Hutchinson Magazine Spring 2014 by Sunflower Publishing

Hutchinson M aga z i n e

spring 2014

s a lt c i t y p o e t

william stafford

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Stratacaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Adventure Tourism

flocking to yoder

hutchinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

hidden heroes

Hutchinson Volume 06 / Issue 04

Magazine

dear readers Publisher John Montgomery Advertising Director Dave Gilchrist Marketing Solutions Manager Anita Stuckey For Advertising Rates and Information

(620) 694-5700 ext. 222 sales Executives

Tammy Colladay Jade Piros de Carvalho Shelby Dryden Kyle Flax Mitch Hixson Ty Lyons Alexis Rhodenbaugh Tom Sullivan Sam Wilk ad designers

William Gates Kim Hoskinson Rachel Hixson Marcos Medrano Jessica Price Photographers

Aaron East Brian Lingle Deborah Walker

Our spring edition is filled with heroes: big heroes, little heroes, hidden heroes and unexpected heroes. Sharing their stories is an honor and privilege. Our feature this spring takes us on a special journey, acknowledging three of the area’s hidden heroes who inspire and fill us with hope. Darla Wilson believes in the power of making wishes come true at Hospice & Homecare of Reno County. Big Brother Russ Reinhart enjoys sharing time with his “Little Brother,” Evan, as a volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. And Shara Gonzales has made a new future possible for many families through her work at New Beginnings. Their efforts continue to make our community a better place every day. For that we thank them. From the world of art and literature, William Stafford is our hero. The Hutchinson native dedicated his life his poems, many of which honor his memories of Kansas. Sadly, Stafford passed away in 1993 at the age of 79. This year marks the 100th birthday of the internationally renowned poet and teacher, and celebrations across the country—including in Hutchinson—will commemorate his life and work. Finally, we salute our everyday hero—baristas. From creating that fancy latte to fueling morning gatherings, knowing a regular’s order and keep the brew warm—we’ve put together an exclusive guide to java in Reno County with baristas at the helm. After all, things don’t seem to go as well without coffee!

— Katy, Editor Follow us on twitter @hutchinsonmag find us on facebook: facebook.com/HutchinsonMagazine

Contributing Writers

Amy Bickel Amy Conkling Gloria Gale Kathy Hanks Edie Ross Richard Shank Patsy Terrell

Production and Editorial Services for Hutchinson Magazine provided by:

Editor Katy Ibsen Designer Jenni Leiste COPY EDITOR Deron Lee GENERAL MANAGER Bert Hull Publishing Coordinator Jenni Leiste Editorial comments (866) 655-4262 Subscriptions

$25 (tax included) for a one-year subscription to Hutchinson Magazine. For subscription information, please contact:

The Hutchinson News Circulation Department Jenifer Sterling 300 W. Second | Hutchinson KS 67501 (620) 694-5700 ext. 115 (800) 766-5730 ext. 115 jsterling@hutchnews.com

Send your comments and suggestions to hutchinsonmagazine@sunflowerpub.com

Hutchinson Magazine

Spring 2014

contents Features 32

The Grind: A Java Guide

hidden heroes

The Salt City Poet

Our guide to buzz-worthy coffee shops, cafes and morning gatherings

Hutchinson has long been known as a community that gives back, but some folks do this day in and day out

Hutchinson celebrates the centennial of the prairie-town kidturned-poet laureate, William Stafford

departments Lifestyle

Pretty as a Picture

Tony and Mary Hoover put a distinctive stamp on their vintage home

Profiles

Auto Focus

Avian Auction

The Final Sale

Underground History

From California to Hutchinson, Johnny Torres of Kustom Upholstery gets a lot of mileage out of his love for classic cars A flock of poultry enthusiasts alight each month in Yoder With 20 years of estate sales, Cow Creek has built a legacy of its own Strataca’s new ‘adventure tourism’ trek unearths a wealth of artifacts

Travel

Two Days in the Canyons

Moab is the gateway to the ultimate American adventure in southeast Utah

Hutch Talks

Gregg Wamsley

Kiley Buggeln

Director, Hutchinson Public Library

Curator, Hutchinson Zoo

In Every Issue: 2 dear readers

the end quote

best bets

Hutchinson Magazine

departments

8..................................... Lifestyle 14................................... Profiles 52.....................................travel 58............................hutch talks

Spring 2014

Lifestyle

Pretty as a

picture Tony and Mary Hoover put a distinctive stamp on their vintage home Story by Edie Ross

Photography by Deborah Walker

Hutchinson Magazine

With the inspiration of modern interior design and must-haves in a family home, Mary Hoover and her husband, Tony, make an old home new.

Those passing Tony and Mary Hoover’s 1950s colonial home are often afforded a small slice of the couple’s life. Most sunny mornings, their heavy front door is swung open, allowing sunlight to come through the glass storm door and warm a section of the Hoovers’ oak floors and the first few steps of their staircase. It is a favorite spot of the Hoovers’ lab, Bella, and their toddler daughter, Emme. From the street, it is a peaceful and inviting picture. Once inside, a visitor finds this impression confirmed by light-filled, airy rooms and modern updates that enhance the unique character of the older home.

Spring 2014

Lifestyle

A second living space Leading to the Hoovers’ home is a neat-and-tidy front yard with mature trees, flower beds set off by brick pavers and a winding front walk. In the back, more mature trees shade parts of a good-sized, well-kept yard where the family spends a lot of its time on warmer days. Tony, who has spent many hours transforming a mess of weeds into an actual lawn, calls the exterior of the home a “work in progress.” Much like the interior, it needed a face-lift, but not major renovations. They cleaned out flower beds and added more, and planted hedges along their vine-covered deck and back fence. While Mary’s handiwork is most obvious indoors, Tony says he has enjoyed cleaning up the yard and putting his special touch on it. “It’s a nice stress release for me, and it is fun to see the progress we’re making,” he says. “Even though there are homes all around us, I enjoy the privacy our backyard offers. It is a great place to relax in the evenings.”

Hutchinson Magazine

Vintage Features Wood flooring with oak pegs.

Slate-and-brick steps leading down to the living room. Built-ins throughout the house: bookcases, bar cabinets, shelving and desks. A laundry chute from the second floor to the basement.

When searching for their first home, the Hoovers knew that to find the type of character they wanted in their price range they would be looking at older homes. Updates would be inevitable, but the young couple didn’t want to sink their savings into a starter home. “We looked at so many homes, and we just hadn’t found anything in our price range that had the character we were looking for without major issues that needed to be addressed,” Tony says. “This house had great bones and just needed some cosmetic changes to make it our own.”

Without making any costly changes to the structure of the home, the Hoovers transformed a dark, dreary, outdated house into a bright, cheerful and cozy home. To lighten up the home, the Hoovers switched a pinkish-gray wall color to absorb light with a palette of neutral colors that reflect it. Woodwork was painted white, including wood paneling that had covered the walls of the living room. The Hoovers also replaced the home’s original windows and changed out heavy draperies with white wood blinds that are great for controlling natural light.

Spring 2014

Lifestyle

Warmth, space & safety When Tony and Mary Hoover started looking for their first home, they knew there would be some give-and-take. But there were a few must-haves they weren’t willing to negotiate, including a wood-burning fireplace, a bedroom big enough for their king-sized bed, and a neighborhood and yard that would be pet- and kid-friendly. Although it took time to find a home that offered all three, they are glad they didn’t compromise. “The fireplace in the living room is one of my favorite features,” Mary says. “It has a really long hearth, and we end up sitting on it a lot. That is probably our favorite room, and we spend a lot of time in there.” All of their bedroom furniture fits nicely in the master bedroom with room to spare—a surprise given the era in which the house was built. “We like how open this house is, which is rare in older homes,” Mary says, adding that the home also features larger-thanexpected closets, including an original walk-in closet in the master bedroom. For the Hoovers, it’s a blessing to live in a neighborhood where they feel safe leaving their front door open on sunny mornings, and that allows them to enjoy a nice dinner on their deck on warm evenings.

Hutchinson Magazine

Art from around the world From the Vatican, Ron and Carol Carr brought home a statue of the Holy Family. From Northern Ireland came an artist’s rendition of Drumcree Church. The artist was the father of one of the students who came to Hutchinson through the Ulster Project, which the Carrs were involved in as a host family. The Carrs also proudly display an original Birger Sandzén portraying a cabin scene. The piece was given to Ron’s grandparents in 1910 as a wedding present from his great aunt, who was secretary for Sandzén at Bethany College. Ron and Carol both enjoy decorating their home for the holidays and make it a point to collect Christmas tree ornaments when they travel.

Dingy carpet was removed, and original oak floors were refinished throughout the house. The natural light makes the home inviting, while the palette of colors and finishes gives it a sense of peace, according to Mary, an interior designer. “Since I was doing so many different colors for clients, it was relaxing to come home to this,” she says. “I gravitate to grays, blacks and whites with a pop of color here and there.” Using accent pieces like throw pillows, Mary introduced reds into the dining room and sitting area and greens into the kitchen. “I’m someone who gets bored with things fast,” Mary says, laughing. “So as I go, I’ll want to change this and that, and it is easier to talk Tony into a new pillowcase than repainting the walls.”

Spring 2014

profile

Johnny Torres puts creativity and passion into his unique auto creations at Kustom Upholstery in Hutchinson.

auto focus

From California to Hutchinson, Johnny Torres of kustom Upholstery gets a lot of mileage out of his love for classic cars Story by Amy Conkling

Hutchinson Magazine

Photography by Aaron East

All of the hours and days spent in his dad’s paint and body shop while growing up seemed to have paid off for Johnny Torres. The Hutchinson resident certainly has made a name for himself, at just 29 years old, making a career out of a lifetime love—automotive custom upholstery. “I spent every day with Dad in that shop,” Torres says, crediting his father with cultivating his love of being around cars day in and day out. It’s what drove him to open his own business, Kustom Upholstery, on South Main, where he focuses on upholstering and custom-building vehicles of all years, makes and models, as well as motorcycles and boats.

Business through people

Kustom Upholstery

915 South Main (620) 513-7606 Facebook.com “Johnny-Torres-Custom-Upholstery”

Torres’s shop is laid-back and low-maintenance—much like his demeanor. He purchased it just over a year ago after shuffling between buildings in Hutchinson and serving some stints out in the Orange County, California area. A simple, handmade sign hangs outside the building. “It’s the first shop where I’ve been able to have a sign,” he says. Inside, current upholstery projects greet customers as they walk in—and most of the time, silence greets them as well. “People think I’m crazy, but I tend to work in the quiet,” Torres says. “I’m the same way on trips out to California. I don’t listen to much music while I’m on the road. I like the silence.” He doesn’t market his business much. Aside from Facebook and Photobucket pages, his business is purely word-of-mouth. It also helps that he travels with an area “Beatnik” group to local shows not only in Wichita, but surrounding states, and frequents the West Coast over the

Spring 2014

profile

“To me, it doesn’t matter how nice the car looks. Why would you want to put it in a trailer and just show it?” —Johnny Torres

Hutchinson Magazine

course of the year, reconnecting with his ties to California. The Beatkniks are a worldwide car club, featuring members as far away as Australia, Japan, and all along the East and West Coasts. Torres and three other Beatnik members from Kansas drive their cars to club events throughout the year, but Torres says he gets most of his creative and design ideas from the California shows. “They’re more my style out there,” he says— which makes sense, since from the time he was a boy, he has split time between California and Hutchinson.

Back to the basics Instead of the glitz and glamour of current car makes and models, with their chic interiors and technological advances, Torres prefers qualitymade autos that were built in the heart of America decades ago. He personally drives a 1950 Plymouth and frequently builds and reupholsters Fords and Chevys from the 1930s, ‘40s and ‘50s; the oldest car he has worked on was a 1927 Ford. “An older car is more unique, and you can actually change something on it,” Torres says. “Current cars tend to be the same and industrialized.” He’s also a firm believer in driving his car, not just glamming it up for a show. “To me, it doesn’t matter how nice the car looks. Why would you want to put it in a trailer and just show it?” he says. “If you put all of that work into it, you might as well drive it.” Torres prefers to work on one car at a time, but he currently works on two to three vehicles at a time due to his shop’s popularity. This results in extra-long hours as he tries to wrap up projects: coming in at 8 a.m., leaving at 2 a.m., with short breaks throughout the day to spend time with his wife and three sons, who are 8, 4 and 2 years old. He’s excited for his future, especially the prospect of working alongside his sons. All three visit the shop, but it’s his 4-year-old who now frequents on a daily basis after preschool. “I really see him being at the shop with me years from now and working alongside me,” Torres says. “He already wants to start working.” Spring 2014

profile

Hutchinson Magazine

avian

auction A flock of poultry enthusiasts alight each month in Yoder Story by Kathy Hanks

White-capped Amish women studied a cage of Rhode Island Reds; next to them stood Than Nguyen, from Vietnam. The women were searching for good egg producers; he was looking for chickens to roast. Cultures mesh once a month in the tiny Reno County town of Yoder, located about 10 miles southeast of Hutchinson, when consigners and bidders gather by a row of trees off Switzer Road for the poultry auction. Along the aisle of cages, a multicolored rooster was being eyed by Amish men with flowing white beards, who were solemnly standing on either side of a woman wearing a leopard-print jacket, layers of jewelry and bubblegumpink lipstick. Even in the cold of winter, they arrive before 4 p.m., when the auction is scheduled to begin. They bring varieties of fowl to the community. One of the few

Photography by Aaron East

regularly scheduled poultry auctions in the area, it is held the last Friday of every month, whether it’s subzero January or sweltering August. David Keim and his family have been hosting the auction at Yoder for more than a decade, and the serious along with the merely curious bidders keep coming. It’s a no-frills outdoor event, and the Keims have it down to a science. David’s wife, Elsie, checks in the poultry that is brought for the afternoon sale; occasionally a few stray rabbits and even a rare goat or donkey are brought along. But they try to confine the entries to poultry and related items such as pigeons, Tumbler pigeons and peacocks. In the summer, Elsie frets about the poultry in the cages becoming overheated, and she ensures they have enough water. In the winter, she is concerned with the cold, sometimes

Spring 2014

profile

considering canceling the sale altogether; but people continue to show up, and each year the auction gets bigger and bigger. “I can’t pinpoint why it’s successful,” says Keim. “People like to come, and a lot show up without intentions to buy or sell. They come for the evening. It’s a community gathering and they From geese to chickens like to watch. A lot of people tell me they just and even a donkey, the like to intermingle with everybody.” Yoder Poultry Auction is Keim’s the auctioneer who moves briskly a great place to find a new farm member. from cage to cage with a microphone asking for bids. It’s a family operation, as his son-inOPPOSITE PAGE law Robert Headings jots down numbers of Auctioneer David Keim the highest bidders. Elaine Headings, Keim’s and his family have daughter, and Elanie Keim, his daughter-in-law, hosted the auction for float back and forth, clerking or helping in the more than a decade, utility trailer where bidders check out. welcoming all kinds of sellers and buyers. Floyd and Betty Schrock operate the concession stand as a fundraiser for the local Old Order Amish private school, Whispering Pines. They grill hamburgers and offer freshly baked cookies and pies. On cold winter days, the most popular items on the menu are hot coffee and cocoa. Donna King, an enthusiastic auction attendee, looks forward to her trip to Yoder to peruse the cages of poultry. She both buys and sells. “I am always dragging something home,” she says. Poultry producers begin arriving about 2 p.m. in old pickup trucks or tractors hauling trailers of Rhode Island Reds, Barred Rocks, and common white hens, in cages next to exotic snowy drakes, Silkies with fluffy plumage and West of England Tumblers. The fowl are carried in a variety of cages, from birds in cardboard boxes with fencing on top, to a hen roosting in a plastic “??????” laundry basket. Betty and Lester Bockelman traveled three hours from western Kansas —???? to bring several Cochins, a breed of chickens originally from China. Also in their cages were some Silkies and showgirl chickens, whose feathers would rival the showgirls in Las Vegas. Robert Barlow traveled two-and-a-half hours from Bison, with three hens and roosters to sell. Every month he buys and sells. On the last Friday in December, it was a buyer’s market, according to Barlow. Kao Lee, from Hutchinson, was there to buy. Originally from Laos, he comes every month to buy chickens, which he butchers and then freezes. As the auction continued, the average chicken went cheaply while the Sebastopol geese went for $82 each, compared to the $1.25 pigeons. But the curly-feathered geese were all show. Donna King was trying to decide if they were males or females. “As low as they are going they are probably not girls,” she says. But then she secondguessed herself, adding, “As loud as they are, they probably are girls.”

Hutchinson Magazine

Spring 2014

profile

Christopher Britton, right, and Steven Hawkins know a thing or two about collecting after their extensive work in estate sales.

Hutchinson Magazine

the final

sale

With 20 years of estate sales, Cow Creek has built a legacy of its own Story by Patsy Terrell

Photography Deborah Walker

One of the delights of an estate sale is the mystery of what might be found there. Everything from Tiffany lamps to vintage jewelry might turn up, as well as the typical household items such as appliances. For the last 20 years, Christopher Britton has been the guy who knows what can be found at an estate sale; he and his husband, Steven Hawkins, own Cow Creek Estate Services in Hutchinson. Like many successful businesses, it grew out of a need, but for Christopher and Steven, it’s all about the opportunity to help a family, and honor someone’s life. “We feel fortunate the community puts their trust in us,” says Christopher. “That’s the No. 1 blessing: that people have thought enough of me to give me a key to go into their homes.” Storefront to Front Door Having owned Cow Creek Antiques in downtown Hutchinson for years, Christopher and Steven were asked on a whim to manage an estate sale for a distant relative. A year later, they organized a sale for a prominent Hutchinson family; the daughter was so pleased she began referring people to them. As word spread, they hosted more sales each year and eventually closed up shop at the antique store. “Word of mouth has been the No. 1 advertising for me,” Christopher says. Customers, trust officers, attorneys and realtors often refer clients to Cow Creek, creating a steady stream of business. Steven, who works full-time at Singleton-Joyce Optical, helps on nights and weekends, aiding in the labor-intensive set-up of each sale.

Spring 2014

profile

Britton with a vintage salad bowl set.

All in a Day’s Work For Christopher and Steven, the work is worth the opportunity to help a family— sometimes beyond their own expectations. In Careyville years ago, a client’s estate included a large, vintage dining-room set, likely from a plantation home in Mississippi. Christopher knew it was unique and would be difficult to sell locally, as it was worth anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000. By way of Sotheby’s, he was put in touch with buyers from New Jersey who were interested in the furniture. They purchased the table and then, after seeing other items advertised in the sale, drove out the day

Hutchinson Magazine

before the sale to get in line to make more purchases the next morning. “They got here at 4 o’clock the day before and waited to be first in line,” says Christopher. “They just spread out when the doors opened and yanked the tags off what they wanted without even inspecting it.” Another time, Christopher came across a painting he couldn’t find information on, and it kept nagging at him. It took a couple of months, but he was able to find the artist, who also had displayed artwork in the White House. The painting was eventually appraised at $42,000.

More rewarding, however, are the moments when the pair are able to help a family in an unexpected way. A client was once looking for a ring she had misplaced. While Christopher and Steven were packing up the last load of clothes for Goodwill after the sale, they found a purse on a hanger. Inside it was the missing ring. “The woman was just ecstatic,” says Christopher. As they go through a house, if they come across photos, letters or anything personal, they set it aside. “The family will say they’ve taken everything they want, but we sometimes find items we feel they have missed and

Old yearbooks, hotel keys, ornaments, pieces of art and more so many treasures can be found in personal collections, and Britton values these mementos. BOTTOM Toodles the dog.

should look at,” Christopher says. “So we pack it up and ask them to take one more look!” Behind the scenes Of course, putting together an estate sale is no easy feat. When Christopher agrees to take on a house, he will go through to remove trash and anything he knows will not sell. Afterwards, he organizes items room-by-room before advertising the sale. Christopher prides himself on being an organizer of estate sales, not a participant. “I’ve always felt it was a conflict of interest for me to price items and then purchase them” he says. “So that’s why as the conductor of the sale we never purchase items or allow our employees to shop early. … If an employee is interested in something they want, they better not work the sale. They can stand outside like everyone else” “When the door opens at 8 a.m.,” Steven says, “everything advertised is available for sale.” Once a sale concludes, everything is cleared out, and the home is cleaned and prepared for the realtor or new owner; it’s that last bit of turnkey service that clients appreciate. For Christopher, it’s a rewarding endeavor. “The sales have made me realize how hard it is, as you get older, to let go of stuff that you’ve had all your life,” he says. “It doesn’t matter what you’ve had, you can’t take it with you.” As for Christopher and Steven, they enjoy their art and their collection of Hutchinson postcards. Still, Christopher adds, “I like nice things, and we have some nice things, but they don’t make up my life. … It’s Steven and the dog.”

www.cowcreekestates.com

Spring 2014

profile

Underground

History Strataca’s new ‘adventure tourism’ trek unearths a wealth of artifacts Story by Amy Bickel Photography courtesy of Strataca

Discover hidden artifacts and more as part of Strataca’s new Salt Safari.

Hutchinson Magazine

It’s a sentimental stop on a tour 650 feet underground: 60-year-old footprints left perfectly intact in a fine layer of salt. “They look like they were put there yesterday,” says longtime salt miner Myron Marcotte. “It’s like the man on the moon. To me, it represents the footprints of those who were here before me.”

Spring 2014

profile

The kitchen, which is open off of the entry, includes granite countertops, a gas range with a pot filler, double ovens and a large island.

Hutchinson Magazine

Passing by this area situated in the middle of an active salt mine is always a moving experience for Marcotte, who retired from mining last year but can’t seem to shake his zeal for the world below the earth’s surface. Marcotte couldn’t give up his hard hat or the peaceful beauty of an underground expanse he worked in for 38 years. He now serves as a mine specialist manager of Strataca, formerly the Kansas Underground Salt Museum. Part of his job is to give visitors a glimpse of raw, salt-mined channels recently opened to the public. The museum officially opened in May 2007, a space with smooth, salt-laced concrete flooring and well-lit displays, along with other modern engineering marvels—like underground flushing toilets. But recently, officials launched a new exploration for those seeking more of a real-mine experience. Salt Safari, a 2½-hour hike across dark cavities largely left untouched since the last mining was done there in the 1950s, opened in November. Marcotte, with his wealth of knowledge, is one of the main guides. The nearly two-mile trek takes place across a rough surface of salt rock, with the only light coming from the hard hat. “This is adventure tourism,” says Linda Schmitt, executive director of the Reno County Historical Society, the agency that operates the salt museum and the Reno County Museum. “It is an authentic experience that isn’t cleaned up for the public.” It’s a constant 68 degrees down under. The deposits were formed about 275 million years ago, says tour guide Pattie Belden, who take the group for a general view of the museum. At the rate they are going, it would take thousands of years to mine it all. The Emerson Carey family opened the mine in 1923, according to Marcotte. Today, the Hutchinson Salt Company mine is beginning its 91st year of mining, as crews continue to extract salt used across Kansas and the Midwest on icy roadways during the winter. Some of the empty mined space is occupied by Underground Vaults & Storage, which holds a number of Hollywood movies, artifacts and other documents in its natural, climate-controlled environment. In 1999, community leaders and the historical society, along with the two companies, came together in an effort to reopen a portion of the mine to public tours, something the Carey Salt Mine once offered

until sometime in the 1960s. A dream came true in 2007 when the museum opened for business. These days, people have come from every state and many countries to go down into the only salt museum in the Western Hemisphere, Belden boasts on the tour. From the beginning, it was always a hope that the museum would someday offer a tour into the raw mine itself, according to Schmitt. “It was our plan from the beginning,” she says. “People have always said they want to see authenticity. People over the years have said, ‘We want to go into the mine.’” Besides seeing a raw mine, visitors also see what “artifacts,” as Marcotte calls them, miners and others left behind. During the 1950s, a unique crystal deposit on one wall, shaped like a submarine, was created in the mining process. It’s a room Marcotte himself never saw until 20 years into his mining career. There is also equipment left behind by a governmental atomic energy agency—wires and measuring tools used to see how much the salt expanse moved. This was from back when the mine was being considered as a site to store nuclear waste.

Salt Safari Details

20 13 F&S 45 www

• Only 20 participants can go on the Salt Safari at a time. • Must be at least 13 years old. • Salt Safari is scheduled on select Fridays and Saturdays. • The cost is $45. • Register for the Salt Safari at www.underkansas.org.

Then there is the trash discarded by miners. Paper water cups, a grape “Howdy Doody” pop bottle and donation flyers for a city nonprofit agency are among the objects left here. Old dynamite boxes are everywhere, creating boundaries for the hikers. Marcotte points to one artifact: A November page torn from a 1956 calendar lays crinkled on the mine floor. It’s the same month and year he was born. The retired miner doesn’t see it as coincidence. It tells him, he says, that “you’re supposed to be here, giving these tours.”

Spring 2014

Hutchinson Magazine

features

32........ The Grind: A java guide 38....................... hidden heroes 46................... the salt city poet

Spring 2014

THE GRIND Story by Amy Conkling and Amy Bickel / Photography by Aaron East

Our guide to buzz-worthy coffee shops, cafes and morning gatherings 32

Hutchinson Magazine

It’s early … too early. And the only thing helping you get out of bed and off to work is the thought of stopping for coffee. Or maybe it’s mid-afternoon and you’re meeting a group of friends to plan the latest fundraiser. Or maybe you’re on deadline, finals are right around the corner and you must wrap up this essay before bed. The reasons for frequenting a coffee shop are plentiful, and often, atmosphere plays a big role in what you want from a java-jolt-inducing coffee stop. We’ve brewed up the quintessential guide to Hutchinson’s coffee shops.

The Early Birds At 6:30 a.m., cars are parked outside South Hutchinson’s sale barn. A light glows inside the market’s café, where waitress Loretta Rosendahl is already pouring coffee to a community of coffee drinkers. Here, the coffeepot is on by 5 a.m. and for the price of a cup or two, customers pull up a chair and begin the daily conversation— whether it is fluctuating commodity prices or the biggest deer or fish they ever took home. Or if someone needs relationship advice, “We’ll talk him right through it,” says Hutchinson resident John Gulick. After years of gathering, they’re all experts in one thing or another. “The first time we started coming here, the cows were just calves,” says South Hutchinson resident Jerry Wolf. They are sitting at the Stockyard Café, a country sort of place where the smell of live cattle is prominent and walking in with dirty boots

isn’t necessarily frowned upon. The diner, located in the same building where cattle grace the sale ring every Tuesday, isn’t fancy. Locals, however, find the atmosphere welcoming, bantering away as staff serve them breakfast or lunch—as well as plenty of coffee. “We solve about 90 percent of the world’s problems,” says Wolf. “We leave politics and religion out of it because it just creates too many problems and sometimes even hard feelings.” Most everyone is retired—a mixture of fellows who knew each other long before conversing over coffee—either through jobs or growing up together. “We’ve been bickering 60 years,” says Wolf’s brother Bill with a smile. And as you would imagine, there’s plenty of humor. “We all hated each other until we started having coffee together,” jokes Gulick. But in all seriousness, the group’s bond isn’t superficial. They talk about the past. They share their problems. They check on each other’s families. “There are friendly waitresses here, good cooking,” says Bill, who retired a few years ago. “Everyone here is like a big family.” – Amy Bickel Spring 2014

Zach Kitson and Amber Nichols make being a barista look effortless at Metropolitan Coffee.

Location: 1329 E. 17th Ave. (corner of 17th and Lorraine)

Noteworthy:

2013 Reader’s Choice Award for Best Coffee and May 2013 Small Biz Award, The Hutchinson News.

Perks: Chai Latte, Bean Freeze (a summertime favorite), and several seasonal drinks, including

the Butterbeer, a drink based on the fictional Butterbeer of Harry Potter fame.

swing-dancing lessons, and the friendly faces behind the bar.

Buzz-worthiness: This

In early 2014, Metro introduced the pour-over bar, an alternative method to brewing coffee, along with a stronger focus on loose-leaf teas and tea education. “We aim to stay on top of industry advancements and trends in both sourcing and creating our drinks,” Myra says.

local cafe is a hit with all crowds, according to Myra Kitson, who owns Metro with her husband, Jim. Patrons include professionals having meetings, but also anyone who simply enjoys the plush chairs, board games, live music (on weekends), free

www.metrocoffeehutch.com

Hutchinson Magazine

The Barista’s Rules “I’ll have a grande nonfat soy latte with one shot of vanilla, no foam, no whip and extra shot, extra hot.” Ever wonder how the Starbucks baristas get all of that onto a cup without having to ask for a repeat? Suzie Parker, shift supervisor at Starbucks on 17th Avenue, says there’s really no way to teach or explain the extreme multitasking going on with her barista crew. “It’s a skill you just develop over the years of doing it day in and day out,” Parker says. “The easiest way to remember the really crazy and extreme orders is if the customer becomes a regular visitor.”

Location: 214 N. Main St., Buhler. Perks: Espresso-based drinks Milky Way, Mocha Bianca, and Hawaiian Sea Salt Caramel Latte top the list, along with chai drinks and flavored iced teas. Bonus: The Deli, lunch and coffee.

Buzz-worthiness: The Mustard Seed prides itself on handcrafted beverages and roasted coffee served at the casual coffee bar. On any given day the “Seed” offers three to five different brews and blends.

According to owner Cindy Kaufman, most of the Seed’s coffee is produced by small roasters from canopy-grown organic beans; the roaster actually goes to the locations and buys the coffee, instead of relying on a third party. This results in a fresher, richer brew—the perfect accompaniment for their melt-in-yourmouth, homemade cinnamon rolls, fluffy muffins, hearty breakfast sandwiches, and homemade granola with Greek yogurt.

They hear it all and see it all when it comes to customers’ beloved coffee orders. And while Parker has never counted the words on a lengthy order, she has had a cup filled to the brim with scrawling notes and scribbles, not coffee. “Since we mark everything on a cup, we’re limited on space,” she says. “I’ve seen a cup almost entirely covered in modifiers.” Anything for the correct order, right?

www.feedattheseed.com Spring 2014

Katie Lamkin is an expert when it comes to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;regularsâ&#x20AC;? and their usual orders at Starbucks.

Hutchinson Magazine

Weekly Fellowship Coffee often can be more than a caffeine-infused drink—it brings people together as a spiritual conduit.

Locations: 1502 E. 17th Ave.; and Dillons Marketplace at 3200 Plaza East Drive.

Perks: White Mocha Latte and the Caramel Macchiato.

Commitment: Short. Good for a quick coffee stop. Buzz-worthiness: Customers are the name of the game to the coffee crew, better known as baristas, who don the popular black shirts and green aprons and have the insane ability to write down every single detail of an order on the checklist side of a cup. Suzie Parker, Starbucks shift supervisor, says the regular customers make up a majority of their business and make their jobs much more enjoyable. “Starbucks has been one of the leading purveyors of coffee for 43 years,” Parker says. “We have some of the best baristas on staff to set us apart from the rest. They truly enjoy being here and interacting with the customers because they’re a part of our family.” Add in their special rewards program for frequent flyers, and it’s no wonder so many visit the joint on a daily—or hourly—basis.

www.starbucks.com

“There are some things we don’t agree on,” says Andy Addis, senior pastor at CrossPoint, a Southern Baptist church. “But the core we do agree on.” At the core is God—in this case, accompanied by a good cup of joe every Wednesday morning. It began four years ago, when Addis got a call from Quintin Moore, senior pastor at The Father’s House, who asked Addis to join him for coffee. Addis admits he was somewhat nervous about why the charismatic preacher wanted to meet him. “We talked for a while, and I finally asked him what he wanted,” Addis says.

Lee Keele, lead pastor at Crossroads Christian Church; Aaron Keller, a Free Methodist minister who preaches at Salt City Family Church; Kendall Sheats, a pastor at Believers Tabernacle; and John Schroeppel, a retired Lutheran minister. “We are fairly mosaic,” Moore says, adding that the group is open to anyone. It’s also grown to include more than bantering while drinking coffee, Wagler says. For instance, out of the morning coffee group grew an idea that the churches should work together more as one unit to help the community. Last year, churches led by Addis, Moore, Wagler and Keele, joined forces to help raise funds and create the Noel Lodge—aiding in Hutchinson’s fight against homelessness.

Moore replied, “We were having coffee and sharing in a conversation.”

Addis said there is nothing formal about their coffee club— it’s just dialogue and friendship over coffee.

The two began meeting weekly and soon other ministers joined—Howard Wagler, lead pastor at Journey Mennonite Church in South Hutchinson;

“Everyone has a third place— home, work and a third place they go where they know others and they are known,” says Addis. – Amy Bickel Spring 2014

Hidden heroes Hutchinson has long been known as a community that gives back, but some folks do this day in and day out Story by Richard Shank / Photography by Brian Lingle

Hutchinson Magazine

Big and Little Brothers: Russ Reinhart and Evan Turner

Darla Wilson, Russ Reinert and Shara Gonzales each have a special calling—they are giving back to organizations that make a difference in the lives of Hutchinson residents. Darla has a desire to bring comfort to those individuals dealing with end-of-life experiences. Shara unlocks her Adams Street office determined to find new ways to help economically deprived citizens find a place to call “home.” And Russ, who was a model parent raising two children, now shares those skills as a Big Brother. Their work may not get much publicity, but these three optimistic souls give their all to community groups that are in great need of a champion.

Spring 2014

Darla Darla

Wilson

Hutchinson Magazine

It’s possible that Darla Wilson’s role at Hadley Medical Center in Hays foreshadowed her purpose in Reno County today. “Early in my career I was often assigned patients who were dying. I had a comfort with providing comfort care and supporting the family,” says Darla, executive director for Hospice & Homecare of Reno County. Every year, her organization works with nearly 1,000 patients who live within a 50-mile radius of Hutchinson. Early in life, Darla had a flair for dealing with numbers; she was a whiz in mathematics and those who knew her may have thought she was on her way to a career as an accountant. But the death of a brother in a tragic car accident and an oil field accident with another brother were life-changing experiences that sparked her interest in being a nurse and caregiver. “The experiences encouraged me to give patients and families the gift of time with one another when they can and learn to cope with death,” she says. While working at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center as a registered nurse, she learned of an opening at Hospice & Homecare of Reno County and submitted a successful application as clinical director. In 2004, she was named executive director. Today, Darla oversees a staff of 70 full- and part-time health care professionals. Arriving at the office on any given day, she makes it her goal to do everything she can to get resources to her staff that will enable them to do their jobs. For Darla and her team, the ability to be flexible and think outside the box are key ingredients in making that happen. When a Hospice House patient expressed a desire to host a Thanksgiving dinner, the staff wasted no time in helping make his wish come true. Family members arrived with turkey and all the trimmings in hand and, following a several-course

dinner, everyone sat back for an afternoon of visiting and watching football on television. When a young mother approaching death requested a slumber party with her children, the family arrived at Hospice House and all spent one final night together. When a musician said he wanted to take the stage for a final performance, his wishes were granted. “In our jobs, we are called on to listen to the stories and requests from our patients,” Darla says. “Most importantly, we must be honest even when it involves giving bad news.” At the end of the day, Darla admonishes everyone to say, “I love you, and I forgive you” before it is too late. In Darla’s world, every day is busy, with a constant stream of meetings, administrative duties and decision-making, but she still finds time to serve on boards and advisory committees throughout the city. To date, she has served on the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the United Way Campaign Committee, and the advisory committee for the Hutchinson Community College nursing program. Darla is also a graduate of the Leadership Reno County program. Molly McVicker, who served on the capital campaign committee for Hospice House and is a current member of the advisory board of directors, gives Darla high marks for her job performance. “Darla is a very good person, and we are very fortunate to have her leading Hospice,” McVicker says. “She is very compassionate and has the ability to get things done.” So how does Darla cope with end-of-life issues on a daily basis? “I love what I do, and I love these patients and the staff,” she says. “We are positively impacting their lives, and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.”

Spring 2014

russ russ

reinert

Hutchinson Magazine

Arriving in Hutchinson in the 1973 as the newest CPA in town, Russ Reinert hit the ground running, and in the last four decades he has left his mark on the city both as a businessman and volunteer. Among his many endeavors, his favorite might be his opportunity to mentor a Little Brother. Russ’s upbringing on a Ness County farm instilled a giving spirit early on. In 1981, the Kansas Chamber of Commerce selected him as a member of Leadership Kansas. Eight years later, he served as chairman of the Hutchinson Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. In 1998, he began a two-year stint as board chairman for the Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center. And in his spare time, Russ served 20 years as the campaign treasurer for Hutchinson’s Senator Dave Kerr. Needless to say, he’s been a busy guy. So, by 2010, there seemed to be little in the city that he had not done; during his 40 years in Hutchinson, anything good that had happened in the Salt City seemed to have Russ’s fingerprints on it. He became a financial supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, a 110 year-old organization that matches at-risk youth with carefully screened volunteers to create long-term mentoring relationships called “matches.” The volunteer assumes the title of Big Brother to the youth who becomes his Little Brother. In December 2010, Russ took a leap of faith and signed on to volunteer his time as a Big Brother to Evan Ledbetter, a four-year old who had lost his father one year earlier in a tragic car accident. In remarks delivered at a recent Big Brothers Big Sisters annual luncheon, Evan; his mother, Gill Turner; and Russ told the hundreds of people in the audience how the program has benefited a family that was unexpectedly thrust into lifechanging circumstances. Gill said that, following her husband’s death, Evan didn’t understand that his daddy wasn’t coming home. “Let me tell you that without Russ, Evan would be an off-the-wall basket case, she said. “Russ keeps him centered as he shares his love for the outdoors with Evan.” “Evan’s kindergarten teacher saw real progress with his education when Russ entered his life,” she continued. “Reading and math got better, and now he has a love for numbers that can only come from Russ.” Next up, Russ spoke to a hushed audience. “I am very proud to say I am a Big Brother, and my Little Brother Evan is an eight-year-old third grader at Union Valley Grade School,” Russ said. “He has become my best friend.” Russ and Evan meet weekly, normally on Tuesday evenings. Their interaction may include everything from cooking dinner to playing cards and Monopoly Junior. Every June, they are on the road for a 115-mile trip west to the Reinert family farm during the annual wheat harvest; they take a combine ride and do an inspection of every tractor on the farm. Back home in Hutchinson, the two can be seen on the golf course at Prairie Dunes or feeding the ducks at Dillon Nature Center or Carey Park. “It is such a treat to pick him up, as the first words out of his mouth are, “What are we going to do today,” Russ says. When asked what he enjoys most during the time spent with his Big Brother, Evan responds with a single word: “Everything.” “I love to go fishing with Russ when we catch something,” Evan says. “I now have a big brother, and his name is Russ.” Russ, seated in his dining room, talks about the closeness his family enjoyed when his two children, John and Rochelle, were growing up. He says he is pleased to volunteer his time to assist another family. Gill’s daughter, Emily, is also matched in the program and now has a Big Sister. “Being a Big Brother is far more fun than serving on a board or committee,” Russ says with a hearty laugh. Russ hopes their relationship won’t end at age 18 when Evan goes to college; he is in it for the long haul. Tomi Foust, marketing and public relations director for Big Brothers and Big Sisters, says Russ is one of the organization’s top volunteers. “Russ is a thinker and processor, and has shared his love of the outdoors with Evan, who can now identify a tractor from 500 yards away,” Foust says.

Spring 2014

Shara Shara

Gonzales gonzales

Hutchinson Magazine

After 23 years on the job—or what some might call a mission— in Hutchinson, the names Shara Gonzales and New Beginnings are synonymous with a community-wide effort to reduce homelessness. The experts are talking about the mixed results of the 50-yearold “War on Poverty.” On the other hand, halfway across the nation in Hutchinson, there seems little doubt that Shara and New Beginnings can lay claim to significant strides in solving an age-old problem. Shara grew up in a middle-class family in Hutchinson; poverty and homelessness were not normal dinner-table topics. Still, her parents and other family members instilled within her a passion for problemsolving and helping people. As a young relief worker living in the nation’s capital, she found herself on a flight to Guatemala in 1976 to offer America’s assistance following a devastating earthquake. “It was an eye-opener for me to see what is possible when people work together,” she says. “When we took relief supplies to the victims, they insisted on giving us something in return. The highland farmers harvested some of their corn crop in exchange for the supplies. We took the corn down to the city, where there were displaced families, and gave it to them to sell in the local market so as to begin to rebuild their lives.” Fifteen years later, she was back home, ready to tackle Hutchinson’s homeless problem, and she jumped in feet-first at the New Beginnings. Shara listed a half dozen sites in Hutchinson to be used for affordable housing, including an abandoned hospital on North Main Street which, with an infusion of tax credits, has been renovated with low rent to help keep people from becoming homeless. There is no shortage of needs in Hutchinson. As many as 400 residents, roughly 1 percent of the

city’s population, may be homeless. Shara’s mission statement, entitled “The Cycle of Self Sufficiency,” lays out a blueprint that the community and homeless families can use to recover their once independent lives. Homelessness often results from natural disasters. In the days following the May 4, 2007 Greensburg tornado, Shara was called in for advice. She soon found herself standing on what was once the city’s Main Street to counsel victims on the first steps they would need to take to rebuild their community. When asked what insulates her from burnout, she barely pauses before responding. “I am told that many people who do this kind of work will burn out in three years,” Shara says. “What keeps me going is that we are starting to solve problems.” Those who come calling for shelter at New Beginnings should not expect to sit back and smell the roses. “Residents are required to create a housing plan how they will move from the shelter or temporary housing to something permanent,” she says. “Its not just a place to hang out, it’s a place to rebuild the basics of your life.” And, posthaste, they are required to develop a plan for the next five years of their lives and learn assetmanagement skills. “When they make a decision, we go through the process with them,” she says. Reno County Commissioner Dan Deming says Shara Gonzales has positively touched thousands of lives in the Hutchinson community. “Her intensity and passion has proved to be the right ingredient to get the job done in our community, and she has done more than anyone in my lifetime in helping people get their lives turned around in housing and many other ways,” Deming says. “People who were struggling to rise above a low point in their lives were truly given a new beginning.”

Spring 2014

Poet William Stafford was born in Hutchinson in 1914. As admirers celebrate his centennial this year, they will revisit Staffordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s love for Kansas.

Hutchinson Magazine

Poet e h T

y t i C t l Sa

Story by Richard Shank Photography courtesy of Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Special Collections and Archives

Hutchinson celebrates the centennial of the prairietown kid-turned-poet laureate, William Stafford

Famed poet William Stafford penned 22,000 poems in his 79 years. It was a productive, celebrated life that began in Hutchinson—and by all accounts Stafford never lost sight of the south-central Kansas town of his birth. Stafford was born a century ago, on January 17, 1914, in Hutchinson, and although his residency here was barely 15 years in duration, he retained great memories of the Salt City and Kansas, and often mentioned both in his writings. His poem “Prairie Town,” which described the life and landscape of Hutchinson, was widely acclaimed, and his words still ring true today. According to a Stafford-family source, the future poet grew up in a home on East 19th and his first job was delivering The Hutchinson News. The Stafford family moved to western Kansas during his teenage years. He graduated from Liberal High School in 1933 before enrolling at the University of Kansas, where he earned an undergraduate degree four years later. In 1942, while Stafford was pursuing a master’s degree at KU, he was called up by the draft, but registered as a conscientious objector. He was assigned to aseries of Civilian Public Service camps in Arkansas and California—which provided substantial material for future poems.

The break

With the war’s conclusion, Stafford returned to his home state, where in 1947 he completed his master’s degree. Following academic stops in Indiana, Iowa, California and Oregon, his first major work, a collection of poetry titled Traveling Through the Dark, was published in 1962. Stafford’s big break came in 1963, when he was awarded the National Book Award for Poetry and, as the old expression goes, the rest is history. Although Stafford, then 48, was thought to be a little late in hitting the big leagues, he caught up quickly, and his greatest days and works were yet to come. In the 30 remaining years of his life, volumes of his poetry hit the bookshelves throughout the world, and were published in magazines and periodicals. In 1970, the Library of Congress selected Stafford as Consultant in Poetry for the nation, an esteemed distinction now called Poet Laureate. He spent most of his career as a professor of English and Humanities at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where he eventually retired in 1980. He traveled all over the country and throughout the world (Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal) to share his poetry, and his invitation to others into the life of writing

Spring 2014

Poems by

William Stafford Prairie Town There was a river under First and Main; the salt mines honeycombed farther down. A wealth of sun and wind ever so strong converged on that home town, long gone. At the north edge there were the sand hills. I used to stare for hours at prairie dogs, which had their town, and folded their little paws to stare beyond their fence where I was. River rolling in secret, salt mines with care holding your crystals and stillness, north prairieâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; what kind of trip can I make, with what old friend, ever to find a town so widely rich again? Pioneers, for whom history was walking through dead grass, and the main things that happened were miles and the time of dayâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; you built that town, and I have let it pass. Little folded paws, judge me: I came away.

Coronado Heights When we touch the rock, a little cold shiver begins: this is the place where Coronado found that cities of gold are dust, that the world had led him north beyond civilization, beyond what was good. And right down onto this prairie grass he fell. His helmet tumbled right here. He smelled the earth and felt the sun begin to be his friend; he had found a treasure, the richest city of all. Wheatfields frame this place today, a gift: how the riches of Mexico, the wandering tribes, the golden wind, all come true for us, bowing in reverence with Coronado.

Hutchinson Magazine

Stafford, right, and Marvin Graeler at a Civilian Public Service camp.

The William Stafford Archives, in addition to elements you have listed, has over 100,000 pages of correspondence, 90 CDs of audio recordings, 16,000 negatives from his work as a photographer doing portraits of fellow writers, as well as artifacts from his working life: his double-bitted ax, crosscut saw, his guitar, and his bow of Osage Orange wood from Kansas. Of the 22,000 poems he authored during his lifetime that spanned nearly eight decades, 3,000 were published, a record unequaled by his peers in the world of poetry.

The Legacy

Fellow poet James Dickey said it best when summing up his contemporary. “William Stafford is one of those poets who pour out rivers of ink, all on good poems.” Stafford’s son Kim Stafford, an accomplished author, poet, public speaker and scholar in his own right, is a professor at Lewis and Clark College. Kim confirms his father’s love of Hutchinson. “My father often seemed homesick for Hutchinson and returned every chance he got,” Kim says. “For him, Kansas was the gold standard.” According to Kim, the elder Stafford possessed a photographic memory and was a born storyteller, which was a constant source of laughter and happy times. “When old stories were told, my father was often heard to say, ‘In Kansas it happened this way,’ he says. During his formative years, William Stafford was a normal kid growing up in rural America. “He told how a Hutchinson resident once offered to pay him $1 if he would just go away on Halloween night,” Kim says with a laugh. “Another time, the young Bill Stafford was wading along the bank of the Ninnescah groping in muskrat burrows for channel catfish when a muskrat bit his hand,” Kim adds. On a more serious note, Stafford once recalled his family observing a Ku Klux Klan rally in Hutchinson and wondered which of their neighbors were inside those white hoods and robes. This year, Kim will be crisscrossing the nation for presentations on his father’s life and career. Six new books on William Stafford’s works are slated for publication in 2014 as a part of the centennial observance of his life. On a local level, the Hutchinson/Reno County Arts & Humanities Council will honor Stafford this year with a series of events on his legacy to literature on April 2. Kim will be visiting his father’s hometown for a pair of appearances that includes visiting instructor Bill Sheldon’s creative writing class at Hutchinson Community College. That evening, Kim will make an appearance, open to the public, at the Hutchinson Arts Center to discuss his father’s poetry.

The end

On the morning of August 28, 1993, Stafford was lying on the couch in his daily writing station, where he wrote a final poem. Later in the day, as he felt the heart attack coming, he turned over a letter he had been reading, and wrote in big letters, “and all my love,” before going to help his wife in the kitchen, where he suffered a heart attack and died unexpectedly. This ended a career that had few equals in 20th-century literary America. His wife, Dorothy, died in October 2013 at the age of 97.

Spring 2014

Poems by

William Stafford

Remembering the ‘Girl in the Front Row’

William Stafford wrote this poem to reflect an incident he witnessed in Hutchinson when he was 15. This poem is reputed to be one of Stafford’s most famous works.

How would you react if you discovered, years after the fact, that you had been immortalized in verse?

Fifteen South of the bridge on Seventeenth I found back of the willows one summer day a motorcycle with engine running as it lay on its side, ticking over slowly in the high grass, I was fifteen. I admired all that pulsing gleam, the shiny flanks, the demure headlights fringed where it lay; I led it gently to the road and stood with that companion, ready and friendly. I was fifteen. We could find the end of a road, meet the sky on out Seventeenth. I thought about hills, and patting the handle got back a confident opinion. On the bridge we indulged a forward feeling, a tremble. I was fifteen. Thinking, back further in the grass I found the owner, just coming to, where he had flipped over the rail. He had blood on his hand, was pale— I helped him back to his machine. He ran his hand over it, called me good man, roared away. I stood there, fifteen.

My grandma, Katherine Lee (born Langston), was 53 years old when she found out that, decades earlier, as a schoolgirl in Hutchinson, she had unwittingly inspired the work of a famous poet. Back then, young William Stafford was a classmate of Katherine’s at Liberty Junior High. Katherine’s mother died when she was in seventh grade at Liberty; she continued in school but was allowed to leave for two hours in the middle of the day to go home and prepare lunch for her two young siblings. She did not know Stafford well, but the future poet admired her from afar—and he would never forget her. Some 25 years later, he wrote the poem “At Liberty School,” which sang the praises of the “[g] irl in the front row who had no mother/and went home every day to get supper.” The poem was later published in the collection Traveling Through the Dark, which won the National Book Award for Poetry in 1963. But Katherine knew nothing of the poem or her role in it until the poet himself tracked her down in 1968. Stafford, now living in Oregon, wrote to his former muse at her home in Wichita. “I wanted to say hello, to report, to affirm existence, and the existence of the old home town,” he wrote, hearkening back to their days in the Salt City. “She didn’t really remember him, but she was honored and thrilled,” says Lonnie Lee, Katherine’s son. With typical modesty, Katherine always downplayed the notion that she had inspired a work of poetry. After all, she said, it was just the product of a boy’s infatuation with a girl whom he didn’t even know well. But for those of us who knew and loved Katherine in later life, the poem captured her unique spirit. The courage and resilience that inspired Stafford as a boy would carry Katherine through a life that was

Stafford’s boyhood home in Hutchinson.

Hutchinson Magazine

long and happy but also marked by tragedy, including not only the early loss of her mother but later, of her twin daughters in childbirth, and then of her first husband to cancer. Only months after Stafford, in the Pacific Northwest, composed the first drafts of “At Liberty School” in late 1953, Katherine’s husband Leonard Huey passed away in Wichita in early 1954, leaving her a young widow with three sons to raise. Stafford couldn’t know this, but his poem captured the same fortitude that would bear Katherine through this latest tragedy just as it had in Hutchinson a quarter of a century earlier. “At Liberty School” stands as a testament to Stafford’s powers of poetic observation—and to the character of the wife, mother, and grandparent that we all loved. Elaborate histories were in our book but of all the races you were the good: the taxes of Rome were at your feet. As Hutchinson celebrates the centennial of Stafford’s birth, I am reminded that it is his classmate Katherine’s centennial as well. She and Stafford never met as adults, but she treasured “At Liberty School” and kept his letter for the rest of her life. When she died in 2007, it was my honor to recite the poem at her memorial in Wichita, content that her spirit would live on in the work of one of America’s great poets.

Poems by

William Stafford

At Liberty School Girl in the front row who had no mother and went home everyday to get supper, the class became silent when you left early. Elaborate histories were in out book but of all the races you were the good: the taxes of Rome were at your feet. When the bell rang we did not write any more. Traitor to everything else, we poured to the fountain. I bent and thought of you. Our town no is Atlantis, crystal-water-bound; at the door of the schoolhouse fish are swimming round; thinking in and out of the church tower go deep waves. Girl in the front row who had no mother, as I passed the alleys of out town toward supper there were not spiteful nails in any board.

-Deron Lee

Spring 2014

travel

Hutchinson Magazine

The famous main overlook at Dead Horse Point State Park in Moab, Utah.

Two Days

in the Canyons Moab is the gateway to the ultimate American adventure in southeast Utah Story by Gloria Gale Photography courtesy of Moab Area Travel Council

“Going Gonzo!” was once an apt description for hot-shot mountain bikers scrambling up and down Moab, Utah’s exhilarating slickrock moonscape. This high desert mecca that captured the attention of the adrenaline crowd back in the 1980s is now attracting a broader demographic into the sandbox.

Spring 2014

travel

THIS PAGE Flowers at the foothills of the La Sal Mountains.

Hutchinson Magazine

Though Moab has turned a kinder, gentler cheek to those who would rather pull the covers over their heads than rappel down sheer a sandstone cliff, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still plenty of thrills. The tiny boom-to-bust mining town, lying between the La Sal Mountains to the east and the Moab Rim to the west, is experiencing a rush of visitors eager to soak up the beauty of southeastern Utah. Throughout this stunning valley, arches, spires, balanced rocks, fins and eroded monoliths thousands of feet thick offer a jaw-dropping sandstone playground for the outdoor enthusiast. Credit the 130,000-square-mile Colorado Plateauâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the unstable subsurface that buckled and repositioned itself, thrusting rock layers upward as domes and entire

sections of earth faulted into cavities. All this tumult happened more than 300 million years ago, leaving a fantasyland so stunning, it merits a cadre of five national parks across Utah known as the Grand Staircase. Moab is the gateway into this wild terrain. Beneath a dome of blue sky that rarely clouds over, Moab is a study in extremes. Summer temperatures can soar past 100 degrees, and winter temps are often below zero. Despite the fluctuations, millions of visitors from around the world flock to this ultimate American adventure destination. Starting with a drive down Main Street, though it seems like all the dudes and dudettes just finished base-jumping, knowledgeable outfitters offer a range of activities.

Welcome to canyon country Day 1 Beginning in early spring, the blush of ruby-colored boulders with breathtaking views calls to the slickrock set—otherwise known as mountain bikers and ATV drivers. The dash to climb the web of undulating smooth rocks, ominously known as Hell‘s Revenge, is irresistible. Pump up the morning with a two-hour adrenaline ride on a Hummer Safari. Along with a driver who knows exactly how to navigate, this is a terrific introduction to this otherworldly terrain. After the two-hour safari, stop by the Rock Shop on North Main Street to gawk at the heaps of minerals and fossils before indulging in breakfast or lunch at one of Moab‘s casual restaurants. As the afternoon sun turns the swells of rocky outcroppings a deeper crimson, drive 30 minutes west toward Canyonlands National Park, the largest in the state.

www.discovermoab.com

The natural architecture of this park is so mind-boggling, it looks more like a film set. This is exactly what drew the motion picture industry, beginning in 1950 with John Wayne’s Rio Grande and continuing more recently with Thelma and Louise, City Slickers II, Con Air and 127 Hours, among others. Sheer-walled canyons cut for eons by the Colorado and Green Rivers provide staggering views along scenic overlooks including Grand View, Upheaval Dome and Grand Mesa. Enthusiasts say Canyonlands is ideal for biking, hiking, hot-air ballooning and horseback riding.

Spring 2014

travel

Day 2 Ribbons of stone Head out from downtown at the Moab Adventure Center; Arches National Park lies six miles up the road. When people think of Utah‘s landscape, Arches is a classic image. Relentlessly pummeled by wind and erosion, the dynamic landforms that exist throughout the park boast more than 2,000 cataloged arches. These thin bridges of rose-colored sandstone are some of the most photographed spectacles in the world. Iconic arches such as Delicate, Surprise, Tower, and North and South Window are easily accessed by car, or by hiking or biking. For hiking into the maze-like monoliths area known as the Fiery Furnace, a park permit is required. Take time out for lunch, then stroll along the myriad shops and trading posts in downtown Moab until just before dusk. Long shadows cast at sunset make the red rocks glow crimson: a perfect time for a jet-boat ride down the mighty Colorado River. Along the way, it’s easy to spot rock climbers ascending the rock faces fronting the gorge. Also along the route, petroglyphs, or ancient Indian rock art, are visible. This two-day adventure is just a snapshot into Moab’s outdoor odyssey. Take a breather and reapply sunscreen—this place has so much more to experience that‘s far beyond the ordinary.

Hutchinson Magazine

MOAB ADVENTURE CENTER A one-stop shop for exploring the area is Moab Adventure Center. Experienced, skilled staff take time to make sure all activities run safely and smoothly, offering informative commentary and a friendly attitude when guiding a host of activities—from river rafting, Hummer Safaris, scenic flights, rock climbing, and mountain biking to zip-lining and horseback riding.

www.MoabAdventureCenter.com

hutch talks What do you enjoy most about working at the library? I like the variety. I get to meet new people all the time, try new programs out and work as hard as possible to positively affect the lives of all Hutchinson and Reno County residents. Most importantly, to me, I think reading is the key to learning, and the library plays a key role in helping prepare children for success in school.

What would surprise us about the Hutchinson Library? The library provides outreach service in the form of story time and circulating book collections to day-care centers all over the city. This service brings books and reading to preschoolers year-round. This past year, we served 8,965 children with 361 outreach story hours. I am a believer in early literacy as a means to better results for students once they hit school age. Any time we can do more as the public library to help promote early literacy, we’ll do our best to help. We also deliver books, CDs, DVDs, etc. to homebound adults.

What are folks missing by not visiting the library? We offer a wide variety of programs for children, adults, and families year-round. The library has e-books and audiobooks to download, and we offer one-on-one technology training to help you get the most out of your tablet, smartphone or computer. The library offers many learning opportunities, fun programs, and enjoyable ways to meet and understand other Hutchinson residents from all walks of life.

Outside of the stacks, how do you immerse yourself in the community? I have two school-age children, so I spend a lot of time helping and supporting their activities—mainly Cub and Boy Scouting right now. As a family, we like to participate in community activities as much as possible. Hutchinson has a great ability to make its own fun— much more so than other communities where I’ve lived.

What’s your favorite book? This is a

gregg

Wamsley Director, Hutchinson Public Library Gregg Wamsley, director of the Hutchinson Public Library, is a native. Born and raised in Hutchinson, he spent some time cataloging books in Texas before returning to the Salt City. “One day, I received in the mail an article about the director at Hutchinson Public Library retiring,” says Wamsley. “Since the article was sent to me by my mother, I felt a slight obligation to apply.” He got the job and has spent seven glorious years at our local library. “I am still excited to be working here.… Thanks, Mom!”

Hutchinson Magazine

tough one. I have a number of favorites depending on genre. I’m going to hedge and list one for fiction and one for nonfiction. Nonfiction: D-Day: The Battle for Normandy, by Antony Beevor, because I love history and have read about WWII since I was a child. Fiction: More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon, because I am a science fiction fan and am particularly fascinated by what might be the next step in human evolution.

Have you ever had late fees?! As a library employee, I don’t have to pay late fees. You take your perks where you can, right? However, I have lost a book in my tenure here, and yes, I did pay to replace it! What do you believe makes Hutchinson such a wonderful place to be? The thing I always missed living elsewhere was a sense of openmindedness combined with no-nonsense practicality that seemed to me to sort of define “Kansan.” Sadly, that notion seems to have faded a bit statewide, I think, but it still exists in Hutchinson. Right now, there is a sense of youthful energy in Hutchinson that adds to and complements those qualities. It makes problems seem surmountable and difficulties survivable, and gives a person a clear sense of hope for the future of the city. Interview conducted and edited by Katy Ibsen. Photography by Brian Lingle.

Spring 2014

hutch talks What do you enjoy most about working at the Hutchinson Zoo? Of course I love the animals and the interaction I get to have with them, but I would have to say that the most enjoyable part of the zoo for me is the daily opportunity to learn something new. Every day is different, and when you work with over 250 different animals there are a lot of new and challenging scenarios that arise. No two animals behave the same way, even of the same species.

What furry initiatives are in store for 2014? In 2014, we will start moving our deer and pronghorn exhibit to the new location out on the train route. This will give an opportunity for those riding the train to see live animals along the way. We are also going to be adding a songbird aviary that will house some of the non-releasable native birds we receive through the wildlife rehabilitation program. The aviary will give the public a chance to see some of the smaller songbirds up close and also gives the birds a permanent home that they would not have otherwise due to their injuries.

If you had one wish for the zoo, what would it be? Since it is only one, I would have to wish for an endless budget.

How do you immerse yourself in the community?

Kiley

Buggeln Curator, Hutchinson Zoo Despite being born in Colorado Springs, Kiley Buggeln, curator at the Hutchinson Zoo, really grew up in Hutchinson. She attended Hutchinson Community College before heading to Manhattan for a bachelor’s in wildlife biology, with a secondary major in natural resources and environmental sciences, from Kansas State University. “I was hired as a zookeeper at the Hutchinson Zoo in October of 1996,” she says. “Three years later I was promoted to the curator position, and here I am!”

My family and I enjoy getting outdoors and visiting the parks. As a little girl, I remember going to the Dillon Nature Center to fish and go on picnics. We would also have picnics in Carey Park with my grandparents, aunts and uncles any opportunity we could. We still visit regularly and are continuing the tradition with my kids and nieces and nephews.

What is your favorite animal at the zoo? They all amaze me, but there are two that really catch my attention: the porcupines and the beaver. Who would’ve thought that I would be mesmerized by large rodents? These animals have such personality and character. They are very social and interact with us on a level most do not. They are both very unique species, and there are so many interesting physical adaptations to each of them.

What do you believe makes Hutchinson such a wonderful place to be? I believe it’s the people that make it a wonderful place. Interview conducted and edited by Katy Ibsen. Photography by Brian Lingle.

Spring 2014

the

end quote “Who would’ve thought that I would be mesmerized by large rodents?” -Kiley Buggeln,

Hutchinson Zoo curator, on her favorite animals—porcupines and beavers.

“We solve about

of the world’s problems.”

“One day, I received in the mail an article about the

-South Hutchinson resident

Since the article was sent to me by my mother, I felt a slight obligation to apply.”

on morning coffee gatherings.

director at Hutchinson Public Library retiring.

Jerry Wolf

– Gregg Wamsley

on his application with the Hutchinson Public Library.

“

My father often seemed homesick for Hutchinson and

returned every chance he got. For him, Kansas was the gold standard.” Kim Stafford,

son of William Stafford, on his father’s love for the Salt City.

Hutchinson Magazine

“It’s like the man on the moon. To me, it represents the footprints of those who were here before me.” – Myron Marcotte , on artifacts found on the Salt Safari at Strataca.

$82

price per Sebastopol goose at the Yoder Poultry Auction.

$1.25 price per pigeon …

“If you put all of that work into it, you might as well drive it.” –Johnny Torres on classic cars.

“The sales have made me realize how hard it is,

as you get older, to let go of stuff that you’ve had all your life. It doesn’t matter what you’ve had, you can’t take it with you.” – Christopher Britton, Cow Creek Estate Services

“I am very proud to say I am a Big Brother, and

my Little Brother Evan is an eightyear-old third grader at Union Valley Grade School. He has become my best friend.” Russ Reinert,

on volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Reno County.

Spring 2014

best bets

March LunaFest Women’s Film Festival

spring 2014

march

1-31 14th Annual Parade of Quilts

Enjoy a self-guided tour through the town of Yoder, highlighting many quilts on display from participating merchants. Soak in the quilting tradition of this Amish community. No admission fee. www.yoderkansas.com

March 17-22 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament 2014 NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament featuring the best junior college men’s basketball in the nation. Reserved and game-day tickets available at www.njcaabbtrny.org

Dillon Lecture Series 64

Hutchinson Magazine

46th Annual Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale Visit the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale, a family event with food, crafts, general and quilt auctions held at the Kansas State Fair Grounds. Proceeds go to world relief. Hours: 5 p.m.-close Friday, 6 a.m.-auction finish Saturday. Admission is free. For more information: (620) 665-7406.

The unique Lunafest Women’s Film Festival at the Kansas Cosmosphere & Space Center will benefit the Soroptimist International of Hutchinson and the Breast Cancer Fund. Begins at 7 p.m. www.lunafest.org

april 1

April 11-12

april

26 Space Out Saturday at the Cosmosphere

Bring the family to a unique, fun and educational experience! Exciting live demonstrations and hands-on activities let us explore space science. Includes Explorer’s Workshop for ages 5-10, Space Trek with a kid-friendly tour of the Hall of Space Museum and Storytime with staff from the Hutchinson Public Library. Admission is free and no reservations are required. Wokrshop times vary. www.cosmo.org

may 4 5th Annual Sand Plum Bicycle Classic Riders will chose between a 50-, 25-, or 12-mile route or a 5-mile family route. Children 14 and under are free when riding with a participating adult. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Trail Fund, which contributes to Reno County’s expanding trail system. Event begins at 8 a.m. Don’t forget your helmet and water bottle. For more information, contact baileys@ hutchchamber.com

may 10 Hutchinson Annual Art Fair Over 90 artists from Kansas and the region will have their work on display at the 52nd Annual Hutchinson Art Association Art Fair. In addition to the great art work there will be children’s activities, great food, and thousands of folks to visit with. Free to attend. Located at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, Sunflower South Building. Begins at 9 a.m. www.hutchinsonarts.org

may 23

NCAA Golf Championship

Prairie Dunes Country Club hosts the 2014 NCAA Men’s Division I Golf Championship along with Wichita State University. The tournament format includes 30 teams and six individuals who will compete over 54 holes. An individual champion will be crowned before the top eight teams advance to match play. www.prairiedunes.com

The Dillon Lecture Series welcomes Laura Ling. Laura Ling and fellow journalist Euna Lee were detained in North Korea after they crossed into North Korea from the People’s Republic of China without a visa. Hear more of their heroic story in one of four lectures this year. Begins at 10:30 a.m. Tickets are $10. www.hutchcc.edu/community-engagement/dillon-lecture-series/