Topeka Magazine Summer 2009

TOPEKA

TOPEKA’S PREMIER MAGAZINE ON PEOPLE, PLACES & STYLE

MAGAZINE

summer 2009

Glenda Taylor: Topeka’s athletic artist

Top professionals remember their first jobs

An insider’s view of the Kansas Capitol

Secret potluck recipes from 3 pros

$3.00

TOPEKAMAGAZINE

Vol. III / No. 1II

Summer 09

publisher / Art Director

Darby Oppold

from the editor

Editor

Nathan Pettengill

There are many ways to see Topeka, and then there is Dave Mathias’ way.

Almost every month, Mathias climbs into a small airplane at Philip Billard Airport and flies over the city. It’s actually his work—he’s a photographer who specializes in aerial shots and his job takes place at 2,000 feet above ground while moving at 100 mph. (You can read writer Francie Forrestt Riley’s profile of Mathias and his aerial photography business on page 8.)

Joining Mathias on a recent flight, I stepped into his plane and anticipated seeing Topeka’s familiar monuments from the air. And, sure enough, as we flew above the Kansas River and toward the city, I could easily make out the Capitol, Cedar Crest, Washburn University, the schools, the churches, the hospitals, individual neighborhoods and business districts. But it wasn’t the Topeka I knew, because my Topeka is a series of narrow routes I take to and from my regular venues. Flying over the city, I realized how much of Topeka I had never seen from the ground: the private swimming spots, the school bus depots, the long railroad yards, the groves of trees dividing highways and the long strips of farmland where a herd of cows were not grazing but had peculiarly gathered in two circles, like opposing football teams in their huddles.

Seeing Topeka like Mathias does, leaning out the open hatch of a Cessna and taking in the full scope of the land, changes your perception of the city. And I can’t help but think that of all Topekans, Dave Mathias might know the city best.

In this summer issue of Topeka Magazine, we profile the city’s “experts.” In one story, about coffee secrets as told by some of the city’s baristas, these are experts in the traditional sense that they know a lot of information others do not. But mostly by “experts,” we mean people like Mathias who have some perspective on Topeka that others might not. In these pages, Statehouse staff members—senior not necessarily by rank but by years—tell their perspective on the Kansas Capitol. Local greenhouse and nursery owners share details about what they plant in their own yards. Three local chefs present ideas for what they would bring for a standout summer potluck dish with local flavor. A woman whose family was closely involved in the Brown v. Board of Education case tells about the context of the historic event. And for ideas on a Topeka “man cave,” one guy chronicles his adventure that relied perhaps less on his extensive background in architecture and more on his talent for recycling wainscoting and his patience with permit regulations.

Ultimately, there are as many perspectives on Topeka as there are residents and visitors. No one person has the authoritative view on the city, but any one of us can always tap another for a different vision, one that improves our own. We hope you enjoy the “expert” views of Topeka that we present in this summer issue … and we hope they might even motivate you to share your expertise with us and others around you.

Nathan Pettengill Editor

COPY EDITOR

susie fagan advertising representative

Sandi Wilber (785) 220-9938 Designer

Tamra Rolf Ad Designers

shelly kemph Tamra Rolf Photographers

daniel W. coburn Jason Dailey Contributing Writers

jamie borgman anita miller fry jeffrey ann goudie KIM GRONNIGER stacey herman CAROLYN KABERLINE vernon mcfalls CHERYL NELSEN barbara waterman-peters FRANCIE FORRESTT RILEY debra stufflebean NANCY VOGEL GENERAL MANAGER

BERT HULL marketing assistant

faryle scott

Subscriptions

$20 (plus tax) for a one-year subscription to Topeka Magazine.

For subscription information, please contact:

Christopher J. Bell 609 New Hampshire st., P.O. Box 888, Lawrence, KS 66044 800-578-8748 / Fax (785) 843-1922 Or e-mail comments to topekamagazine@sunflower.com

Topeka Magazine is a publication of Sunflower Publishing, a division of The World Company.

www.sunflowerpub.com

Send your comments and suggestions to topekamagazine@sunflower.com

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

1

Home improvement for every season.

CASTLEWOOD CONSTRUCTION 233-5480

CWC ELECTRIC 215-8775

Topeka. A Great Arts Town.

Topeka. A Great Arts Town.

Contents

Summer

on the cover

09

Glenda Taylor {Photography by Jason Dailey}

24 Top professionals remember their first jobs 46 An insider’s view of the Kansas Capitol 38 Secret potluck recipes from 3 pros

Features 24 My First Job

It’s a rite of passage, not always pleasant or rewarding, but a life experience that you never forget

46 EVERYTHING UNDER THE ROTUNDA

Topeka’s most prominent building is known best by the people who work inside it ..........................................................................................

In Every Issue

01 From the Editor 64 events calendar

DEPARTMENTS .............

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topeka businesses

Home LIfe

living well

For the Family

8 Camera in the Sky

30 Art Attic

52 Run through

62 Old-Fashioned ‘Speed Thrill’

Dave Mathias turned his Cold War calling into a profession and lifelong work of art

Known for her landscapes and earthy cows, artist Shirley Akers hones her connection to the land from a studio in the sky

the Meadows

34 Man Cave with

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A strong start might lead to a life of fitness for the children in one school’s popular exercise program

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notables

12 Adopting a Life of Purpose

Creating a charitable fund for adoptions is part of Mary Brownback’s belief in the joy of family

16 Challenges and Victories

Born at a crossroads in history, Victoria Benson created her own legacy

20 Force of Nature

The Kansas land shapes and inspires the work of ceramics artist Glenda Taylor

6

‘Thelma’ and ‘Louise’

A car-enthusiast architect creates space for relaxation and restoration .............

grow

56 Lake Shawnee

Planning and investment have revived one of the area’s most popular recreation destinations

local flavor

38 Chef’s Potluck

Potluck dinner plates can be drab and dismal. Good thing you have three top Topeka chefs in your corner

40 Among the Baristas The city’s coffee experts share their takes on the popular drink

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

58 How do their gardens grow?

Owners of local nurseries and greenhouses offer expert advice and years of experience in greening your yard, but what do they love to plant on their own property?

Bounced from one location to another in its first hundred years, Gage Park’s popular carousel gets restorations, improvements and loving care for its journey through the next century

8 TOPEKA BUSINESSES Dave Mathias, Photo-1

Camera

in the Sky

Dave Mathias turned his Cold War calling into a profession and lifelong work of art

D

A veteran photographer, Dave Mathias is still enthralled by the changes in size, scope and lighting that he is able to capture from the window of a plane.

Photo courtesy Dave Mathias Photography

ave Mathias hikes himself into the left seat of a Cessna 172 and loops his Nikon D300 camera strap around his neck. He speaks into his headset to ensure he has communication with pilot David Payne, who taxis down the runway at Philip Billard Airport and ascends his craft above Topeka. Payne levels off the plane near 2,000 feet while flying 100 mph (an average height and speed for the work that Mathias does) and provides a patchwork-quilt view of the Topeka topography. Below, the gentle arch of the horizon is speckled with ponds and timber and streams that thread into the Kansas River. Payne dips one of the plane’s wings and circles the Cessna to enable Mathias to snap his photographs.

For more than 50 years, Mathias has been a photographer, and these bird’seye views of Topeka are his calling card and specialty.

“It’s different from what everybody else is looking at,” says Mathias. “It’s a different perspective on everything.”

Evolution of a photographer

Mathias’ photo career began in 1955, shortly after he enlisted in the Air Force. He was sent to Air Force photography school in Colorado and stationed at Forbes Air Force Base with the 815th Recon Tech squadron.

He took public relations and accident photos and processed pictures taken from the RB-47 reconnaissance bombers.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

STORY BY Francie Forrestt Riley | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Daniel W. Coburn

TOPEKA BUSINESSES

10 Dave Mathias, Photo-1 Mathias usually takes off from Philip Billard Airport. The small aircraft that he uses allows him to work directly with the pilot in making sharp turns and pinpoint flyovers of the objects he photographs.

It wasn’t your standard civilian photoprocessing department. Mathias recalls that the bombers were outfitted with nine camera positions and the images they gathered were developed on 10-inch film and printed on paper that was 200 feet long for the technical staff to review.

After his military stint, Mathias worked briefly at Wolfe’s Camera Shop (now Wolfe’s Cameras, Camcorders & Computers) and later was hired by General Dynamics, developer of the Atlas and Centaur missiles, to document construction of the missile silos and shipment of the unarmed missiles to the Topeka and Salina areas. In some instances, he flew in an Air Force helicopter and photographed missiles being trucked through downtown Topeka.

“In the context of what was going on at the time,” says Mathias, “it was just normal stuff.”

In 1963, General Dynamics moved Mathias and his wife, Lee, to the company’s San Diego headquarters, where the missiles were built. Much of his time was spent taking night images and working with macro photography, focusing close to the subject.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

Back to Topeka

In 1965 the Mathias family (which now included children Bret and Mindy) returned to Topeka and aerial photography when Mathias accepted an offer from the Kansas Department of Transportation to process and print reconnaissance photos.

Arriving in Kansas, he also partnered with a friend from the military, Morris Sowards, to run the newly purchased Wolfe’s Commercial Photos, then part of Wolfe’s Camera Shop.

“I think we were the only photographers in town that did commercial photography,” says Mathias.

Mathias changed the business name to Photo-1 in 1979 and bought out Sowards in 1984. Photo-1 does commercial work, but Mathias’ signature shots are aerial photography.

Over the capital

Back in the Cessna, Mathias stares at his camera, flipping through the digital images he has taken.

“My first camera was a 4-by-5 speed graphic, like the old press cameras,” he

Mathias flies mostly during the day, but he enjoys evening flights the best. “Topeka’s city lights have a different perspective from above,” says Mathias.

Photo courtesy Dave Mathias Photography

explains. “In the last five years, I’ve gone 100 percent digital.”

No matter what camera he uses, Mathias says his favorite time for aerial photography is late in the day.

“Just as the sun sets and the lights of the city come on, I can get the best photos,” says Mathias. “The colors of the sunset and the lights make the picture special.”

Mathias’ special approach has won him recognition and honors for industrial photography, and it has given him a job that is also a study in refinement to get that perfect perspective others rarely see.

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Dave Mathias, Photo-1 4705 SE Mercier (785) 862-3223 www.photo-1-davemathias.com

12 NOTABLES Mary Brownback

Adopting a Life of Purpose Creating a charitable fund for adoptions is part of Mary Brownback’s belief in the joy of family

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More information about the Building Families Fund is available through the Topeka Community Foundation: www.topekacommunityfoundation.org

5431 SW 29th St., Suite 300 (785) 272-4804

M

ary Brownback had what most people would consider a full life. Raised a Stauffer, she grew up in a respected Topeka family that published the city’s paper for decades.

A strong student, she earned a law degree and married rising state politician Sam Brownback. Together, they formed a family and shared a strong faith. Sam went on to become a U.S. congressman and then a U.S. senator as Mary supported causes in her hometown and nurtured their three children: Abby, Andy and Elizabeth.

But Mary felt there was room in their lives for another youngster, one who might not have a good family life and a home if she and her family did not step forward.

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“I like raising the kids here. There would be advantages of living in Washington, being able to do things.

But here it is laid-back and grandparents are close.”

So Mary began the lengthy process of an international adoption as Sam campaigned throughout the state in the 1998 U.S. Senate elections. Finally, the night after the November elections, the Brownbacks learned they had been assigned a child. His name was Mark and he came from an orphanage in Guatemala.

Paperwork issues arose, though, and months passed. It became unclear if they would be able to adopt Mark. As a backup, Mary began filing for an adoption in China, which had a more streamlined process.

In the Brownback family, swimming lessons become an opportunity for children Mark and Jenna (in front) to spend time with their older sister Abby. As always, mother Mary Brownback is present to lend support and guidance.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

STORY BY Anita Miller Fry | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

Mary Brownback

14 NOTABLES

Married to U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, Mary becomes, by default, a public figure at times. But she also leads a personal, private life in her hometown of Topeka where she has been involved in many small groups, such as this Bible study group where she shares a laugh with fellow member Diana Joliff.

Several months later, they received notification to pick up 18-monthold Mark. In May 1999, the entire family went to the orphanage to get him. As they did, the Chinese adoption process also moved forward. In September, the Brownbacks received a call that they’d been matched with a Chinese girl. Along with the announcement came a photograph of a shavedheaded little girl.

The Brownbacks surprised their children, who did not know they had applied for an adoption through China, with the photograph and their decision.

“Once you get a picture, how can you say no?” recalls Mary. “I said, ‘If I’ve got one, what’s the difference with two?’”

Not even the prospect of two kids in diapers at the same time daunted Mary. “I had already had three in diapers at one point,” she says, referring to the couple’s three older children.

The week before Christmas 1999, Mary, Sam, Elizabeth and a nephew of Mary went to get Jenna, who was 20 months old. That year, there were five children around the Brownback Christmas tree.

Helping Others Adopt

Not long after the Brownbacks went through the process, they began to learn of others who were struggling with adoption expenses.

While the Brownbacks had the financial resources to adopt Jenna and Mark, Mary describes the costs as “shocking.” Since then the costs, both

from private agencies and through the foster care system, have only gone up. “The average adoption now is more than a down payment on a house,” explains Mary. “It’s ridiculous.”

In response, the Brownbacks created the Building Families Fund in 2000 and arranged for the Topeka Community Foundation to provide oversight. Supported in part by an annual golf tournament, this fund awards grants to families adopting domestically or internationally.

So far, more than $200,000 has been distributed among approximately 75 families.

Through a selection committee, the fund gives preference to Kansas families and those with a professed Christian faith. Often those seeking funds for adoption don’t have high incomes. A recent round of 33 applications included many from pastors. “Those are often people who do adopt, and most don’t make a high salary,” Mary says.

Mary says she and Sam have a “soft spot” in the selection process for people who don’t already have children. “We like to help them become a family,” she says.

Life in Topeka

Even though she lived in Kansas City, Kansas, in her early years, Mary considers herself practically a lifelong Topekan. She moved to the capital in the summer of 1972 when her father, John Stauffer, became an executive in the company that ran what’s now the Topeka Capital-Journal and was started by her grandfather, Oscar Stauffer.

Mary enrolled as a ninth-grader at Landon Middle School and continued her education at Topeka West High School and the University of Kansas, where she received undergraduate and law degrees.

“I find Topeka comfortable, and I’ve known people here forever,” Mary says. She doesn’t think twice about wearing exercise clothes to the grocery store. “No one thinks a thing about it when they see me dressed like this. They’ve seen me so long, they know me.”

That comfort level was one of the reasons the Brownbacks chose to raise their children in Topeka and not Washington, D.C. Sam instead commuted to his congressional work, coming home on weekends.

“I think we would do it again,” Mary says. “I like raising the kids here. There would be advantages of living in Washington, being able to do things. But here it is laid-back and grandparents are close.”

Mary says having her children treated like their peers has been important to her. “Here they are normal kids,” she says.

Being normal includes doing chores, something Mary did while growing up as well. Jenna and Mark run the vacuum and are learning to fold laundry. The special perk is that they can watch television while folding laundry.

Mary’s parents helped a lot with the older children when they were younger. Once Mark and Jenna arrived, Sam’s retired mother drove to Topeka every Tuesday from Parker to give Mary a day out and a chance to attend a Bible study group that has been meeting weekly for 15 years.

“It’s a place where I can open up and it won’t go any further. It’s a tremendous support group,” Mary says. “People have lost husbands, lost kids, divorced, and it’s just great support.”

Mary also works out three times a week with what she describes as a “group of middle-aged women. That’s a great stress reliever.” And she plays an occasional game of tennis, something she excelled at during her youth.

In the spring and summer, Mary becomes a soccer mom and often can be found at the pool with at least part of the brood during warm summer months. Oldest daughter Abby also helps with the pool scene, giving younger siblings Jenna and Mark some pointers in swimming. Mary says she also had Abby, who has been teaching through the Teach America program in Texas, work with her youngest brother and sister on their multiplication tables.

“I told her if she did that, then I’d feed her,” Mary says with a laugh. .................................................................................................................................................................

Preparing for Life …

Mary Brownback’s next goal is to start another foundation, this time for foster care kids who are “aging out” of the system.

After reaching the age of 18, these young adults receive considerably less assistance from their state or foster families.

“I feel we’ve got to help these kids. I don’t want to see them back in the system in another venue,” she says. A friend of the Brownbacks is working with her on the project, which would involve educational sessions to help the young people learn life skills. They would receive points for attending the sessions that they could redeem for furniture or other items needed in a first apartment.

“My vision is to have this program before they ‘age out’ and to have seminars they can attend, like how to write a resume, how to fill out an application for college, how to rent an apartment,” Mary says. “We could help prepare them for life and help them be productive members of society.”

16 NOTABLES Victoria Benson

Challenges and Victories Born at a crossroads in history, Victoria Benson created her own legacy

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put your arm around somebody to help somebody else, to lift somebody else up.”

“You have to

B

orn on August 14, 1945, Victoria Jean Lawton Benson’s name was suggested by two nurses at Christ’s Hospital, now Stormont-Vail HealthCare, in honor of historic V-J Day, marking the surrender of Japan during World War II.

Nine years later, Benson’s mother, Maude Lawton, experienced her own victory as one of the Topeka plaintiffs in the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education case ending legal segregation in U.S. public schools. Nonetheless, Benson finished elementary school at the all-black Buchanan.

“Mother wanted us to have the right to go” to the closer school, Benson says, adding that she loved Buchanan, where many of her teachers had master’s degrees. .............................................................................................................................................................................

didn’t enter medical school, Benson broke through other barriers at 24 when she became the first black student admitted to Stewart’s Beauty Academy.

Though she

Victoria Benson hears many stories working as a hairdresser in her home beauty salon.

Some of the most inspiring stories, however, come from her own past and her family’s role in Topeka history.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

Maude Lawton’s youngest daughter inherited her mother’s interest in social justice as well as her commitment to bettering her community. Now a respected Topeka businesswoman, civil rights pioneer and community volunteer, Benson exudes a quiet, serene confidence. She readily shares her lessons and advice with younger generations. “You must have an education. You must be able to share your part of the load and be a part of a community. You must see that you have a neighbor, that somebody’s going to need you,” says Benson. “You have to put your arm around somebody to help somebody else, to lift somebody else up.”

STORY BY Jeffrey Ann Goudie | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Daniel W. Coburn

Victoria Benson

18 NOTABLES

Benson works on the final touches for Irma Scroggins who is one of her newest clients. Most of Benson’s customers have sat in her chairs for decades and one customer has been with Benson for nearly 40 years.

Segregated childhood

Racial barriers were a constant part of Benson’s childhood in Topeka.

She remembers going to Bobo’s for “the best apple pie in the city. Mr. Bobo was always a kind man to us, but he couldn’t allow us to sit down—that’s just the way it was then.”

Benson and the other black children had to sit in a segregated balcony at the Jayhawk Theatre, but for a quarter kids could stay all day. There was a separate Y for blacks, the Carver YMCA on Kansas Avenue, where she and her friends would go on Friday and Saturday evenings.

But as she inherited the legacy of segregation, Benson also was instilled with the belief that it was wrong and the will to challenge it. Benson says her mother’s battle for equity predated the Brown decision: “She always stood against injustice for anyone.” Long before Brown, her mother and older sister Gloria would go to the Woolworth’s store downtown, sit on the fountain stools and drum on the counter with their forks and knives demanding service. The police were called to escort them out.

Benson recalls her mother going into a different restaurant and being told by one of the waitresses that they “did not serve Negroes.” Her mother quickly and calmly replied, “And I don’t eat them,” before walking out of the restaurant.

Her father was a plasterer by trade, working with his brothers and a couple of sons. Together, the family lived at 1422 Munson in an integrated, friendly neighborhood. Benson describes her youth as protected, but she was encouraged to dream and planned to become a pediatrician.

Benson and the academy owner had a mutually respectful relationship. Her first hairdressing job after cosmetology school was at the Townsite Plaza Beauty Salon. Her employer was a former classmate who happened to be Jewish at a time when that would have been something to remark upon.

“She used to ride motorcycles in a formal,” laughs Benson.

Benson owned her own shop for a time at 17th and Washburn in the Campus North Shopping Center. She worked in other shops until deciding that she should work out of her home, to better care for her children, and she has done that since. Besides her own children, Traci M. Downing (married to Kevin Downing) and Jeffery D. Benson, Benson has cared for her greatnieces and a great-nephew. Great-nieces Sheena Selby and Myriah Holt currently live with Benson, and she has one grandson, Jarin Downing.

Benson says all the child-rearing has kept her “focused and directed, and doing something positive.”

Benson is an active member of the Capitol City Community Church of God, whose pastor is Robert D. Marshall Sr. For a time, she taught a “satellite” Sunday school at her home, entertaining 24 youngsters on her porch and in her kitchen. She has also written several plays, one of which was produced at her church as a dinner theater. Two other plays have been written and are awaiting production.

Every beautician is a bit of a therapist, listening to confidences from clients. Benson says she has developed a healthy amnesia, so problems she hears about leave her memory when her clients walk out the door.

Mentors and legacy

Choosing her own path

Though she didn’t enter medical school, Benson broke through other barriers at 24 when she became the first black student admitted to Stewart’s Beauty Academy. In keeping with the time, she had an Afro. She remembers the owner of the Topeka academy asking her to change her hairdo.

“I was very respectful,” says Benson, “and I saw some white girls that had hair down to their waistline. I said, ‘Well, I am not going to change my hair.’ I said, ‘My hair’s clean and it’s groomed.’ … Later on I got a relaxer, but it was when I wanted to get it, and he accepted that.”

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

Looking back on her life so far, Benson says one of her greatest mentors has been Marge Savage Heeney, whom she met as a beauty shop customer. Heeney since has become “a devoted friend” who’s vitally involved with Benson’s family. Benson was one of the speakers before a crowd of more than 400 at this spring’s American Business Women’s Association scholarship luncheon honoring Heeney.

Benson says she also takes her “hat off” to Cheryl Brown Henderson, whose father was the namesake plaintiff in the historic case and who later “knocked on many doors” in her efforts to establish the Brown Foundation.

When asked about the success of the Brown decision her mother helped achieve, Benson says: “It opened avenues and doorways for so many things: housing, education, jobs.”

For Benson, it opened the door of the White House, where she traveled in 2004 with all the Topekans who were part of the Brown case. They met former First Lady Laura Bush, whom she calls “a very charming lady.”

Charm, as well as integrity and humanity, are qualities that Benson certainly conveys. She has lived a life devoted to lifting herself and others, part of the tradition of this daughter of a Brown plaintiff, a trailblazer in her own right.

20 NOTABLES Glenda Taylor

Force

Photo courtesy Glenda Taylor

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glenda Taylor often chooses

nature’s subtle hues while the forms she creates evoke the natural landscape of her native Kansas.

of Nature

The Kansas land shapes and inspires the work of ceramics artist Glenda Taylor

B

orn in Abilene and raised in rural central Kansas by a family that farmed for generations, Glenda Taylor started her relationship with clay early. “I dug up clay and played with it in the house,” she recalls. That play indicated an early understanding of form; even at a young age, Taylor was modeling distinct shapes, which she called “round balls” and “grain elevators.”

One time Taylor’s mother baked one of these handmade grain elevators in the oven. It blew up. But she was encouraged by her mother, who promised that “next time we’ll let it dry in the sun like the Indians do,” and went on to do other projects. At age 12, Taylor created her “first conceptual art piece,” covering her bicycle with clay. As far as Taylor recalls, that experiment did not garner her mother’s enthusiasm, but it did help kindle a lifelong interest in pottery.

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beyond the world of art. In fact, her reputation as an athlete Taylor’s talents spill

is almost as strong as her artistic record.

Decades later, those erstwhile efforts with “round balls” of pasture clay and bike-in-clay projects have developed into exquisite functional or sculptural forms made of stoneware and other fine “clay bodies.” Now an accomplished ceramics artist and head of the art department at Washburn University, Taylor also produces functional pieces such as teapots, pitchers, cups, vases and chargers (large plates). Like the sculptural forms, these pieces An artist known for her Kansas-inspired themes, Glenda Taylor has recently been creating ceramics with sparse, Asian-inspired blue and white designs.

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STORY by Barbara Waterman-Peters | PHOTOGRAPHY BY jason dailey

22 NOTABLES Glenda Taylor

Taylor began ceramics as an undergraduate at Bethany College studying under the late Ray Kahmeyer. Because new students were not allowed into the ceramics studio, Taylor “made pots on the sly … and didn’t admit it.” Now as chair of Washburn University’s art department, Taylor no longer has to hide her love of ceramics. She is involved with the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.

She is also president-elect of the Kansas Artist Craftsmen Association.

Photo courtesy Glenda Taylor

Photo courtesy Glenda Taylor

derive from nature and sometimes are transferred and impressed with insect and grass shapes.

Taylor often chooses nature’s subtle hues while the forms she creates evoke the natural landscape of her native Kansas. Her fingers mark the wet clay with striations reminiscent of plowed fields or nuanced undulations suggesting an unopened flower or seed. Her sculptural works capture the power of tornadoes, the beauty of wind-swept wheat fields or the unique profiles of the Flint Hills.

These attributes, Taylor says, reflect her history of living on the Kansas prairie as well the geology of the land itself. She has used the state’s nature as a metaphor in her works, such as applying tornado shapes as symbols for agents of change or strong personalities.

Taylor has been showing her work almost continually since 1977.

Several local galleries in Lawrence, Manhattan and Topeka feature her creations, while her award-winning works are included in museum and university collections throughout the United States as well in The State Institute for Ceramic Arts in Castelli, Italy.

In addition to her work as an artist, Taylor has done artist residencies, juried exhibits and guest artist stints in numerous locations from the University of South Australia to the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.

She’s traveled to China and taken workshops in casting bronze and aluminum at Anderson Ranch in Colorado.

All of these activities enhance her work and teaching skills, which in turn enrich her students’ learning opportunities. Taylor thinks teachers

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“must stay ahead” and through their experience “encourage students to use their own talents.”

Taylor’s talents spill beyond the world of art. In fact, her reputation as an athlete is almost as strong as her artistic record. She spends much of her free time running and bicycling and even met her husband, Joe Saia, in the summer of 1986 at a Tinman Triathlon event. Saia, an avid bicyclist, matches Taylor’s love of the outdoors.

They became engaged while Taylor was still living in Great Bend, and she was determined to move to Topeka to be near him even if she had to “sell shoes at the mall!”

“I still run because it’s efficient,” Taylor says, “but I’d rather ride a bike than eat!” Taylor often bikes 40-50 miles during a group ride, something she describes as a “joy.” Modestly, Taylor says she is able to keep up with stronger riders owing to the “draft,” but a weakness would be hard to find in this cyclist who has won numerous races.

The same young artist who once covered her bike in clay may not have realized she had created a work of art that would neatly summarize her future. But there is probably no monument more appropriate than a ceramic bike for Glenda Taylor, truly a woman of many parts, and her ongoing legacy of land, art, education and speed.

My First Job

I

It’s a rite of passage, not always pleasant or rewarding, but a life experience that you never forget

t brings you some bucks for your first set of wheels. It helps you set up a college fund. It builds character. It teaches life lessons. It allows you to start a resume. It introduces you to “real world� responsibilities.

A first job is meant to do all of this.

But the best first job is the one that creates a legacy. A job so horrible, so wonderful, so unusual or so offbeat that it hands you stories to last a lifetime.

We asked five Topekans to revisit their first job and share the lessons and memories that have stayed with them.

Anderson Chandler

Now: c hairman and CEO of Fidelity State Bank and Trust Co. Then: mule draft runner

This was at the beginning of World War II, and the U.S. Army was buying mules for use in the mountain areas. When the Army purchased mules from a Wichitabased horse and mule commission company, the bank where I worked had to present sight drafts to that company. It was my job to ride the city bus to the stockyard area four miles north of the bank and present the draft to the mule company for the transaction. The bus fare was 5 cents each way, and the bank paid for that. Since I was only 14 years old it seemed very important to me at the time.

Story by Stacey Herman Photography by Daniel W. Coburn

Anita Wolgast Now: c hair, Kansas Arts Commission / former director, Historic Ward-Meade Park Then: i ce cream parlor soda jerk

One of my first customers while I was still in training was a gentleman who ordered a milkshake.

Apparently, he could tell that I was nervous and trying really hard. He left a 75-cent tip for a 50-cent shake!

Rio CervantesReed Now: executive director, City of Topeka Human Relations Commission Then: clothing store mannequin

The manager and I got to know each other, and she offered me an employee discount on the clothing if I would come in on the weekends, put on an ensemble and sit right outside the store as a “living mannequin.” I couldn’t pass up that deal!

I’d come in just before opening and she’d have an outfit with any necessary jewelry, scarves or other accessories. I just had to supply my own shoes.

I would prop myself up on a couple of stacked cubes, find a comfortable seating position and just freeze for a while. … The ladies would wander over and start touching the fabric on my skirt. I’d say, “Hello,” and they’d jump and start laughing because I had startled them. A couple of times younger boys would hang out in the distance and point and argue. Eventually one would come over and say, “Would you wave to my friends? They don’t believe you’re real.” I’d wave and they’d fall out laughing.

Brie Martin

Now: compliance specialist, Aviva Then: “Hotdogger� Oscar Mayer Wienermobile driver

I applied for it like any other job, first sending a resume in, [then doing] a phone interview and a face-to-face interview.

About 1,500 recent graduates apply for the job every year, and 12 to 15 people are picked for the yearlong position. I drove one of six Wienermobiles with a partner, covering about 22 states and going to events such as Mardi Gras, the Kentucky Derby, the NCAA Frozen Four hockey tournament as well as visiting many, many grocery store parking lots.

It was a great experience and I met a lot of fantastic people over that time.

Lazone Grays Jr.

Now: president/CEO of IBSA Inc. Then: dishwasher and busboy at Mexican restaurant

I really liked being a dishwasher. I was good, fast and no one would bother me. I don’t think it paid me a lot, but the place was really cool. ‌ I learned to make sanchos, sopapillas, and the food was cooked in the oven where it came out hot and sizzling on the plate. I guess that is why to this day I love Mexican food.

I could eat all I wanted during break and take food home.

30 HOME LIFE Shirley Akers art studio

Art attic Known for her landscapes and earthy cows, artist Shirley Akers hones her connection to the land from a studio in the sky

“I

’ve enjoyed it a lot up here among the clouds,” volunteers Shirley Akers as she leads her guest through her home and up a narrow stairway painted an earthy brown with flowers at the edge of the treads, offering a clue to the color and whimsy that wait on top.

For several years now, Akers has painted her signature cow portraits and created other works of art from her studio (“basically the attic,” explains Akers) at the top of a clapboard-sided, 1897 prairie cottage southwest of Topeka. Entering the studio is like climbing from below ground and stepping onto a prairie with a high, open sky. A space with steep, sloping sides, the studio seems to draw near the orange sunrises and the clear blues, whites and yellows of the heavens.

When Akers started working out of the attic, her husband worried that the sloped ceilings would be a problem for hanging art.

They are. But Akers likes the space and has filled it with her work and design. Mirrored window frames open more perspectives in the tight space, and walls painted in bright colors and scenes create depth. The north wall is covered by a landscape. Tall grasses, ........................................................................................................

Akers continues working mostly in and canvas, though she is also doing experimenting with and considering welding classes.

acrylic

Though known for her portraits of cows, Akers has been experimenting with large-scale landscapes, such as this vertical view of the Kansas countryside.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

watercolor,

collage

story by Nancy Vogel | photography by Jason Dailey

Akers often captures the blend of earth tones and radiant sunlight that she witnesses from her home.

Akers works in miniatures and in large-scale canvases. Some of her largest works are the walls of her attic studio.

either wheat or pasture, spring up from the baseboard and seem to grow toward a bright sky. “It can be whatever you want it to be,” explains Akers. “I started out with that awful orange. It was more orange than I had intended, so I toned it down.”

Akers, who works at the Capitol during the legislative session, makes an effort to be in her studio at least once a day, though she says there are times when she simply says “hello and goodbye” to her space.

“I enjoy it. It’s nice to work up here,” explains Akers. “My husband razzes me quite a bit, and I say, ‘Well, it’s cheaper than therapy!’” Unpretentious, she laughs easily and shares her retreat with a few ladybugs that winter in the attic. “They’re supposed to be good luck, so I’ve been letting them be.”

Akers also shares her space with her grandchildren and expects to open some room for them as they grow older. For now, a short bookcase has become a little library for her art books and a record cabinet holds her paper. An electric typewriter sits near the east window and a computer station offers a view to the south.

Walking through her studio, Akers points out an old, halfsize pool table that belonged to her husband’s younger brother.

“I couldn’t get it out of here, so I turned it into a work station.”

Some might call the table and studio cluttered, but they’re organized. A glass jar and a tin, both filled with paintbrushes, stand nearby in what Akers calls her “spillover area.” Little wooden blocks covered with canvas are stockpiled for the muse’s descent, which will hopefully bring chicken-related inspiration.

“A gal wanted some chickens,” explains Akers, “so I’m just making a few for her to pick from.”

In the studio also are small blocks of cherry, maple and pine, cut by Akers’ husband and used for miniature paintings of cows. “I have a whole big bag of nothing but cattle pictures,” says Akers. It becomes clear that the studio is her ranch and the photographs and drawings are her herd.

Currently, a vertical painting stretching more than 7 feet dominates the studio. It’s a Kansas landscape, almost finished, showing the sun playing across the greens of fields and pastures.

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One of Akers’ work stations is this small desk that she calls her “spillover area.”

Though her space is tight, she shares it with her grandchildren when they visit.

“I was tired of working horizontally,” says Akers, “so I decided I was going to do something vertical. It’s a challenge because it’s so skinny, going up. You see, I can’t get any distance on it up here.

It’s something I’m playing around with and having fun with. I don’t know if I’ll ever do anything with it or sell it. I’ve thought about cutting it in half. I try not to get too serious about my stuff and just enjoy the process.”

Akers continues working mostly in acrylic and canvas, though she is also doing watercolor, experimenting with collage and considering welding classes.

“There’s an awful lot of iron and stuff out here—junk that I’d like to do something with,” she says, looking across the farmyard that her husband’s family has owned since 1906.

“We both grew up here, my husband and I, in the Topeka area,” says Akers, “but we didn’t meet until 1963.” Akers wrote letters to her future husband while he was away in the National Guard and eventually they married and moved with their two young children to a farm near Osage City. Their son is now a writer and songwriter while their daughter is a graphic artist and business owner.

Akers’ career has weaved in and out of the arts. For 12 years, she taught at the Burlingame campus of Allen County Community College in Iola. She also taught after-school programs for Shawnee County Parks and Recreation as well as in-service classes for caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Akers credits the work of Andrew Wyeth for being a large influence in her life. If she could, she would like to meet Rembrandt and Rubens, and she would “really like to have studied under Norman Rockwell.” She admires his character and family values and says he made painting reminiscent, sentimental and “fun to look at.”

But perhaps artist Georgia O’Keefe—the American painter of cow skulls, flowers and the Southwest—is the closest in sentiment to Akers. “To create one’s own world, in any of the arts, takes courage,” O’Keefe once wrote. It’s an idea that well describes what Akers has done with her life, her work and even her studio in the sky.

34 HOME LIFE Dan Rowe’s mancave

Man cave with ‘Thelma’ and ‘Louise’

A car-enthusiast architect creates space for relaxation and restoration

W

hen Dan Rowe needed space for two Triumph TR3 sports cars, he built more than a staid, sturdy addition to his home. Drawing on his background as president at Treanor Architects, he reinvented the wheel for a state-of-the-art man cave with picture windows that match the exterior design of the house and offer an expansive view of the woods and wildlife beyond his backyard.

Finished in July 2008, Rowe’s addition is the culmination of two years of planning and four months of construction. The L-shape design attached to a two-car garage provides enough room to park the sports cars and still have space for a workbench plus an impressive array of power tools, including “an air compressor that makes most men envious,” laughs Rowe.

An iPod and speakers, a refrigerator full of Gatorade, a sink, a coffee pot and an antique Triumph clock allow Rowe to devote large chunks of uninterrupted time working on his cars, building a trailer or restoring a 108-year-old, pedal-pump Singer sewing machine purchased at a garage sale. Rowe currently spends approximately a dozen hours each week in the man cave, though these hours might increase if he follows through with plans to add a pinball machine and small desk and computer so he can track parts and upload photos of his cars.

“It’s an escape from work and other responsibilities,” says Rowe. “When I’m in here, I don’t have to think about anything but the task at hand, whether it’s welding or woodworking. I can Dan Rowe’s classic focus on the moment, and I often lose Triumph TR3 sport cars track of time.” deserved more than a leaky barn, so he drew Rowe’s wife, Lori, loves the man on his architectural cave. “It’s the only testosterone zone in background to create a deluxe garage.

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story by Kim Gronniger | photography by Jason Dailey

............................................................................................................................................................................................................

The other ‘attraction’

The star attractions of Dan Rowe’s man cave are undoubtedly his twin Triumph TR3 sports cars. But another piece of engineering in Rowe’s garage creates a great amount of conversation and interest, even if somewhat reluctantly: the urinal.

Rowe’s particular ceramic design piece is an odorless, waterless state-of-the- art model that he estimates saves an estimated 500 to 600 gallons of water each year.

Though these waterless additions are not exactly standard conversation pieces, they are a growing design trend because of their easy installation and limited ecological impact, especially in larger venues and public restrooms.

Installed after a lengthy permit process involving the City of Topeka and the Board of Plumbing Appeals, Rowe’s addition was more economical than a full bathroom.

Rowe also saved money by using wainscoting from extra toilet stall partitions that he purchased after mistakenly ordering the wrong type for a project. (Rowe converted the last part of the extra partitions into a customized workbench.)

Perhaps only fully appreciated upon use, the feature has drawn guarded praise from at least one unlikely source.

“Although I was squeamish about the urinal at first,” says Lori, Rowe’s wife, “it really reduces the dirt and other stuff he would have tracked in all day going back and forth.” ............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Rowe might not have any projects planned for his 108-year-old sewing machine, but the Singer reflects his love for antique goods with quality design.

the house,” she says. “It’s a mental health area for him because he comes back in the house invigorated.”

Before the man cave was completed, the Rowes stored their sports cars offsite, a workable solution for a while but ultimately not convenient for spurof-the-moment convertible drives or restoration work.

Now, with the cars close to him, Rowe can give them the attention they deserve.

The Triumph TR3 is a rare sports car. Fewer than 70,000 of them were produced in the United Kingdom from 1955 to 1961 before they were replaced by the TR4 model. Sleek with a distinctive engine roar (which Rowe describes

as “a speed boat sound”), the TR3 is a coveted collector’s item.

Rowe received the first of his TR3 cars, a teal convertible, as a 40th birthday gift from Lori. The second TR3 is a family hand-me-down that traveled a circuitous path into his garage.

Rowe’s oldest brother, Steve, bought that family legacy in 1967, and then their father bought it back for $200 to give to their sister, Thelma Louise, who didn’t have the money to fix it. “Basically I think my dad gave it to all eight of us kids because he knew it wouldn’t run,” laughs Rowe.

“When I was 6 and Thelma was 16, she showed me the T in the car and told me it stood for Thelma,” says Rowe, who has named the car “Thelma”” and the trailer that he is building to go with it “Louise” in honor of his sister.

“There’s an old adage that you have to name your projects because you’ll leave a bunch of steel unattended in a garage but not a friend,” he adds. Incidentally, Rowe’s first TR3 will remain nameless until it requires repair work.

“The family Triumph TR3 was half rust and half primer gray, basically a jalopy, and it sat in a barn until 1981 when I decided to drive it,” remembers Rowe. “I took Lori on dates in it. It didn’t have a top on it, and I drove it around sometimes with snow in my lap.”

Eventually Steve, also a car buff, took the car back in 1987 with intentions to restore it. He preserved it in a barn until he returned it—untouched—to Rowe in 2006, pushing the discussion about garage capacity to the forefront.

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

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36 HOME LIFE Dan Rowe’s mancave

When construction began on the 7-foot-wide side addition (a Triumph TR3 measures just 4 feet 7 inches across), neighbors in the cul-de-sac were both curious and supportive. “We had construction vehicles coming in and out all the time, and the neighbors were all really nice about it,” says Rowe, adding that most have come by to see the finished project.

The addition, completed by MidContinent Contracting, also entailed constructing a new driveway, adding a new roof and reapplying the shingles to blend with the existing architecture.

John Perry, the contractor, happened to also own a Triumph TR3 and shared stories and restoration advice for the cars.

Rowe acknowledges a slight case of man-cave envy when he points out that his brother built an addition that is even more impressive with a six-car garage, in-floor drainage, three pinball machines and a TV sitting area.

But he says he is satisfied with his two-car “testosterone zone.”

“This meets my needs right now, and I enjoy coming out here to think and tinker and recharge,” says Rowe. “If it stops being fun, I won’t want it anymore, and it’ll become a guest room.”

Rowe is currently creating a customized trailer out of discarded body parts of another Triumph TR3.

chef’s potluck

38

Local Flavor

Localflavor

Chef’s Potluck Potluck dinner plates can be drab and dismal.

Good thing you have three top Topeka chefs in your corner

You have been invited

to a family potluck. You know if you take your lovely summer lettuce salad, Uncle Wally will make his joke about rabbit food. Your baked beans with spicy, secret ingredients will get lost in the sea of other bean delights, though they might outshine Aunt Alice’s dish. (Who does she think she’s fooling with that grocery store potato salad dumped into the family heirloom serving bowl?) It’s impossible to outdo Grandma Tittle’s tricolored, three-layered Jell-O extravaganza. So what should you take? Three of Topeka’s restaurant owners and chefs have some tips for putting together a crowd-pleasing dish.

Before choosing a recipe, Chris Schultz, owner of The Break Room Metro Eatery and Field of Greens restaurants, suggests letting the price of items at the grocery store be a shopping guide. He says when prices are low, quality is high.

“It’s a supply-and-demand issue.

If strawberries are cheap, it’s probably their peak season. Expensive means in high demand. It’s the reverse of what you might think,” Schultz explains.

Elizabeth Lumpkin, owner of Boss Hawg’s Barbeque and Catering and Pigskins Sports Bar, echoes that advice and says it’s a case of the fresher the better for food.

“If you see a sign for fresh eggs while you’re out driving, pull over. I’m a big proponent for farm eggs,” Lumpkin says. “If you can, buy things local, whether meat or vegetables, at the farmer’s market.”

Luis Guillén, owner of New City Café, says a good recipe must have more than top-quality ingredients. You also have to love it.

“I try to cook to my taste. Something I don’t like, I don’t cook,” Guillén says.

Besides sharing tips for successful dishes, these chefs are sharing original recipes for foods they might take to a summer potluck.

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STORY BY Cheryl Nelsen | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

Guillén’s main course Lumpkin’s dessert

In the process of developing a new recipe, the café owner researches the ingredients and engages in a bit of trial and error.

“It’s not like shooting arrows in the dark. You have an idea of what you want,” Guillén says.

Drawing on his Venezuelan and Spanish heritage, Guillén suggests gazpacho as an unusual treat for a potluck. He has developed a gazpacho with a Latin-Caribbean flavor.

LUIS’ GAZPACHO

2 pounds roma tomatoes 1 large cucumber 1 medium red onion 1 large roasted red bell pepper

(available in jars, use approximately ½ cup) 1 chipotle pepper ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 ⁄3 cup red wine vinegar ¼ cup olive oil Salt and pepper

Chop tomatoes, ½ cucumber, ½ onion and ½ roasted pepper into large chunks.

Transfer to food processor, add chipotle pepper and puree. Transfer to a bowl. Dice remaining cucumber, onion and roasted pepper and add to the bowl. Add chopped cilantro, vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate. (Recipe can be prepared two days ahead.) Serve wellchilled (chill for a minimum of 3-4 hours).

Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Because barbecue has been around hundreds of years, some think there’s nothing new to offer in a barbecue restaurant.

But Lumpkin likes to shake things up by serving items such as smoked watermelon rind at Boss Hawg’s.

Lumpkin also surprises when it comes to potlucks. Although her friends might expect Lumpkin to take something from her restaurant, she likes to prepare a dish that travels well and is delicious hot or cold. A good recipe for such an occasion is bread pudding.

Elizabeth Lumpkin’s Bread Pudding

12 slices toasted potato bread

(tear into bite-size pieces after toasting)

2 cups milk 2 eggs 1½ cups sugar 2 small (1½-ounce) boxes of raisins (not the individual snack size) A 2-ounce bottle of vanilla extract 1 tablespoon cinnamon (should be as fresh as possible)

10-ounce can fruit cocktail (drained) 2 tablespoons melted butter

Makes 8-10 servings.

Schultz’s salad

When the lunch rush dies down at Field of Greens and The Break Room Metro Eatery, Schultz enjoys creating recipes.

“Great things have come from experimenting. Soups and pasta salads are such cool things to make because it’s really hard to mess them up. You never run out of things to play with,” he says.

For a potluck, Schultz recommends his recipe for “My Big Fat Greek Pasta Salad” because he says it is different than what everyone else might be bringing.

“If you’re going to a potluck and you have so many different kinds of people going there, you want to make something unique,” Schultz says.

My Big Fat Greek Pasta Salad

By Chris Schultz

1½ cups bowtie pasta (uncooked) ½ cup feta cheese ½ cup fresh baby spinach (chopped) ¾ cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced ¼ cup red onions, finely diced ¼ cup roma tomatoes, diced 1 cup bottled Greek vinaigrette dressing

Boil pasta until tender. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water. Toss the pasta with all other ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Makes 6-8 servings.

barista secrets

40

Local Flavor

Localflavor

Among the Baristas The city’s coffee experts share their takes on the popular drink

Millennia ago,

a group of people discovered the rubiaceae or “coffee” bush. Since that time, humans have changed and our brain systems have developed into a network of 10 billion neurons interconnected in greater numbers than stars in our universe.

But we are still tied to the past.

Generations and generations after the rubiaceae discovery, our bodies are still wired so that something as small as a mug of coffee can invoke, like a first kiss, a mystical moment frozen in amber or a burst of profound reverie.

And the people know this best are the baristas, the professionals who drink, live and breathe coffee. These past months, I’ve been in the city’s coffee shops, interviewing baristas and discovering their intense appreciation for their art and learning about their takes on the latest trends. In homage to their calling, I present this sampling of our city’s baristas and a few observations on their experiences with that sensual, dark drink so many crave.

...................................................................................................

the barista

robin seitz,

general manager, PT’s Coffee Co. retail division

are always surprised when I talk them into it. It shows them espresso is not a scary drink. Smaller drinks are not overpowering. taste & feel The drink stimulates all your senses in a wonderful way. You’ll see a beautiful brown from the coffee with reddish reflections. … It should stimulate you visually by showing the marriage between coffee and the milk. [People will ask me,] “It’s coffee. How can it possibly taste like chocolate, blueberries and orange with a green pepper spice?”

You’ll actually get that; it’s all there.

Parting Shot(s) In Italy, the craft of barista is respected as a profession. It’s a career choice. ...................................................................................................

the barista

Blake Austin,

manager at Lola’s Café Espresso

the life This was a glorious accident. Out of high school I had a full-ride scholarship to study engineering. After a bit, I decided it wasn’t for me. I tried various things, bounced around a bit. Once I got started in coffee, I realized this is something that I love so much, to drink and to explore as a culinary art form. the drink Traditional espresso macchiato, a 3-ounce drink, one shot of espresso and approximately one ounce of properly steamed milk (foam). It’s a 50/50 drink.

When poured properly and steamed properly, the sugars in the milk are allowed to expand, they combine with that of the coffee. … It shows you what a beautifully balanced drink is. People

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

STORY BY Vernon McFalls | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

the life The customers make the shop. You get to meet and interact with a lot of people that you might not necessarily ever meet. It’s neat to provide a service that can make them smile, and you might have just made their day.

the life You get to know your customers, almost all of them on a first-name basis at least.

You know exactly what they drink, their habits. This is also a great place to watch people interact. What is the magic? I don’t know, but it happens.

the drink The blackberry mocha, usually a tall.

It’s two shots [of espresso], Torani blackberry syrup and chocolate. Draw the shots on top of the chocolate and blackberry and make sure the chocolate and syrup are well-mixed. [That] makes it nice and smooth. You don’t want the chocolate and blackberry on the bottom of the drink. Pour your milk a little slow; make your art on the top. It’s a good drink, iced or hot—a good, solid drink.

the drink The French quarter cup, a blend of coffee mixed with chicory, our New Orleans Jazz Blend and sweetened condensed milk. When we serve this, we bring the French press out with a timer.

We bring them the press and the milk; people get to do it themselves. We like the flavor of the chicory mixed with coffee. We thought we’d give it a shot ourselves and bring it to the Midwest.

taste & feel You don’t pick up on the berry flavor until after your first taste. It’s balanced and powerful, I’d say. Bold, sweet to the palate, smooth and strong. The berry flavors can bring out the taste of the espresso, but that doesn’t go for all berries.

Parting Shot(s) Lots of people who drink straight espresso will turn their nose up at a flavored drink, saying that’s not traditional at all. The idea of tradition and coffee is changing. Lots of drinks have some flavors now. It’s not offensive, and even purists can deal with it. ...................................................................................................

the barista

Blu Hoyt,

roaster at Lazio’s Coffee Bar & Roasterie

taste & feel It’s thick. The condensed milk and the chicory are both heavy. But it’s sweet; it’s like a cup of coffee with cream and sugar. But it’s more than that; it’s a pretty deep cup of coffee. The chicory brings some tobacco notes to it. The sweetened condensed milk brings the tobacco flavor forward even more.

Because of the chicory, it’s a deeper, richer cup of coffee. It’s heavier, the body is heavy and softer all at the same time.

It’s rich, it’s soothing, and we call it a soulful coffee experience. Darn good.

Parting Shot(s) Where else can you go and work where your customers are all your friends? I can’t think of another place that would happen.

the life Customers choose to come in, to see you and get your drink. That’s something you pride yourself on. the drink My drink of choice is a double latte.

It’s smooth with a light acidity with a chocolate finish. It’s a very versatile drink. taste & feel The smell is a warm nutty aroma, tempered by the milk. There’s a tropical chocolate smell with orange or grape fruit undertones. It should have a good texture, a reddish brown cream; you should be able to see a good, even mixture of espresso and milk. It should parallel with any food. … We use 3AM Red Eye by Blue Jazz Java. It should be smooth, almost velvety … and not burn the roof of your mouth. It can actually hurt your mouth. There can be too much acid if it’s pulled improperly.

It should almost coat your mouth in a really pleasant way. That’s how it should taste, that’s how it should feel and that’s how the experience should be.

Parting Shot(s) That first sip should be like taking your shoes off at the end of a really long day. … It feels like this weight being lifted, a relaxing sort of indulgence. ...................................................................................................

the barista

Tyler Rowlinson, store manager, Hot Java

...................................................................................................

the barista

Marla Earle,

assistant manager, Java Bar at Ice and Olives

the life I was going to school to be a veterinarian and worked at an animal hospital, but there was something about being a barista. … You can connect with people here; I didn’t want to connect with people because their dog was just

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

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Local Flavor

42 barista secrets

hit by a car. With our regulars, you get to know their life stories and you can become friends. As a barista, it’s your job to befriend people, get to know what they want. I did want to be a vet, my whole life, but this gets in your blood.

I don’t care if I do this the rest of my life. If you’re having fun doing it, keep on doing it. the drink The Yolatengo: It’s caramel and a little blackberry, milk and espresso. taste & feel It’s silky, sweet, but not too sweet. It’s creamy going down with a subtle hint of blackberry, not overbearing on the caramel. The blackberry throws people off a little, but they like it. It smells sweet, fruity, intense, not overpowering. You can smell the flavors, but it mingles together to make this smell of happiness.

Parting Shot(s) No secrets. This isn’t rocket science, but there are things you do have to know, timing, temperature and heat. You can go to school for it, but l think it’s better if you learn from experience.

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the barista

Martha Snyder,

manager, Eagle’s Nest at Topeka Harley-Davidson

the life I enjoy the people, the camaraderie between the baristas and people. My customers—the regulars I see sometimes twice a day. We are a community here. People become connected.

They joke and talk. If someone is ill, we all know about it. … We have little ladies that come in, they’re all retired—they’re not your typical Harley riders. They come in because they like the atmosphere. They feel comfortable here. the drink The Mocha Latte; that’s our most popular drink. taste & feel Chocolate syrup mixed with espresso; pour in your hot milk. Most people top it with whipped cream. It’s like a hot chocolate with a bit of coffee pizzazz. I think it’s well-liked because chocolate to a lot of people is a comfort food.

It’s silky in your mouth, with a smooth chocolate taste and a bit of the coffee flavor. It’s not overpowering, but smooth and easy to drink.

They know what chocolate is; it’s not going to surprise them.

Parting Shot(s) I want every drink I make to be the best drink I’ve ever made. If you’re spending $5 on it, it better be good.

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Downtown Topeka calendar

june, july, august Farmers Market

Every Saturday-7:30am to 12pm Every Wednesday-8:30am to 1pm 10th and Topeka Boulevard, southeast corner of the state parking lot.

Desegregation and Civil Rights Political Cartoons by Herb Block

June 1-20 9am to 5pm-Brown v Board of Education Museum.

First Friday Art Walk June 5, July 3, August 7 5:30pm to 8pm

READ Dogs Open House

June 7, 14, 21, 28 2 to 3pm-Topeka Public Library, Main Lingo Story Room 121.

Classic Film: An Affair to Remember June 12 2pm-5pm-Topeka Public Library, Marvin Auditorium.

Rock the Block Concert featuring Catz and Patty King and the Back Seat Boys

June 20 7pm-8th Street between Kansas Ave. and Jackson Street.

Classic Film: The Day the Earth Stood Still

July 10 2pm-5pm-Topeka Public Library, Marvin Auditorium.

12th Annual Wine and Food Festival August 7 Topeka Performing Arts Center.

Topeka Railroad Festival August 22 Great Overland Station.

www.downtowntopekainc.com

Topeka’s most prominent building is known best by the people who work inside it. We bring you their perspective on …

EVERYTHING UNDER THE ROTUNDA

I

t’s been called “the people’s building,” the building where the business of the state is conducted. Centrally located, the Kansas Capitol has dominated the Topeka skyline since its completion in 1903. Still the highest building in the city—it’s also 18 feet taller than the nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C.—the Statehouse is actually growing in size. An extensive renovation scheduled to end by 2011 will open more than 100,000 square feet of space while restoring much of the building’s original grandeur.

There are soaring ceilings, intricate murals, marble steps, polished brass railings, bronze columns, an antique elevator, limestone labyrinths and hidden messages contained under the rotunda. The Capitol also hosts the offices of the governor and senior legislators while welcoming some 60,000 visitors last year alone.

But elected officials come and go while tourists remain for a few hours at most. The people most familiar with the Capitol are the ones who have worked in its halls and offices year after year. In the corridors of power, they are the true insiders—not because they debate bills or cut deals, but because they best know the building’s history, stories and lore.

Story by Carolyn Kaberline Photography by Jason Dailey

Stephen Crumpler law enforcement officer to Capitol Police, Kansas Highway Patrol

Although Crumpler now greets visitors throughout the building, he used to have a more dangerous assignment.

“We used to be stationed at a desk in the middle of the rotunda as part of tourist control,” he says. “Officers were often pelted by pennies thrown from above, and it wasn’t unusual to have to write up reports about officers being hit by them.”

Being in the rotunda and patrolling the Capitol grounds over the decades has allowed Crumpler a behind-the-scenes view of the building.

He recalls how the lights in the tall rotunda were turned off manually with strings and long hooks, and how the maintenance crew members would gather each night above his desk for their last duty of polishing the rotunda’s brass railing.

Through all the changes, he has been guided by the motto of the state highway patrol: “Service, Courtesy, Protection.”

“I serve the people in the building, I’m courteous to them and I protect them.”

Alan Conroy head of Legislative Research Division

Mary Torrence revisor of statutes

Barry Greis Statehouse architect

“When restoring a historical landmark like this, it’s all about listening,” says Greis. “We need to be sensitive about the past and understand the original vision; we have the opportunity to both restore and complete the original vision.”

Greis also oversaw the renovation of the governor’s residence before being asked to take over the Capitol project. Although he says it would have been cheaper to renovate the Capitol without making any effort to restore the building, Greis applauds the Legislature’s choice to do both with the current project.

“This [renovation and restoration project] is not just for those who work here,” he continues. “This is a legacy project for future generations so they can understand what their forefathers decided in the 1860s, so they can see the size and the scope of it. To know that they started out with horses and then continued with steam power is amazing.”

like this, it’s all about listening. We need to be sensitive about the past and understand the original vision; we have

“

“

When restoring a historical landmark

the opportunity to both restore and complete the original vision.

- Barry Greis

The offices of Conroy and Torrence are in the underground labyrinth that few visitors see. Part of the building’s original foundation, its rough-hewn limestone walls provide natural nooks and crannies for staff to place books or plants.

The floor in the underground offices was lowered to allow more ceiling height, and an additional 118,000 square feet of office space has been reclaimed from areas beyond the foundation.

“It’s like the state gained a whole new building,” explains Conroy, who heads a division that supplies information on request to legislators.

“This is such a unique place to work, to call your office,” he says. “As you look around the massive stone walls and think of the sacrifices those people made to build it,” Conroy starts, his voice trailing off. “It’s a point of pride, the seat of state government. I like to see the school kids come and their awe when they see it.”

Torrence, who heads the nonpartisan legal division that writes legislation and publishes the statute book, says the new underground offices have allowed her to assemble her staff in one area for the first time in years.

Previously, they were spread among four offices on two floors, and in one location several years ago staff members even had to cover holes in the wall with paper and duct tape to keep out the wind.

Larry Wills, Glen Deitcher, Don Dunn tour guides

Terri Clark data center manager/ infrastructure project manager

Currently, the Capitol electronic system is a hodgepodge of 22 separate systems added over the years. Clark, a senior tech troubleshooter, has seen the backboard electronics of voting boards and the wiring under desks in her quest to keep the old network working. But she is concentrating now on a new, comprehensive information system which is in the process of being installed.

One thing the new system will do, she explains, is bring government to the people. She envisions digital kiosks with transfer technology to download the location of lawmakers’ offices, committee meeting schedules and maps of the building.

“We’ll still have tour guides and we’ll still have the state library, but they will have different roles,” she says, adding that with this technology legislators will also be able to meet with their constituents virtually. “This technology will change government immensely. What we’re doing is groundbreaking.”

When it comes to the building itself, Deitcher admits, “I’m prejudiced.

I think it’s one of the most beautiful Capitols in the country.”

Together with Wills and Dunn, the three senior tour guides share approximately 25 years of experience.

Wills, a former music and history teacher, is often referred to as the singing tour guide as he presents the history of Kansas through tunes such as “Home on the Range,” “John Brown’s Body,” “The Chisholm Trail” and “The Song for Grand Duke Alexis of Russia.”

“When I talk of the railroad, I talk of a special guest, the grand duke, who came for a buffalo hunt in 1872,” he says. “The people were so excited, they made up a song for him, sung to the tune of ‘Hail to the Chief.’”

Touring day in and day out does not lessen the grandeur of the building for the guides. “Every time I tour, my mind goes back to the time it was constructed, and I think of the equipment they had then and how long it’s lasted without major renovations,” says Dunn. “Now we may be able to put up buildings in a year, but they won’t last over 10 years.”

As tour coordinator Andrea Burton explains, “The building has a life of its own. We see it change during the seasons. There’s more of a formal setting with more suits and ties visible when the Legislature is in session. In the summer, visitors come from all over the world and the dress is more casual.”

Susan Kannarr clerk of the House

“I have the chance to see history every day,” says Kannarr. “It’s amazing to see what they did without modern equipment and the care they put into [building] it. They really cared about what they did, down to every detail.”

Kannarr has seen change and stability over the years. “Bills used to be written in giant ledgers, then we went to punch cards and then to computer voting. The efficiency with which things can be done has changed drastically, although the process is essentially the same,” she explains. “We still have people involved and still need to get enough of 125 votes to pass legislation; technology can’t change that.”

Marc Galbraith interim state librarian

Christie Brandau former state librarian

Ornate and impressive with its glass floors and brass railings, this historic library is a research base for legislators and state agencies.

But it is also a public lending library, open to all Kansans.

Galbraith and his colleagues keep in contact with citizens through numerous programs such as Homework Kansas, which provides a one-on-one real-time homework service available to any student, kindergarten through the beginning of college.

“It’s said this is the people’s building, which makes this the people’s library,” explains Galbraith.

Pat Saville secretary of the Senate

In her work of keeping the Senate running, Saville encounters history all around her and sometimes in the most unlikely places.

“When they refinished the desks, they found that senators had signed their names in the drawers. They covered these with a clear coat to preserve them,” says Saville.

The Senate Chamber is often regarded as the most impressive room in the Capitol. Although great care was taken to preserve the original look of the room, technology has been added, notes Saville, pointing to the microphones, speakers and computer hookups placed unobtrusively between the desks.

“This needed to be done,” she says. “It’s really special to have a place like this to make laws to govern into the future. I’m glad we could restore the old part and still have room for technology.”

Mary Folks Capitol dome tour guide

For Folks, the challenge of climbing 296 steps to the very top of the building and then to the outside platform of the rotunda several times a day is personally rewarding and a way to teach a life lesson worthy of the state motto.

“This is good for me as I age,” says the 51-year-old Folks. “I’m in better shape now than I was at 25.”

Even better is the fact that she helps people overcome their fears as she guides them up the narrow, spiral staircase.

“When I help them up, something sacred passes between us,” says Folks. “I feel they’re trusting me with their lives. … I ask kids to seal this climb in their hearts, so when they’re afraid in the future they can remember this day. I tell them that in the future they may not remember me, but they’ll remember to believe in themselves, that they can do anything they set their minds to, they’ll remember the message—to the stars through difficulties.”

Jeff Russell director of legislative administrative services

Sharon Schwartz chief of staff of legislative administrative services

In their work, Russell and Schwartz are responsible for assigning locations for committees and staff, which means they have developed a detailed knowledge of the condition of each room.

“When the renovations started, we were only 20-25 years away from demolition by neglect,” Russell says. “There were leaks, and the wiring was not meant to take on the technology of today.”

The current renovation, they believe, will solve most of these problems and create a greater appreciation for the building.

“There’s not a day since I’ve been coming here that I don’t stop and stand in awe,” says Russell.

He notes that the building is “a lot like the Grand Canyon. I can remember visiting the canyon and pulling up in the parking lot, and there were school buses there, and professional buses and tour buses—but everyone was hushed like it was a church. It’s the ‘wow’ factor. And that’s the same impression the Capitol makes on visitors.”

“I think any person who works in this building should feel privileged to do so,” adds Schwartz.

“

“

when i help them up, something sacred passes between us.

- mary folks

52 LIVING WELL Meadows Elementary School Running Club

Run through the Meadows A strong start might lead to a life of fitness for the children in one school’s popular exercise program

G

et kids to run. Teach them about proper nutrition and different exercises. And most importantly, encourage them to have fun along the way. That was the philosophy behind the Meadows Elementary School Running Club when it started as the first in the Topeka Public Schools.

Three years later, parents and school administrators are amazed at the program’s success.

“It’s the best thing that’s happened to Meadows,” says kindergarten teacher Kathy Barreto, who has been in the classroom for more than 33 years and seen lots of programs come and go.

“The children just can’t wait until the running club days,” Barreto explains. “They say, ‘Is this running club day?’ And they’re real excited.” She believes school morale is at an alltime high.

Assistant Principal Steve Yeoman agrees. “It’s had a profound impact on the school,” he says. “We have 500-plus kids, and when you have 100 of them participating in something that promotes a healthy lifestyle that’s also associated with the school … it just makes for an interconnectedness.”

The after-school program works like this: Students head out on a course with several stations. They run a variety of distances depending on their age, learn about nutrition, go through obstacle courses and drills, and participate in exercises such as yoga or Jazzercise.

Many students, like fourth-grader Sierra Moore, can hardly wait for the school bell to ring. “It’s real fun,” she beams. “I really like Jazzercise.”

Her classmate and fellow runner, Michael Hurocy, was hesitant about joining the club at first. He wasn’t too sure about having to stay after school. “My mom wanted me to try it. And once I did, I really liked it. It turned out to be really fun.”

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

After-school kickball games are pure entertainment for the students of Meadows Elementary School, but they also provide critical exercise time.

But it’s not just the “older” kids who think the running club is really cool. Judson Schmitt, a first-grader, really gets into it, “I like to have snacks and to run,” he says.

Students also learn firsthand about healthy eating habits.

They get to sample different types of foods they might not otherwise try, including pomegranates, figs and couscous.

Parent volunteer Patricia Calwrie is learning about whole foods alongside her kindergartner. “We learn about natural foods. We tried nuts and different vegetables that are good for you. No pop.”

“We learned that sugar has no nutritional value,” says Hurocy, who is 9 years old.

Another phenomenon that’s occurred with the running club is the spillover effect it’s having on parents. It’s inspired

STORY BY Jamie Borgman | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

The Meadows fitness club program relies on educators, parent volunteers and the students’ enthusiasm.

Judson’s dad to start running again. After helping with his son’s running group for two years, David now runs regularly. He says the running club has rubbed off on his entire family.

“My son got me into it,” David says. “It’s been a good outlet for all of us.”

David and Judson now run in races together, “He’s gotten several under his belt now and we hope to have a lot more. We have a good time.” At the ripe old age of 6, Judson is now a veteran roadster.

The Meadows Running Club has been such a success, community organizations are taking note. The Junior League of Topeka donated $14,000 to the school to build a 5-foot-wide track around the playground. The funding came from the Junior League’s Happy, Healthy Me project, which is a multiyear, multifaceted initiative to improve children’s self-esteem by promoting wellness.

Gina Nellis, a representative with the Junior League, says the group is amazed at what Meadows is doing and calls the program “a huge step in the right direction.”

Cathy Kesner, principal of Meadows Elementary School, says the track would not have been possible if it were not for

Racing competitions keep students excited about the post-school program, but parents and teachers say their excitement comes from seeing improved classroom performance and healthier children.

parents and teachers coming together to volunteer their time and energy.

The track is one tangible example of that, and Kesner is glad to see the entire community reaping the benefits, “Parents and families walk in the evenings and weekends. And the use it gets during recess and PE—it’s wonderful.”

Yeoman believes this is only the beginning of the far-reaching impact the running club will have. “The volunteers don’t just excite the kids about running, they excite them about activity.

They excite them about being outside, and trying different kinds of food … it’s this infectious idea.”

Some students say they are now planning to run a marathon.

So how far is that to a fourth-grader? “It’s three miles,” says Sierra. But who is to say the remaining 23.2 miles won’t be a breeze for this Meadows Running Club veteran?

It’ll be a few years before any Olympic track stars come out of the running club. But those involved with the program say it’s not a matter of if, but when.

“I have no doubt these kids will move right on to the next level,” says Yeoman.

When a simple concept strikes gold, you never know where it will end.

56 GROW Lake Shawnee

Lake Shawnee Planning and investment have revived one of the area’s most popular recreation destinations

L

ooking over the rolling vistas of timber, perfectly manicured lawns and bright gardens, John Kennedy speaks with pride about the changes at Lake Shawnee

After serving as Lake Shawnee park director for eight years, he recalls a time when there was not much development around the lake.

“It was a diamond in the rough,” says Kennedy.

But that has changed. In recent years, Lake Shawnee has become a recreation destination that hosts a million visitors a year who boat, picnic, camp, swim, play softball, soccer, golf or walk the newly completed seven-mile trail. The area has gone ...................................................................................... from being a sleepy lake in the city’s southeast corner to, as Kennedy calls it, “Topeka’s backyard.”

Lake Shawnee in numbers 10 square miles – drainage area

55 feet – maximum lake depth and

maximum dam height 410 acres – total lake surface area 616.3 acres – park area 1935 and 1938 – dates of

construction 2,200 feet – length of dam 2.75 billion – lake capacity in gallons

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Public project

Workers in President Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration built the earthen dam and carved Lake Shawnee from Wolf Creek in 1937.

Decades later, public funds are still one of the key components of the lake’s revival.

The federal government chipped in with a $1 million contribution from

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

the Federal Emergency Management Agency to refurbish the spillway channel and overlook, while the Kansas Department of Transportation dispersed $7 million (70 percent federal and 30 percent county funds) to complete the recreational trail.

The spillway project repaired significant storm damage and erosion, notes Kennedy, while the trail project created a 300-foot walkway that is the longest pedestrian footbridge in Kansas.

Gardens

Most visitors, however, will notice the gardens when they first arrive.

The gardens began when Topekan Ted Ensley, a former parks and recreation leader, took a vacant field off the lake and created a rose garden. Now, lake authorities honor his efforts with the Ted Ensley Gardens, a vibrant attraction on the lake’s east side.

Julie Trowbridge was hired in 1980 as a horticulturist to begin cultivation.

“There were no flowerbeds or landscaping there,” recalls Trowbridge. “It was a field and privet hedges.”

Backed with donations from Jerold Binkley’s annual tulip festival and a Friends of the Gardens support group, Trowbridge has added a gazebo, a patio and some 80,000 annuals.

“It was a volunteer project from the beginning,” says Trowbridge. “Now we actively recruit in the community.”

story by Francie Forrestt Riley | photography by Jason Dailey

12 Great Events for a Lake Shawnee Summer 1) Play traditional luau games, listen to live music and have a great excuse to wear Hawaiian attire at the Marina Luau Bash, 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. June 5, www.snco.us/parksandrec/lake_shawnee.asp (website lists all Parks and Recreation events and times).

2) Enjoy the fireworks, car show and water-ski demonstration for a festive holiday during the Spirit of Kansas July 4th Celebration, from morning to dark throughout Lake Shawnee.

And there’s no shortage of work with the huge number of plantings. Last year, volunteers—individuals and groups from the Topeka Area Water Garden Society, Topeka Beautification Association, Meade Flower and Garden Club, Topeka Rose Society, Gardeners of America, Keep America Beautiful and Shawnee County Jail Crew—put in 8,000 hours of weeding, planting bulbs and pruning roses.

Future asset

Going through the park, Kennedy agrees volunteer have been crucial to the success of the gardens. Moreover, he thinks the entire lake project—from the carefully planned beds to the cascading waterfalls and lily ponds—depended on public support.

That outpouring of support has created a Lake Shawnee that will likely draw even greater numbers of visitors in the future.

Kennedy recognizes that surrounding business development and increased traffic will place more strain on the lake, but he’s glad that more people are visiting his “backyard.”

“We want to accommodate all the people who want to come,” says Kennedy. “We’ve got a great asset.”

3) See some of the nation’s best American Indian crafts and watch traditional dances at the Lake Shawnee Traditional Inter-tribal Pow Wow; Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-6; www.shawneecountyalliedtribes.org.

4) Make it a family night out at the Drive-In Movie Night, July 31 and August 1, times and movies TBA. 5) Enjoy a picnic in the park or rent a shelter house for a family birthday or reunion anytime throughout the summer.

6) Run with the pack (or just cheer them on) at the Topeka Tinman Triathlon, June 20, www.topekatinmantriathlon.com.

7) Let your dog run with the pack at the Dogs’ Day Out on the Lake Shawnee Beach, August 30.

8) Watch some serious water-sport competition at the Sunflower State Games Rowing Championship (July 10), the Sunflower State Games Sailing Championship (July 18) and the Kansas State Championship Water Ski Tournament (July 25-26) www. sunflowergames.com and www.usawaterski.org.

9) Cool off at the Lake Shawnee swimming beach throughout the summer.

10) Go, duckie, go! Cheer on your duck, support local charities and have a chance at winning a new car in the Sertoma Topeka Duck Race, September 6, www.topekaduckrace.org.

11) Play soccer, softball, Frisbee golf or simply walk and bike along the trails.

12) Soar away with the Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally, a charity benefit with balloon flights and special children’s workshops, September 11-13, www.huff-n-puff.org

58 GROW Local nurseries

How do their gardens grow?

Owners of local nurseries and greenhouses offer expert advice and years of experience in greening your yard, but what do they love to plant on their own property?

W

ho hasn’t been enticed to order by mail some exotic plant that is guaranteed to grow in climate Zone 5? It arrives, withered and suffocated in a baggy.

You follow all of the planting instructions and wait for the specimen to bloom, and wait, and wait–and then forget where you planted it, and where the guarantee and receipt are. We selectively choose not to learn from our mistakes because next year when the mailorder nursery catalogs arrive, we once again pour ourselves a cup of tea and begin earmarking the pages for our next order.

This year, I broke the cycle of wilted plants and shattered dreams by checking in with the owners of three local nurseries. Local nurseries can provide inventory that is either grown here or has already been acclimated to Kansas weather conditions. Each season, they help customers cultivate natural beauty in their yards. But what do they take home for their own landscape? It turns out their home plantings are just as varied as the assortment of plants available in their greenhouses. But, more importantly, they all offered some sage advice.

BLACKBURN NURSERY INC.: 4100 SW 40th St.

Brett Blackburn admits he has little time for gardening at home because he spends most of his hours this time of year at the nursery.

Nonetheless, his home has an established landscape that requires little maintenance but continues to look good.

A staple in Blackburn’s home landscape is the ‘Carpet’ rose that blooms early and continues blooming until frost. Compared with the popular ‘Knock Out’ rose plants, ‘Carpet’ roses grow lower, are more disease resistant and come in a greater variety of colors. This year’s new color is amber.

“If we have a lot of rain or someone uses an overhead sprinkler, the ‘Knock Out’ roses succumb to mildew, but the ‘Carpet’ rose endures beautifully,” says Blackburn.

As an accent, Blackburn added the perennial Coreopsis ‘Zagreb,’ which has a darker, bolder color than Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam.’ He uses Houttuynia ‘Chameleon’ for groundcover because of its variegated foliage.

To avoid having to apply mulch every year, he uses only bark mulch or Softscape.

“The bark, being the part of the tree intended to weather the elements, doesn’t break down quickly and can last three years,” Blackburn says. “A new variety of mulch called Softscape is extruded cypress bark with the texture of pine needles. It stays in place and gives a refined look.”

Blackburn suggests adding shrubs to give structure to the landscape.

He recommends Sweetspire, Spiraea ‘Golden Elf’ and ‘Gold Lace’ Juniper.

Additionally, the eye needs to be extended upward as well as horizontally, so a Canada Red Cherry or a Cleveland Select Pear tree would add interest.

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TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

story by Debra Stufflebean | photography by Jason Dailey

JACKSON’S GREENHOUSE: 1933 NW Lower Silver Lake Road

When Annette Jackson is asked what she grows at home, she reacts as if she were the cobbler being questioned about her children’s shoes and confesses that most of her home’s seasonal color comes from arranging 15 to 20 pots on her deck and down her front walk. Jackson loves container planting and says interest and color can be pulled together through pots—floral, vegetable, herbs or a combination. She prefers to use plants started from root cuttings and identified as “proven winners” by division wholesalers.

“The adage that ‘you get what you pay for,’ is true,” says Jackson.

“Consumers can buy six-packs of flowers started from seed for around $2.19 or they can buy individual plants of the ‘proven winners’ varieties at $2.79, but they will last the season and bloom more profusely.”

Jackson provides some tips to make container planting more successful.

Watering frequency should determine what type of pots to use. With frequent watering, use terra-cotta or cocoa liner baskets; for infrequent watering, use nonporous glazed, plastic or Styrofoam. All soil should be lightweight and drain well. Jackson prefers water-soluble fertilizer that can be added with each watering.

“Lack of feeding is the main reason that planters don’t look as good two weeks after a person has bought them at the nursery,” says Jackson.

“Also don’t be afraid to cut plants back. I’m known around the greenhouse as ‘Hatchet Harry.’”

SKINNER GARDEN STORE INC.: 4237 NW Lower Silver Lake Road

The father-and-son team of Jack and Cameron Rees say they enjoy spending time in their home yards, although each focuses on a different area.

Tree-loving Jack has planted about 40 varieties of trees on a one-acre plot.

“It’s a lifetime endeavor to plant a small forest, but I’m interested in seeing how different varieties fare. Of course it’ll take years to find out, and by then you’re so old nobody cares to listen,” he says with a grin. Some of Jack’s favorites are ornamental crabapples like ‘Donald Wyman,’ ‘Prairie Fire’ and ‘Evelyn,’ plus ginkgo, bald cypress and river birch trees.

Jack also plants a no-till vegetable garden. He recommends using a herbicide in the fall to kill weeds and only spading planting spots in the spring, because turning the soil exposes weed seed. He grows tomatoes, green beans, summer squash, peppers, onions, asparagus and spinach. Each year he tries something less common, most recently parsnips and arugula.

Cameron likes to mix annual vegetables and herbs with flowers in the beds.

Ruffles of lime-colored lettuce look good as filler in strategically placed flowerpots, and asparagus plants catch the eye as they soar throughout the flowerbed.

“I like to create beds away from my house that are visible from my windows and create something that looks good as I look out across the yard from inside my home,” says Cameron. “Experimenting is part of the enjoyment.”

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

59

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2942A S.W. Wanamaker Drive, Suite 100, Topeka, 66614-4135 785.440.4000 www.csl-law.com

Making Summer Plans?

Get to know the unique attractions of Kansas and Missouri with

a day

A two-part special starring Lori Carson of “Home & Away” Episode 1 debuts June 7th, 10:30pm

Episode 2 debuts June 14th, 10:30pm

Join Lori as she takes you on a viewers only tour of the Prairie Band Casino, Boulevard Brewery, a Kansas City museum, the best of Atchison, Salina’s neighborhoods and peeks inside the Rolling Hills Zoo/Wildlife Park and Smoky Hills Vineyards.

Interested in theaters, waterparks and a wall of jeans? Join Lori as she takes you to McPherson and its Scottish Festival to Hutchinson’s Salt Mine and Cosmosphere. She’ll also take you on a tour of Emporia, Kansas City, Kansas, Bonner Springs and Village West/Legends.

Visit www.adayawayshow.com for more!

For the Family

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gage park carousel

Old-Fashioned

‘Speed Thrill’

G

age Park began with a gift of 80 acres from the heirs of Guilford Gage in 1899. Since then, the park’s size has doubled and several family favorites have been added. One of the top attractions for all ages is the riding carousel built by the Herschell Spillman of North Tonawanda, New York, around 1908. This portable treasure, previously located in Philadelphia and Longview, Texas, came to Topeka’s Boyles Joyland at 25th and California in 1957. In 1986 the City of Topeka acquired it.

The history of carousels goes far beyond the 100 years of the Gage Park carousel. Its name has Italian and Span-

Bounced from one location to another in its first hundred years, Gage Park’s popular carousel gets restorations, improvements and loving care for its journey through the next century ish roots meaning “little war,” and the first carousels were believed to be adaptations of jousting. The original carousels were not for children, notes Ron Cathey, special venues manager for Topeka Parks and Recreation. He says carousels were originally “adult activities because the carousel went

as fast or faster than horseback.” Indeed, the carousel was the speed thrill of its day.

But centuries later, the Gage Park carousel, open to all ages, seems most loved by children who are attracted by its motion and the fanciful animal designs.

The Lillie Belle horse is one of the more famous animals at the Gage Park carousel. This type of horse was one of the most popular designs from the Parker Carousel Factory and variations appeared on many carousels from the early 1900s.

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STORY BY Nancy Vogel | PHOTOGRAPHY BY Jason Dailey

The sheaf of wheat and sunflowers are the unique designs on the Kansas Horse, possibly the most famous of the Gage Park carousel animals. Officials note, however, that riders of different ages and genders gravitate toward different animals.

.........................................................................................................

Gage Park carousel Tickets: 75 cents for any age Summer season hours: Open 8 a.m.-11 a.m., noon-3 p.m. and 4 p.m.-7 p.m. daily Star attractions

Here a pig, there a pig

The signature animal on the Topeka carousel is the Kansas Horse, decorated with a sheaf of wheat in the stirrup and sunflowers on the bridle and around the saddle. Denver artist Will Morton VIII, who restored the carousel for the grand reopening in 1989, “basically modified a rose horse pattern,” says Cathey.

Another favorite carousel horse is the green, lavender and purple Lillie Belle. Unlike the other carousel horses, this one is made from aluminum, a trademark of creator C.W. Parker, whose horses tend to have an elongated body. Parker built carousels in Abilene and Leavenworth, home of the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum.

Both horses look fresh and ready for riders. That’s because the park has finished refurbishing about half of the carousel animals. Plans are set for Wichita-based artist Marlene Irwin, who has already restored the carousel’s rooster, to refurbish the other half when more funds are obtained.

Are there crowd favorites? Cathey says that depends on age and gender.

“The girls seem to like the pretty horses,” he says. “Some of the great big kids prefer a dog or a pig.”

In all, Topeka’s jewel of a carousel has 36 animals in 12 rows, although extras can be added such as during the holiday season when a Rudolph character is featured. Currently there are 24 horses plus a range of other animals, including a camel, a rooster, zebras, rabbits, pigs, chickens, dogs and a pair of deer, though to an amateur’s eye the second deer closely resembles a goat.

The nonhorse animals are all aluminum, which means they are replacements for the originals.

Cathey suspects the dogs were not part of the original design. In addition to all of these “jumpers” who move up and down on their poles as they rotate, the carousel provides stationary seats, or “chariots,” to accommodate riders who prefer a more stable spin.

Cathey and staff try to set the restored animals back into the design that Morton intended. “We’re trying to … get it rebalanced so that there’s a chicken 180 degrees around the circle from the other chicken, or the pig, or whatever,” says Cathey.

One break with Morton’s design, Cathey notes, is to brighten the colors used in painting the animals. “There were a lot of dark colors, and as you can tell, it is a very dark room. So we were trying to brighten it up and have a little more gaiety in here with lighter colors,” says Cathey.

He adds that “we put a harder, glossier finish on to help them last longer. They’re painted with automotive finish so that hopefully they won’t wear out on the saddles and the flanks where your legs are and where the little kids’ shoes hit them.”

But these new colors and paints are actually more in line with the carousel’s history. The ongoing renovation is an attempt to restore the original scheme by Spillman, who would use only three colors, but several shades of each color, per animal.

Cathey takes pride in explaining that the outer ring, the rounding board, features “art of historic Shawnee County locations copied from postcards.” These include Willow Park, Kansas Avenue with a trolley car, the Statehouse and Vinewood Park—the end of the trolley route. Vinewood is known in carousel circles because it had a “wonderful” carousel.

On the inside of the carousel is space for the Wurlitzer 125 style organ, which is under repair. Donated by the Topeka Active 20-30 Club, the organ has a snare drum and a tom-tom drum on it.

All these elements of music, art, craft and history come together in Gage Park’s carousel to create something of a living, roundabout museum. But even the youngest rider, without knowing any of this, can tell you the carousel is one great thrill.

TOPEKAMAGAZINE Summer 2009

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BEST BETS in June-Aug 2009 Events Calendar

June ArtsConnect! First Fridays Artwalk June 5 (and first Friday of each month): Topeka’s galleries, studios and public venues open to display art in a social setting; for a complete list of venues, see www. artsconnecttopeka.org. Various venues.

5:30 p.m.-8 p.m.

Sunflower Music Festival June 5-13: Series of free orchestra concerts, chamber music performances and other musical events. White Concert Hall, Washburn University. www.sunflowermusicfestival.org

July Spirit of Kansas, July 4th Celebration July 4, 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m. | Lake Shawnee Car show, golf tournament, water ski demonstrations and grand fireworks display Sunflower State Games July 10-12, 17-19 and 24-26: Various venues throughout Topeka. Annual amateur state athletic competitions. New events this year include fencing, paintball and Strongman. www.sunflowergames.com Fiesta Mexicana July 14-18: Celebration of culture and heritage with music, food and dance. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and various venues, (785) 233-9171. www.olg-parish.org/fiesta

August Grape Escape, A Toast to the Arts August 7: Wine and food festival with silent and live auctions to benefit Topeka Performing Arts Center. Tickets $60 and $85.

Time TBA. www.tpactix.org Topeka Railroad Festival August 22: Celebration of the railroad, its history and influence on the community.

Events include a children’s activity area, hobo camp, model railroads, railroad memorabilia, railroad displays, hand cars, antique cars, trackless train, pie eating contests and dunk tank. Great Overland Station, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.

Tickets $5 advance / $8 on day / children 6 and under free. (785) 220-0733; www.greatoverlandstation.com

Mulvane Art Museum’s Mountain/ Plains Art Fair June 7: Featuring work of more than 90 artists and hands-on activities for children; musical entertainment; tickets $6. Washburn University campus. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. sixth Annual Fundraising Gala for Great Overland Station and the All Veterans Memorial June 19: Dress “Western chic.” Gourmet chuckwagon dinner, entertainment, dancing and music by Sierra; Great Overland Station, 701 N. Kansas Ave. 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m. $150 per person or $250 per couple. For reservations or more information, call (785) 232-5533; www.greatoverlandstation.com

APFL Championship Game July 18: Championship match for American Professional Football League. Will the Topeka Koyotes make it seven straight title wins? Landon Arena, Kansas Expocentre.

7:05 p.m. www.ksexpo.com or www.apflfootball.com Shawnee County Fair July 24-26: Exhibits, food vendors and competitions; free parking and free admission. Kansas Expocentre National Day of the American Cowboy July 26: Cowboy demonstrations, songs and contests for the entire family. Old Prairie Town at Historic Ward Meade Park, 124 NW Fillmore, (785) 368-3888. 8 a.m.-sunset.

Ice Cream Safari August 22: Watch animals enjoy cool treats throughout the day; cool treats for people too! Members admitted free. Topeka Zoological Park, Gage Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

(785) 368-9180, www.topeka.org/zoo Dog’s Day Out August 30: Beach season ends with a day devoted to the dogs—let them enjoy the surf and sand at Lake Shawnee. All dogs must be vaccinated. Lake Shawnee Beach. Fee $1.

12:30-1:30 p.m. for small dogs; 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. for big dogs.

All events are subject to change.

Listings Courtesy of www.topekachamber.org & www.visittopeka.travel.

E-mail your upcoming events for the calendar to topekamagazine@sunflower.com

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TOPEKA MAGAZINE — SUMMER 2009