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www.theactiveage.com Kansas’ Largest Newspaper
By Beccy Tanner KMUW On a tiny patch of land in Smith County, Brewster Higley wrote a sixverse poem in 1872 that he called “My Western Home.” It was set to music by Dan Kelley of nearby Gaylord, who’d been a bugler Brewster Higley wrote the Kansas state song, during the Civil War "Home on the Range," while homesteading in and had enough this cabin in Smith County. background in music “A Home—A Home—Where the to give it a distinctive deer and the antelope play – where melody. seldom is heard a discouraging word— Kelley then gave the song with and the sky is not cloudy all day.” Higley’s poem to Smith County Judge None of the men attempted to John Harlan and his family, who first copyright the song. played the song publicly. The song soon became famous and The Harlans added a chorus to the song: See State song, page 13
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Wichita, KS 67276 Permit 1711
SURPRISING HISTORY, PEOPLE AND RECIPES
ocated a long way from any ports of call, Wichita is perhaps the last place where you’d expect to find a diverse culinary scene. From its early days as a rough-and-tumble cow town on the Chisholm Trail, the city first achieved dining sophistication through the efforts of the Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club, now the oldest such club in the United States. Steakhouses in the north end invented and popularized what some consider the city’s signature dish: garlic salad. Waves of immigrants from three parts of the world—Mexico, Lebanon and Vietnam—stamped the dining habits of residents with dishes such as piratas, shawarma and Saigon Oriental Restaurant’s famous No. 49. Author Joe Stumpe tells these stories and more while providing nearly two hundred prize recipes from restaurants and home cooks.
Oh, give me a song! 'Home on the Range' turns 150
ACTIVE AGING PUBLISHING, INC 125 S West St., Suite 105 Wichita, Ks 67213
ICONIC EATS
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Vol 43 • No. 2
JOE STUMPE
Substandard senior units get upgrade
The Active Age After years of deferred maintenance and delayed capital improvements, low-income senior housing owned by the city of Wichita is undergoing major renovations. Plans also call for Mennonite Housing to take over management of the 226 units from the Wichita Housing Authority. The four facilities to be improved are the 86-unit Greenway Manor, 315 N. Riverview; 90-unit McLean Manor, at 9th and McLean; 32-unit Rosa Gragg apartments, near 25th See Housing, page 6
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January 2022
STUMPE
1 al e r 2 r c e 20 ne len inn e l G ce W x d E ar w A
Book dishes up Wichita recipes
Take a hike
Women’s hiking club off to fast start
Cindy Coughenour, left, and Jeri Brungardt celebrate their ascent of Flattop Mountain near Estes Park, Colo. By Joe Stumpe One day, Brungardt asked A pair of Wichita women seem to Coughenour if she liked to hike. “I have unleashed a mini-stampede with said, well, I’m sure I do,” Coughenour a simple question: Anybody want to said. go for a hike? They made several hikes and Cindy Coughenour and Jeri posted photos on Facebook. “Women Brungardt, who started Women would say, ‘Oh, I want to go next time. Hiking KS and Beyond two years ago, Take me!” Coughenour remembers. drew 17 women to the first hike they So they put together a Facebook organized. In October, 106 showed page called Women Hiking KS and up for a hike at Kanopolis Lake State Beyond, describing themselves as a Park. “female monthly hiking group,” and Surprising? Yes. scheduled their first official group On the other hand, Coughenour hike. said, why shouldn’t they? Brungardt expected a few close “You’re moving, you’re outside friends to join them, but she knew having a good time.” only two of the 17 who attended the Coughenour and Brungardt met inaugural hike at Camp Horizon in several years ago when Coughenour Arkansas City. Fifty showed up for was teaching self-defense classes to the next hike, in Elk City, and 60 for female employees of Wesley Medical the one after that, at Pawnee Prairie Center, where Brungardt worked. See Hike, page 14
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging/Sedgwick County Department on Aging: 1-855-200-2372
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800-279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655
