peo e d i ple tio n
Sunflowers celebrating
$4.99
winter 2013 vol 69 | issue 4
kansasmag.com
with logan mize
this season:
contents
concordia reasons we love kansas Whole Wall Mural
hays reasons we love kansas KAMS at Fort Hays State
features
6 Reasons We Love Kansas
From bow-shooting beauty queens to coffee roasters, science camp to fields of lavender, here are a few reasons we love Kansas this winter Written by Gloria Gale
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shawnee tour kansas Shawnee Town 1929
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ulysses kansas’ finest Lynda Fort
matfield green our town
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17 A Symbolic State
Discovering history, lore and art on Kansas’ state symbols
pawnee county gallery
28 Country Roads
Rising star Logan Mize takes his Kansas roots for a spin in every song he writes and sings Written by Kimberly Winter Stern
sedgwick county country roads Home of Logan Mize
hutchinson taste of kansas: Project Runway
from the editor
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W
e hope you’ve enjoyed the journey we’ve brought to you through KANSAS! magazine. As we wrap another year, we celebrate the state’s great people. Meet our Kansas’ Finest— another group of dedicated Kansans who share their pride and talents with the world. We also celebrate the symbolic state by learning more about the western meadowlark, the sunflower, “Home on the Range” and more.
We know we’ve been called the “Flyover” state—so why not find some good eats at our airport cafes and “fly to” destinations. And country fans or not, many will enjoy the sounds of Logan Mize as we catch up with the singersongwriter this winter to learn more about his Kansas roots. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you next year! Jennifer Haugh, editor
48 Kansas’ Finest
Meet the 2013 class of Kansas’ biggest fans
on the cover
Logan Mize Photograph by Jason Dailey
find us on facebook: facebook.com/kansasMagazine follow us on twitter: @kansasMag
This season, we’re featuring Kansas’ state symbols including the cottonwood tree. Head to page 17! kansasmag .com • kansas!
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departments
3 The Making of KANSAS! 4 Letters 14 Winter 2013 Events 32 Our Town: Matfield Green
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That old “Matfield Magic” is drawing people back to this historic community Written by Lou Ann Thomas
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36 Tour Kansas: Deep Roots
Shawnee Town 1929 proudly celebrates its agricultural heritage with a revitalized living history museum Written by Gloria Gale
40 Gallery 52 Taste of Kansas: Project Runway Don’t leave hungry—stop by an airport restaurant before soaring into the wild blue Written by Gloria Gale
56 Milestone of Kansas: William Allen White
KANSAS!
Send your story ideas to ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com or to KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612.
GO MOBILE! Scan our QR code with your smartphone for the latest from KANSAS! magazine.
the making of
peo e d i ple tio n
shutterbugs
PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES
model jobs
Tastiest Shoot Writers: 11
TasTe of Kansas
“Project Runway” Page 52 Ze Bernardinello, Aaron East and Bill Stephens
Project runway Don’t leave hungry—stop by an airport restaurant before soaring into the wild blue
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Stearman Field Bar & Grill in Benton serves up a delicious burger in fine hangar fashion.
Photographers: 5
Historic Shoot
Tour kansas
“Tour Kansas: Shawnee Town 1929” Page 36 Jason Dailey
Gallery Photographers: 9
Deep Roots shawnee Town 1929 proudly celebrates its agricultural heritage with a revitalized living history museum—a place where history reaches out and grabs you! PhotograPhy by jason dailey
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Loudest Shoot
Roads Rising staR Logan Mize takes his kansas Roots foR a spin in eveRy song he wRites and sings
photograph courtesy of gary jones
“Country Roads” Page 28 Jason Dailey
Give ‘Em a Hand! We are excited to welcome another class of Kansas’ Finest to the magazine. This year our four honorees were nominated by winners from 2011 and 2012. Bravo to all on celebrating our great state.
dog on assignment Writer Lou Ann Thomas took her favorite travel companion down to Matfield Green this past season to cover the area for this season’s Our Town. Sam, the sheltie from Belvue, enjoys a good front-seat view, romps in the snow and the occasional shenanigan with bunny … ears. According to Sam, Matfield Green ain’t too shabby for the four legged-traveler.
It’s a fun position to be in when you dream up a story idea, and use accomplished writers to execute your vision, a wellknown photographer to capture it, and a handful of models (ahem—friends and family) to act it out. Thank you to our beautiful models from “A Symbolic State” (Page 17). Songbird Mina Dailey, daughter of photographer Jason Dailey; Wade Kelly and his son Henry performing “Home on the Range”; Topeka resident Kim Stewart showing her love of sunflowers; Robyn Branden, who is strong like the Cottonwood; and Captain Kansas, Nicholas Gregory of Hundred Acre Farm in Topeka.
kansasmag .com • kansas!
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letters
Happy Birthday As I open my current KANSAS! magazine, I read that the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson is celebrating its 100th year! My mom enjoys attending the fair each year and gets me a gift subscription to KANSAS! magazine while she is there! I look forward to receiving each issue of KANSAS! magazine. The informative articles and scenic pictures continuously remind me of the beauty and good people that make up Kansas.
winter issue 2013 Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Jennifer T. Haugh editor
Sam Brownback governor
Robin Jennison KDWPT Secretary
Carol McGeary Encinitas, California
Hearty Thanks! The Marshall County Railroad Historical Society and the community of Waterville thank you and the staff for the great article in this edition of the KANSAS! magazine. … The entire edition is so colorful and informative. I spotted a few restaurants I’d like to try! I appreciate your support of our state of Kansas, especially rural Kansas! I’m looking forward to sharing the magazine with many others. Ann Walter Waterville
Fond Memories Our family arrived in Iola, Kansas in 1951 along with a great flood of the Neosho River. My father passed in 1990 and my mother in 2010. My two siblings and I greatly enjoyed the Iola community. We are now all retired, with my brother the only one still in Kansas. Mother gave us all subscriptions to Kansas! magazine and we have enjoyed each publication. We have noticed and commend the quality
Becky Blake
Director, tourism division
jump in the magazine under your direction, Jennifer. What a difference an editor makes. Dave and Pat Hurst St. Louis, Missouri
Journalistic Applause
Bill Nelligan Rockville, Maryland
Editor, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 or e-mail ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com
kansas! •
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Katy Ibsen
managing editor
Shelly Bryant
Designer/art director
Jason Dailey photographer
I wish to add my congrats to all of you on the editorial staff of KANSAS! magazine. As a journalism grad [1949] from the William Allen White School of Journalism at KU, I well appreciate all of the many hours of wonderful work that goes into each issue of your publication. Although I did read the Summer 2013 issue some time ago, I failed to see the Letter to the Editor that referenced Adolph Rupp. I want to add that before he did such an outstanding coaching job at Burr Oak, Kansas and the University of Kentucky, he was BORN, raised and played basketball in my home town of Halstead, Kansas. So, I suggest that Halstead should get first claim on his fame and fortune for his Hometown Champ status!!
send your letters to:
4
www.sunflowerpub.com lawrence, kansas
design & production
Bert Hull
general manager
KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published quarterly by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200 Topeka, KS 66612; (785) 296-3479; TTY Hearing Impaired: (785) 296-3487. Periodical postage paid at Topeka, KS, and at additional mailing offices. Newsstand price $4.99 per issue; subscription price $18 per year; international subscription price $22 per year. All prices include all applicable sales tax. Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: (800) 678-6424 KANSAS!, P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146 e-mail: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com Website: www.KansasMag.com POSTMASTER: Send address change to: KANSAS! P.O. Box 146, Topeka, KS 66601-0146. Please mail all editorial inquiries to: KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612 e-mail: ksmagazine@sunflowerpub.com The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.
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Reasons we KANSAS Something’s Brewing
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Written by Gloria Gale
In 2012, two buddies decided to go all in and launch a coffee-roasting business. The end result: Thou Mayest. Bill Holzhueter and Bo Nelson were bit by the brewing and roasting bug at a young age; they later traveled the world to learn more and share the art of roasting. Today, their specialty blends are making their way around Kansas City, Kansas, or you can order online.
thoumayest.com
Facebook: Thou Mayest Coffee
Twitter: @ThouMayCoffee
Reasons we
kansas
From bow-shooting beauty queens to coffee roasters, science camp to fields of lavender, here are a few reasons we love Kansas this winter. Share your Reasons to Love Kansas (see page 12).
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How do you explain what a quintessential American experience is to an international visitor? If our neighbors across the pond are curious, Kansas welcomes, and assists, those who would like to delve into a rich Midwestern adventure with an easy online trip planner. Attractions, routing, weather, lodging and fun facts are included in the process. Cowboy culture? No problem. A taste of Kansas beef? Easy. How about a trip to oceans of prairie grass? Everything a visitor would want to know about planning a trip is just a click away. travelks.com/international Facebook: TravelKS
Twitter: @TravelKS
come on down
aggieville.org
Facebook: Aggieville
Twitter: @Aggieville
Photographs: (Clockwise from left) Nathan Eaton, Lamborn Farm (2), Shutterstock, Evan Tuttle of the Aggieville Business Association.
kansas
Just because Manhattan isn’t on the fringe of a major metro area doesn’t mean it’s without entertainment amenities. “One of the main draws in this town is historic Aggieville—a six-square-block district blazing with vibrant entertainment. People from K-State University and Fort Riley are our best customers since they are located close by,” says Evan Tuttle, executive director of the Aggieville Business Association, which features 106 businesses. “We are known for our rural feel with urban appeal—as the oldest shopping district in the state.” The district was started by K-State students in 1889 and remains a stage for student events including the Homecoming Parade. Today, all residents can enjoy the Mayor’s Christmas Parade, Manhattan St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Little Apple New Year’s Eve Celebration & Ball Drop.
Reasons we
There’s something romantic about barns, and two located in Kansas are among the most endearing. Once a sustenance farm on Lamborn family land near Leavenworth, the 100-(plus)-year-old Lamborn Farm is now on the National Register of Historic Places. After its recent renovation, the barn at Lamborn is available to rent for weddings and other events lambornfarm.com. Equally historic is Tonganoxie’s Fairchild Knox barn. Today, the structure is home to the Tonganoxie Community Center and Museum, housing artifacts from its service as a hay barn and dairy-milking parlor. tonganoxiehistoricalsociety.org
Westward ho!
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“Heavy on math and science” —that sums up what Roger Schieferecke, Fort Hays State University associate director of Student Services, is excited about these days. The Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science (KAMS) is a competitive residential program targeting high-achieving high school students with an interest in math and science. “We’re looking for the best and brightest high school-age students looking for a challenge in these fields,” Schieferecke says. “Essentially these students start college two years early. At the end of two years, students graduate from their high school and, in addition, have 68 hours of college credit.” This year marks the fifth class of students to experience KAMS. fhsu.edu/kams/
facebook.com/pages/The-Fork-Cork/
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Meaty praise
Final Cut Steakhouse at the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City has received the national Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. The praise rings true for any diner who has had the pleasure of diving into this delicious menu. hollywoodcasinokansas.com
eat!
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of fair food
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must try
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Just because the season changed, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the restaurants featured in the fall 2013 edition of KANSAS! magazine. Tell us what your favorite is at Facebook.com/Kansasmag.
fo od edition
issue yet
gl em o
n me ringue pie?
$4.99
Photographs: (Clockwise from top left) Mitch Weber (2), Courtesy of The Fork & Cork, Shutterstock, KANSAS! magazine, Matt Kocourek
fall 2013 3 | issue vol 69
solving the equation
smag.com
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Three enterprising women knew they were on the right track when folks bemoaned the fact that their new restaurant, The Fork & Cork, wasn’t open on Mondays. In February 2013, Millissa Dake, Raenell McCool and Tracy Lewis opened the eatery that now provides Oskaloosa with a muchneeded sit-down dining establishment. Fork & Cork serves farm-to-table hearty fare without any fried food on the menu. Don’t miss the homemade cinnamon rolls, baked goods, and custom cakes from Sweet Nelly’s.
kansa
Reasons we
kansas
for the hungry
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oh henry!
Make an appointment with the dentist before heading to Henry’s Candy Co. in Dexter. Here, candy is made the old-fashioned way, and visitors are invited to watch the process as it’s happening. Everything is made in-house, including, taffy, root-beer sticks, cinnamon sticks, horehound, lemon drops and chocolatecovered marshmallows. This candy shop is confection heaven. 21172 K-15, Dexter - (620) 876-5423
Permian Playground
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It’s cool and cavernous 650 feet below Hutchinson, where in 1887 those hoping to find oil struck salt instead. Today, Strataca (derivative of the geological term “strata”) is located in an active working salt mine. “But that’s not all,” says Linda Schmitt, executive director of the Reno County Historical Society. “Within the 150 miles of underground tunnels, adventure awaits. The public is invited to explore this unique salt mine formed from the ancient Permian Sea.” Take the mine shaft deep underground and explore the immense room called the Stratadome, revealing geological layers of rock and salt. Coming soon is the Salt Safari, a 3-hour hike into the depths of this fascinating underground world.
Reasons we
kansas
underkansas.org Facebook: Strataca Twitter: @UnderKansas (#650deep)
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Miss Kansas!
We are proud of Miss Kansas, Theresa Vail, for her amazing performance at the Miss America Pageant and being voted “America’s Choice!”
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History unearthed
Southeast Kansas has a rich agricultural and mining history reaching back to the mid-19th century. Today, that heritage is preserved in Pittsburg’s Crawford County Historical Museum. As an early outpost for coal and clay tile extraction, Pittsburg became a hub for the railroads hauling smelt and heavy machinery. Vintage tractors, fire and gas engines, mining equipment and other artifacts from Pittsburg’s manufacturing heyday can be seen in the museum and outbuildings dotting the museum grounds. kansastravel.org/crawfordcountymuseum.htm
Photographs: (Clockwise from top left) Gavin Peters, Jayhawk decade, Tammy Britt (2), Courtesy of Washington Creek Lavender, Shutterstock, Miss Kansas Organization (2)
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Wave the Wheat!
Jayhawk Decade is the latest installment in the library of books on college basketball and the University of Kansas men’s basketball team. Featuring photographs by Lawrence photographer Nick Krug, the coffee table book is sure to excite your Jayhawk basketball fan this holiday. ljworldstore.com Wildcats looking for a photographic journey will enjoy the ever-popular A Spot That I Love Full Well: Kansas State University, produced by the K-State Alumni Association, the perfect gift for your K-State alum. k-state.com
January 29 14
Kansas Day
On January 29, don’t forget to celebrate 153 years of statehood!
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Fields of enchantment
washingtoncreeklavender.com Facebook: Washington Creek Lavender
Two communities have raised the bar for community art by displaying murals on many civic buildings. In McPherson, a new mural features a vibrant rendering of the Globe Refiners, the McPherson basketball team that played in the 1936 Berlin Olympics visitmcpherson.com. Meanwhile, the Whole Wall Mural in Concordia (above) is especially unique for the materials used. The 140-foot-long mural, located on the Cloud County Historical Society Museum Annex, is sculpted in relief from more than 6,400 bricks. Titled Cloud Anthologies by artist Catharine Magel, the mural depicts architecture, commerce, customs, geography and history recounting early rural life as well as looking to the future in Cloud County. cloudcountytourism.com
kansasmag .com • kansas!
kansas
Kathy and Jack Wilson are an accomplished duo. The couple had a vision to grow and sell organic lavender on the outskirts of Lawrence in 2006. Kathy, a master gardener/food photographer, and Jack, a former television producer, are still in awe. After only a few years, Washington Creek Lavender’s fields are bursting with more than 6,000 plants. Once harvested, the lavender is bundled and dried, eventually becoming sachets, neck pillows, dryer sheets, coasters—even fire-starter logs—all products the Wilsons are happy to show you online, at the Downtown Lawrence Farmers’ Market or in their shop.
Stories by the yard
Reasons we
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Be inspired
Dodge City’s Carnegie Center for the Arts offers a wealth of art programs, events and information on the arts in the southwest part of Kansas. Most notable is their work on Final Fridays: Kid Edition, featuring works of art made by little hands. Open Tuesday through Saturday. dodgecityarts.org Facebook: Carnegie Center for the Arts Twitter: @CarnegieArtCent
Reasons we
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Following the spice trail
Bill Petersen likes to cook. “I design the recipes and my wife, Judy, besides bossing me around, oversees the operation,” says Petersen of their Goodland spice shop, Olde Westport Spice & Trading Co. “We named our business after the Westport area in Kansas City. … We decided Goodland was closer to our kids in Denver, so we moved west.” Today, 36 years since opening, the shop produces 16 spice blends, cornbread mixes, chili blends, dry soup mix and different barbecue sauces. oldewestportspice.com Facebook: Olde Westport Spice
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REASONS WE LOVE KANSAS
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Send your “Reasons We Love Kansas” to ksreasons@sunflowerpub.com
or to Reasons, KANSAS!, 1020 S. Kansas Ave., Suite 200, Topeka, KS 66612.
20n14d a r
cale plement
A Sup
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AS! ma
to KANS
All year long
The 2014 KANSAS! Magazine Calendar is now out! Contact the magazine to get a copy. Psst! Magazine subscribers receive a complimentary copy. kansasmag.com
kansas connections
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The Kansas Department of Agriculture just launched its new initiative, From the Land of Kansas. Featuring products, food, livestock, agritourism and more, this new organization is celebrating agriculture in Kansas along with its entrepreneurial spirit. Find members, connect with growers and learn more about Kansas agriculture. fromthelandofkansas.com Facebook: From the Land of Kansas
Twitter: @FromtheLandofKS
Photographs: (Clockwise from top left) Jerri Imgarten, Courtesy of Olde Westport Spice & Trading Co., KANSAS! magazine, From the Land of Kansas
find more events at travelks.com
America Celebrates! Quilts of Joy and Remembrance, Curated by Judith Trager Montezuma September 8-November 24 At the Stauth Memorial Museum, this exhibition of 58 art quilts from American fiber artists seeks to find how we, as ordinary people, share the threads and traditions that tie Americans together. Touching on holiday, cultural and personal celebrations, the exhibition features artists from many ethnic and cultural groups. Tour Development by Smith Kramer Traveling Exhibitions, Kansas City, Missouri. stauthmemorialmuseum.org
Bloomfield Chili & Vegetable Soup Supper & Bazaar
winter 2013 KANSAS EVENTS
Meriden November 2
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Attend the annual Chili and Soup Supper and Craft Bazaar in the Bloomfield Church on the Threshing Grounds. Get a jump-start on your shopping, enjoy local food and prizes. Tickets required. Begins at 5:30 p.m.
All Veterans Tribute Celebration Emporia November 3
This open house at the Butler County History Center and Kansas Oil Museum highlights the efforts used to catalog and index a large collection of documents; enjoy a “Behind-the-Scenes” tour of collections. Begins at 6 p.m.
emporiakschamber.org
kansasoilmuseum.org
Fredonia Holiday open House Fredonia November 8 Holiday open house through community retailers. Begins at 5 p.m. fredoniaks.org
Joseph Hall: A Tribute to Elvis
Young, handsome and talented, Joseph Hall rocks the stage as Elvis in his prime. Begins at 7 p.m.
kansas! •
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Hutchinson November 21-24, November 29-December 1 The Family Community Theatre celebrates The Silver Celebration Season with one of the most beloved Christmas musicals as its seasonal show. See the website for details.
Christmas Festival & Parade of Lights Salina November 23
mcphersonoperahouse.org
Hays November 9
Experience hometown hospitality in a unique historic shopping district on the old Santa Fe Trail. Featuring carolers in Dickens-era costumes, horse-drawn trolley rides, holiday music and luminaries. Begins at 5 p.m. councilgrove.com
White Christmas
familychildrenstheater.com
McPherson November 9
Lanternfest
Council Grove November 2
El Dorado November 14
A series of events to honor all veterans in the area. Featuring a student essay and poster contest, a military roundtable discussion, Quilts of Valor presentation and the Veterans Talent Show.
meridenthreshers.org
Candlelight Charm
Accessible Archives
The festival of lanterns is a German tradition that takes place in the evening on or around the Feast Day of St. Martin, when families gather for a parade. Children make lanterns and learn the lantern song for the evening parade. $5 per family. Begins at 5 p.m.
Historic Salina Downtown’s signature event, the annual Christmas Festival and Parade of Lights, is a familyfriendly event sure to entertain the young and old alike. Begins at 10 a.m., Parade of Lights at 6 p.m. salinadowntown.com
Annual Zeta Mu craft Show Russell November 24
germancapitalofkansas.com
41st Annual Zeta Mu Christmas Gift & Craft Show. Get a head start on the holiday shopping with this favorite event. Begins at 10 a.m. (785) 324-1238
Memory Lane light Display Rantoul November 29-December 22
20th Annual Lighted Christmas Parade Kingman December 7
Beginning in 1992, the Memory Lane Light Display has welcomed various lighted characters at Pleasant Ridge Farm. Admission required. Begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday.
A fun-filled day for the entire family featuring Santa and Mrs. Claus, free Christmas movies, entertainment and more. The lighted parade begins at 6 p.m. kingmancc.com
pleasantridge.com
Sorry, wrong chimney Garnett November 29-December 1, December 6-8 and 12-14 Enjoy a delicious dinner and dessert served by the cast at the Thelma Moore Community Playhouse, home to the Chamber Players Community Theatre in Garnett. Then sit back and watch this must-see comedy, Sorry, Wrong Chimney, about a moonlighting department-store Santa.
Dolly HollyDay Tours Fort Scott December 13-23 Join in the tradition of this evening trolley tour of the homes and neighborhoods joyously lighted for the holiday season. Reservations required, tours at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. fortscott.com
Elk Days Canton January 18 Enjoy this tram tour at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge to view bison and elk, followed by a lunch. Free with donation. Begins at 10 a.m. cyberkraft.com/maxwell
StateHood Ball 2014 Cottonwood Falls January 25 The Flint Hills Victorian Dance Society invites you to its annual StateHood Ball at the Emma Chase Music Hall. Enjoy costumes, dancing and live music. The Emma Chase Cafe will serve a special predance dinner by reservation only. The Grand March begins at 8 p.m. flinthillsvictoriandancesociety.com
Statehood Ball 2014 Abilene January 25
FrostFest Hays December 6-7 Stroll through the Chestnut Street District, located in Historic Downtown Hays, and enjoy a weekend of winter festivities! Events include children’s arts and crafts, storytelling, shopping, a visit from Santa and an Illuminated Parade. downtownhays.com
christmas parade lawrence december 7 Enjoy the Lawrence Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade in downtown Lawrence with Santa arriving and horse-drawn carriages. Begins at 11 a.m. lawrencechristmasparade.org
Illustrations: Shutterstock
Breakfast With Santa Hutchinson December 14 TECH is hosting its annual “Breakfast with Santa” fundraiser with goody bags, photos, an opportunity to visit with Santa, breakfast and more. techinc.org
Little Apple New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Manhattan December 31
In it’s 20th year, this Ball features fun for the entire family. Enjoy the Kansas Brigade Band and 1860s period music, costumes and dancing. Begins at 7 p.m. heritagecenterdk.com
Toying With Science Junction City January 26 All ages will be amazed by this dynamic performance at the C.L. Hoover Opera House exploring scientific principles through the use of toys, motion, music, humor and imagination. Admission required. Begins at 3 p.m. jcoperahouse.org
winter 2013 KANSAS EVENTS
thechamberplayers.org
Ring in the New Year with dining and shopping in The Little Apple. Festivities conclude with a ball drop at midnight in Aggieville. Begins at 10 p.m. littleapplenewyears.com kansasmag .com • kansas!
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Discovering history, lore and art on Kansas’ state symbols as
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Home on the Range Written by Cecilia Harris
Trube Reese discovered the nearly forgotten, handwritten poem that inspired the Kansas state song, “Home on the Range” when it fell out of a book inside Dr. Brewster Higley’s cabin in 1873. Higley had penned the words two years prior, describing the beauty of his surroundings after homesteading in Smith County. Reese reportedly told Higley: “This is plum good, you should have it printed in the paper.” Higley did just that—the poem was published in two local newspapers. He then had the words set to music by his friend, Daniel E. Kelley, who performed it with a local band. Spread by pioneers and roving cowboys, the tune became a popular folk song throughout the country. The Kansas Legislature made it the official state song in 1947. Symbolic Experience
The cabin that Dr. Brewster Higley built in 1872 still stands on its original site north of Athol and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Known as the “Home on the Range Cabin,” it is located on private property, but visitors are welcome “from daylight to dark,” according to Lawrence El Dean Holthus, a trustee with the Ellen Rust Living Trust, which owns the cabin. Ellen and her husband, Pete, lived on the property for several decades and were instrumental in keeping the cabin at its original location. A massive restoration of the cabin, including the loft, was completed in July. Holthus says work continues on the development of a nature trail that will be finished in time for the cabin’s re-dedication during a three-day celebration on October 3-5, 2014. Information can be found at thehomeontherange.com or facebook.
Did you know? President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared “Home on the Range” one of his favorite songs. As one of the top songs on the radio in 1934, “Home on the Range” became entangled in a lawsuit when an Arizona couple claimed ownership of the song. Upon investigation, Higley was deemed the true author based on his poem’s publication in the Kansas newspapers in the 1870s. “Home on the Range” has been commonly regarded as the unofficial anthem of the Great American West.
com/HomeOnTheRangeCabin
Among the many well-known performers to sing “Home on the Range” are Willie Nelson, Gene Autry, Bing Crosby, Michael Martin Murphey, Porky Pig, Barney, and Alvin and the Chipmunks.
An arrangement of the state song is played by the University of Kansas Marching Jayhawks at the end of all home football games.
The state song is performed in the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the film The Messenger, television shows such as Phineas and Ferb, M*A*S*H and Cheers, and more than 50 other productions.
The song is always the finale at Symphony in The Flint Hills--a fan favorite.
ARTifacts
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Sunflowers Written by Kimberly Winter Stern
A cultural symbol throughout the ages—of faith, longevity, healing, happiness and good luck—the sunflower traces its roots to ancient Mexico and the southeastern United States. More than 3,000 years ago, American Indians utilized the native sunflower for food; over the centuries, the seeds were cultivated and the modern, oil-rich sunflower emerged. In 1903, Kansas declared itself the “Sunflower State,” naming the wild native plant as its official flower. The bright, sun-seeking helianthus variety of the sunflower—prominent in historic Kansas as an enduring symbol of the state’s wide and vast open spaces—speaks of a life-giving past, a present steeped in pride and a golden future.
ARTifacts Dutch Post-Impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh created perhaps the most famous paintings of sunflowers, beginning in August 1888 with Still Life: Vase with Twelve Sunflowers, in anticipation of a visit by friend and French Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin. That November, during a joint painting session, Gauguin did a portrait of van Gogh, The Painter of Sunflowers. Also in 1888, van Gogh painted Six Sunflowers, a famous, signature piece characterized by vibrant colors and exaggerated features. Purchased by a Japanese art collector in 1920, it was shipped to Japan and later destroyed after the bombing of Osaka during World War II. Diego Rivera, a 20th-century artist who counted van Gogh as one of his influences, painted the oil Girl With Sunflowers in 1941. The sunflower remains a popular image in modern culture, appearing in commercially produced art, bumper stickers, computer wallpaper and more. Even giant paint producer Benjamin Moore counts among its most-requested colors the yellow-orange Sunflower Fields.
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Although there are more than 60 species of sunflowers, the Kansas native variety can grow to 15 feet tall with heads up to 2 feet in diameter. A single flower can produce more than 1,000 seeds that are rich in protein and yield a high-quality vegetable oil valued for many health benefits. Symbolic Experience
Within the Sunflower State is the self-proclaimed Sunflower City of Goodland, Kansas, in Sherman County. Diminutive in population— somewhere around 5,000 sunflower-loving souls—but abundant in production of the plant, Goodland boasts more than 50,000 acres of the dazzling crop and hosts the Sunflower Celebration each August. The 6-foot-tall yellow beauties are at their height of glory in late summer, when tourists migrate to Goodland for sunflower reflection of all types. Although sunflower fields aren’t forever, visitors can still get their fix even in the dormant season when Goodland’s fields are bereft of their crop. Canadian artist Cameron Cross was commissioned to produce a giant, 24-foot-by 32-foot reproduction of Vincent van Gogh’s Three Sunflowers in a Vase. Part of a series called the Big Easel Project, the work, homage to the area’s sunflower industry, was dedicated in 2001. It towers 76 feet on a steel easel along U.S. Highway 24 and is visible from Interstate 70. cityofgoodland.org Pop Culture
The distinctive and beloved sunflower has proved inspirational for songwriters, singers, filmmakers and cultural figures over the years. One of the world’s favorite and most prolific crooners, Frank Sinatra, recorded a love song in 1949 titled “Sunflower.” The simple lyrics, written by Mack David, speak of a girl from the Sunflower State who is the object of a young man’s affection. Vittorio De Sica directed the 1970 Italian drama Sunflower, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni; and in 1977, American singer Glen Campbell released a Neil Diamond song, “Sunflower,” which was the performer’s last of eight No. 1s on the Easy Listening Chart. Pop icon Andy Warhol posed for photographer Steve Wood in 1981 with a giant sunflower—an intimate portrait of an artist famously known for not revealing his inner self. The pictures were stashed away and not displayed publicly until the 2013 New York exhibit “Lost Then Found.” lostthenfound.info
The Cottonwood
Written by Katherine Dinsdale and Bethaney Wallace
Called the pioneer tree of Kansas when it was selected by the state Legislature as the official Kansas tree in 1937, the eastern cottonwood—more formally, Populus deltoides—is a fast-growing North American hardwood. With a conical shape and shiny, coarsely toothed leaves, the tree shimmers and shakes in the slightest breeze. Cottonwoods can grow up to 100 feet high and live for 100 years, with a 60- to 100-foot canopy and a trunk diameter of up to six feet. Cottony covered seeds blow and even form snow-like drifts in the early summer. Many a pioneer was delighted to spot a stand of majestic cottonwoods on the horizon, recognizing that the trees meant shade, water and fast-burning fuel. Although the cottonwood makes a rather weak lumber that is prone to rotting, pioneers built cottonwood cabins for lack of other choices. Symbolic Experience
A large eastern cottonwood tree in Kansas is located in eastern Sheridan County, near Studley. The massive tree measures 35 feet in circumference (from 4.5 feet off the ground), is 96 feet tall, and has a crown of 127 feet. A cottonwood in Osage County once acted as a landmark for those entering Kansas territory. It sits on what was once the Leavenworth bypass that joined into the Santa Fe Trail. The Capitol hosts a 20-foot plaque honoring a once-historic cottonwood tree. A state legend, the tree offered shade to then-presidents Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley and William Howard Taft, and is rumored to have grown from a stake driven into the ground. The original tree was made into saplings that still grow in the Capitol’s yard, as well as a “chain-saw chair,” which belongs to the Kansas Historical Society. Cottonwood Falls on the Cottonwood River in Chase County is one of at least 13 communities nationwide called “Cottonwood.” The Cottonwood Falls River Bridge on Broadway is a good place to watch the trees’ aspen-like quaking and catch flathead catfish, as well. ARTifacts
The Cottonwood has long stood as an inspiration for artists. Photographers, painters and sketch artists from the past and present have used the Kansas tree as their subjects. Painter Robert Griffing used it in his painting We Dined in a Hollow Cottonwood Tree, while artist Ruth Philliben created two versions of her Cottonwood Tree on the Homestead.
Did you know? Legends passed down from the Lakota, Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes tell the story of the five-point secret stars that can sometimes be seen by looking into the broken tip of a small, dry cottonwood twig. One story tells of the wind sending the stars to the sky from the trees. Another tale says that the stars hide in the trees during the day. The Lakota use the cottonwood tree as the “tree of life” in their Sundance ceremony. Allergy sufferers should take note: Only male trees produce pollen, and that occurs early in the spring, well before the snowy seeds fly. Those who feel their allergies worsen during the cottonwood “blizzards” can’t blame the female cottonwoods. Those allergies are likely from some other wind-borne pollen producer.
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State Flag Written by Richard Shank
In February 1861, Abraham Lincoln stopped in Philadelphia to hoist the nation’s first 34-star flag signifying Kansas’ entry into the union. However, it would take 66 years before the Sunflower State’s legislature would adopt its own flag, in 1927. Little information exists on why our hearty pioneers saw no need for an official flag; perhaps it was because they felt so honored to be a part of a union of states that would grow by 14 during their first half-century of statehood. In 1961, as Kansas prepared to celebrate the state’s centennial, the Legislature tweaked the original design, only slightly, by adding the word “Kansas” beneath the seal. Now, just 152 years after Kansas passed from territorial status to statehood, all seem pleased with the flag that is flown across our state’s 82,000 square miles. The State Seal
Despite the six decades it took to settle on a final design for the official Kansas flag, it took only four months to adopt a state seal.
Did you know? Kansas was the 48th state in the nation to adopt a state flag.
In a masterfully written 118-word resolution, Ingalls touched all bases when he described Kansas and its pioneer roots, proposing that a new seal be made a permanent part of the union’s newest state.
The 1925 session of the Kansas Legislature adopted a “State Banner” as a compromise for those supporting the establishment of a flag. Two years later, the proflag group succeeded and claimed victory when Gov. Ben Paulen signed legislation approving the official state flag.
“The east is represented by a rising sun, in the right-hand corner of the seal; to the left of it, commerce is represented by a river and a steamboat; in the foreground, agriculture is represented as a basis of the future prosperity of the state, by a settler’s cabin and a man plowing with a pair of horses; beyond this is a train of ox-wagons, going west; in the background is seen a herd of buffalo, retreating, pursued by two Indians, on horseback; around the top is the motto, ‘Ad astra per aspera,’ and beneath is a cluster of 34 stars. The circle is surrounded by the words, ‘Great seal of the state of Kansas, January 29, 1861.’”
The first Kansas flag displayed at a public event flew in 1927 at Fort Riley as a part of a 19-gun salute for Gov. Paulen, who was visiting troops at the military installation. Kansas also has a governor’s flag, which is identical to the official flag except that it has stars in each of its four corners.
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John J. Ingalls, an Atchison newspaper publisher, was a charter member of the Kansas Senate, and he had a vision for the state he loved. Four months into statehood, Ingalls stood on the floor of the Senate to urge adoption of a resolution establishing an official state seal.
The Latin phrase “ad astra per aspera” translates as “to the stars through difficulty,” a fitting description of the challenges facing Kansans in 1861. So, as the first session of the Kansas Legislature moved to pass the resolution without opposition, our new state had a state seal and a motto. Both have withstood the test of time and remain unaltered more than a century and a half later. Historians James Nottage and Floyd Thomas, in a 1985 essay for Kansas History, describe the seal as the state’s oldest official symbol. Today, according to Nottage and Thomas, the seal appears on everything from official documents to army uniforms, badges and buttons, oil paintings, inlaid wood, plastic and cloth, along with books, magazines and promotional materials.
Western Meadowlark Written by Amy Conkling
Schoolchildren across Kansas had the initial vote in choosing the western meadowlark as their state bird. In 1925, Kansas’ Audubon Society held a statewide election across schools, and the meadowlark won the election with an impressive 125,000 votes, edging out the bobwhite and the northern cardinal. It wasn’t until 1937 that the Kansas Legislature made it the official bird of Kansas. Ironically, it is also the state bird of our northern neighbor, Nebraska, as well as Wyoming and others. The western meadowlark features a yellow chest with a V-shaped black patch and a mix of brown, black and buffcolored feathers. Perhaps its most distinct feature, however, is its flute-like, melodic chirp. Symbolic Experience
In McPherson County, the Meadowlark Trail is a rail trail project that runs 12 miles from Hess Park, in McPherson, to the Valkommen Trail in Lindsborg. Currently the first four miles north of McPherson are finished, and the trail is passable in primitive condition for two miles south of Lindsborg. The trail also crosses the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway in Lindsborg. facebook.com/pages/MeadowlarkTrail/126802194013382
Another meadowlark-related attraction is the Whole Wall Mural in Concordia, which features 140 feet of sculpted brick. The Cloud County Historical Society developed the vision behind the three-dimensional mural. The “I Spy” feature is a fan favorite, with 20 “hidden” items including a meadowlark. cloudcountytourism.com
ARTifacts
Award-winning artist Gil Rumsey, of Lenexa, showcases a variety of prints and watercolors in his home studio. One piece includes a beautiful wildlife scene of the western meadowlark, perched on a fence post along a flowing field of wild prairie grasses and a clear sky—a perfect snapshot of what many native Kansans think of when they picture the state bird. gilrumseyart.com Flint Hills-based artist Susan Rose says that the beauty of the prairie inspires her. Her “Flight of Gold” painting, recently on display at Manhattan’s Strecker-Nelson Gallery, showcases a pair of meadowlarks nestled on a tree, with a breathtaking backdrop of a golden sunrise against the scenic Flint Hills. susanrosefineart.com
KANSAS destinations & attractions
Baldwin City Pratt Kiowa
Winfield
There is plenty to see and do in Kansas. Be sure to call ahead for complete directions.
orical Association
The one mile drive takes you through Pratt’s oldest and most scenic park, illuminated by thousands of lights and animated displays. Lemon Park Lights has expanded into it’s neighboring park, Sixth Stree Park, with animated displays depicting the Twelve Days of Christmas. Lemon Park Lights will be lit from dusk to 11pm nightly from the 1st Saturday before Thanksgiving through January 1st.
Special Events Include;
Kansas Soundscapes
Easter Bunny Train Thomas the Tank Engine Haunted Halloween Train Santa Express
1st annual Music Composition Competition for Kansas Residents by Winfield Arts & Humanities Council Deadline for entries February 15, 2014
Reception with peRFoRmances helD on apRil 5, 2014
At Baden Square in Winfield, KS
Midland Railway Historical Association Join us for a train ride -bring the whole family! Normal excursioN traiNs Midland Railway Historical JuNe Association - october
special events include:
1515 W. High Street Baldwin City, 66006-0005 • RailKSFest Phone (913)Halloween 721-1211 Train • Haunted Depot (785) • Santa594-6982 Express www.midlandrailway.org
• Easter Bunny Train
The Midland Railway operates excursion trains on a line originally constructed in 1867. Train rides feature an over 20mile round trip from Baldwin City via “Norwood, Kansas” to Ottawa Junction, Kansas, traveling through scenic Eastern Kansas farmland and woods via vintage railway equipment. The Midland Railway is a completely volunteer-staffed, non-profit 501c3, common carrier railroad operated to preserve and display transportation history as an educational demonstration railroad. Join us for a train ride – bring the whole family! We are in easy reach of Kansas City, Overland Park, Olathe, Ottawa and Lawrence, Topeka, and nearby communities. Normal excurions trains June-October every year.
1515 High St. Baldwin City, KS Phone (913) 721-1211 Depot (785) 594-6982 www.midlandrailway.org
Special Events Include; Easter Bunny Train Thomas the Tank Engine Haunted Halloween Train Santa Express
ng tradition of 24 yeras is to Baldwin City, KS Operations
Beginning eals & casual Sunday 3-course meal 2012! our 1940’s Era decoratedLate cars A long running tradition of 24 yeras is coming to Baldwin City, KS
For more information, call
620 221-2161, winfieldarts@gmail.com www.winfieldarts.com
Red Dust
Hideaway Lodging With That “At Home” Feeling. 3 different suite options … kitchens available
Amenities:
for reservations call:
620-825-4550
High Speed Internet 6 Mbs WiFi. Dish Network Satelite TV. Private garage for extended stay guests. / Kiowa, Kansas 67070 / reddusthideaway.com
advertise
in KANSAS! Magazine For details contact Sunflower Publishing (888) 497-8668 sunpubads@sunflowerpub.com
Rising star Logan Mize takes his Kansas roots for a spin in every song he writes and sings
photograph courtesy of gary jones
Roads
s
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photographs by jason dailey
ogan Mize is chilling in the Adirondacks after an upstate New York gig. Perched on a dock, his feet dangling in an expanse of sparkling water lined with thick outcroppings of trees, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter muses about the undulating swatch of nature before him. “It’s beautiful here,” says Mize. If you could hear a smile, it would be Mize’s trademark broad grin tumbling through the cell phone. “Makes missing home a little easier,” he says, a melancholic twang coloring his gentle voice, hinting at the soulful brand of heartland country-rock that is turning heads in Nashville. Although it’s unclear whether Mize is referring to his Nashville home—where his wife, Jill, a fellow songwriter-singer, and 2-year-old son Lincoln wait for his return— or his native Clearwater, Kansas, one thing is certain. The 28-year-old musician has an artist’s sensibility, and he is continually inspired by his surroundings. The Road From Clearwater The songs Mize crafts give voice to his beloved Kansas roots and represent a vibrant creative paintbrush—a tool he uses liberally and with broad strokes.
Mize’s music, described as elegant, energetic, earthy and ethereal, packs an unmistakably gritty, everyman appeal that resonates with his loyal and growing fan base in the United States and the United Kingdom. The humble musician has opened for marquee names like Lady Antebellum, Dierks Bentley and The Band Perry, and this fall toured the U.K. with LeAnn Rimes. But don’t get too comfortable with Mize as an opening act. If the music industry pros who predict success are right, Mize and his unique sound will someday fill arena and concert-hall seats. Growing up in Sedgwick County, Mize spent a childhood enchanted by the Sunflower State’s signature vast, open fields and long, winding country roads. He recalls a particular road outside Clearwater as an escape after dirtdrenching Kansas rainstorms. “I would take my dad’s Jeep and drive Anson Road, solo or with my friends,” laughs Mize, who worked in the family grocery store beginning at age 12. “We’d get stuck in the mud. After I left Clearwater for college and then Nashville, I realized that road symbolized more than just a place to explore.” When Mize and Jill, with Lincoln in tow, visit Kansas every three or four
months to see his parents Eric and Kelly, sister Erica, and Jill’s family in nearby Andale—he still maneuvers that rutted piece of earth. “It’s a kind of homecoming,” he says. Mize began playing piano at age 7 in lieu of playing sports. He didn’t pick up the guitar, his instrument of choice today, until he was 18 and graduated high school.
For information on music, events and more, visit loganmize.com. Follow him on Facebook at Logan Mize or Twitter @loganmize. “I had a guitar and tried to play it, but never anything in earnest,” says Mize. “I was studying agriculture at Hutchinson Community College and then horticulture at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, when I became interested. It was like, hey, why haven’t I learned this?” Mize grew up an avid listener of music—Elton John’s Greatest Hits 19702002 double-disc was a favorite. “Elton’s
kansasmag .com • kansas!
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Eclectic and Authentic Mize doesn’t gravitate toward a particular music genre, instead letting his relentless curiosity dictate an eclectic diet of rock, commercial country and pop—even Bob Marley, Van Halen and Irish songstress Enya. “Anything that moves me and sounds like a hit—Patty Loveless, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bryan Adams,” he says. A pivotal point in Mize’s life was a Kenny Chesney concert at Wichita’s Kansas Coliseum. Mesmerized by what he witnessed, a wide-eyed 16-year-old Mize took note of the superstar onstage. “Here is this dude traveling around, playing incredible music,” says Mize. “He had a band, brand and tour. I knew I wanted to do that someday.” Tom Petty influenced Mize’s rhythm-guitar playing, and Alan Jackson influenced his songwriting style. “Jackson is an honest songwriter,” says Mize. “Everything you hear from him seems like the truth.” Authenticity is priceless to Mize, who values it in everything, from the authors he reads and the lyrics he writes to his own lifestyle. “Right now I’m into Wendell Berry’s The Art of the Commonplace: The Agrarian Essays, about rural Kentucky landscapes,” says Mize, who prefers a book in hand rather than electronic reading. “A book never runs out of battery.” A Backdoor to Nashville Mize’s journey to fabled Music City Nashville wasn’t exactly a glitter-lined yellow brick road. He rumbled into town in his battered Ford pickup truck with his guitar, clothes and a musicwriting dream. Bunking at a friend’s apartment for two months, on a blow-up mattress in the laundry room, Mize secured a job driving a dump truck 48 hours after rolling into Nashville. “I had $60 to my name and a tank of gas to drive to interviews,” says Mize. “I was aggressive when job-hunting—I
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refused to call my parents for help. The truck-driving job paid well.” Mize insists music executives didn’t “discover” him in the true sense of the word. “If there’s a blue-collar way to do it, that’s how I did it,” he says. “It wasn’t fancy, the type of situation where they offer to put you on a jet and fly you to New York City for a contract.” That backdoor introduction to Nashville suits Mize’s personality just fine. In fact, he’s not afraid to let the songs he writes be bigger than his persona; he is comfortable with not fitting into a mold. Initially making his mark as a songwriter, with names like Bucky Covington singing his tunes, Mize is creating buzz as a stand-alone artist. “In the country market I’m not chasing ego that’s prevalent in some music circles or going for shock value,” he says. “It’s not about money or fame; I’m not into drinking or shooting stuff in the woods. I can do this my way and be part of the scene.” Mize, who also collaborates with Jill, is a Midwest boy down to his boots, a label he waves as proudly as an American flag. His song “Sunflowers” perhaps best describes his penchant for the prairie. Lyrics like “Barbed wire fence posts and blue skies forever” and “I’m drawn to the west where I come from/ Like a sunflower follows the sun” exemplify Mize’s yearning for a simple, uncomplicated life. One of Mize’s biggest assets is the transparency in his songwriting. His current project-in-progress, an album titled Welcome to Prairieville, about a fictitious small Midwest town, is a selfportrait of sorts. The collection of songs sums up Mize’s commitment to being honest, real and in the moment. “I’m proud of my Kansas roots,” says Mize. “They’re my foundation.” Overland Park freelance writer Kimberly Winter Stern already has her party dress picked out for the next Kansas concert featuring Logan Mize.
photograph by jason dailey
Tumbleweed Connection, too,” says Mize, who penned poetry laced with teenage angst in endless spiral notebooks.
KANSAS museums There is plenty to see and do in Kansas. Be sure to call ahead for complete directions.
Wamego Manhattan
Bonner Springs
Abilene
ABOUT US P E R M A N E N T E X H I B El Dorado
Topeka
The Wyandotte County Historical Museum opened in 1956. The first museum was located
Lecompton
in Memorial Hall in downtown Kansas City, Kansas. In 1962, the Wyandotte County Commission approved a 99-year lease with the Wyandotte County Historical Society for land in the Wyandotte County Park. An effort by the Society and the Museum was started to collect artifacts and archives for a new museum facility and in December 1962, the Society broke ground for the first stage of a new museum. In 1967, the Museum was opened to the public in the Wyandotte County Park in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The Museum houses the Trowbridge Research Library, two permanent exhibition galleries and an auditorium.
631 N. 126tH Street BoNNer SpriNgS, KS 66012 913.573.5002 www.wycomuseum.org Summer Hours Monday–Friday:
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday:
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Historical Lecompton Civil War Birthplace Where slavery began to die
Visit Constitution Hall & Territorial Capital Museum Gallery Trowbridge/Barker
10-5 pm Wed-Sat • 1-5 pm Sun Tours (785) 887-6148 www.lecomptonkansas.com The West Gallery features early Wyandotte
County history; Native American collections, including 2000 year old Hopewell artifacts, a 300 year old dug-out canoe found on the Kaw River and the stories of the three immigrant tribes of Wyandotte County- the Shawnee, Delaware and Wyandot. In addition to the museum displays, hands-on educational stations include an a r ch a e o l o g i c a l d i g box, Native American language station, corn grinding and a pot shard puzzle.
advertise
in KANSAS! Magazine For details contact Sunflower Publishing (888) 497-8668 sunpubads@sunflowerpub.com
East Gallery
The East Gallery f and cities in Wy Metropolitan hor fire engine, one-r barbershop, you c of Wyandotte Cou an actual KCK fire
TROWBRIDG
Historic photog records, marriag newspapers, o
cemetery record
materials housed can assist visitor Wyandotte Coun Research and/or
our town matfield green
Matfield Green ★
That old “Matfield Magic” is drawing people back to this historic community photography by Lou Ann Thomas
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meet a local Once a cowboy, always a cowboy
L
Ranch, specializes in contemporary art, and represents national and international artists. The Gallery also sponsors an artists-in-residence program and has brought working artists to the area from as far away as Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Book stirs curiosity “I read about this area in William Least Heat-Moon’s PrairyErth and we wanted to check it out,” Ton says. “We immediately fell in love with the beauty here, so when we were ready to leave New Mexico we decided to move here.” PrairyErth has drawn many people to the area through the years. The book chronicles the history, land and people of Chase County and includes a chapter about Matfield Green and the railroad bunkhouse. “Beside … the South Fork Valley, and up on its western terrace high enough to give a view down on the railroad and the cropped grids, sits a low stone building, gray and grim like a barracks,” reads an excerpt from the book. Today visitors to the area will find this building spiffed up and offering comfortable and unique lodging as Matfield Station. The
Matfield Green is a popular destination for art enthusiasts who can appreciate the backdrop of the Flint Hills.
Tom Burton always wanted to be a cowboy. The 76-year-old grew up around Matfield Green and attended school there. As a kid, he watched the area’s ranch cowboys working cattle and spending their days out on the prairie. Tom’s dream came true when he was 24 and preparing to move to Guymon, Oklahoma for a job with Cities Service Gas. “I didn’t really want to leave this area, so when Wayne Rogler asked me to come work on his ranch, I said, ‘Yes!’ ” Tom says. Two years later, he took over management of the Rogler Ranch and oversaw more than 30,000 acres of land for the next 40 years with the help of Wayne Rogler’s guidance and good employees. But it was being a cowboy that Tom still loved the most, and those days when he could get out on the range with his horse were the best. “We got up very early, fed ourselves and our horses, then loaded the horse into the trailer and headed out to check the cattle, fix fence, whatever needed doing,” he says.
our town matfield green
ocals in Matfield Green often speak of “Matfield Magic.” Whether that enchantment comes from the gently rolling landscape of the Flint Hills, the sound of the wind moving through the cottonwood trees that line the South Fork Valley, or the inspiration drawn from living close to the land—simply, they believe they live in a special place. Matfield Green, located along the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, appears like any other small rural community, now considered a “quiet” town, as the schools have closed. But upon closer look you will see life and vitality springing up in old, abandoned buildings and homesteads. In fact, Matfield Green is gaining in population, clocking in at 65, according to Ton Haak, resident and co-curator of The Gallery at Pioneer Bluffs. Ton and his wife, Ans Zoutenbier, moved to Matfield Green and opened the gallery in 2010 after owning a gallery in Abiquiú, New Mexico for 12 years. The natives of the Netherlands first drove through Chase County in 1995 while traveling through the United States. The Gallery, located a mile north of town on the site of the old Rogler
Tom still manages 5,000 acres of the old Rogler Ranch, which is now owned by several different individuals. kansasmag .com • kansas!
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A place to rest: Matfield Green Matfield Station Beautifully restored, this railroad bunkhouse now consists of three comfortable efficiency apartments. All have full kitchens, air conditioning and radiant floor heating. matfieldstation.com
our town matfield green
Morning Glory Cottage The main house has a queen-size bed in addition to a day bed in the sunroom. With a well-equipped kitchen and a guest cottage that is rented with the main house, this makes a great location for family reunions or gatherings for a circle of friends. VRBO.com/385456
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Elaine’s Prairie Home This two-bedroom, two-bath home is filled with the work of regional artists and lots of books. Two comfy porches and a wide lawn with well-tended trees make it an idyllic location for artists and writers, as well as anyone wishing for a stay in a peaceful setting. (Limited availability) VRBO.com/367577 The Miller’s 1901 Victorian This stately three-bedroom, two-bath home features a recently renovated kitchen and bathrooms. Light fills the house from east- and south-facing windows, and train-lovers will enjoy the procession of trains passing by. The large, wellshaded lawn is the perfect setting for impromptu picnics and lounging. (Limited availability) (620) 953-2035
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FYI
If you are planning a trip to Matfield Green, be aware that there are no food, grocery or gas services available in town at this time. But there are a few unique, home-owned cafes nearby, just off the Flint Hills Scenic Byway.
Emma Chase Café Old-fashioned country cooking. The café serves Kansas-raised beef, bison and elk.
Cottonwood Falls emmachasecafe.com (Hours vary, closed Monday)
Grand Central Hotel Offering locally sourced steaks and fish.
Cottonwood Falls grandcentralhotel.com (11 a.m.-9 p.m., MondaySaturday) Ad Astra Food & Drink Diverse menu featuring local fare and a bar with local craft beers on tap.
Strong City adastrafood-drink.com (Only open Friday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.)
bunkhouse now features three spacious guest apartments, all with modern amenities—including full kitchens, air conditioning and radiant floor heat— plus rocking chairs on the front porch overlooking the South Fork Valley and small patios out back to view the passing trains.
Saving a piece of history Today Pioneer Bluffs consists of 12 preserved acres of the original homestead of Charles Rogler, who walked to Kansas Territory from Iowa in 1859 to claim this piece of land. This portion of the ranch is being preserved, and it houses The Gallery. In 2001, Bill and Julia McBride, who purchased and renovated Matfield Station (opened in 2011), also spearheaded a group interested in preserving the Rogler legacy and homestead. The group formed a nonprofit corporation, which purchased Rogler Ranch-Pioneer Bluffs at auction. “Our mission includes celebrating the history of the tallgrass prairie and the ranching heritage here in the Flint Hills. We are also trying to revitalize it as a community resource, with sustainability as a focus,” says Bill, a
Creating community A Kansas City transplant, Paula Haas, now serves on the board of a local nonprofit organization, the Center for Living Education, which has recently helped renovate the old bank building into a new space appropriately called The Bank. The Bank showcases artwork by young and upcoming artists, and provides a meeting place for residents and travelers, along with free Wi-Fi, coffee and information on things to do and see in the area. A large, round table sits prominently inside the front door; its shape was chosen intentionally. “One of the things we want to do with the Center for Living Education is to help create employment opportunities for the people who live here,” Paula says. Another meeting place in town is the community center that was included as part of the new fire station. “It gives people here a place to gather, to celebrate and to talk to each other,” says Tom Burton. “It’s important to have that.” Among those moving to town are children and grandchildren of residents and area ranchers. Burton’s son and grandson are two of those. “Some of our young people are coming back to town. They have gone out into the world, then realized that this is where they want to be,” he says. Maybe that’s the magic. Lou Ann Thomas, Belvue freelance writer, has always found the Flint Hills magical, so she was thrilled to have the opportunity to experience Matfield Magic in person.
opposite Matfield Station, is a cozy Santa Fe--style bunkhouse. Ton Haak, co-curator, The Gallery at Pioneer Bluffs. this page Paula Haas is a Kansas City transplant adding to the Matfield magic.
“I had so much fun and met a lot of wonderful people, so when I retired after almost 30 years as a writer and editor, I thought of Matfield Green.”
our town matfield green
Life on the rails The railroad has always been important to Matfield Green. It once brought cattle from Texas into the lush tallgrass prairie and then on to packinghouses in Kansas City and Chicago. Tom Burton, longtime ranch manager for the Rogler Ranch, remembers herding cattle from the trains to the prairie. Watching the trains was one of the best parts of a stay at Matfield Station for Lucas Boyer; he and his wife, Angie, recently moved to Lawrence from Kansas City. Lucas had also read PrairyErth and decided to check out Matfield Green. “The spirit of the railway and the people who worked on it are still here. I love watching the trains and being reminded of that,” he says.
former architect from Chicago, who moved to Matfield Green with his wife, Julia, in 2006. Pioneer Bluffs relies on volunteers to maintain and sustain it, and hosts Volunteer Work Days the first Saturday of every month. These workdays draw people from as far away as Kansas City and have been one more reason for Matfield Green’s newfound growth.
– Paula Haas, Center for Living Education
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Deep Roots Shawnee Town 1929 proudly celebrates its agricultural heritage with a revitalized living history museum Photography by jason dailey
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Shawnee Town 1929 has become a living museum, welcoming historians, students and other visitors.
Excerpt from the official Shawnee Town Gazette.
Extra! Extra!
I
magine what the quiet town of Shawnee was like in the summer of 1929: residents hard at work gathering eggs from the coop, scrubbing clothes on the porch, or selecting melons to sell at the market for 10 cents. Shawnee was the center of a rural truck farm economy meeting the needs of its citizens and a leader in regional produce production. These factors helped sustain the town during uncertain economic times. In tribute to the community’s agrarian legacy, the Shawnee Historical Society founded an outdoor museum known as Old Shawnee Town in 1966. Old Shawnee Town grew to comprise an assortment of original and replicated buildings filled with artifacts from circa 1840 to 1920. The comprehensive, mission-driven educational attraction encompasses a historically accurate representation of farm life, technology, businesses and popular culture during the 1920s. “In order to help the museum grow and remain integral as part of Shawnee’s past and future, building an interpretive program that tells a broader story—a Midwestern story relevant for visitors—was vital,” says Charlie Pautler, Shawnee Town 1929 executive director. The focus of Shawnee Town 1929, under the auspices of Shawnee’s Parks and Recreation Department, features interpretive programs and exhibits emphasizing three historical themes: Shawnee’s role as a farm town supporting area farmers. The strength and resilience of community spirit in Shawnee through difficult and prosperous times. The effects of transportation on Shawnee as a link between the urban center of Kansas City and beyond. Sharron Uhler, Shawnee Town 1929s curator of education, applauds the museum. “Current programming enables a handson approach to Midwestern town life, from pop culture and day-to-day business to daily chores around the farm,” says Uhler. “Currently, participation includes feeding the chickens, planting seeds in the farmstead garden and washing and hanging clothes. Shawnee Town 1929 is becoming a true living history museum where experiences come to life.”
“Glimpse what life was like during the summer and fall of 1929. Take a guided tour through three rooms of the farmhouse featuring restored furnishings. Help bring in firewood then scrub the laundry. Investigate the tool shed, walk through the livestock barn then down into the root cellar. Experience farmhouse programs showcasing typical children’s chores from the time. Compare and contrast everyday objects from today and the 1920s—and this is only a small sample of a typical day in the life of Shawnee residents.”
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Be a time traveler Shawnee Town’s reconstructed buildings hold a bounty of treasures connecting visitors with the past. shawneetown.org
Start your tour in the Visitor’s Center. This building vividly examines Shawnee history with an emphasis on truck farming. Farmhouse – The two-story reconstructed white farmhouse was built in 1877. Victor and Erma DeCaeny purchased it along with 19 acres in 1926. The modest home provided the DeCaenys with the modern conveniences of the time. Wind up the Victrola, open the dresser drawers, play a game of checkers or help stoke the wood-burning stove in the kitchen. Garden – Because truck farming was the primary means of commerce, many of Shawnee’s residents had ample garden plots. They grew a wide variety of vegetables to be sold at the Kansas City Wholesale Produce Market. Chicken Coop – A steady supply of chickens were raised on the family land. The coop was usually fenced in with a place for the chickens to roam and a roosting barn for hens to lay eggs. Tool Shed – Like basements and garages of today, local residents kept a wide variety of tools in the shed. Every farmstead had a tool shed. Outhouse – Because indoor plumbing wasn’t prevalent yet, every home had an outhouse. This one was built circa 1920. Garage – The DeCaeny family owned a 1927 Nash automobile by Nash Motors.
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Market Shed – Truck farmers owned a market shed to prepare produce for sale. Everyone in the family helped sort, clean, bunch, pack and load. Root Cellar – It would be impractical to put much into the small icebox, so a root cellar was used as a necessary way to store vegetables during the winter. It also could be used as a storm cellar since it was below ground. Barn – The livestock barn (circa 1890) housed two horses and a cow. Smokehouse – No refrigeration meant spoilage for the family supply of meat. After butchering, meat was smoked and hung in the smokehouse to cure and preserve.
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“Currently, participation includes feeding the chickens, planting seeds in the farmstead garden and washing and hanging clothes.” – sharron uhler, curator of education
Pautler is excited about the progress made during the past year. “We want this museum to be a place where visitors connect with our past in a fun and relevant way, appreciate the lives of those who have lived before by partly experiencing their world, and create an environment that gets visitors excited to explore their own family history, ask questions and reflect on their own lives,” says Pautler. He hopes that over time, Shawnee Town 1929 becomes known as a regional tourist destination because of its unique programs. “With the rise in visitation over last year—especially in the areas of school programs, special events and living history programs—we are well on our way.” Overland Park writer Gloria Gale would have been in her element in 1929 teaching kids the 3 R’s, canning vegetables from her garden and perfecting her penmanship.
Gallery Whimsy of Winter
Colorful skies beam over the snow-covered landscape
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(Opposite)
SNOWY NEW YEAR’S SUNSET Marciana Vequist, Douglas County (From top)
A SNOWY WALK Dollie Williams, Shawnee County FOGGY WINTER MORNING Scott Bean, Wabaunsee County
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gallery
(Above)
POWHATTAN ROAD Harland J. Schuster, Pawnee County (Opposite)
QUIET MORNING Terry Wiechman, Shawnee County
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Send your scenic photos to Gallery, KANSAS! 1020 S. Kansas Ave. Suite 200 Topeka, KS 66612. Visit kansasmag.com for submission guidelines and deadlines.
(From top)
RED ON WHITE Leilani Tuttle, Douglas County MIDNIGHT SNOW Phil Frigon, Clay County (Opposite)
BITTERSWEET Brad Neff, Shawnee County
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KANSAS galleries There is plenty to see and do in Kansas. Be sure to call ahead for complete directions.
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Favorite Attraction: Flint Hills and the Chase County Courthouse
kansas’ finest
sue smith
Sue Smith, Emma Chase Café
Meet the 2013 class of Kansas’ biggest fans
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Sue Smith, who grew up across the street from the Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls, loves her picturesque hometown. She even bought a burial plot here as a teenager. Therefore, when she bought the building and leased the Emma Chase Café in 1998, she happily traded nursing patients in Texas for nourishing tourists in the Flint Hills. Although Smith lived in multiple states for 35 years, this self-proclaimed “prairie girl” fortuitously bought a building next to the café years before returning. When the café’s owner asked Smith to buy it, Smith entrusted a friend with the business until she could move home permanently. “My dad ran an auto body repair shop downtown, and I was always fascinated as a kid to see the merchants open their stores,” Smith says.
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Now a merchant herself, she promotes the Flint Hills in multiple ways, whether by serving tour-bus customers chicken fried steak and apple butter made with her grandma’s recipe and her own “grandma hands,” as she puts it; by promoting area artists; or by offering entertainment ranging from family-friendly musical performances and festivals to four galas and balls replete with period costumes. When the recession hit in 2009, Smith and her husband thought their business might tank. Instead of panicking, they leased the vacant municipal auditorium and transformed it into Prairie PastTimes, a thriving showcase for Flint Hills artists and event space. “I can’t stand an empty building on main street,” Smith says, laughing. She loves her work, whether she’s
feeding customers or feeding travel websites, making homemade jam or emceeing a Friday night music jam, which has been chosen as one of Kansas Sampler’s “8 Wonders of Kansas Customs.” Smith enjoys the visitors who come clutching copies of William Least HeatMoon’s PrairyErth, a New York Times bestseller about Chase County with a chapter dedicated to the cafe, and says she is amazed by out-of-state and international visitors at shows. “We’re proud of where we live and what we do, and it’s everyone’s job to teach people about all the sights and history we have in the prairie, especially our ecosystem,” she says. “We have plenty to share.” emmachasecafe.com
Photographs from left: Jennifer Haugh, Jason Dailey, illustrations by jenni leiste
kansas’finest
Favorite Attraction: Black Jack Battlefield
portrayal of Brown using anecdotes that underscore the abolitionist’s early efforts to rectify injustices peacefully before he was “radicalized” by the violence and bloodshed he witnessed in “Bleeding Kansas.” “He wasn’t popular with other abolitionists because he not only wanted to abolish slavery, he wanted everyone to have voting rights and citizenship too,” says Altenbernd. “He was on the side of the angels.” Altenbernd, whose wife died a few years ago, says he “knows the pain and perseverance” Brown likely experienced when his wife died after delivering the couple’s seventh child. He has internalized so much of Brown’s story through his popular portrayals that he can suspend his “extreme” shyness for a 60-minute conversation with an audience that
culminates in Brown’s hanging after the raid at Harpers Ferry. In 2002, Altenbernd became involved with a Black Jack Battlefield initiative, serving in leadership roles and traveling to Washington, D.C., to make a successful case for getting the site named as a National Historic Landmark in 2012. Altenbernd, who grew up on a farm homesteaded by family members around 1860, traces his Civil War fascination to a rare road trip to see relatives in Georgia. “We made multiple stops at battlefields, and at 14, I thought this would be something I would like to do.” Now an avid traveler, he says, “Tourism expands you, and makes you better able to make decisions and understand the world and how you look at things you should have an opinion on.” kansasmag .com • kansas!
Kerry Altenbernd (aka John Brown)
In 2006, a Lawrence author penned a script about John Brown and encouraged Kerry Altenbernd, Douglas County law librarian and a Black Jack Battlefield volunteer and tour guide, to take the lead role. Altenbernd accepted the challenge, despite acting experience consisting solely of an eighth-grade portrayal of Injun Joe, and a daunting month’s notice to learn his lines. His performance caught the attention of his daughter’s high school history teacher. Wearing a hastily assembled thrift-store ensemble, Altenbernd addressed the students and created demand for his soliloquy in school, community and historical settings in and outside of Kansas, including at the Black Jack Battlefield. He has since upgraded his costume and refined his research to create a balanced
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Favorite Attraction: Flint Hills and Cottonwood Falls
Stan Herd, earthworks artist
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Growing up on a farm in Protection, Kansas, Stan Herd loved to draw, his canvas eventually evolving from sketch pads to structures. In his early 20s, he flew over Dodge City to photograph a mural he had painted on a building and was captivated by a tractor carving a line across a field. “I realized that the tractor and plow could become my pen and ink … the field my canvas,” the earthworks artist says of the serendipitous sighting that launched his career. The first image he created was of Satanta, a Kiowa war chief, on a 160-acre field near Dodge City. Since then, Herd has completed about 60 elaborately detailed depictions of people, products and pastoral scenes, including a white rose honoring 19th-century poet José Martí in Cuba, through an effort supported by Fidel Castro and Sen. Pat Roberts.
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Many of his soil and seed masterpieces have been featured in national media stories and in advertisements placed in high-profile publications by commercial clients. Around the time his book Crop Art and Other Earthworks was published in 1994, Herd received permission to beautify a barren New York City acre owned by Donald Trump. While transforming the trashstrewn lot into “Countryside,” he cultivated a sense of community among the homeless men he enlisted to help execute his vision. The endeavor, captured in Earthwork, an award-winning film, underscores Herd’s commitment to engaging people on the ground or in the air. “My art isn’t a one-man show. A lot of people get involved, and that’s gratifying,” he says.
Creating with crops also enables Herd to honor his agricultural heritage. “I come from many generations of fiercely independent people who worked the land. I think it’s important to understand where you’re from, that the struggles your people made to get here inform you about who you are.” This winter, Herd hopes to tackle “a real dream job” in Rio de Janeiro, where he would create an installment bringing attention to the favela (Brazil’s slums). With the World Cup and Olympics celebrations set for 2014 and 2016, he hopes it would give people an opportunity to make a difference. “Everything I do, from when I get up until I go to bed, is about art, because that’s who I am,” he says. millermeiers.com/stanherd
Photographs from left: Jason Dailey, Elma Guaderrama of Southwest Kansas Photographic, illustrations by jenni leiste
Favorite Attraction: Symphony in the Flint Hills
Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association in 1990, she says, she “could no longer deny” her calling. “When you stay at an inn, you can learn the history about a particular part of the world from a built-in Chamber of Commerce representative, in a secure place that’s passed rigorous inspections,” says Fort. “There are no cookie-cutter rooms or teams running up and down the halls or trucks running along the road all night.” Widowed soon after the association was founded, Fort relied on support from family, friends, and the bed-and-breakfast community as she planned parties and corporate retreats to support five children in high school and college. She has hosted state and national politicians, and provided rooms for businesspeople on extended stays, honeymooners, destination travelers
and guests attending family reunions and funerals. As executive director of the Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association, Fort promotes inn ownership as a nice way to be independent and have a flexible schedule while earning an income. She travels extensively throughout the state and finds “beauty in everything,” she says, reveling in road trips that underscore the diversity of the state’s ecosystem and reveal scenic byways and businesses with “stories to tell.” “If you’re bored with I-70, get off the big road,” she advises. fortscedarview.com
Topeka writer Kim Gronniger enjoys meeting the finest folks of Kansas, and her favorite attraction is Liberty Hall. kansasmag .com • kansas!
Lynda Fort, Kansas Bed and Breakfast Association
After moving from eastern Kansas to Ulysses, Lynda Fort, a music teacher, discovered while hanging diapers on a clothesline that the first one would be dry by the time the last one was hung. The Topeka native knew in that moment she was “home.” “I loved the folks and didn’t miss the humidity,” she says. She describes her Ulysses friends and neighbors as “pioneers in progress” in oil and gas, as well as feedlot and electric wind farm development, and she praises the community’s commitment to parks and recreational facilities as a draw for area residents and visitors alike. A secretary for many years, Fort ignored the high school aptitude test pinpointing her sales personality. But after establishing Fort’s Cedar View Bed-and-Breakfast with her husband in 1987 and helping create the
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Taste of Kansas Don’t leave hungry—stop by an airport restaurant before soaring into the wild blue
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recipes O u r Fav o r i t e s
A irp o rt st eakh o u s e han d m a d e o n ion rin gs • 1 jumbo yellow onion (sliced into ¼- inch slices) • ½ pound flour • 1 tablespoon seasoning salt • ¼ gallon milk
A
s air travel has transformed from stick-and-rudder to autopilot, people like to make time to visit their favorite restaurant before or after a flight. These four restaurants, steeped in nostalgia, represent quintessential Kansas airport eateries within eye-shot of all the action. Rumble Down the Runway Stearman Field Bar & Grill - Benton stearmanbarandgrill.com
Ground Control Airport Steakhouse – Hutchinson airportsteakhouse.com As the oldest steakhouse in Reno County (opening in the 1950s), the Airport Steakhouse has always been the destination for an exceptional dining experience. “Actually, people don’t come for the aviation action, since only a small percentage of our business caters to pilots,” says Kevin Bowen, owner. “Mostly, we attract locals from Hutchinson and the surrounding areas who enjoy our unique location right off the tarmac. Apparently, the view is what people crave.
opposite Stearman Field Bar & Grill in Benton serves up a delicious burger in fine hangar fashion. Photograph by Ze Bernardinello ABOVE Airport Steakhouse in Hutchinson lures diners in with an upscale menu and extensive wine list. Photograph by Aaron East
Preparation Ring onions by popping out centers. Place sliced onion rings in water to soak. Mix flour and seasoning salt in mixing bowl. Drain water and place onions in flour. Coat them, place in milk and set to dry. Once they are dry, start procedure over, adding one flour bath. Fry at 350 degrees for 2 minutes and 20 seconds, or until golden brown.
B eau m o nt S ig nat u r e S t eak S o u p • 3 pounds cubed prime rib • 1 cup peas • 1 diced large onion • 3 diced large carrots • Half a stalk of diced celery • 2 tablespoons salt • 1 tablespoon pepper • 1 cup diced tomatoes • 2 teaspoons Tabasco • 1 gallon of beef stock or beef au jus Preparation Place vegetables in skillet and caramelize them. Add beef, and simmer for about 15 minutes, then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, and slowly add cornstarch slurry (¼ cup cornstarch plus 1 cup cold water, mixed smoothly) to thicken soup. This can also be frozen, and it reheats well for use later. (Yields 1 gallon.)
Taste of Kansas
A buzz of engines is exactly what patrons stopping by Stearman Field Bar & Grill at Benton Airpark want to hear. Given the chance, the restaurant is just the ticket. “People absolutely love sitting on our patio to watch planes come and go,” says Yvette Ysidro, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Monte. Perhaps it’s the thrill of hearing all that horsepower revving up; most of the guests fly frequently. Overlooking a 1-mile runway that’s recently been enlarged to handle props and jets, Stearman serves up a hearty menu including burgers, pizza, specialty salads and steaks. The place is dressed with hangar doors opening onto the patio and model airplanes dangling from the ceiling. “We even have a stage for live
music,” says Ysidro. A bustling schedule serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week keeps Ysidro incredibly busy managing a staff of 40 and a slew of regular customers. For her, the whole idea is to keep customers happy, with a byproduct being the revitalization of this small airport. Currently, the hangars are full and people are lined up waiting to watch the planes. “People can eat, get a beer and catch movies on our televisions. Everything here is designed to enhance the experience. This is aviation front and center,” Ysidro says.
find More recipes online at kansasmag.com
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The café at the Beaumont Hotel offers good ol’ home cooking and plenty of aviation and motorcycle memorabilia. Photograph by Ze Bernardinello BELOW The delicious omelet from Tammy’s Billard Airport Café. Photograph Bill Stephens
We can’t overlook our handmade onion rings and the pit-fired steaks, of course.” Airport Steakhouse serves breakfast five days a week, servicing early birds and airport workers, followed by lunch and dinner daily. In addition to the main dining room and lounge, the private event room can seat 150. “We must be on the right track; we’re consistently voted as Hutchinson’s favorite steakhouse by the Hutchinson News Readers Choice Awards,” says Bowen.
Taste of Kansas
Flaps Down The Beaumont Hotel – Beaumont beaumonthotelks.com
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An airstrip carved out of the native prairie grass, which often doubles as Beaumont’s main street, is one of those unexpected delights for travelers in Kansas. Stephen Craig— pilot, history buff and owner of the Beaumont Hotel, perched on a plateau in the Flint Hills—can take most of the credit. “It’s an understatement to say the Beaumont Hotel, opened in 1879, had seen better days. But I thought this historic place needed to be saved,” says Craig, who bought the hotel and the airstrip in 2001. “We’re now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” Today people can fly in to Beaumont (population 45), park right in front of the hotel, pop out for some home-style cooking and take off. The cafe serves everyone from hunters and bikers to car-club enthusiasts and recreational pilots. The Hotel is up-to-date, but the cafe is a trip back in time. Along with lunch and dinner, the Sunday buffet and heavy-duty breakfasts have people lined up, especially for fly-in weekends on the second Saturday of the month (April-October). Try the Chicken Fried Steak, the $100 burger or the hot roast beef sandwich—all are delicious. “People from all over the world have stayed with us, always managing to compliment the talented community women who
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cook for us. We once served 540 people in one day,” Craig says proudly. Fly Girl Tammy’s Billard Airport café – Topeka 3600 N.E. Sardou, Topeka (785) 232-3669 Topeka’s Billard Municipal Airport is just slightly off the beaten path. The tiny airport north of the city is surprisingly busy, attracting corporate jets, helicopters and charters. And it’s an easy hop from the plane right into Tammy Bailey’s Billard Airport café, which sits inside the terminal. Bailey knows the iconic cafe inside and out. “I managed the restaurant for 21 years, then I decided to buy it in 2005,” she says. Bailey didn’t hesitate to make this restaurant a family affair. “We only have seven employees, and most of them are family: my daughter, son, daughter-in-law, et cetera,” she says. Breakfast and lunch are served daily from 7 a.m.-2 p.m. It isn’t unusual for Bailey to overhear that her fried chicken is the best in town. “But that doesn’t mean everything else isn’t just as good. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s good ole’ American. Especially our omelets. We have a ton and they’re always a hit.” Pies or fries—Overland Park writer Gloria Gale isn’t picky about airport diners.
William Allen White, editor of The Emporia Gazette, was known as a keen observer of social happenings and politics, a talent that often resulted in thoughtprovoking editorials. Today his words continue to provide perspective and reflection on our current social atmosphere; such is the case with “To an Anxious Friend.” Published in 1922, the editorial was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1923 (not bad for a column that grew out of White’s earlier brush with the law). This year marks the 90th anniversary of the honor and a chance to reflect on the mountains moved by the revered Kansan. kshs.org/portal_william_allen_white
Image courtesy of kansasmemory.org, Kansas State Historical Society
Milestone of Kansas
william allen white “to an anxious friend”
The
barn bed & bReakfasT inn
visit with other guests or your friends in one of our three living rooms or over a great evening meal.
Great for family reunion, quiltinG retreats and scrap bookinG. a 21 room bed & breakfast inn situated in the gentle rolling hills of ne kansas.
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