October 2, 2019 | By The Active Age
When Wichita’s new airport terminal opened in 2015, one of the most talked-about features was the large-scale display about the city’s aviation-related history. Now that material has been expanded upon and put into book form, so you can enjoy it even when not traveling. Wichita: Where Aviation Took Wing was created by the Greteman Group, […]
| By The Active Age
We had so much fun with our last puzzle/theater ticket giveaway contest that we’re staging a sequel. This time, winners will receive tickets to one of these theaters: Crown Uptown, Mosley Street Melodrama, Kechi Playhouse, Guild Hall Players or Wichita Community Theatre. To qualify, first complete the accompanying puzzle. Using the clues below, find and […]
| By The Active Age
Telling tales If you enjoy a good tall tale, the Derby Public Library has an event for you. And that’s no exaggeration. Jim Hoy, an Emporia State professor and syndicated newspaper columnist, will present “Kansas Legends and Folktales” at the library at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 12. The free event is sponsored by Humanities Kansas. […]
| By The Active Age
The active age’s new 2019-2020 Resource Guide is now available. The FREE 82-page publication lists hundreds of organizations and businesses that serve seniors. Copies can be picked up at the active age office, 125 S. West St, Ste. 105, local senior centers, and libraries
| By The Active Age
Celia Easley was the fun-loving face of Central Plains Area Agency on Aging to many local seniors, as the accompanying photo shows. “She advocated for those facing illness and difficult life circumstances as if they were her own family,” Monica Cissell, director of information and community services for CPAAA, said. Easley’s unexpected death this summer […]
August 30, 2019 | By Amy Geiszler-Jones
Last year, 67-year-old Lynn Ackerson became a parent again. When she became the legal guardian of her granddaughter, Gracie, who’s 11, Ackerson joined the growing ranks of American grandparents who are raising grandchildren. As many as 3 million grandparents are raising grandchildren, according to some recent studies, which is up from the 2.7 million reported […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Sedgwick County’s spending on senior-related services and programs won’t keep up with inflation in 2020. County commissioners last month approved an aging services budget of $11,009,880 for next year. That’s an increase of $36,122, or .3 percent over this year. The county’s total budget will increase by 4 percent next year, from $439.5 million to […]
| By Clark Bastian
Sometimes a project just falls into your lap. In 2010, I arrived early for a board meeting at Rotary Club headquarters. In the meeting room was a coffee maker. I started searching for some cups. The cabinets were chock full of stuff, above and below the sink. That stuff was the Rotary Club’s history, nearly […]
| By The Active Age
It’s hard to imagine a better use of late-summer tomatoes than this luscious and colorful tomato pie. Angie Prather found a version of this recipe in a magazine last year and has been delighting friends and family with it ever since. The only changes she makes are to leave out the thyme – “I’m a […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Half the fun of this job is running into people like Maxx Fairbanks. Maxx introduced himself via email. He’d spotted an article in last month’s issue about the filming of a movie here called The Gypsy Moths. He wanted to pass along his own connection with it, which went something like this: In 1968, when […]
| By The Active Age
5K run and fun The final leg of the Heartland Games – a 5K run – takes place Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Downtown Senior Center, 200 S. Walnut. The event actually starts at 8:30 a.m. with a one-mile family walk; participants are invited to bring their grandchildren and other family members. The 5K run […]
| By Ted Blankenship
I like punctuation as well as the next guy. The period is pretty handy and so is the comma if you don’t make it into an apostrophe and stick it on every word that ends with an “s.” The hyphen is okay for combining two words into one. But I have a problem with the […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Dolores Cooper wants to keep helping people. But the respite program in which she’s done that for 30 years has come to an end. Cooper, 89, had no intention of retiring before being laid off. “To me, it was fulfilling and rewarding,” she said. “I felt like I was making a difference in peoples’ lives.” […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Ben and Mary Grisamore are headed back to school again this fall to share their love of books with children whose homes sometimes contain none. Members of the Rotary Club of Wichita’s Reading Is Fundamental program, the Wichita couple have been reading to students and giving away books for nearly 30 years. “It’s an exciting […]
| By Monica Cissell
Three of Wichita’s favorite locations will host the 34th annual Senior Expo on Sept. 26: Botanica, the Wichita Art Museum and the Advanced Learning Library. Organized by the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging (CPAAA), the free event provides seniors and caregivers with valuable information, free health screenings, new opportunities and unique and useful items […]
| By The Active Age
Too often, people experiencing age-related vision loss ignore the symptoms, hide them, or try to compensate for them with improvised inventions that fall short of providing true solutions. But taking a proactive approach to their eye health is the best way to remain active and able to participate in a full life. “For aging individuals, […]
| By Nancy Carver Singleton
NEWTON – People almost always have something to say when they spot Kelly Hayes’ collection of old lunch boxes. “The conversation, it brings back old memories,” Hayes said. “That is the biggest thing, people get a kick out of it.” Hayes has collected about 250 metal lunch boxes made in the 1950s through the 1970s. […]
| By Julie Schaar
The welcoming sights, sounds and smells of fall have arrived. What comes to your mind when you think of fall? Do you think of football games, fans cheering and charcoal grills cooking up delicious hamburgers? What about the thought of fall festivals, carnival rides and funnel cakes? Maybe you thought of walks along the river, […]
August 1, 2019 | By Joe Stumpe
Film caught stars, locals in ’69 action-drama BENTON – When a Hollywood movie crew arrived here to make The Gypsy Moths, the project seemed to have everything required for success: big-name stars, an acclaimed director and spectacular stunts. As it turned out, the 1969 flick bombed – unless you happen to be a big fan […]
| By The Active Age
One afternoon last month, a 56-year-old woman walked into The Health Connection, a CBD shop on Douglas Avenue. Within minutes, she’d spent about $80 on a couple of cannabidiol products she’d never tried before but which she hoped would ease pain caused by arthritis. “I work with two or three nurses who have used it,” […]
| By The Active Age
Linda Hitchcock screened the first phone call she received from the active age. No offense taken; lots of people do that with unfamiliar numbers these days. When we finally did connect, and she got the news that she’d won our Music Theatre Wichita ticket contest, Linda was doing the verbal equivalent of somersaults on the […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Turns out there is a cure for the summertime blues: Summertime food. This is the time of year when less work means more flavor in the kitchen; let freshly grown produce and other locally produced foods be the stars of simply prepared, simply delicious meals. These recipes come from an event hosted by the Butler […]
| By The Active Age
Editor’s note: Incorrect information about these classes was printed in the July issue of the active age. The Wichita Public Library will partner with the Sedgwick County Extension Horticulture and Master Gardener Volunteer Program to offer fall gardening series at the Alford and Westlink branches. A Whirlwind Look at Kansas Grasses Tuesday, July 30 (Alford); […]
| By The Active Age
Sedgwick County Manager Tom Stolz says it’s time for a comprehensive look at how programs that serve seniors are funded. “One thing I want to do in the upcoming six months is I want a top-to-bottom analysis for the (county’s) aging department, making sure we are comparative with other aging departments across the country of […]
| By Dale Goter
On Aug. 1, a dark chapter in the history of Wichita public golf will occur as city officials shutter L.W. Clapp Golf Park. The City Council, acting on staff recommendations, voted to shut down Clapp in favor of a grandiose plan for a “destination park” that has zero dollars identified to make it happen. […]