June 9, 2023 | By The Active Age
OJ Watson Park will be the site of a free family fun day this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by Stop Suicide ICT, aa community collaborative, the event will feature rides and games, face painting, balloon animals, resources a more. Also Sunday, a free 45-minute Zoom webinar titled “Dementia and how not […]
June 5, 2023 | By Kim Baldwin
Round tables and common ground By Kim Baldwin I recently returned home to Kansas after traveling to China to participate in a U.S. Sorghum trade mission. The trip was organized by the U.S. Grains Council, and we were the first U.S. trade mission team into China since the pandemic. It was a whirlwind – […]
June 2, 2023 | By The Active Age
Nurses at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis hospital in Wichita have authorized a strike in a vote held this week, although a date for the action has not been set, their union said Thursday. In a news release, the National Nurses Organizing Committee/National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) said the strike vote concluded May 31 and that […]
| By The Active Age
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas’ two senators split their votes Thursday on the debt-ceiling agreement that was approved and sent to President Biden for his signature. In separate statements, Sen. Jerry Moran said he reluctantly voted for the Fiscal Responsibility Act, while Sen. Roger Marshall explained his opposition by calling it “reckless.” Both are Republicans. Moran’s […]
May 30, 2023 | By The Active Age
The Active Age is giving away two pairs of tickets to each of four 2023 Music Theatre Wichita productions. The shows are: “Red, White, and Broadway,” July 1-4; “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” July 26-30; “Ragtime,” Aug. 16-20; and “Cats,” Sept. 6-10. To enter a drawing for the tickets, visit theactiveage.com and fill out the […]
| By The Active Age
Bob Rives, a longtime writer for The Active Age, won first place in the 2023 Kansas Press Association’s Sports Feature Story category for his article about the Wichita Monrovians (May 2022), an all-black minor league baseball team active in the 1920s. Amy Geiszler-Jones won second place in the Seniors Story category for her article about […]
| By Annie Calovich
As the first flush of flower and leaf faded from the landscape this spring, an ugly reality emerged. Many of the trees were still brown. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dead trees in Wichita,” said Brian Ernstmann, owner of Ernstmann Tree Care. Drought is the main culprit. While trees in home lawns […]
| By Elizabeth Bishop
A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.” This ancient Greek proverb is often used to point to selfless contributions made by the older generation. But it is also true in a literal sense. Our community benefits from the trees planted by previous generations and […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Dr. Adel Korkor remembers the general reaction to his idea of running 5ks in 50 states within the span of 50 days. “I was told I should probably see a psychiatrist because this is something that’s going to be hard to accomplish,” he said. Actually, mental health was the reason Korkor came up with the […]
| By Sharon Van Horn
One pill can kill. It’s a slogan you may have seen on Wichita area billboards, on a banner in your grandchild’s school or in a TV spot featuring Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter and Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan. Unfortunately, it’s not just a slogan — it’s a fact. Mexican drug cartels are flooding our […]
| By Bob Rives
Editor’s note: This article originally misidentified a photograph of Boeing Bomber player Daryl Spencer as Ernie Logan. It has now been corrected. They called him “Moose.” And there was good reason. Ernie Logan stood two inches above six feet. His 200-plus pounds were wound tightly on that tall body. His hands? Quick and strong. In […]
| By The Active Age
Two sisters looking for something to do in retirement found it in the form of 20 middle schoolers. Nan Putnam, a former social worker, and her big sister, Dianne McCarthy, a former florist, worked as group leaders for pupils chosen to be student Ambassadors at St. Patrick and All Saints Catholic schools. The Ambassadors are […]
| By The Active Age
The Active Age has a limited number of free copies of “How to Talk About Feeling Bad: Mental Health, Suicide Prevention & Community Care” available at our office at 125 S. West St., Suite 105. To reserve a copy, please call (316) 942-5384 or email joe@theactiveage.com. The booklet is in the form of a ‘zine […]
| By Ted Ayers
“Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad,” by Matthew F. Delmont (Viking, 2022, 374 pages, $30.00) In January 1942, Wichitan James Gratz Thompson wrote to the Pittsburgh Courier, then the country’s biggest African American newspaper, asking, “Should I sacrifice my life to live half American?” He […]
| By Monica Cissell
Low-income Kansas adults over 60 may be eligible for a program that provides coupons to purchase fresh, unprocessed fruits and vegetables and honey at farmers markets in selected counties throughout the state. The Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program is providing adults 60+ who meet age and income requirements with $50 in coupons to purchase […]
| By Lynn Stephan
Since the day Wichita’s North High School opened in 1929, accolades for its distinctive design, particularly the Indian and pioneer sculptures, have gone to architect Glen Thomas and internationally-recognized fine artist Bruce Moore. A third name, that of Lawrence Byers, if mentioned, is typically incidental. Yet, as the draftsman and iconographer in Thomas’ office, Byers […]
| By Joe Stumpe
A partnership between KU School of Medicine-Wichita and one of the city’s largest memory care providers is helping the school expand its research and community outreach surrounding Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. The provider, ComfortCare Homes Wichita, recently made a donation to the school’s endowment fund that will be used for those purposes. “We’re […]
| By Joe Stumpe
I poached a near-foolproof recipe for poached eggs. After several less-than-stellar attempts at poaching eggs in the past, I found a technique online that worked on the first try and every time since. A perfectly poached egg is like a super tender, supersized dumpling that oozes warm golden goodness when pierced. There are two keys […]
| By Tammara Fogle
AARP safe driving classes restarted Brenda and Tom Gibson have resumed giving AARP Drive Safety classes in person. The dates and locations of upcoming classes are: May 31, Derby Senior Center; June 7, Dedicated Senior Medical Center; June 29, Haysville Senior Center; July 19, Mulvane Senior Center; July 21, Clearwater Senior Center. Participants must pre-register […]
| By Jim Miller
How to Prepare a Will Best Dating Apps for Retirees Toenail Trimming Tips for Seniors How Medicare Covers Physical Therapy Services How to Prepare a Will Dear Savvy Senior, I would like to make my last will and testament and would like to know if I can do it myself, or do I need to […]
| By Ted Blankenship
e written effusively about how to train cats and dogs. Now, I’m going to tell you how to train pets that aren’t a cat or dog. That could include giraffes, anteaters and big cats such as lions and tigers. I admit that some of these animals have drawbacks. Giraffes, for example, are the tallest of […]
| By Tammara Fogle
To complete these word puzzles, fill in the blanks with two words or phrases that sound the same but have different meanings. The answers appear on page 26. 1. An avian mascot of a cereal was bullied. He decided to take revenge. “_______” play at this game?” said the ______. 2. A woman was doing […]
| By Diana Morton
Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Beehive, the 60s Musical, a celebration of that era’s powerful female voices that follows the coming-of-age journeys of six women. 8 pm Thu-Sat, 2 pm Sun, May 25-June 11. Tickets $23-$25. Opening night ticket $18. 316-618-0444 Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road, Pantie?Monium. […]
| By Niki Lewis Shepherd
The dove blinks at me from her nest outside my kitchen window. She is all but invisible. I know she is there only because I have learned to look for her in mid-March. In the tangle of wild honeysuckle and purple leaf winter creeper that covers the fence, she and her mate have hollowed out a […]
| By The Active Age
Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age will hold a drawing for a family membership each month for the next six months from among people on our “Honor Roll” list of donors. Last month’s winner was Dale Maltbie and this month’s winner […]