Donor Supported
To subscribe for FREE call 316-942-5385
Inside:
Win a Diamond Necklace
Vol 46 No. 8
www.theactiveage.com
Kansas’ Largest Newspaper
July 2025
Printed at Valley Center, KS
Flint Hills finale Fans say they will miss Symphony in the Flint Hills
Photo by Salena Favela
The Kansas City Symphony performs on the Evans family ranch in Chase County last month. It was the last Symphony in the Hills performance.
By Jennifer Anima Flint Hills Media Project As the sun dipped behind a tallgrass prairie pasture in Chase County, Matt Lynch was one of nearly 8,000 people who stood up to sing “Home on the Range.” Many had tears in their eyes. Lynch drove almost two hours from his home in Wichita to experience the last Symphony in the Flint Hills, held on June 14. The event was started 20 years ago to bring music and attention to the tallgrass prairie.
Lynch has attended the event with his wife, Mindy, since 2017. That year, the event took place closer to home for them, on Rosalia Ranch in Butler County. The couple came to love the Flint Hills enough to buy a second home in Strong City, just seven miles from this year’s event. While in Wichita, he and his wife work government jobs. On the side, Lynch is a woodworker who uses their second home as inspiration. “I enjoy the city,” he said. “I enjoy being, like, 60 seconds from Dillons See Flint Hills, page 6
Ballet teacher keeps students on their toes
ACTIVE AGING PUBLISHING, INC 125 S West St., Suite 105 ELECTRONIC SERVICE REQUESTED Wichita, Ks 67213
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID Wichita, KS 67276 Permit 1711
By Bonnie Bing Eight decades into her love affair with ballet, Ruth White still performs every move with her students. Warming up a class recently, she sat
on the floor and extended her legs in a wide V. “Back straight, now lean forward,” she said, stretching until her own forehead touched the floor. It’s no wonder the petite 92-yearold seems decades younger. Her joyful approach to life extends far beyond dance. White, who’s called Wichita home for seven years, grew up in Austin, Minn. “I had two brothers, so I was a total tomboy,” White said. “I climbed trees, played football, scaled the walls at our school. That’s when my mom said, ‘That’s it! You’re going to dance
school.’ I went and loved it.” When she was 16, two women asked if she would teach their children dance. The moms found a big room with a wood floor on the second floor of a bottling company. Photo by Bonnie Bing “I thought it was Ruth White works with two aspiring ballerinas. a palace,” White said. “I opened my own with the Rochester Minnesota school of dance, 25 students right off Ballet Company. “But for many the bat, and that began a long career.” See Ballet, page 7 During her career, she performed
The Active Age is tightening up our distribution process to save money on postage and printing. Over the years, as subscribers have moved or died, copies of The Active Age have continued to be delivered to some of the addresses where they previously lived. Some current occupants no doubt enjoy receiving the publication, but others simply toss
it in the trash can. With the rising cost of postage, that is an expense we can no longer afford. Starting with our August 2025 issue, those addresses will no longer receive copies. If you are currently receiving a copy of The Active Age addressed to your name (a last name and first initial are sufficient), you do not need
Important note: Active Age stopping delivery to non-subscribers
Questions about services?
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging/Sedgwick County Department on Aging: 316-660-7298 or 1-800-367-7298
to do anything to continue getting it. However, if you are receiving a copy addressed to someone else, you must request your own subscription to continue receiving one. You can use the form on page 7, visit the activeage. com (click on “Get the Paper”) or call us at (316) 942-5385 to subscribe. See Mailing list, page 7
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800-279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655