Camaraderie is par for golfing gal pals
The Active Age
Dorothy Kaiser made a decision with lasting benefits when she married for the second time in 1970, and it wasn’t her choice of husbands (although he worked out, too).
“I decided I did not want to be a golf widow,” said Kaiser, who married an avid golfer. “I just made up my mind I would learn how to play golf also.”
Kaiser said it wasn’t hard to learn.
“I didn’t say that I was an excellent golfer. I just enjoyed doing it.”
She then went to work in the accounting department at Learjet and joined the Business Women’s Golf League. Kaiser no longer has the job, but she’s still in the league.
“The golf course girls call me Dottie,” she said.
They seem to adore her.
“Playing golf with my hero!” friend and fellow golfer Tina Leep wrote on Facebook in early June.
“Dottie Kaiser turns 92 years young this week! I want to be her
when I grow up!” The league has women in their 20s through, thanks to Kaiser, their 90s.
All women, working or not, are welcome to join to play golf weekly
See Golf Pals, page 6
Ditching the floods
The ‘Big Ditch’ prevents major flooding. Could it serve another purpose?
By Joe Stumpe
Eighty years ago this spring, the Little Arkansas River spilled out of its banks in a way that spelled big trouble. Swollen by heavy rain, the river and nearby Chisholm Creek drove an estimated 5,000 Wichitans from their homes, washed out bridges and covered much of downtown.
In Riverside Park, the historic Park Villa building was surrounded by acres of water four feet deep. In the stockyards along 21st, workers loaded 4,000 hogs onto railroad cars to keep them from drowning. To the north, Valley Center and a swath of Sedgwick County were under
See Big Ditch, page 7
‘Not today Parkinson’s’ is club motto
By Bonnie Bing
Visit the Heskett Center on the Wichita State University campus, and you may come across a group of radicals. They’re the ones wearing colorful T-shirts with a slogan on the back — “Not Today Parkinson’s” — along with smiles and determined looks that prove they believe it.
They’re also walking, taking aquatic classes, doing yoga and otherwise defying stereotypes about people with Parkinson’s.
Started four years ago by Connie Urbanek and Shana Gatschet, Club Parkinson’s has made a positive — and in some cases dramatic — difference in the lives of 151 people to date.
“I’ve been here since the very beginning, and it is wonderful,” Gary Steed said after a stationary bike workout last month. “I get to be around great people, and it’s very helpful physically and mentally.”
Knowing that someone is diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease every six minutes, Urbanek and
See Parkinson's, page 10
Photo courtesty of the Wichita -Sedgwick County Historical Museum Wichita's old City Hall flooded periodically in the 1900s.
Dorothy Kaiser, right, and Tina Leep play regularly in a women's league at MacDonald Golf Course.
Photo by Bonnie Bing
Gary Steed works out during a Club Parkinson's session at Wichita State last month.
ALL STATES SENIOR RESOURCE FAIR
Saturday August 3rd 9am-3pm
All States Home Improvement Showroom 9436 W. Kellogg Drive, Wichita, KS 67209
Join us at the All States Senior Resource Fair to visit booths about a variety of services, products and opportunities for easier independent living.
• Accessible Bath and
• Planning ahead for your future needs
• Solutions for independence to keep you in your home
• Home Health Options
• Ideas to Stay Active
Linwood Senior Center looking good after renovations
The Active Age
Talk about getting the most bang for your buck.
Linwood Senior Center, run by Senior Services, Inc., leveraged a $6,762 grant from Central Plains Area Agency on Aging with its own fundraising and plenty of volunteer labor to give the center a major facelift.
“Our volunteers at Senior Services and Linwood are amazing,” said Cherise Langenberg, longtime director of the center. “Everybody pitched in.”
The Linwood center was one of many in CPAAA’s three-county area to receive grants funded by the federal stimulus package known as the American Rescue Plan.
Langenberg said the center, located in Linwood Park Recreation Center in south Wichita, had made three separate funding requests and “fortunately…they pretty much
accepted every one of them.”
“We don’t get funding very often. I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude to improve our senior center.”
The center closed for a week while work was underway. Volunteers from Senior Services, the center and Langenberg’s own family repainted the center. After considering several options, Langenberg went with a “country French blue” color scheme used in her dentist’s office, which she said has a calming effect on her.
“I thought that’s what we needed at the senior center.”
“We are definitely hoping the remodel will attract new members and inspire current members.”
Cherise Langenberg
containing sayings, Langenberg said, so that “people can come in and be inspired.” The center got new easels for art classes and a button maker to print “I love Linwood” buttons.
The city sent a crew to clean carpets and buff tile. The center also purged some furniture that had seen better days and declutter certain areas.
For costs not covered by the county grant, the center used its own funds. The center raises money through a store selling used and donated items and fundraisers like the biscuit-andgravy dinner held in conjunction with its grand re-opening.
Other area senior centers and the grants they received are:
“We have two people run the store, and they’ve been doing amazing things with them,” Langenberg said.
She said a member who came in for help with his taxes let her know it was all worthwhile.
“He sat down and said, ‘My goodness, this is so nice.’ I almost started to cry because I knew to have a comment from that generation was a blessing. We didn’t go too froufrou or too basic.”
Butler County Andover, $7,000; Augusta, $7,500; Benton, $6,760; Cassoday, $7,475; Douglass, $6,529; El Dorado, $7,500; Leon, $3,293; Rose Hill, $7,500; Towanda, $7,500; Whitewater, $7,500. Harvey County Burrton, $7,500; $7,473; Sedgwick, $5,845; Hesston, $7,438; Halstead, $6,900.
Sedgwick County Bel Aire, $2,949; Bentley, $2,474; Cheney, $577; Clearwater, $7,500; Derby, $7,500; Downtown, $5,237; Haysville, $6,612; La Familia, $7,425; Mount Hope, $6,500; Mulvane, $6,500; Northeast, $6,618; Orchard Park, $7,500; Park City, $6,525.
Other improvements include new shelving and cabinets, desks for the computer lab, a wall-mounted electrical fireplace, speaker system with wireless microphone, refrigerator and bigscreen television. The center has started a “wall of wisdom” featuring plaques
St. Jude Home Care
Murabito,
Courtesy photo
Visitors might not recognize the Linwood Senior Center thanks to upgrades completed earlier this year. At right, Diane Polk was one of the volunteers who helped paint the center.
Dog days of summer in the stars, or not
By Susan Armstrong
During the summer, when I was a young girl, I peddled my bicycle to the city pool every day to escape the sweltering heat of the Kansas sun. From midJuly through the end of August, the world moved in slow motion. I would lie on my back and watch the clouds drift overhead or bury my nose in a book beneath the shade of a cottonwood tree. These were the dog days of summer.
Dear Reader
On the hottest afternoons, my mother made Kool-Aid popsicles in our ice trays. She set a sprinkler in the yard and watched from the front porch while my sisters and I raced barefoot across the grass to splash through the water.
It wasn’t until I grew older that I learned dog days weren’t really about dogs, but about the stars. During Greek and Roman times, when the rising of the Dog Star, Sirius, coincided with the sun rising in the Northern hemisphere in mid-July, it was called dog days. They believed heat from the two stars combined to make the hottest time of the year.
the same: from around July 3-August 11, the dog days of summer will bring hot, sultry weather to Kansas. Just like my mother always said. You can count on it.
PS: You can also count on The Active Age to arrive in your mailbox every month. If you have donated to help cover our postage costs, thank you! If not, we hope you’ll consider it. Susan Armstrong is vice president of The Active Age’s board of directors.
Going paperless?
A free digital copy of The Active Age is now available. The digital copy can be “flipped through” like a regular newspaper and the type can be enlarged on your phone or computer. To have the digital version emailed to you each month, call (316) 942-5384 or email joe@theactiveage.com
A high-powered water cooler hung in our kitchen window, and it was my job to douse it with water from the hose every hour or two so the motor could blow the wet air into our house. I loved that job because I sprayed myself with the cold water at the same time. No one in our neighborhood had real air conditioning back then. So, when the dog days arrived, we knew it. I guessed my mother called them dog days because our dog rested in the sun all day, and we did the same.
National Geographic claims the Greeks got it wrong, because the dates the stars coincide will depend on your latitude and because stars in Earth’s night sky shift independently of our calendar seasons. And according to the Farmers’ Almanac, the heat isn’t connected to the stars, but to the tilt of the Earth during the summer, which causes the sun’s rays to hit at a more direct angle, thus creating longer, hotter days.
Whatever the cause, the result is
Susan Armstrong
Thank You Recent Donors!
Honor Roll of Donors
Donate for chance to win Botanica membership
Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age holds a drawing for a family membership each month from among people on our Honor Roll list of donors.
This month's winner is Daniel Stone.
Donations may be made by calling 316-942-5385; through our website, theactiveage.com; by mail to The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213; or in person.
Donate via our QR code
This QR code will take you to The Active Age’s secure PayPal donation page.
Summer Contest Fun!
It’s a big month for contests and giveaways here at The Active Age.
Love your pet? Enter his or her photo in our Pawsitive contest, and we’ll put your name in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate from Bittersweet gift shop in Derby. Find more details in the ad on page 24.
Love to cook fresh and locally? Enter your favorite recipe featuring ingredients from a farmers market and you might win a $25 gift certificate
from The Spice Merchant. Find more details on page 16.
Love baseball? We’re holding a drawing for 20 pairs of tickets to this month’s National Baseball Congress tournament, held at Eck Stadium on the Wichita State University campus. Check out page 6 for details.
And as always, donors who contribute at least $50 are entered in our monthly drawing for a Botanica family membership (see item at left).
The Active Age, published the first of each month, is distributed in Butler, Harvey and Sedgwick counties.
To subscribe, call 316-942-5385, write The Active Age or visit theactiveage. com.
•
316-946-9180 www.theactiveage.com
by Active Aging Publishing, Inc.
Editor: Joe Stumpe joe@theactiveage.com
Advertising Manager: Teresa Schmied teresa@theactiveage.com
Business Manager: Tammara Fogle tammara@theactiveage.com
Board of Directors
President: Sharon Van Horn
Vice President: Susan Armstrong • Treasurer: Diana Wolfe
Board Members: Mary Corrigan • Al Higdon • Jennifer Lasley
Tim Marlar • Linda Matney • Patti Sullivan • Tiya Tonn
Golf Pals
From Page 1 and then participate in monthly tournaments.
The league, which has about 50 members and plays at MacDonald Golf Course, was started in 1982 by and for working women who weren’t able to participate in morning golf leagues.
Now, there is morning play in addition to evening on Tuesdays, and there also are a couple of golf trips a year, a championship tournament and, sometimes, a tournament for members and guests. For more information, check www.bwglladysgolfwichita.com
Though she doesn’t play quite as well as she used to, Kaiser took third in her division at a June tournament.
“For an old lady, that’s pretty good,” she said.
That wasn’t the surprising part, though.
Kaiser said she normally plays nine holes on Tuesday evenings, so for the tournament, she said she “was real surprised that I could play 18 holes.”
“I was really dragging my tracks when I came in.”
Still, she said, “I was with a group of girls I fully enjoy.”
Leep met Kaiser through the league about 15 years ago.
“I just thought she was amazing,” Leep said. “She just always has a positive attitude.”
Kaiser said most of the players do.
“The women are always encouraging everybody when they’re playing,” she said. “Even things that
aren’t pertaining to golf, we talk over things.”
Though she’s the oldest in the group, Kaiser finds herself in a cheerleading role for others who may be thinking their golfing days are over.
“Any time I see somebody that has decided that they’re going to quit, I encourage them” to keep going.
Leep called Kaiser “a lovely lady” and a spry one, too.
“She plays rain or shine … I just think she’s an inspiration that she just keeps going.”
Leep likes that Kaiser wants to participate in life and enjoy it to its fullest.
“I’ve heard her tell people that this is a game that they can enjoy their whole life and to not worry so much about how you do and just enjoy the
game and being with people.”
Kaiser is active in other ways as well. She has four children and lots of grandchildren and great grandchildren. She quilts, is active in church, does her own housework and yard work — minus her grandson handling the mowing — and walks with friends. She’s also treasurer of the Sunview Improvement District and handles the bookkeeping for the organization.
Along with her daughter, Kaiser also does arthritic water classes three days a week “to keep my bad parts of my body moving like it needs to.”
Golf, of course, helps with that, too.
But it’s the camaraderie that really keeps teeing it up. “They’re just a good group of people . . . They keep me feeling young.”
Summer baseball leagues entertaining lead-up to NBC tournament
By Bob Rives
They called it “the million-dollar outfield” at a time when a million dollars went much farther than it does today.
In 1983, the Hutchinson Broncos, a summer collegiate team, had Barry Bonds, Rafael Paliermo and Pete Incaviglia in the outfield and Rick Wrong catching. That quartet would go on to the Majors starting in 1986 and leave it with 1,540 home runs in their wake, 762 from Bonds, the all-time leader in that category.
Bonds was playing that summer from Arizona State, Palmeiro from Mississippi State and Incaviglia from Oklahoma State. Wrong was a Wichita State Shocker.
Not every summer collegiate team comes so well-equipped. Yet in most summers, at least some of the players have big league careers ahead of them, paths that start on diamonds in mid
Kansas such as Wichita’s McAdams Park, Newton’s Klein-Scott Field and the Mulvane Sports Complex.
Locally, eight teams play in Kansas Collegiate League Baseball: the Mulvane Patriots, Park City Rangers, Valley Center Mud Daubers, El Dorado Walnuts, Winfield Moos, Wellington Heat, Clearwater Curve and Wichita-based Farmers. Other teams play in the Jayhawk Collegiate Conference, including the Derby Twins, Newton Rebels, Wichita Dirtbags, Haysville Aviators and Augusta’s Kansas Cannons.
Some of the league’s schedule and other information can be found at kclboneline.com, and several teams have their own Facebook pages with more.
While many players do eventually pursue pro careers like the milliondollar outfield, their summer pay is basically room and board. Local
families host players for part or all of the two-month season. The result sometimes is a lifelong friendship. Bonds, for instance, paid for his summer host’s son to go to college.
For fans, the good news is that admission to many of the games is free or at most a modest amount. And that ticket price often buys a look not only at today’s top college talent but sometimes the brightest stars of all.
The best of these summer league teams from around the country will be playing for the National Baseball Congress championship at Eck Stadium on the WSU campus from
July 25-Aug. 3. Founded in 1935 by Wichitan Hap Dumont, the tourney is one of the nation’s oldest sporting events. This year, the tournament will include 16 teams. More than 800 big leaguers have played in NBC tournaments.
Bob Rives is the author of “Baseball in Wichita” (Arcadia Publishing, 2004). He can be reached at bprives@gmail.com
Win tickets to NBC tourney
The Active Age is giving away 20 pairs of tickets to the National Baseball Conference World Series, to be held July 25-Aug. 3 at Eck Stadium on Wichita State University’s campus. The tickets can be used for any of the tournament’s games. To enter our drawing for the tickets, visit our website, theactiveage.com, and fill out the form at the top of the home page.
STOP WASTING RETIREMENT INCOME on High Credit Card Payments
Call Broc Whitehead,Wichita Bankruptcy Lawyer at (316) 263-6500 for a FREE telephone consultation on Chapter 7 Federal Bankruptcy
Big Ditch
From Page 1
water. Flooding was blamed for two drownings and two fatal heart attacks.
The deluge overshadowed news from World War II for a few days, although flooding in Wichita was nothing new. Large areas of the city had been submerged during floods in 1877, 1904, 1916 and 1923. The 1944 flood was only different in that it convinced local leaders that something had to be done, probably because the city had nearly doubled in size during the war years and the potential for damage was so much greater. But the proposed solution — what came to be known as the “Big Ditch” — was controversial.
Flood plain pains
The central part of Wichita, from Hillside to Ridge, sits in a flood plain watered by the Arkansas River, Little Arkansas River and their tributaries. Historically, the Little Arkansas and multiforked Chisholm Creek presented a more persistent flood threat than the larger Arkansas River. “Those are flashy streams — they’ll come up and down rather quickly,” said Scott Lindebak, stormwater manager for Sedgwick County.
In 1904, the city tried removing obstructions from Chisholm Creek to improve its flow; a few years later, part of the creek was turned into the forerunner of the paved drainage canal that now runs through the city under I-135. “A lot of people thought flooding was solved when the early version of the canal was built, but that proved wrong when downtown flooded,” Lindebak said.
Between 1926 and 1928, the city spent more than $1 million straightening and deepening the creek and building dikes along the banks of the Little Arkansas. But a 1935 survey by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers found several problems with these works, including low bridges along the river that acted as dams during periods of high water.
To prevent future flooding, the Corps proposed what would be one of the largest water diversion projects in U.S. history if completed.
The project would start by diverting the west and north forks of Chisholm Creek into the Little Arkansas at 37th Street. To handle overflow, a ditch would be built to the southwest, connecting with the Arkansas River near 21st and West. To handle overflow from that point, a shallow depression known as the Big Slough would be enlarged around the west side of the city. This floodway (also connected to Cowskin and Big Slough creeks) would stretch 18 miles,
passing through Haysville before reconnecting with the Arkansas near Derby. A separate floodway would run from the Little Arkansas west of Valley Center to the Arkansas about 10 miles above Wichita.
The Corps’ report concluded that “construction of Big Slough floodway is practically a necessity for the ultimate protection of Wichita.”
But when hearings on the Corps’ plan were held in Wichita in 1936, local officials and farmers who owned land in the Big Slough were opposed. Officials said the city and county couldn’t afford their portion of the project. Farmers didn’t want to give up 6,600 acres of prime farmland for a “big ditch” only needed on an irregular basis. Some taxpayers wondered why they should foot the bill for people rash enough to build in a flood plain.
However, the 1944 flood waters had barely subsided when the Wichita Eagle reported that support for the Corps plan "is growing daily.” Lobbying by the Wichita Chamber of Commerce helped persuade Congress to authorize federal funding for the Big Slough project in 1945. The Kansas State Supreme Court decided in 1949 that the project could proceed, although that didn’t eliminate all opposition. Some landowners tried to keep surveyors off their property, and one farmer allegedly took a pot shot at a worker.
Above, the "Big Ditch" is shown under construction in the 1950s, with the Arkansas River in the background. Below, a map shows the the course of the MS Mitchell Floodway, its official name.
the rivers, but the floodway is available when needed.
“It’s a pretty cool system when you think about it,” Lindebak said. “This system has definitely elevated the city’s commerce and viability — not having the different floods that were disrupting the city’s life.”
Recreational use?
Excavation began in 1950. In all, the design called for 40 miles of channel excavation and 97 miles of levees. The Big Slough portion ranges from 500 to 900 feet in width and can carry twice as much water as the Arkansas River. Delayed in part by the Korean War, the project was finished in 1959 at a cost of $20 million, with the federal government providing $13 million, the city and county $3 million each, and the state $1 million. Initially known as the Wichita and Valley Center Flood Control Project, its name was changed in 2019 to the MS Mitchell Floodway, in honor of a city engineer who played a key role in its development — M.S. "Big Ditch Mitch" Mitchell.
Today, officials say, the project protects some $7 billion in property and has prevented major floods on 10 occasions since completion. The water we see in it most of the time is from rain, the ground and local drainage, not
Other potentially beneficial uses of the Big Ditch have not come to fruition. In 1970, for instance, the Wichita-Sedgwick County Planning Department broached the idea of using it for water sports, bird watching, walking and bicycling trails and other recreational purposes. A dam and fishing pond at 21st Street would provide convenient recreation as well as scenic interest. A nature park at the juncture of the Arkansas River and floodway could highlight the ecology of the region. The floodway could become “a linear unifying element providing scenic beauty and providing recreation for Sedgwick County residents as well as being an impressive feature for visitors to the City.” It and a similar 1976 plan went nowhere.
In 2016, the Wichita Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board again advocated for trails along the Big Ditch. An advisory board member noted that he’d bicycled trails built along levees in several other Kansas cities.
David Dennis, the Sedgwick County commissioner who has represented western Sedgwick County for the past seven years, said he knows some residents would like to see the Big Ditch utilized for more. In his opinion, potential problems outweigh any upside. Maintenance costs — now about $1 million a year, split between the city and county — would certainly go up if the levees along the project handled bicycle and foot traffic, he said. The property was originally
condemned for flood control; if the city and county tried to use it for something else, its original owners could try to get their land back. If the Corps of Engineers objected and decertified it for flood control, many property owners in the county would have to buy flood insurance, Dennis said.
“So it’s not something we take lightly,” he said. “They put it together for flood control, and that’s what we have to use it for.”
West Wichita long ago leapfrogged the Big Ditch and has continued to grow. Today, the Big Ditch divides it from the rest of the city — a not particularly attractive green and brown expanse (when there’s no water in it) viewed only from bridges and highways. For now, it appears the Big Ditch will remain only that.
Editor's note: "The Big Ditch: The Wichita-Valley Center Flood Control Project" by David Guilliams (1998, Fairmount Folio), was a primary source for this article.
Photo courtesy of the Wichtia-Sedgwick County Historical Museum
M.S. "Big Ditch Mitch" Mitchell
July quiz: The geography of American history
By Nancy Wheeler
Think you know your American history? Try these questions about various important historical locations.
1. In what city would you find the Sixth Floor Museum, Dealey Plaza, and the grassy knoll where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated?
2. Pillaging the countryside and destroying property, Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864 began in what city that he had just captured and burned?
3. On the morning of February 14, 1929, seven men were massacred in a garage in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of what city?
July Theatre
By Diana Morton
Guild Hall Players, St. James Episcopal Church, 3750 E. Douglas. Hello, Dolly by Jerry Herman. Matchmaker Dolly Levi is a widow, a matchmaker, and also a professional meddler — but everything changes when she decides that the next match she needs to make is to find someone for herself. 8 pm July 18-20 and 7 pm July 21. Tickets $12; Students $10. 316-683-5686
Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road,
Master Gardeners Sought
4. Where would you find the Freedom Trail that connects a series of historic sites that tell the story of the American Revolution?
5. Both Graceland and the Lorraine Hotel where Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated are located in what Southern city?
6. George Washington took the Presidential oath of office on the balcony of Federal Hall in what northern metropolis that served as the first U.S. capital?
7. General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant in April, 1865, at what Virginia
Cleaning Up, an original comedy by Misty Maynard A farce about a maid who uses her boss’s elegant home to make a little money on the side. 8 pm Fri–Sat, 2:30 pm Sun, July 5-28. Tickets $16-$17. 316-744-2152
Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley. Reno County 911 by Carol Hughes, followed by a new musical review. Now – July 6. Tickets, dinner, & show $36-40; show only $26-30. 316-263-0222
Next: The Heart of Rock ‘n’ Roll is Topeka by Carol Hughes, followed by a new musical review. July 19-August 31.
July Briefs
The Sedgwick County Extension Master Gardener program will hold new training classes starting in September. Interested parties are encouraged to attend an informational meeting 2-4 p.m. July 18 at the county Extension Center, 21st and Ridge. Applications for the training program will be available at the information meeting and must be returned by July 25th to be considered for this year’s training program.
Derby Book Sale
The Friends of the Derby Library will hold their annual book sale this
Court House?
8. In 1876, Crazy Horse led a band of Lakota warriors against Custer’s 7th U.S. Cavalry battalion in the Battle of the Little Bighorn in the territory now known as what state?
9. Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat sparked a boycott of the bus system in what Southern city?
10. In what modern city would we find the Alamo where both Jim Bowie and Davy Crocket died along with 150 men after a thirteen-day siege?
Independence Hall in what city?
12. Paul Revere and William Dawes took opposite routes from Charlestown to what Massachusetts town to warn patriots of impending attack by British troops?
Answers:
Montana 9. Montgomery, Ala. 10. San Antonio, Texas 11. Philadelphia, Penn. 12. Lexington, Mass.
7. Appomattox
11. Both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed in 1.
Tickets, dinner, & show $36-40; show only $26-30. 316-263-0222
Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall. Disney’s Frozen. Join Anna, Elsa, Olaf, and their friends in a production filled with music, stunning sets and must-see costumes. 8 pm, 7 pm Sun, July 5-7 and July 10-14. Full-length matinees on Saturday, July 13, and Sunday, July 14 at 2:00 PM will be open to all patrons aged 3 and up. Contact box office for times and prices: 316-265-3107
Roxy’s Downtown, 412 E. Douglas, cabaret-style theatre. Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Cinderella, Little Red Riding
Hood and other fairy tale characters venture into the mystical woods with unexpected consequences. July 17-Aug 3; 7 pm Wed-Th, 8 pm Fri-Sat, 2:00 pm matinee Sat, July 27 & Aug 3. Tickets $40. 316-265-4400
Wichita Community Theatre, 258 N. Fountain. Slow Food by Wendy MacLeod and directed by Jeromy Buoy. A vacationing couple celebrates their anniversary at a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs — but will the marriage survive the service? 8 pm Thu-Sat, 2 pm Sun, July 18-28. Tickets $16-18. 316-686-1282
Contact Diana Morton at dianamorton12@sbcglobal.net
month. The hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 19, and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. July 21. A members-only sale will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 18.
Paperbacks are 25 cents, hardcovers are 50 cents and shoppers can fill a bag for $5.
Blood Drive
You can earn a t-shirt and ticket to the zoo by donating to the American Red Cross’s 17th annual Red, White & You Blood Drive. The event is being held at the Sedgwick County Extension Center, 21st and Ridge, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 30; and 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. July 1 and 2.
Dallas, Texas
2. Atlanta, Ga.
3. Chicago, Ill.
4. Boston, Mass.
5. Memphis, Tenn.
6. New York City
When jeeps invaded Normandy — and Kansas
By Max McCoy Kansas Reflector
In 1944, jeeps were ubiquitous during the D-Day invasion of Normandy and soon became synonymous with the American military. The jeep did the jobs that horses had formerly been used for in the Army, the heavy hauling of soldiers and supplies over rough terrain, but the curious little vehicles also seemed somehow like a living thing. It’s hard not to look at the grille and round headlights of a Jeep and not think of a face.
The civilian desire for jeeps goes back to 1944, when the first surplus military jeep was sold to the mayor
of Lucas, Kan. Rancher Fred Heine purchased the Ford-produced jeep, which had entered military service two years earlier, over the telephone for $750 and picked it up in Chicago. He drove it back to Kansas, reporting that it averaged 27 miles to the gallon.
The sale earned a feature story in Life magazine, complete with pictures of the jeep, which Heine nicknamed “Dark Horse,” doing various chores on the ranch, often with his wife, Bessie, at the wheel. There’s was also a newsreel, which can be found on YouTube, showing the jeep in action at the ranch.
“Since the jeep made its army debut three years ago,” Life wrote,
Steve Conway
ePro,
“the motor-minded American public has coveted it with an unholy covetousness.” Millions dreamed of owning a jeep, and the lucky Heines were probably the first family to actually get their hands on one.
Mayor Heine later told a reporter for the Wichita Eagle that the jeep was good not only for ranch work, but on fishing trips to the Rockies went places in the mountains other cars couldn’t.
The Eagle said Life magazine had received 12,000 letters after the story on the mayor’s jeep ran, many of them from “Kansas boys overseas who had named their jeeps like they did their ponies when back home.”
Fred Heine soon bought the first Jeep produced for the civilian market, the larger CJ — for “civilian Jeep.”
The dealership he bought it from was run by Harry Hines Woodring, the former Kansas governor and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s secretary of war from 1936 to 1940. He sold the civilian Jeep to Woodring at the 1945 Kansas State Fair, according to the caption on the back of an Acme News photo.
My friend Jim Hoy, a retired English professor, once mused in his “Plains Folk” newspaper column that Heine was the first to introduce the
A Kansan bought the first jeep purchased by a civilian. It now sits in an Alabama museum.
four-wheel drive utility vehicle to agricultural work.
“We have Fred Heine to thank,” Hoy wrote. “Now it seems that a farmer or rancher can’t get by without a flatbed four-by-four, a fuel tank on the back in summer for hauling diesel to the field, a cattle feeder on the back in winter for scattering cake.”
The Heine family had the surplus jeep until the 1970s, when a military vehicle collector became curious about what happened to the jeep featured in Life magazine. The family still had the old GP in a barn. The collector, Ken Hake of Tipton, Kansas, bought the jeep and restored it.
The jeep is now on display at the U.S. Veterans Memorial Museum at Huntsville, Alabama.
A longer version of this article can be found at kansasreflector.com.
N Ridge Rd
Parkinson's
From Page 1
Gatschet came up with a plan for a research-based program using certified physical, occupational and speech therapists with a focus on improving the overall health and well-being of members.
Members have access to more than 25 fitness classes per week. Meantime, their caregivers get information, encouragement and support from the Empowerment Parkinson’s Caregiver Support Group. They say sharing their stories makes them realize they are not alone.
Right now, there are 111 people active in Club Parkinson’s and 20 enthusiastic volunteers.
“These are my favorite hours of the week,” said Shawn Devlin, who has volunteered for more than a year. It is truly mind blowing to see the progress many people have made.”
Some members come in wheelchairs or use a cane or walker. Some do well on their own. They participate in classes such as Nordic walking and urban poling, increasing their heart rates so that the natural mood enhancer dopamine is produced. The large pool at the Heskett Center is used for aquatics classes. Classes in strength training, functional mobility, boxing (without actual fighting, of course) and more are offered.
Urbanek explained that participants work at their own levels.
“Some who can’t stand, sit, and several who started out sitting are now standing to do the boxing exercises."
Debbie and Dale Wilburn, who is in a wheelchair, moved to Wichita from Pennsylvania to be near their son
Clockwise from above left: Lucy Alcala and Susan Kellogg call themselves "Parkies"; Shana Gatschet and Connie Urbanek started Club Parkinson's in 2021; Dale and Debbie Wilburn joined the club after moving to Wichita from Pennsylvania; club members and a volunteer try out a Nordick walking class at the Heskett Center on the campus of Wichita State University.
and family. “We were very thrilled to find out about this program,” Debbie said. “There is nothing like this in Pennsylvania. He is getting exercise and is so much happier. It was his goal to stand at his class reunion, and he did it.”
Statistics show that 66 percent of caregivers also suffer from health and mental health issues. Club Parkinson’s also gives caregivers a membership to Heskett Center, where they can take advantage of the pool, track and other features.
“I’m finally exercising,” caregiver Joanne Pafume said. “And I didn’t have to lie to my doctor last time I had a physical when I checked the box asking if I exercise.”
Club Parkinson’s members gather for lunch on campus every Friday and celebrate birthdays on the last Friday of each month.
“And before a class we sing,” said member Susan Kellogg, who is a retired music teacher. Members like Lucy Alcala call themselves “Parkies.”
“If you’re female, it’s spelled Parkie,”
Alcala said with a grin. “If you’re a a male, it’s ‘Parky.’”
Gatschet said members “have built their own community. We have 90 percent retention of our members.”
Club Parkinson’s is a nonprofit funded through grants, donations and membership dues. Tours are offered at 12:30 a.m. Monday and Wednesday, and a free trial membership is available. For more information, go to www. ClubParkinsons.org or call (316) 2521877.
Contact Bonnie Bing at bingbylines@ gmail.com.
Let me help you make the next chapter of your life easier.
Certified Senior Housing Professional. Committed to Seniors.
Photogs by Bonnie Bing
To meet growing demand at Larksfield Place, we’re creating an exciting new Independent Living expansion which will feature:
• Modern apartments in six popular floor plans
• Covered parking
• An expanded fitness center
• Expanded dining options
The hub of our new expansion: a beautiful second-floor courtyard, where you can socialize, read, walk, play, recharge and relax.
Wichita State researchers’ calculations really out in space
By WSU Strategic Communications
Shielding the earth from the sun seems like a good idea, in theory, to fight climate change, Wichita State University’s Dr. Nickolas Solomey and graduate student Kelly Kabler agree.
Good ideas, they also agree, must be grounded in science.
In early February, the New York Times reported that Asher Space Research Institute Physics Professor Yoram Rozen was working on a prototype for a sunshade in space. Other scientists have proposed using dust as a shield. And Amazon has even teamed with researchers to run models on the possibilities for blocking the sun.
Solomey and Kabler, though, aren’t so sure that the popular idea of protecting the planet with a sunshade is as simple as some propose.
So Solomey, a professor of mathematics, statistics and physics in WSU’s Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, enlisted Kabler, who finished her graduate certificate in space science at Wichita State in December, to investigate.
“You hear a lot of big-name people talking about some ideas, like, ‘Let’s have a space shield to block out some of the sun — cool the planet with some shadows,’” said Solomey. “From a science point of view, there are some questions.”
Solomey and Kabler’s project attempts to answer three questions:
• How big does a sunshade need to be?
• How fast will it work?
• What is the effectiveness of a shade with no other changes in carbon dioxide emissions?
“The numbers are shockingly bad,”
Solomey said. Their conclusion: A sunshade, as the sole measure, is not a likely fix for the problem.
Kabler calculated a shade around 900 miles wide is likely necessary.
“We tweaked the models throughout the course of the semester to make it more and more realistic,” Kabler said. “The final answer, really, was that (a sunshade) is not totally plausible as the sole mechanism for slowing down climate change. There would have to be other things that come into play to help with it.”
Solomey said the calculations indicate a 10-15 percent reduction in sunlight is necessary to achieve a 1.5 degree (Celsius) drop and return to pre-industrial era average temperature. It would take 12-15 years to reach that goal by using a sunshade.
Cooling off the planet 1.5 degrees, without reducing emissions from sources such as transportation and industry, would have a lasting effect of likely only 55to 60 years.
“It’s not very practical,” Kabler said. “Not only would they have to make it very large, but it would only help for up to 60 years. There would have to be something else going on in those 60 years for us to reverse the effects of climate change.”
Solomey and Kabler’s research project, “Slowing Climate Change: Is There Relief in the Shadow,” was presented at the Innovation in Climate Resilience conference held in April in Washington, D.C.
Nickolas Solomey
Junior League donates $2 million for Exploration Place expansion
The Junior League of Wichita kicked off its 100th anniversary celebration early by donating $2 million for Water Play Cascades, a centerpiece of Exploration Place’s planned outdoor expansion.
The planned water feature is described as “an incredible multisensory learning experience promoting teamwork and collaboration. Many of the pumps and water wheels must be activated by children and adults working together
to achieve their full effect, providing an engaging and educational environment for visitors of all ages.”
An artist's rendition of the expansion is shown at right.
Longtime League members Cindy Carnahan and Lynn Ward led the fundraising campaign. The $2 million gift is comprised of donations from more than 200 individuals and other entities to date. The League will mark its 100th anniversary in 2025.
UseyourinsurancedeductibleNOWbeforetheendoftheyearwhenitstartsover
Small is beautiful in Wichita weaver’s hands
The Active Age
When Ann Enix saw a pine needle basket at the Kansas State Weaving Conference, she was fascinated enough to buy a book and teach herself how to make them. She collected pine needles from around her cabin in Colorado and, later in California, found the long, fine needles needed to make tiny baskets like her piece pictured here, which is called “Challenge.”
Enix had taken a break of some years from making baskets but at age 85 decided to make “Challenge” and enter it in the Handweavers Guild of America touring exhibit called “Small Expressions.” Her work was accepted and will be shown with 32 other pieces at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum July 2 to Aug. 6. The exhibit then moves on to Kentucky, New Jersey and Michigan.
“I am inspired by all types of art, but especially the fiber arts,” said Enix, a native of southwest Oklahoma who lives at Larksfield Place. “Because I don’t have a background in art training, I lean towards the conservative side of the arts. Walking in the mountains or just the neighborhood and seeing wildlife and nature inspires my work.”
Ann Enix has weaved since her childhood in Oklahoma. At right is her recent piece, "Challenge," and a quarter for perspective.
Describing “Challenge,” Enix said it was “made with dark brown, long, thin and limber pine needles from California. I used the coiled basket technique, the straight stitch and rows of solid wrapping with fine gray beading thread.”
In the center is a tie tack she made for her late husband. The basket is 1 inch high and 1½ inches tall.
Courtesy photos
Hospice benefit includes in-home nurse visits, personal care, social work, and spiritual support. We are here f y providing C f t, Supp t, and Peace of Mind.
To learn how we can help, visit hynesmemorial.org or call 316-265-9441.
Hospice care Is life, not death, sentence
By Thomas Welk
When Jimmy Carter was taken under the care of a hospice program in February 2023, there were multiple news reports practically announcing that he had died.
As of this writing, our nation’s 39th president is still alive. Electing hospice care is not a death sentence.
Hospice takes care of someone who is living. Physical, social, emotional and spiritual support is given to enable the patient to live as fully as possible to the very last minute of life. The focus of hospice care is on living, even as death may be imminent. None of us knows when that moment may come. The hope is that it is far down the road, but it may also occur suddenly and unexpectedly. In the meantime, we all hope to live each moment as fully as possible.
Another aspect of the news reports that concerned me was the statement that Carter had given up all medical care. This same characterization was made when former First Lady Rosalyn Carter entered a hospice program. Hospice patients are not denied
medical care. What is true is that the focus of the medical care is no longer aggressive curative care; instead, the focus is aggressive comfort care. It is directed toward providing maximum pain control and to manage symptoms such as shortness of breath and nausea.
In my more than 40 years of providing hospice care, countless patients have told me how isolated and abandoned they felt when their doctor told them that curative medical interventions would not benefit them. The words used by the doctor — “There is nothing more I can do” — were interpreted by the patient and family that the doctor was finished with them.
Most likely, the physician intends to tell a patient that even the most aggressive curative medical intervention will not benefit them. But it would be better to add, “We will not abandon you. We will now provide you with aggressive medical care that is focused on comfort rather than cure.”
It would also be wise for the physician to mention that hospice programs provide this kind of medical
care.
The last part of the life journey is an important and sacred time. It is a time for much unfinished business to be addressed.
This was illustrated by a comment a patient made to me on my first visit to her, which was “thank God for cancer.” She explained that she had a conflicted relationship with several individuals, whose names she gave to the hospice social worker and myself. We contacted them about the patient’s interest in visiting with them. Most responded; reconciliation took place. The patient died shortly after accomplishing this with the last individual she identified.
It was a gift of peace for all involved.
Jimmy Carter has embraced this same care to live his final days as fully and as well as possible. Choosing hospice care has been a “life sentence” for him and his loved ones.
Thomas A. Welk is Director of Professional Education for Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice.
Pesto makes panzanella recipe pop
With area farmers markets hitting their prime, the hunt is on for recipes that use their produce and other products to best advantage. This recipe from the Tuscan Women Cook program does just that. You can find tomatoes, fresh herbs, artisan bread and cheese, prepared presto and specialty oils and vinegars at many local markets. Feel free to toss in baby zucchini, chives, green onion, radishes and anything fresh and tasty and that catches your eye at the market.
Pesto
4 to 5 cups loosely packed basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
Pinch salt
¼ cup olive oil
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Place the basil leaves in a blender with the garlic, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the oil. Blend to a purée. Add the pine nuts, parmesan and remaining olive oil. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning adding more oil if necessary.
Farmers Market Recipe Contest
What’s your favorite thing to make using produce and/or products from a local farmers market? Enter our Farmers Market Recipe Contest and you could win a $25 gift certificate to The Spice Merchant. To enter, email joe@theactiveage or send by regular mail to: The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213. Entries must be received or postmarked by July 10.
• One- and two-bedroom units available
• Emergency call system
Panzanella with Pesto Dressing
For the Pesto Dressing:
¼ cup pesto, homemade or purchased
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
For the Salad:
Half a large loaf of Italian bread, cubed (about 6 cups)
Extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup water
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ red onion, cut into thin edges
24 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
24 pitted green olives, such as Frantic
½ cup Italian flat-leaf parsley leaves
24 small cherry-size mozzarella balls, about 6 ounces, halved
1 small head radicchio
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red wine vinegar, to taste
Directions:
Toss bread cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread on baking sheet and toast in 375-degree oven for 10 minutes or until partially dried out.
Place the toasted bread in a large bowl with water and red wine vinegar and toss.
Spread red onion slices on the baking sheet. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 10 minutes stirring halfway through until the onion softens and browns lightly. Scrape the onion into the bowl with the bread.
Add cherry tomatoes, olives, parsley and mozzarella. Shred radicchio leaves and add to bowl. Stir together pesto and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, then toss with ingredients in bowl. Adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, vinegar and olive oil if needed.
• Daily lunch in the main dining room
• Utilities and cable TV included
• Bi-weekly housekeeping service
NOTE:The Active Age is printing regularly scheduled senior center activities as space permits. Please email Joe at joe@theactiveage.com to have your center’s activities listed.
Calendar of eventS
SedgwiCk County Senior CenterS
BEL AIRE
7651 E Central Park Ave 744-2700, ext 304 www.belaireks.org
BENTLEY/EAGLE 504 W Sterling, 796-0027
CHENEY 516 Main, 542-3721
CLEARWATER 921 E Janet, 584-2332
DERBY 611 N Mulberry Rd, 788-0223 www.derbyks.com
DOWNTOWN 200 S Walnut, 267-0197 www.seniorservicesofwichita.org
EDGEMOOR 5815 E 9th, 688-9392
GARDEN PLAIN 1006 N Main, 535-1155
GODDARD 120 N Main, 794-2441
HAYSVILLE 160 E Karla, 529-5903
KECHI Kechi City Building, 744-0217, 744-1271
LA FAMILIA 841 W 21st, 267-1700
LINWOOD 1901 S Kansas, 263-3703
MCADAMS GOLDEN AGE 1329 E 16th, 337-9222
MT HOPE 105 S Ohio, 667-8956
MULVANE 632 E Mulvane, 777-4813
NORTHEAST 212 1 E 21st, 269-4444
OAKLAWN 2937 Oaklawn Dr, 524-7545
ORCHARD PARK 4808 W 9th, 942-2293
PARK CITY 6100 N Hydraulic, 744-1199
VALLY CENTER COMMUNITY CENTER 314 E Clay, 755-7350
Butler County Senior CenterS
ANDOVER 410 Lioba Dr, 733-4441 www.andoverks.com
AUGUSTA 640 Osage, 775-1189
BENTON Lion’s Community Bldg, S Main St CASSODAY Cassoday Senior Center 133 S. Washington, 620-735-4538
DOUGLASS 124 W 4th, 746-3227
EL DORADO 210 E 2nd, 321-0142
LEON 112 S Main, 745-9200 or 742-9905
ROSE HILL 207 E Silknitter, 776-0170
Senior wedneSdayS
www.seniorwednesday.org
July 3
10:30 am Wichita Art Museum 1400 W. Museum Blvd., $2 admission. Info unavailable
1:30 pm Museum of World Treasures 835 E. 1st St. The Power of Imagery and the Civil Rights Experience
July 10
10 am Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 Zoo Blvd. (316) 266-8213, $4 The Significant Snake.
1:30 pm Advanced Learning Library, 711 W, 2nd, (316) 261-8500, Free. Singalongs and Why We Still Need Them.
July 17
10 am Ulrich Museum of Art, 1845 N. Fairmount. Info unavailable 1:30 pm Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E 29th St N. Info unavailable.
Derby Sr Center, 611 Mulberry. 3rd Tuesday 7pm-9:30 pm.
El Dorado Jam & Dance, Senior Center, 210 E. 2nd.
Linwood Golden Age, 1901 S Kansas. Every Saturday 7pm-9:30pm. Call Jim 316-945-9451
Minisa Golden Age, 704 W 13th. Info 617-2560. Every Thursday 7pm9:30pm. Call Rita 316-364-1702
Mulvane, 101 E. Main (Pix Community Center Second Tuesday of every month at 7-9 pm. Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton. Contra Dance1st Saturday of each month. 7pm-9pm. Call Amanda at 316-361-6863.
July 24
10 am Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main. A Conversation With Wichita Weavers 1:30 pm Mid American All-Indian museum. 650 N Seneca (316) 3503340, $2 + tax admission; free for MAAIM members. Famous & Infamous American Indians
July 31
10am The Kansas African American Museum, 601 N Water. $3. Info unavailable. 1:30 pm Old Cowtown Museum. 1865 Museum Blvd $2 + tax; bers. Info unavailable Indigenous Games & Toys.
Orchard Park Golden Age, 4808 W 9th. Every Friday 7pm-9:30pm. Call Casey 316-706-7464
Prairie Wind Dancers: Plymouth Congregational Church, 202 N Clifton. Joyce, 683-1122.
Village Steppers Square Dance, Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S Clifton. 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month September through May 7:30 - 10:00 pm. Info: Mike Huddleson 316-650-2469
Westside Steppers Square Dance, 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month, 6-8:30 p.m., West Heights United Methodist (entrance "D"), 745 N. Westlink Ave. Info: Sheldon Lawrence (316) 648-7590.
NOTE: AGING PROJECTS, INC. PLANNED TO MAKE FRIENDSHIP MEALS AVAILABLE THROUGH PICK UP AND DELIVERY IF NECESSARY. FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MEAL SITE OR CALL 316-686-0074
Friendship Meals
Aging Projects serves a hot, nutritious meal weekdays for persons 60 and older in Sedgwick, Harvey and Butler counties. Reservations are necessary. For locations and reservations, call 316-686-0074
WEEK OF JULY 1
Mon: Chicken Cacciatore, mixed vegetables, apricots, wheat roll.
Tue: BBQ Pork on bun, red potato salad, tropical fruit.
Wed: Beef hot dog on bun, cauli-broccraisin salad, apple crisp, potato chips . Thu: HOLIDAY.
Fri: Chicken salad on slider, calico salad. mixed fruit.
WEEK OF JULY 8
Mon: Beef cutlet over rice, copper pennies salad, pears.
Tue: Breaded pork patty on bun, potato & bean salad, peaches.
Wed: Chicken & Rice cass, mixed vegetables, mixed fruit, garlic cheddar biscuit.
TOWANDA 317 Main, 316-536-8999 Open 10:30 am-5 pm Mon, Wed, Fri
WHITEWATER Legion Hall, 108 E Topeka
Harvey County
BURRTON 124 N Burrton, 620-463-3225
HALSTEAD 523 Poplar, 835-2283
HESSTON Randall & Main, 620-327-5099 www.hesstonseniorcenter.com
NEWTON AREA SENIOR CENTER 122 E 6th, Newton, 283-2222 www.newtonseniorcenter.com
SEDGWICK 107 W. Fifth, 772-0393
tranSportation
Sedgwick County
Sedgwick Co Transportation, 660-5150 or 1-800-367-7298. Information: 8 am-5 pm, Mon-Fri; closed most holidays. www. sedgwickcounty.org/aging.
Butler County Transit
Weekday transportation in El Dorado, Augusta and Andover. Rides to Wichita on Wed, Thu. Information: Augusta, 775-0500; El Dorado, 322-4321; toll free, 1-800-2793655. 48-hr notice required.
Harvey County
Transportation reservations or information: 316-284-6802 or 1-866-6806802. Round-trip: $8 Newton (wheelchair only), $12 Harvey County, $20 outside Harvey County. AVI to Newton: Tue, 12:304:30 pm from Burrton, Sedgwick, Halstead, Hesston, Walton.
Thu: Cowboy beans, combo salad, apricots, cornbread muffin, chef's choice birthday cake.
Fri: Tuna pasta salad, corn & tomato salad, applesauce, crackers.
WEEK OF JULY 15
Mon: BBQ pork riblet, creamed peas, sliced apples, cornbread muffin.
Tue: Breaded chicken patty, mashed potatos, cream gravy, mixed fruit, wheat roll.
Wed: Sloppy joe on bun, coleslaw, ambrosia fruit salad.
Thu: Chicken soft taco on wheat tortilla, mexican rice, fiesta corn salad, craisins.
Fri: Roast Turkey on sub, carrot raisin sald, pineapple..
WEEK OF JULY 22
Mon: Salisbury steak, potatoes & onion, peaches, wheat roll.
Tue: Mexican pork stew, squash salad,blushing pears, cornbread muffin.
Wed: Turkey & Swiss brocc pasta, three bean salad, pineapple, garlic breadstick.
Thu: Cranberry meatballs, baked potato with margarine, apricot crisp, wheat bread
Fri: Shrimp pasta salad, tomato salad, mixed fruit, crackers
WEEK OF JULY 29
Mon: Italian chicken, peas & carrots, pears, wheat bread.
Tue: Scalloped potatoes & ham, corn, flavored applesauce, garlic cheddar biscuit.
Wed: Cheeseburger on bun, sweet potato salad, tropical fruit.
* Milk is served with all meals. Meals fall within the following ranges: Calories 650-750; protein 25 grams or higher; fat 20 to 30 percent of calories; calcium 400 mg or higher; sodium 1,000 grams or less; fiber 9 grams or higher.
Classified advertising PlaCe
HEAVENLY RESTING PLACE at Lakeview Gardens Everlasting Life. Lot 53 Spaces 3&4. Retail $3,695 each, Selling both for $4,000 OBO. Seller pays transfer fee. Call 316-393-6054
Resthaven Cemetery Garden of Faith, Prime location. 2 lots on center isle. 40 B 3&4. $12,500. 316-617-8581
Two ground burial spots at Lakeview Gardens Cemetery. Section: Garden of the Holy Rosary Lot 30. $2800 each Contact C Mansaw 316-942-4291xt 2165 mansawc@newmanu.edu
2 plots in Resthaven Garden of Memories, Garden of Gethsemane, $4,800 each, includes transfer fee. Contact Kay 785-614-2775, or kreed@cloud.edu
Resthaven, Garden of the Cross. 2 plots side by side. $7,000 plus transfer fee. 727-644-5841
4 plots in Resthaven in Rose Garden. Section 62 lots C1,C2,C3 & C4, 2 vaults, 2x-opening/closing. $14,700 for all or will sell separately. Transfer fee included. Call 316-209-3481.
2 plots in Resthaven Garden of Prayer, valued at $10,600 sell for $8,000. Seller pays transfer fee. 316-250-1556 or gina_ lathrom@yahoo.com
1 double depth lawn crypt at Resthaven, in Bruce Newton Garden, Lot 198 D space 1. Includes 16x24in granite marker. Current value $12,600 asking $ 6,750. Seller pays transfer fee. Call 316-833-9644.
2 burial plots Resthaven in Bruce Newton Garden. Lot 40-A Spaces 3&4. Double burial. Open/Closing. 2 vaults and more. Call for details. Asking $10,000. 316-553-3405
White Chapel. Garden of Gethsemane. 2 plots. 1 open/close, 1 vault and 1-48in base. Asking $7,000. Call 918-791-4706
Old Mission/Wichita Park cemetery. 21st & Hillside, Wichita. Single plot in Evergreen. Lot 536-1. Valued 3249. Asking 990. Seller pays transfer fee. 316-882-7651
Two Lakeview burial plots. Located in Apostles Garden. Two spaces #5&6 w/ 2 eternal rest caskets(deluxe). Sold together $7,000. Call 316-320-0108. Leave Message. Serious inquires only.
2 premium lots in White Chapel Garden of the Last Supper. Valued at $5,498. Sell both for $4,000 plus transfer fee. 316-640-5091.
3 interment spaces at White Chapel Memorial Gardens, Garden of Christus, Lot 67A (1 and 2); Lot 67B (Lot 4) to sell separately @ $2,500, or $6,000 for the three. Call 202-577-8018
Residential Cleaning West/ South Wichita Butler, Sumner & Cowley Counties 316-650-4441
Alpha Electric Dependable Electrical Service Call Greg at 316-312-1575
Insured, Lic. #1303
IPK Enterprises Estate Sales. Know your options, you have many. Please call us for a free consultation. 316-806-3435.
PITTMAN'S HANDYMAN SERVICES, LLC
• Interior/Exterior Painting
• Room Additions
• Basement Finishing
• Kitchen & Bathrooms
• Siding & Sheetrock
• Hauling & Clean Up
• Gutter Cleaning
• Flood & Fire Damage
• Repairs
• Lawn Service
• Plumbing
• Electrical No Job Too Big or Small... WE DO THEM ALL! Call 316-409-7341
Chilo s Hauling & Junk Removal WILL HAUL ANYTHING!! Tree Debri Clean-up
Mon-Fri- After 2:30pm Weekends- All Day Se Habla Español Free Estimates 316-618-4037
SUMMER CLEAN-UP
Trim • Cut • Remove Fence Repairs • Odd jobs NO JOB TOO SMALL Honest & Reasonable. 316-807-4989 Nolimit Hauling & Delivery Kevin Oliver nolimit12g@gmail.com 316-300-9371
NEED home care aide to assist elderly gentlemen with breakfast, lunch and dinner. Assistance with bathing, light housekeeping and laundry. Must have a reliable car and valid driver license. $15/hr. Located in El Dorado. Mon-Sat. 316-320-1664
CARE IN YOUR HOME
Cheryl Rosine ~ The Foot Lady ICMT RN
$40 : In-home, Sedgwick & surrounding counties • 316-312-2025 • Benjamin Jones ~ CNAICR • 316-932-8524•
Diabetic, thick toe nails, ingrown & callous care
Don't have an Auction, or Estate Sale. We Buy Entire Estates.
KS
Hair Solutions by Sherry Perms * Cuts * Colors Men, Woman & Children 1 person Salon Swim in for a new hairdo! Call for an appointment Sherry Brown 316-207-1760
Retired Minister Seeking Preaching Opportunities
I have more than 10 yrs experience as a pastor and teacher in KS, NC & WV. I can preach on a short or long term basis. George 316-230-7230
CNA needed to assist with T6 paraplegic. 8-10am, 5 days a week. Assist w/bathing, dressing, toileting, breakfast, light housekeeping. 316-686-2315
Private Duty Aide with light house keeping. Availability evenings and weekends. References upon request. Cynthia CNA/HHA 316-992-6711
Caregiver 40+ yrs. experience Flexible schedule
Can cook, clean, run errands and take to doctors’ appointments. References available upon request Call 316-516-2149
CNA will care for your loved one; experienced w/ Dementia+ALZ, companion care, transportation to and from doctors appointments, light cleaning, pet/plant care. References available. Cristi 316-779-4269
YR EXPERIENCED LICENSED HOME HEALTH AIDE
Providing rides to Dr etc. Home Health Care Specializing in Dementia/Diabetes. Ref avail. Kay 316-882-9127
Steve’s masonry repair No job too small! Brick, Block & Stone *Mailboxes* 316-339-6092
Handyman RX- We have a remedy for almost all of your “fix-it” jobs! Light carpentry including deck and fence repair, indoor misc. repairs and installations, lawn mowing “LG or SM”, Yard & Garage clean-up, mulching, hauling miscellaneous,hauling dirt, sand, and rock/gravel upto 3.5 tons. What you need done I can probably handle. Call for HELP! Brian 316-217-0882. Free Estimates
Perry’s Lawn Maintenance Mowing * Weed Eating * Edging FREE ESTIMATES 316-944-2603
Cowboy Construction Remodeling, siding, decks, fences, windows, doors and more. 20 years locally owned. Free estimates. Senior discounts. Todd Wenzel 316-393-4488 Molina Electric - Wichita Lic #1364 Comm. or Residential wiring. Service calls. New electric service. Troubleshooting. Cell 316-461-2199.
Derby, Haysville, Mulvane, Rose Hill, Wichita Exterior & Interior. House painting, siding, decks, fences and guttering. Build, repair and stain. Free Estimates. Be Blessed. Thank you KC KIMBALL 316-250-2265
MOBILE GLASS REPAIR
Windows * Patio * Doors Windows won’t stay up, Crank Outs, Patio Rollers and Lock Latches, Morris Glass & Service, 316-946-0745
AMERICAN CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION • New Construction • Room Additions
• Basement Finishing
• Kitchen & Bathrooms
• Siding & Sheetrock
How you can find reliable health information online
Dear Savvy Senior,
How can I tell if the health info on a website is trustworthy?
I usually do a Google search on a symptom, drug or health condition when I want to research something, but with so much information out there I’m not sure what I can trust.
Dear Sal,
time so check the date that information was published to make sure it’s current.
Skeptical Sal
You’re wise to be skeptical! There’s an overwhelming amount of health advice on the internet today, and it can be hard to tell what’s credible. To help you sort through the online clutter and locate reliable, trustworthy health information, here are a few tips to follow, along with some top-rated sites you can turn to with confidence.
Savvy Searching
First, know that Google or Bing is not always the best place to start a search. You’ll increase your odds of finding reliable health information if you begin with websites run by government agencies (identified by URLs ending in .gov), medical associations (often .org) or academic institutions (.edu).
Commercial websites (usually ending in .com), such as drug or insurance companies that may be trying to sell you their products, are usually not the most trustworthy options. To find out who’s sponsoring a site and where the information came from, click on the “About Us” tab on the site’s home page.
Also note that good health and medical information changes all the
Some other areas you need be wary of include online symptom checkers and artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While symptom checkers do offer potential diagnoses that could fit your set of symptoms, they are often inaccurate and tend to err on the side of caution says Ateev Mehrotra, MD, professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. AI tools, like ChatGPT, can also be wrong or generate false but scientific-sounding information.
You also need to be cautious about using medical information from social media, online forums or YouTube. Comments in these places may sound authoritative even if the authors have no medical training or expertise.
Top Health Sites
While there are many excellent websites that provide reliable health and medical information, one of the best all-purpose sites that’s recommended by Consumer Reports for researching symptoms and conditions is MedlinePlus (medlineplus.gov).
A service of the National Library of Medicine, the world’s largest medical library, and part of the National Institutes of Health, MedlinePlus provides high-quality,
trustworthy health and wellness information that’s easy to understand and free of advertising.
Here are a few additional websites to help you find reliable information on specific diseases, conditions and treatments.
Cancer: National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov), American Cancer Society (cancer.org) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (nccn.org).
Heart disease: American Heart Association (americanheart.org), National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (nhlbi.nih.gov).
Diabetes: American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org).
Alzheimer’s disease: Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) and Alzheimers.
Lawmakers cut taxes, chase KC Chiefs
TOPEKA — Kansas lawmakers have passed a tax cut that Gov. Laura Kelly said she’d sign.
The plan, a compromise between Republican legislators and Kelly, a Democrat, calls for:
• A dual income tax rate. People making under $46,000 are taxed at 5.2%. Kansans making over $46,000 are taxed at 5.58%. That replaces the three income tax brackets of 3.1%, 5.25% and 5.7%.
• Elimination of taxes on Social Security benefits.
• Raises property tax exemptions from $40,000 to $75,000
• Doubles the child care tax credit for families
• Does not speed up the elimination of food sales tax
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers walked away from the plan frustrated. Some are still upset that the
state doesn’t have a flat tax on income, but others say more property tax relief should have been passed.
Other plans offered up to $100,000 in property tax exemptions. Those plans were vetoed each time. Frustrated lawmakers ultimately approved the plan because multiple veto fights have torpedoed any tax breaks for Kansans until now.
“This is the last train out of town, but I’ll be back (next year) to work on real property tax relief that our citizens deserve,” said Rep. Bill Clifford, a Garden City Republican.
Kelly hasn’t yet said if she’d support additional tax cuts next year. The plan agreed to this year will cost around $380 million a year. Kelly told lawmakers she wouldn’t support any plan that cost more than $425 million a year.
In other news, legislators approved
a STAR bond proposal that means the state could finance up to 70 percent of a new Kansas City Chiefs or Royals stadium. Kelly said she’s neutral on the proposal but does see the benefits of bringing the teams across state lines.
“Kansas now has the opportunity to become a professional sports powerhouse,” she said.
STAR bonds, or sales tax and revenue bonds, pay for tourist attractions and then use the sales taxes collected at those attractions to pay off the construction debt.
Public health and vaccines: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov).
Alternative medicine: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (nccih.nih.gov) and the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements (ods. od.nih.gov).
Get more savvy
For more Savvy Senior tips, visit theactiveage.com.
This month’s topics include:
• Dreading a Colonoscopy? There Are Alternatives.
• Can You Stop and Restart Social Security Benefits?
• Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses
Volunteering together to build friendships and strengthen bonds
Family Features
Volunteering has always been a big part of Shelley Brosnan’s life, whether she was serving in her children’s school or in their Fairfax, Va., community. When Brosnan retired, increasing her volunteer efforts was a natural next step. Serving with Volunteer Fairfax, an AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP program, she spends about 10 hours a week teaching new volunteers about helping older adults age in place, providing food for those in need and extending the capacity of local nonprofits.
“There’s so much to love about volunteering,” Brosnan said. “Providing purpose and serving the community are obvious reasons, but the connections I make with others are one of the greatest benefits. I just really love helping people, and I’ve made friends through volunteering.”
Brosnan’s experience with volunteering is backed by science. According to the Mayo Clinic, having a solid social network improves both physical and mental health as it can boost happiness, increase your sense of belonging and improve self-confidence. As people age, many social avenues from earlier phases of life, such as school and work, no longer exist, and making friends can be difficult. The Mayo Clinic suggests volunteering as a beneficial way to make friends and
improve social well-being.
“Volunteering fosters more connected and less isolated older adults,” said Atalaya Sergi, director at AmeriCorps Seniors. “Our research, focused on the impact of our programs, finds volunteering can provide positive health and well-being outcomes. In our study, 84% of participants reported stable or improving health and 88% had lower feelings of isolation within one year of volunteering. Each year, we match more than 143,000 Americans with volunteer opportunities, helping build connections and address societal issues, nurturing real relationships that help people become both happier and more fulfilled.”
Adults ages 55 and up, like Brosnan, can be matched with local volunteer organizations fitting their interests, skills and availability through AmeriCorps Seniors, the nation’s largest national service program for older adults, which offers three signature programs, RSVP, the Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program. Brosnan, an RSVP volunteer, and others nationwide play crucial roles in community resilience and connectedness.
The time commitment for all programs is flexible, ranging from a few hours to 40 hours per week.
Now Serving Patients in Kansas
Restore First Health now offers a mobile advanced wound care program to the Wichita region! Collaborating with patients, home health, physicians and discharge planners — our program can help heal chronic wounds.
Research studies like the Harvard University Study of Adult Development found that older adults who invest in, care for and develop the next generation are three times as likely to be happy as those who did not. Foster Grandparent volunteers Francois Mwabi and Jerome Menyo, based in Kentwood, Mich., are two more examples of the difference it can make to serve.
schedule for all their students to be able to spend time with them.
Some of the students they help are refugees from Africa, just as Mwabi and Menyo themselves were several years ago. The two volunteers are so popular among the students and staff that teachers had to work out a
“We love being here because of the environment and the students who study here,” Menyo said.
To be matched to rewarding volunteer opportunities near you, visit AmeriCorps.gov/YourMoment or call 1-855-200-2373.
•
If
County ends long-term camping at Lake Afton 'residential park'
By Celia Hack KMUW
Stan Henderson bought his home for just $5,000 three years ago: a twobedroom, Rockwood camper that can be parked just about anywhere.
Henderson set up residence at Lake Afton in southwest Sedgwick County in June 2021. Since then, he’s only left for a few months out of each year.
“I retired, bought a camper and a motorcycle,” Henderson said. “I’m out here away from the city. And I got away from COVID. I got away from all the rat race.
“And it’s actually a beautiful view in the morning when you’re drinking coffee.”
His mornings at the lake will soon come to an end. In late May, Sedgwick County voted to reduce the number of days campers can stay at Lake Afton each year from 300 to 56. The county will also stop selling month-long camping permits, limiting patrons to staying for no more than two weeks at a time.
“We want to consider Lake Afton Park as more of a recreational park and less of a residential park,” assistant county manager Tania Cole said at the
commission meeting.
The decision was a blow to longterm campers like Henderson, who have found refuge at Lake Afton as Wichita’s housing market grows more expensive. A month-long camping permit costs less than $400 a month, with electricity included. That’s far cheaper than current median rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Wichita, which is close to $800.
Henderson lives off of less than $1,000 a month in Social Security.
In May, 56 people bought monthlong camping permits at Lake Afton. By July 5, most of them will have to leave. Henderson was approved to move into a low-income senior housing unit in mid-June, after applying in the spring. But he’s worried about his fellow campers, many who have limited incomes or disabilities.
“There’s a lot of people out here that are close to being homeless. There really is,” Henderson said.
Some county commissioners grew concerned by the influx of residential campers.
“People were taking up residence, and they were putting tarps around the side of some of the shelters that we had out there,” said David Dennis,
the commissioner whose district includes the park. “They were trashing the location. They were dumping stuff out there. And it was turning into a residential use rather than a recreational use.”
KMUW spoke with several nearby homeowners who did not want to
be named. They said they avoid the park because it’s not a family-friendly environment, citing concerns about drug use and stray animals. But they did not know whether to attribute the problems to residential or recreational campers.
Displayed across both printed and digital mediums, the exhibition offers a dynamic peek into the artist’s contemporary practice and focus. Whether highlighting household names or local heroes, these works demonstrate Leibovitz’s discerning vision and desire to celebrate the extraordinary now. With more than five decades of experience photographing some of the most influential names in entertainment, politics, business, and athletics, Leibovitz has established herself as a keen watcher of society.
$12 GENERAL ADMISSION
ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.
Annie Leibovitz, Patti Smith, Electric Lady Studios New York City
©Annie Leibovitz. ANNIE LEIBOVITZ / WORK is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.
Annie Leibovitz, Bruce Springsteen on tour Paris, 2016.
©Annie Leibovitz. ANNIE
LEIBOVITZ / WORK is organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.
Photo by Nour Longi/KMUW
Stan Henderson has lived at Lake Afton for most of three years.
WSU a vacation destination?
Wichita State University is inviting local residents to take a “Wichita State-cation” this summer. In a news release, WSU said these activities are free and open to the public:
• Kouri Parcourse: Located outside
the entrance to the Heskett Center, offers accessible outdoor workout on eight exercise stations.
• Hammock Lounge: Relax in a hammock between Wallace Hall and Neff Hall. Hammocks can be checked out with a driver’s license at the Ablah
Library front desk or Heskett Center’s guest service desk.
• Pickleball: Located east of the Heskett Center, the courts are lighted and open until midnight.
• Selfie tour: Visit wichita.edu/map and choose the “selfie spots” option under “Discover WSU,” and you’ll find dozens of picturesque places to
document your Wichita State-cation.
• Bowling and billiards: For less than $10, enjoy a round of bowling or shoot a game of pool in the basement of the Rhatigan Student Center at Shocker Grill & Lanes.
The campus also features 86 outdoor sculptures and eight dining/ drinking options at Braeburn Square.
in bathroom remodels for those with disabilities or who are “aging in place”
WILLS ~ TRUSTS ~ PROBATE
Help is Here. Get the caregiving support you need when you need it.
No one ever hopes to become a family caregiver. But it’s a role you and 330,000 others in Kansas play every day. No matter how much you love the person you’re caring for, being a caregiver can be a lot to manage.
AARP Family Caregiving is here to help. We can make it easier for you to get answers, help you connect with and learn from other family caregivers and guide you to useful resources online and close to home.
To learn more, visit aarp.org/caregiving
/aarpks @aarpks
Receiving duplicate copies? Is your home receiving more than one copy of The Active Age? If so, please let us know by calling (316) 942-5385 or emailing joe@theactiveage.com
