Category: Featured

October quiz: Signature sign offs

September 30, 2021 | By Nancy Wheeler

Many broadcasters and celebrities develop catchphrases to conclude their programs. See if you can match the phrase to the person who closed with it. The answers appear below. “And so it goes.” “And that’s the way it is.” “Courage.” “Go home.” “Good night, and good luck.” “Good night, and may God bless.” “Good night, Mrs. […]

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Nicodemus historian to speak at Friends of Library meeting

| By Tammara Fogle

DERBY — A presentation about the historic African American town of Nicodemus, Kan., will highlight the annual Friends of the Library meeting here Saturday, Oct. 16. Angela Bates, executive director of the Nicodemus Historical Society, is the featured speaker. Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by […]

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Recipe for You or Two: Madras Chicken Salad

| By Jane Hodge

Jane Hodge is the winner of a $25 gift certificate from The Spice Merchant for submitting this Recipe for You or Two. “I liked the bean salad recipe in the last Active Age, so I decided to share one that we make all the time,” Hodge said. “It’s really easy and fresh-tasting.” The blend of flavors, […]

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Active Age readers take in new ballpark

| By The Active Age

Readers of The Active Age watched the Wichita Wind Surge beat the Tulsa Drillers 8-6 in an Aug. 29 game at the new Riverfront Stadium. The newspaper gave away 60 tickets to the game to readers who entered a drawing. “This was a fun time despite the rain delay and later drizzle,” said Jay Hinkle, […]

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New Deal’s impact still felt in Wichita

September 28, 2021 | By Joe Stumpe

As politicians in Washington debate massive new infrastructure spending, it’s interesting to recall how the New Deal programs of nearly a century ago affected Wichita.       The impact of those projects spearheaded by President Franklin Roosevelt can hardly be overstated. They are still a big part of the city’s life in areas ranging […]

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Whose game is this anyway? Pickleball explodes in popularity among all ages

August 31, 2021 | By Debbi Elmore

By Debbi Elmore A funny thing happened to the funny-sounding game called pickleball. Popularized by older players, pickleball has captured the attention of people of all ages while becoming the fast-growing sport in the United States. The pop-pop-pop of paddles whacking plastic balls around the Wichita area indicates the trend has definitely reached here. So […]

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Front-yard garden opens door to happy life

| By Annie Calovich

By Annie Calovich While many Wichitans have recently been battling armyworms that have eaten their front lawns brown, Mui Peng has been oblivious to their upheaval amid a brimming diversity of herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers burying her Midtown front yard in green. In fact, when asked about insects bugging her plants, her daughter Minh […]

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Asian Chicken Salad recipe

| By Minh Peng

Goi Ga (Southeast Asian Chicken Salad) This light and healthy chicken salad is bursting with flavor thanks to the use of fresh garden herbs. It’s delicious served warm, at room temperature or chilled. Fish sauce is available in the Asian aisle of most supermarkets. 2 chicken breasts (1 to 1½ lbs.), cut into thirds 1 […]

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Rich color, cozy layers arrive for fall

| By Bonnie Bing

By Bonnie Bing     Remember all those fall and winter clothes you didn’t wear last year? Make room for some new pieces for the season.  Looking at the trends it seems there is something for everyone. Dresses with sleeves are here for fall. Pick a subtle print or go wild with a colorful retro […]

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AARP: Care homes should require shots

| By Tammara Fogle

The Active Age AARP is calling for mandatory vaccinations of Kansas nursing home staff and residents, citing a significant rise in COVID-19 cases among nursing home staff and residents. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has ordered that nursing homes require all employees to be vaccinated or lose federal Medicare and Medicaid funding. “The high COVID death […]

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Newton man keeps folks tapping away

| By Nancy Carver Singleton

By Nancy Carver Singleton NEWTON — Technology made Vernon Overman’s career as a typewriter technician obsolete decades ago. But he’s found his old skill in demand during retirement as people rediscover the joy of typing on something other than a computer.  Maybe it’s the clicking, the tactile sensation or seeing what they’ve written come out […]

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Briefs

| 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. […]

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That homeless man? He’s my son

| 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 […]

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Tips for managing the Medicare maze

| 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 […]

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Pet peeve: Dogs not writer’s best friend

| 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 […]

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Recipe for You or Two: Bean Salad

| 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, […]

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Wichita’s own Field of Dreams

| 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 […]

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Meet some of our volunteers

| 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 […]

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September Theatre

| 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, […]

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Lights! Action! Sing! Match these songs to their movies

| 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 […]

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Letters to the Editor

| 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 […]

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Allen House gets prairie garden to match

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 […]

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Auggie Navarro’s family carries on golf legacy

| 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 […]

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Mental illness driving homeless ‘disaster’

| 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 […]

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France says ‘Merci’ to WWII pilot

| 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 […]

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