August 31, 2021 | By Tammara Fogle
Sunset paddling Slots are filling up fast for the city of Wichita’s last sunset kayaking tour of the season, to be held Sept. 22. The $35 tour includes photos at the Keeper of the Plains and a barbecue dinner. Single and tandem kayaks can also be rented at O.J. Watson Park for $10 an hour. […]
| By Barbara Drewry
Barbara Drewry Although I have always loved words, there are no words that adequately explain the feelings and the fear that go with being the mom of a homeless man. In the August issue of The Active Age, I read a well-organized, comprehensive overview of the issues of homelessness and mental illness in Wichita (“Mental […]
| By Monica Cissell
By Monica Cissell Medicare can often seem like an endless maze. Although Medicare Open Enrollment is approaching quickly, there is still time to find a path to solution by learning how to DIY Medicare enrollment and part D review or by connecting with trained professionals or volunteers available in the community. Central Plains Area Agency […]
| By Ted Blankenship
By Ted Blankenship Dorothy and I are unique in our new neighborhood in Bel Aire. We don’t own a dog. Most of our neighbors have at least one. For some, one is not nearly enough. Walk down any street and you will get barked at by small-but-alert dogs, some of them several blocks away. Small […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Gretchen Fox is the winner of a $25 gift certificate to the Spice Merchant for submitting this recipe. Fresh garden produce such as herbs, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers can be added and salsa can substitute for the Rotel, Fox said. “Mine is a little different every time.” Bean Salad 1 can (15 oz.) Black Beans, […]
| By Bob Rives
By Bob Rives When Major League Baseball staged a game in the Iowa cornfield where “Field of Dreams” was filmed, it became one of the most-talked-about regular season contests in decades. Something similar plays out in Wichita when the city’s two vintage baseball teams square off at Old Cowtown Museum. Baseball is now rivaled in […]
| By Joe Stumpe
By Joe Stumpe Volunteers play a vital role for many nonprofits.That is certainly the case at The Active Age. So when Jennie Benitez, RSVP program coordinator for Sedgwick County, asked me what our RSVP volunteers had been up to, I was more than happy to fill her in. Our RSPV volunteers continued to pitch in […]
| By Diana Morton
By Diana Morton Forum Theatre at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Clue On Stage, based on the screen play by Jonathan Lynn. Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget. Starring Ray Wills as the “Butler.” 8 pm Thu-Sat, […]
| By Tammara Fogle
By Nancy Wheeler Sometimes the plot of a movie inspires composers to create a signature song that becomes a major hit. Take a stroll down memory lane and try to match up these famous movies and their remarkable songs. Breakfast at Tiffany’s Dirty Dancing Armageddon Top Gun Conair An Officer and a Gentleman The […]
| By Tammara Fogle
The report by Mary Clarkin on “Mental illness driving homeless disaster” (August 2021) is excellent. I appreciated the background info about federal action and about the Four County approach. It is encouraging to hear that Wichita is going to attempt a better approach through enlargement of ComCare. This is such an important topic. It has […]
August 2, 2021 | By Tammara Fogle
By Annie Calovich Visitors to the Frank Lloyd Wright house in College Hill have always been amazed at the pristine condition of the restored interior of the residence. The grounds surrounding the house, on the other hand, for a long while did not reflect the admirable inside, which is now a museum. But local master […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
By Amy Geiszler-Jones Growing up in a pair of boxcars on North Broadway, Auggie Navarro never envisioned himself making a living whacking a little white ball around manicured fairways and greens. But when his dad got a maintenance job at the original Crestview Country Club course, Auggie started caddying there. Thus began the Navarro family’s […]
| By Mary Clarkin
By Mary Clarkin Micky Maddux encounters the homeless three to 10 times a day. She does not live or work in a shelter or sleep on a sidewalk. She’s the owner of an art gallery in Wichita’s Old Town Square. She’s cleaned their urine and feces off her gallery front in the morning, been accosted and […]
| By Joe Stumpe
By Joe Stumpe Bill Fry enlisted during World War II with the goal of becoming of pilot. He did that and a whole lot more. On July 20, the 95-year-old resident of Lakepoint Wichita was awarded the French Legion of Honor — France’s highest distinction — for his combat service nearly eight decades ago. In […]
| By Joe Stumpe
By Joe Stumpe It’s no secret that dining out is one of Wichita’s favorite forms of entertainment. A new book by the Wichita Eagle’s Denise Neil shows that the city has been restaurant crazy for a long time, maybe since its earliest days. “Classic Restaurants of Wichita” is set to be released by The History […]
| By Tammara Fogle
The Active Age An idea that’s been simmering in Susan Peters’ head for years is finally ready for consumption: a TV show based around family recipes. “The Family Dinner Table” debuted on PBS Kansas (formerly KPTS) last month. New episodes of the half-hour show will air at 2:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each […]
| By The Active Age
Sedgwick County’s use of local tax revenue for older residents is not keeping up with the growth of that population, a new analysis by Wichita State University shows. In fact, per capita spending from that source has fallen 27 percent over the past decade while the population over 60 grew by almost 33 percent. The […]
| By The Active Age
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett is warning older residents and their families to be on the watch for online romance scams after a Wichita area woman was conned out of $482,000. A romance scam, also known as an online dating scam, is when a person is tricked into believing they are in a romantic relationship with […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Children 1st seeks help Can you teach, garden or cook? Children 1st, a nonprofit serving low-income students and their families, is seeking a retiree with expertise in one or more of those areas to teach its food curriculum. Children 1st has an education garden and teaching kitchen. The position is volunteer but there is some […]
| By Tammara Fogle
By Sharon Van Horn I’m a lifelong resident of Wichita, and boy has our city changed over the last several years. I can remember when restaurant choices were few and far between, and if you wanted to order an alcoholic drink at a club you had to buy a membership, buy a bottle of liquor […]
| By Ted Blankenship
By Ted Blankenship I have read that ants are beneficial insects. Entomologists say that’s because they get rid of bits of food lying around the house and decaying organic matter outside. I’d like ants better if they were beneficent elsewhere. The ants that invade our house might be more welcome if they came in smaller […]
| By Tammara Fogle
“The Death Project: An Anthology for These Times,” edited by Gretchen Eick and Cora Poage (Blue Cedar Press, 2021, 196 pages) By Ted Ayres I have for some time admired historian and activist Gretchen Eick, rating her 2001 book, “Dissent in Wichita,” a classic. Eick worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for more than a […]
July 30, 2021 | By Mary Clarkin
By Mary Clarkin Micky Maddux encounters the homeless three to 10 times a day. She does not live or work in a shelter or sleep on a sidewalk. She’s the owner of an art gallery in Wichita’s Old Town Square. She’s cleaned their urine and feces off her gallery front in the morning, been accosted and […]
July 1, 2021 | By Debbi Elmore
As a young man, Swapan Kumar Chaudhuri dreamed of coming to the United States. “I was envious of Americans and all the opportunities here,” he said. Chaudhuri realized his ambition in his late 30s. Since his arrival from Canada in 1996, he has earned a master’s degree from Wichita State University, landed a job in […]
| By Joe Stumpe
“Laughing at Myself: My Education in Congress, on the Farm, and at the Movies” by Dan Glickman (University of Kansas Press, $34.95) Dan Glickman believes the lack of humor in the current political environment is no laughing matter. “I do think there’s a toxic partisanship — an excessively partisan atmosphere in politics […]