June 30, 2026 | By Sherry Graham Howerton
Midge Dempsey grew up in Wichita’s 67214 area code, in the north-central part of the city. She has fond memories of playing outdoors with her six siblings on warm summer days, visiting family and enjoying the camaraderie of many friends. Now, more than six decades later, she’s giving back to those same neighbors through her […]
| By The Active Age
In 2023, Century II started using ParkMobile’s digital payment system rather than parking meters in and around its lot at Main and Waterman. And late last year, the city instituted paid parking for street spaces, garages and other city-owned lots across downtown Wichita. The Active Age has been hearing from local seniors who find the […]
| By The Active Age
Wichita’s American250 celebration will be loud and proud. On July 2, the Summer Concert Series at Bradley Fair concludes with a free performance by the King Cabbage Brass Band and a fireworks show starting at 9:30 p.m. Bring blankets or lawn chairs to the grassy area surrounding Bradley Fair Lake. Also on July 2, the […]
| By Joe Norris
When I was in the third grade, Dwight D. Eisenhower was in the White House. I know that because he sent me an award for spelling at the end of that school year. The official certificate featured a nice color photo of the president himself. Ike had signed it, too. The photo and autograph were […]
| By Kathryn Rush
I became aware of The Phoenix as a result of my son Brent’s decades-long journey toward recovery from his addiction to alcohol and drugs. The Wichita branch, located at 145 N. Wabash, is part of a national nonprofit organization that fosters sober, active communities. It offers a free gym membership and access to many events […]
| By Bonnie Bing
Thump me on the head if I spend one more minute watching a long, drawn-out online video touting something that is too good to be true. You know the ones, where you think they are about to give you the recipe for the gelatin diet, and you have everything you need right there in your […]
| By The Active Age
The U.S. government last month announced the Federal Elder Justice Action Plan, described as a “government-wide strategy to protect older Americans’ rights, strengthen accountability, and make help easier to find.” The plan includes a “Never EVER” campaign to help people avoid government and business imposter scams. “Elder fraud is a cruel and heartbreaking crime,” said […]
| By Tim Norton
You say potato, I say potat-oh. You say tenets, I say ten “it’s.” These are beliefs I have about how to navigate the world and become the best version of yourself My ten “it’s”: • It’s wonderful to win and certainly nice to celebrate victory but temper it with the reality that someone else may […]
| By Tammara Fogle
What were Wichita and Kansas like in 1776? For starters, cooler and wetter than at present. That sounds pretty good about now, huh? Adam Hodge, head of reference for the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka, said the American Revolution took place during what’s known as the “Little Ice Age.” “From about 1300 to 1850 — […]
| By The League of Women Voters of Wichita Metro
Every registered voter can vote in the Kansas primary election, even if you are not affiliated with a party or have no contested elections on your party’s ballot. There is a Kansas Constitutional Amendment question on the ballot that could change the way that Kansas Supreme Court judges have been chosen since 1958. Currently […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Share the Season is a community program that assists people during a time of hardship in their lives. The program offers hope and help to working families who have experienced difficult circumstances resulting in financial strain and emotional stress. Often, an illness, car accident, layoff or other unexpected situation can put a family into crisis. […]
| By Joe Stumpe
Our Founding Fathers knew the importance of mail. In 1775, a year before the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress appointed Benjamin Franklin as the first Postmaster General. Letters, newspapers and other communications flew up and down the eastern seaboard, helping unite the colonies-turned-states. Certainly, The Active Age couldn’t exist without the U.S. Postal Service. […]
| By Nancy Wheeler
ory generated more memorable utterances than the nation’s fight for independence from Great Britain. See if you can match these statements to their authors. The aswers appear below. 1. Who famously declared, “Give me liberty, or give me death!” during a speech to the Second Virginia Convention in 1775? 2. Who argued in his pamphlet, […]
| By Tammara Fogle
Sedgwick County seeking election workers With the addition of 10 polling sites and the Aug. 4 primary election approaching, Sedgwick County is recruiting election workers. “Being an election worker is a way to play an active role and important role in the community while earning extra money in the process,” Election Commissioner Laura Rainwater said. […]
| By Diana Morton
CPT (Christian Performance Theatre), Trinity Academy, 12345 E. 21st St. N. Frozen. Based on Disney’s Academy Award-winning animated feature film, this staged performance is full of magic, humor and a stunning musical score. 7 p.m. July 17-19, plus 2 p.m. Saturday, July 18. Tickets $15 at www.cptwichita.org or 316-682-1688 Kechi Playhouse, 100 E. Kechi Road. Noir Comedy. […]
May 27, 2026 | By Joe Norris
This year, America’s most iconic highway is celebrating its 100th birthday. Established in 1926, Route 66 was one of the first national highways, extending all the way from Chicago to Santa Monica. The historic route ran through eight states, covering a total of 2,448 miles. Only 13.2 of those miles are on Kansas soil. But […]
| By Amy Geiszler-Jones
When Bob Nelson heard his pastor talk about a new faith-based social justice coalition in Wichita, he was wary. “I told her this could be dangerous and divisive,” said Nelson, who initially associated justice with revenge or polarized politics. After attending the initial meetings when Justice Together was forming in late 2022, he came to […]
| By Sherry Graham Howerton
Edith Clark has put over 300,000 miles on her 2013 Subaru Outback. She hasn’t logged all those miles taking cross-country vacations. Clark, who lives in Newton, has racked up more than 100,000 miles transporting homeless animals in the seven years since she retired. Clark is one of many older volunteers who participate in pet transport, […]
| By The Active Age
For the folks who pushed for a public library in Wichita, persistence paid off. “They weren’t very successful the first couple of years,” Michelle Enke, the Wichita Public Library’s special collections manager, recounted during a presentation on the library’s first 150 years last month. Discussions of a library started in 1872 but went nowhere, probably […]
| By Bonnie Bing
Editor’s note: We’re delighted that Bonnie Bing plans to write a regular column for The Active Age. Please join us in welcoming her. When you hear a speaker who inspires and/or amazes you, things he or she said come to mind long after you heard them. Here’s a great example. Last month, Sarah Thomas was […]
| By The Active Age
Joshua Mostowitz and Patricia Harris-Mostowitz knew the property where they planned their dream house harbored challenges. “When the wind blows 20 miles an hour in Wichita, it blows 50 miles an hour out here,” Josh said of the five-acre plot of former farmland in eastern Sedgwick County. So a decade before they built, the couple […]
| By Joe Stumpe
My kitchen companion Sue Chef sets a lovely table, especially when it comes to centerpieces for dinner parties. Don’t imagine that she stops at flowers. Fallen branches and leaves scavenged from our yard, old photographs, twinkling Christmas lights, G.I. Joe dolls, Matchbox cars and various other objects have made their way on to our table […]
| By Cynthia Rhodes
On a chilly day in early April, children’s voices could be heard and classes were in session once again in the historic McCormick School Museum building. Fifty-three second- graders and their teachers from Kelly Liberal Arts Elementary School in southwest Wichita spent the morning learning about what school was like at the turn of the […]
| By The Active Age
HESSTON – On any given day throughout the school year, members of the Hesston College baseball team could be found preparing for their season. From practices to the weight room to games, not to mention academics, college athletes have a lot of demand placed upon them. But the 2025-26 Larks had a standing date for […]
| By The Active Age
Kansas author Cynthia Mines ventures into new territory this month. Mines, founder of the Wichita Times and Travel Kansas magazine, is releasing her first novel, “Heaven in a Wildflower.” It’ll debut June 20 during the Midsummer’s Festival in Lindsborg, which not incidentally is the prototype for the Swedish-settled, central Kansas town at the center of […]