May 3, 2024 | By The Active Age
If you’ve got a grandchild looking for something to do, the Wichita Public Library’s summer reading program returns from May 23-August 1, 2024. Toddlers, kids, teens and adults are invited to read books, participate in programs and activities and win prizes all summer long. Pre-registration begins online on Monday, May 6. The summer reading program […]
May 1, 2024 | By The Active Age
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article contained the wrong date for the re-dedication of the Keeper of the Plains. The correct date is Saturday, May 18. Wichita’s Keeper of the Plains will be re-dedicated with a big party May 18 to mark its 50th anniversary. Here are some things to know about the […]
| By Beth Bower
WHITEWATER — Natalie Sollo calls it a learning curve. Dave Sollo is blunter about the couple’s wine-making skills when they started Grace Hill Winery in 2004. “We didn’t know what the hell we were doing,” he said. But Dave, a retired anesthesiologist, and Natalie, a pediatrician, learned by doing. Their winery 30 minutes northeast of […]
| By Bob Rives
A young Tom turkey has turned a busy intersection in east Wichita into his personal playground since earlier this year, catching the attention of motorists, businesspeople and others in the area with his antics. He’s called Mr. G — for Gobbler — by employees at the Wheat State Credit Union, where he sometimes hangs out, […]
| By The Active Age
A trio of bicyclists who enjoy riding around Wichita spotted a disheartening trend: more homeless people than ever camping near the city’s bike paths that run along the Arkansas River. “You just notice more and more homelessness in the area, and it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” avid cyclist Marty Johnson said. Now Johnson and two […]
| By The Active Age
ANDOVER — The Foster Grandparent Program needs a lot more people like Rita Grimes. Grimes spends several hours each day at Sunflower Elementary School helping kindergarteners with their letters, science projects and just generally being an encouraging older figure. A grandparent, in other words. “I try to show the kids, even in kindergarten, about being […]
| By The Active Age
Skilled gardeners prove you can pull up roots and still be successful. The last time Everett and Michelle Price were on the Sedgwick County Garden Tour, in 2014, they showed off a sunny yard in Haysville. Now they live on the former Brown Nursery property in west Wichita, where they inherited about 65 trees, including […]
| By Tammara Fogle
McCormick Museum movie Local film buff Rick Every will host the McCormick School Museum’s third annual showing of 16 mm educational films, complete with popcorn and lemonade, at 5 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Every is a former projectionist at the Orpheum Theatre and technician at KAKE-TV and Century II, plus a collector of reel-to-reel films […]
| By Diana Breit Wolfe
Last month, I attended the AARP Smart Driver Course. I’ve been driving Wichita streets and U.S. highways for 66 years, since I was 14. But I was still impressed with how much new stuff there is to learn about our roads, signs and car safety. The husband-and-wife volunteer presenters —Tom and Brenda Gibson — keep […]
| By The Active Age
Mary Clarkin took first and second place in the Seniors Story category of the 2024 Kansas Press Association awards for articles in The Active Age. Clarkin won first place for “How old is too old?” (July 2023), a look at how older voters view the leading presidential candidates, and second place for “Seniors grapple with […]
| By Monica Cissell
The Central Plains Area Agency on Aging (CPAAA) celebrates the theme of this year’s Older Americans Month, “Powered by Connection,” by focusing on the impact that meaningful connections have on our well-being. “It’s not only about having someone to chat with, it’s about the potential that connections have in enhancing mental, physical and emotional well-being,” […]
| By The Active Age
Remember that time Festus broke some of Quint’s equipment, and they rode to Wichita to get it fixed only to fall for the same saloon girl who happened to be on the run from a jealous boyfriend? You might if you were a fan of “Gunsmoke,” the longest-running western in TV history. Although primarily set […]
| By The Active Age
Read with interest your story on vintage Wichita architecture (“Mid-century modern buildings worth saving,” April 2024). In the 1990s, I was assistant vice president and head of the real estate division of the Intrust Bank trust department. One of several buildings around Wichita with heritage architecture that I dealt with was the iconic Vickers gas […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
The answer to each clue in this month’s quiz contains the word “Great.” How many can you identify? The answers appear on page 20. 1. This Australian coral system is composed of over 900 islands and stretches for over 2,300 kilometers. 2. Linus is disappointed in this 1966 American Halloween television special based on the […]
| By Diana Morton
Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. “Harvey,” family-friendly classic about the relationship between Elwood P. Dowd and his invisible, furry best friend. Th-Sat, 8 pm, Sun 2 pm. Now through May 12. Tickets $23-$25. Opening night ticket $18. 316-618-0444 Guild Hall Players, St. James Episcopal Church, 3750 E. […]
| By Ted Blankenship
Back when I was about seven years old, I was kicking a big rubber ball around with LeRoy and Dickie, the boys next door. Their Doberman was chasing the ball with us and appeared to be in a nice enough mood. The next time I kicked the ball, the dog bit me. I don’t speak […]
| By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior, What gardening tips can you offer to older seniors? I love to putter around and work in the garden, but my back and knees have caused me to curtail my gardening activities, which I miss greatly. Older Gardner Dear Older, There’s no doubt that gardening can be hard on an aging body. […]
| By Caleb Sanderson
El Dorado — Bob Peterson is retiring after 43 years teaching in the Butler Community College Theatre Department. Peterson exits following his last Butler play, “Harvey.” Peterson’s career began in 1972 as a Topeka High School teacher. Award-winning actress Jayne Houdyshell, who won a Tony Award for her role in “The Humans,” was one of […]
| By Joe Stumpe
You know your family’s been around Wichita awhile when it has a street named for it. Or in Don Martinson’s case, three of them. There’s Martinson Street, which runs through Delano and south Wichita. It was named by Martinson’s grandfather, who developed much of Delano in the late 1880s. A little farther west are Charles […]
| By The Active Age
Meals on Wheels highlighted Wichita Mayor Lily Wu and City Council Member Dalton Glasscock visited Senior Services, Inc. recently to bring attention to the Meals on Wheels program. The program delivers hot meals to about 800 people on weekdays and has a waiting list of several hundred people. “If you’d like to help, these programs […]
April 10, 2024 | By The Active Age
ANDOVER — The Greater Wichita YMCA has announced Monday, May 20 as the reopening date for the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA. The branch temporarily shut down in April 2022 following a direct hit from an EF3 tornado. In a news release, the Y said “extensive upgrades” have taken place inside, including installation of a […]
April 1, 2024 | By Joe Stumpe
Century II is just the most conspicuous example of much distinctive mid-century modern architecture in Wichita, including shopping centers, churches, gas stations, office buildings and more, architect and history buff Dean Bradley says. The post-World War II building style was influenced by everything from the proliferation of automobiles to new building materials and even the […]
| By Bonnie Bing
Like a spring shower, requests came pouring in for the Active Age’s Spring Makeover Contest. To make it happen, hair stylists and makeup artists at three salons gave three lucky contestants a new hairstyle and fresh makeup techniques. Here are before-and-after photos, what the stylists had to say and how the women felt about the […]
| By Deanna Harms
Have you ever thought about writing a book? If yes, I encourage you to do it. You don’t have to have an agent or a publisher, you can go it alone through one of the many options now available. I recently helped my mother publish her memoir through Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and the experience […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
The Active Age primarily serves readers in Butler, Harvey and Sedgwick counties. This month’s quiz tests readers’ knowledge of all three. Answers appear below. 1. The economy of this county changed almost overnight when an oil well was discovered in 1915. 2. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and editor William Allen White spent the majority of his […]