May 2, 2022 | By Laurene Gast
This is a story my friends Mary and Gene Brand told me about their wedding and her dress. They got married on Feb. 9, 1957, at Christ the King Catholic Church. The church wasn’t built yet, so the ceremony was held in the gymnasium. Mary bought the dress at Henry’s Department Store for $200. That […]
| By Michael Roehrman
Now that Kansas has an official state fruit, try Wichita Eagle editor Michael Roehrman’s recipe for sand plum jelly. Sand Plum Jelly About 5 lbs. sand plums 1 cup water 8 cups sugar 1 box Sure-Jell pectin Stem and thoroughly wash the plums. Place in a heavy bottomed pot and add water. Bring to a […]
| By Ted Blankenship
Because my wife is recovering from a medical problem, and I’m not seeing as well as I once did, neither of us drives. So our car stays in the garage while we bum rides to the grocery store from our “kids” (who are all in their 60s). That leaves us with a lot of time […]
| By Ted Ayers
“The Old Philosopher” by Bob Walterscheid (Walterscheid Productions, 2021, 55 pages, $12.00). Available at Watermark Books and theoldphilosopher.com. Bob Walterscheid enjoyed a career in sales and advertising in Wichita that spanned over 50 years. During that time, he made the first TV commercial for Pizza Hut, training films, infomercials and a full-length feature motion picture. He was […]
| By The Active Age
Senior centers in Sedgwick, Butler and Harvey counties could receive a boost from money sent to Kansas as part of the America Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion federal stimulus package passed last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic. “We think we will be able to use some of those ARPA dollars in help […]
| By The Active Age
Sedgwick County Commissioners are once again sparring over spending geared toward older residents. At their April 6 meeting, 5th District Commissioner Jim Howell reiterated an argument he’s made in the past, that the commission is ignoring the will of county residents and underfunding those Department on Aging services and programs by millions of dollars. In […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Carrying on The article “Carry Nation: Reconsidered” by Gina Kaufman (February 2022) was excellent. There has been a long chain of successors to Carry Nation in Kansas. The efforts were active for decades and had a significant influence. I cannot trace the chain back all of the way, but my memory goes back to the […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
The answers to all of these questions contain the word “May” in some form. The answers appear below. 1. What was the common name for the Agreement Between the Settlers of New Plymouth that was the first document, written in 1620, to govern the settlers of the Plymouth colony? 2. What term is used as […]
| By Diana Morton
Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas. Rent. Set in the East Village of New York City, Rent won the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for drama with songs and a story that resonate with audiences of all ages. 8 pm Fri, Sat; 2 pm Sun, April 29-May 22. Tickets, dinner & […]
| By Monica Cissell
What does aging well mean to you? Just as each of us are unique, the view of what we think of aging, how we embrace aging or view how we want to age may be different and there is no “right” way. Each May, Central Plains Area Agency celebrates Older Americans Month and urges older […]
| By James Bower
I once heard a story of man who was barely able to afford a ticket to make a transatlantic voyage. Since he could afford only the cheapest ticket, he took some crackers along with him so he wouldn’t starve. Daily, he would pass by the dining room and look at other passengers enjoying fine meals. […]
| By Jim Miller
Find educational trips for retirees who love to learn Dear Savvy Senior, My wife and I planning to travel much more frequently in retirement and are very interested in educational trips and adventures. Can you recommend any groups or firms that specialize in this type of travel geared towards retirees? Love to Learn Dear Love, […]
April 19, 2022 | By Tammara Fogle
Face masks will no longer be required at Wichita Eisenhower National Airport, at Wichita Transit facilities or on Wichita Transit vehicles, city officials said Tuesday. Officials cited a decision by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which said that a court ruling overturning its mask mandate required its removal. “Due to today’s court ruling, the Center […]
March 31, 2022 | By Joe Stumpe
Some changes in memory and thinking are a normal part of aging. But experts say a little-known condition called mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is different, and failing to get help for it can hasten dementia. “If we’re able to identify mild cognitive impairment, we can start to do some interventions to lessen the likelihood one […]
| By Debbi Elmore
Once a staple of everyday life, hand-operated machines are getting new attention thanks to a colorfully named group of Kansans. Calling themselves Manipulators of Marvelous Manual Machines — or Merry Cranks for short — they make the rounds of city and county fairs, showing off devices that run on human power rather than electricity. They […]
| By Ted Ayers
Correction: An earlier version of this article gave the wrong date and place for a talk by the authors. They will speak Friday, April 22, at 7 p.m., at the Warkentin House Museum in Newton. I have read many a book in my day, but I don’t recall ever reading one where the story was […]
| By Nancy Carver Singleton
When it came to directing a new play called “Canaan,” Sheila Kinnard drew on personal experience. The play portrays tumultuous events that took place in Washington, D.C. in 1968. As a high school student that year, Kinnard visited Howard University in the nation’s capital and saw student protesters occupy a building. Kinnard transferred to the […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Art Deco is a style that’s never gone out of style in Wichita — even if some of it seems hidden in plain sight. In architecture, its influence can be seen from our splendid downtown federal courthouse and other office, retail, apartment and school buildings still used for their original purposes to many others that […]
| By Julie Hying
ANDOVER — What do high school English students, youth soccer players, members of an east-side church and inmates of a state prison have in common? They’ve all benefited from Jeff Roper’s passion for helping people. Roper seemed headed for a conventional business career when he graduated from the University of Kansas in 1979 with degrees […]
| By Ernestine Williams Krehbiel
My first trip abroad took place in summer 1990 with a group of Wichita educators touring the Soviet Union. We were in Moscow first where I tried to pick up how to say please and thank you. Then we went to Kiev, Ukraine. Some powerful memories of Ukraine. As I said, I had learned the […]
| By Tammara Fogle
When Vicky Mazurek moved to Wichita, she had two needs to fill immediately. “The first thing you do is look for a church and some music,” said Mazurek. Mazurek found music in the Wichita Choral Society. Nearly 50 years later, she’s still singing with the group, which will celebrate a belated 75th anniversary this month. […]
| By Ted Blankenship
The other day I was gazing at our painting of a herd of skunks by our friend Noel Linder. They are five in all, traipsing across a lawn single file. Despite their stinky reputation, skunks are kind of cute — until you annoy them. They may then spray you with a strong irritant from a […]
| By Wanda Philips
Life can be fun at any age. It’s not always easy, but with a little luck, some curiosity and a few well-chosen friends, it can happen. A friend, Carol, who lives in the place where I live, asked if I would like to see her nephew Lance’s car. Well, heck, I can see all the […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Picklepalooza 2022 to be held at Riverside Tennis Center Picklepalooza, a pickleball tournament for players 50 and up, is back for a second year. This year’s tournament will be held Saturday, April 30, at the Ralph Wulz Riverside Tennis Center, 551 N. Nims. Registration is $60 and is open through April 23. You can register […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Afghans welcomed Thank you for your coverage of the Afghan refugees here (“A refuge rises: Afghan refugees welcomed to new homes in Kansas,” March 2022). We’ve witnessed an amazing outpouring of compassionate aid, and it’s just beginning. I’ve spent a couple of days with some of our Afghanistan families and as I’ve found in my […]