

The generous corner plot allows for plenty of plantings and several bird-feeding stations. Art has made most of the yard's wooden bird feeders and homes.

Spring Break in Kansas

Travel writer Susan Kraus suggests a two-day family road trip to southeast Kansas for spring break or a weekend getaway

STORY BY Susan Kraus PHOTOGRAPHY BY Bill Stephens

There are many cities in Kansas that feel just right for a family escape. Fort Scott is one of them, with two engaging museums and a national historic site that will appeal to the whole family. Grab a motel with a pool for down time, then add a short drive to see Big Brutus. The giant mining shovel will freak kids out in a good way, and once seen and climbed, Big Brutus becomes an unforgettable family memory.

Fort Scott is only a two-hour drive from Topeka, so you can easily see two locations in one day. My recommendation is to start at Fort Scott, where everyone can stretch their legs, then choose one museum for the first afternoon. On day two, start with the second museum at Fort Scott, then drive to Big Brutus before heading back to Topeka.

The Lowell Milken Center / Unsung Heroes Museum

I recommend starting with this combination research center and museum. Its project-based learning approach leads to displays about lesser-known individuals who made a difference in the world with acts of courage and integrity. The interactive displays help kids (and adults) to understand that they have the power to help others.

Standing some 15 stories tall, Big Brutus looms over visitors. For perspective, see the two visitors standing just to the left of this text box.

Gordon Parks Museum

This museum celebrates the life and work of Gordon Parks, who was born in Fort Scott in 1912 and became an internationally renowned photographer, filmmaker, writer and composer. In 2004, Parks gave the museum 30 of his most acclaimed photos, and after his death in 2006, his family donated memorabilia and other personal belongings. The museum also touches on the history and resilience of Fort Scott’s Black community. Like the Unsung Heroes Museum, this facility allows families to learn together and prompts discussions of important issues.

Fort Scott National Historical Site

A preserved fort that played an essential role during Bleeding Kansas and the Civil War, this site provides an overview of military and regional history spanning more than 180 years. There are multiple buildings to explore with guided or self-guided tours. Be sure to see the park movie “Dreams and Dilemmas,” and the videos about life on the frontier that talk about Euro-American settlement of the 1850s from multiple perspectives.

Big Brutus

Like much of Kansas, the gigantic electric shovel, Big Brutus, is often overlooked. People may recall hearing about it, but most have never made the journey to see it in person: to touch, climb on and disappear into it. Don’t make that mistake! Less than one hour south of Fort Scott, Big Brutus stands magnificently over a small museum with a video and artifacts, a campground, and a pleasant grassy area with paths, picnic tables and antique farming implements. It took 150 railroad cars to bring in the parts for Big Brutus in 1962–1963 when it was fully assembled for the Pittsburg and Midway Coal Mining Company. On completion, it weighed 11 million pounds, was as tall as a 15-story building, and ran 24 hours a day for 11 years before shutting down in April 1974. Save Big Brutus for the end. And tell the kids nothing—not even the name or they’ll google it—because freaky surprises are hard to come by.

Contact Info

Be sure to contact the facilities in advance. Hours fluctuate. Staffing is limited. Ask about family rates.

Lowell Milken Center / Unsung Heroes Museum lowellmilkencenter.org info@lowellmilkencenter.org; 620.223.1312

Open Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m.; closed Sundays

Big Brutus bigbrutus.org; bigbrutus@ckt.net; 620.827.6177; 6508 NW 60th St., West Mineral KS 66782. Call to confirm hours.

Gordon Parks Museum

gordonparkscenter@fortscott.edu

620-223-2700 Ext. 5850

Open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. but closed for school holidays and breaks so definitely call first! Sometimes open weekends, so email or call to inquire.

Fort Scott National Historical Site www.nps.gov/fosc/planyourvisit/index.htm

April 1 to October 31 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

November 1 to March 31 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Buildings are (temporarily) closed Wednesdays and Thursdays. Check the website for other closures.

Hobson’s Pace

Running coach Sherry Hobson inspires runners of all ages to cover distances and reap rewards

STORY BY Christine Steinkuehler PHOTOGRAPY BY Nick Krug

Sherry Hobson, a former nurse, 79-year-old trainer and founder of the Badass Ladies Running Group, says she had always wanted to be an athlete even though she wasn’t allowed to be one. Graduating from Topeka High in 1962, Hobson went through a high school program without any girls’ sports programs. Instead, she had to make due in support roles, cheering from the sidelines and being jealous of her brothers’ choices of activities.

Fifty years later, Hobson realized her dream of being an athlete. In 2014, when she was 70 and living in Jupiter, Florida, Hobson signed up to walk 60 miles over 3 days to raise funds for breast cancer research. As she went through those days, she kept picking up the pace, and before she knew it, she realized that she could be running the route.

So she went to her doctor, got a physical, and began running.

She entered her first competitive race six weeks after she began running. It was a learning experience; she took off too fast and regretted it. But mistakes are part of the process, Hobson says—you run and learn. She soon hired a coach to help her train for a marathon, and she has since completed three marathons, several half-marathons, one 50-mile race and numerous 5ks. She also started several women’s running clubs,

Sherry Hobson became a competitive runner at age 70.

Running with Hobson

Anyone interested in running with Sherry Hobson or supporting her birthday run with donations for veteran causes can find more information about the run and this year’s supported organization online at the websites and Facebook pages of Fleet Feet Topeka, Topeka Trail Runners and Sunflower Striders as the run date approaches.

the Badass Ladies Running Club in Jupiter, and then another club of the same name in Durango, Colorado.

Working with new runners, she teaches patience and self-awareness. She says that runners should allow themselves to skip or reschedule a short run as necessary and should work in slow, long runs to build mind and body endurance. She also emphasizes that “you do not train to not have pain; you train to learn how to deal with it.”

Hobson says she especially enjoys training middleage and older women. Having been a nurse, she is well aware that running at age 55 and over is not the same as running at age 20. Expectations—from others and from yourself—should be different, but training can still be serious and the rewards are still there to be enjoyed.

For example, Hobson says that runners of this age, particularly new ones, should realize they do not have to run an entire race.

“You do not have to run the whole thing, you can run/walk and still be competitive, very competitive,” she notes.

Hobson is still competitive. She checks the winners’ race times before every race she competes in. Before every race, she writes “BELIEVE” on her wrist and will refer to it during races.

“The first thing that you have to do to run is to believe that you can do it,” Hobson explains, “and then you will do it.”

Hobson also speaks against what she sees as ageism in many race organizations; she calls out the tendency to lump all race runners over 50 or 60 into one medal group.

Recently moving to Topeka, Hobson says she looks forward to continuing her traditional birthday run— one mile for every year—a tradition she began when she turned 75. In part a tribute to her father, a World War II POW, and her brother, a Vietnam vet, Hobson’s first birthday run extended for three days, with a 25-mile run each day, to raise awareness and $3,000 in donations for National Alliance to End Veteran Suicide.

This year, Hobson is planning her birthday run in late March and early April to raise money for Gary Sinise’s Foundation to help the veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Hobson says she realizes this type of distance running, particularly during the senior years, is not for everyone. But she loves it and enjoys seeing how new runners might respond to a question she frequently poses: “How far can you really go?”

March

FEATURED EVENT

Our Stories: African American Topeka Before and

After Brown

March 1 May 19

A history exhibit at the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery reflecting on the impact of Brown v. Board on the local Black community and culture. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Black American Blueprint Collective and the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery. Free. tscpl.org and black-collective.org

March 1 (and the first Friday of every month)

First Friday

Galleries, studios and other venues open to the public for an evening of entertainment and art showings. artstopeka.org

March 1–March 30

School of Rock: The Musical Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of the 2003 film starring Jack Black comes to the main stage of Topeka Civic Theatre. topekacivictheatre.com

March 2

Capital City Crushers

Topeka’s roller derby team hosts their first home-rink bout of the 2024 season against Springfield Roller Derby. facebook.com/CapitalCityCrushers

March 5 (and most every Tuesday)

Team Trivia

Norsemen Brewing Company hosts weekly Tuesday trivia competitions 6–9 p.m. Free. facebook.com/trivialzombies and norsementbrewingco.com

March 7

Nikki Giovanni

Washburn University hosts an evening with award-winning poet Nikki Giovanni for an exploration of the ideas of “community and belonging” in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision. Free with pre-registration. nikkigiovanniatwu.eventbrite.com

March 15

Senior Players

Topeka Civic Theatre’s troupe of senior-age improvisation actors presents an evening of comedy sketches. topekacivictheatre.com

March 15

Beyond Brown

Valera Mendoza of Humanities Kansas presents “Beyond Brown: Mexican Struggles for Equality Before and After Brown v. Board” as part of the community-wide Brown v. Board 70th anniversary events. humanitieskansas.org

March 16

Topeka IrishFest

A day full of food, music, and entertainment. Access to the Evergy Plaza in Downtown Topeka is free for the concerts and performances. The beer garden opens at 10 a.m., the parade starts off at noon, and headline act Carswell and Hope take center stage at 12:30 p.m. topekairishfest.com

March 17

Spring Lawns and Lawn Alternatives

Shawnee County Master Gardeners host a free workshop on recommended spring lawn care and ecological alternatives to lawns. Free. tscpl.org

March 17

Before Bach’s Birthday Bash

Members of the Topeka Chapter of the American Guild of Organists present a concert of music by J.S. Bach. Part of Grace Episcopal’s “Great Spaces” concert series. Free. greatspaces.org/schedule

March 20

Harlem Globetrotters

The Harlem Globetrotters hold a game at the Stormont Vail Events Center as part of their 2024 world tour. harlemglobetrotters.com

March 24

Topeka and the Exodus

A panel of historians discuss the role Topeka and Topekans played in the exodus movement of Black settlements after the Civil War. Free. black-collective.org

March 24

Our Stories Reenactors

Living historians portray historical figures who played a prominent role in Topeka’s Black community. Free. black-collective.org or tscpl.org

Photographs courtesy Harlem Globetrotters, John Nakamatsu, and Jordan Whitten.

Working Statewide So Communities Are Livable for People of All Ages

By 2030, one out of every five people in the United States will be age 65 or older. By 2034, the nation will have more older adults than children under 18 for the first time ever. That’s why AARP is working with local leaders nationwide to help towns, cities, counties, rural areas and even entire states become more livable for people of all ages.

In a livable community, people of all ages can …

• Live safely and comfortably

• Enjoy public places

• Spend time outdoors

• Get around without a car

• Go for a walk

• Ride a bike

• Work or volunteer

• Shop, socialize and be entertained

• Access healthy food

• Find the services they need and

… make where they live a lifelong home.

March 30

Topeka Tropics

Topeka’s hometown arena football team hosts their first home game of the 2024 season with a match-up against the Sioux City Bandits. topekatropics.com

March 30

Italy Travel

Topeka Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to Italian music with works by Verdi and Raspighi and joins Van Cliburn Gold Medal pianist John Nakamatsu for a rendition of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2 topekasymphony.org

April

FEATURED EVENT

Hollywood

April 27

Topeka Symphony Orchestra presents an evening of music featuring orchestral scores from popular films such as Dr. Zhivago, Titanic, Casablanca, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, and more. topekasymphony.org

April 5 (and the first Friday of every month)

First Friday

Galleries, studios and other venues open to the public for an evening of entertainment and art showings. artstopeka.org

April 5

Our Stories Reenactors

Living historians portray historical figures who played a prominent role in Topeka’s Black community. Free. black-collective.org or tscpl.org

April 5 and 6

Laugh Lines

Topeka’s improvisation comedy troupe performs at the Topeka Civic Theatre. topekacivictheatre.com/laughlines

April 6 (and every Saturday to November)

Farmers Market

Season opens for the Downtown Topeka Farmers Market at SW 6th and SW Harrison streets. topekafarmersmarket.com

April 10–26

Jerold Binkley Tulip Time

Thousands of tulips should be in bloom around Topeka during the annual tulip festival now named after the volunteer who helped begin the festival more than 30 years ago. parks.snco.us

April 19–May 4

The Book of Will Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy presents a stage dramatization of how two actors in early 1600s London helped preserve the legacy of playwright William Shakespeare. topekacivictheatre.com

April 20–21

Swan Lake Midwest Ballet presents Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet based on folk tales about an evil sorcerer and the tragic love between a young prince and a cursed princess. balletmidwest.net

April 24

Topeka’s Black Wall Street

Panel of historians discuss economic reality and success of Black business district in Topeka history. Free. black-collective.org or tscpl.org

April 27

TopCity Half-Marathon & 5k

Topeka’s half-marathon starts racers at the Kansas Capitol and brings them through the city to end in Downtown. topcity.run

April 27

Exodusters Walk/Run Celebration

Community walk/run and dedication of Exodusters Boulevard plaque. black-collective.org

April 28

The WCTC Players

Topeka Civic Theatre’s resident troupe of radio actors and sound effect experts close out their 2023–2024 season with a performance recreating classic shows from the golden age of radio drama. topekacivictheatre.com

May

FEATURED EVENT “Brown v Board 70 Years & a Reckoning” exhibit

May 16

Artist vanessa german opens a collaborative community arts project exhibition in honor of the Brown v. Board anniversary and as part of her Summer of Love & Justice residency in Topeka. artstopeka.org

May 3 (and the first Friday of every month)

First Friday

Galleries, studios and other venues open to the public for an evening of entertainment and art showings. artstopeka.org

May 4

Bridge Walk

Celebratory walks across Lucinda Todd and Nick Chiles bridges to honor 70 years of the Brown v. Board decision. black-collective.org

May 4, 11, 18, and 25

African American Topeka History Tours

Bus tours to various important sites in the history of Topeka’s Black community. $55 per person. black-collective.org

May 5

Spring Concert

The Shawnee Choral Society presents its spring concert at Washburn University’s White Concert Hall. The Shawnee Choral Society is composed of experienced vocalists from Topeka and Shawnee County metropolitan region. shawneechoral.com and Shawnee Choral on Facebook

May 10

Photography in Civil Rights Photographer Ann Dean talks about the power of photography in the civil rights movement. Free. tscpl.org

May 11 (and second Saturday of each month)

Bird Walk

Topeka Audubon Society and the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library host a monthly bird walk. Open to all. Gather at McDonald Field on Shunga Trail at 8 a.m. topekaaudubonsociety.org

May 18

Brown v. Board 70th Anniversary Homecoming Celebration

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site hosts an all-day event in honor for former students and educators of Topeka’s four former African American public schools. Pre-registration required. nps.gov/brvb/homecoming.htm

May 24

Premiere of operetta To Be Who We Say We Are Artist vanessa german presents a spoken word operetta with community choir as part of the Love & Justice Civil Rights Summer 2024 to mark the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision. artstopeka.org

June

June 1–2

Mulvane Art Fair

Annual outdoor art fair featuring work by local and traveling artists to benefit the Mulvane Museum of Art. mulvaneartmuseum.org

Hummingbird Season

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Bill Stephens

Photographer Bill Stephens talks about one of his favorite spring events to capture on camera—the arrival of the hummingbirds

Above: A female rubythroated hummingbird chases an insect.

Opposite:and Right: A female rubythroated hummingbird approaches an orange pekoe montbretia.

If you are like me, one of the highlights of spring in Topeka is the arrival of hummingbirds.

Max Thompson, the senior author of three Kansas bird books, says that we can expect to see hummingbirds as early as April 2, and that they might stay around until about November 8.

“When they leave Kansas, they migrate to the countries from Mexico to Panama,” Thompson adds.

While they are here, the birds are gathering food and strength for their long journey, as well as for their daily flights.

The hummingbirds must eat frequently to compensate for their high metabolic rate. They feed about every ten minutes and eat one-half of their body weight in insects and nectar each day.

“Gnats and other small insects are their favorites,” Thompson notes.

Capturing gnats and insects for the birds can be an impossible task. Like many Topekans, I let the hummingbirds do that on their own, but I plant flowers to provide nectar and add feeders for the birds because I enjoy watching and photographing them.

Hummingbirds prefer red and orange flowers and often visit backyards with petunias, red salvia, digitalis, phlox, mimosa, rose of Sharon, and honeysuckle trees.

Since the birds are attracted to bright red, any red feeder can lure hummingbirds before many of your flowers bloom. An advantage of feeders is that they can be moved near a window or other desirable location where plants may not be suitable. Place the feeder in a semi-protected location where rain cannot dilute the nectar mixture. Avoid direct sunlight as heat may cause the nectar to expand and evaporate. Too much heat can also lead to harmful bacterial growth in the liquid.

Use either instant nectar preparation, available at many nurseries and other retailers, or prepare your own nectar with 1 part sugar to 4 parts boiled water. It is not necessary to add red food coloring although you may if your feeder isn’t red.

Hummingbirds are the smallest of our native birds and can only be found in the Americas. Fifteen of the more than 300 species are found in the United States, and only the ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris) hummer is common in Kansas.

They are a mere 3½ inches long and weigh less than 5 grams and are sometimes mistaken for the sphinx moth, which also feeds on flowers during summer evenings.

While they are most prevalent in the eastern part of Kansas, hummingbirds have been seen in the western areas, including St. Francis, Goodland, Garden City, and Elkhart.

You can easily identify the sex of the hummingbird since the males are medium-sized with a bright red throat and a black chin. The females are duller than the males, and their chins and throats are white with pale green streaks.

During their initial stages of life, juvenile male and female ruby-throated hummingbirds resemble their mother, exhibiting a white throat with light stippling. As the males mature, they begin to display a few specks of color near their neckline and eventually their bolder red throat feathers become more dominant and stately, displaying a colorful gorget (or neckpiece) around their throat. Juvenile females show a light faint gray stippling on their throat. As both sexes mature, their less vivid and lighter-colored plumage will become darker.

In order to dart around the flowers so gracefully, the hummers beat their wings more than 50 times per second. Their legs are so short they are unable to walk or hop. If needed, they can shuffle and scoot down a small branch. Their nests, which Topekans might see along streams and in parks, are very small, about the size of a thimble, and held together by spider webs.

Hummingbirds are territorial and will chase away any other hummingbirds that get too close when they are feeding. These battles are quite spectacular to watch and photograph. The losers will quickly fly away, but they often return to feeding locations, at least until the end of September, when it will be time for them to be on their way.

Artist vanessa german will lead a series of collaborative community art and performance projects in Topeka to honor and examine the world created by the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court decision.

‘THE WORK OF LOVE’

STORY BY Melinda Briscoe PHOTOGRAPHY BY Angel Haze and Nick Krug

A city-wide art projects marks the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board with celebration, reckoning, and a challenge for the future

several Topeka residents, such as Reverend Ben Scott, whose Eastside Church of God in Christ is leading efforts to preserve and restore the historic Todd home, a gathering location for Topekans who helped bring the Brown v. Board court case.

Clockwise from top left: vanessa german's studio assistant, Jordan Whitten, walks through Hoener Auditorium during a site-tour of Topeka locations with german. Artist vanessa german during one of her pre-summer visits to Topeka. In preparing for her art and operetta projects, german met with and listened to the experiences of

Love & Justice Civil Rights Summer

“Human beings belong together,” says artist vanessa german. “Sometimes it’s due to a particular geography, or it might be a certain community they live in. I am making art in a community through my citizenship as a human. It’s rooted in humanness.”

This summer, german (who styles her name in lowercase) arrives in Topeka to lead a series of art projects focused on community and human connections as part of the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Topeka Board of Education Supreme Court decision that effectively ended legal discrimination in US public education.

Commissioned by ArtsConnect of Topeka, german’s residency will include community events under the banner of the “Love & Justice Civil Rights Summer” to underline Topeka’s direct connection to the case, celebrate recent accomplishments, and process current challenges facing the community.

Detailed information on vanessa german’s Love & Justice Civil Rights Summer programs can be found at topekaarts.org. Detailed listing of events related to the Brown v. Board anniversary can be found at 70thanniversaryBrownCoalition.org and black-collective.org.

German, the recipient of numerous grants and awards, has created a portfolio of thought-provoking sculptures, paintings, photography, and performance. Her art is held in the permanent collections of regional museums, such as the Wichita Art Museum and Kansas City’s Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. German credits her mother, visual artist and activist Sandra German, for inspiring her and her three siblings.

“My mother raised us to center our lives through creativity. We were encouraged to be curious and investigate the world around us,” german says. “There was never any not making art in our family.”

As a teenager, german attended the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies, and then she continued

Artist vanessa german visited several historic Topeka locations related to the Brown v. Board court case, such as the Sumner Elementary School grounds and the Todd home, the house where much of the planning for the legal challenge to segregation was made.

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The Washburn Mural

Leading up to the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board decision, Washburn School of Law commissioned a mural to honor the university’s contribution.

“This one-of-a-kind piece showcases the history of the law school and the role Washburn lawyers played in advancing this landmark case,” says Jeff Jackson, interim dean of Washburn Law School.

Created by artist Michael Toombs (the same artist who directed the large mural across from the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park) and installed at the Robert J. Dole Hall in 2023, the four-panel painting is titled Non Nobis Solum (Not for Ourselves Alone), Washburn’s motto.

her development as a self-taught artist focused on community projects.

This summer in Topeka, german will lead three distinct but connected projects.

The first is the creation of a Museum of Reckoning in Mulvane Art Museum. german says this exhibit will examine the convoluted, intricate, contentious, and transformative aspects of Brown v. Board. The artwork will be created through community projects “in any media necessary.” german sees the art as the catalyst to the reckoning while at the same time being a reckoning in and of itself.

The second part of german’s focus this summer will be a spoken-word operetta titled “To Be Who We Say We Are.” It will be performed by an intergenerational, multiracial community choir and will be professionally recorded and licensed.

The final part of the project will be a series of billboards, whose location is yet to be named.

These projects, german says, will all be communally created and will encourage residents to talk about what they see, hear, and feel. That process of creating and then discussing the art is what german describes as the opportunity “to weave a profoundly human narrative that is, to this day, as instructive as it is inspirational.”

For german, bringing folks together is not only a result of but also the purpose of the summer projects. She says confronting and truth-telling allow a community to reach a restorative and transformative beauty. As she explains, “This is the work of love. Creative understanding, redemptive, transformative good will. This means that love is a weapon, and grace is a weapon too.”

Toombs says the seeds for this epic story were planted by the first sentence of the United States Constitution: “to form a more perfect union.” It’s both a vision and a call to action, he says.

The panel narrates a history of Washburn’s law program and its impact on civil rights, beginning with New England industrialist Ichabod Washburn, whose $25,000 donation after the Civil War saved the college and paved the way for Elisha Scott, the college’s first Black student, to enroll in 1868.

“Never getting the chance to visit, he still saw the potential of what Lincoln College could do to maintain that path,” says Toombs.

The second and third panels highlight individuals from Washburn who helped challenge educational segregation. Panel four bears the familiar faces of Kansas representative Jim Slattery and Kansas senator Bob Dole, who introduced legislation to create the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park.

But there’s another important part in the last panel, the open background, which Toombs says symbolizes an open-ended future.

“There’s such a rich depth of experiences and stories that are yet to be told about how that case affected the community,” Toombs says. “So, the chance to do something amazing for the state and for the Topeka community is waiting for an opportunity to present, then share with the world, just what took place in Topeka.”

–Frank Barthell

Artist Michael Toombs created a four-part mural panel that examined Washburn University's civil rights history and connection to the Brown v. Board decision.

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