Baldwin City Living | Spring & Summer 2024

Baldwin City Living is produced by Sunflower Publishing.

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 Photographers & Illustrators

Meagan Young

Jason Dailey

Liz Rudman

Contributing Writers

Amber Fraley

Fally Afani

Lucas Shivers

Ian Brannan

www.sunflowerpub.com

Publisher Bill Uhler

Director Bob Cucciniello

All material and photographs © Sunflower Publishing, 2024.

Baldwin City Living releases twice a year.

Welcome to the spring and summer 2024 issue of Baldwin City Living

With spring on the horizon, I can’t help but yearn for warm, sunny days spent outside. Until then, I recommend heading downtown to pick up our next issue.

Inside you’ll meet Baldwin City’s new library director, Lisa LaFountain; learn about the Lumberyard Arts Center’s fiveyear strategic plan; talk with Baldwin native and author Steve Pierce about his new book Running Douglas County; and find out about the new agricultural education program USD 348 is bringing to its students.

In our feature, meet Tina Rudman, who turned her love for gardening and serving others into a beloved family-run business and flower farm.

A special thanks to Tina Rudman, Liz Rudman, Jeannette Blackmar, Mark Dodge, Macy Hoskinson, Steve Pierce, Lisa LaFountain, and all of the businesses and leaders in Baldwin City that make help make this magazine possible.

Kalli Jo Smith, Editor

what’s inside

Lisa LaFountain: Hands on and in Charge Baldwin City welcomes new library director after regional search

Running Douglas County: Q&A with Author Steve Pierce How a Baldwin City man’s love for running and photography took him on a journey to mindfulness

Long Live the Lumberyard Leaders at Lumberyard Arts Center discuss strategic planning for next five years

Digging Deeper into Agriculture Baldwin City schools forge pathway to success with agricultural education program

Lisa LaFountain: HANDS ON AND IN CHARGE

City welcomes new library director after regional search

Over the last 16 years, Lisa LaFountain has become familiar with nearly every facet of the Baldwin City Public Library, from floor to ceiling.

“I started out as a janitor, if you can believe that,” she laughs. From there, she worked her way up to a part-time job at the circulation desk, then on to learning to catalogue the library collection, to working on interlibrary loans. She even filled in as the interim director on multiple occasions, but as of last August, LaFountain is officially the library’s full-time director.

“I’ve kind of worked my way up, so I know all aspects of the library, which is kind of nice—I’m not saying I know everything, but I have been in multiple capacities in the library,” she says.

LaFountain earned a business degree from MidAmerica Nazarene University, which, in addition to her on-the-job training, has assisted her in stepping into the director position.

“Running the library is a bit like running a business,” she says. “As a director, my hope is I’m passionate enough to

Baldwin

Story by Amber Fraley

Photos by Meagan Young

connect people to the right resources. I would like to see myself as being more of a hands-on director because I’ve been here a long time and built relationships with a lot of patrons. I’m not really one to sit in an office.”

Instead, LaFountain can be found out in the collection, assisting library visitors. In addition, she’s also working on a few changes at the library.

The entryway will be getting new tile, and this summer, the library will be partnering with the United Methodist Church to provide bicycles for rent.

“We’re going to add that to our collection of things people can come to the library and check out,” LaFountain says.

KANSAS ROOM LIBRARIAN AVAILABILITY

Mondays, 1 to 4 p.m.

Tuesdays, noon to 3 p.m.

Wednesdays, 1 to 3 p.m.

For now, the plan is to continue offering programs for library patrons of all ages. The library offers toddler story time on Wednesdays at 10 a.m., the Bullpup After School Club for grades three to five on Thursdays from 4 to 5 p.m., and teen nights every Friday from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Teen night activities include movies, book chats and crafts. For adults, the library offers Tech Time and Game Time, a crafting day and a once-a-month movie night.

“Of course, we have the summer library program coming up, which is always a big deal—the kids love it, and we love it,” LaFountain says. Readers earn raffle tickets for the books they read, and the library gives out prizes. “We always have some pretty nice prizes, and we try to stay local with the prizes as much as we can. The more you read, the more raffle tickets you get.”

For researchers and genealogists, the library offers an entire room of local history.

“We do have a Kansas Room, which is amazing if you’ve never been in there,” says LaFountain. Library staff member and volunteer Marta Jardon puts in a few hours a week as the Kansas Room librarian and is available to help visitors with their research. Jardon also works with the Santa Fe Trail Historical Society of Douglas County Kansas and knows a lot about the history of Baldwin.

“People can do genealogy research; we have obituaries, old school yearbooks, and abstracts of newspapers,” LaFountain says. The Kansas Room also offers information on the Santa Fe Trail, history on the Maple Leaf Festival, microfilm of the Baldwin Ledger, Baldwin Bulletin, and the Baldwin Bee newspapers, local family histories, and more.

Among LaFountain’s long-term goals, she plans to digitize and organize all the records in the Kansas Room so that if someone is searching for a certain person, for instance, all the information the library has on that person will come up with a single computer search.

For now, LaFountain will continue to serve patrons and build those community relationships.

“I’d like to see us collaborate more with the school district and Baker University,” she says.

Running Douglas County:

Q&A WITH AUTHOR STEVE PIERCE

How a Baldwin City man’s love for running and photography took him on a journey to mindfulness

Story by Fally Afani | Photos by Jason Dailey

Any Kansas resident will tell you that to really appreciate the beauty of this state, you have to get out and experience it.

Steve Pierce chose to do so by running all the backroads of Douglas County. Every day that he laces up his shoes and hits the gravel is an opportunity to marvel at the beauty of the plains. Over the course of a few decades, the Baldwin City resident explored every inch of Douglas County, 520 miles to be exact.

The result this experience had on his body and mind was so profound, he decided to share it with the world via his new book, Running Douglas County Pierce’s firsthand account of his time in rural Kansas is a masterclass in self-realization.

Throughout the book, we learn about everything from connecting with nature through his photography, to the inevitable obstacle of overcoming an injury. Through his runner’s gaze, we see striking images you can only experience if you get up before dawn—cemeteries, stars, seasonal splendor, and even meteors. We sat down with the author to talk about the mindfulness behind one of the nation’s most practiced sports, and how it connects us to nature and the cosmos.

One reviewer said, “Running Douglas County isn’t a book you read so much as experience.” So, I hope the reader’s connections are there, that they’re pulled in effortlessly.

–Steve Pierce

After reading through your stories, it’s easy to tell that running takes you places, but photography opened your eyes. What types of connections are you hoping readers will make with your images?

The images are there to show off the beauty of our area. I’ve done my best to draw the reader into both the images and the stories. One reviewer said, “Running Douglas County isn’t a book you read so much as experience.” So, I hope the reader’s connections are there, that they’re pulled in effortlessly.

You developed your love of running early in life and have logged more than 150,000 miles in your lifetime. How do you feel decades of the practice helped develop your other creative endeavors, such as writing and photography?

Distance running allows us time to contemplate and to observe our surroundings. In the post-competitive years that was accentuated by not having to think about the training aspect of the run.

Running became something to simply enjoy. With that easily comes a state of mind that allows for focus [and] intentional thought— something akin to the mindfulness that Zen teaches.

Having always been a very visual person, [I found] those thousands of hours of running meant a lot of opportunity to look critically at the environs and pick out what is interesting visually. I’ve run in some 30 countries and many states in the US. So,

whether it’s finding graphic compositions in a city or seeing a part of a country panorama that’s picture worthy, I’ve had plenty of practice.

Were there any specific locations in Douglas County that compelled you to put the book together?

If we draw a circle with a six-mile radius using my house as the center, the roads it encompasses and the land around those roads are the inspiration for and the subject of part one of the book. In the beginning, it was mostly for myself; I wanted a visual record of them. Eventually I expanded the audience, which became the book. …

When I set out to put it together, I felt compelled to run every stretch of the 350 miles of dirt/gravel road not yet covered in the county. I had to, to be true to the title. My journal of doing that is part two.

This book is divided into two parts. Can you talk about the journey you experienced during your rebirth in the second half?

In 2017, hip arthritis showed up and quickly deteriorated to the point that running was impossible. The hip was eventually replaced by a manufactured one, but some back problems came along. That amounted to four years of no running after forty-six years of constant running. It was devastating.

When I made my first attempts at jogging again, it was extremely clumsy and uncomfortable. But 200 meters became 400, then 800, etc. It took months to work up to three miles, then four. …

love in running with the discipline of putting this creative project together?

I have a bit of a history of leaving projects unfinished. This didn’t happen so much in running. You set a goal race and train toward it. And when race day came, you just did your best. I had a very concrete goal of having a book in my hands, my book. …The daily discipline of training to race came in very handy when I had a large cache of photos to edit or the kernel of a story that needed to be made into a whole.

With the joyous running there had been the mindfulness mentioned above and something stronger than that. I knew I wanted to get there, but the connection had been lost. I … knew that smooth, pain-free running was the important element. So as much as I was crossing miles off my Douglas County map, I was looking for that thing, that transcendence.

What do you feel was the most important lesson you learned about nature or yourself from photographing these runs? How did you balance the experiences you

I guess I learned how the one can apply to the other.

What do you hope readers will take away from your story?

That would give away the ending! Hint: It’s cosmic—biology, chemistry, astrophysics, and metaphysics all wrapped together. It’s a thread that I’ve buried a bit and hopefully not too deeply.

What advice would you give to aspiring runners and nature photographers?

Well, to aspiring runners I would say give it time. Exercise science and plenty of anecdotal evidence show that it takes four to five years for the body to adapt to running. … With time and consistency, the body can adapt to the point where it becomes easy, even something you don’t have to think about.

A nature photographer also has to spend time observing and learning where and when their objective might appear. And then there are rules of composition to consider, along with the mechanics of the camera and situation that affect depth of field, etc. To save on editing time, I tend to recommend training the eye to see the better shots before squeezing the shutter release 40 times.

Why do you feel it’s important to experience rural Douglas County this way?

It’s about peacefulness and solitude. It’s important to detach from the world and experience that quiet time. I just received a letter from a runner friend. We haven’t communicated in 25 years. I sent him a book a while back, and he closes his letter with, “Thanks again my friend and keep spending time out on the roads and trails we are drawn to as lifelong runners.” It’s part of us and we’re part of it.

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The Lumberyard

Leaders at LAC discuss strategic planning for next five years

Story by Lucas Shivers Infographic courtesy Lumberyard Arts Center

Envisioning the next five years, the staff and board of the Lumberyard Arts Center (LAC) are excited to rally around the values and vision of a new strategic plan.

“LAC was founded in the spirit of community and generous philanthropy to create a ‘home for the arts’ where everyone belongs. This directly influences wellbeing at many [levels],” says Jeannette Blackmar, executive director for LAC.

Under the mission of enhancing community wellbeing through creative experiences, the vision of the LAC is to be the home of multidisciplinary arts and innovation in Baldwin City.

“Everyone is creative,” Blackmar says. “We were founded with a visual arts focus, but we have diversified our offerings to include performing arts and literary arts for the community to participate.”

Blackmar says the dialog generated through the strategic planning process protects the creative space of the arts center while seeking to enhance technologic infrastructure to support programming.

“With strategic planning undertaken by the board of directors, we are laying a strong foundation for the next five years,” Blackmar says.

Leaders and Partners

Blackmar was hired into the leadership role at LAC right as Covid-19 hit in 2020. In partnership with businesses and volunteers, events such as “Face Masks for Baldwin City” and “Live on High” were created to help sustain the arts center.

Additional programming growth occurred that added live music, community theater and additional offerings.

With an abundance of new programs, but limited staff capacity, LAC needed a strong roadmap to guide the future with the core values of creativity, inclusivity, engagement, reinvention, connection and enrichment.

The team answered a series of questions to support next steps.

“The board sought to answer, ‘Why do we do what we do? How do we sustain long-term vitality?’” Blackmar says.

The next five years

The five-year plan begins with shoring up operating support and expanding human resources.

For the next year, LAC will focus heavily on growing memberships and securing pledges and capital gain. By 2026, the board hopes to begin hiring additional staff to allow for a larger outreach in the community.

By 2027, a key partnership with USD 348 will create a new career technical education (CTE) pathway focused on digital arts and communications.

“In the process of what students are learning, their creations will feed into the artistic programming operations of LAC, providing immersive experiences through live performance,” Blackmar says. “The CTE pathway could very easily have more opportunities to share art that we have yet to envision.”

With this partnership, the LAC sees the program adding to Baldwin City Main Street’s strategic initiative to create an arts and entertainment district in downtown Baldwin City.

SETTING GOALS

GOAL #1

Provide diverse, quality arts experiences for the Baldwin City community.

GOAL #2

Grow audiences.

GOAL #3

Preserve and prioritize creative space and technological infrastructure for artists and community members

GOAL #4

Build a staff, board, and volunteer infrastructure that support the Lumberyard Arts Center’s growth and sustainability.

GOAL #5

Increase funding and diversify revenue streams for the Lumberyard Arts Center.

In terms of the LAC building at 718 High St., only about half is repurposed, leaving plenty of possibilities for future use. Blackmar hopes to have enough funds secured to begin a building expansion by 2028.

“When the vision to create an arts center emerged, only enough funding was secured to transition the south half of the building,” Blackmar says. “The 2023 strategic planning process seeks to realize the dream to secure funding to finish the complete renovation of the building.”

The new space is envisioned as an “adaptable theater” that can be transitioned to a “creative makerspace,” Blackmar adds.

Starting the conversation

With Kansas Creative Arts Commission Industry grant funding, the board engaged in the planning process last fall with Coneflower Consulting.

“Overall, the strategic planning process gave us permission to ask ourselves, ‘How do we continue to offer all of our programming without risking burn out?” says Dorian Logan, a board member. “They provided a mirror to examine it all and make the changes to best fit our future.”

Since LAC was established in 2010, the new plan was a long time coming.

“We’ve been doing work for 20 years with a strong cohort of volunteers to transition the Lumberyard Company into an arts center with a lot of sweat equity,” Blackmar says. “It served us well, but since then, we’ve been adding programming, and we needed a plan that was sustainable.”

The process took many conversations over five months from August to December 2023 with long meetings consisting of the 12-member board.

“This is the result of examining our activities to think through who we are and what our values are,” Blackmar says. “We assessed our operations and came to a consensus on how to move forward.”

Logan enjoyed the well-guided process to bring up the considerations and ultimate projection of LAC.

“It was well timed, and I think we successfully established a plan for the next five years,” says Logan. “As an organization, we were spreading ourselves really thin. We want to scale our existing programming. Building support from volunteers and adding staff will help us more fully offer programs in a sustainable way.”

Wide Reach

LAC seeks to reach a broader segment of the population and highlight diversity, inclusion and belonging with a new commitment.

“We want to be a home where people can create connections and be comfortable with who they are in our facility. These goals outline not just words but accountability to [implement] these ideals,” Blackmar says. “We truly believe that art has the power to transform our community into a more just, equitable and open place where everyone belongs.”

The LAC’s plan outlines ways to invest in, build and grow the human resources of staff, board and volunteers.

“As a private, 501(c) 3 nonprofit, we do not receive public funding,” Blackmar says. “We have to diversify revenue streams of membership, donations, grants, sponsorships and more. We intend to include other mechanisms to capture funding such as legacy giving.”

DIGGING DEEPER INTO Agriculture

Baldwin City schools forge pathway to success with agricultural education program

Story by Ian Brannan | Photos by Jason Dailey

Here in Kansas, the breadbasket of the United States, agriculture is a way of life. Recently, schools of USD 348 have been able to add this vital field of study to their curriculum.

This school year, students at Baldwin Junior High School (BJHS) and Baldwin High School (BHS) have had the opportunity to take agricultural education courses for the first time. However, these courses will now transition to an Agriculture Science Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. Once the comprehensive agriculture CTE pathway is approved, there can be an official agricultural education program and a Baldwin Future Farmers of America (FFA) chapter, which Macy Hoskinson, the agricultural sciences coordinator, says will be coming next school year.

“FFA is an integral part of any agricultural education program across the country,” Hoskinson says. “The national FFA organization gives students the opportunity to test their knowledge in agriculture topics—career development events—and gain leadership experience through speaking competitions [at] leadership development events.”

“We are eager to see how these students blossom and thrive as they continue to cultivate their passion for agriculture and pursue their dreams.”

–Macy Hoskinson

Hoskinson also notes the supervised agricultural experience (SAE) will also be offered as part of the agricultural education program. She explains that all FFA members will have a project they complete outside of class, similar to a 4-H project. The students will use an online platform to keep records and track their learning experiences. In addition, she says FFA will help students access scholarships and leadership opportunities.

Over the years, student surveys revealed the need for the program. The surveys gauged interest in the types of courses junior high students wanted once they entered high school. Hoskinson says students showed a large interest in courses related to agriculture and that community support for such a program was high.

Derek Bland, principal of BJHS, says the program was a collaborative effort between the junior high and high school teams.

“We met extensively to iron out the logistics of launching a new program, recognizing the crucial role our junior high students would play in its initial stages,” Bland says. “Surveying these younger students was paramount to gauge their interests and ensure a strong foundation for future growth.”

Bland also says the surveys helped show that there was a “robust interest” in an agricultural science program. He noted the diversity of opportunities in the field, listing such topics as welding, floral design, and meat judging.

Both students and the wider community had given input, according to Bland. He says this feedback helped to ensure that the program would be “ripe for success.”

The discovery of Hoskinson, a seasoned FFA alum, proved to be a “pivotal moment” for USD 348.. Bland says Hoskinson “hit the ground running” with this year’s students, who were able to travel to a multitude of FFA competitions. The students were also able to organize a staff appreciation breakfast.

“With Macy’s leadership, we’re poised to cultivate a dynamic learning environment, equipping our students with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the expansive realm of agriculture,” Bland says.

The two look forward to the growth and potential for the new program in the coming years.

“For the seventh and eighth graders who are just beginning their journey with Mrs. Hoskinson, they may not yet realize the profound impact she will have on their academic and personal growth over the years,” Bland says. “As they progress through the program, they will forge strong relationships with her, gaining the skills and confidence needed to navigate their own paths toward success by the time they reach their senior year. We are eager to see how these students blossom and thrive as they continue to cultivate their passion for agriculture and pursue their dreams.”

Hoskinson says in October 2024 she will take the students to the national FFA convention in Indianapolis, Indiana. The fourday event provides everything from competitive events to career success tours to student and teacher workshops. Hoskinson says she loves seeing her students succeed in the agricultural education program through competitions and community events.

ABOVE (LEFT TO RIGHT) Paige Soper, Brooklyn Enright, Lydia Herron, Amelia Behrends, Macy Hoskinson, Emily Goans, Addison Allen, Cheyenne Brunker, and Blake Hanna.

events

March 24

Easter Egg Hunt

Baldwin Golf Course

Rainbow Preschool’s Community presents this year’s Easter Egg Hunt. Spend the day savoring springtime and enjoy food trucks, face painting and more.

April 3

The Avant Launch Party Lumberyard Arts Center

Support and celebrate the Baldwin High School 2024 art and literary publication known as The Avant, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at the LAC.

April 6

May 23

Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce Networking Happy Hour

Baldwin City Beer Company

More details TBA.

June 14–15

Youth Theatre Production & Community Variety Show

Sullivan Square

Enjoy Baldwin City Players youth theatre production directed by Dorian Logan. This free show begins at 7 p.m.

June 21

Third Friday Market

Downtown Baldwin

Head downtown to support local food, art and music at this community-driven event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sign up online at www.baldwincitychamber.com to become a vendor.

July 19

Third Friday Market

Downtown Baldwin

Head downtown to support local food, art, and music at this community-driven event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

July 19–27

Baseball Trip 2024

Multiple Locations

Baldwin City Recreation Commission presents the 2024 baseball trip that will visit six Major League ballparks, one Minor League park, the NFL Hall of Fame, a guided tour of Washington D.C, and more.

July 25

Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce Luncheon

Location TBD

The chamber luncheon will begin at noon.

Be Well Capstone Event

Collins Gym

This year’s wellness event will feature a room full of vendors offering guidance and resources for how to be well.

April 18

Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce Luncheon Lumberyard Arts Center

Head to the LAC for the chamber luncheon at noon.

April 25

Baker Literary Salon

Enjoy an evening of Judy Blume with a lecture by Melanie Massey, director of Baker Library, and a culinary experience of the author’s work. Registration required.

June 27

Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce Networking Coffee

Location TBD

Enjoy this networking event from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

July 6

Independence Day Celebration

Baldwin Golf Course

Get ready for a night filled with live music, food trucks, and a kids’ zone for the little ones. Doors open at 4:30 p.m., and the party starts at 5:00 p.m., with a performance by Big Time Grain Company. Headliner TBA.

August 16

Third Friday Market

Downtown Baldwin

Head downtown to support local food, art, and music at this community-driven event from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

August 22

Baldwin City Chamber of Commerce Networking Happy Hour

More details TBA.

September 7

Fashion and Live Music

Sullivan Square & LAC

Get ready for the second annual Baldwin City Fashion Show. This year’s event will kick off at 7 p.m. Make sure you have your ticket!

PHOTO Adobe Stock

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Story by Lucas Shivers Photos by Liz Rudman Photography

flourishing time

Flower farmer brings beauty to the business

With fields dedicated to wild wonders, Tina Rudman grows thousands of flowers for Flourishing Time, a flower farm and florist shop based in Baldwin City.

“As a mom of five children, we always had a garden and flowers,” Rudman says. “When all of the kids left the nest a few years ago, I thought about what to do with the next season of my life.”

Tina and her husband, Dan, grew up in northern Michigan, but they have lived in Kansas for 28 years, thanks to their career of vocational Christian ministry drawing them to the Kansas prairie in 1995.

“I so enjoy the beauty and connection you can make with flowers and people,” Rudman says. “I’d grown flowers for years as a hobby to mostly give away. So, we developed our five acres, including the purchase of one more acre, solely dedicated to growing cut flowers.”

Dan keeps up with the infrastructure such as irrigation, hauling compost and more while working full-time as a Christian missionary and national director of ambassadors for Christ International. He travels and speaks around the country and internationally in addition to helping with Flourishing Time.

Seasonal Sensations

The cycles of the Flourishing Time flower farm feature many various crops, beginning each spring with ranunculus, anemones, peonies, poppies, foxgloves, delphiniums and scabiosa.

Rudman starts many of these plants in the fall to get some early spring blooms.

“I start seeds for dozens of plants at a time, and it gets super busy in February and March with new rounds each week for six weeks,” she says.

After the spring flowers, the summer crops come in with zinnias, cosmos, Agrostemma, coneflower, strawflower, snapdragons and more.

“There’s usually a few rounds of summer flowers,” Rudman says. “Some plants start early, take a break in the hot weeks and come back in the fall.”

Autumn allows for a good portion of dahlias to be the star of the fall show.

“When others get tired, dahlias come in strong,” Rudman says. “Ranunculus and dahlias are my favorites. I grow 75–100 different types of dahlias with a total of 600 actual plants.”

Tina Rudman, owner of Flourishing Time, sets out a fresh arrangement of flowers in her greenhouse.

The farm also houses a goat named Banjo, 20 chickens, five rabbits and three cats.

“Animals are a lot of work,” she says. “I keep the rabbits for pets and fertilizer for the flowers. It’s an easy fertilizer to take the droppings right from the cages to the flower beds as an organic boost.”

Passion for design  Rudman creates artful bouquets using her own flowers from the farm for an array of special occasions. Much of her designs are inspired by the season.

“Not only do I grow flowers, but I also design for weddings and special events,” Rudman says. “I enjoy developing the flower arrangements with a whimsical and loose style. It’s inspired by what’s growing in that moment.”

She studies and admires designers like Truth and Blooms and others found through Instagram. Details about her locally designed bouquets and arrangements are spread mostly by word of mouth.

“I only like to do about one to two wedding events a month, allowing me time to enjoy the beauty and put my heart into growing and blessing people,” she says.

Bouquet Bars

One of the most popular features and events at Flourishing Time is the open flower bar for guests to make their own bouquets and memories in an intimate setting.

“Folks come out to the farm and make arrangements from our cuttings of the week,” Rudman says. “They can take in the gardens while sitting under the chandelier

in the greenhouse with the twinkling lights, all the while sipping tea and enjoying a baked good.”

Flourishing Time also hosts other events, including birthday parties and bridal showers.

“[Those] who visit often express how they love the beauty of the flowers and the setting,” she says.

Rudman sells weekly in the summer at the Merriam Farmers Market.

“It’s a lovely little market with a canopy to protect from any weather,” Rudman says, noting additional products include honey and baked goods.

She also sells her bouquets at Split Log Coffee in Kansas City.

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Each of Dan and Tina’s five grown children take

part in an enterprise mindset to own various business endeavors.

Their oldest, Dan and his wife, Gosia, own and operate an industrial cleaning business for resorts in the Florida Keys, Caribbean and Mexico. They have two children, Noah and Natalia, who visit the farm every summer. They currently live in the Bahamas.

“I so enjoy the beauty and connection you can make with flowers and people. I’d grown flowers for years as a hobby to mostly give away. So, we developed our five acres, including the purchase of one more acre, solely dedicated to growing cut flowers.”

–Tina Rudman

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Their daughter Kristi and her husband, Ryan Mayo, live in Lawrence with three kids, Hadley, Lily and Tinsley. Kristi operates her own hair salon. She occasionally does the hair and beauty services for the same weddings.

“The grand girls come to the house once a week and actually help with farm chores,” Rudman says. “They do the work each Wednesday to wash buckets and pull weeds. They do a lot with the animals, and

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they love the flowers. They have even won some 4-H awards at the county fair with the flowers they helped grow.”

Their daughter Alyssa was an accomplished local swimmer attending KU on a scholarship. She, too, grew up loving the outdoor life and farm. She and her husband, Dylan Ballinger, have two toddler sons, and she is busy as a therapist and counselor in the St. Louis area.

In addition, Alyssa, too, has worked as a wedding planner. She and her husband will move back to Kansas this spring so she can develop her practice, as well as helping with Flourishing Time.

Their fourth child, Stacey, was also a locally known swimmer and grew up enjoying the outdoors and 4-H. She currently lives in Oregon enjoying the beauty of the northwest.

Their youngest daughter, Elizabeth, has her own photography business known as Liz Rudman Photography. She and her videographer husband, John Stambaugh, live in Lenexa while they travel the country and even internationally doing retreats for creatives, as well as photographing weddings and elopements. They spend a lot of time immersed in the beauty of the West Coast.

On the horizon

In the future, Rudman hopes to do more weddings and keep learning to be a better florist and flower farmer.

“I’ll never stop learning,” she says. “I’ve filled our fields at maximum capacity, which means a lot of my energy goes into the farming … cultivating, naturally fertilizing and weeding, fighting insects and daily harvesting.”

She has set a goal to take more pictures this year. Her top priority being to capture the memories.

“I get so busy I forget to take the photos,” Rudman says. “I just love it all. I get to be outside surrounded by beauty. It’s so fun to bless other people. That’s why I do it.”

For more information, visit www.flourishingtime.com.

“I’ve filled our fields at maximum capacity, which means a lot of my energy goes into the farming … cultivating, naturally fertilizing and weeding, fighting insects and daily harvesting.”

–Tina Rudman

here for Generations.

785-242-3600

785-242-1011

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Baldwin City, KS 66006

785-594-7500

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236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067

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

785-242-3600

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067

236 N. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067

785-242-1011

785-242-3600

1314 S. Main • Ottawa, KS 66067

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

MyKansasStateBank.com

785-242-1011

MyKansasStateBank.com

What keeps you loving life?

Maybe it’s spontaneous dance parties, playing an extra round or just keeping up with family. At LMH Health OrthoKansas, we find joy by supporting you in whatever moves you.

Healthy joints mean a healthy and active lifestyle. Our team of experts will help you regain mobility through advanced technology and specialized care, so you can return to the things that matter most.