Kansas Pond Society hosts tour June 15-16
Mike Kandt, president of the Kansas Pond Society, will show off his koi pond during the group’s tour this month.
The Kansas Pond Society will host its annual Water Garden Tour in the greater Wichita area June 15-16. Tickets are $10 per carload and are available at Johnson’s Garden Centers east and west locations.
The ticket brochure includes a map and descriptions of ponds on the tour, which vary in size and features such as fish, plants, streams and waterfalls.
Homeowners will be on hand to discuss pond design, construction and maintenance as well the society, which meets monthly and is known for its potluck dinners.
The ticket also grants entry to Botanica, which features several water attractions the society has helped build and maintain.
Free fitness court opens
The city last month opened a free outdoor fitness court in Pat Garcia Veterans Memorial Park in north Wichita.
Located at 2640 N. Wellington Place, between Arkansas and Broadway, the court was developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Wichita Park and Recreation and the National Fitness Campaign.
It is designed for people aged 14 and over and with all abilities and fitness levels. Users also may download the free Fitness Court App, “which acts as a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym into a digitally supported wellness experience,” according to a news release about the fitness court.
Tour El Dorado gardens
El Dorado Main Street is hosting its third annual garden tour from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 9.
Five private gardens are on the tour, including Les and Roxanne Limon, 1340 S. Emporia St.; Sean and Tammy McKibban, 3650 N. Main; Kim and Kathy Robertson, 556 Prairie Road; Tom and Glenda Fleener, 1020 McCollum Road; and Annie’s Garden at Jackson Ranch Stables, 1462 NW 40th St.
Tickets cost $20 and are available online https://eldoradomainstreet.org/upcoming-events/ or at Walter’s Flowers, 124 Main St.; Prairie Blossom Garden Center, 415 Metcalf Road; and Speed Trap Distillery, 703 S Main St. Tickets will also be available at all five gardens on June 9.
Picklepalooza pals
John Mareda, above left, and Wayne Calvery won our drawing to represent The Active Age at Picklepalooza. They describe themselves as intermediate pickleball players. Picklepalooza, a fundraiser for Senior Services, Inc., of Wichita and the Alzheimer’s Association, takes place Friday, June 1, at Chicken N Pickle, 1240 N. Greenwich Road.
For tickets and more information, visit seniorservicesofwichita.org/picklepalooza.
‘Home funerals’ recalled
Funerals held in homes, which were common during Wichita’s first half century, are the subject of a new exhibit at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. A parlor inside the museum’s seven-room Victorian cottage depicts the scene of a typical home funeral.
According to a news release, such funeral gatherings typically took place at the residence of the deceased where the casket was displayed and mourners gathered preceding the trip to the cemetery.
The museum is located at 204 S. Main. For more information, visit wichitahistory.org.
Eisenhower museum to mark 80th anniversary of D-Day
ABILENE — The Eisenhower Presidential Library Museum hopes to host the largest gathering of World War II veterans in the United States on June 6, the 80th anniversary of D-Day. The museum is inviting all World War II veterans to attend.
For more information, visit eisenhowerfoundation.net.
On June 1, the museum will also offer a day full of events starting at 1 p.m.free and ending with a concert by the Salina Symphony startign at 8:30 p.m.
Admission to the museum is free both days The museum is located at 200 SE 4th St. in Abilene.
Volunteers needed to deliver Meals on Wheels
Senior Services, Inc. is experiencing extremely low volunteer numbers in its Meals on Wheels program due to the start of the vacation season. The program delivers approximately 800 lunch-time meals each weekday to homebound, isolated seniors.
Current or past volunteers are asked contact the program at (316) 267-0122. For those interested in volunteering for the first time, visit the website at https://seniorservicesofwichita.org/meals-on-wheels/ to fill out an online application.
Since Meals on Wheels delivers to the homes of a vulnerable population, all volunteers must be reference checked and attend a brief orientation prior to their first delivery.
For the birds
Chisholm Place residents Lynn Heath and Dan Bliss work on bird houses at the memory care community on north Webb Road.
Soft landing
The Kansas Aviation Museum has loaned model planes and art from its collection to Oxford Vista, the former Kansas Masonic Home at Maple and Seneca. The items are being displayed in the Eagle’s Nest Pub
