Topeka Magazine | Summer 2024

A Whole Lot of Tomatoes

Heartland: The Race Is Run Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield

What's Happening This Season And more!

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Welcome to the summer 2024 edition of TopekaMagazine!

It’s been nearly a year now since Bill Stephens photographed and submitted his first story draft about Cindy and Gary Merritt and their prodigious backyard tomato crop.

An entire year—and I still don’t know what to think, stuck somewhere between admiration, envy, and exasperation.

You might have similar feelings after reading the story on pages 8–10. The Merritt garden is a stupendous experiment in planting and cultivating dozens upon dozens of tomato varieties. The hours of seeding, watering, weeding, and caring for the plants seem an incredible amount of work—but the result is an admirable harvest of rare and tasteful tomato varieties.

I thought about the Merritts frequently over the course of the last few months. When Bill first submitted his photos of their garden last fall, they inspired me to put in my order of seeds a few months early and to ensure that the order included at least one packet of heirloom tomato seeds. During the winter, I would look at my packet of Russian Anna Bananas (Solanum lycopersicum) and imagine them growing just outside my side window where I would be able to see the first fruits form. In the early spring, I cleared a patch for them. In mid-spring, I was ready to start them as seeds. But by late spring, the squirrels revealed their contradictory plans. Having emerged from their nests numerous and ravenous, they tore through my bulbs, my seeds, and then took naps on top of the emerging basil.

This year, they won.

The tomato plants never went in, and I’ve concentrated on trying to preserve some sunflowers, wild flowers and a small section of herbs. When the irises bloomed, it seemed like a small victory—even though having a few irises bloom is far from any standard of a successful garden. But, hey, when squirrels are running around with such fat belly pouches, you take your wins where you can.

There’s always next year.

I have new tomato trellises, plans to section off an area closer to the house where I can tap the windows and scowl menacingly at squirrels, and a new variety of seeds in mind. In short, until reality hits next spring, I can dream I’m a Merritt. Here’s to achieving your dreams this summer and in all the months ahead.

—NATHAN PETTENGILL, EDITOR

On the Cover

Some of the Indian Bistro dishes featured in this edition of Topeka Magazine include (clockwise, from upper left): tandoori chicken, chicken korma, Basmati rice, and tikka masala. Photograph by Andrea Etzel. And more!

Editor Nathan Pettengill

Art Director/Designer Alex Tatro

Copy Editor Leslie Clugston Andres

Advertising Representative Angie Taylor ataylor@sunflowerpub.com (785) 832-7236

Photographer Jason Dailey

Andrea Etzel

Nick Krug Bill Stephens

Writers Andrea Etzel

Haines Eason

Jeffrey Ann Goudie

Bill Stephens

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Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of Ogden Publications. Director: Bob Cucciniello Publisher: Bill Uhler

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Gary and Cindy Merritt harvest a variety of tomatoes from their home in Topeka. Photograph by Bill Stephens.

DEPARTMENTS

08 TOWN & TOMATO

An ambitious, meticulously documented tomato research plot is also a backyard city garden created as a simple hobby for summer fun

12 BOOK CORNER

Summer reading abounds with recent books by Topeka authors, a festival, and the library's summer reading program

14 THE ‘UTILITY PLAYER’

Stepping in at many roles over many years, Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield seeks to lead the way forward for the next generation, and for young Latina women in particular

16 WHAT'S HAPPENING Summer events

FEATURES

20 SUMMER CULINARY JOURNEY

This season, sample global cuisine at two of the city’s leading Asian restaurants

26 DEAD HEAT

For the first summer in decades, Topeka won’t be hosting national, regional or local racers at Heartland race course, leaving amateur speedsters looking back with nostalgia

Town & Tomato

An ambitious, meticulously documented tomato research plot is also a backyard city garden created as a simple hobby for summer fun

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY Bill Stephens

It began as an experiment.

In 2020, Topekans Cindy and Gary Merritt decided they would see if they could grow more of their food at home. The Covid-19 pandemic had begun, and people were trying to limit exposure. Plus, they had always been interested in growing their own food, particularly tomatoes.

“Every place we have lived over the years, Cindy has tried growing tomatoes,” Gary explains. “She loves tomatoes.”

Gary had his reasons as well. With a degree in agricultural education from Kansas State University, he knew quite a bit about raising plants. But growing tomatoes allowed him to put his education to work. To observe a wide variety of tomatoes, he decided to grow several hundred tomato plants, about as large a scale as he could within the confines of a home garden.

That first year, and in the years since, Gary started the tomatoes from seeds. Around the first of April, he places them in little cups filled with soil. As the seeds sprout and grow, Gary moves them to larger containers. Finally, around Mother’s Day, he transfers them to their final containers, fabric or plastic container bags in either two-, three-, or seven-gallon sizes.

“The idea is to keep everything in portable containers and not in the ground,” he explains. “Even potting soil bags work by cutting the tops off, poking drainage holes in the bottom, and setting them out on the cement porch.”

Tomato blossoms usually appear by the first of June. Gary and Cindy then harvest the tomatoes through July.

Different people have different summer hobbies; Gary Merritt grows tomatoes—hundreds and hundreds of them from his home in Topeka.

The Tomato Book

Each of Gary Merritt’s approximately 700 containers has a label and a number that coincides with an entry in a notebook he uses to keep records of each year’s harvest. The information includes dates of planting, transplanting, the name of the tomato variety, and the weight and quantity of the yield. The book is full of the names of heirloom or unusual tomato varieties such as Chocolate Cherry, Dancing with the Smurfs, Rebel Yell, Afternoon Delight and Kosovo. At harvest time, Cindy Merritt will sample each variety for her husband and give him her opinion, which Gary then records in the record book with the notation of Cindy “likes” or Cindy “does not like.”

Gary records each tomato variety--as well as the taste— test verdict from his wife, Cindy, in his annual tomato book. Some varieties include, as identified by number on the photo: 1) Costoluto Genovese, 2) Kosovo, 3) Sunrise Bumblebee, 4) Sungold and 5) Chocolate Cherry

Gary vs Squirrels

When defending his tomato plants from predators in the yard, Gary can pull off worms and scare away birds. But it took him a while to figure out what to do about squirrels.

Nimble, clever, and rapacious—the squirrels are tomato thieves of the highest order. And they seem to steal for sport, often removing a tomato from the vine, taking one bite, and discarding the rest.

It was like throwing down a gauntlet to Gary.

But then Gary came across the solution: a remote-controlled car.

Whenever Gary is out in the garden near harvest time, he keeps the car charged and the controller handy. When a squirrel appears, the car comes racing down the rows of containers to chase it away.

Of course, Gary can’t monitor the containers each hour of the day. But for now, the car’s presence has been enough to prevent countless squirrel tomato thefts.

At least until the squirrels figure out how to control the car.

To protect the plants until harvest, Gary groups the containers of tomatoes and places large plastic totes over the top of the collections, providing a greenhouse effect for the plants.

The covered environment also keeps insects off of the budding crop.

“I am always on the lookout for hookworms and remove them as soon as I find any,” Gary explains. He adds that he does not use any insecticides because of environmental concerns. The only chemical additions are Miracle Grow and 10-1010 fertilizer.

Gary reuses dirt and soil from previous years but replenishes it with new potting soil as needed.

While he does not keep compost in his yard, Gary says that compost is, without a doubt, the best medium for tomatoes to grow.

And, of course, thirsty tomato plants require water as well. Gary explains that ensuring his tomato plants are well-watered is not as easy as taking a garden hose and dousing them. If water drops from one leaf to another or from one closely planted vine to another, it could spread bacteria or tomato blight from a diseased plant to a healthy one.

“I grow my plants closer together than recommended, but I want to increase my crop,” Gary says, explaining why his plants are vulnerable to water-spread contamination. “I can’t control rain from overhead, but I can control my watering habits by watering at the base with a low volume of water to minimize splash.”

His daily routine involves stopping at each of the hundreds of containers and allowing a slow stream of water from the hose to quench the plants.

Last summer, Gary had more than 175 different varieties of tomatoes, making up more than 700 individual plants, all in containers in his backyard.

One might think that this would mean a lot of tomato salads, tomato soups, BLT sandwiches, and any other meal that features tomatoes.

But here’s the thing—Gary does not eat tomatoes.

Fortunately, Cindy steps in as the official taste-tester and will use some of the remaining harvest for cooking. But, for the most part, the couple gives away hundreds of tomatoes to family and friends who know to stop by once the Merritt tomato harvest begins.

Brookwood Retail Liquor

Dillons

Fox The Barber

H&R Block

Heart and Home Design Co.

Interior Design Resources

Kansas Drug Testing

Linen Tree & Company

Madison Avenue Boutique

Pam Luthi Insurance Solutions

Prairie Trading Company

Ryan’s Pub

Sewing Shack

SoulFire Nutrition

Stillpoint Massage and Body Work

Stitching Traditions

Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant

The Burger Stand

The Laundry Chute

The Tasteful Olive

The Wild Bird House

TopCity Tech

Tuxedo Shack

Wheatland Antique Mall

Book Corner

Summer reading abounds with recent books by Topeka authors, a festival, and the library's summer reading program

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY Bill Stephens

Artist Barbara Waterman-Peters creates a watercolor book illustration from her home studio in Topeka.

A Packrat Named Orange (Hall’s Printing, 2023) by author Cathy Callen and illustrator Barbara Waterman-Peters— both from Topeka—provides delightful summertime reading for young children up to first or second grade.

Orange, of course, is not your typical packrat. Although he does borrow and steal items to bring back to his hidey-hole, he does so in the name of art—curating his own miniature gallery of beauty and delight.

Callen and Waterman-Peters tell Orange’s story in simple and delightful prose with whimsical illustrations that capture the art-loving rat’s personality.

Children’s and young adult literature will also be highlighted at the 13th-annual Kansas Book Festival, taking place in Topeka on September 28. Awardwinning author and native Topekan Angela Cervantes will read from and present her new YA ghost tale, The Cursed Moon. Partnering organizations such as Kansas Children’s Discovery Center, the Mulvane Art Lab, and Paper June Bookstore will also provide outdoor children’s activities.

The festival is also hosting Topeka writer and New York Times best-selling author Alex Grecian, who will be presenting his latest work, Red Rabbit, a Kansasbased Western with elements of horror and mysticism. The festival’s keynote speaker will be Kansas native and detective-writing legend Sara Paretsky, whose latest novel brings Paretsky’s veteran female detective V.I. Warshawski to Kansas.

All Kansas Book Festival events are free to the public. More information will be posted closer to the festival date at kansasbookfestival.com.

All summer, the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library will offer expanded youth and family events through its Adventure Summer program. In addition to age-specific story times and family-centered movie showings, the library hosts a series of Wednesday concerts, performances, and presentations that include magicians, mad scientists, drumlines, and animals (both real and balloon). All of the library events are free to the public. The full schedule can be found at tscpl.org/summer-reading.

The ‘Utility Player’

Stepping in at many roles over many years, Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield seeks to lead the way forward for the next generation, and for young Latina women in particular

STORY BY Jeffrey Ann Goudie PHOTOGRAPY BY Nick Krug

When asked what she is proudest of in her career, Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield says, “I think I’m most proud of being diligent about making sure that women have a voice and that every group [is] represented.”

And for Stubblefield, a senior vice president of Greater Topeka Partnership, being diligent can mean occasionally ruffling feathers.

“My Mom always says … if somebody’s not mad at you, you’re not doing enough, and I’m good with that,” she quips.

Nobody could accuse Stubblefield of not doing enough.

In addition to her work with Greater Topeka Partnership, an umbrella organization for Go Topeka, Downtown Topeka, Inc., Visit Topeka, and the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, Stubblefield directs Leadership Greater Topeka, which is in its 40th year of developing community leaders. She also oversees Momentum 2027, the community’s strategic planning initiative.

“I kind of consider myself a utility player,” she says.

Topeka Roots and Legacies

Born days after the 1966 tornado, Stubblefield attended Washburn and Friends University before landing at Jones Huyett, a local advertising, marketing, and public relations firm. Her next professional stint was at Downtown Topeka, Inc.

When that organization put out a call

Michelle Cuevas Stubblefield stands next to the statue dedicated to her grandmother, Teresa Cuevas. The statue of the classical violinist and mariachi band member is the only statue dedicated to a female figure among all the statues currently on Kansas Avenue.

for candidates to be portrayed in life-size bronze statues on Kansas Avenue, Stubblefield had someone in mind. Her grandmother, Teresa Cuevas, trained as a classical violinist, had organized one of the first female mariachi bands in the United States. This group, Mariachi Estrella de Topeka, suffered a horrifying accident in 1981 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City. As they were heading to an event, the hotel walkway collapsed on them. Six members of Mariachi Estrella were buried under the rubble, and four died (one member had not attended). Teresa Cuevas was trapped for several hours, suffering crushed vertebrae and other injuries.

Stubblefield says her grandmother was in physical pain for the rest of her life, but she continued instructing students and mentoring young family members in the mariachi tradition. She died in 2013 at the age of 93. The dream of seeing her grandmother memorialized with one of the statues—notably, the only female statue on the avenue—was realized last year in a public unveiling on Cinco de Mayo.

The Hyatt Regency collapse was not the last time Stubblefield and her family would be hammered by tragedy. Stubblefield’s younger sister, Marlo Cuevas-Balandran, a vocalist for Mariachi Estrella, died alongside her husband, Thomas Balandran, when their Miami-to-Atlanta ValuJet Flight #592 crashed in the Florida Everglades.

Stubblefield says her sister was on the cusp of her educational career (she had been accepted into Washburn University for the fall semester), was pursuing paid vocal work for her mariachi music, and was being considered for a modeling contract (just that year, she had won the Ms. USA Petite pageant title).

Stubblefield and her mother, her primary mentor, were motivated to start MANA de Topeka to carry on her sister’s legacy. The organization is part of a national group supporting Latinas in leadership development, service, and advocacy. Stubblefield is particularly enthusiastic about the group’s programs that are “helping young women find a voice.”

Stubblefield believes “[there are many] women out there who don’t get that push and see their dreams come true.” The Mana de Topeka Hermanitas program, one of MANA

de Topeka's pillar programs and run by Michelle De La Isla and Kim Morris, directly addresses this issue by sponsoring a yearly conference that matches 12- to 18-year-old Latinas with women mentors working in a profession of interest to the students. Hosted at Washburn University, this year’s conference set an attendance record with 250 students and 40 mentoring professionals. In addition, the couple’s parents donated money to construct the Marlo CuevasBalandran Activity Center, part of Our Lady of Guadalupe parish. The Activity Center hosts meals for the Fiesta Topeka (formerly Fiesta Mexicana), weddings, quinceañeras, and other events. In the entryway, pictures and a framed narrative give witness to and memorialize the life of Cuevas-Balandran and her husband.

Cultivating the Next Generation

Cheryl Rios, a district court judge and a co-creator of MANA de Topeka, says Stubblefield has responded to her family’s tragedy with compassion and purpose.

“Through her loss, Michelle has found strength, promoting young women and helping them to be strong not only in their own right but in the community,” Rios says. Retired corporate executive Michel’ Philipp Cole has worked with Stubblefield since she was at Jones Huyett. Stubblefield names Cole as a strong role model. Calling Stubblefield “a voice of reason” who is “always focused on how to make things better,” Cole praises her for helping to cultivate the next generation of leaders.

Stubblefield’s friend Maggie Mahood, a WIBW marketing consultant, says Stubblefield “lights up the room” and calls her “very thoughtful” and “always conscious of inclusion.”

If you are to meet Stubblefield in her office, you might encounter a bicycle propped against her wall. This bike is engineered to go left if you force the handles to turn right or right when you turn the handles left. Stubblefield uses the counter-intuitive bike in her trainings to teach adaptive leadership and how to change ingrained patterns.

In a sense, her own life demonstrates her vast capacity to adapt to challenging circumstances that upset an expected trajectory. Whether needing to adjust one way or another, Stubblefield has remained focused on creating an inclusive and welcoming future for all Topekans.

June

FEATURED EVENT

Juneteenth Celebration

June 15

Topeka Family & Friends Juneteenth Celebration holds its day-long celebration, from noon to 10 p.m., with craft vendors, food and speakers. tffjc.org

Sean Kenny’s “Animal Superpowers Made with Lego Bricks” Ongoing–September 8

The Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center hosts an international traveling art exhibit of Lego statues depicting animals in their natural environments. topekazoo.org

The Gods of Comedy

June 1, 6–9, 13–15

Topeka Civic Theatre presents Ken Ludwig’s comedy about a young professor who unwittingly summons two Greek gods onto her campus and must endure the ensuing havoc. topekacivictheatre.com

First Friday Art Walk

June 7 (and the first Friday of every month) Galleries, studios and other venues open to the public for an evening of entertainment and art showings. artstopeka.org

Block Party

June 7

Kaw Valley Bank holds its 9th-annual block party, featuring free food and music at 1100 N. Kansas Ave. explorenoto.org

Tap That Topeka

June 8

Midwest craft beers take center stage at the city’s revived beer festival. Tickets are offered at various levels, including a designated-driver ticket. tapthattopeka.com

Flag Day Celebration

June 8

Great Overland Station hosts a car show and music concert to celebrate Flag Day. | Guests can bring flags for formal retirement. Great Overland Station on Facebook

Heartland Military Day

June 8

Museum of Kansas National Guard hosts an outdoor exhibition of military hardware to honor and commemorate service members who have passed. kansasguardmuseum.com

Juneteenth Car Show

June 8

Topeka Family & Friends Juneteenth Celebration hosts a car show as part of the city’s 11th-annual Juneteenth celebrations. tffjc.org

Volcanologist Talk

June 11

Volcano expert Alison Graettinger of UMKC presents an evening discussion on volcanoes. The talk is part of the library’s summer program, The Floor Is Lava, and designed for adults and students in sixth grade or older. Free event. tscpl.org

Sound of Freedom

June 14

Topeka Family & Friends Juneteenth Celebration presents a drama as part of the city’s 11th-annual Juneteenth celebrations. Location to be announced. tffjc.org

World Giraffe Day

June 15

Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center hosts a day of celebrations to honor its resident giraffes. topekazoo.org

Juneteenth Gospel Extravaganza

June 16

Topeka Family & Friends Juneteenth Celebration and St. John AME Church host an evening of gospel music as part of the annual Juneteenth celebrations. tffjc.org

Music in the Park

June 16

The Santa Fe Band opens its free summer concert series at the Gage Park Amphitheater.

Music in the Park Topeka on Facebook

Dancers performs at the Fiesta Topeka. Photograph by Nick Krug.

Juneteenth Parade

June 19

Topeka Family & Friends Juneteenth Celebration holds a parade through downtown Topeka, along with a program at Evergy Plaza in honor of Juneteenth. tffjc.org

Sunflower Music Festival

June 21–29

Washburn University hosts nine days of free orchestral, chamber, and solo classical and jazz performances. All concerts are free. sunflowermusicfestival.org

Gallery Talk and Workshop: “Craving Light: The Museum of Love and Reckoning”

June 22

The Mulvane Art Museum hosts a tour, conversation, and workshop inspired by the work of vanessa german and her exhibit addressing the legacies of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the 1954 Supreme Court case that effectively ended legal segregation in American public schools. mulvaneartmuseum.org

Topeka Pride Palooza

June 22

An afternoon and evening of musical performances, food trucks, dancing and more to celebrate Pride month. Topeka Pride on Facebook

July

FEATURED EVENT

Fiesta Topeka

July 16–20

The city’s celebration of Mexican American culture, music, heritage, food and community returns after a pandemic break. And the best part—the entire celebration is a volunteer-powered fundraiser to benefit educational scholarships and needs at Holy Family School, the Catholic elementary institution serving the parishes of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Sacred Heart-St. Joseph. Previously named “Fiesta Mexicana,” the celebration marks 91 years this summer. fiestatopeka.com

Tootsie

July 5–6, 12–14, 18–21, 25–28 and August 1–4 and 8–10

Topeka Civic Theatre presents the comedy musical based on the hit 1982 movie of the same name. topekacivictheatre.com

Mini-Jamaica

July 6

Fiesta Topeka holds a “mini-fiesta” at Evergy Plaza with food vendors, dancers and musical performances. fiestatopeka.com

Sunflower Games

July 6–21

Top amateur athletes from across Kansas gather in Topeka to compete in events including archery, boccia, clay shooting, judo and many more sports at locations across the city. sunflowergames.com

Music in the Park

July 7

The Santa Fe Band holds its second summer concert at the Gage Park Amphitheater. Music in the Park Topeka on Facebook

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

July 11

Superstar country group performs at Prairie Band Casino. prairieband.com

Capital City Crushers

July 13

Topeka’s Roller Derby team hosts the Salina Sirens at their home rink of Sk8Away. CapitalCityCrushers.org

Fiesta Parade

July 13

Fiesta Topeka holds a downtown parade with floats, dance troupes and music. fiestatopeka.com

Blues in the Park

July 17

The Big Harry Blues Band appears at Gage Park Amphitheater for the Topeka Blues Society’s free evening blues concert. topekabluessociety.org

Sunday Basement Boogie Band

July 19

Kansas City funk band performs as part of the NOTO Summer Concert series. Free event. explorenoto.org

Music in the Park

July 28

The Santa Fe Band holds its third summer concert at the Gage Park Amphitheater. Music in the Park Topeka on Facebook

August

FEATURED EVENT

Orquesta Mundo Nouvo

August 16

A three-drum, four-horn, 13-member band performs as part of the NOTO Summer Concert series. Free event. explorenoto.org

Topeka Jazz Workshop

August 4

Topeka’s 18-piece jazz band provides a free concert at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library. tscpl.org

Joe Bonamassa

August 8

Acclaimed blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa performs at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. topekaperformingarts.org

Laugh Lines

August 16–17

Topeka’s improvisation comedy troupe performs at the Topeka Civic Theatre. topekacivictheatre.com/laugh-lines

Capital City Crushers

August 17

Topeka’s Roller Derby team hosts the Kansas City Roller Warriors at their home rink of Sk8Away. CapitalCityCrushers.org

Blues in the Park

August 21

The Mix with Mike Babb appears at Gage Park Amphitheater for the Topeka Blues Society’s free evening blues concert. topekabluessociety.org

September

FEATURED EVENT

Sing, Sing, Sing

September 7

The Topeka Symphony Orchestra opens its 2024–2025 “Puttin’ on the Ritz” concert season with a guest performance by acclaimed opera singer Michael Spyres and his family. topekasymphony.org

Summer Culinary Journey

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY Andrea Etzel

This season, sample global cuisine at two of the city’s leading Asian restaurants

Topeka’s culinary scene continues to evolve with long-standing restaurants and new kitchens delighting diners. Indian Bistro and Jong’s Thai Kitchen are testaments to the city’s growing appetite for diverse and authentic Asian flavors. At these locations, dishes are vibrant in flavor and aesthetic appeal.

Singh’s Indian Fusion

At Indian Bistro, the dishes and ambiance of warm hospitality have been 20 years in the making.

“Over two decades ago, I introduced Indian cuisine [to the Topeka restaurant scene],” says chef Lattie Singh. “Crafting delectable dishes has long been my passion.”

Singh began feeding guests at the encouragement of family and friends. He has specialized in featuring a fusion of dishes from north India with a diverse selection for vegetarians and meat lovers.

cornerstone of Indian cooking for centuries, the tandoor imparts a distinctive smokiness to dishes like tandoori chicken and naan.

For anyone venturing into Indian cuisine for the first time, Singh recommends the popular chicken tikka masala as a good beginner dish. Tikka masala consists of marinated chicken cooked into a tangy tomato-onion curry.

The menu, Singh explains, “reflects a mix of Mughlai, Punjabi, and other regional influences.”

Some popular dishes include butter chicken cooked in a tandoor, a traditional clay oven. A

The house korma, either chicken or vegetables, is also a musttry. It is cooked in a luxurious, mildly spiced creamy sauce that gains richness from cashews and a bit of sweetness from raisins; this is a perfect milder dish with hearty indulgences.

Biryani, a fragrant rice dish with either meat or vegetables infused with aromatic spices, is another favorite dish. Also popular is rogan josh, lamb cooked with ginger, garlic, green peppers, and Indian spices.

Pair any meal with a refreshing mango lassi to balance the spices. Or cap it off with a cup of masala chai, a sweet, hot milk tea spiced with cloves, cardamom and cinnamon.

Dishes at Indian Bistro include (above, from left) chicken korma, Basmati rice, chicken tikka masala, and (below) tandoori chicken.

Embarking on Your Culinary Adventure

Stepping into the unknown can be intimidating, especially when trying new cuisines. If you or someone you are dining with is trying authentic Thai or Indian fusion for the first time, here are some tips to ease them into the experience.

Start with familiar ingredients: Look for dishes that incorporate ingredients you already enjoy. For instance, try chicken tikka masala or chicken pad thai if you love chicken.

Gradually explore spices: Indian and Thai cuisines are known for their use of spices. Begin with milder dishes and gradually explore spicier options as your palate adjusts.

Ask for recommendations: Don’t hesitate to ask for recommendations based on your taste preferences. The owners at Indian Bistro and Jong’s are happy to guide newcomers through the menu.

Sharing is caring: If you’re dining with a group, consider ordering a variety of dishes to share. This way, you can sample a range of flavors and find your favorites.

Embrace the experience: Take a moment to appreciate the cultural aspects of each cuisine. Explore the stories behind the dishes and the traditions that have shaped them over the centuries.

Recommended dishes include (clockwise from upper left) Indian Bistro’s chicken korma with the onion naan, Jong’s Thai Kitchen’s shrimp pad Thai, and Jong’s Thai Kitchen’s chicken larb.

Jong’s Thai Tour

Guests at Jong’s Thai Kitchen are greeted by the warmth of fragrant dishes and the welcoming faces of owners Chef Bangjong Jongthep (or Jong, the restaurant’s namesake), Nimnual Ragsdale and Nimnual’s husband, Derek. Though the restaurant opened in the pandemic year of 2020, it quickly became a not-so-hidden gem in Topeka’s historic neighborhood of Holliday Park.

Traditional Thai food is a harmony of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors. At Jong’s, the dishes exemplify this combination while showcasing the chef’s unique approach.

“Thai cuisine can shine of simplicity or be delectably complicated,” Nimnual Ragsdale explains. “In Thailand, flavor is our culture. We live it. We breathe it.”

The pad thai is a perfect introduction for those new to Thai food. This stir-fried noodle dish combines sweet and savory with a hint of sour. “It is by far a best seller and never disappoints,” Ragsdale says.

Jongthep and Ragsdale explain that a typical meal in Thailand would include larb, a zesty mixture of minced chicken, red onion, scallion, and lime topped with fresh cilantro and mint. Eaten almost daily, larb is enjoyed best with sticky rice and eaten by hand. Another favorite is papaya salad, shredded unripened green papaya with carrots and tomatoes dressed in Thai sauce. In many ways, it is a Thai-flavored slaw.

The small space of Jong’s Thai Kitchen means that tables and reservations fill quickly. But the flip side is that the staff often recognizes customers after a visit or two, creating a cozy, familiar atmosphere.

“We want you to feel at home,” explains Ragsdale. “We do the best we can to find what you’re looking for and are happy to accommodate when we can.

Dishes at Jong’s Thai Kitchen include (above, from left) shrimp pad Thai, crab delights, chicken larb, and (below, from top) Thai papaya salad (som tum) and crab fried rice.

For the first summer in decades, Topeka won’t be hosting national, regional or local racers at Heartland race course, leaving amateur speedsters looking back with nostalgia

STORY BY Haines Eason PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

Tony Votaw takes a turn in his Honda S2000 at Heartland Motorsports Park in 2023.

For Tony Votaw, it was a bright yellow Honda S2000 that did it.

“Back when I was younger, an S2000 was an awesome car. Something I didn’t think I’d ever be able to buy—just a dream car,” the Topeka resident recalls.

But, as an adult, he saw one for sale.

“It was at a dealership that was on my way to work, so I kind of drove by a couple times, and funny how that works…”

He took one test drive.

He bought it.

Then he went racing.

From 2022 to 2023, Votaw competed with his S2000 at Heartland Motorsports Park. He was there for some of the last runs before the south Topeka race course shut down in October 2023 after nearly a decade of tax disputes and a series of lost legal battles with the county.

Heartland Motorsports Park was much more than a convenient road course for Topekans, though. Opened in 1989, the long-running facility could accommodate drag racing, motocross, and road racing. It featured a dirt oval and 23 acres of pavement for autocross and other uses.

Other events included the multi-day country music festival Country Stampede and the iconic, obstacle-laden, allweather Tough Mudder race.

The summer of 2024 will be the first summer in decades that races won’t be held at Heartland—not even the pandemic fully shut down races in 2020. But this year, the facility sits empty, waiting for a new owner, as drivers and race fans trek to courses beyond Topeka for competitions.

All types of drivers

Though it took that yellow Honda to bring him to the course, Votaw isn’t an accidental racer.

His older brother had been racing for years through the National Auto Sport Association, a group offering events and guidance for amateur drivers to compete on tracks with their street cars. Through that exposure, Votaw began focusing on autocross, a race held on large grounds where cones mark the exact course, and racers take turns competing for the best time.

To race in autocross, he joined the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and became that group’s solo director for the Kansas region.

He and fellow enthusiasts would meet at Heartland’s open grounds and lay down courses for competition. These races weren’t the dragster races or professional

Racers at Heartland's last runs in the summer of 2023 included (from top) Tony Votaw, Jeff Shue, and Ryan Burge.

competitions that brought in crowds, but they brought in a group of dedicated amateurs.

For his part, Votaw recalls many issues swirling around the iconic race facility in the months before its closing. There was a point, he says, where he and the other autocross racers were asked to leave because they were blamed for tearing up some asphalt on the park, but Votaw notes his group was using only a small portion of the more than 700 acres that made up the facility. Votaw says he and his group simply wanted to race—and still do. While he has tried other locations and competes at the Ozarks International Raceway, he says nowhere else has been quite the same as Heartland.

For other local racers, such as 2013 Chevy Camaro ZL1 owner Jeff Shue, Heartland made getting onto and off a track easy and affordable.

“A guy like me, I could drive the car out there, spend maybe 10 minutes, and it was ready for the track,” Shue says.

He would attend or compete at Heartland Park’s HPD/Track Day 7 times, beginning in 2014 and ending in September 2023.

“If I tore up the car, I was only 30 minutes from home, and I could run out there with my trailer, bring it home or whatever. The other places, you’re talking an hour and a half, probably two hours at least to get there. And does that mean you take it on a trailer, which is another expense? If not, then you’ve got the risk of not being able to get home if you do something to your car.”

Honda Civic Del Sol lover Ryan Burge fell in love with much that Heartland Park offered—the motocross and road racing, even the dirt racing, but it was the drag races that hooked him, particularly the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) drag races in Topeka.

“A first core memory I have of Heartland Park is my daddy taking me to the drags. NHRA, man, and the alcohol and the nitromethane burning and having all that,” Burge says.

“He’s like, ‘Cover your ears!’ and it shakes. It doesn’t matter [if you] cover your ears because it shakes your inner organs. Completely visceral experience. And I was there when they broke the 300-mile-an-hour barrier.”

Burge took to the tracks as a driver during Heartland’s 2022–2023 SCCA Track Night in America series. But with Heartland closed, he’s no longer racing.

“I have no facilities that track night is being offered near me,” Burge explains.

What is Autocross?

According to the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA), autocross is a low-barrier-to-entry form of racing in which participants race their unmodified daily-commuting vehicles or vehicles they maintain specifically for racing—and for which they have specialty tires, a dedicated trailer, etc.

Racers are separated by the degree to which their cars have been modified, and the “track” on which they race is not a track at all. Instead, participants race in parking lots or on other broad, hard surfaces (runways, etc.) marked with cones. Cones are used to outline an impromptu course, and the goal is to see who can complete a course the quickest without hitting cones or leaving the raceway.

So, who races who?

“There are a lot of different street classes, which basically are for stock cars,” autocross racer Tony Votaw says, adding that a stock car is an unmodified vehicle you might find on a new or used car lot.

“You buy a stock car, put maybe some suspension on it and exhaust, and that’s about all. … It’s very cost-effective. You don’t have to put a bunch of money into your car to be competitive. It’s basically competitive from the dealership.”

Blown

The driver enthusiasm for Heartland wasn’t enough to keep the track open. After years of tax disputes and legal battles with the county, Heartland Motorsports Park’s parent company, Shelby Development LLC, announced last September it would sell the park, citing the “enormous and ever-increasing tax burden” it says Shawnee County imposed.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported the park owed some $2.6 million when it closed. A much-publicized auction in December 2023 failed to bring in offers. Just after April 15 of this year, Shawnee County records indicated that the total tax due was more than $3.2 million. Of the 29 parcels of land that make up Heartland Park, only one parcel was fully paid, according to the county.

As late as May 2024, Topeka’s official outreach site, VisitTopeka. com, still lists Heartland under the sports venues and in the listings category, but the site links to the race course are dead.

When asked to comment about the City of Topeka’s plans or relationship to Heartland, Topeka’s communication specialist Rosie Nichols wrote that “the City of Topeka is not directly involved with any plans at Heartland Park” and urged our magazine to contact Greater Topeka Partnership.

Repeated calls and email queries to various offices and individuals in Greater Topeka Partnership—as well as in Shawnee County—went unanswered for many weeks until May 10, when India Yarborough, Greater Topeka Partnership's vice president of marketing and communications, wrote, "... this isn't the first time Heartland Park has closed. It rebounded then, and we hope to again see the property spring to life, whether that be as a racing facility or other notable development. Just like the community at large, we'll be eager to see what's next."

Queries to Shawnee County, which last July won a court appeal brought by Shelby Development, went unanswered.

One party did respond promptly and with clearer details and a clear prognosis for the future—racing at Heartland is dead.

On April 26, Christopher S. Payne, who had been the owner and operator of Heartland Park through Shelby Development from 2015 to 2023, answered our phone and email queries with an email letter that outlined a new auction and suggested that the Heartland property would be broken up and no longer used for racing.

…Shelby Development will be announcing an auction of allparcelswithproceedsgoingtowardsShawneeCounty's ridiculously high property tax debt. The auction will consist of selling individual and multiple parcels collectively.

As you are aware Shawnee County has valued the property for as much as four times its original purchase in 2016. The market is telling us a different story of the actual value. With the upcoming auction, the market will give us a definitive answer as to the value. Unfortunately, Heartland Motorsports Park will most likely not be a racing and entertainment facility. There appears to be no value with its current use due to the heavy tax

burden.Theproperty(s)willmostlikelybepurchasedby buyers for redevelopment.

For many local racers, the track’s closure just plain hurts, and its definitive departure will leave a mark.

“It’s a hole in the community,” Burge says. “[Heartland Park] was something we built for. It was absolutely fantastic to see people bring in an underdog build on a U-Haul trailer on a rental truck. Seeing that, you’re like, ‘Thanks for visiting our community, man. You’re doing it!’ I live vicariously through people like that and the mayhem guys doing the drift events, bringing all the drifty boys in… The guys who are trying to keep the community going are at a real loss of how to do this, and they’re taking their events to other places.”

No choice but to drive on

“Heartland Motorsport Park was … oh my God, people love that track,” says Donna Lane, regional director of NASA MidAmerica. “People loved it,” she corrects herself.

Lane, whose organization is based in Overland Park, helps coordinate with several venues in the Midwest.

“You didn’t have to be in this region to love Heartland,” she adds. “I had people come from Colorado, Arizona, Utah, Florida… [P]eople came from all over the country because Heartland Park was known as just a great road course.”

Take NASA, for instance: It’s divided into regions that were developed “based on track availability,” Lane says. “Heartland Motorsports Park was a major draw.”

So, she says, the park’s closure is more than sad for racing fans; it’s a blow to racing in the region. But it could be much worse, she adds, if two new facilities had not opened recently.

Ozarks International Raceway, north of Lake of the Ozarks, opened in 2022, and formerly private track Hedge Hollow Raceway in Adrian, Missouri, opens to the public this year. And there’s considerable buzz about these new options.

“What is that old statement? Nothing drives out an old nail like pushing it out with a new nail?” Lane asks.

“The excitement for Hedge Hollow and Ozark has kind of numbed the pain,” Lane says. “I have drivers that only race with me because of Heartland. The motivation of the driver has to do with the desire to build and want to drive the track. No matter where we are in the country, drivers have to want to go to a track. And so when you have these two new tracks, you have this spirit of, ‘Oh, I’m going to see if I love that track,’ and ‘Oh, I’m going to go and see if I can get to know this track.’

“Not that the other two tracks will be Heartland Motorsports Park, but in the interim, they get to still do something that they love. And that’s motorsports.”