November 28, 2018 | By Jim Laney
I seem to have a knack for riding on two wheels, with or without a road to follow. As a kid in the country I rode on dirt roads and trails through the pasture, built my own racetrack and jumped ditches. As a teen, my parents wouldn’t let me buy a motor scooter, so I rode […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Wichitans asked to help support new ship bearing city’s name A new Navy ship called the USS Wichita will soon be patrolling foreign seas, and a retired rear admiral from Derby is raising money in support of its sailors. “I like to tell people Mayor (Jeff) Longwell ‘voluntold’ me for this opportunity,” Jeffrey Penfield joked […]
| By Ted Blankenship
President Trump says his tariffs will punish the Chinese without hurting Americans. The Chinese-naturally-enacted retaliatory tariffs on American agricultural products, cars and industrial goods. Then they began talking about buying airplanes from the Europeans instead of the United States. These are actions you would expect from China. But I think they have come up with […]
| By Joe Stumpe
RoseAnn Kirkpatrick just wants to know one thing: What happened to Earl? I doubt I can help her find the answer, but here goes anyway: Kirkpatrick was reading through a stack of old Reader’s Digest magazines recently when she came across an article in the November 1991 issue entitled “Long Journey Home.” It was one of those […]
| By The Active Age
The Wichita Broadway Singers are calling themselves the “Off-Broadway Singers” for this year’s December Dreams concert. That’s because they’re opening with “Try to Remember” from The Fantasticks, which has the longest run of any Off-Broadway show. Other dreamy tunes will include “A Million Dreams” from The Greatest Showman, “When you Wish Upon a Star” from […]
| By The Active Age
The Wichita Art Museum hosts two free family-oriented events this month. From 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 2, WAM’s annual Holiday Open House offers refreshments, live music, dance performances and a chance to visit with Santa Claus. Then for post-Christmas fun, WAM holds its Winter Art Mania from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 26, […]
| By The Active Age
Photos Courtesy of Dr. Joseph Myers Friends University is presenting a new, full-length production of The Nutcracker that “is not your grandma’s Nutcracker.” Andrea Vazquez-Aguirre, new director of the dance program, has choreographed the work to the Duke Ellington Orchestra’s classic 1960 recording of Billy Strayhorn’s Nutcracker Suite, along with selections from David Berger’s Harlem […]
October 26, 2018 | By Joe Stumpe
Photo by Joe Stumpe Northeast Senior Center in Wichita has run out of mats to hide carpet stains. A new library for $32 million. Up to $81 million for a minor league ballpark. Twenty-five thousand dollars to help outfit a U.S. Navy warship called the USS Wichita, which will patrol the high seas. The city […]
| By Jack Kellogg
Few buildings in Wichita provoke more curiosity than Campbell Castle, the 17-bedroom, feudal-style mansion overlooking the Little Arkansas River at 11th Street and North River Boulevard. As it turns out, builder Burton Harvey Campbell – also known as Col. “Barbecue” Campbell – was as fascinating as his home, a respected businessman and civic leader who […]
| By Amy Houston
When Lisa Shorter walked into a keyboard class for adult beginners last year, it took all her courage and patience. After all, she was the only student who’d be forced to play using only one hand. One year later, she isn’t comfortable playing a song in front of her classmates. She does it anyway. “I’m […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Red Hat Society members claim trophy on first try It took Sandra Whittemore five years to persuade her fellow Red Hatters to enter the Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff. Maybe next time they’ll listen. Members of the Red Hat Society chapter took home the Cecile Kellenbarger Team Spirit Trophy (named for the late biking trail […]
| By The Active Age
ANDOVER – Don’t be surprised if you spot some furry friends while checking out Andover’s newest biking and walking trail. Scaly ones, too. The four-mile extension of the Redbud Trail, from Prairie Creek Road to U.S. 400 near Santa Fe Road, runs through scenic Kansas countryside that animals seem to enjoy just as much as […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
With no single test, scan or exam for the disease, getting a diagnosis for Alzheimer’s can be a challenge, Caregivers and patients often have to become advocates if they suspect the disease. “Some people get lost in the shuffle,” said Jenna Smith, a Wichitan who is a care consultant for the 24/7 helpline of the […]
| By The Active Age
Tammy Tidwell went from shopper to volunteer at the annual Wichita Alternative Gift Market. “Whether you are here to buy or work a booth, we are all here to make a little bit of difference in the world,” she said. An “alternative gift” is a donation to a good cause that you make in somebody’s […]
| By The Active Age
Gala supports women Soroptimist International of Wichita’s annual Christmas Gala fundraiser will be Dec. 3, at LaVela, 6147 E. 13th, Wichita. The evening includes a social hour and silent auction at 6:30, buffet dinner at 7:30 and live auction immediately following. Tickets are $50 per person, $20 of which is tax-deductible. Reservations are requested by […]
| By Joe Stumpe
At 6 feet tall, Samajae Haynes-Jones isn’t exactly short. Until, that is, you stand him next to Asbjorn Midtgaard, his 7-foot-tall Wichita State basketball teammate. At last month’s Shocker media day, we asked both what was the best and worst thing about playing major college basketball at their respective heights. Midtgaard, who’s from Denmark: “Height […]
October 23, 2018 | By Elvira Crocker
We’ve all experienced them at one time or another. Those lapses in memory that can often be either embarrassing or hilarious. Though they can happen at any age, they do seem to happen more as we age and thus have come to be known as “senior moments.” Simply put, research indicates that the clutter in […]
| By The Active Age
Active Age is back at Dillons on a regular basis, convenient for readers and offering great visibility for our advertisers. And don’t forget to pick up our annual +55 Resource Guide, THE comprehensive source for senior services and related businesses in the Wichita area.
| By Joe Stumpe
Older residents appear just as interested as younger ones in helping chart the area’s future, according to results of the Project Wichita survey. Of 13,907 people took time to fill out the survey, 3,731 were aged 56 and older. For the most part, there weren’t sharp disagreements among various demographic groups. However, senior residents did have […]
October 4, 2018 | By Joe Stumpe
Marc Mourning cooks with a wooden spoon the size of a canoe paddle. When you’re preparing food for a couple thousand people per day, everything gets bigger. “This is like a workout,” Mourning, a volunteer at The Lord’s Diner, said while browning 50 pounds of pork in a device known as a tilt cooker last […]
October 1, 2018 | By The Active Age
Fajita seasoning, Worcestershire sauce and two kinds of sugar make Sloppy Joes at The Lord’s Diner “the best Sloppy Joes I’ve ever had,” in one volunteer’s opinion. 1 lb ground beef 1/2 Tbs fajita seasoning such as El Paso (usually a mixture of salt, garlic, cumin & other spices) 1/2 Tbs brown sugar 1/2 Tbs […]
| By Bob Rives
William H. Hemp is no longer a household name. Even the colorful nickname, Ducky, he got while playing baseball here, is lost in time. But in 1887, the 18-year-old from St. Louis was a star and the first player to bat for a Wichita professional baseball team. Later that same year he was the first […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Two recent deaths highlight the risk posed to seniors by house fires, a danger that increases during cooler months. In September, a 65-year-old Andover man died after being trapped in a house fire. The man was found by firefighters in a bedroom, while another occupant of the house escaped safely. In July, Bettie Clark-Johnson, 83, […]
| By Barb Myers
This is adapted from the author’s introduction to “Walking With The Wichita Pioneers: A Guidebook to Highland Cemetery” by Barb Myers. The book sells for $20, with all proceeds going to renovate Highland Cemetery. Name one thing we all have in common. Go ahead, I’ll wait…. Yes, we all die eventually. And what did all […]
| By The Active Age
Show your support for the fight to end Alzheimer’s by taking part in the Wichita Walk to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, Oct. 13, at Intrust Bank Arena. Or even better, put together a fundraising team and add to the money being raised to battle the disease. “We have teams who have parties and do fundraisers, […]