March 1, 2025 | By Ted Ayres
“Kansas Baseball,” by Michael J. Travis (The History Press, 2025, 158 pages, $24.99) Wichita leads off “Kansas Baseball,” Michael J. Travis’ look at how American’s favorite pastime has been played in the Sunflower State. The book begins with a discussion of League 42, the youth baseball program named for Jackie Robinson (No. 42 for the […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
Use these clues to name popular snack foods. The answers appear below. 1. What company laid out one of the greatest dares in advertising when they said, “Betcha can’t eat just one”? 2. In hot competition with Peter Pan and Skippy, Grey Advertising remembered that mothers know best, coming up with the slogan, “Choosy moms […]
| By Jennifer Lasley CPAAA
The Kansas Silver Haired Legislature is a dedicated group of advocates who represent the interests of Kansans aged 60 and older. KSHL delegates develop bills and resolutions that are presented to the Kansas Legislature and governor. The 2025-26 delegates for Butler, Harvey and Sedgwick Counties are: Dennis Bender, Sedgwick County, District 1. Bender, a new […]
| By Joe Norris
It was April 24, 1924. In Germany, Hitler had just begun the first month of a 5-year prison term for the treasonous Beer Hall Putsch. In Wichita, people were paying a quarter to see the new Buster Keaton movie. And in Lucas, Kansas, S.P. Dinsmoor was exchanging wedding vows with his second wife, Emilie. The […]
| By The Active Age
Donate at least $50 to The Active Age, and you could win a family membership to Botanica. The Active Age holds a drawing for a family membership each month from among people on our Honor Roll list of donors. This month’s winner is Virginia Dean. Donations may be made by calling 316-942-5385; through our website, […]
January 31, 2025 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
DERBY — On a cold January morning, it didn’t take long for Cleda Justice to make a heartwarming connection with the young male visitor seated next to her in the lounge of Brookdale Derby senior living community. “He’s marvelous,” Justice said as she ran her hands along the soft, fluffy fur of Jax, a 2 […]
| By Carl Williams
Bucky Walters has been making people laugh since his days as a wise-cracking student at Wichita’s East High School in the mid 1950s. The recently retired hairdresser went on to tickle funny bones in comedy clubs, theater productions and the annual Gridiron show staged by local journalists. But his first foray into show business was […]
| By Tammara Fogle
If you remember shopping at Henry’s department store, you’ll probably enjoy an exhibit and sale running through Feb. 7 at The Workroom. The show features drawings by Della Riley, who was a fashion illustrator for Henry’s, Shepler’s and other Wichita clothing stores during the 1960s and 70s. In December, Autumn Fortune, who has a booth […]
| By The Active Age
Scott Phillips is one of the most acclaimed writers to emerge from Wichita — a place featured prominently in some of his fiction. The author of eight novels and a short story collection in the noir literary genre, Phillips is probably best known for “The Ice Harvest,” which won several awards and was turned into […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Gardening workshop The 2025 Design & Grow Workshop will be held Saturday, March 1 at the Sedgwick County Extension Center, 21st and Ridge Road. The morning session will cover native plant design, floral arrangements, resilient plant varieties and planning food gardens during droughts. Registration is $10 through Feb. 21; after that, it’s $15. Separate registration […]
| By The Active Age
Kathy Campbell says a group that honors deceased nurses is not unlike some American Legion groups that pay tribute to fallen veterans. “We just don’t have motorcycles,” she said. What the Nurses Honor Guard of Wichita does have are outfits that recall Florence Nightingale and a belief in the importance of nursing. “I think it’s […]
| By Joe Stumpe
As I write this, Wichita is flirting with its record for most consecutive days with snow on the ground. At least one local family has erected a working igloo. Soup weather, in other words. The accompanying soup recipe is hearty enough to serve as a meal and guaranteed to warm your insides. It’s similar to […]
| By Jim Miller
Savvy Senior – February Columns How Long to Keep Tax Records and Other Documents How to Help a Hoarding Parent Does Medicare Cover Talk Therapy Services? The Surprising Dangers of Earwax How Seniors Can Get Help Lowering Their Grocery Bills How Long to Keep Tax Records and Other Financial Documents Dear Savvy Senior, Is […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
See if you can name these actresses who lit up the big screen in Hollywood hit movies. 1. What strong-willed, sophisticated actress won four Academy Awards for Best Actress, a record for any performer? 2. What trained ballet dancer rose to stardom in the romantic comedy “Roman Holiday” and then dazzled audiences in “Breakfast at […]
| By Diana Morton
Forum Theatre, at the Wilke Center, 1st United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. Bridges of Madison County. In this musical based on the best-selling novel, Francesca builds herself a home in Iowa, raising two children and settling into a steady but unremarkable routine. Then, one day, she meets a charismatic photographer who awakens her passion […]
January 29, 2025 | By Joe Stumpe
The first history Gerald Norwood got interested in was his own family’s, and who could blame him? Norwood’s grandfather, Henry, spent his childhood enslaved on plantations in North Carolina and southwest Arkansas. Following the Civil War, Henry and his older brother made their way on foot about 130 miles north in Arkansas, settling near Fort […]
January 1, 2025 | By The Active Age
To mark The Active Age’s 45th anniversary — and hopefully raise a little money toward future operations — we are holding a drawing for a diamond necklace generously donated by Mike Seltzer Jewelers. Everybody who donates at least $25 between now and Jan. 31 will be entered in the drawing. Each $25 donation gets you […]
| By Joe Stumpe
A Wichita choir will perform spirituals in Paris next month thanks to bit of serendipity. The group is ARISE, which stands for African Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble. Last year, four members of ARISE accompanied a group of middle school students from Gordon Parks Academy to the French capital as part of an arts […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Carl Fry jokes he has “a long history of wasting money on cars,” going back to 1956 when as a 16-year-old he joined a Wichita East High School car club called the Gear Gents. In 2004, his love of cars and his connections to other car enthusiasts took a philanthropic turn as he organized a […]
| By Tammara Fogle
U.S. Figure Skating Championships glide into town Top figure skaters from across the country will compete in the 2025 U.S. Figure Skating Championships Jan. 20-26, 2025, at Intrust Bank Arena — the first time the event has been held in Kansas. “It’s an amazing opportunity for Wichitans and those in the region to see current […]
| By Chris Heiman
It was June 1974, and 17-year-old Sheri Pilkington had her entire life in front of her. Having just graduated from Southeast High, Sheri was enjoying her summer break and looking forward to community college in the fall. Described by friends and family as “funny, compassionate and outgoing,” Sheri possessed a special connection to senior citizens. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Laurie Dove’s first novel beat the odds. Not only is it rare for a novelist’s maiden effort to see print, Dove’s book was chosen out of more than 5,000 others submitted to Penguin Random House, the nation’s largest publisher. “It really felt like winning the lottery because the odds of that are pretty unbelievable,” Dove, […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Turns out Bob Bayer isn’t the only person interested in jailhouse artist Ernest Aspinwall. Since an article about Bayer and the creative criminal appeared in The Active Age in August 2022, he’s been contacted by several people who either knew Aspinwall, knew somebody who did or possessed one of his paintings. Aspinwall made front-page news […]
| By Bonnie Bing
We made it! If you’re reading this you survived the entire holiday season. It is officially over, even if you can’t seem to convince a couch surfing nephew it is time to hit the road. Now it’s time to get those pine needles out of the carpet, clean out the fridge before any more […]
| By Ted Ayres
“The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore,” by Evan Friss (Viking, 2024, 403 pages, $39.99) Did you resolve to read more in 2025? Congratulations on such a thoughtful resolution and here’s a book that might help with it. Evan Friss’ “The Bookshop” is an homage to reading and those who make books available to us. […]