KANSAS! Magazine | Summer Like a Kid Again Issue No. 4 2022 by Kansas Magazine

2022

| VOL 78

ISSUE 4

KANSASMAG.COM

Like a Kid Again Our guide to old-fashioned summertime fun across the state: fairs, pools, carousels and more.

A L S O I N T H I S I S S U E // Kayaking the Kaw // Exploring Frederic Remington’s Kansas Legacy Sampling the State’s Best Cheeses // Hot Rods and More at The Garage in Salina Remembering that First Summer Love ... and other Sunflower State memories!

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WHAT’S IN THESE PAGES

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Summer Like a Kid Again Enjoy this list of 15 easy-to-plan, classic ways to celebrate the long days of sunshine across the state

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Ride into The Garage Salina’s new car museum represents the latest in a growing network of specialized vintage and customized auto showcases around the state

PHOTOGRAPH Abbey Lind

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WHAT’S IN THESE PAGES

departments WIDE OPEN SPACES

KANSAS DETAILS

10 Cuisine Fine Food and Good Eats

34 2022 Garmin KC Air Show Midwest’s largest air show takes to the Kansas skies this Labor Day weekend

12 Heartland People and Places that Define Us 15 Culture Arts and Experiences

40 Dwayne’s Prints On A world-famous photo lab in Kansas continues to thrive under a new generation

16 Kansas Air The Freshness of Outdoor Life 20 Lens A Conversation with KANSAS! Photographers

PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM TOP) David Mayes, Nick Krug (2)

22 The Kansan Authentic Life in the Sunflower State

IN EVERY ISSUE 7 8 58 64

24 Reasons We Love Kansas Celebrating Unique Attractions 26 Must See Upcoming Events to Enjoy

28 Taste of Kansas: Kansas Cheesemakers Cheesemakers across the state are putting Kansas on the map with their locally made artisanal varieties

Extra Details From the Editor KANSAS! Gallery From the Poet Laureate

ON THE COVER A young girl leaps into a backyard wading pool in Wichita. Photograph by Abbey Lind.

2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Kansas Tourism, a division of the Kansas Department of Commerce

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KANSAS! (ISSN 0022-8435) is published five (5) times per year by Kansas Tourism 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 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 $5 per issue; subscription price $20 per year; $36 for two years. All prices include all applicable sales tax. Please address subscription inquiries to: Toll-free: 800.678.6424 KANSAS!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 Email: kansas.mag@ks.gov | 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!, 1000 SW Jackson St., Suite 100 Topeka, KS 66612 email: kansas.mag@ks.gov The articles and photographs that appear in KANSAS! magazine may not be broadcast, published or otherwise reproduced without the express written consent of Kansas Tourism or the appropriate copyright owner. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Additional restrictions may apply.

Find your why:

IT’S ALL IN THE “EXTRA”

details

One of our features in this edition highlights the enormous range and numbers of car museums throughout the state. In addition to these museums, Kansas also hosts a number of annual car shows. If classic cars, hot rods, drag cars, muscle cars and more are your type of excitement, be sure to check out the Automobilia Moonlight Car Show and Street Party in Wichita on July 9 (visitwichita.com), the Kustom Kemps of America Leadsled Spectacular in Salina July 28–31 (KustomKempsofAmerica. com), or the Rev It Up! Hot Rod Street Festival in Lawrence on October 1 (revitupcarshow.org).

VROOM!

BOB’S PLACE

The Walnut Valley Music Festival began in 1972 as a onetime gathering in Winfield and grown into a nationally recognized event for bluegrass and Americana music aficionados. On its 50th anniversary, the festival has opened a museum in downtown Winfield, open to the public during the festival days and by appointment during the rest of the year. Bob’s Place, named in honor of the festival’s longtime director and driving force, Bob Redford, displays literature, timelines and even a Monopoly-style game called Walnut Valley Land Rush inspired by the festival (anyone who familiar with the camping arrangements for the festival will immediately understand the reference, as well as the “properties” and “tasks” associated with the game). Of course, there are also musical instruments, including two Martin guitars and a Trigg guitar, donated to the festival. Martin guitars are some of the most-after instruments and are played by a large percentage of acoustic guitar professionals. The Trigg guitar is made from walnut instead of the more standard Sitka spruce used for most flat-top guitars. The museum also has a good selection of festival merchandise, including T-shirts, DVDs, and guitar picks. This year the festival will be September 14–18. wvfest.com

around the state page 15 Norton

PHOTOGRAPH Bill Stephens

page 26 Stockton page 33 Hugoton page 49 Wilmore

page 50 Salina page 11 Blue Mound page 46 Coffeyville page 28 Durham

Above Bart Redford, executive director of the Walnut Valley Festival and son of Bob Redford, shows some of the festival’s merchandise at the new Bob’s Place museum.

page 25 Onaga

IRMA AWARDS We’re proud to announce that KANSAS! magazine took several awards at this year’s annual gathering of the International Regional Magazine Association, a professional group dedicated to the highest standards of magazine publication. The awards included a gold for Beccy Tanner’s story on the anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail, a silver for Amber Fraley’s profile of astronaut Ed Dwight, a bronze for Shelly Bryant’s art direction of a feature story on Haunted Atchison, a bronze for Lana Grove’s illustration of an 1890s airship abduction, and finalist distinction for Andrea Etzel and staff for magazine of the year. 2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

A hello FROM OUR EDITOR

d I on n a r e t a My sisorse Shung our h

When I was a kid, it felt like summer lasted forever. Long days filled with riding bikes, exploring nature and finding the nearest swimming pool once the temperature hit sweltering. My youngest years, before we moved to “the city,” were spent bouncing around the homes of my grandparents, all of whom lived in the country. In the mornings, I helped in the garden gathering strawberries. Of course, by “gathering” I mean eating. Once strawberry season was over, I turned my attention to the cherry tree and crawled up and to collect the juicy, tart fruit in an old, juice-stained bucket so grandma could make pie. During the days, I tagged along with my grandfathers when they went horseback riding and fishing, both still favorite pastimes of mine. I can’t help but look back fondly on these memories, and each new summer as an adult, I try to recreate the season of my youth. What is it about summer that makes us want to be a kid again? It’s nostalgia. Melted ice cream on sticky hands, twinkling lights of the county fair, a hot dog at the baseball park, and the wonder of watching flickering lightening bugs under a blanket of stars. In their story “Summer Like a Kid Again” (pg. 44), writers Cecilia Harris and Beccy Tanner provide you with an easy-to-follow recipe to recapture those youthful vibes. Now to switch gears (pun intended), did you know Kansas has more than 13 car museums across the state? The latest, The Garage, opened this past spring in Salina and displays a rotating collection of rare and vintage cars. To find the complete list of museums and to read more about The Garage, see our story “Ride into the Garage” (pg. 50). Here’s to us all enjoying a little bit of golden, lazy days this summer.

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KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

ANDREA ETZEL

EDITOR, KANSAS! MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHS Andrea Etzel

facebook.com/KansasMagazine

Bringing Home Gold Last month I had the honor of attending the 42nd annual International Regional Magazine Association’s awards dinner. I’m pleased to share that KANSAS! came home with some new bling. Our publication received four awards and was recognized as a finalist for Magazine of the Year. Some might say it takes a village to publish a magazine, but I’ve always felt with ours it takes a whole state. Kansas is blessed with talented writers, photographers, and artists—from every region and corner. The magazine is created by passionate Kansans for those who live here or have an affinity for the state. Each year our editorial and creative teams challenge ourselves to raise the bar and craft the finest magazine we can to celebrate the best of the Sunflower State. Along with thanking our publishing team, I also want to thank our printing partner, Allen Press. With each issue, they take over a year’s worth of work—hours of research, traveling, writing, editing, design, and layout—and make it sparkle on glossy pages.

Where in Kansas?

KANSAS DETAILS

Blue Mound

Manhattan

Garden City

cuisine

Rolled Ice Cream Shops across the state bring a sweet approach to an old summer favorite Story by Cecilia Harris

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Ice cream enthusiasts opting to build their own creations simply order their preferred ice cream flavor and then select mix-ins and toppings from a long list. “I would say that customers can choose from at least 50 different types of toppings,” Lee says. Those toppings include fruit, chocolate chips and brownies as well as pocky (Japanese biscuit sticks), yogo jelly ( flavored jelly cubes), custard pudding and aloe vera. Lee opened the business four years ago for one simple reason: “My kids like ice cream.” my-site-pandoraicecream.square.site facebook.com/PandoraIceCream 785.560.5946

Above A worker prepares ice cream rolls at Pandora Rolled Ice Cream. Opposite Pandora serves several flavors of ice cream with more than 20 suggested topping and flavor combinations.

PHOTOGRAPHS David Mayes

A treat to the eyes and palate, the international trend of hand-rolled ice cream began in Thailand and has swept through Kansas. Mprll Lee, owner of Pandora Rolled Ice Cream in Manhattan, compares the preparation of rolled ice cream to an art form. To prepare a cup of rolled ice cream, the server must first pour a sweetened milk-based liquid (coconut milk for the lactose-intolerant) onto an extremely cold slab. The server then stirs and chops the mixture in a process almost like scrambling eggs. Fruits and syrups are added for flavor to create aesthetically-pleasing color swirls in the ice cream. As the ice cream begins to freeze on the slab, the server spreads a thin rectangle and uses a spatula to roll the semi-solid ice cream into cylinders. The cylinders are then arranged vertically in a cup and sprinkled with multicolored toppings. Pandora’s menu lists more than 20 suggested combinations, such as Monkey Business, made using a sweet cream base with banana and Nutella and topped with chocolate sauce, banana and whipped cream. Thai Chai features fruit lychee mixed into Thai tea ice cream and topped with lychee popping pearls (bubbles filled with fruit-flavored juices that pop when you bite them), rainbow mochi (short-grained sweet rice), and sweetened condensed milk. Because her business is located in Aggieville, near the Kansas State University campus, Lee created a special flavor as an homage to the K-State cheer. EMAW (Every Man a Wildcat) features fresh bananas, strawberries and blackberries mixed into vanilla ice cream and topped with whipped cream, teddy bear cookies and chocolate sauce.

KANSAS DETAILS

cuisine

Penguin Rolled Ice Cream Garden City Choose from 22 flavors of ice cream at Penguin Rolled Ice Cream, and then enjoy having your unique dessert be created by hand. A popular combination with younger customers is Rainbow Magic, which features Fruity Pebbles and sprinkles along with plenty of whipped cream and more sprinkles on the top. Adults often prefer Fruitalicious, made from real fruit, or Chocolate Dream. facebook.com/ PenguinRolledIce CreamGardenCity 620.271.1251

B&D Stir Fried Ice Cream Blue Mound Look for the B&D Stir Fried Ice Cream mobile food trailer when attending a festival or car show in southeast Kansas. B&D lists 10 favorite rolled ice cream combinations, such as Brownie Delight with chocolate syrup, but you can create your own entirely new combinations by selecting your toppings. facebook.com/ banddstirfry icecream 785.304.0800

KANSAS DETAILS

Where in Kansas? Leavenworth

Manhattan

Wichita

heartland

Beep! Flash! Pow! Vintage arcades usher in the return of games with not much computing power, but plenty of nostalgia By Cecilia Harris

thearcadewichita.com | 316.844.0010

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

The Retro-Cade Arcade Leavenworth If you never mastered Pump it Up in 1999, now you can. The popular, retro interactive dance-challenge game is just one of more than 80 arcade games at Leavenworth’s Retro-Cade. Other vintage games include Asteroids (1979), Centipede (1981), Arch Rivals (basketball, 1989), Silent Scope (1999), Crazy Taxi (2000) and a comparatively modern pinball machine from 2008. facebook.com/The.Retro.Cade.KS 913.565.2984

Far Out Arcade Manhattan Expect the unexpected, such as an occasional live band and a giant chess set standing amid retro electronic games at the Far Out Arcade in Manhattan. Visitors pay one fee for two hours of free play on popular retro games such as Time Crisis, Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Driving, Terminator, and Dance, Dance Revolution. Games are added and rotated on a regular basis. far-out-arcade.business.site 785.341.9303 Opposite The Arcade in Wichita features vintage video games, carnival games and pinball machines.

PHOTOGRAPHS Justin Lister

What will it be: controlling your star fighter to prevent evil forces from destroying mankind or mastering the flippers to run up a pinball score? Whatever your nostalgic game of choice, The Arcade in Wichita offers up vintage-era electronic entertainment that was all the rage before the rise of home gaming consoles and personal computers. Co-owners Derek Sorrells and Michael Jensen began The Arcade inside a historic building of Wichita’s Old Town by pulling in machines from their personal collections. “I’m a child of the ’80s. I decided to purchase my own arcade game in 2010, and before I knew it I had 48 of them,” says Sorrells. Now, The Arcade features dozens of 1980s and 1990s arcade games like Donkey Kong, Super Mario Brothers, Dragon’s Lair and TRON. Patrons pay an entrance fee to play 90 video arcade games set to unlimited free play; quarters are required only on the two Skee-ball machines, the Giant Pac-Man game, and the classic pinball machines with themes such as The Addams Family or Stranger Things. The most-played video games include Pac-Man, Ms Pac-Man and Galaga from the 1980s, and Mortal Kombat and multiple-player games NBA Jam and NFL Blitz from the 1990s. Sorrells says he has been surprised that the games attract people of all ages, races and genders. “I thought it just would be for old guys like me,” he adds. Parents also call regularly to schedule birthday parties for children under age 12; games such as Pac-Man have only one control or a couple of buttons that kids can master easily while others are more complicated to suit older players. “It brings families together,” Sorrells says. “You’ll see 40- to 45-year olds bring in their teenage kids, both boys and girls, and you’ll hear Dad say, ‘This is what it was like when I was a kid,’ and they will get to play games with their kids that they played as a kid and it brings them together.”

KANSAS DETAILS

Where in Kansas? Lawrence

El Dorado

Wichita

Norton

Remington Rides On The works of renowned Western artist Frederic Remington and statues inspired by him are collected and displayed throughout the state

PHOTOGRAPH Bronco Busters 1954, courtesy Spencer Museum of Art

By Lisa Waterman Gray

A jaw-dropping 10-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a cowboy astride a bucking horse fills the foyer at First State Bank in Norton. Based on Frederic Remington’s much smaller original Rattlesnake, this is one of several reproductions of Remington sculptures at the bank. Other reproductions include Double Trouble, Coming Through the Rye, Wooly Chaps, Stampede, Double Trouble, Buffalo Signal, and Buffalo Horse. Reproductions of Remington sculptures also decorate the grounds of Norton Public Library, too. They include the life-sized Bronco Buster, Mountain Man, and Wicked Pony. These statues are only one of the state’s connections to the famed sculptor of Western themes and personas who was also resident of the Whitewater area and invested in a sheep ranch near Peabody about 10 years before he turned to sculpting his famous Western scenes around 1895. Rattlesnake arrived in Norton in 2007, a purchase initiated with a phone call from family members of bank owner Norman Nelson to bank president and CEO John Engelbert. “They told me it would look awesome in the bank foyer,” recalls Engelbert. “I asked how big it was and how much it weighed. After their laughter stopped, they said, ‘a ton and 10 feet tall.’ When I asked, ‘How in the world are we going to get that in the bank?’ [they] assured me, ‘It won’t be a problem.’” A forklift delivered the sculpture to the sidewalk next to the bank. Approximately 10 people helped to lift and move it into the foyer through the front doors, with

culture

about 1/8-inch to spare. The bank lobby welcomes visitors to view the sculptures during regular operating hours. Norton | firstatebank.com | 785.877.3341 Museum of World Treasures | Wichita

Several bronze sculptures at this Wichita museum emulate Frederic Remington’s work. The reproductions are based on Remington’s pieces such as Mountain Man and Coming through the Rye, but contain small, intentional differences. worldtreasures.org | 316.263.1311 The Coutts Museum of Art | El Dorado

Established in 1970, this private museum owns 21 recasts of Frederic Remington sculptures, each authorized by the Frederic Remington Society. As of spring 2022, two Remington recasts were on display. Acquired at various times, the sculptures in this collection vary widely in size. But two of the largest recasts are about 3½ feet long and 2 feet wide. With an overall collection encompassing more than 1,500 fine art pieces of from renowned and local artists, this unique regional museum primarily focuses on works by Kansas artists, which includes Remington because of his shortlived career as a Kansas sheep farmer. couttsmuseum.org | 316.321.1212 Spencer Museum of Art | Lawrence

The Spencer Museum of Art’s The Bronco Buster is an authorized 1906 reproduction created with Frederic Remington’s original molding. The nearly 2-foot tall sculpture is not on display this summer, but beginning in 2023, visitors can request a viewing of the work by making an appointment in advance through the Stephen H. Goddard Study Center and its ongoing program that receives visitors and allows for viewings of other works in the collection on most Fridays. spencerart.ku.edu | 785.864.4710

2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

KANSAS DETAILS

kansas air

Floating Down the Kaw State programs, nonprofit groups and outdoor equipment suppliers have made it easy to explore and enjoy a treasured waterway

Growing up in the early 1980s, Dawn Buehler rarely saw other boats on the Kansas (or “Kaw”) River when she and her sister played along sandbars, fished and drifted peacefully in the current where the river passed their family farm near DeSoto. Growing up in the early 1980s, Dawn Buehler rarely saw other boats on the Kansas River when she and her sister played along sandbars, fished and drifted peacefully in the current where the river passed their family farm near DeSoto. Now, Buehler sees the river often dotted with paddlers in canoes or kayaks, and she wants to make sure more people are aware of the opportunity to paddle down the river. “It’s all been about getting people access, and we have that now. There are 19 public access points along the 173 miles of the Kaw,” says Buehler, who heads the nonprofit group Friends of the Kaw under the title of River Keeper. “We also have businesses up and down the river that help by renting kayaks, canoes and do guided trips.” Buehler says access and popularity have steadily improved since the State of Kansas, Friends of the Kaw and other groups started adding boat ramps about 25 years ago. The river gained national recognition when the U.S. National Park Service endorsed it as a National Water Trail about 10 years ago, one of the first American rivers with such distinction because of its recreational possibilities. The Kansas River begins where the Smoky Hill and Republican rivers meet in Junction City and ends where it meets the Missouri River in Kansas City. Only three Kansas rivers—the Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas—are classified as “navigable,” which means they’re open to public use. Private property begins at the high-water mark along the banks. Because crossing onto those private lands without permission is considered trespassing, access was limited until the state started developing public access points through purchases or improvements of public land along the river. Distances between access points range from about two to 30 miles. Buehler says camping on sandbars is becoming increasingly popular for those floating the river.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

She reminds floaters to realize the Kansas is not the same kind of river they may have floated in the Ozarks or Rockies. “It’s one of the longest prairie rivers in the world,” she says. “None of the tributaries begin in any kind of mountains. It can be a slow river compared to others. You will have to paddle, at least some, to make decent time.” The gentle slope of the river is often a reason for the river’s slow current. Buehler says it’s not usually a good river for things like inner tubes or rafts. The flow rate can vary greatly, even from day to day. As well as heavy rains, water releases at Milford, Tuttle Creek, Perry and Clinton reservoirs can add a lot of velocity to the flow. Buehler and others recommend beginners stick to flows no higher than 5,000 feet per second and 8,000 feet per second for experienced paddlers. The Friends of the Kaw website, kansasriver.org, provides current flow rates and a comprehensive map showing all river access points. The website has information on group programs, such as clean-up floats. Their instructional floats to teach newbies about Kansas River kayaking and sandbar camping are very popular.

PHOTOGRAPHS Michael Pearce

By Michael Pearce

KANSAS DETAILS

kansas air Rentals for the river Kaw Valley Canoe Rentals A Topeka-based service rents kayaks and canoes any time the river is safe for floating. They loan racks for renters’ vehicles and load kayaks for no extra charge. For an extra fee, canoes and kayaks can be dropped off and/or picked up at the river. kawvalleycanoerental.com | 785.817.1847 Kaw River Adventures A few miles from Silver Lake, the business is based around a sizable, fully equipped rental cabin right along the river’s shore. Guests can bring their own kayaks or canoes or arrange for staff to deliver and pick up a rented kayak. kawriveradventures.com | 785.554.1170 360 Kayaking The Junction City-based float service delivers and picks up rental kayaks and canoes for floats from 10 to 24 miles. Return to the launch site can be arranged. 360kayaking.com | 785.761.7732

Up a Creek Canoe and Kayak Rental The full-service rental operation is based in Perry and does self-haul rentals and complete drop-off and pick-up services. Floats range from 3½ to 11 miles. Has access to privately owned lands for river access. upacreek.biz | 785.840.4204 Fort Riley Outdoor Recreation Center Rental of camping gear, kayaks, canoes and trailers, if needed. No drop-off or pick up services. Rentals available to military or civilians with a Fort Riley access permit. riley.armymwr.com | 785.239.2363 Dirty Girl Adventures Topeka-based, they offer guided float trips anywhere along the Kansas River. Sections 8 to 10 miles long are selected based on current river conditions. Gear can be rented for those on guided trips. No small children. No rentals for self-guided floats. They offer guided floats with mixed groups or can arrange for custom floats and camping trips for groups of 10 or more. dirtygirladventures.com | 785.220.8122

KANSAS DETAILS

kansas air

Manhattan— Paddle Capital of Kansas Many towns along the Kansas River embrace its recreational possibilities. None, however, can compare to Manhattan. Kayaks are sold everywhere, from lumber yards and farm equipment stores to mass merchants and sporting goods stores. Kansas State University Outdoor Rental Center The Kansas State University Outdoor Rental Center rents canoes, kayaks, trailers and camping gear to students, faculty, employees, and alumni. recservices.k-state.edu | 785-532-6980

ate

WASHINGTON

COUNTY TOURISM

785.325.2116 | washingtoncountyks.gov FISHING AND PUBLIC HUNTING

The Wahington County State Fishing Lake is located 12 miles NW of Washington

Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department On July 9, Manhattan Parks and Recreation Department and other groups sponsor the Little Apple Paddle, a Kansas River float for hundreds of pre-registered paddlers. On October 15, Manhattan Parks and Recreation and Tuttle Creek State Park will host the evening Glow Float. mhkprd.com | 785.587.2757 Tuttle Creek State Park Tuttle Creek State Park’s 80-acre River Pond offers kayaking on placid waters that are ideal for beginners and families. The state park rents canoes and kayaks Thursdays–Mondays. 785.539.7941

KS Magazine SpringSummer.qxp_Layout 1 5/18/22 2:54 PM Page 1

LIVING COLOR IN THE FLINT HILLS America’s vast, tallgrass prairie is our backyard. Space to roam and relax. Tap into pulsing college town culture and historic frontier pioneer heritage. Sip grain-to-glass craft beers and feast on local farm-grown food. Take a ride

Oh Manhattan !

VISITMANHATTANKS.ORG

into the sunset on the Native Stone Scenic By-Way. From dawn to dusk, nd your happy place in Manhattan.

KANSAS DETAILS

lens

Nick Krug @nickkrug_ks nickkrug.com

A conversation with KANSAS! photographers about their lives in photography Originally raised in St. Charles, Missouri, Nick Krug initially made his way to Kansas in the summer of 1997 when he started school at the University of Kansas. After discovering his love for the state and photographing KU basketball, Nick and his wife, Louise, moved to Topeka in 2016 where they live with their two kids and cat, Cupcake.

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY Nick Krug

What was your first camera? What did you like about it? My first camera was a Nikon F that my dad’s cousin Frank brought back to him from Vietnam. It was and still is virtually indestructible, so my dad didn’t mind me messing around with it as a kid. Even without film in it and before I understood it, I loved how precise all the mechanisms sounded, how everything clicked into place. It’s currently sitting right behind me on my office shelf as I type this. Tell us about the shot that got away. While on assignment in Topeka in the mid-2000s, a reporter and I were in the home of a family who had experienced a heartbreaking loss of a loved one, and members of the community

were there helping them like people in this great town do. There were several kids in the house listening while their mother talked with the reporter in the living room. It was an emotional scene. I was sitting in a chair listening too. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the youngest child, who was probably two years old at the time, standing on top of the kitchen table listening from the next room. Her hands were together, her hair was done in two poofs on her head, and she was wearing a Sunday dress. It was late in the day, and the afternoon light was pouring through the window. It looked like a painting. I’m not sure the photo got away or maybe it wasn’t mine to begin with. Whatever the case, she absolutely froze me. I miss photos all the time, but I’ve never experienced something like this since. What have you learned from being a photographer that you wouldn’t have learned otherwise in life? To piggyback off the last question, I’m not sure I would have learned empathy in the same way had I not been a photographer, specifically a photojournalist. Often you’ll encounter people in very vulnerable situations,

and I’ve found it’s important to approach them unselfishly and with a very gentle hand. What is the most common photography advice you share with amateur photographers? It took me a long time to learn this, but I think that I most often tell young photographers to shoot photos for themselves, but also, to take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously. What was your favorite photo shoot of your entire career? I don’t know about my entire career, but my favorite shoot this year was photographing the Kansas men’s basketball team for KU Athletics. I was asked to shoot portraits on a backdrop with a ring light, which is certainly cool but also something I wasn’t really used to. Initially, I felt limited by the one-light setup, and I was frustrated, but after a quick conversation with the art directors, we added another light and got some assistants to help hold and boom the lights at various angles for me and it changed everything. The photos felt more dramatic, and the pace of the shoot picked up quite a bit.

“It took me a long time to learn this, but I think that I most often tell young photographers to shoot photos for themselves, but also, to take their work seriously, but don’t take themselves too seriously.” –Nick Krug 2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

THE

kansan

“Carhopping for me—why it makes me happy—is that I can show to customers that I can be happy in any situation. I like to interact and converse with all different kinds of people. This job has been such a good experience for me, and I don’t really know who I’d be without it. When I was little, I was really outgoing, but when I became a teenager I became more reserved. But now I can talk to a hundred people in a four-hour span without any problem. The past three years have really made me who I am.” –WINSTON JOHNSON

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

PHOTOGRAPH Deborah Walker

Winston Johnson is the son of Julia and Kirk Johnson, owners of R-B Drive In, located in Hutchinson, Kansas. Winston has worked there since his parents took ownership of the restaurant in 2016 and began carhopping in 2019. He loves interacting with the customers.

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IN THIS ISSUE

Soda Fountains

A nostalgic bit of American summer culture lives on in locations across the state From the 1920s to the 1950s, most American drugstores had soda fountains where customers could grab a carbonated drink, eat ice cream and socialize. In Kansas, more than two dozen soda fountains remain, some in vintage pharmacies and others in new locations.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

PHOTOGRAPHS (FROM LEFT) Kenny Felt, courtesy Remember When Antiques and Ice Cream

By Cecilia Harris

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reasons PHARMACY 1 MONARCH AND SODA FOUNTAIN Baxter Springs The newly opened Monarch Pharmacy and Soda Fountain was created with a deliberate retro vibe to match its location on the historic Route 66. Under a renovated tin ceiling, the pharmacy’s back bar holds fountain glassware next to old medicine bottles; a vintage-inspired sign featuring ice cream cones decorates the red brick building exterior. Monarch serves up nine flavors of homemade ice cream, sundaes, floats, malts, shakes and old-fashioned phosphate beverages. mymonarchpharmacy.com/soda-fountain 620.856.3030

KAY’S PHARMACY | Herington 2 Kids spin on one of six stools while waiting for their order of a cookies and cream or chocolate chip cookie dough single scoop at the antique soda fountain inside Kay’s Health Mart in Herington. These popular flavors are two of 16 varieties served year-round. The unique ceramictiled bar with a marble top and brass footrail is matched by the same tiled back bar with a mirror dating to 1920. The simple syrup used for fountain drinks is house-made, and an oldfashioned malt mixer creates the milkshakes. Look for Kay’s Pharmacy Herington on Facebook 785.258.3703

PHARMACY | Onaga 3 AONAGA homemade syrup and fresh, handsqueezed limes make cherry limeade a popular drink at the Onaga Pharmacy. Housed in a historic limestone building, the pharmacy features a 1950s soda fountain with original spigots and syrup pumps and the drugstore’s original wooden back bar displaying vintage glassware. Favorites at Onaga Pharmacy include cherry limeade, vanilla brownie s’mores milkshakes, and hand-dipped ice cream selections, which include standard and seasonal flavors such as pumpkin pie. facebook.com/OnagaPharmacy 785.889.7181

4 REMEMBER WHEN ANTIQUES AND ICE CREAM

Cimarron Remember When Antiques and Ice Cream features a vintage soda fountain that was brought into the former drug store nine years ago. Customers enjoy favorite drinks such as the black and white (vanilla ice cream sundae with chocolate and marshmallow toppings) at eight redtop spinning chrome stools along the 1920s serving counter. facebook.com/ rememberwhenkansas 620.855.4484

HODGE PODGE | Glasco 5 When Judy Wells grew up in Glasco in the 1960s, The Hodge Podge pharmacy and store was already a community staple. Its mirrored back bar was brought across the street from an earlier pharmacy, and its vintage soda fountain had already been somewhat updated. Wells returned to the Glasco area and ended up purchasing the pharmacy— along with its vintage soda fountain and six red stools—in 1998. “It’s hard to keep some of the components working,” she says, but the fountain still works, and an original spigot continues to fill glasses with carbonated water. Look for Hodge Podge Glasco on Facebook | 785.568.2542

GIBSON HEALTH MART SODA SHOP | WaKeeney 6 First installed in a drugstore in 1892 and serving generations of families, the nine-stool soda fountain inside Gibson Health Mart in WaKeeney may be the oldest operating soda fountain in the state. Although it has been altered over the years, the counter still holds original pumps filled with house-made syrups and flavorings. The malt machine and soda glasses fill the fountain’s back bar. The Soda Shop offers 100 flavors, with legendary drinks like vanilla cream Coke and Green River. Also popular are hand-squeezed limeades and lemonades and homemade malts. gibsonhealthmart.com | 785.743.5753

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June 17–18 | Stockton Stockton Rodders, Inc. presents the 12th annual Swing into Summer Car Show. This two-day event will feature a cruise night on Friday 6–10 p.m., and a car show on Saturday, 8 a.m.–3 p.m. in Stockton City Park. kestercustoms.com/stockton-carshow

PARKED! June 24 | Shawnee City of Shawnee Parks and Recreation presents a free night of fun featuring music, food trucks and fireworks. The event will take place in Stump Park, 5:30–9:30 p.m. shawnee-ks.com/visit-shawnee/ event-parked-festival/

Lights on the Lake June 25 | Osawatomie Celebrate the Fourth of July a little early this year with Osawatomie’s Lights on the Lake 3–10:30 p.m. Activities will include bounce equipment, a balloon artist, food vendors, concert and a fireworks display. Visit Osawatomie’s Lights on the Lake Facebook page for updates.

Sundown Salute June 30–July 4 | Milford Celebrate this Independence Day at the 50th annual Sundown Salute

festival. Visitors can expect a parade, freedom run, car show, veterans ceremony and more. To view the full schedule of events and more visit sundownsalutejc.org.

Hepler Ruritan Club Rodeo July 3–4 | Hepler Hepler Ruritan Club Rodeo features two days of activities including a dance, parade, fireworks and more. Visit online to see the full schedule of events. travelks.com

Little Apple Paddle July 9 | Manhattan Manhattan Parks and Recreation presents the Little Apple Paddle. This annual event features a 10-mile joy ride down the Kansas River. Paddlers will depart from the Linear Trail Head boat ramp at 9 a.m. Life jackets are required. manhattancvb.org/event/littleapple-paddle/971/

Country Stampede July 14–16 | Topeka This summer, enjoy the annual threeday outdoor music and camping festival featuring some of your favorite country music artists. This year’s lineup includes Kid Rock, Randall King, Runaway June and more. countrystampede.com

Dodge City Round Up Rodeo August 2–7 | Dodge City Get ready for an action-packed week of fun at the annual Dodge City Round Up Rodeo. Rodeo-goers can expect six days of activities including bull riding, fireworks, food and more. Visit online for the full event schedule. dodgecityroundup.org

Dierks Bentley August 6 | Wichita Country music artist Dierks Bentley is live at the Intrust Bank Arena. The show kicks off at 7 p.m. and features special guests Ashley McBryde, Travis Denning and DJ Aydamn. intrustbankarena.com/dierks

Sunflower Festival Trail Run August 27 | Buhler Kansas Maze presents the 4th annual Sunflower Festival Trail Run featuring a 5k and 1-mile course. Go online to register or contact info@kansasmaze. com for additional information. kansasmaze.com/sunflowertrailrun

PHOTOGRAPH courtesy Johansen Krause

Summer Car Show

Proud Past – Brilliant Future Come Visit Eisenhower State Park Pomona State Park 785-528-3714 (Osage City Hall) www.OsageCity.com

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Shawnee Topeka

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Kansas Cheesemakers Cheesemakers across the state are putting Kansas on the map with their locally made artisanal varieties Story by Meta Newell West Photography by Dave Leiker

n a third-generation farmstead near Durham, Jason and Sheri Wiebe—with the help of their herd of dairy cows—are creating cheese varieties that have won international attention ever since their Eleanor’s Jalapeño Cheddar took second place in the Flavored Natural Cheese Class at the 2006 World Dairy Expo. Wiebe Dairy began making cheeses about 22 years when Jason began looking for ways to expand the market for the milk from his dairy herd. Sheri, who grew up in the dairy region of Manitoba, Canada, suggested that cheese was the logical choice. To get started, the couple visited the cheesemaking lab at Kansas State University, then bought books and began experimenting in their farm kitchen. “We made five pounds of cheese almost daily and sold it through word of mouth,” Sheri recalls. While they started with pasteurized cheeses, they eventually added raw-milk cheeses, which continue to be popular with customers. “There’s a huge market for raw-milk cheese,” Sheri explains. Aged for at least 60 days and at controlled temperatures, the raw-milk cheese is not subjected to

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Left Wiebe Dairy creates its cheese from its herd of resident cows. Opposite A charcuterie board highlights the variety of Wiebe Dairy cheeses.

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the pasteurization process, which some believe kills off helpful bacteria that aid in digestion. Licensed through the Kansas Department of Agriculture, the dairy can advertise their raw-milk cheese and sell their cheeses to grocery stores, specialty markets, farmers markets and wholesalers. Cheese can also be sold out of state.

“We made five pounds of cheese almost daily and sold it through word of mouth.” –Sheri Wiebe

Open May thru November Call for current days of operation Hours: 1-5 PM 502 N. Washington Wellington, KS 67152 620.326.3820 | facebook.com/ctmuseum www.ctmuseumks.com

Whether natural or pasteurized, cheddar is the Wiebes’ most popular variety. They sell cheddar in mild, medium or sharp, and with several flavor varieties, including their bestseller, Cottonwood River Reserve. This pale yellow cheese—unique to Wiebe Dairy—takes its name from the river that runs through the farm. The Wiebes describe its taste as “new age” cheddar made from raw milk. Aged for up to a year and a half, its flavor is intense, slightly sweet with a citrus note while its texture includes whitish spots of tyrosine crystals that add crunch. Those crystals may taste salty, but they are amino acid clusters that are indicative of a well-aged cheese. Other tried-and-true Wiebe cheese flavors include Cajun, smoky southwest chipotle, dill weed, garlic and herb, and garden vegetable.

ADD YOUR DESTINATION OR ATTRACTION in KANSAS! Magazine Contact Sunflower Publishing for details sunpubads@sunflowerpub.com 785.832.7264

The dairy stores and ages their cheese in custom-made boxes.

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Wiebe Cheese

Charcuterie Board with Beer Cheese Dip Charcuterie boards are ideal for entertaining and the perfect way to showcase a selection of farmhouse cheeses. Choose cheeses with a variety of colors, textures, and flavors. Fresh curds will offer a mild taste and create a “squeak” when eaten. Cheddars, available in white, pale yellow to yellow-orange colors, offer a smooth, firm texture and intensities that range from mild to sharp. Also include cheeses flavored with herbs and vegetables. To allow the full flavor of natural cheeses to shine through, remove them from the refrigerator about 30 minutes prior to serving, permitting them to come to room temperature. Add in meat slices, crackers and fruits to complete the board, along with this beer cheese dip.

Beer Cheese Dip Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients • • • •

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened 1 (1-ounce) package ranch dressing mix (equivalent to about 3 tablespoons) 8 ounces Wiebe sharp cheddar cheese (2 cups), grated ½ cup+ light-colored beer (non-alcoholic beer works, too)

Directions 1. With an electric mixer, thoroughly mix the cream cheese and ranch mix; add Wiebe grated cheese. 2. Add ½ cup beer; if mixture is too thick, add a little more. 3. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Refrigeration allows flavors to meld, and the mixture also becomes firmer. 4. Remove dip at least 30 minutes before serving so mixture is spreadable and full flavored.

Fans of their cheese include the Sexton family of Abilene. Jan, who leads a team that works at KU Medical Center, was happily surprised to find Wiebe cheese on the Jason Wiebe menu at Room 39, a restaurant Dairy just up the hill from the hospital. She said, “I noticed Durham their steak bowl salad had 620.732.2846 Wiebe cheddar cheese, so I jasonwiebedairy.com ordered it and it was amazing. Now my whole team is hooked on it too.” She added that her son, Collin Sexton, discovered Wiebe cheese on the appetizer menu at an upscale restaurant in Boston. “He told his friends they had to order it because it was made on a dairy just down Highway 15 from where he grew up.”

The Process

Though cheesemaking is an ancient craft, modern artisans such as the Wiebes rely on a range of equipment and procedures to ensure safe and consistent production, verifying the pH levels and temperatures at every step. Here’s an overview of how the Wiebes create their cheddar cheese.

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Step 1 A bacterial starter culture is added to a large vat of hormone-free milk. At this stage, the mixture ripens, and the culture breaks down and digests lactose, releasing lactic acid that helps create flavor in the cheese. Natural coloring, if used, is added. Step 2 Non-animal rennet is added and allowed to set until the milk has a pudding-like consistency. Step 3 Stainless steel harps cut the curd into squares. Step 4 Heat is slowly applied, and the whey begins to come out of the curds. (Whey expelled from the solid cheese is fed to the cattle, part of a nutritionally balanced ration.) Step 5 Food grade salt and flavorings, if used, are added. Step 6 Once set, the cheese is cut and put into forms that are placed in a large commercial press that applies pressure overnight. Step 7 Cheese is sealed and placed in custom-made Amish boxes that are labeled and moved to either short- or longterm climate-controlled storage. Step 8 The cheese ages according to variety (3–6 months for mild, 6–12 months for medium, 12–18 months for sharp and more than 18 months for extra sharp). After this, the cheddar is cut into small blocks, sealed, labeled and distributed.

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Other Licensed Kansas Cheesemakers to Know and Sample

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PHOTOGRAPH Nick Krug

Connor Hansen continues the family-owned Alma Creamery.

Alma Creamery Founded in 1946, this family-owned creamery makes all their cheeses by hand from locally produced cow’s milk. Best known for their cheese curds, mild and aged cheddars and their New York sharp, Alma Creamery sells cheese from their cheesemaking facility in Alma and will soon offer cheese in a new retail outlet on I-70 where fresh curds will be available daily. 509 E. 3rd St., Alma, or Exit 328, I-70 | 785.765.3522 almacheese.com Elderslie Farm Specializing in fine cheeses produced by traditional methods, this farm north of Wichita uses milk from its goats and from Ayrshire cows raised on Faye Farms in Udall. Cheeses are available at the farm-totable restaurant Elderslie, Bramble Café, and Creamery & Cheese Shop, all located on the farm. 3501 E. 101st St. N., Kechi | 316.226.8862 eldersliefarm.com Sawatch Artisan Foods / KDI Cheese Company Hugoton’s recently expanded cheese facility now offers an extensive line of small-batch artisan cheeses, including fresh curds, assorted gouda and cheddar flavors, and several jack cheeses. The plant is SQF (Safe Quality Food) and organic certified; it’s certified to produce halal and kosher butter and has recently expanded its cheese line to include queso fresco, cotija, and panela. 1010 E 10th St., Hugoton | 800.454.8013 sawatchartisanfoods.com Goddard Farm In the cheesemaking business for 13 years, Goddard offers chévre (French goat cheese) and feta made from Grade A pasteurized goat milk. Feta in olive oil is a relatively new addition to their product line; packed with dried tomatoes and green olives, it can be ordered with or without garlic. 1801 E. 335 Rd., Lecompton | 785.304.7044 goddardfarm.com

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Grazing Plains Farm This 5th-generation dairy farm turns rich Jersey cow milk into artisanal cheeses including cheddar, cheddar curds, cow’s-milk feta, fromage blanc (a spreadable cheese), soft and buttery Havarti, and their own unique creation—Elbing cheese, a soft and mild slicing cheese. 1532 S. Grace Hill Rd., Whitewater | 316.461.3243 grazingplains.com Holy Goat Creamery at Arch Angel Farm Using milk from the farm’s herd of Nubian goats, Holy Goat Creamery produces a premium selection of handcrafted pasteurized cheeses including a line of hard cheeses and the more traditional chèvre and feta that may be infused with apricots, strawberries, blueberries, bacon, honey, or garlic and herbs. The creamery has also added lines of soft-ripened cheeses with a mild intensity and a creamy flavor profile, such as double cream Brie and Camembert. 5535 Manhattan Tuttle Creek Rd., Manhattan 785.565.8590 | holygoatcreamery.net Skyview Farm & Creamery This micro-dairy creamery in Pleasanton offers a bountiful range of artisanal raw-milk cheeses. To age the cheeses, owners Bill and Sheri Noffke custom-created a 20x20-foot concrete box set into the ground and covered with bermed earth; it is designed to maintain the requisite 55-degree temperature and includes a cooling system that counteracts intense summer heat. It’s divided into two parts, a dry side and a humid side. Pressed and formed cheeses are first placed on the dry side where they remain until a protective rind forms on their surface; then they are moved to the humid side and cave-aged for a minimum of 60 days, often up to four to five months. Choices include gouda, fontina, Asiago, fromage blanc, mozzarella, feta, Montasio, and several varieties of cheddar. Custom-created cheeses, made by tweaking traditional recipes to create slightly different tastes and textures, include Fairmount, Skyview Prairie, and Himmelsburg. 22722 E. 800 Rd., Pleasanton | 913.352.8727 skyviewfarm.net

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2022 Garmin KC Air Show Midwest’s largest air show takes to the Kansas skies this Labor Day weekend

Story by Debbie Leckron Miller Photos by Nick Krug and Amanda Overton

ll eyes will be to the skies this Labor Day weekend as the Garmin KC Air Show packs two days full of aerial acrobatics, military maneuvers and daredevil stunts. “At all times, there’s something going on in the air,” says KC Air Show executive director Cory Mullins. The September 3 and 4 extravaganzas will take off at 10 a.m., with gates opening at 9 a.m. each day at New Century AirCenter—a civil-military airport with one of the longest runways in the Kansas City region. “It’s the who’s who in aviation entertainment,” Mullins says about the lineup of performers at the Midwest’s largest air show. “Most air shows have maybe 6 to 12 performers. We have over 25!” Headlining both days is the renowned U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fighter-jet team, showcasing its precision six-ship skills, solo routines and signature diamond formation. While most acts fly for 20 minutes or less, the Thunderbirds will wrap up each day with a 45-minute grand finale. Another elite military unit, the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, joins the 2022 military and civilian lineup. “Every act has its own unique style,” Mullins says, citing Bob Carlton’s jet-powered sailplane, the

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Above (from top) Audience members at the KC Air Show watch as jets take flight to the Kansas skies. Aaron Leimkuehler, along with his two daughters, Indra and Iris, and father-in-law, Christopher Murphy, observe one of the many planes at the 2021 KC Air Show.

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spaces looping and rolling Aeroshell Aerobatic Team and the Red Bull Air Force’s elite skydiving team. In fact, Red Bull comes full force with an acrobatic plane, barrel-rolling helicopter and wingsuited aerial jumpers. Watch for Patty Wagstaff, the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, to push the solo aerobatic limits. And, do a doubletake when Jeff Boerboon zooms overhead in his Yak 110, which is two Yak 55 single-seat aerobatic planes connected side by side. Two hometown teams, Shetterly Squadron and KC Flight Formation, take flight this year. The trio of

dad Greg and his sons, Joe and Jeff Shetterly, is one of the country’s only family flying acts. Mom Micki, also a pilot, does the team’s announcing. Shetterly Squadron is unique, too, because the pilots fly three very different planes. Jeff, who pilots the SNJ-6 Radial Rumble featuring a 42foot wingspan, looms large alongside Greg’s DR 107 One Design with a 19.5-foot wingspan, and Joe’s RV 8 featuring a 24foot wingspan. “Instead of our planes looking symmetrical, we’re flying totally different ones built for three different purposes,” explains Jeff Shetterly of Overland Park. “There’s nothing easy about flying formation aerobatics. And with us, there’s

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New in ’22: Bill Stein’s Stunning Stunts Buckle up for roller coaster loops, twists and flips when Bill Stein and his Edge 540 show plane tumble through the sky. The first-timer to the Garmin KC Air Show guarantees nonstop action. “It’s nine minutes of highenergy, constant motion,” Stein says about his act. “My whole objective is to clearly not just be flying, but instead be tumbling, flipping end over end, sideways, backwards and upside down, doing a whole bunch of wonky stuff!” Known as an air-show thriller, Stein began flying aerobatics as a student pilot 30 years ago. He credits his small, light Edge 540 for his edgy performance. “Very few planes are built to do this kind of stuff. It’s the perfect plane for flying aerobatics.” Also, watch for his plane to change colors. “It’s painted with a very cool paint that changes from purple to green to gold, depending on the angle and lighting.” A veteran of top air shows across the country, Stein, coming from Santa Cruz, California, is excited to land in Kansas City for the 2022 event. “In a short time, it’s turned into one of the premier air shows in the U.S. It’s really impressive how many great performers are coming.” Stein gives back by mentoring young air show pilots, teaching them how to do what he does. “The first thing I do is try to talk them out of it,” he says with a laugh.

Above U.S. Navy Blue Angels zip through the sky at the New Century AirCenter. Opposite Pilot Tom Larkin stands proudly in front of his modified SubSonex Jet. The jet weighs just 500 pounds and can reach speeds up to 300 miles per hour.

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added difficulty because our airplanes have different masses, power plants and drag profiles. The amount of focus required is immense, and that’s one of the things I love about doing this.” Greg taught both sons to fly. “Every once in a while, maybe in a moment of ‘flow,’ it dawns on me that these are my loved ones up here with me. I can’t believe I get to fly with my dad and my brother. We have so much fun,” Jeff says. The KC Flight Formation civilian team stages an impressive 10-plane show. Ages 36 to 71, the group’s pilots come from all walks of life and fly experimental aircraft, many of them home-built. They’re often seen practicing formations above Kansas City or doing flyovers at KC Chiefs, KC Royals and NASCAR events. “We truly are family and need total trust in each other. In formation, I’m counting on the other planes to be where they need to be and not hit me!” explains Phillip Lamb, chief executive officer of KC Flight Formation. Watch for red, white and blue smoke billowing from their wing tips. And for the KC Flight Formation finale: a tail chase, mini dogfight and a near miss.

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“Kansas City is where most of our pilots live, so we love getting to perform in front of a hometown crowd,” Lamb adds. Visitors can roam the food and merchandise vendors, static airplane displays and the hands-on aviation experiences before the 10 a.m. show or throughout the day. The 75 vendors sell burgers, kabobs, funnel cakes and other favorite fair foods, along with military and performer souvenirs. Pilots are also on hand to sign autographs. Families flock to the experience zone, where kids sit in the cockpit of a fighter jet, learn about aerodynamics and explore other hands-on STEM activities at The Flight Zone and Aviation Station. In an indoor theater, the “RISE ABOVE—The Tuskegee Airmen Red Tail Exhibit” tells the inspirational story of the Tuskegee Airmen, America’s first Black military pilots. At the static display, get up close to some magnificent flying machines, such as a Black Hawk helicopter, B-17 bomber and C-5 Galaxy, one of the largest military aircraft. John Darling of Shawnee took his son to the KC Air Show last year. “It’s a great family event, especially getting to see it through your kids’ eyes and be a part of their wonder and amazement,” Darling says. Families can easily spend a full day there, he adds. “You can watch the acts, and when your family needs a break, walk around to vendors and aircraft displays. My son didn’t want to get out of the Chinook helicopter!” Even for those pilots in the sky, the weekend is the thrill of a lifetime. “It’s the super bowl of air shows, featuring some of the best acts in the world. It’s a tremendous honor to be flying with our heroes,” concludes Kansas pilot Jeff Shetterly. Attendance each day is capped at 25,000. Advance online tickets are encouraged because the event sells out. General admission spectators are asked to park at satellite lots and ride a bus in, and bring lawn chairs or blankets for seating in the grassy or asphalt viewing area. Only premium tickets holders have access to on-site parking and seating. Visit kcairshow.org for more information.

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Dwayne’s Prints On A world-famous photo lab in Kansas continues to thrive under a new generation Story and photography by Bill Stephens

film, Dwayne’s Photo Shop continues running strong erek and Josh Carter remember December with Derek as its CEO and Josh as the president of the 20, 2010, the day their grandfather gained business that their grandfather began in 1956. Now international attention for beginning the specializing in old-style film world’s last development run and print photography, the of the popular Kodachrome shop processes between film at his photo lab in “Now that film photography is 17,000 and 20,000 rolls per Parsons. “The Today show regaining popularity, many users week of color slide film like Ektachrome or Fujichrome, heard about us and sent a are augmenting their digital color negative films like crew to do a special on the Kodacolor, and the old final rolls of Kodachrome cameras with film cameras. standby black and white making their way through People are discovering that films. our lab,” Derek recalls. “On film photography is much The lab combines old the last day of Kodachrome analog methods along with development, writers, TV more technical than basic new digital technologies reporters, documentarians, digital photography. The film to bring about a better and all assortments of film enthusiasts flocked to photographer has to account product than was possible With digital scanning Parsons. The front of the for the proper exposure, focus, before. technology, Dwayne’s can building had dozens of TV and other controls, which are take a film image and, cameras set up outside to document the occasion, and automated on digital cameras.” through scanning, give the customer a digital file plus our grandfather Dwayne –Derek Carter a print that is much sharper [Steinle] stood proudly in and clearer than film process front of the building with all ever used to be. the employees who had spent The lab equipment includes film processors more the last year making sure every customer who had sent than fourteen feet long with hundreds of rollers that pull us a roll was able to have their photos developed.” the film through the liquid development solutions. More than a decade after the end of Kodachrome

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Josh (blue shirt) and Derek (white shirt) continue to run their grandfather’s film print shop that was made famous for being the world’s last location to develop and print Kodachrome film.

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spaces “The first four feet of the processor is in a room which is pitch black and requires human film loaders to open the film canisters and attach the film to the leaders in total darkness,” Derek explains. Then the machines do the work of pulling the ‘train’ of film through the solutions. There is a sensor on each processor, and, if the train of film breaks, an alarm goes off throughout the building and everyone turns off all of their lights to make things as dark as possible. Staffers rush into the darkroom and pull the first five sets of rollers out of the solutions and hang them from hooks protruding from the ceiling, allowing for the break to be fixed without the loss of any of the customer’s films. “We have regular drills to keep everyone in top shape,” Derek says. According to the Carter brothers, the resurgence in the use of film for 35mm cameras and discs and instamatics enables Dwayne’s Photo to keep a fulltime staff of more than Dwayne’s 70 workers to organize, Photo sort, process, scan, 415 S 32nd St., Parsons print and deliver the finished images to their 620.421.3940 customers. The constant dwaynesphoto.com supply of undeveloped film comes from over 150 drug stores and camera stores throughout the U.S., plus a healthy amount of mail-ins from loyal customers. For the Carter brothers, these numbers represent a demand for film photography beyond any particular brand or type of film. “A lot of our customers are enjoying being able to order actual physical prints to hold rather than just a digital file,” Derek says. “Now that film photography is regaining popularity, many users are augmenting their digital cameras with film cameras. People are discovering that film photography is much more technical than basic digital photography. The film photographer has to account for the proper exposure, focus, and other controls, which are automated on digital cameras.”

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

What Made Kodachrome Special? Kodachrome produced more intense and accurate colors than the other color slide films because colored dyes were introduced during the processing. These dyes were more saturated and stable and did not change or fade over time. Dwayne’s added a Kodachrome line to their plant in 1994. The development chemicals used were so complex that the photo shop added an analytical laboratory and hired a chemist to do analysis on the processing solutions. All of the chemistry had to be mixed from scratch and from individual chemical components. The cost of the additional facilities and infrastructure was well over $500,000. Publications known for their top-notch photography, such as National Geographic, made extensive use of their photographers’ choice of Kodachrome over other color films. In June of 2009, after digital photography had cut into film photography’s popularity for more than a decade, Kodak announced plans to discontinue Kodachrome. National Geographic photographer Steve McCurry had arranged with Kodak to get the final roll that was manufactured and spent two months shooting that roll. His choice of a lab to process it was simple—by this time all of the Kodak Kodachrome-certified labs worldwide had gone out of production except for one: Dwayne’s in Parsons. That roll was processed by Dwayne’s Photo in July 2010 and now resides in the collection of the George Eastman House in Rochester, New York. December 20, 2010, was the scheduled last day for Kodachrome to be run thru the line at Dwayne’s. So many thousands of rolls arrived in the final days that the lab continued to process Kodachrome until the chemicals physically ran out on January 18, 2011. The very last roll to go through the line was a roll that owner Dwayne Steinle shot himself. Kansan Jim Richardson, a regular photography contributor to National Geographic, speaks to the fact that Kodachrome is not a film for the weak at heart. It can be difficult to work with and requires strict control over exposure and lighting. “I was an early convert to Fujichrome and then an early convert to digital photography,” Richardson says. “My nostalgia for Kodachrome is limited by my hard-earned experience with the difficulties of making it work.”

V I S I T D O D G E C I T Y. O R G /A DV E N T U R E

FUN AND ADVENTURE AWAIT AROUND EVERY CORNER IN DODGE CITY. Discover the best the new west has to offer with can-can lessons, art galleries, a 27,000 plus square foot western-themed water park, concerts, live shows, sporting events, historic trolley tours, shopping, and more.

Discover

1- 8 0 0 - O L D -W E S T

Kansas’ bigge st barn at the Prairie Museum of Art & History

We are accepting submissions for future KANSAS! Gallery sections. For submission details, go online at travelks.com/kansas-magazine/ photography/submit-photography/ or send a query to editor-in-chief Andrea Etzel at andrea.etzel@ks.gov. When uploading photos, please include a contact email or phone number.

tic park

Refreshing aqua

Scenic walking

ins Pickin’ on the Pla July Third weekend in

OasisOnThePlains.com

trails

Just 53 miles east of the Colorado border on I-70

Facebook.com/OasisOnThePlains

STORY BY Cecilia Harris and Beccy Tanner PHOTOGRAPHY BY Abbey Lind, Katie Moore, Jason Dailey and Julie Mead

Enjoy this list of 15 easy-to-plan, classic ways to celebrate the long days of sunshine across the state

n i a a Kid Ag

two.

THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A KANSAS SUMMER—DAYS, ALL GOLDEN AND LAZY. Lawns may need mowing, but that can wait. Grass will grow. Summer is a time for exploring the senses—for barefoot moments of sandy toes, for feasting on sun-ripened tomatoes and roasted ears of corn dripping with butter, for hearing exploding fireworks and smelling harvested wheat. It is harvest with growling combines, speeding semi-trucks on two-lane highways and windy seas of wheat across the horizon. There is wind, always the wind. But there are also sunsets, rich with tapestries of color. Kansas summers are bolts of lightning flashing across the night sky, fireflies dancing, and bull frogs croaking about their kingdoms in farm ponds. Kansas summers are teenagers sitting on hoods of cars underneath twinkling stars, dreaming their dreams and making their plans. Kansas summers are about opportunities for daytrips, for seeing Kansas at its best. Summer is the time to explore Kansas lakes, hike trails, and do the unexpected. Here’s a list of old-fashioned summertime possibilities across the state.

STAY UP LATE AT A DRIVE-IN MOVIE

one.

ENJOY A FESTIVAL

Summer is a great time for festivals. Two of the best in the state are the Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina and the Riverfest in Wichita (which celebrates its 50th festival in 2022). Both offer great music, art and food.

Wichita Riverfest June 3–11 wichitariverfest.com Smoky Hill River Festival June 9–12 riverfestival.com

Pack your car with friends to catch a movie on the big screen after sunset at South Dodge Drive-In in Dodge City or The Drive-In at Midway, located between Paola and Osawatomie. Kanopolis Drive-In still uses 65-year-old pole speakers for authentic nostalgia although you can tune in to an FM radio station for better sound quality. The state’s last remaining twinscreen outdoor movie venue is Wichita’s Starlite Drive-In.

facebook.com/SouthDodgeDriveIn 620.225.4301 facebook.com/driveinatmidway 913.755.2325 kanopolisdrivein.com 785.472.4786 starlitefun.com 316.524.2424

GO TO THE FAIR

Fairs have been held for more than a century in Kansas. In 1904, corn and canning clubs, tomato and poultry contests were started in Kansas. The clubs eventually gave way to 4-H in 1926, and the county fairs showcase these local talents and traditions at their best. Celebrating over 100 years, this year’s North Central Kansas Free Fair is scheduled for August 2–6 in Belleville and will include carnival rides, daily performances and a historic Floral Hall filled with exhibits; the fair’s feature event is the 305 Sprint Car Nationals set for Aug. 4–6 at the fairground’s Belleville High Banks. In Abilene, the Central Kansas Free Fair takes place August 3–8 and includes a midway, livestock shows, demolition derby, and the Wild Bill Hickok (PRCA) Rodeo, which is over 75 years old. In Stockton, the Rooks County Free Fair, at nearly 140 years old, will offer an inflatable carnival, ranch rodeo, motorcycle and stock car races, a demolition derby and live musical entertainment August 7–13 in Stockton. But these are not the only fairs this summer; all areas in the state will have several county or regional fairs late in the summer. Go and see who raises the championship tomatoes, squash and peppers and what cooks are baking and canning their way to grand champion ribbons. And don’t forget, the best of the best will then be showing at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson, September 9–18.

nckfreefair.net facebook.com/NckFreeFair 85.527.5554

ckff.net wildbillhickokrodeo.com 785.263.4570

bellevillehighbanks.org 785.527.2488

rookscountyfreefair.com 785.425.7189

2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

four. HEAD TO THE BALLPARK

Cheer on the Kansas City Monarchs, formerly the Kansas City T-Bones, a professional baseball team that plays on Legends Field in Kansas City. You can also catch a game by the Dodge City A’s, a member of the prestigious collegiate Jayhawk League, at one of their home games at Cavalier Field. Historic Rathert Field is home to the Junction City Brigade collegiate team that plays summer ball in the MidPlains League. Or simply check out any little league ballgames in the area.

VISIT A ZOO Ride the Prairie Thunder Railroad at the Hutchinson Zoo, spot the wallaby at the Ralph Mitchell Zoo in Independence, and don’t miss the chocolate milk frog at Great Bend’s Brit Spaugh Zoo. Choose a Wild Wednesday to drive through the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City for free.

hutchinsonzoo.org 620.694.2693 facebook.com/ RiversideParkandRalphMitchellZoo 620.332.2512

monarchsbaseball.com 913.328.5618

greatbendks.net 620.793.4226

dodgecityas.com 620.225.0238

leerichardsonzoo.org 620.276.1250

jcbrigade.com

six.

DIVE INTO GREAT POOLS

Make spectacular dives off the boards at the Aquatic Center in Coffeyville before testing your shot in water basketball, trying the water slide or playing in the splash pad. The Garden Rapids at the Big Pool in Garden City, recently constructed in the footprint of what once was the world’s largest concrete swimming pool, includes the SlipStream stand-up slide and two Fly Tyme launch slides, the country’s first to be installed in a municipal pool. Norton’s Aquatic Center incorporates two spring boards, two water slides and a lap pool.

coffeyville.com | 620.252.6041 garden-city.org | 620.276.1255 cityofnorton.com | 785.877.5000

seven.

RUN WITH THE BUBBLES!

Remember not too long ago when any conversation about a “bubble” usually referred to a health-safety strategy? Well, this summer bring the original concept of bubbles back with a lowcost activity for kids in your own yard or at any public space. Giant bubbles have often been part of the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center’s Fresh Air Fridays, where trained educators encourage and guide children in explorative outdoor play. Call the Topeka venue in advance to confirm time and theme.

kansasdiscovery.org 785.783.8300

dagneysicecream.com | 785.833.2125 Summer Salt Ice Cream Company on Facebook 913.381.9642 facebook.com/Indigomoodicecream | 785.227.7411

nine.

TASTE A SCOOP Dagney’s Ice Cream in Salina offers more than 30 ice cream flavors, including several nondairy ones and the unique salted caramel banana or the lavender honey. Summer Salt Ice Cream Company in Prairie Village features a large selection of gluten-free and vegan options, as well as ooey gooey butter cake and coffee waffle toffee in a homemade waffle cones. The ice cream and waffle cones also are handmade at Indigo Moo’d Ice Cream in Lindsborg, where Blacksmith Cold Brew, made from beans hand roasted at Lindsborg’s Blacksmith Coffee and Roastery, and key lime pie are some of the most popular flavors.

PLAY IN A SUPER-SIZED SPRINKLER

Wichita residents can beat the heat at the dancing fountains in the center of the plaza at Old Town Square or cool off playing in splash pads located in nine city parks. In Topeka, the Jackson Spray Park has an 8-foot hydro tunnel, jelly fish tower, and bubble post, while Dornwood Spray Park features spray cannons, a water bucket tower, and a run-through hoop spray. New to Hays is a splash pad with a farm and oil theme that is part of the Accessible Recreation Complex at Seven Hills Park; the 27 play features in this park are designed with nozzles in a variety of shapes and sizes that mist, shower, and shoot streams of water.

wichita.gov 316.268.4390

parks.snco.us 785.251.6962

haysusa.com 785.628.7375

2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

ten.

CELEBRATE THE FOURTH

Independence Day has been celebrated in Kansas since 1804, when the Lewis and Clark Expedition marked the holiday near what is now Atchison. Wamego has been hosting Fourth of July celebrations for more than 150 years and celebrates one of the longest-running Independence Day parades in Kansas, according to Lance White, a Wamego pyro-tech crew member. In recent decades, the town’s fireworks displays have sometimes drawn as many as 50,000 to 60,000 people. “We tell people that the difference in Disney is that they are shooting shells a half-mile away where our show is so close up, you can feel the percussions,” says White, who has been participating in the shows for the past 22 years. “We are all celebrating the same thing, [but] every town show is unique. You can sense it. We take a lot of pride and want to create a reason for people to come back home and see families.”

CAMP OUT UNDER THE STARS Put up your tent and then watch for falling stars in the night sky. Kansas has hundreds of state, county and municipal camping sites, including Fall River State Park near Severy, which has 45 primitive campsites. For more secluded and natural options, consider Cimarron National Grasslands near Elkhart, or Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend, where the primitive campground in the wildlife area is free with no reservation required.

Fall River State Park ksoutdoors.com 620.637.2213 Cimarron National Grasslands fs.usda.gov 620.697.4621 Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area ksoutdoors.com 620.793.3066

twelve.

visitwamego.com

RIDE YOUR BIKE ALL AFTERNOON

Peddle through woodland areas, native grasses and wildflowers near Holton on the 13.8-mile Banner Creek Hike and Bike Trail. At Wilson Lake, steep drops and narrow switchbacks challenge serious mountain bikers, but options are available for riders of every level on the Switchback Epic Mountain Bike Trail that loops through red sandstone formations with scenic lake views. The Flint Hills Trail stretches 117 miles across east-central Kansas, linking Osawatomie to Council Grove with the remaining portion to Herington under construction; for extra miles, the trailhead at Osawatomie connects to the Prairie Spirit Trail at Legacy Square in Ottawa.

bannerreservoir.com | 785.364.4236 ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Wilson/Trails/ Switchgrass-Bike-Trail | 785.658.2465 ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Flint-Hills-Trail 785.448.2627 bikeprairiespirit.com | 785.448.6767

thirteen.

SPEND A LATE SUMMER EVENING AT THE LAKE

If you love fishing, then you can catch bass at Cedar Bluff Reservoir near Ellis and catfish at Neosho River Park near Humboldt. Urban areas also offer fishing opportunities, such as Lake Lenexa, which is stocked with channel catfish, black crappie, bluegill, sunfish and largemouth bass, and Hutchinson’s Carey Park fishing pond, home of channel catfish. Just remember to bring along your state fishing license and check if local fishing licenses are required.

OR … ENJOY A LATE LAKESIDE SUMMER EVENING Or, if fishing is not your thing, simply pull up to one of Kansas’ many state park lakes and enjoy a long summer day swimming, sitting by the beach or cooking up a meal with friends. One of the best things about spending a summer evening at the lake is you don’t need an agenda full of activities to enjoy the natural scenery and fellowship with friends and family.

fifteen.

Clinton Lake | ksoutdoors.com State Parks | ksoutdoors.com

CLOSE OUT THE SUMMER ON THE WILMORE CAROUSEL

About a decade ago, Christy and Ernie Griffin decided it was time for their town of Wilmore to have a carousel—because almost all the world’s problems, Ernie contends, can be solved with a ride on a carousel. Ernie, who repaired the carousel, believes it was made in 2002 in Venice, Italy. Now, any resident or tourist, can simply pull up to the carousel and honk their horn. If the Griffins are home, they will come out and fire up the ride. It’s entirely free. “That’s the best kind of carousel ride,” Ernie says, adding that guests come from all around for the ride. The carousel is closed for most of the summer, but the Griffins reopen it from September 20 through December 10. If you are coming from a long distance, Ernie recommends calling first. If you do miss the Griffins, there’s still plenty to see in this region. Some of the best food and treats can be found at the Sawyer Family Food Store in Sawyer—a family-owned venture by Greg and Ruby Wolf, where their trays of cinnamon, cherry and other rolls settle nicely on one’s taste buds. Also, one of the best Old West style saloons can be found at Busters in Sun City, where the beers are cold and the sunsets are colorful.

Wilmore Carousel | 620.738.4420 2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

Ride Garage into the

Salina’s new car museum represents the latest in a growing network of specialized vintage and customized auto showcases around the state

Story by David Clouston Photography by Nick Krug

n one of the walls of The Garage, a framed poster reads, “The best rides send you places just by looking at them.” That’s a great description of Salina’s new car museum, where nostalgic memories are wheeled in with chrome trim, polished steel and racing stripes. Having opened in February 2022, The Garage is dedicated to showcasing vintage, customized and rare cars as well as exploring the history and interesting facets of the nation’s automobile culture and industry. At the core of the museum are two automobile display galleries featuring rotating collections of vehicles from various eras throughout automotive history. All the cars, as well as artifacts and memorabilia, are on loan to the museum from area collectors and other museums, at no cost. The first exhibit in the north gallery was “From Horses to Horsepower,” which concluded at the end of April and detailed the progression of automobiles from their beginnings. It featured cars built between 1886 and 1941, including a rare $2 million 1929 Duesenberg Model J from St. Louis, of which fewer than 500 models were ever made. The north gallery exhibits rotate every four months. The second exhibit, “Muscle Car Wars,” runs through August 2022, and covers the decade from 1964 to 1974. Included in that exhibit is a restored “Super B” Plymouth Barracuda, as well as a Dick Harrell custom Chevy Camaro, named for the famed builder and racer. Customized Chevy Camaro models like this in excellent condition are valued as much as $500,000 or more, says Tom Pestinger, the president of The Garage’s board of directors. The south gallery of the museum features unique autos, often referred to as “kustom kemps,” which are individually customized cars or trucks, Built with donations, VIP particularly of the hot-rod variety, designed by some memberships and some of the brightest car minds in the country. They can public funds, The Garage’s be any make, model or year; the cars in the exhibit downtown complex covers are swapped out for a new batch each July. 40,000 square feet and The two-gallery showcase of cars will be the cost about $7.1 million to main attraction for many car enthusiasts, but complete. At The Garage’s the museum also has an educational mission. ribbon-cutting in February, Approximately $1.5 million was invested into then-Salina mayor Trent interactive educational technology and exhibits, Davis said that this according to Michelle Peck, the museum’s investment would spark executive director. Put on a pair of virtual reality tourism and increase goggles, and a simulator at The Garage will teach spending in nearby shops you proper paint-booth car-spraying technique. and restaurants. The Another simulator lets you suit up and practice museum is part of a larger, welding on all sorts of objects. There’s also a $160 million-plus downtown theater where short films trace the automobile’s improvement and pathway through America. And throughout the redevelopment program, facility there are “fuel stations,” video screens with which includes a new interactive car-based education sequences. streetscape, residential “You can learn about metals, the heart and lofts, five-story hotel, a soul of an engine, internal combustion, then multi-sport fieldhouse, they can sit here are really dig in as much as they family entertainment want,” Peck says. center, a variety of new The Garage also maintains a library filled with restaurants and boutiques, books and publications, including some rare titles, as well as a planned (continued on page 54) riverfront development.

A Community Engine

Opposite Details from a 1953 Chevrolet 2-door sedan, owned by Alma and Carl Casey of Aurora, Missouri, on display at The Garage.

2022 ISSUE 4 | KANSAS! MAGAZINE

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

Auto Museums Across Kansas WEST KANSAS WALTER P. CHRYSLER BOYHOOD HOME AND MUSEUM | Ellis chryslerboyhoodhome.org 785.726.3636 Though born in Wamego, Walter Chrysler lived at this home from 1889 to 1908, and it is preserved in honor of the career and accomplishments of this automotive industry giant with displays and collections, including a rare 1924 Chrysler Model B-70 (Chrysler Six). GRAHAM COUNTY AUTO & ART MUSEUM Hill City Graham County Auto & Art Museum on Facebook Open since April 2021, the museum features a rotating collection of more than two dozen classic autos and trucks. Recent highlights include the hearse that carried President John F. Kennedy’s body to Love Field after his assassination and a 1925 Ford Model T that appeared in the film Paper Moon. ROY PETER BACH AUTO MUSEUM | Larned facebook.com/sftaclarned | 620.285.9110 Opened in 2018, this collection of eight vintage cars—all of which are in working condition— includes a fully restored 1909 Buick Touring car and an extremely rare 1929 Marmon Roosevelt. The nonprofit museum is run by members of the Santa Fe Trail Auto Club, which holds an annual car show each spring and fall.

CENTRAL KANSAS HIGH BANKS HALL OF FAME & NATIONAL MIDGET AUTO RACING | Belleville highbankshalloffame.org and belleviewhighbanks.org | 785.527.2526 A tribute to the historic High Banks racetrack in Belleville as well as a Hall of Fame for stock car, sprint car and midget-car racers who have competed on this famously fast dirt track. Display highlights include an extremely rare LaVern Nance titanium sprint car. KANSAS AUTO RACING MUSEUM Chapman kansasautoracingmuseum.org 785.922.6642 With displays of a variety of racing cars, this

museum celebrates the history of racing across the state of Kansas as well as the achievements of Kansas-born competitive race drivers. AUTOMOTIVE RESTORATION PROGRAM | McPherson Mcpherson.edu/autorestoration 620.242.0486 The automotive restoration program at McPherson College offers the nation’s only four-year undergraduate program in automotive restoration. Each year on the first weekend in May, visitors can see showcase graduation projects at the annual car show. During homecoming in October, the program’s facilities and permanent collection of antique cars are opened for tours. MIDWEST DREAM CAR COLLECTION Manhattan midwestdreamcarcollection.org 785.236.5501 An array of classic and beautifully preserved cars including a Ford Model A, a 1931 Packard Convertible Coupe, a 2014 Lamborghini once owned by legendary race car driver Mario Andretti and even the amphibious Amphicar 770. (Pictured in bottom photograph) REX’S ANTIQUE CAR MUSEUM Mentor rexsmuseum.wixsite.com A collection of approximately 100 working, early-model cars such as a 1910 Maxwell Touring, a 1926 Ford Model T Racecar, and a 1941 American LeFrance fire truck. Visitors should arrange a tour by going online and reserving a time. THE GARAGE | Salina seama.org | 785.833.6888 One of the state’s newest car museums with an expansive and rotating collection. Also includes interactive displays and more. (Pictured in top photograph) HERRS MEMORY LANE | Washington facebook.com/herrsmemorylane 785.541.0650 Open by appointment, this museum holds approximately 100 vintage cars,

trucks and vehicles from 1912 to 1950. Highlights include a 1912 Overland, a 1918 Buick, and a 1930 Model A rare dealer’s model with 27 of the 30 add-on options that were available at the time.

EAST KANSAS GARY’S GARAGE | Caney 620.515.5240 Call in advance for an appointment at the Caney Valley Tractor Club, which houses a collection of vintage cars, including a 1959 Impala and 1961 Chevrolet with a 409 engine. KANSAS CITY AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM | Olathe Kansascityautomuseum.com 913.322.4227 Curated exhibits rotate monthly to highlight this museum’s extensive collections. Upcoming 2022 themes include Corvettes, Jaguars and Ferraris. SPRING CREEK CLASSICS | Wetmore springcreekclassics.com 785.250.8484 or 785.305.1377 Call ahead to arrange a viewing of this collection of antique cars, including a buttercup-colored 1950 Willys Jeepster. Many of the cars have a personal connection to museum owner/founder Bob Carson, such as a 1946 Chevy pickup, the same model he drove on his first date with his wife-to-be. HOWARD’S TOYS FOR BIG BOYS Chanute 620.902.5100 (during non-museum hours, an answering machine for “Dennison Ink” receives calls) Howard Alger began collecting vintage cars in 1959, when some of the models weren’t vintage—but they were by the time he opened his museum in 2015. The collection includes 44 cars, all in working condition and which Alger continues to take out for drives every weekend to keep them running. “I’m sitting in one right now,” he says when we reached him on the phone to ask which of the cars is his favorite. “Whichever one I’m in at the time,” he replies.

Top The Garage’s display gallery includes a 1970 Buick GS Prototype mounted over a 1970 Buick GSX Stage One, both owned Matt Wagoner of Salina. Bottom Board president Tom Pestinger is pictured with his 1968 Chevrolet Super Sport at The Garage.

about the automobile. The museum has a fulltime director of education, Matthew Miller-Wells, who was hired after graduating from McPherson College’s Automotive Restoration Technology Program, the only program of its kind in the United States. The Garage’s in-house concession area serves wine and beer on tap, allowing visitors to enjoy their drinks as they play an on-screen round of car-based trivia. And the kids? They’re in the next room challenging each other for high scores on a big-screen auto racing simulator game. Local teenagers gather at the Training Center, a classroom located off the main galleries, for driver’s education class. This multifunction approach is part of The Garage’s mission to bring people into the facility and downtown Salina, while also working with regional partners. “We have car clubs from all over the Midwest bringing people in here,” Peck says. “We have field trips, school trips—you name it. We also rent out the facility. I’m booked for several months with corporate and personal events, parties and

Plan to Visit LOCATION 134 S. Fourth Street, Salina HOURS 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays CONTACT seama.org | 785.833.6888 ADMISSION $15 for a single-day general admission; $12 for seniors, students and military members; free for children under 3. VIP memberships, which include unlimited admission and other benefits, start at $45 for individuals with rates for families or groups.

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fundraisers. We’re building a network even here in Kansas,” Peck continues. “There’s the Kansas City Automotive Museum, there’s the Midwest Dream Car Collection museum in Manhattan, there’s ours, there’s the Graham County Auto and Art Museum in Hill City and more. To really make a name for Kansas with these cool old cars is fun. And it’s working.” Partnerships with other neighboring-state museums are the lure for car enthusiasts throughout the Midwest. For instance, drivers touring The Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska, can head south and stop at The Garage in Salina, then proceed to Oklahoma and to Darryl Starbird’s National Rod & Custom Car Hall of Fame Museum, an hour northeast of Tulsa. This type of collaborative thinking has helped The Garage meet many of its goals in its first half-year. For example, an ongoing educational partnership with the Salina Area Technical College led to that school donating the welding and car-painting simulators. McPherson College’s Auto Restoration Technology Program plans to loan cars to The Garage each time it changes displays, says Amanda Gutierrez, the college’s vice president for automotive restorations. In the muscle cars exhibit, visitors will see a Corvette chassis that McPherson students have been working on parked next to a finished model. “It benefits us because it gives us experiences for our students that are right down the road,” Gutierrez notes. “The more we can support the hobby and the [auto restoration] industry, the better. The Garage and other museums allow us to connect our story with the larger story of the automobile in society,” she says. After all, for more than a century and for most Americans, cars have played a role in personal milestones and memories: lying in the back seat of the family station wagon on the trip home from visiting grandparents, leaving home for school or work, or bringing a new baby home from the hospital. “Everyone has a story about a car, whether they realize it or not,” says Gutierrez.

Top The Garage executive director Michelle Peck, center, is pictured with director of vehicle operations, Calvin Cassida, and Gabbie Miller, director of hospitality and events.

Where ‘Honk for Service’ Still Brings out the Burgers The atmosphere and flavor of original carhop drive-ins live on at these two Kansas attractions Story by Cecilia Harris Photograph by Deborah Walker ONCE UPON A TIME—you might even remember when—carhops would roller-skate trays of juicy burgers and super-thick milkshakes to folks in Chevy Bel Airs and Ford Fairlanes. These drive-in restaurants staked a claim on roadside real estate in the 1920s but increased dramatically in popularity as Americans hit the road following the repeal of gas rationing after World War II. In Kansas, some of these original drive-ins still bring out their meals to customers—the cars might have changed, but the spirit and that unforgettable smell of fried onion rings haven’t. R-B DRIVE IN The R-B Drive In at Hutchison is billed as the state’s oldest drive-up diner. It opened in 1948 with original owner Lawrence Burgess serving burgers, pork tenderloins, homemade onion rings, hand-cut fries and beverages. The structure is mostly unchanged, though the kitchen and eat-in section were enclosed with windows in 1951. Julia and Kirk Johnson became only the third owners when they purchased the R-B Drive In in 2016. They continue to serve customers inside, either at a table or at the stainless-steel counter that overlooks the kitchen. However, most customers choose to remain in their vehicles and park in one of 18 canopy-covered parking stalls where a “Honk for Service” sign lets them know to signal when they’re ready for a carhop to take their order. In that sense, little has changed since 1948, and the recipes have been carefully passed down through the years.

A motorcycle club pulls up to the R-B Drive In for a meal.

“We still use the same processes and recipes since that time,” Kirk says. “Mr. Burgess claimed that he was awakened at night by an angel at the foot of his bed who gave him the recipe for his onion ring batter.” The two top-selling sandwiches are the hand-tenderized, hand-breaded pork tenderloin and the cheeseburger, made of locally raised, freshly ground beef cooked on the original grill and served on a toasted bun. Kirk suggests first-time visitors should pair a cheeseburger with the diner’s home-cut fries or try a combination of the homemade pork tenderloin with onion rings. The diner’s signature drink, limeade, is available in cherry, strawberry, grape and lime flavors, all made from freshsqueezed limes, homemade simple syrup and premium fountain syrups. The R-B also serves the original Green River, a drink first introduced in 1919 that gained popularity through the 1950s but is offered at only a limited number of locations today. “The more people get exposed to it, the more we sell,” Kirk says. “I think people are increasingly looking for a nostalgic experience.” Kirk says he believes the diner’s location is also part of its long-term success. Sitting just across from the oldest school in Reno County, it has attracted generations of students and evokes a sense of nostalgia for local residents who remember stopping by the drive-in after school. “We all have that experience of being with our friends at a restaurant, a drive-in, an arcade, or a soda shop; we have that experience and memory. So, this is ‘the’ memory for so many people in Hutchinson, and that’s important to me,” Kirk says. “I can’t tell you how

many grandkids have come in with their grandparents or their parents who originally came in with their grandparents, so it’s a connection, and it’s very important that [the drive-in] maintains itself and is available to succeeding generations.” COOKEE’S DRIVE-IN Cookee’s Drive-In has been a fixture in Pleasanton since 1962, when the portable steel sandwich shop was built and delivered on-site by Wichita’s Valentine Manufacturing Company. The shop continues to serve customers at 18 chrome stools that line up a long counter and look over a flat-top grill. Owners Becky and Doug Grant have enhanced the shop’s authentic vintage structure by decorating with retroinspired electroluminescent tape along the trim, 1950s-era drive-in and diner pictures, Coca-Cola memorabilia and vintage fast food product signs. Following the original menu, the Grants still add slivers of onions to the never-frozen hamburger meat, and burgers and fries—as they originally were—continue to be the top sellers. Outside, diners pull up and wait for carhops to take their orders, just as in the early years. It’s classic Americana fare with only minor changes. “The original owner brought me a sample menu that they had when they owned it, and almost everything cost a quarter,” Doug says. “I don’t think we dropped anything off the menu from when we bought it; I think we’ve just added.” Those additions include halfpound “monster” burgers, quesadillas, and hand-pulled pork, as well as occasional items such as ribs and burnt ends. rbdrivein.com | 620.662.9713 cookeesdrivein.com | 913.352.8789

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FROM THE

Poet Laureate

Summer Love by Melissa Fite Johnson 1.

From the Laureate

About Melissa Fite Johnson Melissa Fite Johnson is the author of Green (Riot in Your Throat, 2021); A Crooked Door Cut into the Sky (Paper Nautilus Press, 2018), winner of the 2017 Vella Chapbook Award; and While the Kettle’s On (Little Balkans Press, 2015), a Kansas Notable Book. Her poems have appeared or are forthcoming in Ploughshares, Pleiades, SWWIM, and elsewhere. Melissa and her husband live with their dogs in Lawrence, where she teaches high school English.

KANSAS! MAGAZINE | 2022 ISSUE 4

First day of school. Denim jumper, knee-high socks, like the Seventeen cover. Makeover to make any boy love me. Ninth grade, too young for thinking love was inside. Love was pulse and breath. 2. Last day of school. I suffered the halls when he walked her to class. To kiss, he bent and she stretched. He and I were the same height. All we’d have to do is walk into each other’s open arms. 3. College break. A guy came in, decaf to go. A face I don’t remember, but I knew then which wrist wore a watch. His walk to the counter fluttered my notebook. I named him. I wrote him in the margins. 4. That June on my best friend’s futon— heartbroken, convinced I’d always be heartbroken. I asked Who will love me? She said I will. We talked into every night, my voice clearing the hurdle of my throat. 5. Summer, we met. Summer, we married. Summer, this town, this house, these dogs. Press against him, grass and sweat. Get him to dance in the kitchen: Tom Petty, “Walls.” He holds me as long as I want.

PHOTOGRAPHS courtesy Melissa Fite Johnson, Shutterstock

Melissa Fite Johnson can distill a series of events into a moment that stays with you. In 2019, I encountered Melissa Fite Johnson’s poetry at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. She was reading from While the Kettle’s On and had just finished giving a workshop on examining the truth in your writing. I remember listening to her read “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” a poem about her father. It left me heartsore. I still think about that poem from time to time. It was an honest poem—deeply emotional and vulnerable. That day and that feeling stuck with me. And that’s the thing about truth. And that’s the thing about Melissa Fite Johnson’s work. It lingers long after the moment has passed. –Huascar Medina, Kansas Poet Laureate

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