August 31, 2022 | By Ted Ayers
“The Lethal Elixer,” by Dennis Ross (Archway Publishing, 2021, 273 pages, $18.99) Dennis Ross is a Wichita nephrologist and clinical professor at the University of Kansas Medical Center who has written one previous novel, “The Perfect Match.” “The Lethal Elixer” is a sequel to that book. This book is certainly topical as it includes references to terrorism, global […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Symphony on the lawn The Wichita Symphony will play a concert Friday, Sept. 30 on Botanica’s Grand Lawn in what’s envisioned as a new annual fall event. The concert’s first half will feature symphonic music on botanical themes, while the second half covers music from Broadway and Hollywood shows including The Phantom of the Opera, […]
| By Tammara Fogle
In response to inflation and an increase in our postage costs, The Active Age has raised its 2022 fundraising goal to $100,000. Last year, readers generously donated $95,358. Please help us reach or exceed our new goal if you can. We are doing all we can to keep down the cost of producing and distributing […]
| By Monica Cissell
Hearing loss is a common problem that many people experience. It interferes with communication with friends, family and others with whom we interact. Studies have also shown a link between hearing loss and other health issues, including cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s Disease, depression and falls. Common signs of hearing loss may include difficulty following conversationss, […]
| By Jim Miller
How to choose a 55-plus active adult community Dear Savvy Senior, What tips can you recommend for choosing a good active adult housing community? My husband and I, who recently retired, are planning to relocate to an area closer to our grandkids and are interested in buying a house in an age-restricted 55-plus housing community. […]
August 30, 2022 | By Joe Stumpe
Dr. G.G. Brown moved his medical practice to Wichita in 1908 to serve the city’s black community. Although the days of segregated medicine are long gone, the need for black physicians such as Dr. Brown has never been more acute than it is now. “We really need to figure out how to get more minority […]
August 1, 2022 | By Joe Stumpe
More mornings than not, Bill and Carrie Van Sickle can be found gliding along the Little Arkansas River in one or two kayaks, enjoying the exercise and scenery. They usually cover between four and seven miles, their oars and sleek craft barely rippling the mirror-like surface. “This river is basically a hidden gem,” Carrie said. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
If you own a painting by Ernest Aspinwall, Bob Bayer wants to talk. Aspinwall is hardly a household name, but he was something of a criminal celebrity in Wichita in the 1940s and ’50s. Charged with kidnapping a Wichita taxi driver in October 1940, Aspinwall escaped from the Sedgwick County Jail three months later and […]
| By The Active Age
Spending by Sedgwick County’s Department on Aging won’t keep up with the current level of inflation under a proposed budget for 2023. The department, which is the primary provider of senior-related services in Wichita and the rest of the county, would see its budget rise 3.2 percent to $13.95 million next year. Commissioners David Dennis […]
| By Debbi Elmore
A recent transplant to Wichita, Odean Moore didn’t know anyone prior to joining the Linwood Senior Center. “I made a lot of friends,” she said. She takes part in exercise classes, outings, Bible study and more offered by the center. “It’s like another home when you’re by yourself,” she said. Sue Bechtel, a long-time member […]
| By The Active Age
NORTH NEWTON — Growing up in western Kansas, Diane Sorensen’s first experience with chickens was at her grandparents’ house. While it was fun to gather the eggs, she said, “What I remember is how scary the rooster was.” Today, she not only raises chickens, she’s made one the title character of a children’s book — […]
| By Julie Hying
EL DORADO — For years, the historical museum in Kansas’ biggest county geographically has been too small for the job. But soon a major expansion and renovation will help the Kansas Oil Museum better tell the story of Butler County and the industry that first put it on the map, while also transforming it into […]
| By The Active Age
When John Davis is involved in something, he’s passionate about it. “I don’t need to head anything up, I just want to be very involved in it.” Which probably explains why he’s been a Boy Scout since 1951, when he was 11 and growing up in north London, England. Davis, who’s lived in Wichita since […]
| By Tammara Fogle
HAYSVILLE — For more than 50 years, the John C. Pair Horticultural Research Center has been studying trees, shrubs, flowers, turfgrass, fruits and vegetables to see which varieties grow best in the weather extremes of southcentral Kansas. Kansas State University plant researchers at the center look for the greenest turf grasses, maple trees with the […]
| By The Active Age
You know that heart-tugging scene at the end of “It’s a Wonderful Life” when the whole town shows up to save George Bailey from financial ruin? His wife, Mary, opens the door to one townsperson after another. Uncle Billy dumps a basket of cash on a living room table and says, “Isn’t it wonderful? . […]
| By Ted Blankenship
I am sitting in my office staring out the window at the field north of our house for inspiration. But all I see is a bunch of big, round bales of hay and Bel Aire’s water tower. Neither of these things is very funny. The tower is important, though, because it’s full of water and […]
| By Diana Morton
Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas. The Wedding Singer: A Musical Comedy. 8 pm Fri, Sat; 2 pm Sun, now – Aug 7. Tickets, dinner & show, $40-45; Show only $25-$30. 316-612-7696 Calendar Girls, a musical by Gary Barlow; book by Tim Firth. Based on the true story of eleven older women who posed nude […]
July 1, 2022 | By Joe Stumpe
Janet Bachman wasn’t thrilled when her husband suggested they move to a new housing development he was developing in northwest Wichita, even if it was to be the first of its kind. “We were the only family for a while,” she said. “We had moved from a really nice area with lots of neighbors.” But, […]
| By Joe Stumpe
By the time you read this, Richard Barrett will likely have handed his last soft-serve ice cream cone through the window of his tiny Dairy Queen in south Wichita. He’ll tell you it’s been a long, sweet ride. “Few people have a job where they make a lot of people happy,” Barrett said. Barrett, who […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Wichita State University has joined the Age-Friendly University Network, a group more than 90 schools interested in creating more age-inclusive environments on their campuses. “Wichita State has just a huge number of age-friendly things that are going,” said Rosemary Wright, a senior research scientist who works in the office of WSU President Richard Muma. “Age […]
| By The Active Age
Editor’s note: This month we’re running Dear Reader columns from two of our board members — one about the heartening response to our current plight, and the other about our continuing need. By Diana Breit Wolfe I am totally impressed. You like us — you really, really like us! I know that because after my […]
| By Tammara Fogle
When Steve Bauer calls himself a “cradle Catholic,” he’s not exaggerating. “My doctor baptized me almost as soon as I was born because he didn’t think I was going to make it.” Bauer proved the doctor wrong, although he’s faced plenty of additional challenges while establishing himself as a mainstay on Wichita’s radio waves. Bauer […]
| By The Active Age
The 7th annual Farm to Fork event in Butler County celebrates agriculture in Kansas’ largest county with eight days of events. Here are highlights of the schedule with prices of individual events. A full festival pass good for all events and meals is available for $150. July 16 — Family “Agventure” Day, 8 a.m. to […]
| By The Active Age
The Sedgwick County Department on Aging has revised its plan for spending money added to its budget. County commissioners created a $500,000 contingency fund for senior-related services during last year’s budget process. In April, the department proposed spending $180,000 of that, with the rest being returned to the county general fund. That prompted criticism from […]
| By Ted Blankenship
These days parents are deciding what books their kids can read in school. And, each parent has a different idea which books are dangerous for juvenile brains. So what about nursery rhymes that have been around for a long time and may have affected a lot of little brains? If we modify these nursery rhymes, […]