SPRIN G 2022
OUR TOP TIER SELECTIONS FOR THE CITY’S CRAFT BEERS
WASHBURN’S CARNEGIE LIBRARY
LADYBUGBAGZ WESTERN CHIC
THE PHOTOGENIC DUCK CELEBRITY
ROAD TRIP TO OKC MEMORIAL
Capital City’s Dentists of Choice
to Your Smi d e t t i m le! m o C At Michel Dental, we strive to offer area families the highest quality dentistry services. We offer a wide range of services including preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry for patients of all ages. Our comfortable practices and friendly team put patients at ease from the moment they walk through the door. We hope you’ll visit us soon!and ready for the day!
Dr. Carson Baltazar DMD
SILVER LAKE (785) 273-0801
(785) 273-0801 MichelDental.com
Dr. Michael Michel DDS, PA 400 S Circle Dr. Silver Lake, KS 66539
TOPEKA (785) 273-0801
3033 SW Villa West Dr., Ste. B Topeka, KS 66614
SL E E P S O LU T I O N S %< 0,&+(/ '(17$/
Do you snore? Are you always tired? You might have sleep apnea. Untreated sleep apnea and chronic snoring can negatively impact a person’s life in so many ways, from harming their personal relationships to badly damaging their physical health. With Dr. Michel’s timetested expertise, exhausted patients can finally start working towards the lasting solutions they need with an FDA approved, custom-fitted oral appliance. Just imagine — you wake up in the morning feeling well-rested and ready for the day! ent to EE Sleep Assessm ue Scan to take our FR ht have a sleep iss find out if you mig
785-273-0801
SleepSolutionsTopeka.com
Michel Dental | 3033 SW Villa West Dr., Ste. B Topeka, KS 66614
4
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
FROM THE EDITOR SPRING 2022 | VOLUME 16, NO. 2
Editor Nathan Pettengill Art Director/Designer Alex Tatro Copy Editor Leslie Andres Advertising Representative Angie Taylor ataylor@sunflowerpub.com (785) 832-7236 Photographers Bill Stephens Nick Krug Writers Tom Averill Susan Kraus Bill Stephens Christine Steinkuehler
Emma Hixon’s still life painting Cooking with Lemons appears as part of a March–April showing at the Stephen Smith Gallery in Downtown Topeka. Image courtesy Stephen Smith Gallery.
WELCOME TO THE SPRING ISSUE OF TOPEKA MAGAZINE. Take a few moments with us! This season, we bring you stories about the good life in Topeka: Tom Averill’s selections of Top Tier bitter beers to sample across the city, our guide to some of the best cultural and entertainment events happening this spring, tips for photographing unexpected wildlife as you get outside with the warmer weather, an idea for a quick but meaningful road trip, the history and legacy of Washburn University’s oldest building and the craftwork of a master who blends old-world techniques with cowboy and modern biker culture. Life is busy, frenetic and always running a bit behind schedule—so we think it is important to carve out time to relax, get offline and enjoy reading about bright spots around us. We look forward to rejoining you for our summer edition, which will be released in June. Until then, we hope to see you around the city! — NAT H A N P E T T E N G I L L , E D I T O R
Subscriptions $27 for a one-year subscription; email topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com Please contact us at topekamagazine@sunflowerpub.com for all comments, subscription and editorial queries.
Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of Ogden Publications. Director: Bob Cucciniello Publisher: Bill Uhler Ogden Publications 1503 SW 42nd St Topeka, KS 66609
On the Cover S P R I N G 2 0 22
OUR TOP TIER SELECTIONS FOR THE CITY’S CRAFT BEERS
WASHBURN’S CARNEGIE LIBRARY
LADYBUGBAGZ WESTERN CHIC
THE PHOTOGENIC DUCK CELEBRITY
ROAD TRIP TO OKC MEMORIAL
Bartender Max Kaufman serves one of our 2022 Topeka Top Tier selections at Iron Rail Brewery. Photograph by Nick Krug.
sunflowerpub.com topekamag.com
www.alliancebankks.com
We are all better with a strong alliance! Alliance Bank April 2022.indd 1
CATER
WITH QDOBA
EVENTS | PARTIES | MEETINGS
TOPEKA | 1025 SW WANAMAKER RD LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED
3/4/22 8:54 AM
Making Sure Your Financial Goals Are On Target! (785) 272-5000 | www.ruontarget.com 5301 SW 7th St. Topeka, KS 66606 joe@ruontarget.com
Joseph G. Prokop, CFP®, CRPC® CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Client CFO & Fiduciary
TOPEKANS
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
7
Cowboy Chic Cindy Barnwell creates stylish bags and accessories from cowboy boots, hides and more STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Bill Stephens
Cindy Barnwell didn’t know it, but when she was awarded the Girl Scout Sewing Merit Badge at age 9, it was the beginning of a lifelong association with needles and thread.
Cindy Barnwell shows a decorated boot sole key holder. She makes these from boots she cuts apart to create leather bags and holders.
By the late 1980s and early 1990s, Barnwell was working as a seamstress and being mentored by Oscar Donahue, a Kansas City master furrier who had begun working in New York City’s fur district as a young boy during the Great Depression. “He gave me the trade secrets,” Barnwell recalls. With Donahue’s training, Barnwell mastered working with hides (the skin of an animal devoid of any hair or covering) as well as with pelts (a hide with fur still attached). “I knew how to create and assemble garments and garment patterns. I just applied the same techniques to hides and pelts and found my true calling,” she says. Since 2015, Barnwell has continued to specialize in hides, pelts and skins, creating vests, coats, belts and other accessories under the label LadyBugBagz from her home studio in Topeka. Like any seamstress, Barnwell meets with clients to obtain a thorough set of measurements to ensure the fit of a customized garment. This set of measurements is transferred to paper patterns used as a guide to cut the pelts and hides to the proper dimensions. Barnwell stockpiles embossed leather hides, skunk pelts, alligator and crocodile bellies, raccoon pelts, even eel skins. “I do not do any of the trapping or collection of
8
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
Cindy Barnwell holds one of her customized quivers, an item popular with motorcycle riders.
the materials,” she clarifies. Instead, she relies on vetted and reputable suppliers from Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado and Louisiana. But one of her most widely used sources of leathers is recycled—the tops or “shafts” of cowboy boots, the part on a boot that goes up from the ankle. She cuts these shafts from boots with a razor blade, cleans and conditions them, adds a lining, and creates purses or other containers. Barnwell will sometimes stitch two shafts together end-to-end and make a quiver, a highly-soughtafter leather accessory for motorcycle enthusiasts. The quiver slings over the biker’s shoulder just like an archer’s quiver and is used to hold personal items. One biker told Barnwell that they used their quiver to hold cans of soft drinks. Making these quivers and boot bags requires a lot of boots. “I purchase pallets full of cowboy boots that have been discarded by the distributors or manufacturers because those particular styles are no longer in fashion,” she says. These recycled boots are a major source of her raw material. Now she spends much of the year building up an inventory of coats, belts, quivers, and other items in anticipation of the annual National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, where she has been exhibiting for many years.
“Often someone will bring me the cowboy boots of a loved one who is gone, and I use the leather to fashion a memory bag for that person. They find it quite comforting to hold the bag close and it keeps them in touch with the departed,” she says. “I learned that bikers are also very sentimental about the history behind many of their jackets and vests and other riding apparel. A gentleman brought me a leather jacket that had a hole torn in the elbow from an accident and friction with the road. He asked if I could fix it,” Barnwell recalls. “I located some matching leather and cut the damaged sleeve off of the original garment and added a new sleeve. It was a perfect match. When I showed it to the owner, he was quite upset and said that now the history of the jacket was incomplete and ruined. So I removed the new leather, re-attached the original damaged piece, and patched the hole in the elbow. He was a happy camper.” All leather pieces that Barnwell creates are soft because she uses a coconut oil sealant for the final touches on her projects. “The leather sucks in the coconut oil like crazy. It protects the leather from wear, keeps it soft and helps keep it clean,” she says. “It is my signature treatment on all of my products.”
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
Barnwell uses specialized sewing machines such as the powerful Consew (above and upper right) and a fur machine (lower right).
Specialty Machines Cindy Barnwell’s work on hides, pelts and recycled leather requires special machinery. She relies on four machines for the bulk of her creative process. The fur machine sews horizontally rather than vertically like a standard sewing machine. It is used to draw together the backing of a pelt and build a delicate seam to hold two pelts together. When you flip the work over, it should be impossible to see where the two pelts were joined. The Consew is like a sewing machine on steroids. It is powerful enough to stich through four leather belts at once. It is used on heavy leather projects like chaps and could even be used on saddles although Cindy does not do saddle work. The Singer Cobbler patch machine is the go-to tool for applying patches to leather garments. It is similar to a sewing machine, but the needle can be rotated to assemble in any direction rather than just straight ahead. The Juki is Barnwell’s workhorse machine, used to sew soft to moderate leathers.
9
GET A PRICELESS EDUCATION
HOME HEALTH • PRIVATE DUTY • STAFFING & HOSPICE CARE
AT WASHBURN TECH...
Attend Washburn Tech for free! Thanks to the Kansas Promise Scholarship, eligible post-secondary students may pursue a high-wage, high-demand career at no cost as long as they live and work in Kansas for at least two years after graduation.
We offer 21 eligible career programs. Find out if you qualify.
Call 785.670.2200 or Explore washburntech.edu 5724 SW Huntoon St., Topeka, Kan.
The first choice of where to receive care is always HOME.
To p e k a
•
Manhattan
•
L a wr e nc e
WE CARE, WE’RE THERE
783-272-1616 | www.interimhealthcare.com/topekaks
TOPEKANS
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
11
The Duck Who Flew in for the Cold Catching up with Topeka’s latest celebrity, from his home in Washburn Park STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Bill Stephens
It was a hard winter, so we all delighted in the bright, unexpected events that came our way. For me, one of these was the arrival of a new star in town, flashy in his feathery outfit but seemingly oblivious to our attention. Of course, this is the mandarin duck who unexpectedly took up residence in central Topeka’s Washburn Park near 11th and Collins streets.
Topeka’s celebrity mandarin duck who, for a time, lived in Washburn Park.
The duck first made an appearance in late fall of 2021 and seemed to keep mostly to himself in a particularly wide part of Ward Creek, about 300 feet south of 10th Street. Sometimes he would mingle with a few mallards, and it wasn’t at all clear whether he was there to become a part of their community or was simply passing through. As the weeks went by, the duck remained. His appearance and comfort on the lake might
12
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
Photography Tips Here are my four top tips for taking photos of wildlife such as the mandarin duck. Get Close, But Not Too Close Get as close to the animal without endangering yourself or spooking the animal. In the case of our mandarin duck, this meant using a telephoto lens to magnify the size. These photos of the duck were all done with a 500mm lens, and even then the final images were cropped to eliminate dead space around the duck. seem odd since mandarins are native to Asia, not Kansas, but experts guess that this particular duck might have come from somewhere not too far away. “Many individuals keep mandarin ducks in their collections, so the one at Washburn Park is more likely an escapee from a private collection than a migrant,” says Tom Bidrowski, the migratory game bird program manager for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Last October, a storm caused more than 100 rare birds, including mandarin ducks, to escape from a private bird sanctuary in Utah. It’s unknown if this mandarin duck was one of those who escaped though a similar mandarin duck was found at a park in Missouri at about the same time the Topeka mandarin arrived in Washburn Park. In early December, a mandarin duck was found in a park in Pennsylvania. All we can say definitely about the rare duck is that it’s a male because a female mandarin’s coloring is much less vivid. Bidrowski says the state has no plans to capture or relocate the duck and trusts its ability to adapt— and its own wisdom of choosing conditions to its liking. “Waterfowl are well-suited to survive many climates, including our recent cold spells,” Bidrowski explains. Chuck Otte, a member of the Kansas Bird Records Committee, says that Washburn Park should
provide most of the mandarin’s necessary food—nuts, acorns, grain, aquatic plants, land snails, frogs, tadpoles, insects, and fish. Because of that, Otte thinks the duck should be able to survive for a year or two, or until it chooses to leave. His group does not consider the mandarin on the official checklist of “free-flying wild origin bird” in Kansas and does not think its appearance means we can expect more mandarins. “Do I think the bird is an escapee? Absolutely,” Otte says. “Our climate is similar to its native range. While a novelty, that’s all it is.” But that novelty was part of its popularity. Its rare appearance, coupled with the vivid, multicolored beauty of the duck, drew area photographers to the park who have flocked from Kansas City to Manhattan in hopes of photographing him. By the time this magazine went to press, we were not able to locate the mandarin in Washburn Park. It’s possible that something happened to him or that he flew away to a lake more to his liking. But his appearance was a reminder of the unexpected possibilities that nature can bring to our lives. Keep your eyes open and cameras ready … something equally rare and fascinating could always be brought to us by the winds.
Eye Level As much as possible, place your camera at the animal’s eye level. When I photographed the mandarin, he was swimming in a pool in the middle of a creek that flowed through a channel about 20 feet below ground level and had very steep banks. Though this was a difficult approach, the creek did offer a few places where I could reach the edge. That still put me a few feet above the duck’s eye level, but that was better than looking down at him from 20 feet above. Although I should have gotten down on my belly to get within a foot of the water level, I couldn’t, due to the size of the lens and my creaky bones. Wait for the Action You should almost always try to photograph an animal when it is doing something other than just watching you. In the case of the duck, I noticed it would dive for food under the water. I also saw him get out of the water and forage along the bank (always the opposite bank from where I was). Both of those actions provided good opportunities to photograph him. Wait Again With animals, you have to understand you are working on their time. You have to be patient and ready at any time to make your move. These photos were the result of a half day of watching and following and waiting for good opportunities. And, this was my third trip to photograph him. Patience pays off.
VOTED BEST OF TOPEKA 5 YEARS IN A ROW
24/7 Towing & Roadside Assistance Flat tire repair, lockout service, jumpstart & fuel delivery.
Complete Automotive Services
From top to bottom, big and small, we’ll get your vehicle running safely again.
4300 SW 21st St. Topeka, KS 785.272.8451 www.darrellsservicetopeka.com Apartments and Townhomes Designed with Gracious Lifestyles inDesigned Mind. Apartments and Townhomes with Gracious LifestylesDesigned in Mind. Apartments and Townhomes with Gracious Lifestyles in Mind.
Senior Living • 55 or Older • 24 Hour On call Staff Senior Living • 55 or Older • 24 Hour On call Staff Wall to•wall equipped kitches Senior Living 55carpeting or Older •• Fully 24 Hour On call Staff Wall to wall carpeting Fully equipped kitches Spacious closets • •Washer/dryer hookups closets Washer/dryer hookups controlled heating/air conditioning Wall Individually toSpacious wall carpeting •• Fully equipped kitches Individually controlled heating/airhookups conditioning Spacious closets • Washer/dryer www.MartinCreek.net Individually controlled heating/air conditioning
www.MartinCreek.net 785-273-2944 www.MartinCreek.net 785-273-2944 4950 SW Huntoon Street • Topeka, KS 66604 4950Professionally SW785-273-2944 Huntoon Street Topeka, KS 66604 Managed by • Heritage Management 4950 SWProfessionally Huntoon Street • Topeka, KS 66604 Managed by Heritage Management Professionally Managed by Heritage Management
62 or Older and/or Mobility Impairment HUD Subsidized - All Utilities Included - Secured Access 24 Hour on Call Staff
www.LutherPlace.net
785-273-2944
5000 & 4900 SW Huntoon Street • Topeka, KS 66604
14
WHAT’S HAPPENING
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SPRING
MARCH FEATURED EVENT
TOPEKA: DINO DAYS
March 1–May/June
Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, Great Overland Station, Topeka Zoo, and Downtown Topeka host a range of educational, science-based and entertaining dinosaur exhibitions designed to appeal to young minds. Dinosaur fossil and social media celebrity SUE the T. Rex appears at Great Overland Station until May 4; the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center hosts numerous exhibits and special events, including Dino Dance parties; Downtown Topeka hosts the Topeka Dino Days Base Camp to get all your information and see an Allosaurus and calf replica fossil; Topeka Zoo hosts an immersive, animatronic exhibit with more special events and activities throughout the city. topekadinodays.com
March 1–April 4 Whose America?
The final month for the showing of Mulvane Art Museum’s exhibition on artwork examining how American cultural has promoted, challenged or explored the notion of American exceptionalism and success in the mid-20th century. mulvaneartmuseum.org
March 3–March 27 Flora & Fauna
NOTO Arts Center Morris Gallery presents a juried show of fiber artists from across the Midwest. explorenoto.org
March 11–May 22 Resilience: A Sansei Sense of Legacy
The Alice C. Sabitini Gallery hosts an exhibition of work responding to personal experience and generational impact of the United States policy to place JapaneseAmerican citizens into internment camps during World War II. Artists include: Kristine Aono, Reiki Fuji, Wendy Maruyama, Lydia Nakashima Degarrod, Tom Nakashima, Roger Shimomura, Judy Shintani, and Jerry Takigawa. tscpl.org/gallery
March 20, 24–27 Kinky Boots
Catch the closing week of Topeka Civic Theatre’s production about a family shoe factory saved from the brink of collapse by an entertainer and a new mode of fabulous footwear. topekacivictheatre.com/kinkyboots
March 22
Team Trivia Norsemen Brewing Company hosts weekly, free Tuesday trivia competitions from 6–9 pm. facebook.com/trivialzombies and norsementbrewingco.com
March 24
Harlem Globetrotters The legendary basketball entertainment group arrives in Topeka for an evening of sport and fun. stormontvaileventscenter.com
March 24
KC & The Sunshine Band Shake, shake, shake with one of America’s grooviest 1970s bands for their one-night performance at the Prairie Band Casino & Resort. prairieband.com
March 26
Capital City Crushers Topeka’s Roller Derby team opens their 2022 season with a bout against the Salina Sirens at their home rink of Sk8Away. facebook.com/CapitalCityCrushers
March 26
Jen Fulwiler Standup mom-joke comedian Jen Fulwiler drives her “Minivan Fabulous” tour to Topeka for a performance at the Jayhawk Theatre. jayhawktheatre.com and jenfulwiler.com
APRIL FEATURED EVENT
FLORESCENCE
April 1–May 31
After remaining closed during the pandemic, the artists at Studio 831 in NOTO return to the Art Walk scene with a new show highlighting floralthemed works from collective members. Meet the artists during the opening reception on April 1, from 4–7 pm. “Studio 831” on Facebook
April 1 (and the first Friday of every month)
First Friday Galleries, studios and other venues open to the public for an evening of entertainment and art showings. artstopeka.org
April 1–May 6
Prairie Me Home NOTO’s Morris Gallery presents an immersive exhibit celebrating the culture and the nature of prairie life. explorenoto.org
April 1, 9, 22 & 30 Ghost Tours
Ghost Tours of Kansas opens its spring season of spooky-themed walking tours with trips through Downtown Topeka and North Topeka, as well as a dog-friendly walking tour. ghosttoursofkansas.org
April 2
Jurassic Park Jayhawk Theatre presents three showings of the 1993 action movie classic about dinosaurs, nature and greed. jayhawktheatre.org
April 4
Stand Against Racism Challenge Join YWCA of Northeast Kansas in a 21-day virtual learning program where participants are challenged with a task each day, from reading a short article to listening to a podcast, to create community-wide conversation about issues of race and equity. ywcaneks.org
WHAT’S HAPPENING OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SPRING
April 8–24
April 29–30
May 7
Thousands of tulips should be in bloom around Topeka during the annual tulip festival now named after the volunteer who helped begin the festival 30 years ago. This year, a special Tulips at Twilight will be held at Old Prairie Town which features tulips illuminated by candlelight and lighted displays. On April 23, there will also be a garden party at the Ted Ensley Gardens of Lake Shawnee Park with music and entertainment. Both events are open to the public with a $5 donation admission. parks.snco.us
The Stormont Vail Event Center hosts competitive BBQ teams smoking up chicken, ribs, pork and brisket. This KCBS(Kansas City BBQ Society) sanctioned competition is a qualifying event for the American Royal World Series of Barbecue and the Jack Daniels World Championship in 2022. stormontvaileventscenter.com
Topeka’s improv comedy troupe performs at the Topeka Civic Theatre. topekacivictheatre.com/laughsplash
April 9
FEATURED EVENT
Topeka Symphony Orchestra continues its year of dance-themed concerts with a even of music including Voices of Spring Waltz by Johann Strauss II and Symphony No. 1–The Titan by Gustav Mahler. There will be yodeling. topekasymphony.org
May 14
Jerod Binkley Tulip Time
Dance Around, Around
April 15–30
Of Mice and Men Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy presents the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novella about death, the bonds of friendship and the difficulties of migratory labor during the Great Depression. topekacivictheatre.com
April 22–24 Giselle
Ballet Midwest presents the classical tale of romance, vengeful spirits and forgiveness. balletmidwest.net
April 28
Words to Remember The Shawnee Choral Society presents its spring concert at the Countryside Methodist Church. Admission is free, donations accepted. The Shawnee Choral Society is composed of experienced vocalists from Topeka and Shawnee County metropolitan region. shawneechoral.com
Red, White and Blue BBQ
MAY FLAMENCO!
The Topeka Symphony Orchestra closes out its season of dance-themed music with a guest appearances by the Kansas City-based flamenco group Ensemble Ibérica. Tickets are also available for a pre-concert symphony supper, a catered dinner at Washburn University’s Memorial Union with a presentation about the evening’s music and insights into the performance by Topeka Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor Kyle Wiley Picket. topekasymphony.org
May 1–31 Ye Wang
Stephen Smith Gallery features the landscape paintings of Topeka-based artist Ye Wang. stephensmithgallery.com
May 6
Dominique Hammons J-Notes Music Studio/Foundation hosts a concert at The Beacon by jazz/contemporary violinist Dominique Hammons. dominiquehammons.com and “J-Notes” on allevents.in
Laugh Lines
May 14
Ladies Tea Topeka Acappella Unlimited Chorus, the city’s women’s fourpart harmony musical group, presents its spring concert (with tea!) at Grace Episcopal Cathedral. acappellaunlimited.com
May 14–15
SCCA Solo / Autocross Heartland Motorsports Park hosts two days of cone-obstacle racing with a range of categories from semi-professional to amateurs eager to race their work-commute car. heartlandmotorsports.us
May 17
Brown v. Board of Education Anniversary A visit to the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site is in order on any day or month, but particularly on the 68th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that involved Topeka families helping to end legally sanctioned racially segregated public education in the United States. While there, pick up a physical or digital brochure to tour historic sites in Topeka linked to Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War and the civil rights movement. nps.gov/brvb
May 22–29
Evans Carnival Traveling carnival brings rides and games of chance to the parking lot of the Stormont Vail Events Center. stormontvaileventscenter.com
IMAGES (opposite from top): SUE the T. Rex appears for Dino Days. Photograph via Shutterstock. Comedian Jen Fulwiler arrives in March. Photograph courtesy JenniferFulwiler.com. Nicola Ziroli’s 30 Cents an Hour is part of the exhibition Whose America? Image courtesy Mulvane Art Museum Barbara Waterman-Peters’ Calla Chorus features in Studio 831’s April–May showings. Image courtesy Studio 831. IMAGES (this page from top): Tulip blooms take center stage for Tulip Time. Photograph via Shutterstock. Ensemble Ibérica joins the Topeka Symphony Orchestra for the season finale. Photograph courtesy Ensemble Ibérica. Ye Wang’s May exhibition at the Stephen Smith Gallery includes works such as Memory of the Summer. Photograph courtesy Stephen Smith Gallery. Violinist Dominque Hammons performs in Topeka on May 6. Photograph via DominiqueHammons.com
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
15
This chuckle brought to you by Arbor Court Retirement – Topeka Call Linda today at 785-273-6847 for Independent Living & a personal tour
Retirement Community
Andrea Graham, Executive Director Linda Clements, Director of Business Development
You say 4200 SW Drury Lane • Topeka goodbye,
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT ALVAMAR
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT SALINA
and I say hello…. d I say hello…. lo…. Your Life. Your Style. Your Home hello!” lo…. Call Linda today at 785-273-6847 lo!”
Aspire. Prepare. Enjoy. With you for life. Fee-Only | Fiduciary | Independent | Objective
This chuckle brought to you by Arbor Court Retirement – Topeka
(785) 232-3266 716 S. Kansas Ave., Topeka, KS 66603
Andrea Graham, Executive Director Call Linda today at 785-273-6847 for Linda Clements, Director of Business Development a personal tour
(785) 371-4832 832 Pennsylvania St., Suite 1005, Lawrence, KS 66044
for a personal tour!
ment – Topeka
Andrea Graham, Executive Director Linda Clements, Director of Business Development
7 for
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT ALVAMAR
claytonwealthpartners.com
4200 SW Drury Lane • Topeka RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT ALVAMAR
4200 SW Drury Lane • Topeka
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT SALINA
pment
eka
RETIREMENT COMMUNITY AT SALINA
6032 SW 29th St Topeka, KS 66614 785-215-8233 shamantopeka.com
Unwind
With C B D
Come in today for free samples.
LOCALE
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
17
‘We Come Here to Remember’ A trip to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum offers a chance to reflect on history and fears of political violence STORY BY
Susan Kraus
Children create chalk art outside the entrance of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. Photograph courtesy OKC National Memorial & Museum.
The 25th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing was April 19, 2020. It went largely unnoticed in a nation gripped by the onset of a pandemic, closed schools and businesses, overflowing hospitals, fear, anxiety and confusion. But, now, 27 years later, the monuments, memorials and museum built in response to this terrorist attack, the most deadly in U.S. history prior to 9/11, are ones we should consider observing, studying, learning from and revisiting. That is perhaps best done by a visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, less than a half-day’s journey from Topeka. This is not a memorial set apart, visible from a distance. It’s smack in the middle of downtown because this is where the bombing happened, and it is both easy to miss and impossible to forget. The outdoor portion, the national memorial, is open at all times to the public. Here, you can walk around the reflecting pool, observe the Gates of Time memorial and think of how lives can be destroyed or terrifically changed at any minute. There are 168 chairs, each engraved with the name of someone killed in the attack. Nineteen of the chairs are child-sized. And at the center is Survivor Tree, an elm that somehow lived through the bombing and continues to stand as a symbol of resilience
The indoor Memorial Museum is set up as a journey, starting as “A Day Like Any Other” and moving through defined sections that describe the chaos, rescue and recovery, survivor experiences and the impact of the day. It is not until section 9, “Investigation, Evidence and Justice,” that the perpetrators are included. Then comes the “Responsibility and Hope” section, where visitors can explore choices and consequences as well as policy reactions to terrorism. This is not a museum to casually stroll through. Like the memorial grounds, the museum requires— deserves—your focus and time. If you have never been to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, go. Just get in the car and go. If you were there many years ago, go again. The museum has been updated, improved and expanded. I was there years ago, but so much of what I learned this time felt new. Perhaps because large-scale domestic terrorism is no longer an
18
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
anomaly, a once-in-a-lifetime event. Or perhaps it is because we feel a rising tide of hostility and tension in the nation. Unfortunately, the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum continues to be a memorial for our time. But because of that, it also provides comfort and guidance. As the words etched in stone on the grounds testify,
“We Come Here to Remember Those Who Were Killed, Those Who Survived and Those Changed Forever, May All Who Leave Here Know the Impact of Violence, May This Memorial Offer Comfort, Strength, Peace, Hope and Serenity.” The memorial’s reflecting pool and chair sculptures honors those who lost their lives in the attack. Photograph by Susan Kraus.
Getting There, Being There Oklahoma City is only 317 miles from Topeka, straight down I-335 and I-35. It’s an accessible destination for a long weekend. The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum is open seven days a week, with limited hours on Sundays (and, of course, with Covid protocols in place and adjusting to conditions). The parking garage is at the corner of NW 6th and Harvey Streets (free if you get your ticket stamped in the museum). Though a nonprofit, the museum does charge for admission. Tickets are $15, with discounts for seniors, students and members of the U.S. military. Reservations for timed admissions and tours can be made in advance, online at memorialmuseum.com. Touring the memorial, museum and grounds can be emotionally draining. If you have time to remain in Oklahoma City, you might wish to balance your visit with some of the city’s premier attractions.
The First Americans Museum features the history, culture and art of 39 different First American Nations. It’s a good family introduction to the American history that has been discounted for generations. National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum features many of the most recognized paintings and sculptures of Western and Native art. (Despite some cognitive dissonance, these two museums present a useful picture of who gets to write history and who decides what is art. Tour both the First Americans and the National Cowboy museums in the same day for the full effect.) Oklahoma City Museum of Art has one of the largest collections in the world of Chihuly glass, starting with a 55 ft. tower in the atrium, plus expansive collections and rotating special exhibits.
Scissortail Park is a 40-acre recreational space abutting downtown with a splendid children’s playground, walking trails, gardens. Kayaks and pedal boats are available for rent on the river. The Oklahoma City Zoo is a full and fun day! Plan lunch at Sanctuary Asia’s cool 2-story restaurant overlooking exhibits. Factory Obscura Mix-Tape is not your usual attraction. It’s an edgy intersection between art and music— applying the concept of the mixed tapes of the ’80s to visual art. Bricktown Entertainment District contains restaurants, bars, clubs, shopping—along a twisting, mile-long canal. Crowds and demographics vary by night and time. Bricktown Comedy Club hosts emerging and established comics from around the country.
For more attractions, go online to visitokc.com. All attractions are subject to pandemic adjustments, closures, and more. Be sure to call ahead to venues.
Giselle
A classic story of love, betrayal, and redemption April 22 & 23 at 7:30 April 24 at 1:30 Topeka Performing Arts Center
B A L L E T M I D W E S T. N E T
COMPANIES
20
LOCALE
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
The Carnegie Library at Washburn University One of the city’s architectural gems is connected to a philanthropic movement that built libraries across our nation and state STORY BY
Christine Steinkuehler |
Washburn University hosts the state’s only remaining Carnegie Academic Library that continues to hold a working library inside of it.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
Nick Krug
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE Carnegie Hall after the 1966 tornado. Image courtesy Washburn University.
21
Repurposing and Restoring
Carnegie Libraries
We spoke with Topeka-based architect and restoration entrepreneur Bryan Falk about restoring historic Carnegie libraries.
From the outside, Carnegie Hall at Washburn University looks much the same as it did when it was completed in 1905. Even though the building you see today is the result of a massive restoration that the university undertook after an F5 tornado lifted off the top floor in 1966, there is much that connects the structure to its past and original purpose. The tornado did not destroy the foundation, and the basement floor remained intact and now houses the Education Library, a resource for education majors and area teachers. The library, built as a showcase to education and enlightenment, was one of the state’s 7 academic libraries funded with grants from late 19th-century steel tycoonturned-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. “Carnegie Hall, located at the heart of the campus, is now the oldest Washburn building and a beautiful, historic symbol of survival,” says Washburn University archivist Martha Imparato. Today, the Washburn library is the only one of those 7 academic library buildings that continues to operate as a library, but the Carnegie influence here and across Kansas was profound. Carnegie funded the construction of approximately 1,700 libraries across the United States, including the Washburn library and more than 60 in Kansas. Architectural gems, Carnegie libraries capture the imagination. Based on a handful of designs approved by the Carnegie Corporations and modified by local architects, they were often a town’s most impressive structure, with solid stone or brick construction and regal bearing. They were raised as a testament to education and civic pride. In typical, unpretentious Kansas fashion, several Carnegie libraries in the state have claimed to be the smallest in the United States. That cannot be true for
Topeka Magazine (TM): What is the case for restoring Carnegie libraries? Bryan Falk (BF): Carnegie libraries should not be considered obsolete. They were built to last and at a much higher level of construction than is found today. They are a major part of their communities’ cultural heritage and should be preserved. I think the vast majority of Carnegie libraries can easily be updated with the guidance of an architect who specializes in preservation. It is really about finding a use that is compatible with the building. TM: What about additions or modifications? BF: The buildings are generally built to last with durable masonry exterior and fairly open floor plans. The masonry can often be given another 50 years of life with a quality tuck-pointing job. The open floor plans allow for a multitude of modern uses. … The addition should be compatible in scale and design with the original building, but not be an imitation of it. TM: What are some of the difficulties working with these buildings? BF: A typical Carnegie library is elevated half a story above grade with a half-submerged basement. This feature is great for bringing light into the basement level but poses challenges for meeting the requirements of the ADA [Americans with Disabilities Act]. ADA requires that all floor levels have ramp or elevator/lift access. ... It can be a challenge to incorporate any of these elements, but if planned properly it can give these amazing buildings another life.
TM: So what is the case for preserving Carnegie libraries specifically? BF: There are so many things to love about Carnegies. I love that they are typically within the downtown core of towns. One of the requirements of the grant application process was that the library be within a couple of blocks of the town’s commercial core. I like their open floor plans that allow for many modern uses, ample natural light, symmetrical facades, durable masonry construction, and elevated first floors, which give them a sense of grandeur.
22
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
Washburn Library’s
Stained- Glass Windows
When Washburn University’s Carnegie Library was built, it featured stainedglass windows at the top of each of the first floor windows, most of which were destroyed by the tornado. But to Washburn’s surprise and delight, a local couple, Wayne and Nancy Cottrill, came forward this past year with windows they found at a yard sale and suspected might have been from the university. Working with Washburn University archivist Martha Imparato, university officials were able to verify that these windows were from the Carnegie Library. Imparato even found photographs of the windows in their original location in the front entrance to the building. The Cottrills were thrilled with this discovery and donated the windows back to the university. Now, the windows are displayed at White Concert Hall, next to a stained-glass window recovered from Boswell Hall, which was destroyed in the same 1966 tornado that damaged the Carnegie Library.
all of them, but there a number of very small libraries in small Kansas towns, a testimony to the community’s belief that in the early 1900s they were doing things and going places. Peabody, for example, was one of the smallest communities to get a library. In order to have the requisite 1,000 people, they banded together with the outlying area and built the first library in Kansas to be supported by a library tax and the first free library in Kansas (the others charged a subscription fee). The Carnegie library in Pittsburg was designed by the Chicago firm of Patton and Miller, who designed 68 Carnegies, the most of any firm, throughout the United States and worked extensively with the Carnegie Corporation on their design guidelines. The Pittsburg library board, with the help of the Commercial Club, approached the Carnegie Foundation with a request for $50,000. Carnegie responded with a grant of $40,000 provided that the city would secure a building site and pay to maintain the building. At that point, the area miners stepped in to oppose the construction because they resented Carnegie’s violent suppression of Pennsylvania miners during the 1892 Homestead Strike. As a compromise, Pittsburg chose to accept the grant but to simplify the traditional library design and not include Carnegie’s name on it. Girard’s Carnegie library has its roots in a visit to Girard by Jane Addams of Hull House fame. Addams’ surprise at the community’s lack of a library spurred the Ladies’ Reading Club to pursue a Carnegie grant to construct one. In Abilene, William Jennings Bryan was brought in to speak at one of the numerous fundraisers to bring in a library.
Negotiations with the Carnegie Corporation and the city of Wichita lasted nearly two years, but in July of 1912, Wichita received $75,000 with the agreement that the city would provide $7,500 annually for maintenance. The construction of the library, which took three years, was fraught with controversies about oversight and taxation; there was even a prolonged dispute between the librarian and the project’s interior designer. In the end, the resulting twostory, native limestone Beaux Arts–style building was a showstopper both inside and out—a testimony that Wichita had grown from a cowtown to a cosmopolitan city. Louise Murdock, wife of newspaper publisher Roland Murdock, was the interior designer who won her dispute with the librarian. She commissioned Arthur Covey to paint murals and Elizabeth Stubblefield Navas to create distinctive sunflower stained-glass windows. Louise Murdock succumbed to cancer three weeks before the library opened. In her will, she directed Navas to continue to add to her collection of American art, which she donated to the city in honor of her husband and which, in turn, was the beginning of the Wichita Art Museum in 1935. The Wichita library remained open until 1967, when it went through a series of changes. Fidelity Bank bought the building in 2006 and reopened it as a working bank in 2009, but without public access. The number of Carnegie libraries open to the public in our state is slowly decreasing, but there are several gems worth knowing—beginning with the one closest to us on the campus of Washburn University.
23
Community CarnegieLibraries Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
1: Still used as a library 2: Significantly remodeled, but used as a library 3: Still standing, not a library 4: No longer standing
Across Kansas Washington Hiawatha Clay Center
Goodland Stockton Plainville
Downs
Lincoln
Osborne
Herington
Russell
Lyndon
Council Grove
Lyons
Osawatomie
Canton Sterling
Burlington Peabody Halstead
Yates Center
Kingman Girard
Cherryvale Oswego Columbus
Anthony Caldwell
Baker University Known as Case Hall, the building is currently in use as classrooms and office space. Bethany College Built in 1908, the Carnegie Library served as Bethany College’s main library until 1970. It was razed in 1980. College of Emporia The College of Emporia closed in 1974, and the campus including the library became part of The Way College of Emporia. In 1986 the library was restored and subsequently placed on the National Register of Historic Places. After the Way College closed in 1981, the library housed the archives of Emporia State University until 2008. The building now stands vacant and is listed for sale.
The Academic
Fairmont College Built in 1909, the Carnegie Library served as a library until 1939, and then housed the art and journalism departments until it was destroyed by fire in 1964. Three columns that were salvaged sit next to a 17th Street entrance at Wichita State University. The Ulrich Museum of Art currently sits on the former site of this building.
Midland College The Carnegie Library served briefly as the library for this Atchison campus, until the college moved to Nebraska in 1919. Midland College was eventually bought out by what is now Maur Hill-Mount Academy, and the library building was razed prior to the 1980s.
McPherson College The Carnegie Library was built in 1907 and served as a library until 1972. It is now used for classrooms and office space.
Washburn University Constructed in 1905 and still in use as a library in addition to housing classrooms and offices.
Libraries Academic libraries are attached to a higher education institution. Carnegie built 108 academic libraries, 7 of which were in Kansas.
24
Iron Rail’s Crystal Copper IPA is one of the four bitter beers selected for our 2022 Topeka Top Tier selections.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
25
TOPEKA TOP TIER
Tom Averill selects the best bitter craft beer in the city—and helps you determine your own personal favorites
STORY BY Tom Averill | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Nick Krug
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
26
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
27
I
started brewing beer as a Over the years, we microbrewery sophomore in college, in the late enthusiasts have been educated Now, given the 1960s. The father of a young about beer: the varieties in styles and rise of local woman I was dating at the time taught tastes, the complications in malting me, and I purchased yeast, sugar, a and hopping, the sugars and yeasts, breweries, we five-gallon crock, a three-pound can of the fermentation time. We’ve tracked can tap the hop-flavored malt, and a hydrometer to ABV (alcohol by volume) and IBU professionals tell me when I had converted sugar to (international bitterness units). Now, alcohol. Primitive it was, and mostly given the rise of local breweries, we can for quality bad beer, but I saved old bottles, tap the professionals for quality craft craft beers. bought a capper, let my brew sit for beers. We’ve drunk beer at breweries a couple of weeks in the dark, then and taken it home in howlers and drank it, yeasty and slightly sour as it growlers, crowlers and squealers and was. I’ve brewed since, when brewing kits (I favored found our favorites— for me, these are the hoppy, stouts and porters then) became available from bitter beers, the India pale ales (IPAs). And here are specialty shops. my top selections from Topeka’s breweries.
Four
Topeka Top Tier Selections
Blind Tiger Brewery Tiger Bite IPA Blind Tiger Brewery opened in 1995 as the first craft brewery in Topeka. Brewer John Dean began home brewing in 1990. Like some other Topeka brewers, he started with the Hall of Foamers, a Topeka club organized in 1987. When asked if he has a favorite beer, he joked, “My favorite is the one you’re buying me.” But he gravitates to seasonal brews, where he can experiment and return to his home-brewing roots. He likes German beers and lagers. The Helles style, too, what he calls “A good German breakfast beer.” I found Dean’s best bitter to be the Tiger Bite IPA (7.2% ABV, 60 IBU), a Blind Tiger flagship beer. Complex in flavors, the beer begins with an almost caramel sweetness, with a full-bodied, even dank/musty character. The bitterness is there
from first to last quaff, finishing off with a hearty taste that reminds me of cedar. The complicated taste lingers through a mellow finish. Dean calls Tiger Bite a “time capsule,” a classic American IPA with the traditional four Cs of hops: Cascade, Centennial, Chinook, and Columbus (this one gives the beer its dankness). Hops go in the boil kettle four times in over 90 minutes, then the brew is chilled to ferment at 68 degrees. After fermentation, the beer is dry hopped. Dean uses American malt for this American IPA. Chico yeast, like Sierra Nevada Brewing Company uses, is right for Tiger Bite, Dean says, as it “stays out of the way, with no signature flavor or character. This accentuates the hop character. Chico yeast stays in background—like a drummer in a jazz band, who has to be there, but who knows his place.”
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
28 Norsemen Brewing Company Odin’s One EyePA Norsemen Brewing Company was established in 2016. Co-owner and brewer Adam Rosdahl began home brewing about 12 years ago, with friends who enjoyed craft beers. He was part of the Hall of Foamers, as well as the Lawrence Brewers Guild. He is a fan of light lagers and pilsner beers, for their purity and drinkability. When he visits a brewery, that’s what he asks for. “Order the lightest beer,” he tells me, “because it will tell you the quality of all the beers. There’s nothing to hide behind.” My top pick of the Norsemen bitters is Odin’s One EyePA (7.3% ABV, 80 IBU). Nicely smooth for the hoppiness, the brew has a toasty, malty start, but announces its bitterness right away and continues with hints of orange peel, then aromatic pine resin. This beer has what I’d call a “sticky hoppiness,” dank and bitter in its strong character. Rosdahl notes that since “all beer starts with water, Norseman does carbon filtering and reverse osmosis. Then we add calcium and sulfate, evenly, to keep the Odin balanced.” The same balance applies to the malting and hopping, with half Two Row and half Maris Otter malts against six different hops: Simcoe, Cascade, Summit, Centennial, Amarillo, and Citra. After the boil, Rosdahl ferments for three days, then dry hops with Cascade, Citra, Amarillo and Citra. The beer is finished, usually, in three weeks. Although Rosdahl enjoys brewing the seasonal and rotating beers, because it’s fun to experiment, he doesn’t play with the Odin One EyePA recipe: “It’s our original beer and our best seller,” he says.
Happy Basset Brewing Company Husky Hazy IPA Happy Basset Brewing Company opened in 2016, and in 2020 added a second location, the Brew House, featuring Saturday BBQ and live music. Owner/ brewer Eric Craver has been brewing beer since he was 19 years old and has a long interest in craft breweries, visiting many all over the country. He tested his own recipes through Hall of Foamers competitions. After he’d won over a dozen medals, he “began to take myself seriously as a brewer.” He built his own equipment, had successful house parties, and realized that craft beer might be a good business venture. My favorite of Craver’s bitters is Husky Hazy IPA (7.7% ABV, 53 IBU). It starts slightly sweet, but quickly becomes richer and nuttier rather than fruity, with woody tones—pine or maple. The brew stays rich and complex in the mouth, with the bitter pushing forward, then turns light and refreshing. This seasonal beer has a
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
Christmas taste: piney, lightly sweet, with just enough bitter richness. Craver calls Husky Hazy IPA a favorite of his beers, as he’s a fan of India pale ales with some bitterness. Husky is not high in IBU, but Craver has brought out the bitterness. He adds gypsum to the water, noting, “When you harden the water it brings out the flavors.” His initial malting included white wheat, flake wheat, Maris Otter, caramel crystal, dextrin, and flake barley malts. Sugars included lactose and corn sugar. He used Warrior and Nugget hops, which have high bitterness, for the first boil, then added Citra and Cascade to steep and for dry hopping. “Yeast,” he says, “is the most expensive ingredient in brewing.” The Hazy has “a yeast that has less flocculation.” I look puzzled by this term, and he smiles. Flocculation, Craver tells me, , is when yeast “flocks” together, and then settles into sediment. For a hazy, “You want yeast and hops to stay suspended.” Of course, “Even a hazy clears out after a while.”
29
Robert Clover monitors the brewing process at Iron Rail Brewing
A Brewing Vocab-beer-lary IBU: International bitterness units measures parts per million of iso-alpha acids from hops in a beer. The scale ranges from between 5–15 in an American Lager to 40–120+ in an India pale ale, the highest IBU usually in an imperial or double IPA. Most sources claim that humans cannot accurately taste bitterness above 100. ABV: Alcohol by volume is the percentage of alcohol in a beer. As a Kansan, for years I drank 3.2% beer, starting at 18 years old, the legal drinking age at the time. We had no stronger beers, certainly not those available today. Most India pale ales are 5.5% to 7.5% ABV. Bitterness: If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, bitterness is in the palate of the drinker. As brewer John Dean says, “It’s like a jalapeno pepper. The heat is perceived differently by different people.” And, he pointed out, after asking my age, “Okay, as you age, your reception for bitterness lessens, so older beer drinkers might want a higher IBU.” Adam Rosdahl, of Norsemen, told me he’s heard that women are 20% more sensitive to bitter tastes than men, “So, if they like bitter, they really go for high IBU. But many of them don’t.” Eric Craver, of Happy Bassett, corroborated, saying that women have a better sense of taste overall than men. Dry Hopping: During the first boil, bitterness is extracted from whatever hops have been selected by the brewer. Dry hopping refers to the addition of hops post-boil, at some time during the fermentation stage. Dry hopping does not increase bitterness, but results in some strengthening of flavor and decidedly enhanced aroma. Since taste relies on smell, dry hopping is a must for India pale ales.
Iron Rail Brewing Company Crystal Copper NE IPA Iron Rail Brewing Company opened in downtown Topeka in November of 2018, and Noah Oswald, now head brewer, started as an assistant. Oswald had been “playing around with beer and grains and ingredients” even when a youngster, as his father is a home brewer and owned a brewing supply company in Lawrence for a time. As a brewer, Oswald gravitates toward light, clear beers like lagers and pilsners. His Iron Rail favorites are the Cyrus K Holliday Lager and a seasonal beer, the Hexenbrau (witch’s brew), in the Berline Weiss (Berlin wheat) style. My favorite of the Iron Rail bitters is Crystal Copper NE IPA (8% ABV, 57.5 IBU), described by the brewery as a “juicy flavored New England style’d IPA.” It has a dank, almost skunky smell, but its first taste is of a bitter peach. The brew is light and bubbly, and soon a sweet caramel flavor pushes forward. The beer becomes more complex and textured, with bursts of sweetness, dankness, and bitterness all settling into complicated character. A slightly yeasty aftertaste lingers in the mouth. Altogether rich and satisfying. The Crystal Copper was originally intended to be a hazy beer, and Oswald added calcium sulfate to the water to make it like the harsher water of the European beers. The beer starts with the water and grain, with Two Row, Golden Prom, Flaked Wheat and Caramel 20L malts. Then Citra, Cascade, Simcoe, and Mt. Hood hops are added to the first boil, when they release the most bitterness. Subsequent boils add flavor, and then the beer is dry hopped with Citra, which gives more aroma than flavor. Oswald uses an Irish Ale yeast. The initial process takes about eight hours, then two weeks fermenting, then a week of dry hopping. Then, Oswald says, I “lager-ed it.” Lagers are fermented at 45–50 degrees, called cold conditioning. “Because other beers had priority, I let this one sit for a couple of weeks,” Oswald told me. “That lost the ‘hazy,’ and created clarity. We changed the name from ‘Hazy’ to ‘Crystal Copper,’ for crystal-clear and copper-colored.” The beer is a seasonal, but Iron Rail is working toward making it a staple.
Spring 2022 | TOPEKA MAGAZINE
30
Why
Craft Beer? Before industrial brewing, locally crafted beer was the only kind of beer in America. The 1870s was perhaps America’s first golden age of craft brewing, with an estimated 3,200 local breweries across the nation. Prohibition largely killed off the industry, with only 684 breweries rising again by 1940. Anchor Steam, of San Francisco, became the nation’s first postProhibition craft brewery, but only by 1965. Not long after, Kansas and Missouri had their firsts, worth noting, given their proximity to Topeka. For Missouri, Boulevard Brewery was first, in 1989. I knew founder
John McDonald because he kept a horse on a Douglas Country farm I rented in my graduate school days— early 1970s. John was a fine arts student at KU and rode occasionally, but his horse was getting fat, and we exhorted him to ride more. Turned out the mare did not need exercise, she needed to give birth, which we witnessed one morning, a most graceful deposit of a wet and wobbling colt. I saw John again in the late 1980s, on the cusp of another birth. I was at a McDonald’s on I-70 near Columbia, Missouri. He was returning from Jefferson City, the state capital, where he’d
finished the paperwork allowing him to start a brewery. Since that first keg in 1989, Boulevard has grown to worldwide distribution. Another entrepreneur, Chuck Magerl, opened Free State Brewery in 1989, the Kansas first. In the mid-1970s, my wife and I joined the Community Mercantile Co-op in Lawrence. Required to work, we were often supervised by Chuck, one of the co-op’s co-founders. After lobbying tirelessly to change Kansas liquor laws, Chuck created one of the most successful breweries in Kansas. It is estimated there are now over 9,000 craft breweries in the United States, creating fresh and experimental brews, from “flagship” to “seasonal” offerings, great for those of us who appreciate beer and a higher quality of bitters. “The big brewers in America,” says John Dean of Blind Tiger, “took down the bitterness in their beers to up their sales, creating generations who are not used to the robust flavors all beer once had.” Craft beers, he says, represent a return to the styles, tastes, and varieties of traditional brewing. By definition, local beer is fresh, and most frequently with more variety and complexity. Even the best beer distributed by the big breweries is more standardized in recipe, older when you drink it. Although national breweries can produce fine beer, theirs is not as subtle and surprising as the Topeka beers I’ve experienced.
TOPEKA MAGAZINE | Spring 2022
Independent Living Assisted Living Assisted Living Home Plus Memory Home Plus Care Skilled Nursing Care Memory Care Rehabilitation Services Respite Care Transitional Care Unit Independent Living
Outside is fun again. Give us a call today to provide your family & pets with an itch-free yard.
785-274-8215 Topeka-Lawrence.MosquitoJoe.com Locally owned and operated franchise
Schedule your tour today!
Call (785) 478-9440 or visit aldersgatevillage.org.
7220 SW Asbury Drive | Topeka, KS 66614
Adam M. Goodyear, MD
James C. Huston, MD
Richard G. Wendt, MD
Joint replacement specialists keep you moving. Whatever your goals are for staying active, they certainly don’t involve persistent joint pain – or a long drive to see a joint specialist. At LMH Health OrthoKansas, we’ll relieve you of both. As the area’s only orthopedic center offering a
comprehensive approach to joint health, three of our nine physicians have elite training and extensive experience in joint replacement surgery, delivering the latest techniques, technologies and expertise right to you.
Choose the orthopedic team that will keep you driving toward your goals, not toward out-of-town care: 785-843-9125 or lmh.org/healthyjoints
A partner for lifelong health