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www.theactiveage.com August 2026 Kansas’ Largest Newspaper Printed at Valley Center, KS
Vol 47 No. 9
Like 'being a kid again'
Mac McCarthy’s daily bike rides help others, too
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By Zachary Ruth From laps around his neighborhood to cruise ship exercise bikes, Mac McCarthy has biked every day for more than nine years — and found a way to give back to his community along the way. The retired mechanic's streak began on Nov. 15, 2016, when he decided to ride every day for a year. Some previous tries had ended due to minor accidents or other events, but this time, nothing has stopped him. Each day, he rides at least three miles outside, eight miles on a stationary exercise bike or 20 minutes on a trainer (a device that turns a regular bicycle into a stationary bike). Rain or shine, at home or on vacation, he goes for a ride. “There’s been times I booked into hotels, and it’s like, ‘Where’s your bike?’ ‘We don’t have one.’ And I’ve walked across the street to another hotel,” McCarthy said.
Photo by Zach Ruth
Mac McCarthy volunteers in Bike Walk Wichita's ReCycle shop. He often finds bikes for the ReCycle program while riding himself. Many of his rides are solitary groups such as the Bicycle X-Change's journeys through his south-central urban exploratory riders. The streak is Wichita neighborhood, but sometimes See Bike, page 6 he goes farther afield and pedals with
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Service clubs struggling for members
By Sherry Graham Howerton Nothing says “I love my town” like joining a service organization. Service clubs such as Optimists Clubs, Kiwanis, Rotary, Lions Ron Helten Clubs and the Shriners make our communities stronger, more interesting and more engaging. But are they dying out? Decades ago, membership in such clubs was thriving, serving as the backbone of community life in America. But today, many clubs find themselves confronting a landscape that has changed over the years. Self-reported numbers from many of See Service, page 7
New trail in North End honors history
Photo by Jennifer Anima/KMUW.
Anita Mendoza, president of the North End Wichita Historical Society, hopes the new Woodland Park historical display helps educate a new generation about the neighborhood.
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By Jenni Anima KMUW A newly signed path in Wichita's North End features photos and stories from Mexican immigrants and their descendants who've called the neighborhood home for more than a century. The Woodland Park Historial Walk bends through the park of the same name at 841 N. 21st St., not far from the Little Arkansas River. Its large white panels feature text in both English and Spanish, detailing Wichita’s Mexican heritage dating back to the 1870s. Nine panels explain the city’s early meat-packing industry, civic engagement, activism, religion and sports. See Trail, page 6
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