TopCity Rise Winter 2022

TopCity Rise

A WORD FROM THE TOPCITY RISE EDITOR:

For several years, this ornament was my favorite one to hang on the Christmas tree. It filled me with hope and peace as I hung it and served as a reminder of such great love...until five years ago, while trying to adjust an ornament I bumped this one and frantically tried to catch it before watching it shatter into thousands of little pieces on the hardwood floor.

That was the grain of sand that broke the dam. I burst into tears while the weight of that year melted me to the floor. In the three months prior my daughter had heart surgery, my husband had shoulder surgery and was laid off the day after with about 80 other people, from a healthcare organization we called family. As if that wasn't enough our oldest son had just had bilateral leg surgery and was still in double casts.

In that moment I couldn't breathe. I was trying to be strong for my whole family, but the weight was just too much. I was worn. Broken. Shattered beyond what I could recognize in the mirror.

After sobbing, crying and praying that He would pick us up out of the depths I got myself together, picked up a broom and began to sweep up the mess before the little ones woke from their nap. All but one piece of the ornament was shattered beyond recognition...as I reached to pick it up, that one piece of a shattered ornament brought me to tears again as clarity swept through my mind. Baby Jesus. Not a scratch. Not a crack. Nothing. Everything else was gone but he remained.

A few years ago we went to Hobby Lobby for our, now 15-year family tradition and as each of the kids picked out their ornament, I held my breath as something caught my eye...I had searched through the aisles of ornaments for 3 years and had just about given up but there He was.

He is faithful. Even when everything seems like it is falling apart, He remains. He is my peace when I feel lost in the depths. He is the thrill of hope when I am weary from this world's burdens. He is my joy when I lack understanding.

One year ago this month, the first publication of TopCity Rise was released...2 weeks prior I lost my father, 1 week after we lost my mother-in-law and soon following my grandfather.

So, as I unwrapped the ornament again this season there He was. Through the years of trials, He has revealed himself again and again....It was as if he said..."I'm here. I know everything is scattered and seems lost. But you are not alone. I'm here. Let me hold you in this darkness."

May your holiday season bring hope, peace and joy to you and yours even if chaos seems ever-present.

Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Thriving Through The Holidays

By: Dr. Corey Schliep, PHD., LCMFT

The holidays season is quickly approaching and with it the joys, celebrations, regrets, pains, and grief that can accompany holidays. With the culture-wide traumas suffered in the past several years, hearts and minds may be filled with happiness and sorrow. As we try to hold on to joy between these two realities, keep these thoughts in mind to minimize holiday stress.

Plan in advance:

Prioritize the events that are most meaningful and make a plan to attend those events, leaving room rest. Set realistic expectations for the events you can enjoy without feeling overburdened. For what you want to be a part of and make the necessary plans to help those plans come to fruition.

Identify your boundary skills:

Try to anticipate “emotional landmines” that may accompany certain interactions or activities and give yourself a planned “out” to make a quick exit if needed. Talk with your support system and arrange a signal to use if a quick departure is needed. Drive separately if needed so that you have the flexibility to leave when it is right for you.

In March of 2021, our community was shaken by the great loss of Josh Jones, a friend to many, a stranger to none. There was something so inviting about Josh that anyone meeting him for the first time already felt like a friend. He was a wildly successful leader, mentor and catalyst for growth but behind the scene, the battle of mental health was slowly claiming his life.

The wake of grief and loss swept over the Jones family, Advisors Excel team, and our community, because the shock of the loss of such a funloving personality just didn’t make sense. Damon Parker, like many spouses, sat with his wife at Jones’ funeral, to support her as she mourned the loss of a co-worker. As the stories and words were spoken it hit Damon on a very personal level, even without having known Josh Jones, he knew…He knew the battle and recognized it had been weighing on him for many years.

After the service Damon confided in his wife and explained how he never wanted to be a burden and add one more worry to her plate, but he knew it was time to reach out for help to walk toward healing. Finding the right therapist for you doesn’t just happen the first time, Damon had to visit a few and found one that really helped him work through his struggles and equip him with the tools needed to battle his struggle with mental health.

“The Jones Project talks openly about mental health to inspire people to find a way to survive and thrive.”

“After a lifetime of battling my own mental health illnesses, the death of Josh Jones was the catalyst to me finally seeking out the help that I desperately needed. My recovery, as well as my history as an educator and professional speaker, along with the help of Cody Foster from Advisors Excel, led to the genesis of The Jones Project.”

~ Damon Parker, Executive Director of The Jones Project

At the peak of his coaching career, during the 2021 season, Washburn Rural became the first school in US history to win state titles in boys and girls wrestling in the same season. But long before Rural won their state championships, he already knew the 2021 season would be his last. He knew that it was time to help break the stigma and speak out about his struggles. This was the birth of The Jones Project.

Damon worked hard over the summer to build a foundation for the nonprofit, The Jones Project and launched at the start of the 2022 school year. This nonprofit serves throughout the state of Kansas, primarily with secondary school students in grades 612. They provide 1-hour motivational keynote-style presentations free of charge to help raise awareness of mental health and suicide awareness in efforts to destigmatize the conversation around mental health illnesses. They share their “The 3 Critical Steps” at each speaking engagement.

1. If you are struggling, you’re not alone in the way you are feeling.

2. If you are struggling, you’re not alone in the fight.

3. There is hope.

What is your hope for Topeka/Kansas?

Damon Parker ~ That Kansas, and specifically Topeka, lead the way in our country’s approach to mental health education.

What is your why?

Damon Parker ~ I have spent my entire professional career working with K-12 students, and I have seen firsthand (especially since the pandemic) how struggles with mental health can affect a child’s quality of life. Additionally, I have known too many people who have died by suicide. The Jones Project affords an opportunity to help change this.

What is the most touching story you have heard or experienced with these teens?

Damon Parker ~ There have been touching stories from every school we have visited! So often these kiddos just need the opportunity to speak to a person who has been through what they’re experiencing.

In one school where I was presenting, I wrapped up at 2:30pm. Kids came down to chat afterwards, and I noticed one that was standing away from the group, obviously waiting so that she could talk to me alone. I talked with this group until 4:47pm, until they all had finally dissipated. Then finally, I walked back to her. With tears welled up in the corner of her eyes she stared at her shoes. I stuck out my hand.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Coach Parker.”

She gave me a meek handshake, and simply said, “Gabby,” but her downward gaze continued. Through my years as a teacher, I have learned that it is always better to let the kid start the conversation. So we had a long….awkward….completely silent standoff. Until I couldn’t take it anymore. I broke.

“It seems like there’s something on your mind. Is there anything you want to talk about? Anything I can do to help?”

She looked up with tears in her eyes, and simply said, “You already have. Thank you.”

Then gave me a hug that lasted longer than our nonverbal standoff, then took her backpack and walked out of the auditorium.

That evening she sent me a message through social media. She said, “I just wanted to say thank you for coming to my school today and giving that talk. I really felt like I understood you and you made me feel like I'm not alone. Thank you again. But most importantly, thank you for the hug. I don’t get many of them, and I didn’t realize how much I needed that.

If there is a person who is reading this story, that is in a dark place and ready to leave this world, what message do you hope they hear from you right now?

Damon Parker ~ I would want them to know that there is hope and help all around them, and that they MUST find a way to reach out. They have to confide in their trusted person. Because each and every person has someone who loves them, who sees them, who cares about them, and who would be absolutely devastated if they weren’t around anymore. So you HAVE to talk to the people around you.

Do you want to be a part of breaking the stigma against mental health? Have you personally lost a family member or friend to mental health? The Jones Project runs a very lean organization with minimal overhead, but since they provide these presentations free of charge, they operate solely on community donations. If you could find any room in your budget please consider donating to support these efforts and helping this team meet students where they are at to share hope, light and love.

To

“It is our goal to speak in every middle and high school in the state of Kansas. It is our goal to spread our message of hope to the point where the stigma of mental health illnesses is completely erased, students utilize the mental health resources at their disposal, and suicide becomes a thing of the past.”

~ Damon

by lifting others.”

~ Robert Ingersoll

TopCity’s Top Picks for

Christmas Lights

Christmas is such a magical time of year with all the decorations, sights, smells and fun family traditions. We wanted to share some of our community favorites that we think should be on everyone’s memory making and holiday tradition lists for the season!

WINTER WONDERLAND

The two miles of magical Christmas lights of TARC Winter Wonderland is our family’s longest standing tradition. Each year we load up the kids, swing by a coffee shop and grab a hot cocoa, pull up to the gate and tune our radios to their special station and drive through the beautiful light display.

Each year the Campground at Lake Shawnee is transformed into a winter wonderland. This year it opens the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and lasts through New Year’s Eve. The gate opens nightly at 6 pm and closes at 10 pm. The requested donation is $10 per car. Let’s help make the 25th year of Winter Wonderland their largest fundraiser yet!

POTWIN

This year’s theme is The 12 Days of Christmas. You just might recognize it from other events years ago. This year, it has been lovingly restored by the hands of 30 volunteers, from the littlest hands of a two-year-old to the retired hands of an eighty-year-old. The volunteers worked from March through October, volunteering 281 hours with their team leader, Whitney Bair-Sneed to refurbish the set so it was ready for the season.

In addition to the display, over fifty ornaments were created by the Potwin community and will decorate trees displayed at Woodlawn & Grove. The 12 Days of Christmas will be displayed Saturday November 26, 2022 to Saturday January 7, 2023.

ZOO LIGHTS

It may only be the third year for this annual event but Topeka Zoo Lights has quickly become one of our community’s newest holiday traditions. This annual fundraising event brings people from across Kansas in to stroll through the beautiful light display full of awe and wonder!

Starting November 18th and going through December 28th bring your friends and family into the zoo and build lasting memories for generations to come. Make sure you follow their Facebook event page for fun theme nights, food truck vendors and fun opportunities to rent out an igloo for the evening. Of course, Santa plans to visit too! We’ll see you there!

Photo: Sent In

EVANS LIGHT SHOW

This beautiful light display is synchronized to music playing on a special station just for them! Just pull up to their home at 4300 SE Michigan Ave, Topeka, KS, tune the radio and watch the magic dance across their yard and home. This is the 7th year the Evan’s have been setting up the display.

“I love the joy it brings! I enjoy the process of producing and building the props. year is a challenge, but to watch the number of cars, receive the messages, and see the number of donations is very fulfilling.” ~ Shawn Evans

There is not a fee to enjoy this display but please consider donating to their fundraiser to support Kansas Army National Guard Family Programs. The show will start November 19 at 7pm and will run every evening from 6pm-9pm until New Years

TBC LIGHTSHOW

On December 9, 10, and 11 at Topeka Bible Church, 1135 SW College Ave, the most dazzling light display is synchronized to a live performance in each window of the building. Just tune your car to their radio station and enjoy the show from the comfort and warmth of your vehicle. A huge LED screen lets you get “up close” to the live performances as well.

Show times are at 6, 7, 8, and 9 PM nightly but it is recommended to arrive 30 minutes prior to your desired show time.

Photo: TBC Website

Your Local Holiday Spread

By Lesleigh Hodam Photo: 5 Senses Photography

Of course, we wanted to bring you a list of the must try Topeka flavors of Christmas BUT we thought we should display them in a festive way! Since our community is full of so many wonderful small businesses that know how to pack the flavor, we wanted to provide you with a list of holiday essence that would make the perfect charcuterie board, creating a fantastic display for a holiday gathering!! Here are a few tips to create your own charcuterie board:

1. Color: Pick up a variety of colors of vegetables and fruits. The more variety of colors you have the more visually pleasing it is.

2. Vessels: Make sure you have some bowls to hold items that may contain a lot of juice like pickles, items that may roll like olives or dips that need contained.

3. Assembly: Place the bowls and containers first. Next the larger items like cheese, meat, pickles, vegetables and so on. Then place the smaller items like nuts and blueberries in the smaller empty spaces to fill in the gaps. As you are laying items down think about pairing cheese with meat on different sides of the board

4. Evaluate: If you have room on your board for the dry goods like crackers, popcorn and bread you can place them throughout as well. However, if you need to, you can arrange another plate of crackers or fill containers on the side. This also helps dry goods stay crunchy if the board needs to be placed in the refrigerator prior to serving.

By Lesleigh Hodam

Gliding into Winter

This year, the CoreFirst Ice Rink at Evergy Plaza is taking Christmas Spirit to an all time high in downtown Topeka. Let’s just say, if you love Christmas Hallmark movies you will probably really enjoy the unique experience of Christmas around every corner in downtown Topeka. It’s the perfect setting for holiday magic.

Some of my most favorite memories as a child were made on ice. At an early age we counted the days of deep freezes and waited for the call from my grandpa to tell us that the pond we skated on in Gage Park had ice thick enough to skate. We would bundle up and head out for a day of winter magic. Over the years with climate changes the ponds have not frozen solid enough for the community to experience skating outside on ice until now!

TopCity Rise

Construction has just wrapped up at Evergy Plaza and the CoreFirst Ice Rink held their Grand Opening on Saturday, November 12. It was so exciting to watch the rink come to life with the joy in everyone’s spirit and even the excitement on many faces as they work hard to learn this new skill.

We absolutely can not wait for more of the community to get downtown to enjoy the experience and make lifelong memories with their friends, children or grandchildren. The rink’s season has just begun and will go through the end of January,

“CoreFirst is thrilled to partner with Evergy Plaza to bring ice to Topeka. We believe in Evergy Plaza’s mission to connect the community in a venue that celebrates Downtown. The CoreFirst Ice Rink will be the perfect driver to bring families, friends and neighbors together to create memories that will last a lifetime while supporting the continuous progress being made at Topeka’s core.” stated Kurt Kuta, President & CEO of CoreFirst at a recent press release.

The ice rink is such a fun experience for all ages and levels of ice-skating experience. There are assistive devices like little reindeer great for young children of all heights and even seals that children can sit on and be pushed around the rink.

Photo: Glass Lantern Photography

Photo: Hazim Happenings

TopCity Rise

Don’t worry about the colder weather, the firepit is blazing and ready to warm you up while you rest your feet. Still not sure you want to rely on the magic of Christmas to warm your insides? Axe & Ale is serving hot cocoa and hot apple cider and of course you’ll want to run over to Iron Rail and enjoy a delicious bowl of chili with the classic addition of a cinnamon roll!

Don’t forget about all the other magical holiday happenings downtown like the Annual Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade, Lighting of the Christmas Tree, Cookies & Carols and so much more! There will also be the annual window display contest going on soon, so be sure to stroll downtown and check out all the beautiful windows and then vote for your favorite!

“We look forward to the addition of the CoreFirst Ice Rink to our venue as we believe it will bring families and our community together in a season we don’t often get to participate in as an outdoor venue. Evergy Plaza was created to be a community gathering space and we are delighted to bring additional experiences to Downtown Topeka to enhance the environment.” stated John Knight, Director of Evergy Plaza in a recent press release.

Story sponsored by:

Sprit of Christmas

Each year around this time, there are events and productions that bring cheer and joy to the season. We wanted to share about a couple upcoming productions that we think you will enjoy.

The Topeka Civic Theatre Presents: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Jr. – Presented by the Topeka Civic Theater

Tickets are on sale now and the show runs Dec. 9 - 18: This is a Youth production that has a cast of children ages 6 – 18 years old.

The holiday classic soars off the screen in this Broadway Junior, 60minute musical adaptation of the beloved television special. Filled with holiday hits like "Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas," Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™ JR. features all of your favorite characters including Santa and Mrs. Claus, Hermey the Elf, Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius and, of course, Rudolph.

It’s an adventure that teaches us that what makes you different can be what makes you special.

Because of his shiny nose, Rudolph doesn't feel like he belongs in Christmastown and sets off to find a place that accepts him. Along his journey, he encounters fellow misfits, only to realize that home is where he has belonged the whole time. When a storm threatens to keep Santa's sleigh from taking flight, it's up to Rudolph to save Christmas!

Details and images of this show were provided from a press release from Topeka Civic Theatre.

The Topeka Civic Theatre Presents: Miracle on 34th Street – Tickets go on sale Nov. 15 and the show runs on the Mainstage from Nov. 25 – Dec. 22.

“This is a tale that we want to believe in, that creates a world we seem to desperately desire, free of the blatant commercialism that surrounds us, where love and decency and generosity of spirit are their own rewards. What we want Christmas to be all about, really." So writes the Santa Cruz Sentinel of this most heartwarming holiday story.

By chance, Kris Kringle, an old man in a retirement home, gets a job working as Santa for Macy's. Kris unleashes waves of good will with Macy's customers and the commercial world of New York City by referring parents to other stores to find exactly the toy their child has asked for.

Seen as deluded and dangerous by Macy's vocational counselor, who plots to have Kris shanghaied to Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital, Kris ends up in a court competency hearing. Especially at stake is one little girl's belief in Santa. In a dramatic decision, the court confirms Kris as the true Santa, allowing Susan and countless other children to experience the joy of childhood fantasy.

Details and images of this show were provided from a press release from Topeka Civic Theatre.

Kansas Ballet Presents

Topeka’s Premier Production Of “ The Nutcracker”

Featuring Topeka Symphony Orchestra & Internationally Acclaimed Guest Artists Nardia Boodoo & Rafael Bejarano

Presented with Funding from Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission National Endowment for the Arts