Baldwin City Living | Fall Winter 2023

Robyn Elder

Denise Bridwell

Welcome to the fall and winter 2023 edition of Baldwin City Living. I’m overjoyed to bring you another issue that highlights this great community. In our department sections, learn about a new business in the community, an iconic fashion show event, pigeon racing and the upcoming Maple Leaf Festival. This issue’s feature story is a special one and highlights two families in the community and their fight against cancer. Learn more about Lila Smith and McCain Kellerman and ways you can support them beginning on page 24. A special thanks to Jeannette Blackmar, the Kellerman and Smith families, Allyssa and Jakob Foster, Rick Brown and the businesses and leaders in Baldwin City that help make this magazine possible.

KALLI, EDITOR

Editor Kalli Jo Smith

Art Director Shelly Bryant

Ad Designer Alex Tatro

Advertising Joanne Morgan (785) 832-7264 jmorgan@sunflowerpub.com

Copy Editor Leslie Clugston Andres

Contributing Jason Dailey

Photographers/ Haines Eason

Illustrators Kayla Kohn

Pitts Photography

Meagan Young

Contributing Haines Eason

Writers Debbie Leckron Miller

Lucas Shivers

Elizabeth Walters

www.sunflowerpub.com

Publisher Bill Uhler

Director Bob Cucciniello

All material and photographs copyright Sunflower Publishing, 2023.

Baldwin City Living releases twice a year.

Baldwin City Living is produced by Sunflower Publishing.

Photo by Jason Dailey

THE PRETZELLY TRUCK

New Baldwin business rolls into town

Allyssa Foster followed a winding path on the way to her culinary career. But, today, her soft-pretzel business has customers lined up at her food truck window for bacon cheeseburgers, s’mores, apple pies and other fun pretzel creations.

“This was not my planned trajectory for my life,” laughs the young entrepreneur as she hands orders out the window of The Pretzelly Truck, her hot-pink hair matching the eye-catching pink vehicle. But she’s landed right where she wants to be.

After graduating from Olathe South High School, she studied business, veterinary medicine and sign language interpreting before returning to college to earn her business degree. In 2021, she and her husband, Jakob, moved to Baldwin City, where she worked remotely in the insurance field.

Her career path took a turn about a year ago when Allyssa had a craving for a soft pretzel but didn’t want to drive to the mall to get one.

“My daughter was 9 months old then and I didn’t want to tote her through the mall just so I could get a pretzel,” she recalls. “So, I decided to make some from scratch.”

A relentless 74 tries later, she perfected her soft pretzel recipe.

“My recipe did take 74 renditions to refine,” she admits. “But during rendition number six, I got the crazy idea that the pretzels were so good, I needed to sell them.”

The couple bought a run-down farm trailer and worked all last winter at Allyssa’s parents’ farm to turn it into a functional food trailer, which opened for business in April this year.

“I learned how to put in floorboards and to hook up gas and electricity on top of learning bakery skills,” she says.

“It was a lot of work, and we froze working on it,” Jakob adds. “Plumbing especially took me way longer than it probably should have. But all that matters is we have a functioning food trailer that actually looks pretty nice.”

Story by Debbie Leckron Miller | Photos by Meagan Young

Nice, and very recognizable, just like Allyssa, who chose bubblegum pink for her trailer and her hair.

“I just like pink as a whole,” she laughs. “When I looked at food trucks in the area, they were all blue, orange and yellow and I wanted something that stood out in a crowd.”

Her handmade pretzels are standouts, too. She remembers only making a pretzel one other time in a high school economics class and never had a love for baking or cooking. “It’s just something I did around the holidays when I needed to,” she explains.

But working in her mobile kitchen today, she lovingly mixes dough, lets it rise and then bakes a batch of 50 pretzels at a time. All her mixing and baking is done in the trailer, where she’s learning to adjust to the crowded 50-square-foot space.

“Most bakers have several hundred feet to work in, so this is a unique challenge,” Allyssa explains.

Her motto, “Untwist Tradition: Soft Pretzels Reimagined,” best describes her unconventional gourmet pretzels.

“I don’t have twisty pretzels, I have nuggets,” she explains. A grouping of six puffy nuggets, in fact, makes one serving. It’s the toppings that really set them apart.

“People have no idea what my pretzels are,” Allyssa says. “With my bacon cheeseburger flavor, for instance, I had to explain that the bacon and cheeseburger comes on top of the pretzel nuggets.”

Same with all her pretzels: for instance, Philly cheese steak comes with meat, green peppers, onions and melted cheese piled on top; Brewmaster with beer cheese, bacon and green onion; and yummy apple pie with cinnamon apples, crumble toppings and caramel drizzle.

“They’re super fun,” Allyssa says about her flavors. “I wanted something you weren’t finding anywhere else.”

For those less adventuresome, she has the classics, too: salt and cinnamon sugar.

Her crew of taste testers—her mom, dad, brother, Jakob and their young daughter—help pick the four flavors that change every month. “My mom said she put on 10 pounds when I was learning to make pretzels,” Allyssa laughs. “They’ve been suffered into trying everything.”

While Allyssa is the friendly face at the trailer window, Jakob helps behind the scenes.

“He’s the pretty face in the background,” she laughs, “and a great support. He helps set up the trailer and does the heavier lifting.”

“YOU CAN JUST TASTE THE LOVE IN HER PRETZELS. SHE PUTS IN THE EFFORT TO COME UP WITH UNIQUE COMBINATIONS THAT TASTE GOOD TOGETHER.”

–Marissa Montgomery

As Jakob jokingly sees it, “I’m just the dish boy. I mean, I help with a little of the daily work, but really, I just wash dishes.”

With her Ford F-150 pickup, Allyssa pulls The Pretzelly to pop-up locations and events in Baldwin City and Lawrence, and occasionally to Eudora, Tonganoxie, Shawnee and Olathe. The drive can be an adventure.

“Sometimes the anchors don’t work and the oven can be in a new place when I get there, or maybe I forget to lock the refrigerator!”

The Pretzelly Truck updates its schedule on Facebook, so fans know where to find it. Marissa Montgomery never misses when the truck pulls into Lawrence, where she and her family live.

“Every time they come here, I stop by. I think between me and my family, we’ve tried every single menu item,” Montgomery says.

“I’m a huge fan of strawberry cheesecake. It’s amazing—a really good combination of warm savory pretzel with sweet cheesecake sauce. It balances really well,” she says. Her husband prefers the heartier Brewmaster.

Beyond the fun and tasty nuggets, Montgomery credits Allyssa’s personal touch for The Pretzelly Truck charm.

“You can just taste the love in her pretzels,” she says. “She puts in the effort to come up with unique combinations that taste good together.”

The Pretzelly Truck rotates flavors every month. Watch for these and other repeat favorites when it rolls into town:

- Top-selling pepperoni pizza: “An absolute hit,” says Allyssa. Topped with pepperoni and mozzarella with marinara on the side.

- S’More: also a front-runner (especially with kids), drizzled with chocolate and marshmallow sauce and graham cracker crumbs.

- Bacon cheeseburger: meaty with ground beef, cheddar cheese sauce, bacon and pickles.

- Banana cream pie: banana pudding piped on top and covered with whipped cream and crushed vanilla wafers.

- Garlic Parm: savory with garlic butter, garlic salt and parmesan cheese.

- Apple pie: Jakob’s favorite, “it tastes like an apple pie served over top of pretzels.”

Check with facebook.com/thepretzellytruck for the schedule (watch for the truck this fall, but Allyssa plans to close for the winter, except for catering).

SEPTEMBER STOPS

September 29

Adults-Only Carnival

7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

September 30

Kids’ Carnival

11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

FALL FEATURED FLAVORS

Pumpkin Pie (bold)

Pumpkin pie sauce, whipped cream, pumpkin spice

Peach Pie Ala Mode (bold)

Peaches, cinnamon crumb, vanilla ice cream

Jalapeno Popper

Cream cheese sauce, cheddar cheese, jalapeno, bacon bits

BBQ Pulled Pork

Pork butt, Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The banana cream pie is one of many flavors to look out for. Allyssa’s son enjoys a treat from the food truck. OPPOSITE Allyssa stands at the window of her trailer turned food truck.

THE ART OF

PIGEON RACING

Neighbor brings pigeon racing to town

Rick Brown, a former police officer and army veteran, is polite, straightforward and a little weathered. But, stand him next to his pigeon coops or have him take a bird in his hands, and his innate tenderness becomes immediately apparent.

Brown, in his 70s, has kept racing pigeons—also known as racing homers— most of his life, and, outside of his stint in the army, he has raced them for about 50 years.

“I grew up in the Bay Area in California, in a town called San Leandro. Went to Pacific High School, graduated in ’62 … So yeah, since I was about 10 years old.”

Caring for and racing these birds was once much more common than it is today, and many American youth were avid participants.

“All the kids in my neighborhood had pigeons,” Brown notes. “And, there’s all kinds of different breeds. Various homers and powders and roller pigeons, which are really interesting, you know. They turn somersaults in the air. And I had homing pigeons.”

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, pigeon racing officially began in Belgium in 1818. That year marked the first longdistance race of over 100 miles. It followed for well over a century that the top pigeon bloodlines came from Europe. That Eurocentric focus continued into Brown’s early pigeon-keeping years.

“There was a Hayward Racing Pigeon Club, and it was kind of the hotbed of racing. Some of the well-known people in the sport lived in the Bay Area and Napa Valley,” he notes. “The pigeons were being imported then from Belgium, and, of course, I didn’t have any of those. I remember one day, a race pigeon flew

Story and Photos by Haines Eason

Rick Brown assists his 10-year-old granddaughter, Kaleigh, with a pigeon.

straight into my loft. It came in my loft and had a rubber counter mark on it. I was so excited that a race pigeon came and visited my loft.”

Brown recalls that a neighbor from his youth, a builder, had a project going up in the Sierras, about 120 miles away. Brown managed to convince the neighbor to take his birds up one day and release them. And, home they came.

“I was thrilled,” Brown says. “It kind of got me going on the idea of racing.”

It wouldn’t be until Brown moved to Colorado in ‘72 that he began racing with regularity. He called the state home for about 30 years, making deep connections with other pigeon-racing aficionados there.

“YEAH, WE’RE VERY COMPETITIVE. BUT, AT THE SAME TIME, WE GET TOGETHER AND HAVE COOKOUTS, MEET AT RESTAURANTS, AND WE ALSO TRADE BIRDS BACK AND FORTH TO HELP ONE ANOTHER. IT’S A LOT OF FUN, LET’S PUT IT THAT WAY. THAT’S THE REASON I’M IN IT.”

–Rick Brown

About five years ago, Brown (and his pigeons) moved to the Lawrence area to be closer to his grandkids. And, in the last year, he, his wife, his daughter and her husband and kids have settled in a large house northwest of Baldwin City. The racing continues, and now Brown’s granddaughter, Kaleigh, is getting in on the tradition.  Ten-year-old Kaleigh wears the western-cut work boots common to the ag crowd. She’s also clearly spent time around her grandfather’s birds and knows how to release and re-coop them. She’s presently keeping two Chinese owl pigeons of her own. Dubbed Cooper and Water Bottle, they are smaller than your average racing homer and a touch easier to handle.

We’re here for Generations.

We’re here for Generations.

We’re here for Generations.

We’re here for Generations.

“You know, the present-day membership in our organization for racing has declined,” Brown notes. “Compared to years past, the kids are so involved in soccer and official sports and gaming and baseball… Generally, kids that live in the city don’t have an interest or know anybody that keeps pigeons… Most of the people in our club are retired or are older adults.”

But, clubs do sponsor youth and hope to see an interest from younger folks. And, even as youth participation may be waning, the sport is alive and well and is gaining popularity in Asia. One of the U.S.’s highest-profile races, the Hoosier Classic, advertises a guaranteed payout of $1.2 million in total and claims to have paid $5 million in prizes since 2018.

Building friends, families and futures.

Building friends, families and futures.

236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-3600

Building friends, families and futures.

Building friends, families and futures.

236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-3600

But, for Brown, while it does come down to competition, as importantly, it’s also about camaraderie.

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-1011

602 Ames • Baldwin City, KS 66006 785-594-7500

MyKansasStateBank.com

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-1011

236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-3600

602 Ames • Baldwin City, KS 66006 785-594-7500

236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-3600

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-1011

MyKansasStateBank.com

602 Ames • Baldwin City, KS 66006 785-594-7500

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067 785-242-1011

MyKansasStateBank.com

602 Ames • Baldwin City, KS 66006 785-594-7500

MyKansasStateBank.com

COMMUNITY

“Yeah, we’re very competitive. But, at the same time, we get together and have cookouts, meet at restaurants, and we also trade birds back and forth to help one another. It’s a lot of fun, let’s put it that way. That’s the reason I’m in it,” Brown says. “I meet a lot of interesting people and I take pride in my results, ’cause I’m competitive, you know? I want to win. But, if I don’t win, I shake the hand of the winner because they earned it. On that particular day, in that particular race, they’re the champ.”

WHAT IS PIGEON RACING AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

At its heart, pigeon racing is straightforward. Competitors bring their pigeons to a predetermined location that is roughly equidistant from all the birds’ coops. The birds are released, and the first bird home is the winner. Depending on the race, second, third finishers and so on may be noted, and there may be prize money.

Races can be several hundred miles. Within the last year, Brown traveled to Texas to participate in a race, and his and other competitors’ birds traveled more than 600 miles home. How the birds know how to get home is still a mystery.

“Nobody knows how they find their way home,” Brown says. “No scientist has figured it out. There’s a lot of theories on how they come home using the magnetic fields of the Earth, the sun compass, even. They even have some theories about ultraviolet light that we can’t see that birds can see. And if you think of the migrating birds, what comes to my mind—the geese. How do they find their way? Nobody knows.”

Many racing pigeon owners belong to local and regional clubs where race results are tracked and recorded. The American Pigeon Racing Union has a robust website—pigeon.org—and maintains a results database.

If you want to learn more about the sport from a local, or, if you think a lost racing pigeon has come to roost with you, Brown will field your call (785-218-4125).

“Sometimes these pigeons are kind of nutty,” Brown says, laughing. “They’ll take up residence above the porch or in the garage or around the bird feeder. There are a few that do get crossed up and lost. And, there is a way to find their owners and get ’em back so they don’t suffer in the wild.

So, keep a lookout.

TOP Brown’s pigeon let loose on an August afternoon. BOTTOM Brown and his granddaughter watch as their pigeons take flight.

Jennifer Hantsbarger AAMSTM, CRPCTM

723 Eighth Street Baldwin City, KS 66006

Bus: 785-594-2910

Fax: 888-795-9471

Remember why you’re investing

Any time you go through periods of market uctuations, it’s important to remember why you’re investing — to reach a nancial goal. And if retirement is that goal, the bottom line is one word: income. Although investing poses risks, such as market declines, not investing can also be a risk to your nancial future. The key is nding balance — not too much investment risk, while ensuring you have enough growth potential to reach your long-term goals. Talk to your nancial advisor today to ensure your strategy is best positioned to help you reach your goals.

Silver Dollar Savings

LeRoy Homan, an 80 something, retired senior citizen and Edward Jones client shared his story about saving and spending. LeRoy realized when he was a young man, the importance of saving. My father, was a wise man and carried an 1888 silver dollar in his overalls every day from the time he was a young man. I’m not sure if this was a “Homan tradition”, or if my father started this tradition.

When I was six, my father pulled his 1888 and a 1923 silver dollar from his overalls and said, “Son, I have carried this 1888 silver dollar for years as a reminder of not to spend every dollar I make. You can see how worn it is after all these years of carrying it, but it is still a great reminder of how to save”. After this advice, he gave me the 1923 silver dollar for me to carry with me

every day as a reminder not to spend every dollar I make.

When I turned 16, I could drive the family truck for odd jobs and of course to the shing hole about 8 miles from town. The local gas station was o ering a 10 dollar line of credit for gas. I asked my father if he thought I should sign up for the line of credit. My father said, “Son, you will need to make sure you pay your line of credit each month.” I quickly realized, he was letting me learn and grow on my own.

This was the beginning of me realizing that if you continue to let a line of credit accrue, it’s unlikely you will get the principal paid o with added late fees and interest charges, which back then was only 2%. So, I adopted my father’s philosophy…if I can’t buy it with cash or can’t pay the line of credit o each month, you can do without. I would look for businesses around that would o er 90 days same as cash or other o ers that would allow me a little time to save the money and pay o the debt before interest was added to the principal.

To this day, I still carry both silver dollars with me and have shared the story of the “silver dollars” with many. My father’s advice resonated with me from six years old to my young age of 80 something.

from six years old to my young age of to

The rst of May, I signed up for the 10 dollar line of credit and received my rst bill of $3.10 the end of May. Gas at this time was from 20-24 cents a gallon. The end of June came and I received another bill that was $3.10 along with a fee for not paying May’s bill. By July, I had exceeded the 10 dollar line of credit and I was over by two dollars, owing 12 dollars total for the three months plus the fees for missing payments. I learned quickly that now I had exceeded the limit and would have to work twice as hard to get this paid.

I am a client of Edward Jones now and continue to get good advice from my advisor. My advice to you is save “a little” early on, put “a little” away for rainy days and nd an advisor who can help you accomplish these nancial goals so you are ready for retirement.

I look forward to helping you.

Financial Advisor

Edward Jones

Edward Jones, Member SIPC

jennifer.hantsbarger@edwardjones.com

FUNDRAISING FOR FASHION

Story by Lucas Shivers | Photos courtesy Pitts Photography

Anew, glamorous fundraising event has taken the town by storm.

The Baldwin City Fashion Show, hosted by the Lumberyard Arts Center on July 13, celebrated fashion while supporting local businesses.

“Our show started as an idea for a unique fundraiser for the arts center to engage partners with lots of entertainment and creativity,” says Jeannette Blackmar, executive director of the Lumberyard Arts Center.

Among the various arts featured in Baldwin, the fashion show, soon to be an annual event the community can look forward to, captured a new idea with local vendors such as Twill Trade, The Sticks, The Shops at The Lodge, Quilters’ Paradise, Becky’s Fashions and Ad Astra Alpacas.

“Our community has grown phenomenally with the arts featuring lots of concerts and visual shows, so we didn’t want to do just music or art displays,” says Blackmar. “We wanted something fun and new.”

The event took life after she noticed several boutiques and apparel shops pop up in Baldwin City over the last few years.

“We showcased this apparel and the art of fashion to build community and expand who we are and what we do,” she says.

Project Runway: Baldwin style

While putting together the event, Blackmar sought inspiration from one of her favorite television shows.

“Another reason I love the fashion show is because I absolutely can’t get enough of a show called Project Runway,” Blackmar says. “From the personal interest of mine from this TV show, I put a call out to the obvious players in town to ask them, ‘What do you think about this idea?’”

Plans for the event grew organically as local shops and boutiques came together, sharing their ideas, says Claudia Hey, owner of Ad Astra Alpacas.

“Each one of us planned a theme with coordinating music to fit with our parts,” Hey says. “We got people to agree to model for us and then we had a dress rehearsal.”

Each business created a theme for their section of the show that varied from Christmas in July, rodeo and beach party.

“OUR COMMUNITY HAS GROWN PHENOMENALLY WITH THE ARTS FEATURING LOTS OF CONCERTS AND VISUAL SHOWS, SO WE DIDN’T WANT TO DO JUST MUSIC OR ART DISPLAYS. WE WANTED SOMETHING FUN AND NEW.”

–Jeannette Blackmar

“Nobody really knew how each of our visions would play out and whether it would all go together,” Hey says. “With the patience and skill of our intrepid leader Jeannette and the music master Chris Thomas, it all came together beautifully, and the citizens of Baldwin City enjoyed a fun evening.”

Promote and shop local

While the show wasn’t as much about modeling, it promoted shopping locally.

“We set it up in the summer to showcase the ‘back to school’ season to highlight the upcoming shopping season,” Blackmar says.

During the two-hour event, local entertainers and community members walked the runway. Several recent high school graduates sang as well.

“My favorite part was seeing all the models so happy and proud of the fashion they were showing,” says Becky Fender, owner of Becky’s Fashions and Becky’s Stitch-N-Go. “It was also great to see the community come together and support this event. Words cannot express how much that means.”

Several items were handmade with quilting styles and designs.

UPCOMING EVENTS

OCTOBER 15 4–5 p.m.

Lumberyard Live on High presents Free State Brass Band at Sullivan Square

NOVEMBER 7 7–9 p.m.

Lumberyard Live on High presents Mire Pral at Lumberyard Arts Center

DECEMBER 2 Time TBD

Gingerbread House Party at Lumberyard Arts Center

“Working with the business partners was a great part of it all and special for everyone to come together for the success of the event and arts center,” Blackmar says. “It was rewarding to work as a team. I’m grateful for the collaboration and friendships I’ve made through it all.”

Local businesses spent eight months planning the event with the LAC.

“At the beginning of our planning sessions, we were asked, ‘why fashion?’” Hey says. “After the show, the answer to me should be ‘because it’s fun!’ I think everyone who attended the first Baldwin City Fashion Show would agree.”

The event brought in new people to the arts center since it was tailored to a new audience. From the limousine chauffeuring participants and the red-carpet entrances to the confetti falling at the conclusion of the show, Blackmar says the event was a resounding triumph.

“We highlighted a plethora of industries the fashions support,” Blackmar says. “It was extremely successful. We doubled our goal of 100 folks with over 200 people in attendance. We have plans to expand and grow next year.”

MAPLE LEAF FESTIVAL

Story by Debbie Miller and Kalli Smith | Photos courtesy Kayla Kohn

The annual Maple Leaf Festival is back in Baldwin City, and those venturing from out of town can expect a stacked weekend of fall festivities October 21 and 22.

Taking root 66 years ago, Baldwin City’s Maple Leaf Festival has branched out to become one of the region’s fall favorites. Today’s 40,000 attendees, 350 vendors and two-hour-long parade tell the success story of what started simply in 1958 with the colorful turning of the town’s maple leaves.

TODAY’S 40,000 ATTENDEES, 350 VENDORS AND TWO-HOUR-LONG PARADE TELL THE SUCCESS STORY OF WHAT STARTED SIMPLY IN 1958 WITH THE COLORFUL TURNING OF THE TOWN’S MAPLE LEAVES.

The start of a 66-year-old tradition

The festival began when the late Ivan Boyd, a Baker University biology professor, noted the local maple trees’ annual fall show. As one story goes, those maples got their start here years ago when a passing train carrying a load of maple trees broke down in Baldwin City and the crew unloaded and sold the trees to local residents.

Wanting to organize a unique annual celebration, Boyd chose the third weekend in October 1958, during the peak of the maple trees’ color, for Baldwin City’s new event. Boyd’s son, Roger Boyd, recalls the beginnings of the beloved event.

“Dad’s focus was for people to visit Baldwin City and see it as a great place to raise a family, retire or have a business, as well as bring a crowd to town,” he says. “And from discussions around the community, he learned a lot of nonprofits would love to sell food and other items to make money.”

For links and more information, visit mapleleaffestival.com

MAPLE LEAF HISTORY PROJECT LEARN MORE

Interested in learning more about this beloved fall festival? Pop into the Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce at 719 High Street where the full exhibit is on permanent public display. You can also visit mapleleaffestival.com/ history for more information and to see the festival’s timeline in depth.

LIST OF EVENTS

SATURDAY

• 5K Run and Kid’s Run

• Arts and Crafts Booths Open, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Downtown through 8th Street

• Music and Dance in Tent

• Quilt Show, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Baldwin Intermediate Center, 100 Bullpup Dr.

• Children’s Parade, 10:45 a.m.

Meet in front of the public library at 10:30 a.m. and march toward parade

• Maple Leaf Train, 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

• Public Parade, 11 a.m.

• Bounce House Area and Kids’ Zone 8th and High Street

Kids can enjoy crafts, a petting zoo, pony rides, face panting, a bouncy house and more.

SUNDAY

• Arts and Craft Booths Open, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Downtown through 8th Street

• Music and Dance in Tent

• Quilt Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Baldwin Intermediate Center, 100 Bullpup Dr.

• Maple Leaf Train, 10 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

• Bounce House Area and Kids’ Zone 8th and High Street

Kids can enjoy crafts, a petting zoo, pony rides, face panting, a bouncy house and more.

September 22

LIVE ON HIGH

Sullivan Square

Lumberyards Arts Center presents Sky Smeed from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

September 23

BALDWIN CITY CHAMBER

GOLF TOURNAMENT Golf Course

Enjoy the annual golf tournament featuring cash prizes, hole prizes, breakfast and lunch and more. Registration starts at 8:30 a.m.

September 26

RODROCK CHIROPRACTIC OPEN HOUSE

603 Ames Street

Support the opening of a new location for Rodrock Chiropractic from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

September 29

ADULT-ONLY CARNIVAL

Sullivan Square

Feel like a kid again at the Adults Only Carnival at 720 High Street. The fun kicks off at 6 p.m. and features a cakewalk, mini golf, prizes and more.

September 30

BASS TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER

Melvern Lake State Park (East Ramp)

Support McCain Kellerman and his family in the fight against cancer. The entry fee is $120 for the two-person team event and will begin at 7 a.m.

September 30

KIDS’ CARNIVAL

Sullivan Square

This one’s for the kiddos! Enjoy games, prizes, food trucks and more from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

October 5

BAKER UNIVERSITY SYMPHONIC WINDS/ JAZZ ENSEMBLE CONCERT

Rice Auditorium

Take a night off and enjoy the sound of music at Baker University. Concert starts at 7:30 p.m.

October 7

BEF BRATFEST AND THE MOTHER OF SILENT AUCTIONS

Downtown

Kick off the start of fall with free food, live music, sidewalk art, Kansas City Chiefs cheerleaders and more. Event starts at 11 a.m.

October 14

CONCERT MOVIE SERIES

Sullivan Square

Baldwin City Recreation Commission presents a concert and movie in Sullivan Square. Music from special guest Velvet Jackson kicks off at 6:30 p.m., and Goosebumps: The Stories Are Alive will begin at approximately 7:45 p.m.

October 15

LIVE ON HIGH

Sullivan Square

Lumberyards Arts Center presents Free State Brass Band from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

October 21 & 22

MAPLE LEAF FESTIVAL

Downtown

Enjoy the 66th Maple Leaf Festival in downtown Baldwin City. Booths will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

October 28

MAPLE LEAF GRAVEL GRIND

Start and finish on High Street between 7th and 8th streets

Baldwin City Recreation Commission presents the 5th annual gravel grind. This in-person event will feature 16-, 35- and 70- mile route options.

EVENTS

October 28

BEER, WINE AND SPIRIT FEST

Sullivan Square and High Street (between 7th and 8th streets)

After the gravel grind, stick around for the third annual Beer, Wine and Spirit Fest from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

October 31

HOMETOWN HALLOWEEN

Downtown

Celebrate Halloween in downtown from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. This year’s festivities will include a Trunk or Treat and more.

November 7

LIVE ON HIGH Lumberyard Arts Center

Lumberyards Arts Center presents Mire Pral from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

December 2

GINGERBREAD HOUSE PARTY Lumberyard Arts Center

It’s finally time to bust out those gingerbread-making skills! Look out for session times, updates and more by checking out the LAC Facebook Page.

December 2

FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

Downtown

Get into the holiday spirit with the annual Christmas parade starting at 6 p.m. followed by the tree lighting ceremony.

February 2024

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

ANNUAL AWARDS BANQUET

Details TBD

‘23-24 FALL/WINTER

ST Ength

Baldwin City families come together, find support in community

Story by Elizabeth Walters

Photos by Jason Dailey

Both lifelong members of the community, the Kellerman and Smith families’ lives changed when their children, 14-year-old McCain Kellerman and 8-year-old Lila Smith, were diagnosed with cancer just days apart. However, they are not fighting their battles alone; their journeys have unveiled the remarkable sense of unity within the Baldwin community.

“There’s just no words,” says Lacy Kellerman, McCain’s mom. “Thank you just isn’t a big enough word for everything our community has done.”

McCain was diagnosed with leukemia on June 2. Lacy, who has a background as an oncology nurse, was concerned when she noticed pinpoint bruising on her son’s chest. After an initial hospital stay in Lawrence, McCain has been receiving weekly chemotherapy at Children’s Mercy. Although McCain reached remission on July 5, he will continue treatment over the course of the next two years.

“Imagine a tree. They got rid of everything above the ground, like anything that you can see they’ve gotten rid of, and then the next two years is getting rid of anything under the ground that you can’t see,” Lacy paraphrases McCain’s doctors.

Lacy and her husband, Josh, have two other children, Finnley, 15, and Ridge, 13. Lacy says the kids have risen to the occasion to support their brother.

She emphasizes, “They’ve given Josh and me a lot of grace as we’ve had to focus on McCain. They’ve been amazing through this all.”

Furthermore, Lacy adds, “The community has not only wrapped up McCain but really been supportive of my other two children and you know, really wrapped them up and helped keep their life as normal as possible, which has been just amazing.”

There have been countless fundraisers to help alleviate the family’s medical bills. Megan Gosser, the Kellerman’s neighbor of five years, has been a driving force behind many of these events.

“I started praying for him every day and then I just kind of had this feeling that I can do something,” Gosser says.

This summer, Gosser organized a bowling event at her family’s business, Royal Crest Lanes. Makayla and Michelle Hirschmann, another neighbor of the Kellermans, helped with the event by selling #TeamMcCain T-shirts.

“You don’t really expect it to be someone that you’re close to,” says 18-yearold Makayla, who grew up with the Kellerman kids attending her mom’s home daycare. In 2019, Makayla organized a T-shirt fundraiser for Brenda Shawley, her former volleyball coach who was diagnosed with colon cancer.

In addition to the overwhelming community solidarity, Lacy says her family is grateful to know the Smiths, who truly understand their current challenges. In true small-town fashion, Ramie Smith, Lila’s mom, babysat for the Kellerman family years ago.

On June 16, Lila Smith was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, after having a tumor removed from her facial and skull bones. Lila undergoes regular inpatient and outpatient chemotherapy, equating to seven days of treatment every month.

Lila is the oldest of four girls. Ramie says her daughters, Lakyn, 5, Landry, 3, and Lainey, 1, have kept their big sister’s spirits up throughout her treatments.

Two families have found themselves bound together by an unimaginable twist of fate.

to Support ways

Check out these upcoming events to support Lila and McCain

Community members Chad Dick and Cayden Harmon are organizing a bass tournament fundraiser in McCain’s honor. The entry fee is $120 for the two-person team event. There is a five-fish limit, and a Kansas Bass Pass is required to participate.

When: Sept. 30, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Where: Melvern Lake State Park (East Ramp)

Children’s Mercy’s annual Dream Big Day is a family-friendly one-mile walk that supports the Kellermans and Smiths and countless other kids who receive treatment at the facility. Their $350,000 goal will support patients and their families throughout their journey at Children’s Mercy.

When: Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Where: Crown Center Square, Kansas City, MO

Q&A with Lila & McCain

Lila

Q: What grade are you in?

A: Third

Q: What’s your favorite subject in school?

A: Reading

Q: What do you want to be when you grow up?

A: A veterinarian

Q: If you could have any superpower in the world, what would it be?

A: Flying

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: Little Mermaid (2023)

Q: What’s your favorite color?

A: It changes every day.

Q: If you could visit any place in the world, where would you go?

A: The beach

Q: What’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to?

A: Colorado

Q: If you could make your own rules for the day, what would they be?

A: No chores!

McCain

Q: What grade are you in?

A: Eighth

Q: What’s your favorite subject in school?

A: Strength and Conditioning

Q: What do you like to do in your free time?

A: Play football

Q: What position?

A: Linebacker and lineman

Q: Who’s your favorite sports team?

A: The Chiefs

Q: What’s your favorite movie?

A: Cars

Q: What’s your favorite video game?

A: Call of Duty

Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?

A: Alaska

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“It’s been hard just knowing that we have to get through this for Lila and be strong for her,” Ramie says. “We wish there was another road to go down, but this is the road we have to go down right now to get to where we want to be and in a couple years with her being healthy and back to normal.”

Despite the age difference between Lila and McCain, Ramie is overwhelmed by the amount of support her family has received.

“Their kids [the Kellermans’] are a little older. They’ve been in sports. They’ve been in the school system longer,” Ramie says. “Lila is eight, so we’re just now really getting more involved in school and that sort of thing. But people have just showed up, even random strangers that we don’t know, supporting us.”

This past July, Sarcoma Awareness Month, several community members rallied with their #LilaStrong shirts and posted on social media.

“Lila absolutely loves attention,” Ramie jokes. “Just seeing her face light up, she could not believe so many people were wearing her shirt.”

Last month, in honor of Lila’s birthday, Gosser held a successful bake sale to raise money for Lila’s medical bills. During this year’s annual Smoke on the Bricks festival, community members supported a raffle for a prize sweet barrel smoker. Proceeds were split between the Kellermans and Smiths.

Ramie highlights the strong bond she shares with Lacy and emphasizes their deep understanding of each other’s challenges.

“Everyone can tell you that they’re sorry and that this isn’t going be the rest of your life and things are going to get better, but no one really knows,” Ramie says. “Lacy and I just know what we’re going through and that’s the biggest thing.”

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