'We're buddies'
Bus driver teaches, learns plenty while moving kids
By Joe Stumpe
DERBY — Jodee Dalton has seen a few younger students shed tears as her Derby school bus pulls up in the morning.
Her pep talk goes something like this:
“You’re on here with your friends. I know it’s early, and it’s hard to go. We’re buddies.”
Most of the time, it’s the students who keep Dalton in high spirits.
“I think when you get older, you tend to forget what the inherent joys of childhood are. Kids laugh all the time. Everything’s funny to them, everything’s silly to them. I learn from them. I hope they learn from me. I think being around these kids gives me a better outlook on everything.”
Dalton is one of 29 bus and paratransit drivers who are working
past retirement age for the Derby disrict. After retiring from the Kansas Air National Guard, she attended culinary school and worked for a caterer. Then the pandemic came along.
She started driving a van for the schools, transporting kids who live outside district lines. She was urged to get her commercial license so that she could drive full-size school busses. “Every district everywhere is always looking for school bus drivers,” she said.
Derby school bus driver Jodee Dalton says her riders "can't help but bring you up."
She studied up on general knowledge of commercial vehicles
to pass the written test, learned how to operate air brakes and got her learner’s permits, which allowed her to drive with a licensed CDL operator. She learned to inspect a bus — a
See Driver, page 6
By Joe Stumpe
BTK wasn’t Wichita’s only serial killer to escape detection for decades.
On April 11, 1992, 23-yearold Patricia Smith and 32-year-old Patricia Magers were shot to death while working late at Magers’ bridal shop, La Bride d’ Elegance, on east Kellogg. Less than a month later, police announced that their killer had murdered four other people in locations stretching from here to Indiana.
The killer has never been identified. Now a retired journalist has written a book to keep the story alive. Bob Cyphers, a former news reporter for St. Louis television station KMOV-TV, was recruited and given unusual access by a police task force that formed in 2021 but disbanded
See I-70 Killer, page 7
Rose show blooms again
By Sherry Graham Howerton
Don Suderman discovered his passion for roses more than four decades ago.
“I grew some roses starting in the 1980s. Then I went to a garden tour in Wichita and got invited to a Wichita Rose Society meeting, which increased my knowledge on how to grow them,” said Suderman, who is now president of that group. “There is something about the unique form and fragrance of a rose that I’ve always loved.”
His wife Marcee’s fondess for the flower goes back further, to memories of her grandparents’ roses blanketing their front yard in Kansas City when
she was a child. Today, the Sudermans cultivate several rose gardens at their home near Newton.
They’re also among enthusiasts staging the Rose Society’s 75th anniversary celebration. “A Rosy Weekend” will be held Sept. 21-22 at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview and Botanica, The Wichita Gardens.
“It does take a lot of work, but our members will be volunteering in various areas throughout the weekend,” Suderman said. “We want our guests to have a good experience.”
It has been more than a decade since Wichita hosted a rose show by See Roses, page 8
you are receiving
or
942-5385 or emailing joe@theactiveage.com.
Don Suderman prunes roses at his Newton home. He is president of the Wichita Rose Society.
Win tickets to Celtic Thunder concert
The Active Age is giving away three pairs of tickets to the Celtic Thunder concert at the Orpheum Theatre on Friday, Oct. 4. The PBS favorites combine traditional Irish music with contemporary rhythms. The orchestra level tickets are valued at $74 each.
To enter a drawing for the event, visit theactiveage.com and fill out the entry form at the top of our home page. You can also mail or bring the form below to: The Active Age, 125 S. West St., Suite 105, Wichita, KS, 67213. Entries must be received or postmarked by Sept. 15.
Celtic Thunder drawing
Name:
Address:
Telephone number and/or email:
Help is Always Within Arm’s Reach
This stylish medical alert Smartwatch provides access to help at the press of a button while offering step tracking and heart rate measurement. Advanced GPS & WiFi locators enable quick assistance wherever and whenever needed. It can automatically place a call for help if a fall is detected, even if you don’t press your button*
Upcoming Events
Senior Carnival fun night
forum will be held 6-8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23 at Alumni Auditorium at Friends University.
Senior Services, Inc. is holding a Senior Carnival for people 55 and older from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13 at Linwood Senior Center, 1901 S. Kansas St. The $5 admission includes a hot dog dinner, games, goodie bag and more. RSVP to (316) 263-3703 by Sept. 11. Senior Services operates the Linwood, Orchard Park, Northeast and Downtown senior centers.
County candidate forums
The Wichita Journalism Collaborative is inviting the public to candidate forums for Sedgwick County Commission Districts 2 and 3.
Celeste Racette and Stephanie Wise are running in District 3. Their
Sarah Lopez and Jeff Blubaugh are running in District 2. Their forum will be held at the same time and location on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Mind, Mood and Motion
The Parkinson’s Foundation will present its signature educational program, Mind, Mood and Motion, at the Hyatt Regency Wichita, 400 E. Waterman, next month. The program focuses on exercise’s benefits in managing Parkinson’s, in terms of both physical and emotional well-being. The event is free but advance registration is required; visit Parkinson.org/Wichita or call (913) 416-4098. The program is 1-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 17.
WSU Athletics garage sale
Stock up on jerseys, shoes, coolers and other sports gear at Wichita State
Athletics’ annual garage sale. The sale is 8-11 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Aetna Multi-Purpose Facility (enter through exterior doors on east side of Koch Arena). Customers are encouraged to pay with cash although credit cards will be accepted.
Library book sale
Books, CDs, DVDS, sheet music and more will be for sale at the Advanced Learning Library, 711 W. 2nd St., from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7. Customers can buy a Friends of the Wichita Public Library tote bag for $10 and fill it or bring a previously purchased FWPL bag and fill it for $5. Proceeds benefit the library.
Scandinavian meet-ups
The Scandinavian Society of
Wichita is moving its meeting time to the second Friday of each month. The club meets from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 1101 N. River Blvd. This month’s program features Scandinavian dancers from Lindsborg.
Do the do-si-do
Village Steppers Square Dance Club is offering lessons at Oaklawn Elementary School, 5000 S. Clifton Ave. Starting Sept. 24, classes will be held Tuesday and Thursday from 7-8:30 p.m. The $25 cost covers all lessons plus admission to dances held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month. For more information call Mike Huddleson at (316) 524-0997.
Upcoming Events
Heritage Square concerts
The schedule is set for this year’s series of free concerts in Heritage Square. The shows take place from noon to 1 p.m. each Wednesday in September in the square, which is behind the WichitaSedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main St.
The line-up includes: Sept. 4, Mariachi Jalisco; Sept. 11, Pretend Friend; Sept. 18, The Historical Museum Radio Orchestra; Sept. 25, Dear Friends.
Attendees are welcome to bring a lunch.
Dementia guidance
A free seminar on “Becoming Dementia Aware” is being held from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Downtown Senior Center, 200 S. Walnut. Gerontologist and author Tam Cummings will cover a variety of dementia-related topics including dementia behaviors and family/caregiver guidance. To make
a reservation, please contact sstrain@ anthemmemorycare.com or call (316)558-5775.
CASA benefit for kids
A casino-themed party to benefit CASA of Sedgwick County will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28 in the Rhatigan Student Center ballroom at Wichita State. Tickets start at $100 and can be purchased at casaofsedgwickcounty.org. CASA trains community members to advocate for children in the foster care system who have been abused or neglected.
Heights, South reunions
Heights High class of ’74 will hold its 50th reunion Sept. 20-22. For more information, contact Kim Campbell Morrissey at kmorrisey917@gmail.com or (316) 641-6383.
South High class of ’74 will hold its reunion Oct. 4-5. For more information, contact Sandra Ott at ottgirl@sbcglobal.net.
Come
Tuesday, September 17
Thank You Recent Donors!
Honor Roll of Donors
Due to increased postage costs, we have increased our goal for 2024 to $125,000.
Donate via our QR code
This QR code will take you to The Active Age’s secure PayPal donation page.
When pigs cost 50 cents each: Kansas during the Great Depression
By Diana Breit Wolfe
My dad said there was no electricity on the family farm in the 1930s because they “didn’t need it.” Their water was pumped from the windmill. Their stove burned wood. They did have a phone on the wall for a while (electricity provided by the telephone company), but only got calls when somebody needed help.
These are a few of the things I learned from a cassette recording that my great-niece, Trisha, made in 1990 with her great grandpa — my dad. Trish had a high school assignment to interview someone who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s. My dad, Paul Breit, was born in Pfeifer, Kan., in 1904, and married my mom in the big, beautiful church there in 1926. They lived on the family farm and by 1934 my older sister and brother were
born.
When Trish asked Dad for his worst memory of the Depression, he replied, “Didn’t have a nickel.”
Families traded food items with their neighbors — chickens for beef, potatoes for corn. But they always had enough to eat. Meals might consist of one food item — chicken tails with gravy, or dumplings, or just lots of potatoes.
Dear Reader
Gas for the tractor was 8 cents a gallon. Farmers got 24 cents a bushel for their wheat. Dad was happy to sell 14 baby pigs for 50 cents each. Once he sold a 100-pound sow for $3. They fed eggs back to the chickens because the store wouldn’t buy any.
Dad said nobody was scared to get married or have kids during the Depression. When my brother was born in 1934, my parents were broke, and there was no full-time work. So after the summer harvest, they moved to Chicago, where I was born. My dad was hired by a large manufacturing company, Stewart-Warner, to run a lathe even though he didn’t know what a lathe was. He eventually worked up to 69 cents an hour. My mom soldered wires on pinball machines for 30 cents an hour. They must have done alright because my dad paid $825 cash for a new 1941 Plymouth, which they drove to Kansas every summer to visit. Eventually we moved back to western Kansas and then came to Wichita
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.
in 1948. My parents bought a small restaurant to run and a home where I grew up.
We aren’t suffering now as badly as people did during the Depression, but prices have soared. The Active Age remains a free newspaper, but it’s not free to produce. Prior to the pandemic, our postage and printing costs totaled about $18,000 a month. This year, we expect to pay about $26,000 — a 44-percent increase that adds up to nearly $100,000 over 12 months. Please consider a donation to help us continue producing and delivering The Active Age. After all, you’re probably not as broke as my family was in 1930s! Thank you in advance for your generous support.
Diana Wolfe is treasurer of The Active Age’s board of directors. Contact her at dcwolfe2000@yahoo.com
S. West St., Ste 105 • Wichita, KS 67213 316-942-5385 • Fax 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
Driver
From Page 1
daily requirement on the job. “You go around the whole bus and you inspect everything,” she sad. “Make sure all the lights work, the tread on the tires is good, wiring in the electrical system looks good, suspension looks good, emergency doors and windows open and close properly. Most people fail that (inspection test) the first time.”
She practiced straight-line backing, parallel parking, offset parking and other techniques. Drivers train at least two weeks in Garrett Park on the south end of town before taking their Kansas DMV driving test in the Twin Lakes Shopping Center parking lot.
Dalton filled in for other drivers at first, which she called “the worst job in the world. You’re out in the dark trying to find these locations. If the locations are corners, Google doesn’t like corners, it can’t find them. So that’s a lot of fun — a little stressful.”
This year is her third with the same route, which is off Hydraulic south of 79th Street, and many of the same students. It makes a difference.
“Oh yeah, a hundred percent,” she said. "It’s a whole lot easier to call them out if they’re doing something stupid. You know them, they know you. They know your expectations.”
Dalton is up before dawn most days. If it’s wintry, she warms up the bus and scrapes off its windows. After inspecting the vehicle, she’s usually out of the parking lot by 6:30 a.m. Her route has about 45 kids and 15 scheduled stops, which usually take her about an hour and 15 minutes to complete.
Dalton puts herself in the lenient category of bus drivers. She’ll let her
passengers eat, for instance, as long as they clean up after themselves. “I have a trash can at the front and back. We’re not moving until the bus is clear.”
Youngsters “perform up or down to your level of expectations,” she believes — although that's hard for one age group.
“Middle school kids — there’s all kind of stuff going on there. Over-medication, under-medication, hormones. Trying to fit in.”
Indeed, Dalton discovered there’s “a whole different vocabulary of middle school kids, and we don’t know any of it.” A middle school teacher tipped her off to a website that explains middle school vernacular. (There are several.)
Dalton clearly loves the give-andtake with students who pile onto her bus eager to talk about what they did the weekend before or what they’re looking forward to that night.
“Little kids talk a lot more than their parents know they talk. So I know a lot of really interesting things about families. I had one little girl, she said, ‘I know everything I’m getting for Christmas.’ I said, ‘How do you know?’ She said, ‘'Cause I snooped in my mom’s phone.’ I said, ‘I’m going to call your mom and tell her.’ Her eyes got enormous and this look of terror came into them.”
Dalton did not carry out the threat.
She gives her riders Spanish phrases to learn, like “Estoy aburrido” (for “I’m bored”). She plays “Dogglyand” — hiphop versions of kids’ songs and nursery rhymes created by the rapper Snoop Dog — through the bus’ sound system in the morning. “It talks about ‘I’m smart enough. I’m good enough.’ The older kids kind of roll their eyes. The younger kids kind of like it.”
“In the afternoon, I let them pick some stuff,” she said. “It’s all gotta be PG, though.”
She has most of the day to herself before returning for her afternoon route. Driving to extracurricular activities is on a voluntary basis.
“I’ve been to the State Fair, the Zoo, Cowtown, Exploration Place, Tanganyika — all those kinds of places. Pumpkin patches are really big in October.
“There’s just always something different. Last year, we took middle school students on a tour to different elementary schools, and (they) sang for the kids.”
That, by the way, led to an incident in which the remains of an ice cream cone were left on the floor of her bus. She emailed the students’ teacher.
“A week later, I come in and I have a giant stack of pictures that all of these middle schoolers have colored for my bus. I took all of them and put them all over the ceiling of my bus.”
Dalton appreciates the part-time job’s perks, which include a membership to the Derby Recreation Center and options for health insurance. But mostly, it’s being around students like the little girl who was happy to see Dalton and her school bus return for another year.
“She was like, ‘Miss Jodee,’ I missed you.’ They’re just a lot of fun. They’re joyful, and it can’t help but bring you
Contact Joe Stumpe at joe@ theactiveage.com.
I-70 Killer
From Page 1
without solving the case.
“They said, ‘We’re not going to do anything else. If you could write a book, it would be the last thing standing on this case. It just takes one person to read something that might flip the script here,’” Cyphers said.
Cyphers’ book, “Dead End: Inside the Hunt for the I-70 Serial Killer,” was published earlier this year. The book’s title reflects the fact that, except for Smith and Magers, all the victims were slain in businesses along I-70. The killer struck in Indianapolis on April 8, 1992; in Wichita three days later; in Terre Haute, Ind., on April 27; in St. Charles, Mo., on May 3; and in Raytown, Mo., on May 7.
The killings baffled criminal profilers because they happened during daylight in busy areas without any of the usual motives such as sexual assault, although slightly-built, dark-haired women seemed to be the primary target. Except for Smith and Magers, all the victims were alone.
“This guy would just drive along the highways, walk into a store, shoot a woman in the head who was working alone and leave,” Cyphers said. “What was his motive? His motive was nothing but the thrill of the kill.”
Cyphers’ connection to the case goes back to the St. Charles killing, which he covered at the time. He remembers being told by a police source that the gun being used was likely a German World War I target
pistol and that the bullets had been coated in jewelers’ rouge, a cleaning material.
“He (the killer) was obviously concerned about it functioning, I guess,” Cyphers said.
The murders seemingly stopped after May 7, 1992, although Texas authorities believe the 1993 slayings of two Texas women and the attempted murder of a third may have been by the same person using a different weapon. The I-70 killer was also named as a possible suspect in the 2001 killing of a Terre Haute liquor store clerk.
Cyphers’ work with the task force first led to a series of in-depth TV segments on the case. He traveled to every crime scene, met police officers who’d worked the case — retired and current — witnesses and family members of victims. The series won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award and was nominated for an Emmy.
Cyphers then retired with plans to travel to the Holy Land and write Christian faith books “to leave behind for my grandchildren, so they’d know granddad was more than just a TV
“The Border Wars: Conflict in Kansas and Missouri During the Civil War” presented by Ken Spurgeon, WSU Professor
Monday, September 16, 2024
Cowley College, Short Education Center - Room 113 2208 Davis - White Loop, Wellington, KS
Sponsored by Sumner County Historical & Genealogical Society
For more information, contact Sherry Kline, 316-833-6161 or Jane Moore, 620-447-3266 www.ksschgs.com / schgs@sutv.com
reporter.” (He’s written two.)
That’s when police suggested he write about the I-70 killer. Much of his book focuses on the efforts of investigators such as Det. Tim Relph of the Wichita Police Department, who Cyphers said was “held in high regard” by other members of the task force.
“The Wichita thing became so strange because … why are you driving all the way to Wichita, Kansas, then turning around and coming back to Terre Haute to kill somebody?” Cyphers said. “Tim Relph will tell you he had to have a reason to be in Wichita.”
The Wichita case abounded in tragic “if’s.” Smith and Magers would have already closed for the day if a customer hadn’t called asking them to stay open a few minutes late so that he could pick up a cumberbund. That customer arrived to find the killer in the store, holding his gun wrapped in a wedding veil. The witness was able to get away and provide police with information for the first composite sketch of the suspect. But he was so scared that he waited an hour to call police, time during which emergency medical aid might have saved Smith’s life. “His life has been emotionally wrecked,” Cyphers said.
Cyphers recalled one bright spot from his reporting in Wichita, when Magers’ husband, Mark, and Smith’s friend, Ruth Feather, met. “They each lost people they loved deeply. They shake hands, and they’re just complete strangers. After we finish the
interviews that day and as we get ready to leave and say goodbye, Mark and Ruth are sitting at the table hugging and laughing and talking. I thought, you know, something good happened here today.”
Although the case is now 32 years old, Cyphers said DNA testing and other criminology techniques have advanced far beyond what was available in 1992. And he notes that Relph was among the team of policemen who helped catch BTK killer Dennis Rader in 2005, 31 years after his first murders.
“I’m thrilled to have it out there,” Cyphers said of his book. “I’m just hopeful somebody someday will pick up the phone and call a police department.”
Patricia Smith, above left, and Patricia Magers were the killer's victims in Wichita. Bob Cyphers, below, has written a book about the case.
A composite sketch made of the I-70 serial killer in 1992.
Roses
From Page 1
the American Rose Society Central District, which includes seven rose societies throughout Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. Registration to exhibit is open until check-in on Sept. 20. Exhibitors are not required to be a member of the American Rose Society but cannot accept a certified award if they are not.
The show is expected to feature nearly 600 entries of long-stem and miniature roses representing about 45 classes, such as hybrid tea, floribunda, mini roses and shrub roses. Coveted old garden roses are not typically on display at fall shows as they bloom in the spring.
A private judging will take place earlier Sept. 21, with a free show open to the public at the Drury Broadview, 400 W. Douglas, from 2-4 p.m. A convention the following day will feature educational speakers and a tour of the Rose Garden at Botanica, The Wichita Gardens, for a cost of $10 at the door.
Suderman says exhibitors typically bring in dozens of roses in ice chests to keep them preserved, then choose the best of their cuttings when preparation begins around 4 a.m. the day of the event, perfecting their entries right
up until judging. Categories include single-stem specimen arrangements, miniature roses, shrub roses and a photography contest.
“You’ll see traditional shades of red and yellow as well as purples, peaches and oranges, whites and bicolored roses,” Suderman said.
A silent auction of items donated by society members helps offset the cost of hosting the event. The Wichita Rose Society has about 35 members, who also provide vases for the event.
The Sept. 22 schedule includes:
9:30 a.m. — Matt Douglas of High Country Roses in Denver, who will discuss “Old Garden Roses Belong in Your Yard”
10:45 a.m. — Raymond Cloyd of Kansas State University, who will present ‘Pesticide Use and Safety’ 12:30 p.m. — Tour of Botanica Rose Garden led by garden manager Laura Shumaker
The Wichita Rose Society was organized in 1949. At one time, area rose shows boasted thousands of attendees. Interest has declined over the years as other pastimes and hobbies competed for the public’s attention. But specimens of roses have continued to expand over the years. Suderman says about 25,000 varieties exist worldwide with 30 million rose plants sold in the United States every year. Rose gardeners often hear
STOP WASTING RETIREMENT INCOME on High Credit Card Payments
(316)
comments from newbies on how difficult it can be to create a thriving rose garden. Despite the varieties sold in local big box retailers, not all are right for the Kansas climate, Suderman discovered early on.
“I heard a speaker, Dr. Steve George from Texas A&M, talk about lower maintenance roses. I took a special training in Texas regarding the ‘Earth-Kind’ rose trials. After that, we started growing a lot more roses, because they were easier to grow. The Wichita Rose Society introduced Wichita to these roses and sold them for many years, before they finally started showing up in stores,” he said.
Earth-Kind roses are registered trademarks of Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The roses so designated must demonstrate heat and drought tolerance and a high degree of pest resistance. They are known to thrive with little help from their owners and include dwarf, small and medium shrubs as well as climbers.
Marcee Suderman suggests that anyone interested in learning more about the best specimens for local growing conditions attend a meeting of the Wichita Rose Society, which gets together regularly at Botanica. Society members are eager to share information on rose culture and also volunteer to help maintain the Rose Garden at Botanica.
“There is a lot of knowledge amongst our members, and we’re more than happy to steer people in the right direction,” Marcee Suderman said.
With the right care — including proper light, fertilizing, watering and winterizing — roses can last through generations. Don Suderman says he hasn’t lost one in years.
“I think they are the most beautiful flower there is,” he said. “They bloom all season long, clear into the first of November.”
Contact Sherry Graham Howerton at sgaylegraham@hotmail.com
DID YOU KNOW?
The Active Age doesn’t just publish once a month. We update our website and Facebook page with news, features, events and other information you can use all month long. Check out theactiveage. com and like us on Facebook to see what you’re missing.
Beauty of test is in the eye of the beholder
By Ted Blankenship
Recently, I read a newspaper article about the Rorschach test. That’s where a psychologist asks his or her patient to look a series of ink blobs on white sheets of paper and express what they mean to the patient.
The patient may say something like, “It looks like you spilled some ink on your prescription pad.”
This is probably not the answer the psychologist is looking for. A psychologist probably would be happier to hear something like, “I see a pirate with a wooden leg about to slit someone’s throat.”
He then might say the patient’s reaction could indicate a tendency toward violence.
The Rorschach test is a real
psychological tool. It was introduced in 1921 by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach and attained its peak popularity in the 1960s. It is used to assess cognition and personality and in the diagnosis of other conditions. The symmetrical blobs are made by spilling some ink on one half of a piece of paper, then folding over and unfolding the other half.
But a joke that has circulated for years reveals the humor many see in the idea of diagnosing psychological conditions by looking at blobs of ink on a folded piece of paper: A patient is being questioned
by a psychologist who is fond of the Rorschach test. The patient looks at the ink blob, turning it left, right and finally upside down.
“What do you see?” asks the psychiatrist.
“Sex,” says the patient.
They run through all of the blobs and each time the patient answers the
same: “Sex.”
“Apparently, you have a fixation on sex,” says the psychiatrist.
“Don’t give me a bad time,” replies the patient, “You’re the one who showed me all those dirty pictures.” Contact Ted at tblankenship218@ gmail.com
'Creativity is the answer to a lot of our problems,' artist says
The Active Age
There’s been a debate of late in Wichita over the importance of art, particularly as it relates to public funding, but artist Kay Ferris can make her argument for it in two words: It’s everything.
“Being creative . . . and playing with my ideas . . . is what has given me life and a hope for the future,” Ferris said.
“Right now, people are worried sick about everything that has to do with the future . . . Creativity is the answer to a lot of our problems.”
Ferris was rather surprised to learn she’s the featured Harvester Arts artist in September, including for the organization’s grand opening at its new space in the Lux during the Sept. 27 Final Friday.
“It scared me half to death,” Ferris said.
“Harvester Arts to me is a huge contributor to Wichita — to the city, to its people and to its creativity,” she said. “To be connected with them is an extreme honor. It’s been a life-
changing event for me.”
She’ll be sharing her Kay’s Kritters, which are drawings of wild beasts that Ferris creates with inspiration from what she sees, including from everyday
objects in her home.
The Wichita native used to work with other kinds of animals. She was a biology major and then received her master’s in zoology before working in the Smithsonian’s department of vertebrate zoology.
Ferris worked on her PhD in South Africa during apartheid.
“That caused me a mental breakdown. I couldn’t understand treating human beings the way they did.”
She left her work with epauletted fruit bats and began volunteering in hospitals for the South African Red Cross Society.
Eventually, Ferris returned to Wichita and worked in a yarn shop before getting her nursing degree and working at Wesley Medical Center. She then took time off to care for failing family members.
Ferris had created art since she was a small child, and with encouragement from a man at an art guild, she went back to it.
She and several others formed Mead Street Gallery, which was open in downtown for 16 years before closing in 2018.
It was there she began to develop her Kay’s Kritters. She’d draw something like a lizard or a turtle “and see if I could jazz it up.”
“Nah, this isn’t working,” she said she’d think. “I need something that’s wilder.”
Ferris started showing the Kritters at the gallery to see how people connected with them.
“One of the first things I learned is
the Kritters have to have eyes.”
That’s because when anyone sees real animals, “You’re going to look that animal right in the face.”
Ferris also creates loveys for children by crocheting colorful skirts for stuffed animals she buys from dollar stores. She’ll sell them at Harvester Arts and donate the items and the money from them to the Treehouse, a faith-based nonprofit that offers moms educational programs, layettes and car seats.
She also she knits Twiddle Muffs, a type of fidget, for people with dementia to play with or for children or anyone else who would like the distraction.
When people connect with Ferris’ work in an especially deep way, particularly with her Kritters, she said it gives her a sense of purpose.
“The few times that happened, it made me feel like I wasn’t wasting my time. That if there are people out there that could react that way to them, then I should keep doing them.”
Ferris has never been married or had children.
“Being totally alone, you have to find reasons to get out of bed in the morning. Everybody does, and creativity is what does it for me.”
Kay Ferris' creative output ranges from drawings of fanciful beasts to crocheted skirts for stuffed animals (above right).
Photos by Jaime Green / Wichita Eagle
Kansas reveals winning personalized license plate design
By Grace Hills Kansas Reflector
The next personalized license plate will feature the Flint Hills design after more than 30,000 Kansans voted among five potential designs
Kansas Department of Revenue spokesman Zach Denny said the design was the “clear favorite,” receiving more than 56% of the vote.
The new design will be ready for purchase in 2025 for $45.50 at county treasurer’s offices.
The “Powering the
Future” personalized plate, the 2020 design that featured a sunset and wind turbines, will no longer be available after Jan. 1, 2025. Kansans with the “Powering the Future” plate must replace their plate during their next renewal period to keep their personalized plate text, Denny said.
“We know how passionate Kansans are about license plates, and this initiative aims to give the public a direct say in selecting the next personalized plate design that will be featured on vehicles across the state for years to come,” KDOR Division of Vehicles
director David Harper said in a statement at the beginning of the vote.
The new personalized plate, which is available along with many distinctive plates, comes after last year’s controversy around the standard plate design.
The first design for the state’s new standard plate was met with bipartisan criticism.
Howard’s called All States Home
to replace their old jacuzzi tub with a new functional walk-in shower. Now they absolutely love going into their newly remodeled bathroom for a relaxing shower. Mike & Leslie recommend All Statves to all their friends and give them the highest approval rating. In fact, they like them so much they had them come back out to install beautiful new windows in their home.
“They are there to help us. The installation team was excellent, showed up and worked the time they said they would. We were very pleased with the professionalism, but also with the skills they exhibited in remodeling our bathroom. All States has been around over 30 years, and we knew that only a good company could survive that long. We saw their advertisement, we heard their promises, and when they came to our house and did the work, they lived up to every bit of the promises. Professional job done by reliable people.”
Mike & Leslie Howard - West Wichita
September quiz: Name these Hollywood legends
By Nancy Wheeler
How many legendary male actors can you identify from the clues below?
(Female legends from the big screen will appear in a separate quiz.)
1. Whose on-screen relationship with Ingrid Bergman has been described as the “greatest love story in American cinema”?
2. Whose good looks and debonair style led to his frequent casting by Alfred Hitchcock in films like Suspicion?
3. Who still appears on American television screens every December as George Bailey?
4. Who was best known for his
roles as Stanley Kowalski and Vito Corleone?
5. Who tap-danced his way through ten musicals with Ginger Rogers?
6. Who won an Academy Award for his last picture, playing opposite Katharine Hepburn?
7. Who played Atticus Finch?
8. Who finally had enough of Scarlett O’Hara’s fickle personality?
9. Who avoided being type-cast as a tough guy by negotiating dancing opportunities in his films, finally winning the Academy Award for a 1942 musical?
10. Who was romantically teamed
with Katharine Hepburn in nine films?
11. Who became a worldwide icon through his screen persona as the Tramp?
12. Who appeared in many movies before winning the Academy Award for his role in True Grit?
13. What star won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, the first time for Sergeant York?
14. Whose Oscar-winning version of Hamlet in 1948 still remains as the definitive telling of Shakespeare’s most beloved play?
15. Who amazed audiences in the iconic dance scene in An American in Paris?
Answers:
1. Humphrey Bogart
2. Cary Grant
3. Jimmy Stewart
4. Marlon Brando
5. Fred Astaire
6. Henry Fonda
7. Gregory Peck
8. Clark Gable
9. James Cagney
10. Spencer Tracy 11. Charlie Chaplin 12. John Wayne 13. Gary Cooper 14. Laurence Olivier
Gene Kelly
Briefs
Follow the link or scan the QR code t o take the survey and share with others!
State seeks aging input
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services is seeking input from residents for the 2026 Kansas State Plan on Aging, a fouryear plan required by the federal Older Americans Act that helps determine how the state provides services to seniors.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/ r/kdadsagingsurvey2024
To take the KDADS survey, visit surveymonkey.com/r/ kdadsagingsurvey2024 or scan the QR code.
$100 ABLE grants open
Grants of $100 are now available for Kansans who establish an ABLE Savings Plan. The federal ABLE Act allows qualified individuals with a
disability to set up a tax-advantaged savings account that can be used for education, housing, transportation and other purposes. Funds in the account can grow tax-deferred and can be used tax-free for eligible expenses. Funds in the account up to $100,000 do not affect eligibility for Medicaid and other public benefits.
The grants, made available through charitable commitments, are available through Dec. 14. To find out more, visit treasurer.ks.gov/education, email ABLEgrant@treasurer.ks.gov or call the State Treasurer’s office at (785) 296-3171.
Donate for chance to win Botanica membership
Donate at least $50 to The and you could win a family membership to Botanica. holds a drawing for a family membership each month from among people on our Honor Roll list
This month's winner is John Vawter.
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.
UseyourinsurancedeductibleNOWbeforetheendoftheyearwhenitstartsover
Age-Friendly Kansas looks to solve 'really complex issue’
The Active Age TOPEKA — The growth in the older population is a public health success story that’s created its own challenge: how to help that burgeoning group live as healthy, fulfilled and independent lives as possible.
Kansas is now part of one response: a push to create what’s being called Age-Friendly Kansas. An advisory committee held its first meeting last month. Its goal is to develop a healthy aging action plan by early 2026.
“It will be a strategic plan,” said Emma Uridge, an analyst at the Kansas Health Institute. “Really the goal is to elevate aging as a core public health
issue.”
It’s expected the plan will influence and work alongside the state’s next four-year Plan on Aging, which is required by the federal Older Americans Act and will start in 2026.
KHI, a Topeka-based nonprofit, received a grant from the Trust for America’s Health to lead the effort. At the state level, the Department of Aging and Disability Services, Department of Health and Environment and Department for Children and Families are taking part. Several Wichita-area entities have representatives on the advisory committee, including the Sedgwick and Harvey County
health departments, Larksfield Place, Bluestem PACE, Wichita State University and local Alzheimer’s Association chapter.
Uridge said the advisory committee’s first meeting was primarily an introductory and brainstorming session and that KHI staff are now organizing members’ input. Uridge said topics the plan is likely to address include transportation, housing, community and neighborhood development, healthcare access and services, ageism, social isolation and the need for collaboration in the public health system. Public health systems are defined as “all public, private, and voluntary entities that contribute to the delivery of essential public health services within a jurisdiction” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier this summer, KHI launched Age-Friendly Kansas with a presentation by Megan Young of Trust for America’s Health and several advisory committee members.
Young noted that the number of people in the United States 65 and older has increased by a third over the last 10 years and was expected to double by 2060, when it will be about a
quarter of the population. “This is true in every state in the country, including Kansas,” Young said.
Public health measures like seat belt laws, nutrition education and tobacco cessation programs are responsible, she said, but many longerliving residents experience chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, arthritis or diabetes: About 80 percent of Medicare beneficiaries have at least one, and nearly 70 percent have two or more.
Another challenge, she said, is social isolation, which has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease, depression, cognitive decline and other conditions. “Social isolation is one of those really costly conditions that is a public health issue but needs collaboration across sectors to solve.”
Yet another is the role that poverty plays in health outcomes for seniors.
Young said it will take many public and private entities to tackle these issues and urged the state to include dedicated funding for healthy aging in next Plan for Aging.
“This is a really complex issue and won’t be solved easily,” she said. “No one agency can do it all.”
September Theatre
By
Diana Morton
Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. The Who’s TOMMY. Stage version of The Who’s exhilarating 1969 rock opera, including the anthems “I’m Free,” “See Me, “Feel Me,” “Sensation” and “Pinball Wizard.” Sept 19-21 8pm; Sept 22 at 2pm; Sept 26-28 8pm; Sept
29 2pm; Oct 3-5 8pm; Oct 6 2pm.
Tickets $34 – $44 each; 10% military discount and half-price student tickets with a valid student ID. 316-618-0444
Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road, Things My Mother Taught Me. Olivia and Gabe are moving into their first apartment together halfway across the country. Things become slightly more complicated when all their parents show up to help. 8 pm Fri–Sat, 2:30 pm Sun, Sept 6-29. Tickets $16-$17.
316-744-2152
Mosley Street Melodrama, 234 N. Mosley. Halloween the 13th: Michael vs Jason, a thriller that will keep you laughing followed by a new musical revue, Sept 13-Oct 26. Tickets, dinner, and show $36-40; show only $26-30. 316-263-0222
Roxy’s Downtown, 412 E. Douglas, cabaret-style theatre. The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Based on the Victor
Hugo novel and songs from the Disney animated feature. Now-Sept 7; 7 pm Wed-Th, 8 pm Fri-Sat, 2 pm matinee Sat. Tickets $40. 316-265-4400
Next: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors Sept 13-Oct 12; Tickets $40. 316-2654400
Contact Diana Morton at dianamorton12@sbcglobal.net
This is not a scam: Social Security needs you to update your online account
Dear Savvy Senior, I recently received an email that I needed to update my online Social Security account. Is this legit or is it a scam?
Suspicious Susan
Dear Susan,
The Social Security Administration did indeed send out a legitimate email last month to notify recipients that they are making changes to the way you access Social Security’s online services, including your personal “my Social Security” account.
The changes will simplify your sign-in experience and align with federal authentication standards while at the same time provide you safe and secure access to your account.
The online services aim to save time for both current and future beneficiaries, as well as the Social
Security Administration, as the agency grapples with long wait times for its national 800 phone number.
Update Your Account
If you already have a my Social Security account, go to ssa.gov/ myaccount and sign in with your Social Security username. You’ll then be guided through the process of creating a new account with Login.gov. Once you successfully link your personal my Social Security account with your new Login.gov account, you’ll get a confirmation screen and have immediate access to online services. In
the future, you’ll sign into your account with Login. gov and not your Social Security username. If you already have either a Login.gov or ID.me account, you do not have to take any action.
Does Medicare Cover Cataract Surgery?
Dear Savvy Senior, How does Medicare cover cataract surgery? My eye doctor recently told me I’ve developed cataracts and should consider making plans for surgery in the next year or so.
- Almost 67 Dear Almost, Fortunately, Medicare does cover medically necessary cataract
surgery. Cataract surgery is usually an outpatient procedure, covered under Medicare Part B. Once you pay the annual Part B deductible, which is $240 in 2024, you’re responsible for the Part B coinsurance.
That means you’ll pay 20 percent of the cost for covered services yourself. If you have a Medicare supplemental policy, also known as Medigap, you’ll have full or partial coverage for the 20 percent Part B coinsurance.
Get More Savvy
Find more tips from Savvy Senior at theactiveage.com. Topics this month include:
* Paying for Nursing Home Care with Medicaid
* How to Choose a Walk-In Bathtub
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
ANDOVER
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
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
wedneSdayS www.seniorwednesday.org
September 4
10:30 am Wichita Art Museum 1400 W. Museum Blvd., $2 admission. Sketching in the Galleries.
1:30 pm Museum of World Treasures 835 E. 1st St. Kansas In 1601: Quivira September 11
10 am Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 Zoo Blvd. (316) 266-8213, $4 Top of the food chain.
1:30 pm Advanced Learning Library, 711 W, 2nd, (316) 261-8500, Free. When Rabbit Was King Wichita's Infamous Rajah Rabbitry
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.
September 18
10 am Ulrich Museum of Art, 1845 N. Fairmount. Information unavailable 1:30 pm Great Plains Nature Center, 6232 E 29th St N. Information unavailable
September 25
10 am Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main. "Wichita's Treasure Hunters" 1:30 pm Mid American All-Indian museum. 650 N Seneca (316) 350-3340, $2 + tax admission; free for MAAIM members. Natives more than Code Talkers.
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 PICKUP 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 SEPTEMBER 2
Mon: HOLIDAY
Tue: Sloppy Joe on bun, baked beans, peaches.
Wed: Chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, cream gravy, ambrosia salad, wheat roll.
Thu: Turkey & noodles, green beans, pineapple, WG garlic toast.
Fri: Tuna salad on WG sliders, corn & tomato salad, mixed fruit.
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 9
Mon:Salisbury steak, scalloped potatoes, tropical fruit, wheat roll
Tue: Turkey hash, mixed vegetables, fruit cocktail. garlic cheddar biscuit.
Wed: Pork tips over rice, parslied carrots, pears.
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: Hearty bean stew, combo salad, apricots, cornbread muffin, chef's choice birthday cake.
Fri: Chicken pasta salad, brocc-cauli salad, applesauce, WG crackers.
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 16
Mon: Glazed chicken, green beans, peaches, wheat bread.
Tue: Ham & beans, pickled beets, pears, cornbread muffin
Wed: Southern style Pollock strips, coleslaw w/ arugula, mixed fruit, wheat roll.
Thu: Mac & cheese w/ chicken, squash salad, pineapple, WG garlic breadstick. Fri: Hamburger, potatoe salad, cinnamon apples.
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 23
Mon: BBQ pork riblet, creamed corn, fruit cocktail, wheat bread.
Tue: Turkey salad on criossant, potato soup, flavored applesauce.
Wed: Broccoli & Rice cass, glazed carrots, amrosia fruit salad, garlic cheddar biscuit.
Thu: Breaded chicken patty, cheesy potatoes, apricots, wheat roll
Fri: Beef chili w/ beans, combo salad, blushing pears, cornbread muffin
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 30
Mon: Swedish steak, cream peas and potatoes, pineapple, wheat bread.
* 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.
FUNDING MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE OLDER AMERICANS ACT, KDADS AND CENTRAL PLAINS AREA AGENCY ON AGING
Classified advertising
PROPERTY FOR SALE F
Resthaven Garden of Prayer, 2 plots under shady oak tree. Easy access. Valued at $10,600 reduced price of $5,500 buyer pays transfer fee. 316-250-1556 or gina_lathrom@yahoo.com
Beautiful, quiet and mature location in Fairview Cemetery in Kechi,6523 N Hillside. 1 burial plot. Block 13- lot 54 section 1. 16ft *12ft with 4*4 alley way. Cashier or certified check. Price $1,200. Call 316-993-1929.
PRICE DROP: White Chapel Memorial Gardens. 1 burial plot, valued at $1,899 sell for $1,250 OBO. 541-840-0783
Resthaven Freedom Garden. Double-depth lawn crypt. $7000.00, transfer fee included Contact Erin at 316-941-3746
Resthaven 2 plots. Garden of prayer. Lot 121 B-1&B-2. Excellent location for easy access. Seller pays fees. Both $6,500 OBO Call Cathy 316-734-1400 catibaker@gmail.com
Wichita Parks Cemetery. 6 plots. $1,500 each. $1,000 off if all 6 purchased. Buyer pays transfer fee of $295. 904-923-1397
Resthaven Freedom Garden. Double-depth lawn crypt. Asking $7,000, transfer fee included . New plots are $9695. Call/text Erin at 316-209-0397
Resthaven Cemetery Garden of Faith, Prime location. 2 lots on center isle. 40 B 3&4. $12,500. 316-617-8581
Resthaven Garden of Prayer. Valued at $5,400. Sell for $3,500. Call/Text 316-293-8593
Resthaven Garden of the Lord’s Prayer. 2 plots side by side. Sold together. $6,000 plus transfer fee. 316-650-4196
Resthaven, 2 plots, Garden of Christ with The Children $2,000/both. Buyer pays transfer fee. White Chapel, 2 plots, Garden of Gethsemane $1,000/both. Buyer pays transfer fee. Gene 316617-2070
2 Plots & vaults, White Chapel, Sermon on The Mount, Value $8,000 asking $5,500 plus transfer fee of $299 316-644-3312
Lakeview Garden of Apostles Lot 91 Space 12 with 2nd Right of Inurnment. Retail $5500 asking $5000. Seller pays transfer. 316-253-0655
2 plots side by side at Resthaven in Garden of Love. Call for details. Kim 316-650-7316
2 plots Resthaven in Lord’s prayer. Valued at $10,600 sell for $7,000. Call or Text 316-209-8088.
Caregiver 40+ yrs. experience Flexible schedule
Care Specializing in Dementia/Diabetes. Ref avail. Kay 316-882-9127
Caregiver: 17 years’ experience helping seniors stay in their home. Doctors’ appointments and all home health needs. CNA Available. Excellent references. Ashley 316-925-1104 or Ebony 316-299-8068.
Bruce Smith Roofing
Siding
TREE BOSS
Viva Tortillas: Flour version has long, well-traveled history
By Joe Stumpe
I always assumed flour tortillas were an offshoot of corn tortillas, which have been made in Mexico and Central America since prehistoric times.
Not so, says Gene Chavez, a Kansas City-based scholar specializing in Mexican-American history. Chavez believes the flour tortilla's precursor originated in North Africa and was similar to what we know as pita or chapati bread. It reached Spain when Moors and Berbers invaded and inhabitated the Iberian peninsula from about 700 to 1492.
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
“The Spanish said, ‘Oh, they’re making little tortes’” — from the Latin for flat cake or round loaf of bread — Chavez said during a free Senior Wednesday program sponsored by Kansas Humanities at the Museum of World Treasures last month. “That is the etymology of the word.”
The Spaniards brought tortillas along when they conquered Mexico in 1521, Chavez said. There they
Fresh Flour Tortillas
2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup warm water
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Knead gently until smooth, adding flour or water if the mixture seems too dry or sticky. Cover with a damp towel and let rest about 10 minutes. Divide the mixture into about 8 to 10 golf ball-size pieces. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out thin (they will double in thickness while cooking). Cook each tortilla in a well-seasoned, ungreased skillet over medium-high heat about 45 seconds per side or until bubbles start to appear and the bottom browns in spots. Set on plate and cover with towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Enjoy while warm or store in airtight container for up to 3 days.
found the Aztecs and other groups making their own flatbread, out of corn. Chavez said that many groups in southern and central Mexico today don’t call their staple bread a tortilla, but rather tlaxcalli, after the name of a corn-growing region near Mexico City.
“If you ask for tlaxcalli (there), you’ll get freshly made corn tortillas,” he said.
Flour tortillas became more popular in northern Mexico because wheat grows well there (giving us burritos and quesadillas — gracias!)
And as Chavez noted, the Spanish Empire at one time stretched through much of what's today the United States.
Of course, flour tortillas could have sprung from the corn variety, or
developed in more than one place and time independently. Today, a tortilla in Spain refers to a type of open-faced omelet. There is a tortilla-like bread in Spain called tortas de pan.
However flour tortillas got here, I’m glad they did. Corn tortillas, too. As Chavez said, “American food is not one thing, it’s many things.”
About the recipe: The easiest way to experience fresh tortillas is to visit a tortilleria, of which there are several in Wichita. If using a storebought mix (available in Mexican groceries), Chavez suggests adding a little salt. The recipe on this page is close to that of his mother, who made them for her family every day when he was growing up.
Ways to Use Flour Tortillas
• Cut a tortilla into 6 or 8 wedges and fry in 350-degree oil a minute or two to make tortilla chips. Flour tortilla chips have a light and slightly puffy texture quite different from their corn counterpart. Be sure to sprinkle with a little salt and/or cojita cheese (can substitute parmesan) while still hot.
• Make a quick breakfast burrito by scrambling one or two eggs with salsa and a slice of cheese and wrapping them in a tortilla. Better than anything you’ll get in a fast-food drive-thru.
• Make a PB&J quesadilla by spreading peanut butter and jelly on a tortilla, topping it with another and toasting it in a skillet or electric grill until the fillings are oozing out.
• Just butter ’em while still hot and enjoy (with honey for an extra treat).
Gene Chavez
New library solar benches provide free Wi-Fi, charging
The first three of 12 total solar benches have been installed at three parks and neighborhood resource centers in Wichita. According to a news release, this is an initiative by the Wichita Public Library to expand wireless access to residents.
The solar benches are located at:
• Evergreen Park, 2700 N. Woodland
• Atwater Neighborhood Resource Center, 2755 E. 19th St.
• Colvin Neighborhood Resource Center, 2820 S. Roosevelt St.
The solar benches are equipped with free public Wi-Fi and charging
ports powered by solar panels on top.
A library card is not required to use the bench.
Last month, the Wichita Public Library received a $289,000 grant from the State of Kansas ADOPT Program to install nine more solar benches.
“A Wichita Public Library smart solar bench gives you a place to take a load off while charging your device and connecting to free Wi-Fi,” the library’s website states.
"A smart solar bench is also a great place to download and use e-books, e-audiobooks, and digital magazines for free with the Libby app."
for those with vision loss
• Is it difficult to read regular print in newspapers, magazines or books?
• Does your vision make it difficult to watch TV or recognize faces?
• Has your eye doctor told you eyeglasses can no longer be made stronger?
If so, call Envision for an appointment or schedule an education presentation in your senior living facility.
REHABILITATION CENTER
stations
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
Sean Jones, communications specialist for the Wichita public libraries, tries out a new solar bench.
How Sedgwick County ‘Swap & Shop’ saved
By Celia Hack KMUW
Venus Martin approaches the check-out counter at Sedgwick County’s Swap & Shop with gallons of paint and wood finishing chemicals on her cart. She has 10 cans in total.
“So, since you got your 10, the first of the next calendar month is when you can come and pick up 10 more,” the cashier tells her, then asks for Martin’s ID.
He charges her nothing.
On this July morning, Martin is picking up materials she needs to stain
Suffering From
Celia Hack / KMUW
Susan Erlenwein is the county's director of environmental resources.
her fence. Each item — just like all the others at the shop — is free. Martin
• Diabetic Foot Problems
• Planter Fasciitis
• Foot Sores and Ulcers
• Terrible Pain
Dr. Weaver and the staff at Central Kansas Podiatry Associates are the regional leaders in treating these and all types of foot problems. Don’t wait any longer to take control of your health. We accept accept all forms of insurance including Medicare.
taxpayers $200,000
said she’s been frequenting the store for at least 15 years, saving hundreds of dollars in the process.
“I’m not kidding, I came in here one year — we didn’t have any hardly any money — and I got all the paint for my house,” Martin said. “I found, managed to find, the same colors. It’s a hit and miss thing, but they’ve got a lot of stuff.”
The Swap & Shop opened in 2002, and it doesn’t just save customers money. It’s saved Sedgwick County taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars, too.
That’s because the county doesn’t have to pay a hazardous
waste contractor to safely dispose of household chemicals that go to the shop instead.
“We have saved — in the last five years — well over $200,000 in not having to pay disposal fees to our contractor for the material the public picks up for free,” said Susan Erlenwein, the county’s director of environmental resources. “And last year, it was actually over $80,000.”
Here’s how it works: The county is responsible for collecting household
hazardous waste — think paints, fertilizers or oil solvents languishing in the garage or under-the-kitchen-sink items like cleaning supplies. People often get rid of these items when moving, since moving trucks often won’t transport hazardous materials, or after a relative passes away.
When residents drop off the items at the county’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility, near McCormick and Seneca, staff separate out usable chemicals with readable labels to put in
the Swap & Shop. The shop is inside the Hazardous Waste Facility.
All sorts of people rely on the shop, Erlenwein said. Teachers come in to pick up paint for school projects. Landlords can find semi-gloss or buckets of white paint for homes needing a refresh.
On one recent morning, Bryan Morse was looking at pool chemicals for his backyar, as well as a can of a rust-prevention solvent.
WillowCreek Manor Apartments
Apartment homes for those over 62 with limited income. Call today 316-683-5224 1301 S Bleckley - Wichita
“Just that can right there’s a good little score,” Morse said, pointing to it.
“I mean, I bet you that’s 20 bucks, 30 bucks, a can.”
Residents can take up to 10 items from the shop each month and aren’t required to donate any of their own household hazardous waste in return. Erlenwein said if they do have chemicals to donate, the county has strict rules on what can and cannot be accepted.
The Swap & Shop can be found at 801 Stillwell. Visit Sedgwick County’s website to read about its hours and the types of items it will accept. Proof of Sedgwick County residency is required at the Swap & Shop.
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
Home welcome
