313 magazine

313 Restoration

WINTER 2015

An abandoned general store finds new life as a modern gallery

THE FLINT HILLS MAGAZINE

20 QUESTIONS

Gen. Grigsby

Fort Riley’s commanding officer on his soulmate, his heroes and the last time he cried

FOOD & DRINK ISSUE

Best burgers n Artisan cheeses n Tallgrass’ new brews n Pie at Farmacy Cafe n

Decked out Just in time for the holidays, a home store prepares to open in Manhattan

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313

CONTENTS

MAGAZINE WINTER 2015 n ISSUE 1 Megan Moser Editor Greg Doering Assistant editor Rod Mikinski

Photo by Chris Bronson. Cover photo by Rod Mikinski

Departments

4 5

EDITOR’S NOTE Almost home

AREA EVENTS CALENDAR

Lead photographer Contributors Chris Bronson

6 8

9

DRINK The Pink Lady at Wahoo

TASTE Regional cheeses

30

20 QUESTIONS Major Gen. Wayne Grigsby

Chris Haxel Kristina Jackson Sarah Midgorden Bryan Richardson

EXPLORE Farmacy Cafe in Alma

Features

Lea Skene Edward Seaton

10 22

Chairman of the board

Decked out

Ned Seaton

A Junction City home decor store prepares to open in Manhattan. Plus, tips from Ralph Diaz of The Winged Lion.

Publisher/Editor-in-chief Steve Stallwitz Advertising director Bonnie Raglin

Best burgers

Circulation director

From greasy to gourmet, some of the tastiest creations local joints have to offer.

Published by The Manhattan Mercury, a division of Seaton Publications.

26

Colonial style A home inspired by colonial Williamsburg is on the market for $2.2 million.

P.O. Box 787

16

Manhattan, KS 66505

Restoration The rise, fall and rebirth of The Volland Store.

For questions, call 785-776-2300 or go to 313mag.com

EDITOR’S NOTE

A view from Exit 313 off of Interstate 70, the inspiration for the name of the magazine.

Photo by Rod Mikinski

Almost home

W

hen I first moved to Manhattan as a K-State freshman, I went home a lot on the weekends.

In fact, I probably went home far too often, especially considering my hometown, Garden City, was a four-and-a-half-hour drive away.

I had never really been homesick as a kid, but for some reason, when I went off to college, it took me a while to adjust — to life in the dorms, to being without my family, to the eastern-Kansas humidity.

Even though I hated to leave my family at the end of a weekend, after a long haul on I-70, I was always relieved to see the sign for the Manhattan exit. It meant the drive was almost over.

As the months went by, I settled into campus life. I made some great friends. I went to all kinds of events. I explored the surrounding area, with its hills and trees and charming little towns.

4 | 313 magazine

Soon, I wasn’t so eager to leave, and when I returned from a weekend away, I wasn’t just excited to get out of the car; I was excited to be coming back to Manhattan.

It took a while, but now, as a full-fledged adult, I can say that this place has become my home.

This is the inaugural issue of 313, a quarterly magazine for the Flint Hills area.

In naming it, we were inspired by I-70 Exit 313, one of the exits for Manhattan and a jumping-off point for the rest of the Flint Hills.

We hope to share some of the best parts of the region, from the cutting-edge and cosmopolitan to the historic and humble. I think it’s that dichotomy that makes this area such a great place to live.

Megan Moser, editor

CALENDAR OF EVENTS December

First Infantry Division Band Holiday Concert, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 and 19, C.L. Hoover Opera House, Junction City.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with actors from the London Stage, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 5, McCain Auditorium.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical,” based on the original TV classic, 7 p.m. Dec. 2, McCain Auditorium.

January

Jessica Lang Dance, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9, McCain Auditorium

Mayor’s Holiday Lighted Parade, 5:30 p.m. Dec. 4, downtown Manhattan.

“The Big Friendly Giant,” an stage adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel by the Dallas Children’s Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 19, C.L. Hoover Opera House, Junction City.

Metropolitan Opera Rising Stars, 4 p.m. Feb. 14, McCain Auditorium.

The Honeycutters, part of the BirdHouse Concert Series, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4, Manhattan Arts Center.

Winter Dance ’15, a showcase of K-State student performances, Dec. 4 and 5, Nichols Hall.

Olsburg Swedish Supper, an annual dinner serving traditional Swedish dishes, 4:30 to 7 p.m. Dec. 5, Olsburg Grade School.

McCain Holiday Home Tour, a fundraiser for McCain Performance Series, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 6, Nichols Hall.

“The Nutcracker” by Ballet Wichita, 2 p.m. Dec. 6, C.L. Hoover Opera House, Junction City.

Aaron Neville, 7:30 p.m. Dec. 9, McCain Auditorium.

Los Lobos with Ballet Folklorico Mexicano, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, McCain Auditorium.

An Evening with Ana Gasteyer, 7 and 10 p.m. Jan. 29, Wareham Opera House

Trace Bundy, part of the BirdHouse Concert Series, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, Manhattan Arts Center.

Folk musician Tyler Gregory, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, Columbian Theatre, Wamego.

Ten Strings and a Goat Skin, part of the BirdHouse Concert Series, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30, Manhattan Arts Center.

“Schoolhouse Rock Live,” by the Wichita Children’s Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19, C.L. Hoover Opera House, Junction City.

The Beach Boys, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 22, McCain Auditorium.

February

Russian National Orchestra with pianist Yuja Wang, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, McCain Auditorium.

“Forward: A New Play on Climate Change,” Feb. 4-6 and 11-14, Purple Masque Theatre, West Stadium.

“The Dutchman,” produced by K-State’s Ebony Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, Purple Masque Theatre, West Stadium.

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DRINK

Fresh & fruity Try making this rum-based drink, one of Wahoo’s signature cocktails, at home Photos by Rod Mikinski

6 | 313 magazine

Pink concoction still packs punch

Tallgrass experiments with new flavors

By Kristina Jackson

The completion of a new production facility last spring has allowed Manhattan’s Tallgrass Brewing Company to expand its offerings and play with new flavors.

This fall the brewery launched the first edition of its Explorer Series, four limited-edition beers available as a mixed pack in November and December.

Two are variations of the company’s Buffalo Sweat oatmeal cream stout: Bourbon-Barrel Buffalo Sweat and Bourbon Barrel Vanilla Bean Buffalo Sweat with Cinnamon. The third, Wooden Rooster, is a rye whiskey barrel-aged Belgian-style tripel ale based on Velvet Rooster. And Big RICC is a Russian imperial stout with coffee and chocolate flavors.

“The Explorer Series is our way of connecting with beer drinkers by sharing our passion to explore new ideas and create beers unlike anything we’ve released before,” said Tallgrass founder and CEO Jeff Gill. “The beers in this new series are full of flavors we’ve been dreaming of creating and sharing with our fans since we started the brewery.”

And Tallgrass already has announced the second wave of the Explorer Series, set to come out in the first part of 2016.

They are The Grizz, a hoppy, citrusy India pale ale; Sweet Tooth, a malty, caramely Belgian dark strong ale; Biere de Mars, an unusual French style of beer; and Raspberry Jam, a light and fruity Berliner weisse beer.

If you’re looking for a light, sweet drink in Aggieville, Wahoo Fire and Ice Grill, 1101 Moro St., has a fruity, colorful option for you. The Pink Lady is a brightly colored cocktail that Wahoo bartender Marc Claas described as citrusy.

“There’s a lot of flavors going on,” Claas said. “It’s light and fruity but still has a lot of alcohol.”

The drink, also made in shot form, is available for $7 at Wahoo.

The strongest flavors in the cocktail are the Kinky brand grapefruit liquor and the pineapple juice. For those who Marc Claas of Wahoo pours prefer a less bitter cocktail, it’s a tropical a Pink Lady cocktail. taste that will satisfy your sweet tooth.

PINK LADY 3/4 ounce Malibu rum 1 1/2 ounce Kinky Pink liqueur 1/2 ounce cranberry juice 1/2 ounce pineapple juice Orange and cherry to garnish

Mix first four ingredients in cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously.

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TASTE

Cottonwood River Cheddar Reserve , a raw cow’s milk cheese. $17.99 per pound.

Cheese buyer Nat Bjerke-Harvey and owner Jan Meyer at Mimi’s Cheese & Other Delights.

REGIONAL FLAVOR Cheese shop owners look to help customers expand their palates

Sheep’s milk Tuffet, from Green Dirt Farm in Weston, Missouri. $10.99 for 5 ounces.

By Christopher Haxel

T

here’s barely enough room to turn around inside one of Manhattan’s newest stores, but that’s not a problem when the raison d’être is a small refrigerated case containing dozens of artisanal cheeses.

Mimi’s Cheese & Other Delights, 227 Blue Earth Place No. 131, has been serving a niche market of cheese-loving turophiles for nearly a year, and co-owner Jan Meyer said the tiny space fits in well with the small-town and shop-local mentality she’s trying to cultivate.

Meyer and her husband, Zach, opened Arlan’s Fine Wine and Spirits last December with the idea of turning the space into a specialty store focused on educating customers about wine.

But the double-sided storefront has three entrances, which creates an awkward corner on one side of the building. Given the store’s focus on quality over quantity, Meyer said adding a small cheese shop was “just kind of the natural fit.”

Enter Nat Bjerke-Harvey — Meyer’s cheese buyer.

As with the craft beer movement, and the wine movement before that, Bjerke-Harvey said there is an artisan movement in the United States producing cheese that rivals the best old-world options from France or Italy.

And because he can talk directly to local producers, Bjerke-Harvey can make purchasing decisions based on weather and other seasonal variations that can affect a particular cheesemaker — something he can’t do when Continued on Page 24

8 | 313 magazine

Pantaleo, a goat’s milk cheese from Sardinia. $31.99 per pound.

20

QUESTIONS

Major Gen. Wayne Grigsby

spend a Sunday afternoon? After going to church, it is spending time with my lovely wife, Cynthia, and grandson, Aiden.

What is your idea of happiness?

Being a better husband, father and grandfather

Major Gen. Wayne Grigsby and his wife at their home on Fort Riley.

Fort Riley’s commander on his heroes, his flaws and his wife’s arroz con pollo

M

ajor Gen. Wayne Grigsby Jr. took command of Fort Riley in August.

Before that, he had worked in Washington D.C. and was the commanding general of the Combined Joint Task Force in the Horn of Africa for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Here, he shares a little about his family, his favorite way to spend free time and the last time he cried.

What is your biggest flaw? Having better balance in my life. Always being there for my family, who I love more than anything.

What quality do you value most in others? Character and integrity

What is your favorite word or phrase? Get after it

What career did you want to have when you were a child? I wanted to be a high school coach – football, basketball and baseball – and teacher

Who is your hero? My father

What is your favorite way to

What is your idea of misery? Not being that (previous)

What would your last meal be?

Arroz con pollo, cooked by my soul mate wife, Cynthia

Do you prefer cats or dogs? Dogs — hunting dogs. We have a chocolate Lab named Hazel.

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your biggest indulgence?

Potato chips. I can go through a bag quickly.

What is your favorite TV show?

I do not watch much TV, but when I was growing up it was “The Andy Griffith Show.”

It always had something that you could learn.

It taught you a lesson, and you were a better person. Now, I enjoy watching a good Western movie.

When was the last time you cried? At the Army Ten-Miler, when I linked up with Col. Greg Gadson. He lost both legs the same day I lost two soldiers to an EFP (explosively formed penetrator) attack in Iraq.

Saw him getting after it in the Army Ten-Miler.

An American hero.

Continued on Page 24

313 magazine | 9

DECORATE

Rob Dudley, owner of Gatherings at 3 Thirteen, arranges some branches in his store as he prepares for its opening at the end of October.

The store operated in Junction City for 13 years before moving to Manhattan.

Decking the halls Story by Megan Moser

Home decor store moves to Manhattan just in time for the holiday rush

10 | 313 magazine

U

n

Photos by Rod Mikinski

sually by the time fall rolls around, Rob Dudley is helping his clients decorate their homes for the holidays. But this year, he’s been too busy setting up his own place, a new, 2,200-square-foot store on Poyntz Avenue in Manhattan.

In fact, he’s only doing one private home this year: “When a three-star general calls, it’s hard to say no.”

Dudley’s 13-year-old home décor business, Gatherings on the Prairie, is moving from Junction City and becoming Gatherings at 3 Thirteen, which is the store’s street number.

On a day in late October, about a week before the scheduled opening, Dudley and Rick Munson, his partner in life and in business, were bustling about the new place answering

questions as people came in to set up Internet service, deliver branches and help arrange displays.

Some parts of the store already looked complete, stacked high with rolls of flannel ribbon, giant pinecones and greenery. Other parts were still bare except for cardboard boxes waiting to be unloaded.

The Manhattan store is about 700 square feet larger than the old one, Dudley said, with 11-foot ceilings that make it feel even bigger.

It takes a lot of merchandise to fill that much space. Dudley said he started by thinking of where the big pieces of furniture should go, and then considering which pieces can accommodate various products best.

“It’s really nothing like decorating your

Dudley said the new store is 700 square feet bigger than the previous space.

home, because it doesn’t have to be functional,” he said. “But you can’t over-think it.”

The building, previously home to Manhattan Medical Supply, was completely gutted to make way for Gatherings.

Only the old pine floors remained. They replaced damaged parts of the floor with new boards and finished them to match the old. They purposely added scuffmarks so they wouldn’t be concerned about scratches later.

The new space is light and airy, thanks in part to the perfect shade of highgloss white paint, which took Dudley six months to perfect.

The back of the store, the stock room, is clearly Munson’s territory. The shelves are organized but packed to the ceiling with boxes. He’s happy because the stock room in the new store is heated, whereas the old one was not.

By the end of the season, nearly all of the merchandise that’s here now will have been sold, making way for the spring products.

In addition to his work at the store, Munson is a farmer and property owner.

Dudley was a Walmart manager for 18 years before opening Gatherings.

“If it hadn’t been for that, I couldn’t have done this,” he said. Working at such a big store taught him to move merchandise — and price it accordingly. Using a computerized point-of-sale system, which was once unusual for small stores, has allowed him to track merchandise easily and decide whether to buy more or less of a certain item.

Dudley said he and Munson also learned a lot from Mary Carol Garrity, owner of the very popular Nell Hill’s stores in Atchison and the Kansas City area. The stores have gained national attention, and Garrity has been featured on the Today show as well as in The Wall Street Journal and Midwest Living.

He said Garrity became something of a mentor to them. They sometimes end up buying similar items when they go to market, and Dudley said it’s been helpful to have her input.

“We think of her as a friend, not as a competitor,” he said.

Dudley and Munson said they were sad to leave Junction City, but they’re excited for the opportunities Manhattan has to offer.

“It’s kind of like farming,” he said.

“You just plant seeds and hope it grows.”

Dudley said he prefers ribbon and materials that look like something you would wear, such as soft flannels.

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3

TIPS

By Megan Moser Ralph Diaz isn’t one to put holiday decorations in every open space in his home.

Diaz, owner of The Winged Lion, a home store in downtown Manhattan, said he prefers a more restrained approach.

“I don’t go crazy with Christmas,” Diaz said. “I like to have a few big pieces rather than a bunch of small stuff.”

for holiday decorating Here are his tips for creating simple, elegant holiday décor.

Go silver

It never goes out of style, it matches everything and it catches the light — especially candlelight.

Add a splash of color

Diaz says some people go

overboard with color. Try picking a monochromatic palette, or use just a touch of color — like a splash of red — in your décor for a big impact.

Use pieces in unexpected ways

Put a large ornament in a vase, or try a faux fur throw on a dining table for a luxurious (if not practical) look.

A candle jar provides a splash of red in an otherwise neutral table setting.

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An abandoned general store near Alma finds new life as a modern art gallery and event space

Restoration 16 | 313 magazine

Owner Patty Reece, right, speaks to a visitor at The Volland Store.

Story by Lea Skene | Photos by Rod Mikinski

The Volland Store’s renovation includes a studio-style loft. The space, available to rent for $125 a night, includes a bed, bathroom, kitchen and dining table. The store was built as a mercantile along a busy railroad cattle route, but it was abandoned for decades before the new owners decided to make it into a gallery and event space.

The rise, fall and rebirth of The Volland Store

A

The loft overlooks the gallery space.

18 | 313 magazine

to Kansas City. s postmaster of The youngest of 14 chilVolland for the majority of his life, dren growing up on a homepart of Otto Kratzer’s stead in nearby Alma, Kratzer morning routine was to was 18 when he decided to go walk the short distance into business with his oldest from his home to the railbrother. The two purchased a small one-room general store road tracks and retrieve a next to the Volland train tracks canvas bag tossed from the and their adjacent stockyards. train window as it passed The movement of cattle through town. into and out of surrounding The bag was filled Greg Hoots, Volland’s farmland sustained the rapidly with that day’s mail, which unofficial historian, growing Volland community.

Kratzer would sort and helped find a buyer The town became a pit stop for distribute among the town’s to save the building. cows being shipped north by residents. railroad from ranches in Texas At its peak in the and New Mexico, giving them a chance decades following the turn of the century, to eat plenty of Flint Hills grass before the community — 9 miles southwest of continuing on to Kansas City slaughterAlma — was home to about 300 families.

In the years since, the population has houses. dwindled to just one official resident.

As the town grew to support a Kratzer’s life paralleled the rise and flourishing cattle route, the Kratzer Bros. fall of the town in more ways than one.

Mercantile store also expanded.

He was born the year before the In 1913, the two brothers constructed Rock Island Railroad purchased land for a larger building for their booming busiits tracks, founding the town of Volness across the street from the original one. land to serve as a refueling stop for the The walls were made entirely of steam-powered trains that would soon be passing through the Flint Hills on the way brick, supporting story-high windows and

topped with a tin roof. The new store was built to last.

THE STORE AND ITS OWNER The business became central to the Volland community — a combination grocery store, post office and gathering spot.

“I came to Volland in September of 1939,” longtime area resident Mary Schultz said in an interview with local historian Greg Hoots. “I was a new bride and I was 19 years old.

“The store was a general store. You could buy most anything here — any-

Nearly all that was left of the building before the renovation was the solid brick exterior.

thing for a man, woman or a child.”

When the house where Kratzer lived with his wife and two sons burned down one day, the family renovated the store to include a living space upstairs and moved in. Some nights Kratzer would invite his neighbors to eat in the store’s upstairs dining room.

Other nights he sold them beer in the store’s basement — before, during and after Prohibition.

While his store gave Volland residents a place to come together, Kratzer’s personality gave them something to talk about. Part of his role as a businessman was bringing new ideas and technologies to residents of a small Kansas farming community.

When telephone lines were installed in the county, his store became one of the first places to use them.

Growing up in Volland, Mary’s son Gary remembers riding his bike to the store as a child. “I heard all of Otto Kratzer’s stories,” he said. “He just amazed me as a kid because he had lived a lot of his dreams.”

In 1913, Kratzer purchased a motorcycle — one of the first models produced — and rode it all the way from Volland to California and back,

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Original store owner Otto Kratzer, prepares to leave for a motorcycle trip to California in 1913.

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Kratzer Bros.

Mercantile at Volland on opening day, Oct. 18, 1913.

A large crowd, estimated at more than 500 people, gathered at the store for the event.

Photo courtesy Karen Durso and family

arriving in San Francisco just in time for the 1914 World’s Fair.

“Otto was a flamboyant showman in his mannerisms and the things he did,” Hoots, the historian, said. “Especially when he was a young man, he was bigger than life.”

VOLLAND PHOTOS When Hoots began his 34-year career delivering UPS packages in Wabaunsee

A view of the loft from the gallery below.

County in the early ’80s, he stumbled upon the story of Volland.

It was decades after the community had begun its descent from a bustling railroad hub to a near ghost town.

Kratzer’s time as the town’s postmaster came to an end in 1955 when the U.S. Postal Service closed its Volland location in response to the town’s rapidly declining population. Once ranchers started shipping cattle by truck instead of by rail, there was little need for the Volland stockyards.

Kratzer, at 69 years old, accepted his retirement with a degree of sadness. “I am getting too old for the hard work, and besides Uncle Sam will stop my pay,” he wrote in a postcard to his niece. “So after today my address will be, instead of Otto F. Kratzer, Postmaster, Volland Kans., just plain old Otto.”

Fast forward to 1980, when Hoots was just becoming familiar with his new UPS route. Driving past old buildings and ruins every day, Hoots became fascinated with the traces of history he saw.

The Kratzer Bros. Mercantile, by the time Hoots drove by, had been abandoned since Otto Kratzer’s death in 1971.

Hoots started asking residents about the local history and became even more captivated by their stories.

“I got to know people really well,” he said. “You get to be part of the community when you’ve worked in a certain place for that long.”

In addition to Kratzer’s larger-thanlife personality, Hoots learned about the man’s passion for photography when Kratzer’s granddaughter, Karen Durso, donated hundreds of his negatives to the

IF YOU GO The Volland Store is 9 miles west of Alma on old Kansas Highway 10, then half a mile south on Volland Road.

The store is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. and by appointment by calling Abby Amick at 620-272-6282.

The current exhibition, Women’s Work: Points of View, is on display until Dec. 20.

The rate for the loft is $125 a night. For reservations, call Wrenn Pacheco at 405-633-1273 or find the listing on Airbnb.

Wabaunsee Historical Museum.

The photographs reveal nearly every aspect of life in Volland, focusing on Kratzer’s family.

Hoots contacted Durso to see about obtaining additional photographs from Kratzer’s collection and ended up with more than 2,000 negatives as well as seven hours of video footage Kratzer had recorded on an 8-millimeter movie camera.

After receiving a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council, Hoots set to work developing more of the negatives.

In the process, he developed extensive knowledge not only of the history recorded in the photographs but also of the man behind the lens.

“Otto was the life of the party at the same time that he was recording the party on film,” Hoots said.

RENOVATION PROCESS

took the ball and created something I couldn’t even have dreamed of.

“I kind of played a Tom Sawyer role in It was during his work with the phothe project,” he added with a laugh. “I got tographs that Durso contacted someone to come and paint that Hoots to tell him about her fence for me.” plans to sell the store, most The first step in the renlikely to someone who would ovation process was to clear demolish it and sell the bricks. out the building’s remains.

By then, in 2011, the With rubble blocking most of building had stood abandoned the entrances, Patty said when for 40 years. The roof and they started out there was second floor had completely only one way in — through the collapsed, pressing all the basement door. She said they building’s contents down into hired a couple guys with strong the basement. As the ruined backs and 5-gallon buckets interior sank lower each year, who cleared out enough space the brick walls remained to bring in a crane and begin perfectly straight and square. removing the larger pieces.

From the outside, the building “My first thought was to was as impressive and imposturn it into a community center — Greg Hoots ing as ever. because I wanted people to still Hoots reached out to be able to come there and have Patty and Jerry Reece, a Misevents and enjoy the space,” she said. “I sion Hills couple with a history of rehabalways want whatever happens there to be bing old buildings, including their second rooted in the local community because it’s home in Alma, purchased about 15 years within the culture and history of the Flint earlier.

Hills.”

Already involved in the Flint Hills Through her collaboration with artistic community and aware of the Hoots, Patty said she decided early on in building’s history, Patty and Jerry decided the rehab process that the gallery would to buy the property in 2011. Even after be used first and foremost to showcase an signing the papers, they had yet to figure exhibit of Kratzer’s photographs. out how they’d renovate it beyond promisA photographer herself, she said she ing not to tear it down. immediately appreciated Kratzer’s talent.

What they settled on was a two-story “He had a great sense of humor and sense gallery space, defined by the exposed of style, and I thought his photographs brick walls and expansive windows of the should be seen.” original building, with a loft apartment at one end on the upper level. The space is available to rent for both private and public events. The apartment, too, can be rented by the night or the week. Patty said The store reopened after renovations she also hopes to use the apartment space in June of this year, when close to 500 for an artist-in-residence program. people came out to celebrate the grand “We had a small window of opportuopening. Since then, the store has been nity to save what was quickly becoming open to the public Saturday and Sunday just a ruin,” Hoots said. “Patty and Jerry afternoons and available as an event space the rest of the time.

The current exhibit combines one artist’s contemporary textiles with vintage American quilts, all displayed against the gallery’s exposed brick walls.

Patty said she’s continually surprised by how much the community has rallied around the renovation project from the beginning.

“It’s been really interesting to see how it’s gathered people together,” she said.

Hoots said one of the most rewarding parts of his own work is seeing people’s Photo courtesy Karen Durso and family reactions to the stories he’s uncovered. “A A depot agent, holding a mail bag, stands lot of people have their own memories of on the passenger platform at the Rock Volland,” Hoots said. “The building isn’t Island Railroad depot at Volland in 1905 what it was before, but they can go back as the train enters the station.

“The town died when he died. It’s been really gratifying to see the store saved.”

VOLLAND STORE 2.0

MORE TO EXPLORE Alma Creamery 509 E. Third St., Alma Open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays The creamery shop offers its famous cheese curds, made on site, as well as other cheeses and regional food products.

Antique Emporium 322 Missouri Ave., Alma Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays A nice range of furniture, dishes and collectibles with a big selection of books in the back.

Beecher Bible and Rifle Church 1414 Lilac Lane in Wamego Non-denominational Sunday services at 9:45 a.m. Tours by request by calling 785-617-1300 and 785-456-9591 The church was started by a group from New England that moved to Kansas territory in 1854 to establish it as a free state. Abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher encouraged the group to take rifles with them west to defend the cause if needed. They took the guns in crates marked “Beecher Bibles” so as not to arouse suspicion.

Native Stone Scenic Byway See limestone fences and buildings on this beautiful drive that starts in Alma, going south along Kansas Highway 99 and then west on Kansas Highway 4.

Farmacy Cafe 327 Missouri Ave., Alma Home-style food in a former drug store.

(See story, Page 30.)

inside, and their memories are still sharp.”

Above all, it’s a place that reflects the vibrant personality and warm generosity of its original owner.

“Otto Kratzer loved to put on a show for people, and he loved to see the sense of community,” Hoots said.

“The town died when he died,” he said. “It’s been really gratifying to see the store saved.”

313 magazine | 21

BEST OF

BURGERS Compiled by Megan Moser and Greg Doering Photos by Rod Mikinski and Chris Bronson

From gourmet to greasy, seven of the top creations local joints have to offer 22 | 313 magazine

THE GOURMET MINI American ‘Kobe’ Slider Bourbon & Baker A small but flavor-packed burger, this creation is made with Kobe-style beef, pecan bacon, smoked Cheddar, onion aioli and an egg-washed bun. $7

THE TWO MEALS IN ONE Resist Temptation So Long Saloon A hearty breakfast and lunch combined, this burger is a thick ground beef patty topped with fried egg, crispy bacon, melted American cheese and mayo, served with fries or choice of side. $10

THE DINER CLASSIC Cheeseburger The Friendly Cooker (Pictured on opposite page.) This eatery in Wamego keeps it simple, without so much as a cutesy name.

Expect a beef patty stacked high with cheese, lettuce, pickle, onions and a thick slice of tomato. $4.59

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BEST OF BURGERS

THE KANSAS-INSPIRED Tumbleweed Burger Little Apple Brewery Get a little local flavor with this homage to Kansas.

A toasted brioche bun, fried onion “tumbleweed,” Alma pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli and fries or choice of side. $10.49

THE FIRE STARTER Four-alarm burger Big D’s Burger Shack A nod to owner Ewing “Big D” Evans’ former career as a firefighter, this spicy number includes fire sauce, jalapenos, banana peppers, pepper jack cheese and onions. $8.29

THE BY THE BAG Sliders Cozy Inn Cozy Inn, which opened in Salina in 1922, gained a national reputation for serving one thing: tiny burgers with ketchup, mustard, pickle and onions.

The Aggieville location, which opened in 2011, offers the same fare, but now with the option of adding once-forbidden cheese. $8.27 for six burgers, waffle fries or chips and a drink.

THE SOUTH OF THE BORDER The Goodnow JP’s Sports Grill All the burgers at this hidden gem, at K-State’s Jardine Apartments, are named for campus residence halls. The Goodnow features Weber Hall beef, deep-fried banana peppers, pico de gallo, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo. But the best part of this burger may be the pretzel bun, made fresh in house daily. $9 with spiral fries, onion rings, house-made potato chips or salad.

THE BIG CHEESE Continued from Page 8

buying cheese shipped on the “slow boat” from Europe.

Bjerke-Harvey, who has worked in specialty cheese retail for five years and produces his own cheese, said the shop is special not just because workers can help educate customers, but also because of the way cheese is handled.

“We’re cutting cheeses to order, so people can only purchase what they need instead of buying in large chunks,” he said. “And we’re caring for the cheese. We taste it every day. Nothing is staying inside the same plastic wrap for too long, which can negatively affect the flavor.”

The store stocks 30-40 cheeses at any given time, and Bjerke-Harvey said he tries to make sure about a third of them are produced somewhere between the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River.

And while many options come with a familiar name, there’s also a focus on expanding customers’ palates.

“We stock a lot of cheeses in here that are very approachable that people recognize in terms of them being cheddar or gouda,” Bjerke-Harvey said. “But we stock versions that maybe are made with raw milk, or made from a small farm around here… everybody knows sort of a block cheddar, but we carry things here that are cloth-bound, farmhouse English style cheddars — that people are super excited about. And on a personal note, it’s a great opportunity for me to get the cheeses that I really like to eat,” he said with a grin. “Because I really really like to eat cheese.”

MAJ.GEN. WAYNE GRIGSBY JR. Continued from Page 9 What was the last time you laughed? I laugh and have fun every day, especially when I am around “Big Red One” soldiers.

They are the blood and treasure of our country.

What do you fear most? Not preparing my soldiers properly to conduct our mission to close with and destroy the enemy on the ground – meeting the crucible of ground combat.

With what historical figure do you most identify?

George Marshall (Army chief of staff, secretary of state and secretary of defense). He was able over his career to identify some great leaders, then put them in the right place. He built a great team of leaders right when we needed it prior to and during WWII. He had the vision; a team builder.

What is one place you have never been but have always wanted to go? Anywhere with my wife. She has earned to go anywhere.

What superpower would you choose? Captain America’s

What is your most treasured possession? My family

FLINT HILLS NATURE 20 bison join herd at Tallgrass Prairie Twenty bison joined the herd at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in October.

The Nature Conservancy of Kansas and the National Park Service recently announced that the bison arrived from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.

This is the third distribution of bison to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, which includes the original 13 given to start a satellite herd in 2009.

This most recent addition increases the herd size to 90. The bison will stay in a small corral until they acclimate to their new home. The Wind Cave herd is one of only two known public herds without evidence of historic cattle interbreeding, making the herd prized by conservationists.

The public is encouraged to visit the Preserve to welcome the new arrivals, officials said.

Visitors to the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City can hike to the bison pasture, but are strongly advised to keep a sizable distance of at least 100 yards, length of a football field, Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is 2 miles north of Strong City on Kansas Highway 177 (the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway).

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elegance

COLONIAL A Williamsburg-inspired home with modern luxuries

Story by Megan Moser | Photos by Rod Mikinski

26 | 313 magazine

Charley and Nancy Cole’s Manhattan home, on the market for $2.2 million, has a view of Colbert Hills’ first hole.

HOME TOUR

C

harley and Nancy Cole had moved 15 times before they decided to retire to Manhattan. So when they built their 8,700-squarefoot dream home here four years ago, they included all of their favorite elements from previous houses.

“It’s kind of a compilation of things we liked in lots of places — and lots of things we didn’t,” Nancy said.

That meant features like an outdoor shower inspired by a trip to Hawaii and Brazilian cherry floors with brass inlays.

Manhattan architect Tracy Anderson helped the Coles design a home inspired by colonial Williamsburg, a place they have visited more than 40 times. The style complements their traditional furniture and large collection of Dutch Delft pottery.

The house, 2800 Heartland Valley Road, has a view of the first hole at Colbert Hills. It includes five bedrooms and five and a half bathrooms, a four-car garage, a butler’s pantry with pass-through bar and two FEMA-approved safe rooms.

Nancy said her favorite place in the house is the kitchen.

“It’s a family kitchen,” she said. “We

The Coles’ home, 2800 Heartland Valley Road, is open to the formal dining room, which includes Waterford chandeliers, marble floors and a fireplace.

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spend lots of time here.”

A blue La Cornue range and large island anchor the space.

A refrigerator and freezer are made to look like decorative cabinets. Mirrored garage-style doors on the kitchen backsplash keep appliances hidden.

It’s a big kitchen, Nancy said, but perhaps not big enough.

The Coles had recently hosted an event for Sen. Jerry Moran, and with 120 guests, the space at times felt a little cramped.

The master suite, too, is quite spacious. The bedroom has an office space and five pairs of French doors facing the golf course.

The bathroom includes a large two-person whirlpool tub, heated marble floors and white onyx vanities.

The lower level, which opens onto a large patio, was designed for visiting friends in town to watch K-State football games. The Coles are big Wildcat fans.

“We came back to Manhattan because of K-State,” Nancy said. They’re both K-State grads.

Charley had worked as an executive for utility companies, most recently for Wisconsin Energy Corp. They considered retiring to Kansas City, where they had lived several times. “We thought, ‘Well if we live in Kansas City, we’ll always be driving back for football games.’”

The lower level has an exercise room as well as its own family room, kitchen and laun— Nancy Cole dry. One of the closets, Nancy said, is actually an elevator shaft, ready to be fitted with an elevator should the need arise.

“We don’t need it yet,” she said. The whole house was designed to make sure they could get around as they got older.

But the Coles, who have two grown children and four grandchildren, recently decided to downsize. They bought a lot just across the fairway where they plan to build a new house.

“We’re staying right here,” Nancy said. “We have wonderful neighbors.”

The house is on the market for $2.2 million — one of the most expensive properties ever for sale in Manhattan. Nancy said they appreciate being able to live in such a luxurious place.

Neither of them grew up wealthy. In fact, Charley lived in a house with no indoor plumbing until he was in high school, Nancy said.

“It’s fun to be able to have a nice home,” she said. “Our intent was for it to be a home to be used.”

“It’s fun to be able to have a nice home.

Our intent was for it to be a home to be used.

The floors in some of the home’s hallways are Brazilian cherry, laid out in a herringbone pattern, with brass inlays.

Nancy Cole said the kitchen is her favorite room. It features a blue stove, large island, and a refrigerator and freezer make to look like blue cabinets.

The serving pantry, which has its own wine cooler, sink and dishwasher.

EXPLORE

The owner of the new Farmacy Cafe, which used to be a drug store, worked there as a soda jerk as a teen

Deb Frederick, owner of Farmacy Cafe in Alma. The building used to be a drug store, and Frederick worked there as a soda jerk. Below, homemade chocolate cream pie.

Feels like home Story by Bryan Richardson n Photos by Sarah Midgorden

E

ven walking into The Farmacy Cafe for the first time, there’s a familiar feel.

The restaurant just opened in August, but it has all of the rustic appeal and knick knacks required to create the feel of a lived-in home.

A cabinet and a refrigerator sits in the back. There are old pictures of community members. The booth tabletops have collages of old newspapers, where customers might

Cattle brands from local ranchers are burned into the floor at the cafe in Alma.

30 | 313 magazine

see a familiar name or two.

Of course, no home is complete without baby pictures, which hang on the wall above the front door along with the names of owner Deb Frederick’s grandchildren spelled out.

“A lot of the items are out of my home,” Frederick said. “I went from a four bedroom to a one bedroom.”

All of these items are reflective of the type of community that Frederick knows well as the oldest of six children who grew up in Alma.

She came back this year to start a restaurant in Alma after spending the previous 20 years living outside of Kansas.

Frederick and her late husband, Steve, operated Stonewall Restaurant across the street for about 10 years until they sold the business in 1995.

“My husband was a chef, and he loved restaurants,” she said. “That was always his dream.”

Frederick is now the Farmacy’s cook. “It gets in your blood as they say,” she said.

The Farmacy name and the slogan, “Your Rx to good eats,” isn’t just cute for the sake of being cute.

In a previous life, the building housed an actual pharmacy.

“Anyone who’s lived here their whole lives, which is a lot of folks, are familiar with the building,” Frederick said.

She’s also familiar with earning some cash in the building. She worked as a soda jerk.

“Frozen Cokes were the big thing,” she said. “When I was 13, the pharmacist was our neighbor. He asked me if I wanted a job. I worked for him all through high school and a little bit beyond that.”

The years passed, and the pharmacy closed. Then, in January, the building was on the auction block in a delinquent property tax sale.

Frederick, who was living in Colorado, said she was looking to get back home since Steve died in 2013 after nearly 31 years of marriage. She had bought a cabin as a retire-

ment home to eventually end up closer to her four children and six grandchildren, who live in the Kansas City area, Topeka and across the state line in Nebraska.

Once she moved back in April, Frederick said the family worked on getting the restaurant ready.

“It had been shut down for several years,” he said. “The floor was in real bad shape.”

The floor is now in better shape and has the brands of local ranchers on it.

Now that the Farmacy is open, it’s still a family affair.

Frederick said she has about 10 family members who help out at different times including her siblings, her mom, and her son and his girlfriend.

“Family’s very important to me,” she said. “I feel very blessed to have them in my life.”

Farmacy Cafe 327 Missouri Ave., Alma Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday

Frederick decided to buy the building when it went up for auction in January. She said it needed a lot of work before it was ready to accommodate the new restaurant.

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