a community guide
What matters most to you in life? It’s a big question. But it’s just one of many questions I’ll ask to better understand you, your goals and your dreams. All to help you live confidently – today and in the future.
Tana Von Achen Ahlen CFP®, APMA® Financial Advisor Associate Vice President McCaw & Associates A financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc.
913.239.2525 4550 W. 109th St, Ste 200 Overland Park, KS 66211 vestana.ahlen@ampf.com mccawandassociates.com AR license #924605
Celebrating 5 years in the Eudora community.
Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2018 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved. (01/19)
Serving Northeast Kansas for over 32 years!
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D I SCOVE R
EUDORA a community guide.
FALL/WINTER ’19
Discover Eudora is an official publication of the City of Eudora and the Eudora School District with editorial, design and advertising placement provided by Sunflower Publishing.
City Liaison School District Liaison Editors Art Director Copy Editor Advertising Photographers Writers
cityofeudoraks.gov Mayor Tim Reazin City Manager Barack Matite
Leslie Herring Mark Dodge Eli Hoelscher Nathan Pettengill Alex Tatro Leslie Andres Angie Taylor Jason Dailey Nick Krug Katie Lewis Racheal Major Doug Stremel Thaddeus Haverkamp Cindy Higgins Chance Hoener Leah Sewell
eudoraschools.org School District Superintendent Steve Splichal
sunflowerpub.com Director: Bob Cucciniello Production Manager: Jenni Leiste
dear readers. Just this August, we kicked off another school year. The energy surrounding our first days of teacher preparation was multiplied once students entered our halls a few days later. We are excited to see what the 2019–2020 school year will bring, both for our students and the Eudora community. As a school district, we have long worked to provide high-quality instruction and innovation in the classroom. Teachers continue to devise educational opportunities to meet the academic needs of our students and tap into their interests and passions. The Eudora community also understands the need to provide students with connections and real-world experiences. In 2018-2019, one such learning experience allowed Eudora high school students, along with students from De Soto USD 232, to build a house, from the ground up, while learning directly from industry professionals. It was a truly remarkable experience, led by Gus Andrews, the construction pathway teacher at Eudora High School’s Eudora-De Soto Technical Education Center (EDTEC). In this issue, you will be able to read about this amazing program, how it connects our students with industry professionals and shapes their futures. The home construction project is just one example that speaks to the passion of Eudora’s teachers and community partners, making Eudora a special place to raise a family.
Steve Splichal Superintendent of Schools
All material and photographs copyright Sunflower Publishing, 2019. For editorial queries: Eli Hoelscher (785) 832-6342 ehoelscher@sunflowerpub.com For advertising queries: Angie Taylor (785) 832-7236 ataylor@sunflowerpub.com
a community guide
on the cover. A latte is served at Zeb's Coffeehouse Photograph by Doug Stremel
cityofeudoraks.gov
contents. Table of
departments.
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6
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Doggone Good Coffee
9
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Places to Visit
10
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Calendar of Events
15
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Eudora Map
18
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Quick Guide
20 features. 12
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Keeping it Green An outdoor Eudora fixture serves a new generation
20
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A Library for Everyone The governor's visit highlights Eudora's discussion about the future of its public library
25
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What's Going On in Eudora The Eudora Convention and Visitors Bureau amps up local events and brings in out-of-towners
28
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From the Ground Up Eudora High School students build for the future
25
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Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
doggone coffee Zeb’s Coffeehouse strives to provide great drinks and even better company
story by Thaddeus Haverkamp | photography by Doug Stremel
6
cityofeudoraks.gov
cityofeudoraks.gov
Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
Kathy Weld
K
athy Weld first moved to Eudora, the hometown of her husband, G.W., five years ago. She easily adapted to the town, except for one thing— she missed having a regular coffee shop. “After years of complaining, I thought, ‘well, maybe I should do something about it,’” Weld says. So, she dove headlong into the coffee business with no prior experience and reached out to Sweet Tee’s Coffee in Olathe, where she interned with the owner, Tee Walker, and learned the trade. “She was really gracious in sharing her words of wisdom and the lessons she learned the hard way,” Weld says. “She’s been a great support and someone who has been there to guide me.” On December 31, 2018, Weld was ready to open her venture—Zeb’s Coffeehouse. The volume of business the shop did in its first month was what Weld had hoped to reach by her second year. “The response from the community since we opened has blown me away,” Weld says, adding that this success has also created a variety of unforeseen challenges. On their first Saturday, only Weld and one other barista were working. With just the two of them, Weld recalls, they had a line to the door and order tickets piling up. “We just hadn’t set up this space to handle that kind of volume,” she says. In its first year, the store has already won a following for its specialty coffee drinks and homemade extras, such as the lavender and honey syrup. Serving these drinks, Weld and her staff have come to know their clientele intimately. “It’s fun to get to know the stories and the drinks of the folks that come in all the time,” Weld says. “It’s more than just getting to know their orders,” she notes, “but getting to know what’s going on in their life, knowing when someone’s granddaughter is sick and knowing how we can follow up on that. Knowing when someone is helping a family
Kathy Weld opened Zeb’s at 724 Main Street, a historic building built around 1915 and first opened as the Trefz Variety store, which operated until 1976. Since then, it has been a hardware store, an antique store and now Zeb’s. Weld has tried to integrate that history into the shop’s atmosphere. The shelf that holds spoons, napkins and straws came from the shelves of the variety store. The wood countertop of the coffee bar came from the studs of the old plasterand-lath wall. “We tried to honor as much of the heritage of this building as we could,” Weld says. “There was something about this space that was just, like, ‘This is it.’”
7
Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
member who is struggling … being community focused and being a space where people can come to be known and to know others.” Weld says her goal is to balance top-level coffee with this type of approachable atmosphere.
The response from the community since we opened has blown me away. —Kathy Weld
“We wanted to make it a space that was inviting and not too stuffy,” Weld says. “We wanted to find that balance. In my experience I’ve seen a lot of coffee shops fall on the end of having really awesome coffee but then it’s almost hard to approach if you don’t already know about coffee,” she adds. “We’ve worked really hard to be able to serve really highquality coffee while not sacrificing the interaction with the customers while we are doing that. Coffee is great—and we serve fantastic coffee—and I expect that it is going to be great, but the community aspect of it is what makes me get up in the morning. It’s what gets me excited.”
8
Zeb has three simple rules for life: Expect great quality, know no stranger, and meet the needs of your community. Not a bad philosophy for a rescue pup. Though Zeb, of course, has never written down these rules, his person, Kathy Weld, says Zeb lives his life by these traits—and so she took Zeb’s name and values as the foundation for her coffeeshop. “His personality is a big part of who we want to be as a company,” says Weld. “There’s something about dogs that have been rescued, that they just appreciate the finer things in life, I think, a lot more than dogs that didn’t have that rough beginning. He has this sense of expecting things to be great quality, which is what we want to do here.”
E u d o ra
places to visit. BLUEJACKET CROSSING VINEYARD AND WINERY
EUDORA COMMUNITY MUSEUM
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
CHARRITOS PLAZA
EUDORA PARKS AND RECREATION
JASMIN RESTAURANT
Award-winning local wine 1969 N. 1250 Rd. 785.542.1764 Mexican cuisine 202 E. 10 St. 785.615.5095
COUNTRY ROAD FARMS Family farm goods 991 E 2400 Rd. 785.615.1290
Rural rejuvenation 2152 N. 700 Rd. 785.883.4944
EUDORA COMMUNITY LIBRARY
EUDORA YOGA CENTER
Beginners and advanced 706 Main St. (Hammert Building) 785.550.5928
D-DUBS
Sports bar 10 W. 9 St. 785.690.7212
GAMBINO’S PIZZA
DAVENPORT ORCHARDS AND WINERY
Award-winning local wine 1394 E. 1900 Rd. 785.542.2278 Long live the Dilly Bar 1502 Church St. 785.542.5050
Parks, pools, fitness and sports 1630 Elm St. 785.542.1725
Books, movies and more 14 E. 9 St. 785.542.2496
COUNTRY SPA AND GARDENS
DAIRY QUEEN
Sharing our past 720 Main St. 785.690.7900
Slices and toppings 1402 Church St. Suite D 785.542.2727
GENE’S HEARTLAND FOODS Town grocer 1402 Church St. 785.542.2727
HIS HANDS CLOTHING CLOSET
Nonprofit thrift store 736 B Main St. 785.690.7220
Live music concerts 706 Main St. (Hammert Building) 785.218.2422
SUBWAY
Customized sandwiches 318 E. 15 St. 785.542.2626
SUNFLOWER STATE DANCE
Chinese and Mexican 719 Main St. 785.542.1111
Classes and concerts 104 E. 20 St. #4 785.690.7200
KAW RIVER ACCESS POINT
SWEET ACRES INN
THE LODGE ON MAIN
Dinner and desserts on the go 826 Main St. (Wed. Nights) 785.766.2877
Launch the kayaks! 500 Main St. kansasriver.org Performance and event space 726 Main St. 785.917.0036
LULU’S BAKERY
Pastries and sweets 1004 Locust St. 785.393.1907
QUILTING BITS AND PIECES
Supplies and expertise 736 Main St. 785.542.2080
SONIC DRIVE-IN Car-hop meals 1420 Church St. 785.542.1799
Bed and breakfast 103 E. 7 St. 785.542.2466
TORCHED GOODNESS
TWILL TRADE BOUTIQUE Women’s clothing 704 Main St. 785.363.0008
TWIN OAKS GOLF COMPLEX Tee time 1326 E. 1900 Rd. 785.542.2844
WAKARUSA BREWERY Beer, mead and eats 710 Main St. 913.256.5119
ZEB’S COFFEEHOUSE Brewed for you 724 Main St. 785.542.0103
DeSoto GROOMING & BOARDING
Dr. Matthew VanderVelde
(913) 585-1115
PRESCRIPTION SCIENCE DIETS AVAILABLE
3 3 9 0 0 L E X I N GTO N AV E D E S OTO , K A N S A S
Providing Superior Health and Balance Through Chiropractic
1402 Church St. Suite E Eudora, KS 66025 785.542.2118 • rockfamilychiropractic.com
impulse iq, medicare accepted, sports physicals, most insurances accepted
Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
events. Calendar of
This is Rigley This is Tink
l Axe s i This
We want your dog to be on our calendar page! Send an email with a photo of your dog and the subject line “Eudora Calendar Dog” to atatro@sunflowerpub.com by March 1, 2020, for consideration in the spring/summer edition. OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
5
2
EudoraFest Eudora’s fall festival takes over the downtown, featuring food, vendors, music, activities, and more facebook.com/eudorafest
18
Eudora Schools Foundation 10th Annual Golf Tournament A benefit for the city’s public schools, held at Eagle Bend facebook.com/EudoraSchoolsFoundation
26
Trunk or Treat Community Halloween costume and treats celebration eudoraevents.com
Fundraiser for the Eudora Area Historical Society A benefit for the Eudora Community Museum at BlueJacket Crossing facebook.com/EudoraCommunityMuseum
25–29
Thanksgiving break for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org
30
Mayor's Tree Lighting Holiday festivites at City Hall eudorakschamber.com/calendar DECEMBER
14
7th Annual December Dash A 5K race sponsored by Eudora Parks and Recreation eudoraevents.com
20–31
Winter break for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org JANUARY
1–7
Winter break and teacher inservice days for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org
20
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: no class for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org FEBRUARY
14
Teacher inservice day: no classes for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org
17
Presidents' Day: no class for Eudora Public Schools eudoraschools.org
10
For a full and updated calendar of events, go online at eudoraevents.com, eudoraschools.org, eudorapubliclibrary.org and eudoraparksandrec.org
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Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
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keeping g it r e e n
An outdoor Eudora fixture serves a new generation story by Cindy Higgins
T
ABOVE: Eudora High School cheerleaders pose in front of the field's scoreboard in 1974.
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oday Kerr Field stands near the center of Eudora as an open green space used primarily by area soccer teams for practice and competition. But from 1927 to 1976, this area of the 1000 block between Elm and Locust streets was one of Eudora’s busiest spots—the place to be on a Friday football night and the gathering spot for catching up with friends and neighbors or grabbing a treat. Before 1927, Eudora students used open spaces or farm fields such as the Schopper farm field north of downtown Eudora by the Kansas River for athletic practices and games. After a new high school was built in 1918 at Tenth and Main streets, the school board bought and leveled the “Blechel place” across the street southeast of the high school. By 1927, this area was Eudora’s dedicated space for football, baseball and track events. The addition of lights in 1935 made it possible to hold night games for decades to come. Spectators would park in the gravel lot on the north end where a bus barn currently stands. From here, they would walk to the bleachers on the west side of the field for football games, to the east side for track events and to the southwest side for baseball games. At the time it was built, the field was a sprawling area just on the edge of town.
Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
TOP: David Kerr, who served as a Eudora High School chemistry teacher and principal for over 20 years. ABOVE: A football game at Kerr Field in the 1970s. All photos in this story are from various years of the Eudora High School yearbook, courtesy of Eudora Schools.
“The town basically ended at Kerr Field,” says LaDonna Snow Russell, who attended Eudora High School in the early 1970s. “For games, cars parked everywhere. But a lot of people walked, too, from their homes.” Russell often would run the one block north to and from the field to get to her job at Dari-Treat, a walkup soft ice cream shop that William and Una Kelly opened in the 1950s. “I played clarinet in the marching band and was scheduled to work at Dari-Treat on football game nights,” Russell recalls. “Wayne [the store manager] would let me change into my band uniform, and I would cross the street to march at the high school football game. Then I would run back to work and change clothes. When the game was over, everyone would come over to DariTreat. That was a hopping place.” During football games, spectators also could buy food at the field’s concession stand. And many families brought their own dinners and snacks. “My mom would pop popcorn on the stove and put it in brown paper bags for us to eat,” says Shannon Bond of her family’s 1970s Kerr Field football game traditions. “She would fry hamburgers and bring those with a bag of chips. We brought Mason jars, too, for our water to drink. After work, Dad would walk from our house on Maple Street to join us in our gold station wagon. We backed it in to watch my sister, MaxAnn, who was a cheerleader.” There were other traditions of Kerr Field, such as the “soap scrimmages” that Bond recalls. “Everyone would bring a bar of soap. The soap went to stock up the showers for football players after the games.” Whether they arrived with a bar of soap, a brown-sack dinner or
simply as a Eudora fan, most of the crowds who gathered in the field’s first half-century would have known it as the high school fields. The name “Kerr Field” didn’t come until 1975 when it was officially renamed during the EudoraLouisburg football game. At the half-time celebration, the Eudora school band formed a “K” to honor David Kerr, a chemistry teacher and the high school principal for 23 years, as well as the husband of Grace Kerr, a Eudora fourth-grade teacher since 1945. Kerr, who also served as Eudora’s mayor from 1967–1976, would retire his school post in 1976, leaving a strong legacy behind. In a 2007 interview, Carrol Gerstenberger, a school board member from 1964 to 1973, said of Kerr, “He had no secretary whatsoever. He’d be up there at 11 o’clock at night, with lights on, doing all the bookwork. He was an ex-Army officer, kind of a hard kind of guy, a wonderful man if you ever got to know him. A real honest, sincere man.” In the same year that Kerr retired, Cardinal Field, at 1428 Elm Street, replaced Kerr Field as the site for football games and track events. More than twenty years later, USD 491 renamed Cardinal Field in honor of Don Laws, a teacher and coach in the Eudora school system from 1971 to 1992. The Eudora District Stadium, at 2203 Church Street, replaced Laws Field as the site of Eudora school athletic events in 2010. The name of the Kerrs, who are buried in Eudora City Cemetery, lives on in Kerr Field, an important green space in central Eudora that enhances the beauty of city neighborhoods and continues to provide recreational venues for residents.
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2152 N 700 Road, Eudora, KS 66025 785-883-4944 countryspacountryfloral@hotmail.com
Tear out pages 15-18 and explore Eudora!
I-70 6.5 Miles
Wa ka ru
sa
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Riv
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6
Maple St
Oak St
Wastewater & Water Treatment Plant
7th St
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3
Main St
Acorn St
N 1420 Rd 8th St
Lawrence 10 Minutes
Main St
N 1380 St 22
12th St
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10
13th St
Acorn St
Walnut St
21
Fir St
18
14th St Ce da rS t
City Hall (City Commission, City Clerk & Billing) City Manager’s Office US Post Office N 1369 St Building Codes Office Public Safety Building Public Works Department Eudora Public Library Holy Family Catholic Cemetery Greenbrier Dr G Eudora City Cemetery Eudora School District Office W 13th Ln Eudora Elementary School Eudora Middle School Eudora High School Bluejacket Park Pilla Park CPA Park Abraham Still Park Paschal Fish Park Lucy Kaegi Park Asher Cohn Park West Sports Complex Disc Golf Course (9 hole) Wakarusa River Boat Ramp Kerr Field East Sports Complex Eudora Community Center Babe Ruth Field Original City Cemetery 30 Charles Pilla House Beni Israel Cemetery Eudora Commuity Museum
Winchester St
16
11th St Oak St
Historical Places
Recreation
Spruce St
r sa Rive Wakaru Parks
Schools
Cherry St
Community
W 10th
Winchester St
What & Where
Oak St
Fir St
Old K-10
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6th St
Ash St
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Elm St
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N 1420 Rd 9
8th St Church St
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John L. Williams Dr
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Ash St
Elm St
Locust St
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Peach St
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Kansas City 35 Minutes Cardinal Dr
Blu eS tem Dr
Tallgrass Dr
13th St
13th St
Church St
14th St
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E 14th Terrace
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Elm St 26 19
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W 26th St S Fir St
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Church St/E 2200 Rd
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Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
quick guide. Resource
Website
Telephone
Emergency & Medical
911
Kansas Poison Control
(800) 222-1222
Lawrence Memorial Hospital
lmh.org
(785) 505-5000
kcsdv.org
(888) 363-2287
accesskansas.org/kbi
(800) 572-7463
dcf.ks.gov
(800) 922-5330
Kansas Crisis Hotline Tip Hotline (Kansas Bureau of Investigation) Child Abuse Hotline
City Services City Offices Fire & Medical Department Police Department
cityofeudoraks.gov
cityofeudoraks.gov/67/Fire
(785) 542-2153 (785) 542-3653
cityofeudoraks.gov/77/Police
(785) 542-3121
Utility Services
cityofeudoraks.gov/78/Public-Works
(785) 542-2153
Municipal Court
cityofeudoraks.gov/75/Municipal-Court
(785) 542-4113
Animal Control
cityofeudoraks.gov/92/Animal-Control
(785) 542-3121
cityofeudoraks.gov/65/Building-Planning-Zoning
(785) 542-3124
atmosenergy.com
(888) 286-6700
eudoraparksandrec.org
(785) 542-1725
Building, Planning & Zoning Atmos (Gas) Parks and Recreation Department
Douglas County Services Douglas County Douglas County Sheriff
douglascountyks.org dgso.org
(785) 841-0007
lawrenceks.org/fire-medical
(785) 830-7000
ldchealth.org
(785) 843-3060
douglascountyks.org/depts/youth-services
(785) 331-1300
Douglas County CASA
dccasa.org
(785) 832-5172
Cottonwood Inc.
cwood.org
(785) 842-0550
bertnash.org
(785) 843-9192
Eudora Chamber of Commerce
eudorakschamber.com
(785) 542-1212
Eudora Public Library
eudorapubliclibrary.org
(785) 542-2496
cityofeudoraks.gov/100/Eudora-Community-Museum
(785) 690-7900
eudoraevents.com
(785) 542-2153
eudoraschools.org
(785) 542-4910
Douglas County Fire & Medical Douglas County Health Department Douglas County Youth Services
Bert Nash Community Health Center
Living in Eudora
Eudora Area Historical Society Eudora CVB
Public Schools Eudora School District
18
Give us a call!
785-542-1212 Visit us at
Worship Sunday 10:15am throughout Groups Sunday 9:00am and the week
www.eudorakschamber.com
www.facebook.com/eudorachamber
PO Box 725, Eudora, KS 66025
525 W 20th Street, Eudora, KS 66025 (785) 542-2734 eudorabaptist.church | eudorabc@gmail.com
Member Owned...Community Grown Mutual Savings Association has been serving families and small businesses in Northeast Kansas since 1888. No one understands the needs of the local communities, our communities, better than us. Our goal today is the same as it was when we opened our doors 131 years ago: to provide you with the very best financial services. Stop by today and you'll find we have a lot more than money invested in this community.
801 Main • Eudora, KS 66025 • (785) 542-2123 www.MSA.bank
story by Leah Sewell | photography by Katie Lewis and Racheal Major
a library everyone for
The governor's visit highlights Eudora's discussion about the future of its public library
ABOVE: Governor Laura Kelly visits the Eudora public library during a ceremonial bill signing in July 2019.
Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
G
overnor Laura Kelly, who personally attests to the life-transforming power of libraries, visited the Eudora public library this past July for a ceremonial signing of SB 59, “The Eudora Community Library District Act,” to formalize a promising new chapter for a library that transcends the limits of its physical space. The only hiccup during Kelly’s appearance was caused by the town’s typical enthusiasm for attending library programs. “There must have been a hundred people. It was difficult for everyone to get a glimpse of the governor with so many packed into such a small space,” says library director Carol Wohlford. Even without the crowds, the signing ceremony would have been a momentous event because it aligned the library’s status with the increased size of Eudora, thus ensuring continued access to essential tax revenues to fund ongoing programs and future plans. As Douglas County commissioner Nancy Thellman had written in a testimony to the state legislature to support SB 59, “A library has existed in Eudora since 1968. During that time, many good programs have been offered like a story hour … youth programs, summer lunch and senior reading program[s]. But Eudora could do and wants to do so much more. They are
ready for a library that will meet their needs now and for the future.” For Wohlford, the library’s most pressing need for the future is clear—space.
In every house we lived in growing up, there was always a room that had books from floor to ceiling. —Carol Wohlford
“More than 80 people in here feels crowded,” Wohlford notes as she travels the few steps from her “office” (a small desk wedged between a file cabinet and a kitchenette) to the other side of the room, the so-called “staff lounge” (consisting entirely of a single cafe table and two folding chairs). Wohlford is quite familiar with small, cozy libraries: “In every house we lived in growing up, there was always a room that had books from floor to ceiling.” She grew up to earn a master’s degree in library science, nab her first job at
21
Preschool • All Day Child Care • 12 months to Kindergarten Little Learners Early Childhood Center offers children the opportunity to explore, create, and imagine while they develop academically, socially, emotionally, and physically.These opportunities take place in a safe, nurturing environment under the guidance of a highly qualified, caring teaching staff.
Located just 15 minutes east of Eudora along the K-10 Corridor.
Call 913-254-1818 to enroll. www.kslittlelearners.com
New Clinic, New Providers, Same Great Care!
Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
cityofeudoraks.gov
1803 W 6th Street Clinic Opening September 2019
Terrance P. Riordan, MD Beth Rundquist, MD Marshall D. Kelley, MD Waco Goodnight, MD Krista Whitney, MD Lindsey McDaniel, MD 346 MAINE ST., LAWRENCE, KS 66044 WWW.PANDAPEDS.COM P: 785-842-4477 F: 785-842-7433
the Smithsonian Institution, later dabble in politics as a campaign manager for the first woman mayor of Wichita, and ultimately settle for seven years and counting in Eudora. While an intimate home library might be nice for a family, the small size severely constricts the programs and services that a public institution can offer. Since 2017, a group of Eudora residents has been focusing on the library’s future through The New Eudora Library Capital Campaign. In short, the group believes that the current 2,500 square feet of library isn’t enough library to go around. Initial plans call for a library of 10,000–12,000 square feet to be built on property the library already owns, the green space that sits on 9th Street, directly across from the library’s current location. The new building would include features such as ADA compliant access, a pull-through book return, community meeting rooms, public internet access stations and more. As Wohlford says, Eudora “deserves to have an innovative library with all the amenities." The campaign has reached its private funding goal, having raised more than $400,000. The next step is to finalize a proposal and bring it forth for public discussion and a bond vote. “This whole effort has really brought the community together,” Wohlford says. “The community feels strongly that they have ownership of this library. They have big ideas about what they’d like to see happening here. The fact of the matter is, we’re already bursting at the seams. We desperately need more space.”
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FACILITIES Current library: A single storage room and one bathroom with no accommodation for visitors with disabilities, a small parking lot and street parking on a busy street Proposed library: Full Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance factored seamlessly into architectural plans, ample parking away from traffic, plenty of storage for seasonal items and supplies, two multistall bathrooms fitted to accommodate persons with disabilities and families with babies, small children, and strollers.
MEETING, STUDY, EXHIBIT, AND QUIET SPACES Current library: Several seating options located within the library’s high-traffic areas do not accommodate demand by staff and visitors and must be reconfigured or pushed out of the way for larger programs. Proposed library: Many areas for quiet study and meetings, including reservable study rooms, a space designated specifically for story hours and children’s programming, a space specifically for teens, staff work space for materials processing and administration, and a community meeting space and art gallery able to accommodate groups of over 100. Additionally, quiet and communal seating areas (non-reservable) will be located throughout the stacks.
TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATIONS Current library: Four computer stations and four laptops routinely requiring wait times for patron use and a single circulation desk checkout computer. The electrical systems are outdated and unable to allow for improved technology. Proposed library: A dozen computer stations for general web browsing, plus catalog computers in the stacks and new meeting room technology. There have also been discussions about creating a makerspace for digital production and gaming and including self-checkout kiosks to reduce wait time and help increase circulation.
COLLECTIONS Current library: Staff must frequently cull the collections to add new items. Lack of space has limited the volume of collections. Proposed library: Expanded collections in spaces that encourage browsing; more efficient new-item processing will take place in specially designated areas so those items enter circulation more efficiently; specific reading areas tailored for age and interest, such as adult fiction and nonfiction, periodicals, teens, and children.
PROGRAMMING Current library: Program enrollment is always at capacity, meaning that not everyone who wants to can attend. Children’s and teens’ programs tend to take over the entire library with vibrant activity and noise levels, pushing out patrons who would otherwise come to access library services and collections. Community-driven programs such as book clubs, tutoring, and informational sessions are not able to be housed in the facility as-is. Proposed library: Spaces designed for livelier children and teen activities will allow for continued quiet and recreational reading in other areas of the library. Communal meeting and study spaces throughout will allow for community-led programs, special events, art and other ongoing exhibits, and any number of possibilities, all with higher enrollment capacity. There are discussions of repurposing the old building for senior programs, projectbased technological activities, and hands-on makerspaces.
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story by Chance Hoener and Eli Hoelscher
| photography by Racheal Major and Janene Rothwell
what's
going on eudora In
The Eudora Convention and Visitors Bureau amps up local events and brings in out-of-towners
E
lizabeth Knispel looks over store shelves and rearranges some items before sitting on a white couch in her downtown boutique, Twill Trade. The store is closed, but she’s here to do some extra work, a habit common among many Eudora business owners. Going that extra mile is an approach they have taken in growing the Eudora Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “In bigger towns the CVB is funded through hotel taxes,” Knispel says. “But Eudora doesn’t have a hotel, so we have a challenge with that.” The Eudora CVB receives funding from the city, but it also relies on the support of local business owners. Knispel, who serves as CVB secretary, says the group, in turn, takes this money to focus on expanding its mission—bringing visitors and tourist dollars into the city. To increase tourism, the nine-member CVB governing board has focused on expanding its website, eudoraevents.com, into a onestop shop promoting the city’s businesses and events. “It’s kind of like free advertising,” Knispel says. “When I moved here, I didn’t know what was going on, and I didn’t even know where to look for information, and that’s kind of what the CVB has become. Eudoraevents.com is basically a hub for all of the different things going on in Eudora.” To have an event promoted on the website and social media, local businesses and organizations simply need to submit the information to the CVB. The CVB also partners with organizers of established events to bring in larger crowds and collaborate on creating side events. For example, the CVB is exploring how to partner with local businesses to start a food truck festival, and it is working with the Eudora Chamber of Commerce to expand a family-favorite fall tradition. “They sponsor the Trunk or Treat, but we want to piggyback off that event and make it something really big for the city of Eudora,” Knispel says. As she looks to the future, Knispel encourages fellow Eudorans to take advantage of the entertainment events already available. “Go to the calendar and see what’s going on in Eudora,” she says. “Because there’s a lot of fun stuff here.”
Discover Eudora | Fall/Winter ’19
The Pathway of Life is a vividly illustrated tome— and it's 130 years old.
This past school year, the Eudora CVB has supported Eudora High School’s allnight prom event, worked with students in Nate Robinson’s video production class to create a video about Eudora for eudoraevents.com, and established a high school internship program. “We created the internship program this year,” says CVB secretary Elizabeth Knispel. “And the interns get experience working in a city environment and being on a board and how the different initiatives go across.”
The CVB established the Community Micro-Grant Program to give that little something extra to local events. Anyone can apply for a micro-grant at eudoraevents. com by filling out a questionnaire to be submitted to the CVB board. “Once they fill out a questionnaire online, the board members vote to determine if the event matches up with the CVB goals and our initiative,” CVB secretary Elizabeth Knispel says. “And they get funding based off that curriculum that all of the members decide on.” Micro-grants are given on a percent funded formula, and they max out at $150. “The micro-grants can help fund things like door prizes or extra equipment for events,” Knispel says. “So it’s some extra funding here and there to make their events a little bit bigger.” Knispel hopes more event planners will take advantage of the microgrant program, and she encourages anyone planning a local event to apply. “The micro-grant program is huge,” she says. “It’s free money basically.”
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We didn't award any extra points for the topiary style of these salt & pepper shakers, but they're certainly whimsical.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys like the "Turtle Dashboard" are valuable collectibles.
Stan Herd created his Sunflower Still Life by growing a variety of crops on Eudora farmland.
A pair of luxurious beaver fur hats gave the Home team an edge when it came to monetary value.
Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
cityofeudoraks.gov
One of Eu dora CVB ’s most su and fundin ccessful e g to the ev vents is th e n t because event has e Citywid it brings in become so e Garage out-of-tow Sale each p o pular by o team from n traffic a summer. K rganizing neighbori nd benefits nispel say two teams, ng commu s the CVB local resid a Eudora nities to g dedicates ents. We d hometow o head to time ecided to n team fro head in a explore w m the Eud Garage Sa hy this ora Schoo le Showdo l District a wn during nd a visitin the 2019 e g vent.
MEET THE TEAMS The Home Team: Mari S. Amanda B. Amy S. The Away Team:
(hailing from Baldwin City and Kansas City)
Kristyn F. Jaime B.
THE FORMAT We gave each team $50, three hours and a list of must-find items. We then set them off to scour the more than 40 households participating in the 2019 Citywide Garage Sale for the best treasures they could buy on their budget.
SCORING The teams were judged in three categories:
1. Filling Out the List (How many items on our list did they find?) 2. Monetary Value (Are their items worth more than they paid?) 3. Historical Significance (Did they find an item connected to Eudora’s history?)
THE LOOT The Home Team: 1. VTech 3-in-1 Race and Learn toy 2. The Medici Art Series No. 3: Florence, City of Flowers by G. Fattorusso, 1911 3. Husky tools magnetic parts dish 4. Country Dancing Made Easy: The Two Step with Jerry Staeheli VHS, never played
5. Vintage rake head 6. Topiary-themed salt & pepper shakers (includes salt, pepper) 7. Ornate blue milk glass creamer 8. Costume jewelry necklace 9. Old square socket tool 10. Wool beret 11. Deer bone necklace 12. 1930s Depression glass plate with flower design 13. Potty Putter novelty mini golf game 14. Stan Herd Sunflower Still Life Eudora crop art poster 15. Adolfo Réalités beaver fur Spanish hat, circa 1950s 16. Stetson 4X beaver fur cowboy hat The Away Team: 1. The Pathway of Life by Reverend T. Dewitt Talmage, illustrated 1889 edition 2. 1995 Uno card game, mint condition 3. Eskimo Joe’s mug from Stillwater, Oklahoma 4. Hymnal rack from one of the first Eudora churches 5. Winning Bodybuilding by Franco Columbu and George Fels, 1977 6. Vintage wrench set 7. 1950s Nambé “Butterfly” bowl 8. Rare 1991 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Turtle Dashboard” game
THE RESULTS Two teams, two very different strategies: The Home team went for volume, haggling for as many bits and pieces as they could, while the Away team searched for big ticket items to tip the scales. Together, they found some fantastic pieces, like the 4x beaver fur Stetson. In a surprise twist, it wasn’t a stack of vintage Fiestaware or rare artwork that the Away team struck gold with; rather, it was their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Turtle Dashboard,” which commands a hefty price from collectors in search of light-up turtle wagon action.
CATEGORY WINNERS Fill Out the List: Home Team Monetary Value: Home Team Historical Significance: Home Team
OVERALL WINNER Congratulations to the Home team! And thanks to our Away team for accepting our challenge. With the great finds both teams came away with—and the fun they had traversing the town from house to house—it’s easy to see why the CVB has invested in this annual event. What will you find there next year?
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story by Eli Hoelscher | photography by Jason Dailey
from ground up The
Eudora High School students build for the future
OPPOSITE TOP: The school construction program’s first house project, built during the 2018–2019 school year. OPPOSITE BELOW: Teacher Gus Andrews shows his class the right way to install a window grille.
cityofeudoraks.gov
Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
O
n South Fir Terrace, just across from the cornfields south of town, a fresh batch of houses has popped up, including one built by Eudora High School students in Gus Andrews’ construction class. “They’re kind of the guinea pigs,” Andrews says of his student work crew. The 2018–2019 school year was the first year the construction program built an entire house from the ground up, though you wouldn’t have guessed it, given the well-executed finish work throughout the building. Andrews’ program allows Eudora students to participate in a professional construction project where they learn specific skills, such as framing or electrical work, essential to a wide range of trades. Some of the more advanced components, like pouring foundation concrete and hanging joists, are contracted out—but the houses are almost entirely student-made otherwise. The program succeeded building the house even though the class was only eight students who worked over the course of the school's academic calendar. Andrews started teaching at EHS four years ago. Before that, he owned and operated a finish carpentry business with a national scope. His 25 years of experience in the construction trades translated right away to the woodworking and shop classes at the high school, but he knew there was the potential for something even bigger. Andrews realized the best way to teach his students the skills involved in the home building trade was simple, but daunting: have them do it for real. “It’s the dream setup,” he says. The construction courses are also surprisingly easy to incorporate into any class schedule, with a two- or three-hour option. Zach Johnson, a senior taking the class for a second time this fall, mentions that it’s “like having a weights class,” even on the hardest days. Andrews hasn’t sugarcoated the realities of the profession for his students, either. “Gus made us hand drive the nails for all the exterior walls—no nail guns—and then raise them with just the eight of us,” Johnson says.
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208 W. 20th Street | Eudora, KS 66025 785-542-5152 www.wolffauto.com
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ABOVE: Senior Zach Johnson hauls a ladder during a work day at the house. RIGHT: Students (from left to right: Hagan Andrews, Zan Martin, Zach Johnson, and Garrett Durr) get experience working together just as a team of professionals would.
There’s a little pride in his voice as he adds, “Framing was my favorite though; it was pretty fun.” The students get more out of the project than good memories. They earn an OSHA 10-Hour safety certification, in addition to college credit for electrical, plumbing, and framing classes that will transfer to Flint Hills Technical College via an articulation agreement. Cities are counting on programs like these to usher in a new generation of skilled technical workers. For a town on the rise like Eudora, they’re especially helpful to keep up with demand. “Eudora’s growth is exciting,” says Mayor Tim Reazin. “It’s wonderful to see investment—like this high school construction project—in our neighborhoods. This project is part of a growing trend of new housing construction and reinvestment in existing homes.” Andrews says labor costs are the highest he’s ever seen them, and he expects them to keep rising. “Most tradespeople are older,” he explains, “and currently, there isn’t anyone to take their place.” That’s one reason he pushed for the house construction program at EHS. No matter what the future holds, students interested in construction have a solid
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start on a path to well-paying jobs right out of school. And, on the flip side, those looking for services will have an easier time finding an available professional. The project made an impression on Eudora Schools Board of Education
I think they could appreciate that they were part of something unique, and we heard from multiple kids who planned to use this as a springboard into their careers. —Eric Votaw
president Eric Votaw, who sees the promise of Andrews’ students. “I loved seeing the passion they had for each task and the respect they developed for the skill required of each tradesman,” Votaw says. “I think they could appreciate that they were part of something unique, and we heard from multiple kids who planned to use this as a springboard into their careers.” The South Fir Terrace house is a major accomplishment, but Andrews is already looking ahead to new goals. “Within four years, I want the project to be 100 percent student-made,” he says. He’s confident his future classes will be able to do the most advanced parts of a build. This fall, the program has 18 students, and they’ll have new elements to work on, like a full basement. With the money from each house sale staying with the program, there aren’t any worries about keeping the financials on track, either. Judging by the aptly installed details at the South Fir Terrace house, there’s an excellent crop of professionals on the horizon. “It’s not just a good quality build for high schoolers; it’s a good quality build for anyone,” Andrews says.
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Fall/Winter ’19 | Discover Eudora
Gus Andrews
EUDORA UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
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After almost 50 years in Downtown Lawrence, we would like to reintroduce ourselves. Building a house is one thing, but what about selling one? For the South Fir Terrace home, this was never an issue. It was off the market before it was even framed. While looking for a place in Eudora to raise their growing family, David and Caitlyn Westerhouse asked Gus Andrews about land for sale in the area. “Gus suggested we come look at the house plans the school was building. We both immediately fell in love with many of the features planned for the home and knew it was the house for us,” Caitlyn says. The young couple agreed to allow Andrews and his class to decide most of the project particulars, and they say their trust was rewarded. “I was impressed every time I would see something new added to the house, such as paint, light fixtures, backsplashes,” says Caitlyn. “When you walk in the home you can tell a lot of time and attention to detail was put into the custom build.”
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