September 2015 - 2
I INSIDE
Volume 32 • Issue 9 September 2015
ON THE COVER Challenging authority | 16 Cartoonist and musician Richard Crowson uses his talents to take on the pillars of government and to make the public think.
Bicycle hobo: East Wichitan roams America under pedal power | 4
Features Performing Arts Calendar......................................7
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People and Places...................8
Eastsider wins special education award | 9 EWN’s Fall Home and Garden Special Section | 19-32
East Wichita News Editorial
Publisher Paul Rhodes Managing Editor Travis Mounts Production Abbygail Wells Reporters/Contributors Sam Jack, Amy Houston, Jim Erickson, Philip Holmes
Sales & Billing
Sales Paul Rhodes, Valorie Castor Billing/Circulation Tori Vinciguerra A Division of Times-Sentinel Newspapers 125 N. Main • P.O. Box 544 Cheney, KS 67025 Phone: (316) 540-0500 Fax: (316) 540-3283 © 2015 Times-Sentinel Newspapers LLC
Dateline.................................... 10 From the Publisher’s Files............................................ 11 Focus On Business................ 12 Cinema Scene........................ 14 Movie Review......................... 14
Back to school means changes Back-to-school time has arrived, but in my family that means some larger-than-normal changes. My oldest son, Isaac, has headed off to college. We moved him into his on-campus apartment at Hutchinson Community College on a recent Monday. In a way, it was anti-climactic. He didn’t take much stuff, and being a short drive from home means it’s very easy to get stuff transported to school or back home. There was some stress-induced drama over his last weekend at home, so by the time move-in Monday rolled around, his mother and I may have been as happy to see him go as he was to be going. By move-in day, though, everything was better and the move went smoothly. We were done in a couple of hours. We had lunch, and by noon the kid was on his own. Isaac’s brother, Aaron, a high school sophomore, quickly did some rearranging in their shared room at their mom’s house. I imagine the same thing will happen at my house soon. Aaron, it seems, has quickly adapted to his new situation. I hope Isaac slips into college life a little more slowly than I did. My movein day was on a Friday. My folks left for home that afternoon. I spent the first two nights of college partying until 4 a.m. Don’t tell my kids. I imagine I will notice the change more
Travis Mounts | Managing Editor
over the next couple weeks. Cooking for two instead of three – well, cooking for three instead of five. Teenage boys eat the equivalent of two normal humans. The amount of clothing, books and other assorted crap left laying all over the place should decrease. Isaac is a proud gear head, so he tends to leave tools and partially completed repair projects all over. My garage and yard have accumulated a trailer, a push mower and a scooter – none in working order. It’s like a scene from “Sanford and Son.” I won’t miss the random dirty socks all over the house, either. But I will miss him. However, it’s time for him to have a new adventure and to begin building his own life. I’m excited for him and even a bit envious. And if I get too lonely, I can always visit all his stuff still cluttering my garage.
Eastside Homes..................... 21 Now in our 32nd year! The East Wichita News is a monthly newspaper focused on the people and places on Wichita’s East Side. It is delivered free to most homes within our coverage area, although distribution is not guaranteed. Guaranteed home delivery by mail is available for $10 per year. Single copies are available in a variety of Eastside locations. Visit our website for more - www.eastwichitanews.com. Email story ideas and photographs to news@tsnews.com. Visit us on Facebook.
Managing editor Travis Mounts took a selfie with his son Isaac on move-in day at Hutchinson Community College.
September 2015 - 4
Bicycle Hobo
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East Wichitan roams America under pedal power
Halfway through a coast-to-coast tour, Ben Kincaid has whittled his possessions down to the essentials he can strap to a bicycle frame. He grew up in College Hill, and though he has wandered the continent for the past four years, he still considers the neighborhood home.
Story
by
Sam Jack
In 2011, East Wichitan Ben Kincaid quit an unsatisfying, minimum-wage job and became a traveler. In the years since, he has seen America. “Hoboing,” he calls it. His current adventure is a bicycle tour, which he began on June 2 – his 28th birthday – in Portland, Ore. He has charted a winding route across the country to Portland, Maine. He spent some time in College Hill Park on Aug. 14, the last day of his recent stop in Wichita. “I’ve been traveling, unattached, for four years now,” he said. “I’ve hopped freight trains, hitchhiked across the country. Riding a bicycle is the easiest of those things I’ve done. Even driving is more stressful. On a bike, you just get to sit there and see the world at 10 miles an hour. You can stop whenever you want, see whatever you want. It’s a beautiful thing.” By reducing to the bare essentials, Kincaid can carry everything he needs on his sturdy bicycle. His supplies include a tent, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, saxophone, cell phone and solar charger, camp stove and other essentials that fit into four saddlebags (called panniers). “Most people don’t carry as much as I do,” said Kincaid. “My bike weighed 116 pounds in Missoula, and I might’ve gained a few pounds since.” Kincaid spends as little as $50 per week on the road, he said. He avoids paying for lodging by camping overnight in city parks and showering at public pools or in the homes of people who have posted online that they welcome bicycle travelers. To meet the caloric demands of traveling under pedal power, he is not above dumpster diving. “I’m the guy that, when I show up at a camp, people say, ‘Oh man, you’ve got all these veggies.’ You pull up behind a grocery store, and there’s fresh veggies that might have a bruise on them, or prepackaged meals that are a day past the date and still cold from the refrigerator. I’ve got coconut oil, and I carry 14 spices with me,” said Kincaid. “I try to do things for myself as much as I can and not rely on premade, expensive things, because then if they fail, OK, I’ll make a new one.”
He gets what little money he needs with a succession of temporary jobs, including a stint of several weeks fighting forest fires near Bend, Ore. “I saw an ad on craig’slist, looking for firefighters, and said, ‘Why not?’ I had a couple friends who suggested it, because they know I’m a physically active person. You go to places you’ve never seen, places that most people never see, in a state that no one else will ever see it in,” said Kincaid. After a week of intense training, Kincaid and his fire crew hiked through narrow, deep valleys, with snowy mountains in the distance and smoke and flames closer at hand. The crew’s job was to closely inspect burnt terrain, looking for hotspots that could reignite. “Out in the woods, they can’t get water to you. There’re a couple guys with five-gallon water bags, and you use those as sparingly as possible. Mainly, you bury the fire with dirt,” said Kincaid. “A root system can burn like a punk, even six or seven feet underground, so you’ve got to hack open the earth and get to the root to bust it apart.” Kincaid fought the fires, made the money he needed to keep moving, then moved on. Hopping freight trains is more associated with the Great Depression than with the present day, but apparently there is still a vibrant subculture of those pursuing the practice. Kincaid doesn’t consider himself a “hardcore” railroad hobo, but he said he urges anyone who can put up with the risk and the physical strain to give it a try. “You know how convertibles are better on a beautiful day like today? Imagine being in the open air on a freight train on a day like this,” he said. Modern-day train-hoppers don’t ride in the boxcars depicted in the movies; the risk of being locked inside a dark car for days is too great. Intermodal cars and grain cars are better targets. “The intermodals have ribs on the sides, like a big well you can lie down in. Depending on the direction you’re heading, you hop on the side that gets the most shade. Grainers are really great if it’s raining, because you have a cover over you,” said Kincaid. The people Kincaid meets on the rails and bike trails have a variety of
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Kincaid celebrates conquering McKenzie Pass in Oregon. Courtesy photo
As a pre-teen and teen, Kincaid was a prodigiously talented saxophone player. In middle school, he joined the jazz band at Wichita East High School, and while he was still a high school student at Wichita Southeast, he studied jazz arts at Wichita State University. “That’s what most people know me from, my horn. I played at Bradley
Fair’s Fourth of July, like, four years in a row. Before that, I won the Air Force worldwide talent contest and the Boys and Girls Club national talent contest. I did that for a while, but I didn’t need that recognition,” he said. “I normally resent what I do for a living, so I don’t want to be a professional musician. I want to get satisfaction from what I do.” The saxophone case strapped onto Kincaid’s bike frame is a tool, for buskSee KINCAID, Page 6
Kincaid has been documenting milestones and the mundane from his trip on his Facebook page. Courtesy photo
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reasons for dropping out of mainstream society. Some struggle with addiction or are running away from something, but even people with problems are kind, for the most part. Kindness and mutual cooperation are the strongest human instincts, Kincaid believes, even in people that society has discarded for one reason or another. “Think about it, man. All of this” – he waved his arm in a gesture to encompass the tidy park, the quiet houses and the city stretching beyond College Hill – “would not be possible if you didn’t work together and take care of each other. These days, the media says, ‘You are on your own, and no one cares about you except yourself.’ I think that has a way of segregating people into their own worlds. “I get asked on the road quite a bit, ‘Do you carry a gun? Do you have a knife? Are you going to be able to protect yourself when you get attacked?’ That’s a really big ‘when.’ I haven’t been attacked yet. In all these four years of hitchhiking, I’ve only had one situation where I felt uncomfortable, and even then I didn’t feel a threat of violence. Other than that, it’s been incredible. If you don’t practice bad sense, you’re fine. People love to help each other,” Kincaid said.
September 2015 - 6
Kincaid Continued from Page 5
ing and for making connections with people on the road. It is no longer core to his identity. At least for now, he has decided not to value himself in terms of what other people value. “People expect me to be doing this for a reason or a cause, to raise money or something,” he said. “But the main reason, honestly, is just to meet people and convince them how cool it is to be cool to people.”
25th
Kincaid was asked about his plans. Four years on the road is one thing, but what about the next four years, or the next 40? Is it possible to just keep living like this, indefinitely?
Fall!
“No, not at all,” he said. “I’ve got one more big adventure in me. I’m hoping that next summer I can hike the Camino de Santiago, this medieval pilgrimage route in Europe. It’s like a 2,000mile hike, from Greece to northwest Spain. After that, I’d like to settle down here in Wichita. “I’d like to get hooked up with a church and start a chapter of this nonprofit I was a member of in California, called the Guerrilla Gardening Club of Morro Bay. They teach you about plants, sustainability, how to be a good person. They do community dinners and outreach. College Hill, this is my home, and we could build community here with something like that. When I’m in Morro Bay, I don’t have to pay for yoga or haircuts, because I built beehives and put them on the roofs. That’s the way the world should work.”
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Kincaid repurposed buckets used in food packaging as panniers, saving several hundred dollars. He is mapping his progress across the U.S. as he goes. Sam Jack/East Wichita News
Through Sept. 12 – “Mom and Pop’s Cockroach Casino” or “Quick, Run, It’s a Raid,” Mosley Street Melodrama. Written by Tom Frye. Tickets $28, $18 for show only. Call 316-263-0222. Sept. 3-12 – “Deathtrap,” The Forum Theatre Company. Shows at 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. $25 for Friday and Saturday nights, $23 for Thursday night and Saturday matinee. Tickets: www. forumwichita.com. Sept. 9-20 – “Fools,” a comic fable by Neil Simon. Directed by Steve Miotto. Leon Tolchinsky is ecstatic. He’s landed a terrific teaching job in an idyllic Russian hamlet. When he arrives he finds people sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people milking upside down to get more cream. The town has been cursed with Chronic Stupidity for 200 years and Leon’s job is to break the curse. Tickets $14, $12 for student/military/seniors. Call 316-6861282. Sept. 13 – Melodears Chorus, gospel/ spiritual chorus, 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of Historical Fairmount United Church of Christ, 16th Street North and Fairmount Street (just south of WSU and two blocks east of Hillside). Free concert, donations accepted for the church’s exterior renovation. Refreshments follow the concert. For more information, call 316-682-1597.
SEPT. 12, 2015
September 2015
Psycho Motel,” written by J.R. Hurst. Tickets $28, $18 for show only. Call 316-263-0222. Sept. 19 – “Disney In Concert – Magical Music from the Movies,” Wichita Symphony. Show at 7 pm., Century II Concert Hall. Tickets $40-$70. Sept. 25-26 – “Tone Appetit,” a musical dining experience, Emerald City Chorus. Dinner and show at Southwest Presbyterian Church, 1511 W. 27th Street South, Wichita. Dinner seating at 6:15 p.m. American cuisine on Sept. 25, and Italian cuisine on Sept. 26. Meals catered by Truffles, followed by musical entertainment performed by Emerald City Chorus. Limited to 80 people per show. Advance tickets $30, deadline Sept. 23. Order from any chorus member, call 316-733-2619 or order online using PayPal at www.emeraldcitychorus. org. Sept. 25 and 27 – Verdi’s “Don Carlo,” Wichita Grand Opera. Performances at Century II Concert Hall. Shows at 7 p.m. Sept. 25 and 3 p.m. Sept. 27. Italina diva Annalisa Raspagliosi returns and superstar and Wichitan Samuel Ramey sings the role of the Grand Inquisitor. Tickets $40-$95, www.selectaseat.com.
FACES WANTED. At East Wichita News, we’re already working on feature stories for upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face (and story) should appear on these pages, please let us know! ewn@eastwichitanews.com 316-540-0500 www.facebook.com/EastWichitaNews
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Performing Arts Calendar
7 - September 2015
Through Sept. 12 – “Pageant,” at Roxy’s Downtown A Cabaret. Tickets $40 for dinner and show, $28 for show only. Call 316-265-4400 to reserve your tickets.
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East Wichita News People and Places q Young Professionals of Wichita (YPW) has named Christine Pileckas, SMG director of sales and marketing, Volunteer of the Year for the Pulse Action Team. The award is based on contributions from July 2014 to June 2015. “Christine has been a valuable member of the Pulse team for several years,” said Suzy Finn, YPW executive director. “She has helped connect us to great events at the arena and throughout the community, provides valuable marketing ideas and encourages others to attend our social events.” q Exploration Place, The Sedgwick County Science and Discovery Center, is pleased to announce that the following have joined Exploration Place’s board of trustees: Tom Bisges, Kurt Breitenbach, Boyd Byers and Helen Healy. Tom Bisges is vice president of the Flight Test Center and Flight Operations with Bombardier Aerospace. Kurt Breitenbach is executive vice president of the assurance department with Allen Gibbs and Houlik, L.C. Boyd Byers is a partner with Foulston Siefkin, LLC. Helen Healy is a community volunteer. The following comprise the 2015 - 2016 Exploration Place executive board: chairman, Jason Cox, chief technical officer at Cox Machine, Inc.; vice chairman, John Mosley, retired from Shepler’s, Inc.; Treasurer, Dan Hamel, human resource director, Metal-Fab, Inc.; secretary, Cindy Schwan, community volunteer; immediate past chair, Bill D. Bischoff, professor at Fairmount Liberal Arts and Sciences, Wichita State University. q Suzy Finn, Young Professionals of Wichita (YPW) executive director, is assuming additional responsibilities next month with the Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce. Finn has led the Chamber affiliate since 2013, and the organization has reached record membership levels under her direction. Effective Sept. 1, Finn will also begin overseeing the Chamber’s community advancement efforts. She will continue her current duties as YPW executive director, while spending some of her time managing community advancement
programs. Finn will be assisted by a program coordinator who will support her work in both areas.
patrol officer, detective and sergeant in patrol. The promotions were effective Aug. 15.
q Business students who earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the spring 2015 semester have been named to the College of Business and Entrepreneurship Honor Scholar list at Fort Hays State University. The list includes Jonathan Ray Piszczek, a 2012 graduate of Kapaun-Mt. Carmel Catholic High School and a senior majoring in accounting.
q Kyle Waters of East Wichita has graduated from Troy University during the summer semester/Term 5 of the 2014-2015 academic year. Waters attended the university’s Global Campus and graduated with a bachelor of science degree from the College of Arts and Sciences.
q Quentin Coon was appointed to fill a vacant position on the Andover City Council. The appointment was made by Mayor Ben Lawrence during the July 28 meeting and approved by the council 5-0. Coon has been on the planning commission for 16 years and chaired it for 12 years. q Air Force National Guard Airman Logan D. Borovetz graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eightweek program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills. Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate in applied science degree through the Community College of the Air Force. Borovetz is the son of Alan and Sharon Borovetz of Wichita. He is a 2013 graduate of Andover High School, Andover. q Wichita interim Police Chief Nelson Mosley promoted Lt. Kevin Mears to the rank of captain and Sgt. Sarah Oldridge to the rank of lieutenant on Aug. 6 at a promotional ceremony at City Hall. Mosley talked about the various assignments that Mears has held on the police department, including patrol, Special Community Action Team (SCAT), detective, sergeant and most recently lieutenant in the Special Investigations Bureau (SIB). Mears will continue in his assignment as bureau commander over Special Investigations. Mosley also spoke about the assignments that Oldridge had completed as a
q Abigail Amstutz and Kyle Burris, both Eastsiders, were named to the dean’s list for the spring 2015 semester at Wheaton College in Illinois. To be eligible, students must carry 12 or more credit hours with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. q The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has announced the 2015 Pollution Prevention (P2) Award recipients. The announcement was made during an awards luncheon at the Kansas Environmental Conference, held Aug.18-20 at the Ramada Downtown Hotel and Conference Center in Topeka. Three of the winning companies were from the Wichita area: Via Christi Health in Wichita, DoubleTree Hotel in Wichita and Sherwin-Williams in Andover. The Kansas Pollution Prevention Program promotes pollution prevention as an environmental ethic to achieve improvements in public health and environmental quality. The awards are presented to entities that have reduced or eliminated waste at the source, reduced air emissions or practiced energy and/or water conservation. Companies, organizations, schools and communities are able to apply for the Kansas P2 awards each year. Via Christi Health is being awarded for its “Greening the OR” initiatives and efforts in energy conservation. Operating room teams at Via Christi use hundreds of single-use devices and instruments every week. Instead of discarding the devices, Via Christi Health now works with a vendor to reprocess and reuse these devices. Nearly five tons of devices that used to be incinerated or landfilled are now reprocessed
annually, at a cost savings of approximately $159,000. Each of Via Christi Health’s 19 surgical rooms has one light fixture that supports two spotlights. By upgrading the original spotlights in all 19 OR surgical rooms, Via Christi Health saved 84,840 kilowatts per hour (kWh) and experienced a savings amounting to $8,484. Via Christi Health also replaced its conventional lighting in underground passageways that connect the hospital to the distribution and energy centers, parking lots, garages and ongoing remodeling projects. The lighting fixtures replacement documented savings of 135,200 kWh/year, representing a 50 percent reduction in energy use. DoubleTree is being awarded for its efforts in reducing energy and water usage. Lighting upgrades involving the replacement of incandescent lights in the lobby and restaurant areas with fluorescent lighting, and the upgrade of incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent lighting (CFL) in each of the 302 guest rooms’ 10 lamps resulted in a decrease of 327,436 kWh/year. DoubleTree also changed out all 302 guest room sink aerators from 2.2 gallons per minute (gpm) flow to 0.5 gpm, resulting in the conservation of 1,201,387 gallons annually. Sherwin-Williams in Andover manufactures protective and marine paint coatings. Sherwin-Williams is receiving an award for its reduction in aquifer water and energy usage. The facility’s prior fire suppression system made use of two 200,000-gallon tanks that drew 26.1 gallons per minute of ground water from an aquifer. Installation of an enhanced fire suppression system resulted in less than 30,000 gallons of ground water needed for the facility’s protection. An employee sustainability team was created to focus on electricity usage reduction, and its efforts have reduced the amount of electricity being consumed for every 100 pounds of product produced from 10.18 kWh in 2013 to 8.52 kWh in 2014. Submit your items for People and Places by email at ewn@eastwichitanews. com.
STORY
AMY HOUSTON
I kind of feel like I don’t know what I did that made them decide that I deserved this, but it’s definitely an Eastsider Thea Lippoldt recently won an award for honor to be chosen.” her work in special education at Maize High School, but Lippoldt grew up in Cheney and graduated from when she first pursued a teaching career, she planned Cheney High School. She said her teachers influenced to instruct elementary students. her career. “My advice would be to be open to lots of different “I had some amazing teachers,” she said, “and they ideas,” Lippoldt said. “I went into education thinking definitely had a passion for what they were doing and that I wanted to teach primary grades, first through helped to shape the teaching philosophy that I ended third grades, and I hatup with.” ed it. I came into high “Teaching special education, you learn Lippoldt received her school and I kind of bachelor’s degree in elemenjumped in with two feet, to celebrate the small steps that students tary education and master’s into the classroom that make, but you still get to see the big steps in adaptive special education, I had, because I started when they’ve done that.” both from Wichita State Unimiddle of the year. It versity. She taught first grade – Thea Lippoldt in USD 259 for a year and a wasn’t what my thought was that I wanted, but half. it’s been my home.” Lippoldt had previously seen what she described as The Sedgwick County Educational Coop in Goddard “bad teachers” who failed to help special education has named Lippoldt the outstanding secondary special students reach their potential, but she was exposed to education teacher – an honor it awards each year. Of- strong special education teachers during her student ficials presented the award during a recent inservice. teaching and practicum. That experience remained in “It’s kind of humbling because I really feel like I’m her mind. lucky that I get to come to a job that I love, and that I “It was more in my student teaching, the students I work with a team that is amazing,” Lippoldt said. “So made real connections with were ones who had excepBY
tionalities,” Lippoldt recalled. “It thrilled me when I got to see them thrive.” She began working at Maize High School in December 2004. She is still passionate about teaching special education. “When I have a student who masters a skill, because they have to work so hard to do that, whether it’s an academic skill or a vocational skill or a social skill, the way that they just celebrate that is contagious,” Lippoldt said. “Teaching special education, you learn to celebrate the small steps that students make, but you still get to see the big steps when they’ve done that. It’s amazing. It’s so rewarding. That’s why I do this.” She and her husband, Chad, live in Bel Aire. They have two sons, ages 13 and 17. Lippoldt’s mother, brother and his family still live in Cheney. “I married an Eastsider and moved to the east side. My mom has not forgiven me yet,” Lippoldt said with a laugh. Classes started recently at Maize High School, and Lippoldt was ready to return to her students. “Every year, at the end of the school year, I definitely look forward to the summer and the break,” she said. “But when we hit July, I think, ‘I wonder what this student’s doing. I wonder how that student’s doing.’ I can’t wait to see them. … My 13-year-old teases me that we hit July and I’m like, ‘I can’t wait to see my kids!’”
9 - September 2015
Eastsider wins special education award
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September 2015 - 10
Sept. 1 – Prairie View’s East Wichita Caregiver Support Group, open to caregivers for older adults, meets from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, at Prairie View’s Legacy Park office, 9333 E. 21st St. N., Wichita. Nancy Trout will present the program on “Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.” She is a licensed specialist clinical social worker at Prairie View. The group offers education, mutual support and problem solving with others who are dealing with similar caregiving situations. This includes caregivers whose care receiver has any illness, including dementia. Admission is free and open to the public. This program is funded in part by the Kansas Department on Aging through the Older Americans Act of 1965 and administered by the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging. For information, phone 316634-4700 or 800-992-6292 or see prairieview.org.
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Sept. 5-6 – Fear Buster Challenge, Saturday, Sept. 5, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 6, 12-5 p.m., at Exploration Place. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” Tackle some of the most common fears with special activities. Learn dance steps and be part of a flash mob. Walk through a narrow tunnel before the walls collapse. Find out how to properly interact with dogs and pet a pooch. Ride a bucket truck, nibble on strange foods and more. Fill your Challenge Card with your accomplishments to win a special prize and coupon from the Explore Store. More information at www.exploration.org or 316-660-0620. Sept. 13 – Chivalry for Children, 12-5 p.m., Exploration Place. Join the king and queen of Exploration Place castle and find out what it takes to become a knight. Sept. 17 – Project Beauty annual membership tea and fashion show, 12:30 p.m. at the Lotus Room at Botanica Gardens, 701 N. Amidon. Lunch will include light sandwiches and cookies. Guests are welcome, no reservation needed. The event is free.
Dateline
Upcoming events in and around Wichita
Sept. 19 – Wichita Area Garden Railway Society’s 18th annual Garden Railway Tour, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., at Botanica. Admission to Botanica is free for a family that day if they present the tour guide. The garden railway tour is free to the public but donations are welcome. Sept. 19 – Wichita Genealogical Society monthly meeting, 1 p.m., Lionel Alford Library, 3447 S. Meridian. The meeting is free. Sept. 24 – Senior Expo, 9 a.m. 3:30 p.m., Exploration Place. Held in partnership with the Central Plains Area Agency on Aging. Seniors age 55 and older, along with their caretakers, will get free admission and find valuable information from more than 130 vendors. Sept. 27 – Hot air balloon rides, a fundraiser to benefit the American Revolution Memorial at Veterans’ Memorial Park in Wichita, located just west of Second and Waco on Veterans Parkway. Rides will be available 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Lloyd Stearman Field Airport in Benton, 14789 SW 30th St. in Benton. Suggested minimum donations are $20 per adult and $10 per child age 6-12. Sept. 29 – Senior Employment Program of Wichita job fair for seniors age 55 and over, Senior Services office, 200 S. Walnut, Wichita. Job seekers must be 55 or older. Pre-register through Sept. 19 at the same office. For more information, call 316-267-1771 and ask for Hila.
I’m not sure I ever really understood the power and connection of Facebook, but it’s starting to sink in with me. For years I was the guy who refused to get a Facebook account. Then I was the guy who was on Facebook and never used it. Literally. Like so many other friends of mine, who then became my initial friends on Facebook, I eased into the whole Facebook thing by saying I was just there to see pictures of my grandson, Felix, and to stay connected with my three kids. Actually, that was totally true. After considerable time as an inactive member of the Facebook community, I still had fewer “friends” than I had real friends up and down Main Street in Cheney. It wasn’t a sad situation…just a factual situation. For me, having real friends had always been more important than having Facebook friends. And yes, Facebook friends can be real friends, too. So a couple of years ago I actually made an effort to get
From the Publisher’s Files
Paul Rhodes | Publisher
more Facebook friends as I started actually posting some of the snippets of my life on social media. A turning point was my trip to South Korea in 2013, and the volumes of posting I did from that adventure. I was there for my son Bill’s wedding to his beautiful bride, Eun-Ah, and we also did some extensive traveling across the country. My posts on Facebook were well-received and followed closely. Hmmmm…I was on to something.
Back home in Kansas I reverted to my routine of rarely posting on Facebook, except for trips to see my kids and other vacations – large and small. My recent trip to Egypt with my girlfriend, Kim, also was a hit on Facebook as I shared pictures and comments on almost a daily basis. And then, just this past weekend, I hit the mother lode of reaction on Facebook. What monumental event, you might ask, did I share? I picked peaches from a tree in my back yard and shared a photo and a note on Facebook. Granted, it was a near-perfect picture of a near-perfect peach, but holy smokes! The reaction from my friends on Facebook was literally double compared to anything else I’ve posted in the last couple of months. What was so special about the peach post? I really had to scratch my head on that one. And then it dawned on me…the peach post was reminiscent of the best-
loved columns I have written for our newspaper group. It was a simple, everyday moment that struck a nerve with folks. The peach (one of the few perfect ones…most had worms and spots) instantly made everyone hungry for one, and my comment about taking some to family produced a flurry of “Am I not family?” replies. The whole process made me smile and chuckle. And, it made me realize why my simple, down-to-earth columns about everyday moments in my life are so important to our readers. Those moments are real, and they can relate. Sure, I occasionally write about serious, pressing issues in our readership area, and I still believe that’s important from time to time. But if I turned those thoughts into posts on Facebook, guess what? I wouldn’t get half the response I got from my picture and comments about a tree full of peaches. Put that in a pie and eat it.
11 - September 2015
Understanding Facebook...LOL
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September 2015 - 12 www.eastwichitanews.com
FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Featured this month Hair Solutions................................ Page 12
Focus On Business is a monthly feature offered to area advertisers. If you would like your business featured here, please contact our sales office at (316) 540-0500.
Wichita Grand Opera..................... Page 13
A golden opportunity: Successful westside salon is up for sale If you’ve ever considered owning and operating your own hair salon, Sherry Brown is waiting for your phone call or email. Hair Solutions, Brown’s full-service salon located near the corner of Maple and Maize Road in west Wichita, is officially up for sale, and owner Sherry Brown is excited about the unique opportunity that she can provide for a new owner. “After seven years, I’m ready to let someone else have as much fun as I have had with this salon,” said Brown. “Business has been very good, we’ve grown this into a successful salon, and now it’s time for me to make a change.” Brown opened the salon to fulfill her own dreams. For 30 years, she had worked in the banking industry, and as a stylist at other salons. “When I opened Hair solutions, it was just me and one other stylist, Pat Allen,” Brown said. “Now we have eight stylists and a manicurist.” Her emphasis always has been to provide more services and options for the salon’s customers. The salon serves
After seven years of successful operations, owner Sherry Brown is selling Hair Solutions. Pictured from left are: Christine McManus, Shirley Randall, Pat Allen, LeaAnn Mohr, Sherry Brown, Norma Pearson, Janet Beyrle, Kathy Larson. Not pictured: Darlene Bird.
the whole family – women, men and children. The salon is full service, and meets the needs of both older and younger clients. As the salon grew, Brown expanded the business to include manicure and pedicure services, and laser therapy for thinning hair. “The greatest success for our salon has been our customers,” said Brown.
“Without them we would be nothing.” The salon’s other key to success has been the dedication and professionalism shown by the salon’s staff members. Now, that success can be someone else’s. “I still want to work, but not have the responsibility of running the salon,” said Brown. Brown said it’s time for her and her
husband, Ronnie, to take some time for each other. “This is the perfect opportunity for someone who wants to own a salon, but not start from scratch,” she said. “We’ve had seven great years,” said Brown. “We still do shampoos and sets, which is kind of unique these days, plus all the newer techniques you’ll find at other salons. Our mix of younger and older stylists really helps us with our customer base and makes this one of the busiest salons in town.” Hair Solutions takes walk-in clients, and has stylists who begin taking appointments as early as 6 a.m. for customers who need to stop in before work. Evening hours are available, too, up until 7 p.m. two nights a week. Brown currently leases her building space, and the large salon has seven stations. It’s a “blended salon,” said Brown, offering a mix of booth renters and commissioned stylists. For more information, call Sherry Brown at 316-722-3633, email her at stylingbanker@cox.net, or stop by the salon at 244 S. Maize Road.
By SAM JACK
ABOVE: World-renowned bass and Wichitan Samuel Ramey stars as the Grand Inquisitor in this month’s Wichita Grand Opera production of “Don Carlo.”
houses. His seemingly endless list of accolades include highlights such as three Grammy awards, the rank of Commander in the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture, a lifetime achievement award from Opera America, and Kansan of the Year. “’Don Carlo’ is one of my favorite operas,” said Ramey. “Through most of my career I’ve sung Philip, in all the big opera houses of the world. I’ve done
the Inquisitor a few times now, and it’s a great part. One of the greatest scenes in all of opera is the duet between Philip and the Grand Inquisitor.” Italian soprano Annalisa Raspagliosi is a rare treat for opera lovers in the notoriously difficult role of Elisabeth, the queen. The frequent partner of the late, great Luciano Pavarotti all across the globe, Ms. Raspagliosi stole the show in WGO’s Inaugural Gala in 2002. She returned to Kansas for Mr. Ramey’s
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LEFT: Annalisa Raspagliosi will star as Elisabeth. Tickets for the production are available at www.WichitaGrandOpera.org.
FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Wichita Grand Opera brings Verdi’s masterpiece, “Don Carlo,” to the Concert Hall stage on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. and Sept. 27 at 3 p.m. While the opera is named after its leading tenor, “Don Carlo” is one of the greatest ensemble works in Verdi’s repertoire. It takes six phenomenal singers to do justice to Verdi’s most profound score. The cast features stars from around the globe, including Gaston Rivero in the title role, Annalisa Raspagliosi as Princess Elisabeth, William Powers as King Philip, Samuel Ramey as the Grand Inquisitor, Sarah Heltzel as Princess Eboli and Michael Nansel as Rodrigo, Marquis of Posa. “Don Carlo” pulls from all Verdi’s favorite sources of drama – father against son, church against state, and duty against freedom. Its story has been yanked straight out of the history books and gilded with layers of romantic tension in a way that can only be called Grand Opera. Uruguayan tenor Gaston Rivero headlines the international cast as the troubled Prince of Spain, Don Carlo. Mr. Rivero makes his return to Wichita more than a decade after his WGO (and U.S.) debut as Alfredo in “La Traviata.” He is best known for his 2014 performance in the title role of “Il Trovatore” at Berlin State Opera alongside Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, seen globally via telecast. Opera News praised his performance as “exciting and fresh… a youthful voice that projects both daring and vulnerability.” “Something that I loved about performing in Wichita 10 years ago was the colleagues and members of the chorus I worked with,” said Rivero. “It was very special, the teamwork we had, and the caring for one another. I’m excited to return.” Kansas native Samuel Ramey stars as the Grand Inquisitor, constantly in a battle of wills with King Philip. Mr. Ramey is a living legend in the opera world, a “national treasure” according to the Los Angeles Times. Throughout his career, Ramey has performed in the globe’s most prestigious opera
home-state debut, singing the title role in WGO’s 2007 production of Puccini’s “Tosca” opposite his malevolent Baron Scarpia. Her appearance with the WGO this year, in honor of WGO’s 15th anniversary, is her only appearance outside Europe. “She was excellent,” said Ramey. “I came in late in the rehearsal process, and she was very sweet and understanding. I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing her again.” Metropolitan Opera bass-baritone William Powers makes his debut as King Philip II, the most complex role in Puccini’s “Don Carlo.” Mr. Powers has sung more than 100 roles in his distinguished career, including world premieres of Penderecki’s “Paradise Lost” for Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Harbison’s “The Great Gatsby” for the Metropolitan Opera, among others. Sarah Heltzel makes her WGO debut as the prideful seductress Princess Eboli. Michael Nansel, Wichita’s favorite son returns in the role of Rodrigo, Carlo’s best friend and confidant. At the helm of this production is famed American stage director Stanley M. Garner, protégé of Maestro Franco Zeffirelli, and internationally renowned Maestro Martin Mazik, principal guest conductor for the Wichita Grand Opera this season. The concept and design of “Don Carlo” is created by Margaret Ann Pent, WGO Founder and Artistic Director, and executed by renowned European scenic artist Stefan Pavlov. Tickets for Verdi’s Don Carlo or any other productions in the 2015 season are $95, $60 or $40, with Senior, Student, Corporate, and Group discounts available. Season Subscriptions are also available, saving up to 10 percent off full ticket price. WGO also offers the “Day at the Opera” Student package, which includes backstage tours, saving up to 75 percent for groups of more than 20. For visitors from out of town, a hotel and ticket package is available with Ambassador Hotel. For tickets to “Turandot,” call the WGO Box Office at Century II at (316) 262-8054, online at www.selectaseat. com, in person at Century II or any Select-a-Seat outlet at your local Dillons.
13 - September 2015
Samuel Ramey and Raspagliosi reunite in starry ‘Don Carlo’
September 2015 - 14 w w w . e a s t w i c h i t a n e w s . c o m
Wichitan’s ‘Pinocchio’ book is an ‘epic’ treat Wichitan and Walt Disney authority J.B. Kaufman has produced a book so meticulously researched and lavishly printed as to be worthy of what is commonly regarded as the greatest movie every made, “Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic.” And if “epic” seems a bit much of a word to refer to what is often thought of as a children’s movie, one has only to browse its 352 oversize pages to find justification for it. It begins in Collodi, Tuscany, in 1881, when Carlo “Collodi” Lorenzini, a writer of everything from operas to political criticism, published “The Story of a Puppet,” a newspaper serial so disorganized that a character that dies in one chapter appears again in a later chapter with no explanation whatsoever. And Collodi’s novel was a very different thing from Disney’s classic. Pinocchio himself is hanged until dead at one point, and the Blue Fairy dies twice. Pinocchio himself “starts as
Cinema Scene
Jim Erickson
an unredeemed combination of cruelty and malice,” not a mere Disney-ish little boy whose most evil dreams seem to be to play hooky, smoke cigars and play pool. Early illustrations were at best grotesque caricatures while Disney’s version is a quite attractive child with a surprising similarity to Mickey Mouse (see illustration on page 298). Disney’s movie is pretty dark for Disney, with all the villains (Honest John the fox, Gideon the cat, Stromboli the puppeteer, his
coachman and Monstro the whale) still alive and active at the end. But Disney dropped a scene of Pinocchio being taunted by a gang of boys in the street, perhaps to avoid a suggestion of evil of a type that Pinocchio will have to return to as a real boy. Common prudence can protect him from the downright villains, and Disney may have wanted to avoided the more everyday wrongdoing that none of us can avoid. The abandonment of this proposed scene is typical of the innumerable changes “Pinocchio” underwent during production. Walt Disney, never a man much concerned about finances, had been hypnotized by the insane profits from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” into believing that there was no need to consider the budget at all. Absolute perfection became his holy cause. The best aspect of Kaufman’s book is the attention to the continual re-
visions and adaptations as “every… part of the story…was developed in a variety of ways.” Kaufman tells me that nothing we see on the screen is pristine original work (full disclosure: I have known Kaufman and admired his work for more than 20 years). Every shot was revised or reconceived at one stage of production or another. And all of this was performed by committees, sometimes several working at the same time in isolation, sometimes on the same scene and sometimes not. A “scene…occupying 16 seconds on the screen, is approximately 23 feet in length and took a crew of five men 46 consecutive hours to film…one crew relieving another.” Again, “a scene lasting scarcely over two seconds on the screen…was retaken seven times between August and December…” Track shots supposedly moving See PINOCCHIO, Page 14
‘American Ultra’ is fine, but could have been more “American Ultra” is so limited to plot that it is impossible to discuss without spoilers, so if all you want is a lot of violent action and bloodshed within a simple chase story dolled up as an intrigue mystery, you might want to avoid this (and as far as I can see, any) review until you have seen the movie, which is pretty good entertainment in spite of all my reservations about it as a work to be taken seriously. The basic premise is that the CIA has closed down an experiment that changed quite ordinary citizens into superheroes when occasion demanded but left them with no memories of their training and action when it was done. Now they want to erase all records of this program, especially the heroes they created. They had made an effective James Bondcum-Bruce Lee out of Jesse Eisenberg, leaving with him no memories of his experience but also with panic attacks and peculiar thoughts that suggest things he can’t understand. Getting rid of Eisenberg starts a splatter of massacres that eventually involve just about everybody in the cast and a whole mess of extras, with this person and that person revealed as treacherous or changing at least once,
Movie Review
Jim Erickson
including especially Connie Britton, who objects to the killing of Eisenberg from the start; Kristen Stewart, who reveals split loyalties toward the end; and Topher Grace, who has personal motives within the CIA and without, and who qualifies as the main villain. Ask me not what Bill Pullman is up to; I got tired of tracing treacheries before he showed up. The closing credits, which reward sitting through, are a travesty of the whole action genre, suggesting that “American Ultra” is intended to be comedy. I didn’t find it any sillier than others of its ilk that my reviewing duties have required me to see. The main problem with it is that all the characters are stereotyped to fit their
roles and nothing more. They remain the same cardboard cutouts no matter what experiences they go through and no matter what personal secrets they reveal to others, who in turn refrain from reacting to anything they learn about the others beyond what the plot demands. Britton is obviously trying to save Eisenberg’s life, but beyond that there is no indication how she feels about him or about the operations as a whole. Much the same can be said about Stewart, whose supposed love for the troublesome paranoid is hard to understand once another reason for her attachment to him is revealed, and neither he nor she seems to be changed in attitude by the new revelation, and in any case, their relationship is too clichéd to invite our interest. There really isn’t enough time for character development or even revelation, with one big bang-bang following another like links in a chain, and nothing in “American Ultra” invites us to expect anything but what we have been led by previous movies to expect. The first appearance of Eisenberg’s martial arts powers – they aren’t comic book superpowers – and his shocked, even frightened reaction to his own ability
is effective enough to suggest what could have been done with this material in better hands than screenwriter Max Landis and director Nima Nourizadeh; but Kristen Stewart shows the same limited range of response (she knows where the unexpected abilities come from, of course), and the possibilities of Eisenberg’s development of response to his new Bruce Lee-ishness is as neglected as every other possibility of character change and simply aggravates the repititions. “American Ultra” indulges in the mental flashbacks and bits of childhood that so many movies resort to when they want to imply depth of feeling that just isn’t there. But they don’t tell us anything, not even that Eisenberg’s memory is coming back; after all, it was never clear that he had lost memories that were separate from his CIA experience, which is all we are ever given to explain his strange mental condition to begin with. “American Ultra” is enough shoot‘em-up and man-to-man (or -to-woman) to satisfy the crowd that favors simple thrillers, and there’s nothing wrong with popcorn movies. But with these premises and this cast, there should have been more.
Continued from Page 14
forward required separate drawings to keep perspectives between side objects and the camera right; the 16-second shot above required as many as nine celluloid levels. Because Walt Disney himself sat in on every meeting and encouraged everybody to make suggestions, there was always more material than could be used, and a great deal of Kaufman’s narrative is about what was eventually – or immediately – abandoned, usually in the name of pace. And only once do I regret the committee (or Disney personally) decision: In a lengthy underwater sequence, Pinocchio was to be pursued by a villainous octopus that was so inept that Pinocchio never knew he existed. Kaufman ends with a section of spinoffs and uses made of “Pinocchio” ideas in other forms, even television commercials, but the octopus
J.B. Kaufman, “Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic,” The Walt Disney Family Foundation Press, 2015.
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15 - September 2015
Pinocchio
was never revived. There is even a section, short and not urged, on Biblical applications of “Pinocchio.” He was, after all, born under a special star, a virgin birth of a sort, and spent three days in the belly of a whale before dying and being revived from the dead. There’s a lot more to say about this remarkable book. For one thing, the illustrations are numerous, well chosen and informatively captioned, including stills, preliminary drawings, three-dimensional models (and the need for models is explained; there is a treasury of information about how animation is done), and storyboards to illustrate character developments. There is God’s plenty of material here. The remarkable thing is, I still wanted more. But the bibliography and notes tell me where to look for that. A scholarly coffee-table book about a movie – there aren’t many of those.
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Cartoon courtesy of Richard Crowson
September 2015 - 16 www.eastwichitanews.com
Through cartoons and through music, Richard Crowson takes on the powerful, the opinionated and the status quo Eastsider Richard Crowson has been challenging authority since he was young. He described his parents as strict, and when the budding musician wanted a guitar, his father agreed to buy one only if he promised never to play rock ’n’ roll music. “I got a guitar and the first thing I learned on it was a Beatles song,” Crowson said with a laugh. He is now an accomplished musician who plays guitar, banjo and dobro. He and his wife, Karen, play at Watermark
STORY
BY
AMY HOUSTON
Books once a month. Crowson is a member of two other bands, and he has played on stage at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield. However, many know him as the longtime editorial cartoonist for The Wichita Eagle. Crowson grew up in Memphis, “just down the street from Graceland,” he said. He was a cartoonist for his high school paper, where he won a couple of awards for his work. Crowson attended college in Memphis, where he majored
in history and minored in art. He also served as a cartoonist for his college newspaper. “That’s what hooked me,” Crowson recalled. “I enjoyed the release of being able to express my political views in cartoons.” He won some national awards and wrote a letter to the Jackson Sun, a newspaper that had no cartoonist. Crowson left college about 20 hours shy of graduating to work for the Ten-
nessee newspaper, located approximately 80 miles from Memphis. “They hired me, to my great surprise,” Crowson said. “I didn’t even expect to get a response from them.” Crowson was the Jackson Sun’s first editorial cartoonist in the late 1970s. He eventually decided he was ready to move to a larger newspaper, and a couple of colleagues had departed Jackson for Wichita. Crowson, who took up banjo at age 19, was partially attracted to Kansas because of the bluegrass festival in
17 - September 2015
Richard Crowson plays the dobro during a performance at Watermark Books on Friday, Aug. 21. Travis Mounts/East Wichita News
Winfield. He said he had always wanted to go but it was too far away. Crowson arrived at The Eagle in 1986. He spent one year as a newsroom artist, providing illustrations for stories as well as maps and charts. He talked the management into creating a position for an editorial cartoonist. The arrangement worked out well. Crowson said that 50 percent of the time, he drew a cartoon that corresponded to the newspaper’s editorial. However, he added that he had the freedom to draw what he wanted. “There might be some people – like my wife – who would disagree with this, but I’m not a naturally political person,” Crowson said.
He never drew a cartoon that made a point he disagreed with, he continued, although he occasionally took a position through his cartoon and later changed his mind on the issue. He preferred not to meet the people he depicted in his cartoons. “Some of the people I’ve been the hardest on politically, I’ve really liked personally,” Crowson remarked. He eventually began incorporating a dog in his cartoons. Crowson said his family had a wire-haired fox terrier named Al, and he began including him around 1999 as a memorial after he died. See CROWSON, Page 18
Contributed photo
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Richard Crowson at his drawing table at the Wichita Eagle in 1991.
September 2015 - 18
Richard and Karen Crowson perform together during last month’s gig at Watermark Books. They will make their annual pilgrimage to the Walnut Valley Festival in mid-September. Travis Mounts/East Wichita News
Crowson
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Continued from Page 17
Crowson was laid off in 2008. He said he didn’t take it personally because many of his “cartooning cohorts” were being laid off as well. Even so, the news was tough to hear. “I was in a state of panic for a while because I got laid off – let’s face it,” Crowson said. He pointed out that in 1977, there were more than 350 full-time editorial cartoonists in the United States. Today there are fewer than 40. Crowson eventually developed mixed feelings about his fate. He admitted that he had started to feel burned out on daily cartooning. “There’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “I was of two minds about getting laid off.” One year later, The Eagle rehired Crowson to draw editorial cartoons for the Sunday papers. In addition, KMUW approached him in 2009 about providing commentaries. “It’s been fun,” Crowson said. “I enjoy it.” He had previously helped KMUW during fund drives, performing “silly songs” with his banjo, he said. He now broadcasts a commentary every other week and sporadically draws cartoons for the KMUW website. Crowson used to teach art for CityArts and the Wichita Center for the Arts, but now he works with Arts Partners, a program for public schools. He interweaves the history of Kansas and the history of the banjo for students, and he sometimes joins a friend to
portray Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and they perform folk songs. Crowson described himself as “semiretired.” “I am absolutely as busy as I want to be,” he said. Crowson’s daughter is a senior at Wichita State University. He enjoys spending time with his family, and his newest hobby is painting, which is an art form he always wanted to try. “I’m really finding it to be wonderfully fulfilling,” he said. “I really like doing it.” Part of the appeal of painting, Crowson explained, is that it’s not political. He said editorial cartoons could be challenging because they don’t allow an artist to express that there might be good points on both sides of an issue. “It forces a cartoonist to be emphatic,” Crowson remarked. After drawing cartoons for almost 40 years, he said, he has never seen the political scene so divided. That presents an internal dilemma for him: “Am I contributing to the polarization?” he asked. Perhaps that’s another reason Crowson finds refuge in music. His wife plays guitar and mandolin, and they were among performers during a Kansas Day program this year at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum. His other bands are The Home Rangers and Pop and the Boys. Crowson has attended the bluegrass festival every year since he moved to Kansas, and his wife has attended even longer. They always camp with a group, and they discovered that they liked to jam with friends more than they wanted to perform on stage at the annual fall event. “We wouldn’t miss it for anything,” Crowson said.
19 - September 2015
Clever kitchen tricks for multiple generations
With more families becoming multigenerational, families’ kitchen needs are changing and evolving.
hook. The magnet, not a hook, holds the faucet in place until it’s time to use it again. Kitchen sinks with integrated accessories keep tools convenient so you don’t have to search for them, plus they save space. In-sink caddies can hold knives, utensils and cleaning tools inside the sink to save counter space and
provide greater convenience. Cutting boards and colanders integrated with the sink can make food preparation more convenient. If someone in the household uses a wheelchair or is likely to someday, you can have a kneehole put in under the sink with an inclined board to cover the plumbing.
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• Swing time. Pull-out shelves give you easy access for under-cabinet storage without a lot of bending, stooping and digging around. • Rise to the occasion: Integrated toe-kick ladders that hide under cabinets can help everyone reach the high shelves with less stretching and more safety. • Here’s a bright idea. Older eyes often need more light, so improve visibility inside drawers with integrated LED drawer lighting. • Don’t get a handle on the cabinets. Sleek, handleless design makes cabinets easier to open. • Keep it down. Replace cabinets with drawers below countertops and place microwaves under the counter. • Smart sinks. If several people will be cooking different meals at the same time, multiple sinks might be in order. If there’s just one sink, consider single-lever faucets that are easier to turn on and off and to control the temperature, even for someone with arthritis. Similarly, a magnetic pullout for a chef faucet is easier to use than a standard
HOME AND GARDEN
(NAPSI) – If yours is among the 5.1 million families that the U.S. Census Bureau says live in multigeneration homes, there are eight tasteful ideas that can help you make your kitchen better for everyone. Whether your parents, your adult children or both are moving in with you, these may make the living easier on everyone: • Go big or go small. Put in a kitchenette with a microwave, fridge and sink near an easily accessible bedroom or go for a large gourmet kitchen with a kitchen island if there will be more people eating at different times of the day. Allow for wide aisles so many people – including those with a walker or a rolling baby chair – can use the room without getting in each other’s way. Consider a second dishwasher, stove or refrigerator. • The height of convenience. Vary counter thickness and height and go for multilevel divided sinks to make lifting pots and pans easier. Lower the cooking surfaces, too, so seeing inside pots can be simpler.
September 2015 - 20
Say goodbye to gutter cleaning! E R O F E B l l Ca s e v a e l e h t l! l a f o t t r sta
A bright pop of color and a symmetrical placement of furniture can give a room a revamped, open look.
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wanted. At East Wichita News, we’re already working on feature stories for upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face (and story) should appear on these pages, please let us know! ewn@eastwichitanews.com 316-540-0500 www.facebook.com/ EastWichitaNews
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Simple design tricks to revamp your home (BPT) – Whether you’ve just moved into a home or you’ve lived there for years, it might be time for a design tune-up. While many may think tackling their home decor takes a bundle of time, money and expertise, it doesn’t have to be so frightening. You don’t need to spend a fortune or go to design school to breathe a little life into your home. “It’s all about simplicity,” said Susan Yoder, interior design expert for Clayton Homes. “A little goes a long way when it comes to home decor and living spaces. Only a few simple changes can make a big difference and allow you to create a room you’ll be itching to show off to friends and family.” Yoder offered a few of her design tips that will help homeowners revamp their space: Pops of color. “Nothing livens up a room like a bright pop of color,” Yoder said. If you have neutral-toned furniture, try sprucing up the room with lamps, curtains and accessories in bold hues. If you’re up for a painting challenge, an accent wall is a great way to incorporate color into a space. Choose your favorite color from a throw pillow or wall-art piece in the room to pull the look together. Varying textures. A room tends to get boring when it focuses on only one texture, so it’s important to create a sense of balance. Try varying the fabric types on your sofa and curtains. Add in some metal or wooden accents to draw
the eye around the room. You can even play with lighting to reflect off certain objects and create visual interest. Antique feature. Choose an antique or unique piece of decor to be the inspiration for the room. This could be a rug, lamp, chair or even a chandelier – anything that gets you energized and motivated. Get creative and run with the theme it creates. Or if your style is more on the modern side, an antique object will stand out among your contemporary decor. Symmetrical yet functional. The furniture collection in a room should form a restful, symmetrical layout. It’s all about balance. There should be between three and 10 feet between each seat. Additionally, instead of pushing each piece up against the wall to create more space, give your furniture a bit of breathing room a few inches from the wall. This makes the room appear open and airy. Clutter-free organization. Getting rid of clutter is a grand challenge for most homeowners. When you decide to take on the mess, drawers and cabinets are your best friends. Take some time to go through your belongings and decide what to keep, donate or throw away. Store any leftover items that can cause clutter in an organized, out-of-sight area. Use these tips to revitalize your space and you’ll be ready to confidently host gatherings and enjoy your home instead of shying away from your living space.
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your colors with the season. Neutrals are still a good idea for the backdrop of the room, which will allow you to add or change color with well-placed accessories. This can be done without much effort or expense. Switch from your light summer colors to deeper, earthier hues for a rich autumn feel. Start with all of your fabrics from bedding to windows. It’s about time to bring out the heavier duvet covers and thermal blankets. Pull out the throws for cozy evenings. You might consider switching out your window treatments to a heavier, insulated fabric, if possible. Be sure to bring in pillows with seasonal colors. Don’t be afraid to experiment with various sizes, textures and patterns. Keep in mind, if you like it, it works. There are many other things that you can do that will make a big impact on the ambiance of your home. Accessories and furniture with metal and/or leather speak to fall. A change in artwork can quickly transform a room for the season. Finally, adding candles can provide a nice glow as the days become shorter. With less heat and humidity, autumn is also a great time to be outside. So, don’t forget about your outdoor spaces. Comfortable seating and functional spaces are a must. An outside heater or chimenea would be a bonus. When the seasons change, most people make significant changes in their activities, their wardrobe and even their menus. Why not do the same for your home?
HOME AND GARDEN
There is always talk about spring cleaning. However, there is a much to be said about transitioning into fall as well. The move between summer and fall can be quite a challenge. We can sort of ease into spring, depending on the outside temperatures. But with the end of summer camps, vacations and backto-school activities, summer comes to a screeching halt and fall commences. For many of us, the change in seasons means a change in lifestyle. We do different things, we wear different clothes, and we use our homes differently. This is the perfect opportunity to make some changes around the house. First of all, a good general clean and sort is in order. In the summer doors and windows are frequently opened, letting in dust, dirt, etc. And, as summer activities change into fall schedules, the items you use and the way you use your spaces all the way from the garage to the kitchen changes. As you are cleaning, pack up all of the summer gear in an organized fashion to make it easier to retrieve next spring. This is a chance to simplify your home and make it a little more stress free. Besides storing the seasonal items, you may want to streamline your accessories and get rid of the bulk. Many people try to cram too much stuff into their spaces and oversized furniture may not be your best option. Lighten it up and breath easier. As winter approaches, you and your family will be spending more time inside, and you certainly don’t want your home to feel claustrophobic. As you evaluate your furnishings, consider your home decor needs for fall and, yes, even the holidays. Don’t wait until the last minute to decide you need to redo your home or even add that certain piece. Now is the time to plan for the upcoming season. This way you can get the right look rather than settle for what you can find a few days before Thanksgiving. Then have a little fun and change
ADD ELEGANCE TO YOUR HOME.
21 - September 2015
Up and autumn…Are you ready for fall?
September 2015 - 22 HOME AND GARDEN www.eastwichitanews.com
The WaterSense-certified VorMax high-efficiency toilet from American Standard delivers a powerful, horizontal jet of water to thoroughly scrub the bowl with every flush, all while using only 1.28 gallons of water per flush.
Greener, cleaner bathrooms save water, time and money (BPT) - If you’re considering a green home renovation, or building an eco-friendly house, you’ll likely put a lot of thought into heating and cooling, as well as kitchen appliances. But don’t overlook the value of greening your bathrooms, too. Environmentally-friendly bathrooms can conserve water and energy, while helping create a healthier home atmosphere by reducing the need for chemical cleaners. The National Home Builders Association expects growth in the green building market to rise approximately 30 percent by 2016, as reported by real estate website Zillow. Bathroom renovations continue to be among the home projects with the highest return on investment, so greening yours can save money while you’re living in your house, plus pay off when it’s time to sell. As you’re choosing eco-conscious plumbing fixtures for the bathroom,
keep a few key considerations in mind. Water conservation Low-flow bathroom fixtures abound, and today’s models are significantly improved over earlier versions that conserved water at the expense of effectiveness and user experience. Look for WaterSense labeled products to help ensure your toilet, showerhead and faucet choices are water-saving, high-performing styles. Products like high-efficiency toilets use less water, yet can provide a more effective flush than standard toilets. They can use 20 percent less water per flush than typical toilet models. Replacing standard showerheads with water- and energy-efficient options can also help reduce water usage without sacrificing the user’s experience. From basic models to luxury choices, manufacturers offer a range of water-saving showerheads that produce powerful,
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This FloWise water-saving showerhead from American Standard uses exclusive turbine technology to deliver an invigorating shower using 40 percent less water than standard models.
Sam Koehn Mortgage Loan Officer 316-945-9600
HOME AND GARDEN
Energy efficiency While bathrooms generally consume less electricity than other rooms in the house, it still pays to keep efficiency in mind when choosing bathroom lighting and ventilation fans. Look for light fixtures that are Energy Star-rated. Replace incandescent bulbs with more efficient LEDs or CFLs. Choose a ventilation fan that can remove humidity and odors from the room while still conserving energy. While you’re upgrading your bathroom’s productivity, don’t forget that all those hot showers contribute to the bathroom’s overall energy footprint, too. If your water heater is an older, inefficient model, upgrading to a newer Energy Star-rated model can significantly reduce energy bills. According to the EPA, water heaters are the second highest source of energy usage in the home.
Greener cleaning Chemical cleansers have been linked to allergies, asthma and other respiratory ailments, which could explain why 75 percent of respondents to the J.R. Watkins Cleaning Survey by Kelton said they believe it’s important to use natural products when cleaning around the home. It’s possible to choose bathroom materials that can help minimize the need for harsh chemical cleaners. Fixtures that perform more efficiently can help you spend less time cleaning and reduce the use of chemicals to stay sparkling and sanitary. Choosing a toilet with an antimicrobial surface that helps prevent the growth of germs, mold and stain can reduce the need for overly powerful cleaning products. And opting for stain-resistant bathroom tiles, grout and countertops can help deter mold and mildew growth while allowing you to clean less. A greener bathroom can easily be a cleaner, high-performing and healthier room for you and your family to live and grow, with simple choices that can improve the environment, inside and out.
23 - September 2015
fulfilling spray patterns suitable for any bathroom remodeling project. Installing water-efficient fixtures can help your family use 30 percent less water, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
September 2015 - 24 HOME AND GARDEN www.eastwichitanews.com
Tips to tackle any DIY project (BPT) - It’s time to open the windows, reimagine your space and get to work on the home improvement project you’ve been dreaming about. This is an exciting time of year but before you jump in with booted feet and workgloved hands, you need to do a little planning. “I’ve found the best results are achieved when you have a plan in mind,” says Carter Oosterhouse, one of America’s most recognized home-improvement experts featured on many popular TV shows on HGTV. “There’s certainly a time for spontaneity, but you should have a vision of your finished work and know where you’re going before you pick up that first tool.” Carter offers these preparation tips to ensure the project you’ve been dreaming about is set up for success. Know when to rent and when to buy No matter what type of DIY project you’re planning, you’re going to need some tools. It doesn’t mean you need to own all of them. Smaller tools, such as screwdrivers or hammers, are worth buying because you’ll use them in the future. However, if you need larger tools like floor sanders, carpet cleaners and big power tools, you’re probably better off renting those instead. Before you make any big purchase, ask yourself if you’ll ever use it again. If the answer is no rent it from your local home improvement store. You’ll save the money and space. Don’t ignore your pain DIY projects can be hard work, especially if they involve the repetitive use of muscles you may not commonly use. With these types of projects, soreness and pain are common during
the work and afterward. Don’t ignore the pain or allow it to affect your productivity. Muscle aches, backaches and joint pain can be common with DIY projects. Have the right tools on hand Some tools have a place in just about every project, so it’s a good idea to keep a collection of these often-used tools nearby. Your go-to tool collection should include a hammer, tape measure, drill, saw, sander, glue, level and an assortment of screwdrivers. You won’t use all of these tools on every project but it’s a safe bet you can find a use for a few of them on any project. Safety first Your beautiful project won’t be worth your efforts if you get injured in the process. To keep yourself and your project partners healthy, remember these common DIY project safety practices when you tackle any DIY goal: • Always wear safety glasses and a mask when appropriate. • Situate ladders on level ground, avoid stepping on the top two rungs and always use a spotter for taller climbs. • If you’re working on an electrical project make sure your environment is water and moisture free. You should also wear rubber-soled shoes for safety. • Keep your work area well-lit and clean. The better you can see, the better you can avoid accidents, slips and falls. • When using sharp objects, cut away from your body and never leave power tools unattended. • Always keep a first-aid kit and fire extinguisher nearby. No one likes to think the worst but it’s good to know you’re ready if it happens.
Completing a DIY project can be a rewarding experience that improves your home for years to come. So grab your tool belt and start planning, because making your dream projects a reality depends on you.
25 - September 2015
Kitchen Tune-Up to the rescue!
Recent makeovers transform kitchens into functional, beautiful spaces It’s that time of year – the kids are off to school, the weather is changing and it’s time to focus on your house again. If that focus includes a new kitchen, the Kitchen Tune-Up team is ready to step in and turn those visions into reality. Kitchen Tune-Up has remodeled more than 1,000 kitchens since Jim and Arlene Phillips started the business in 2005, and the company’s services range from One-Day Restoration or “Tune-Up” of cabinets or any interior wood surfaces, to cabinet refacing projects to complete custom kitchens. Recent custom kitchen projects have produced amazing results for their owners:
Typically, the first consultation is by appointment at the new Kitchen Tune-Up design center and showroom, located at 4057 N. Woodlawn, Suite 1, with designer, Rachel. Clients can look at samples of the new cabinet structure, door styles for custom remodels and/or refaces, an example of actual reface projects, tilework, and many different kinds of countertops including granite, quartz, and laminates. “In addition to kitchen cabinet work, Kitchen Tune-Up will coordinate countertops, back splashes, floors – anything to do with a kitchen project,” said Jim. “And when the work is done, clients can rest assured that they’ve gotten the best possible results.” For more information or to schedule a free consultation, call Kitchen Tune-Up at 316-558-8888. Be sure to check out the Phillips company’s extensive BEFORE/AFTER portfolio on Facebook! When you visit the local Kitchen Tune-Up Facebook page, be sure to ‘LIKE’ Kitchen Tune-Up, Wichita (Jim and Arlene Phillips)!
BEFORE A previous kitchen renovation done by Kitchen Tune-Up went so well for homeowners Joy McLain and Diana Rickson that Kitchen Tune-Up was the obvious choice for the next project in their new home.
AFTER
The Kitchen TuneUp design team helped transform a cramped kitchen space and dining room (left) into a bright, modern and open space (above).
BEFORE
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• When homeowners Diana Rickson and Joy McLain were ready for a kitchen makeover at their recently purchased home, they knew just who to call: the experts with Kitchen Tune-Up! This was the second home – and second project – that Joy and Diana had turned over to Jim and Arlene Phillips. At their new home, Joy and Diana quickly realized their kitchen wasn’t exactly what they wanted. Their experiences with the previous Kitchen Tune-Up project made it easy to pick up the phone and get started with designer Rachel Phillips, Jim and Arlene’s daughter-in-law, who works with customers on their design needs from start to finish. The new kitchen features a vertical tile backsplash with a glass look, contrasting white granite countertops that look like marble, but without the issues of marble in a kitchen. Rollout trays were added, and
• Another recent project – a complete makeover of a cramped kitchen and dining room area – produced just the right response from the happy homeowners. “We now have a truly transformed kitchen and we give all the thanks to Kitchen Tune-Up,” said the homeowners. For years, the homeowners had lived with a small kitchen space that was made even more awkward by a peninsula that jutted into the room and a set of upper cabinets that cut off the kitchen from the small adjacent dining room. “It was a very cramped kitchen for 26 years,” the homeowners said with a laugh. “We loved our home, but we didn’t get to design anything.” The resulting kitchen, while still small, has a much larger feel to it. Now, the kitchen area – with all new cabinets (including the pantry that the homeowners wanted) – flows directly into the dining room space. New dining room furniture completed the transformation, and copper accents tie everything together.
AFTER
HOME AND GARDEN
• A stunning kitchen transformation began by replacing the tired, worn-out cabinetry with beautiful Mission-style, solid knotty-alder doors and drawers in a natural finish. Contrasting cabinets in black painted maple provided a striking accent against the natural wood tones. Baltic Brown granite also highlights the light cabinetry color, introducing shades of Olive Green and Terra Cotta. A coordinating backsplash using a mix of natural slate and linear glass tiles brings to life the colors in the granite, while blending with the rustic elegance of the beamed ceiling. Updated lighting in an oil-rubbed bronze color blends perfectly with the updated kitchen sink and faucet finishes. Bronze hardware on the cabinets showcases an eclectic blend of country chic cup pulls and classic style hardware. New stainless steel appliances and soft-close drawers and doors make this kitchen as functional as it is beautiful.
the new look is very modern yet very comfortable. New lighting and paint color completed the project. Joy and Diana do a lot of entertaining, and the new kitchen space is open and inviting. Guests can sit and visit along a kitchen counter, or gather in an adjoining family room that is fully open to the kitchen. And in addition to the kitchen make-over, a bank of doors in the linen storage area was redoored to blend with the modern look they love.
September 2015 - 26 HOME AND GARDEN
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(BPT) – Do you feel like your house could use more natural light to brighten and warm your favorite spaces? Patio doors offer unobstructed views that flood your home with natural light and provide convenient access to the outside. Whether you’re replacing an old door or installing one for the first time, a new patio door like those available from Pella can add light and comfort to any room. With a variety of styles available, follow these four simple steps to choosing the right patio door for your home. 1. Think about your lifestyle and budget Keep the people, places and things in your life in mind as you shop for a new door. Need to keep blinds and shades out of reach of children and/or pets? What’s the size of the room? Do you live in a particularly hot, humid or cold climate? Answers to these questions, as well as knowing your set budget, will help you narrow down your choices.
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A new patio door can brighten and warm an existing room.
2. Select a style You’ll be able to choose from a variety of styles, including hinged, French and sliding doors. Many manufacturers offer an online design tool letting you play with different styles and finishes. Hinged and French wood patio doors add a classic, elegant look and work well in more spacious rooms where they don’t run the risk of bumping into any furniture or walls when open. You can choose from two doors that swing open from the middle, one movable with one fixed door or a single hinged door. Since they don’t swing open, sliding patio doors require less floor space. This allows you to place furniture nearby or brighten up the smaller rooms in your home. 3. Choose a material type It’s important to consider the material type of your door based on your climate, the style of your home and your personal preference. Patio doors can come in three different material types:
• Wood creates a warm, natural look and can be stained or painted to complement most home styles and decor. • Fiberglass is the most durable option and is well suited for extreme heat and cold climates while also providing the look of a painted wood door. • Vinyl offers added energy efficiency, low-maintenance and affordable quality. 4. Select additional features and options You can personalize your patio door with added features to create more style and function. Try out different stains and finishes, add stylish nickel hardware, or select a patio door with blinds, shades or grilles tucked between the panes of glass. If you’re still not sure which one to choose, don’t worry – an expert, such as a Pella representative can help match you with the right one. Visit Pella Windows and Doors on Houzz for more design inspiration or Pella.com to schedule an in-home consultation.
certified to perform well and use less water and energy than the standard ones. • Follow the rules. When in drought, your community may need to enforce temporary water restrictions to save limited supplies for those who need it most, including firefighters, hospitals and utilities. Respect requests to use less water on your lawns, cars and other outdoor uses during water shortages. • Go the extra mile. If you want to go above and beyond, you can collect water in a bucket while waiting for the shower to warm up or when washing pots, and use it to water container plants or flower beds. Use your imagination to come up with creative ways to save water or visit www.epa. gov/watersense/our_water/drought.html. In the future, consider landscaping with plants that are suited to your area’s climate and use less water. Learn more at www.epa.gov/watersense/ outdoor/landscaping_tips.html. And if you live in a drought-prone area and already gave your landscape a makeover with plants that use less water, post a photo to Instagram or Twitter using the hashtag #watersavingyard to show your friends and neighbors how beautiful a drought-tolerant yard can be.
HOME AND GARDEN
(NAPSI) – As drought conditions ease in Kansas, it may be tempting to leave the water running to keep yourself and your lawn cool. However, as seen on the West Coast, droughts rob communities of the rain or snow that replenishes their much-needed water supplies, so saving water for the future becomes more important than ever. Drought may not be an issue right now, but water shortages strike different areas at different times of the year, so saving water is always in season. Be water-savvy with the following tips. • Take a sprinkler break. Grass doesn’t have to be bright green year-round. It’s natural for it to turn a little brown at the tips during summer’s hottest months. You can cut back on watering and maintain a healthy lawn, so skip that shower for your landscape. For every 20-minute watering session missed, you could save 2,500 gallons of water or more. • Consider an upgrade. If you’re thinking about a bathroom update, now is a good time to replace old plumbing fixtures with water-saving models. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s “WaterSense” program labels toilets, faucets and showerheads that have been independently
27 - September 2015
Drought or not, every drop counts
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September 2015 - 28 HOME AND GARDEN www.eastwichitanews.com
Ways to protect your family at home (NAPSI) – A few simple steps can help reduce the risk that your loved ones will be injured in your house. Be sure your home is adequately protected by smoke alarms. Smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home. For the best protection, smoke alarms should be interconnected, so that they all sound if one sounds. You can now interconnect battery-operated alarms by wireless technology. Combination devices that include both ionization and photoelectric alarms offer the most comprehensive protection. An ionization alarm is more responsive to flames, while a photoelectric alarm is more responsive to a smoldering fire. Once the alarms are installed properly, be sure to test them monthly and replace the batteries once a year or anytime an alarm “chirps” or “beeps” to indicate low batteries. In any case, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years. If children live in or visit your house, you should know that every day, nearly
seven youngsters are treated in hospital emergency rooms for electrical shock or burn injuries caused by tampering with a wall outlet. Fortunately, tamper-resistant receptacles (TRRs) can replace standard outlets to protect children from injury. They include a built-in shutter system that keeps foreign objects out. When equal pressure is applied simultaneously to both sides, the receptacle cover plates open, so a standard plug can make contact with the receptacle contact points. Without this synchronized pressure, the cover plates remain closed. Give your home a check-up. To reduce your risk, your outlets, extension cords, appliances and lightbulbs all need to be safely inspected, installed, utilized and maintained. To help you identify and remedy any electrical hazards in your home, the Electrical Safety Foundation International has a variety of resources that can show you how to protect your home and loved ones. Visit www.esfi.org to view and download these materials free of charge.
Consider replacing outlets with tamper-resistant receptacles (TRRs) to protect children from trying to stick some foreign object into the outlet.
Gross Tile brings talent and passion to every job
ABOVE: Owners Cathy and Mark Gross, from left, are excited to open a second location for Gross Tile and Concrete Design in the Delano District. The family team also includes daughter Jenna Hill. BELOW: Gross Tile’s westside location is at 10680 W. Maple.
There’s a high volume of traffic in the renaissance business neighborhood, and it is easily accessible from all across the city of Wichita. Gross Tile actually got its start right
across the street in 1997. From there, the company moved to Tyler and Maple for a few years before building the current Gross Tile and Concrete Design showroom at 10680 W. Maple, near
Making dreams happen Right now, Gross Tile is completing a local bathroom project that shows what can happen when you put your dreams on paper and turn the job over to an expert in the industry. From their first meeting, East Wichita homeowners Steve and Karen Nestelroad were impressed with Mark Gross as they unveiled their plans for a total renovation of their master bathroom. They already knew they were meeting with an industry leader in the Wichita area, and Mark was immediately able to visualize the clients’ ideas and get the ball rolling on this all-important home renovation. What the Nestelroads want for their master bathroom is a totally accessible walk-in shower system with a “curbless” entry to replace their existing tub and small shower. The tub never gets used, and the shower isn’t comfortable or safe for either Steve or Karen. In addition, the double-sink vanity in the master bathroom needs to be raised to a more comfortable height for both of the homeowners. “Mark has his business down to a ‘T,’” said Steve. “People like Mark make it great to launch a project like this.” The Nestelroad project is now in its final phase. Simultaneously, Gross Tile has launched a major commercial job at McConnell Air Force Base. Watch next month’s East Wichita News and WestSide Story for updates on projects, and the new showroom in Delano. For more information about everything Gross Tile has to offer, call 316773-1600, or stop by the showroom at 10680 W. Maple, near Maple and Maize Road. You can also find Gross Tile on Facebook.
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Launching a second location In addition to remodeling projects for his clients, Mark Gross is finishing a major renovation project of his own. Gross Tile is expanding with a new showroom at 1528 W. Douglas in the historic Delano District of downtown Wichita. The second showroom for Gross Tile will help expand the company’s base in Wichita, and better meet the needs of customers all across Wichita. The current showroom near Maple Street and Maize Road is convenient and perfect for the company’s customer base in west Wichita, and the additional showroom in downtown Wichita will bring a new level of customer service for clients in the midtown and eastern areas of the city. “We are so excited about this location,” said Mark as he gave a quick tour of the work being done to convert the historic brick building on the northeast corner of Douglas and Fern streets.
Maple and Maize Road. “We’ve got a lot of satisfied customers, and we want to continue to focus on our remodeling work, especially with bathroom renovations and custom curbless showers,” said Mark. “I love it when I can share my ideas with clients and give them the ‘wow’ factor they’re looking for.”
HOME AND GARDEN
Mark Gross is a little busy these days. From a customer’s perspective, that’s good news. His flooring and remodeling company, Gross Tile and Concrete Design of Wichita, is busy with both residential and commercial jobs, and he’s putting the finishing touches on a new, second showroom location in the Delano District. All of that excitement just brings a smile to Mark’s face. Gross Tile has grown from a respected flooring company into a leader in bathroom and kitchen renovations, as well as a total remodeling company. It’s a transformation that Mark Gross relates back to customer satisfaction. “We found that over the years, we had clients who liked our work and wanted us to tackle other projects for them, and we expanded into those areas,” said Mark. “That’s really how we started getting into bathroom makeovers, and then kitchens, too.” The transformation of Gross Tile has spanned nearly two decades, and the story of how the company got to where it is today – and where it is headed – is an exciting one.
29 - September 2015
A trusted name
September 2015 - 30 HOME AND GARDEN www.eastwichitanews.com
Flint Hills Spas New location provides expanded showroom for customers
Pictured in their new location are Flint Hills Spas’ owner Jamil Toubassi, left, and former owner Dave Garretson. Garretson is still actively involved with the business. Come see what Flint HIlls Spas has to offer at 6350 E. Central Ave.
Flint Hills Spas has gained some much-needed elbow room. But the new location for the city’s premier hot tub and swim spa dealer has filled up fast. Owner Jamil Toubassi is excited about the more than doubled showroom space he now has available for customers, and the new product lines being carried by Flint Hills Spas. The new showroom is located at 6350 East Central, just east of Ace Hardware. Flint Hills Spas moved there in late August. “The timing was perfect,” said Toubassi. “We’re heading into Fall, and now’s the time to think about backyard improvements. We can help with hot tubs, swim spas and many other new products like infrared saunas, pellet and ceramic grills and various patio accessories.” One of the exciting new products for customers in the Flint Hills Spas showroom is a floor model swim spa. “Swim spas are the fastest growing segment of the overall hot tub industry,” said Toubassi.
“They offer a great combination of exercise and therapy, they can be used year-round and are way more affordable than an in-ground swimming pool.” Former owner Dave Garretson is still heavily involved with the business and is well-known as the hot tub guru of Kansas. He continues to share his more than 40 years of knowledge and experience with customers. “We knew Dave, and after I left Koch Industries, I decided to buy a business here in Wichita,” said Toubassi. “He’s very passionate about the business, and we’re so glad he’s a long-term part of our growth.” Flint Hills Spas is open seven days a week. Hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. For more information, call 316-733-1200, stop by the showroom at 6350 E. Central, or visit the company’s website, www.flinthillsspas. com.
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improvement to outdoor living areas. You have many options for creating an outdoor kitchen, from building a simple frame and sliding a standard gas grill into it, to a more elaborate stone installation complete with an oven and multiple burners. You can save money by using online guides and renting tools to build your own backyard kitchen. 4. Build a dedicated space for napping What’s more relaxing than napping in the shade with a soft breeze as your blanket? Constructing a wooden swing, suspended bed swing or a wooden hammock can be an easy weekend project that requires the rental of only a few simple tools. When you’re done, you’ll enjoy testing the fruits of your labor with an afternoon nap. 5. Set up superior seating Anyone can buy some patio furniture and put it on the deck, but built-in seating takes outdoor relaxation to the next level. Adding built-in seating can be as simple as building a wooden frame along a deck railing and adding plush cushions, or as elaborate as creating a sunken pit from field stone and patio pavers. Look online for inspiration and ideas that will fit with your space and design tastes. Whatever project you decide to tackle, renting the tools you’ll need is a cost-effective way to get the job done without overspending. Plus, when you’re done with the tools you won’t have to worry about finding somewhere to store them. To find a local rental store, visit www.rentalhq.com.
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HOME AND GARDEN
(BPT) – A beautiful back yard has become a suburban status symbol much like a brand-new car in the driveway. Upgrading your outdoor space is not only uplifting, it’s practical, too. A great back yard expands your living space, enhances your enjoyment of your home and can boost resale value. Anyone can plant some flowers or put in a patio. To truly take your outdoor spaces to the next level, though, look to projects that offer a big “wow factor.” Many are well within the capabilities of most do-it-yourselfers. You can find detailed instructions online, and all the tools you’ll need are at your local American Rental Association member rental store. Here are five warm-weather projects to turn your back yard into an enticing oasis. 1. Create a fire pit area Metal fire pits and chimineas are available in home improvement stores, but to create a truly memorable outdoor experience, consider building your own fire pit. Rather than simply being another portable accessory cluttering up your outdoor space, a built-in fire pit becomes an ambience-boosting design element in your yard. To create a fire pit, you’ll need a good-sized circle of level ground in your yard, tools for digging, stones or bricks for construction, and implements for hauling sand, stone and bricks. 2. Plant a vertical garden Gardening is a popular summer pastime, one that can fill your yard and home with beautiful blooms, lush greenery and nutritious, low-cost produce. If you don’t have a great deal of room for a spacious garden plot, or if you want a garden that’s more visually striking than raised beds or containers, consider a vertical garden. Virtually any unadorned outdoor wall can accommodate a vertical garden. Depending on how you choose to affix plants and containers to the wall, you may need to rent nail guns or construction-grade staple guns. 3. Add an outdoor kitchen Cooking and eating outside are among the great joys of warm weather, and outdoor kitchens are a popular
FURNACE CLEAN & CHECK
31 - September 2015
Five over-the-top outdoor improvements for DIYers
September 2015 - 32
ROOFING • GUTTERING • REMODELING • WINDOW REPLACEMENT
ROOF INSPECTIONS, SIDING & DECKS • Free Estimates
Financing available with approved credit
References Available
HOME AND GARDEN
Licensed and Insured for Your Protection All Work Guaranteed MeMber WAbA And bbb
HAIL OR WIND DAMAGE TO YOUR ROOF? Call us at:
Office: 794-3430 Fax: 794-3448 1-800-952-3430
George Burwell Owner
LocALLy oWned And operAted Since 1987
THE STONE VENEER SPECIALIST Before
Masonry Refacing, Repair & Restoration After
www.eastwichitanews.com
Interiors & Exteriors Refacing & Accents Fireplaces & Bar Fronts Masonry Restoration Brick & Stone Tuck Pointing Porches & Patios
» Quality Craftsmanship » Affordable Rates » Free Estimates » Professional & Timely Service
Call Andrew Ablah
316-210-8910
See my work at: www.stoneveneerspecialist.weebly.com