March 2015 - 2
I INSIDE
Volume 30 • Issue 5
ON THE COVER
If I were mayor... | 20 WestSider Micayla Gutierrez won a statewide essay contest. Her accomplishment led to a meeting with Goddard Mayor Marcey Gregory and a presentation in from of many Kansas mayors.
W e s t S i d e S t o r y
Eisenhower student wins Gore Scholarship | 8
Features From the Publisher’s Files.............................................3 Dateline.....................................7 People and Places.................8
Heart-healthy cooking begins with some homework | 10
Movie Review....................... 12 Cinema Scene...................... 12 Pet Smarts............................. 13
Faces wanted.
Focus On Business.............. 14
WestSide Story’s Spring Home and Garden special section | 26-39
Performing Arts Calendar................................. 16 Wichita Homes.................... 29
WestSide Story Editorial
Publisher Paul Rhodes Managing Editor Travis Mounts Graphics Abbygail Wells Reporters/Contributors Sam Jack, Dr. Ron Helten, Jim Erickson, Amy Houston, Paul Rhodes
Sales & Billing
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At the WestSide Story, 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!
Now in our 30th year! The WestSide Story is a monthly newspaper focused on the far west side of Wichita. It is delivered free to most west Wichita 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 for free in west Wichita Dillons stores and at Times-Sentinel Newspapers. Email story ideas and photographs to news@tsnews.com. Visit us on Facebook. © 2015 Times-Sentinel Newspapers
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From the Publisher’s Files
Paul Rhodes | Publisher
Something new that I’m personally excited about also can be found in this issue: a healthy cooking column written by yours truly. I love cooking, and over the past year since my heart attack I’ve been focusing my kitchen efforts on heart-healthy cooking. I’ve already launched this cooking series in our weekly newspapers – The Times-Sentinel, the Haysville Sun-Times and the Conway Springs Star and Argonia Argosy – and the response has been very positive. Speaking of our weekly newspapers, they also are going through a print format change beginning this month. We’re excited about this transition, as well, and if you’re a subscriber to one of our weekly papers, you’ll notice those changes in the weeks ahead, too. All of us at Times-Sentinel Newspapers are excited about the opportunities we’ve been given as a community newspaper staff, and we’re humbled by the positive responses we so often get from you, our readers. We want that relationship to last for a long, long time. We hope you’ll appreciate the changes we’re making to our publications, and enjoy the added benefits that those changes will bring, as well. Happy reading!
WestSide Story
Staying progressive with a business model means you have to be willing to take some risks on a regular basis. Boy, is that ever true for the newspaper industry. Yes, the basic product produced by any newspaper or newspaper group is still just that – a newspaper. But times change, formats change, and economic pressures can dictate some changes of their own. To that end, your WestSide Story is changing a little bit as we enter a new year. Last month, we took a seemingly bold leap for us – and possibly a minor leap for you, our readers – as we moved to a slightly smaller-sized tabloid newspaper format. The test run went well, and this month we are making a long-term commitment to the new format. We’re starting to introduce some design changes to the publication, as well, but the biggest advantage we see will be the opportunity to run more color pages on a regular basis, as well as more total pages in the newspaper. At the same time we are accomplishing those goals, we also have found a printing format that actually will save us some money each month, and help ensure the continuing success of this newspaper. Both the WestSide Story and the East Wichita News are moving to this format, and both publications are setting records this month for the number of pages in their individual issues. That’s exciting, and we hope the expanded news content is exciting, as well. You’ll find a large Spring Home and Garden section in this issue, and in the months ahead our new format will help accommodate more special features for our readers.
3 - March 2015
A new look for your favorite neighborhood publication
March 2015 - 4
Lee wins prestigious Gore Scholarship Eisenhower senior will attend Wichita State next year
W e s t S i d e S t o r y
Story
and
photos
by
Sam Jack
WestSider Ryan Lee, a senior at Goddard Eisenhower High School, was one of two students awarded $52,000 Gore Scholarships to Wichita State University at a Feb. 26 ceremony. The scholarships, awarded annually since 1954 through a highly competitive interview and application process, recognize both leadership and academic skills. Lee qualified to compete at Wichita State’s Distinguished Scholars Invitational based on his GPA, application essays and letters of recommendation. At the event itself, several hundred invited students participated in group interviews, brainstorming sessions and leadership exercises. The field was then winnowed to around 50 semifinalists. After further eliminations, 10 finalists met with judges on Feb. 25. Lee received a phone call that night letting him know he had won. “I was speechless. I didn’t know what to say. I don’t really remember much of the phone call, because there were so many things running through my mind, but I was just ecstatic to receive it,” said Lee. Wichita State president Dr. John Bardo was on hand to congratulate the winners and present certificates of achievement. Amy Lightfoot of Colorado Springs, Colo. was the other winner. “It’s always a pleasure to have an opportunity to meet bright, capable young people, and that’s really the hallmark of this university,” said Bardo. “Wichita State is a university on the rise. It’s about educating people for the future, it’s about making sure that they know how to innovate in a rapidly changing world, and ensuring that the people we come here to serve get an excellent education and good value for their dollar.” Lee is senior class president at Eisenhower High School and is interested in studying international business in college. He is an active member of the Business Professionals of America and won first place in “Marketing, Management and Human Resources” at last year’s BPA state conference. He was one of two students nominated by Eisenhower principal Bill Kelley to attend the Youth Civic Leadership Institute
Dr. John Bardo, president of Wichita State University, presents WestSider Ryan Lee with a plaque recognizing him as one of this year’s Gore Scholarship winners. The scholarship is worth $52,000.
At right, Ryan Lee answers a television reporter’s questions after he was introduced as one of the Gore Scholarship winners at a Feb. 26 press conference.
at KU’s Dole Institute of Politics. Lee has studied the Mandarin Chinese language since his freshman year at Eisenhower and hopes to study abroad in Shanghai during college. “I think, as far as this competition, the biggest thing would be the Mandarin program at Eisenhower. It’s pretty unique to the district; not many high schools have that opportunity,” said Lee. Lee is also active in community service, helping to organize Habitats for Humanity projects with his school’s National Honor Society chapter and serving as a good will ambassador for students new to the Goddard district. “It was so hard to know which one to pick, because there were so many good candidates, but at the end of the day we had to pick two, and I’m really glad we
got Ryan,” said Gore Scholar and Wichita State senior Jarret Krueger, a member of the selection committee. “He’s a perfect guy for this, and we know he’ll serve the university well.” Before winning the Gore, Lee was also a top candidate for a scholarship offered by the Barton School of Business. He hopes to get involved in student government at WSU. “I am truly honored to be standing in front of you today,” Lee said in an acceptance speech. “I’m thankful for my family and the entire staff at Eisenhower High School. Their constant support throughout the years of high school and before have helped get me where I am today. As a Gore Scholar, I will be proud to represent Wichita State alongside Amy – and ‘Go Shocks!’”
Tickets go on sale Saturday, March 7 Tickets $90 adults, $50 children Phone 816-471-0400 Online kcsymphony.org Walk-in Dillards at Towne East Square Saturday, March 7 ONLY 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Event information www.symphonyintheflinthills.org
Four-time Grammy Award-winning artist Lyle Lovett will perform with the Kansas City Symphony at the Symphony in the Flint Hills tenth anniversary Signature Event on June 13. “We are excited to celebrate our tenth anniversary with expanded music and education programs celebrating this year’s theme, ‘Grasslands of the World,’” said Christy Davis, executive director of the Symphony in the Flint Hills, Inc. “It is an honor to feature an artist who shares our passion for the tallgrass prairie.” Lyle Lovett was raised on his family’s horse ranch in Klein, Texas, and still lives on part of the original homestead today. The singer/songwriter and actor isn’t a stranger to the Kansas Flint Hills. Lovett visited the area in 2000 to film “The Last Stand of the Tallgrass Prairie,” a documentary he hosted, and he was the guest artist of the fifth anniversary Signature Event in 2010. This year’s Signature Event will take place at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve where it debuted in 2006. Symphony in the Flint Hills is partnering with The Nature Conservancy to feature speakers who showcase this year’s theme. Tickets for the 2015 Symphony in the Flint Hills Signature Event will go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 7. General admission tickets are $90 for adults and $50 for children under 12. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.
5 - March 2015
Lyle Lovett to headline Symphony in the Flint Hills
The Kansas City Symphony performs at the 2013 concert. This year’s event will return to its roots at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, where it debuted in 2006. Lyle Lovett performed at the 2010 event. Paul Rhodes/WestSide Story
WestSide Story
March 2015 - 6
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Bishop Carroll students Rachel Schwindt and Jakob Wulf-Eck were named National Merit Finalists. They received the honor based on their top performance on the PSAT. Contributed photo
Bishop Carroll students named National Merit finalists Two Bishop Carroll Catholic High School students, Rachel Schwindt and Jakob Wulf-Eck, were named finalists in the annual national Merit Scholarship Program. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, which represents less than one percent of US high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state. These academically talented high school seniors have the distinction of now being known as National Merit Finalists. Schwindt is the daughter of John and
Jody Schwindt of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. She is active in National Honor Society, StuCo, cheer and the SEAS choir. She plans to further her studies at Kansas State University, majoring in architecture. Wulf-Eck is the son of Kirk and Laura Eck of St. Joseph Parish, Wichita. He is active in National Honor Society, Scholars’ Bowl, and is a server in his parish. He plans to further his studies in computer science at the University of Kansas.
Upcoming events in and around Wichita
March 21 – Wichita Genealogical Society monthly meeting, 1 p.m. at Lionel Alford Library, 3447 S. Meridian. Topic: How to define a problem using a research technique. Most people spend more time planning a family weekend than they do planning to make a trip to the courthouse or library. This lecture lays the foundation for planning research trips. Continuing - CityArts is presenting the 29th annual Art Show at the Dog Show exhibit throughout its building through March 21. Art Show at the Dog Show is a competitive art exhibition started by the Wichita Kennel Club. This unique show features pieces of original canine art by national and international artists. It is the only exhibit of its kind anywhere that is dedicated solely to man’s best friend. The show includes drawings, paintings, photographs, sculptures, fiber and other exclusive artworks that are available for purchase. Art Show at the Dog Show is being held in conjunction with the Sunflower Cluster Dog Show that will take place April 3-6 at the Kansas Coliseum Pavilion in Valley Center. Both events are sponsored by the Sunflower Cluster Dog Shows, which is made up of the Wichita Kennel Club, Wichita Dog Training Club, Hutchinson Kennel Club and the Salina Kennel Club.
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Continuing - The Wichita Center for the Arts, along with Elizabeth Koch and The K.T. Wiedemann Foundation, Inc., is once again host to the regional Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition, which showcases select artwork created by high school and middle school students from 70 Kansas counties. The exhibition will be on display at The Wichita Center for the Arts through March 8. Scholastic Art Awards are the
largest and longest running recognition program for young people in the United States. Maurice R. Robinson, the founder of Scholastic, Inc., the children’s publishing and entertainment company, established the awards in 1923. Alumni of the Scholastic Art Awards include Truman Capote, Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath and Robert Redford. Supported by their visual arts teachers and other community mentors, participants create and submit their best works of art. Each work is reviewed by a panel of art professionals for originality, technical skill, and the emergence of personal voice or vision. A total of 2,700 entries were submitted to this year’s Scholastic Art Awards from 70 Kansas counties, and 662 student works were selected for this year’s exhibition. From those 662 selected student works, 140 pieces were awarded the “Gold Key Award” and 188 pieces received the “Silver Key Award.” Gold Key works are automatically entered into the national judging process. From the Gold Key awards, five are nominated for the American Vision Award. One national American Vision Award recipient is then recognized from each region. This year’s National American Vision Award nominees are: Anastasia Bell, student of Pamela Delay, from Rock Creek Junior/Senior High School; Rachel Anderson, student of Ward Hilgers, from Rose Hill High School; Gregory Tinkler, student of Ward Hilgers, from Rose Hill High School; Talah Bakdash, student of Gary Buettenbach, from Wichita Collegiate School; and Azim Kamalulrahim, student of Gary Buettenbach, from Wichita Collegiate School. The Wichita Center for the Arts will recognize the award-winning students of the 2015 Scholastic Art Awards in two events March 7 and 8. Both events will be hosted by Elizabeth B. Koch and the K.T. Wiedemann Foundation, Inc. Silver Key and Honorable Mention award winners will be recognized at an open house from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 7. The event will be held at The Wichita Center for the Arts, Rounds Gallery. The 2015 Scholastic Art Award Gold Key ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, and will be held at The Wichita Center for the Arts, Irene Vickers Baker Theatre.
7 - March 2015
Dateline
March 2015 - 8
WestSide Story People and Places WestSider Joseph Hobert, a junior at Peru State College, is among the students on the dean’s list for the fall 2014 semester. To make the Dean’s List students must have a grade-point average of 3.5 or higher for the semester, have completed at least 12 college credit hours during the past semester and have no incomplete grades for the semester.
W e s t S i d e S t o r y
Jessica Johnson, an English and Theology major from Wichita, has been named to the University of Dallas dean’s list for the Fall 2014 semester for earning a semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher. Southwestern College December 2014 graduates have been announced with nearly 200 students eligible to participate in Commencement exercises in Winfield, Sunday, May 10. Christy Fullerton, Wichita, graduated with a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction. Kerrie Mount, Wichita, graduated with a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction. Marisol Santiago Marquez, Maize, graduated with a master of education degree in special education. Erica Schall, Maize, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. Jake Stecklein, Wichita, graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. Southwestern College is a private institution granting undergraduate and graduate degrees and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. The University Symphonic Band from Concordia University, Nebraska, will perform at churches and schools throughout Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas during its annual tour. The band will perform March 5-14 on tour and at St. John Lutheran Church in its hometown of Seward, Neb., on March 22. Symphonic band members include Molly Goltl, a sophomore from Wichita, who plays alto saxophone. The University Symphonic Band formed in 1906 and is the oldest continuing musical organization at Concordia. The ensemble places emphasis on sacred, multicultural and contemporary literature, as well as traditional concert band repertoire. The band tours a part of the United States
each year and toured internationally to China in the summer of 2007. Andrea Borland of Wichita, a firstyear in Creighton University’s School of Pharmacy and Health Professions, was named to the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions dean’s list for fall 2014. Full-time students who earn a 3.5 grade-point average or better on a 4.0 scale are eligible for the School of Pharmacy and Health Professions dean’s list. Veteran Wichita broadcaster Pat Moyer has been named General Manager of Air Capitol Media Group’s 99.7 LITE FM. Moyer brings to LITE FM more than 35 years of experience in the Wichita market. Air Capitol Co-Owners Shane and Kianne Prill announced the appointment saying, “Pat has held various positions at some of the most successful broadcast operations in this community. He has made Wichita his home for more than 40 years. His career comes full circle having started at a locally-owned radio station and now with locally-owned LITE FM.” “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be a part of something increasingly rare in broadcasting today - a locally-owned radio station,” said Moyer. The Wichita Sports Hall of Fame has announced the founding of the Kansas Pro Indoor Football Hall of Fame. In 1999, professional indoor football began in the state of Kansas with a Topeka team called the Knights, who played in the Indoor Football League. Now, as the 17th year of indoor football in Kansas begins, the Sunflower State can boast teams that have played or still play in Topeka, Wichita, Dodge City and Salina. The inductees include three Wichitans: • Don Hall is the only person in Wichita to be involved with every local indoor team, every year since the first year of professional indoor football in 2000. Hall has been the arena voice of the Warlords, Stealth, Aviators, Wild and Force. • Wink Hartman in 2006 bought the Wichita Wild and kept indoor professional football growing. His dedication
led the Wild to the CPIFL championships in 2013 and 2014. Hartman left the indoor professional football business in 2014. • Nyle Wiren, from Northwest High School, retired with the Tampa Bay Storm at the end of the 2008 season after playing 11 season in Tampa Bay. He recorded 158 tackles, 16 sacks, 12 fumbles and four interceptions on defense. Offensively, he scored eight touchdowns, rushed for 109 yards and had 98 receiving yards. During his time with the Storm, he played defensive end, linebacker, fullback and offensive line. He earned All-Arena Honors in 2004 and as a senior at Kansas State, he earned All-America honorable mention honors. The other inductees are Skip Foster from Coffeyville and Ken Matous of Hutchinson. Foster has nearly 30 years of coaches experience including a decade in Arena Football. He has made stops with the San Jose Saber Cats, Arizona Rattlers, Columbus Destroyers and Austin Wranglers. As head coach of the Tulsa Talons in af2 from 2001 to 2003, he had a record of 44-10. He led the Talons to victory in the 2003 Arena Cup, and became the only af2 coach to go undefeated at home with 26 consecutive victories over three seasons. Matous started his work with the indoor game in 2001 with the Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League. He coached the Tulsa Talons of Arena Football2 in 2004 before moving back to the AFL. In addition to other stops, he coached the Wichita Wild from 2009 to 2011. Individual inductions will take place on KGSO 1410 AM or KGSO.com sometime in March. Each appearance will be on the Press Box radio show, which airs 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Local students are among the 1,167 named by Fort Hays State University to the Deans Honor Roll for the fall 2014 semester. The list includes undergraduate students only. To be eligible, students must have enrolled in 12 or more credit hours and have a minimum grade point average of 3.60 for the semester. Full-time on-campus and FHSU Virtual College students are eligible. Goddard students on the honor roll
are: Shane Matthew Brittain, 2011 graduate of Bishop Carroll, junior majoring in technology leadership; Claudia Lauren Griffin, 2014 graduate of Sedgwick High, freshman majoring in psychology; Amanda Leanne Smith, senior majoring in psychology; and Marina Kristine Witt, graduate of Northeast Magnet School, junior majoring in global business English. Michael Russell of Maize is majoring in business education. Wichita students on the honor roll include: Addison Kevin Pauler, a 2012 graduate of Wichita Northwest, majoring in radiologic technology; Karla Raye Benedettis, majoring in management (human resources); Jodi Frances Joerg, a 2013 graduate of Maize High, sophomore majoring in biology (pre-physical therapy); Jean M. Johnson Lies, junior majoring in sociology; Ali Marie Latimer, a 2013 graduate of Maize High, a freshman; Tara Amber Mitchell, majoring in elementary education; Hillian Ann Miller, junior majoring in nursing; Adrienne Elise Watson, senior majoring in tourism and hospitality management; John Luke Close, majoring in technology studies; Kelsey Rene Darnell, a 2011 graduate of Wichita Northwest, senior majoring in health and human performance (sport and exercise therapy); Sean W. Gaither, 2010 graduate of Wichita Northwest, senior majoring in public accounting; Kelci Marie Glover, 2012 graduate of Wichita Northwest, majoring in chemistry; Pearl S. Green, 2014 graduate of Maize High, a freshman; Tyler James Keller, 2012 graduate of Wichita Northwest, junior majoring in biology; Tiffany Marie Kennedy, freshman majoring in education; Justine Michelle Lies, 2011 graduate of Bishop Carroll, senior majoring in education; Yvonne Josephine Sanders, 2013 graduate of Udall High, junior majoring in education; Nicole Morgan Hernandez, 2013 graduate of Goddard High, senior majoring in public accounting; Mallory Allyssa Fischer, a 2013 graduate of Eisenhower High, sophomore majoring in radiologic technology; Kathryn S. Stolz, 2011 graduate of Goddard High, senior majoring in speech-language pathology; and Natalie Nicole Wager, 2014 graduate of Eisenhower High, freshman majoring in education.
Hough resounds in Wichita performances By Sam Jack
The Wichita Symphony is generally pretty great at Beethoven, but the group didn’t really come up with a convincing interpretation of Concerto No. 2, which pre-dates the composer’s other mature piano concertos, including No. 1, by 10 years and in some stretches has less drama and more classical grace Much of what Hough does with a than later-composed works. piano, I can’t explain. It’s impossible to Music director Daniel Hege’s exhortacount the tory gruntnumber of ing was intentional audible to shadings at least the Hough first 10 rows used, both of audience on Saturmembers, day and in yet I could solo pernot really formance discern a Tuesday. response In his Satfrom the urday perorchestra formance other than of Beethonot to drag. ven’s Piano Soloist and Concerto orchestra’s No. 2 with failure to get the Wichita in synch on Symphony, an interthe dynamic pretation continuum led to them seemed getting out effortless, of synch in giving a terms of satisfying tempo at sense of unone point folding and in the first deepening movement, rather than though Stephen Hough getting louda glance er, and of between folding back into smaller, more orderly Maestros Hege and Hough rectified the structures rather than just getting softer. situation quickly. The adagio movement To a sublime rendition of Beethowas the highlight of the performance. ven’s score Hough added his own The symphony was much more confirst movement cadenza, just original vincing after the intermission, in Conenough to throw light on the rest of the certo No. 1, where Beethoven’s sudden work, without breaking one’s immersion dynamic shifts and cheeky structural in it. The cadenza for the slow second turns provide handholds and footholds. movement was nothing more or less Hough’s playing was expansive. than a few ringing notes brushed out A performance of Prokofiev’s Symwith one hand, hanging and decaying in phony No. 1 “Classical” to open the the air. program was excellent, with principal
flutist Jessica Petrasek and second flutist Christina Webster, particularly deserving of praise. The obligatory standing ovation at the conclusion of the concert was well deserved in this case. Hough’s playing at his Wichita Center for the Arts solo recital Tuesday seemed unrestrained and un-self-conscious. Hough generously waived his usual fee to present the concert as a fundraiser for the symphony, but the $50 ticket price probably kept the audience numbers low. As it was, everyone present crammed into the left side of the auditorium, the better to see Hough’s fingers. In a brief talk midway through the second half of the recital, Hough described his program as a sandwich, “Polish sausage on French bread.” The sausage: Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, of whose work Hough is a leading exponent. The bread: varied works by Frenchman Claude Debussy, including “Estampes” and “Children’s Corner.” Hough has the ability to make his playing as clear as crystal, regardless of difficulty, yet his choice of thicker textures and more bass volume for Chopin’s four ballades was wholly consistent with his characterization of the works as “operas in miniature.” And though WSO executive director Don Reinhold introduced the recital as a practice session for bigger venues in the months ahead, there was no sign at all that Hough himself regarded it that way. In fact he had to take an extended pause to wipe sweat off the keys. Programmatic episodes in the Debussy selections that bookended the concert were well characterized and crystal clear, like much of Hough’s playing somehow both freely moving and fixed in place. Even from my close seat, he stroked the keys so lightly that one could barely see them depress, but I don’t think a single note failed to sound clear and true. Wichita was lucky to have a musician like Hough spend a week sharing his art with us, and we’re lucky to have groups like the Wichita Symphony that have the wherewithal and good sense to invite him to come to town.
WestSide Story
The concert pianist, composer, writer and theologian Stephen Hough spent a week in Wichita in mid-February, performing a solo recital on Tuesday, Feb. 17 to benefit the Wichita Symphony and sticking around for a program of Beethoven’s first two piano concertos, with that group, the following Saturday and Sunday. Hough’s skills as a concert pianist and composer – he’s near the top of the world in both fields – were on direct display, but his other identities also seemed near at hand. I would suggest that they are essential to Hough’s current station as one of a handful of classical musicians regarded not only as virtuosos but also as something like sages. In an earlier era, the ability to play showpieces like “Islamey” or “Gaspard de la Nuit” might have been good enough for a starry career, but as the general level of accomplishment has risen exponentially, the chance of distinguishing oneself on technical grounds alone has diminished. Google “Islamey” and it is easy to find videos of a piece that once led Alexander Scriabin to injure his hand, submitting meekly to the fleet fingers of college conservatory students and a few even younger prodigies. The pianists that today’s classical fans speak about in tones of awe have something more, though not any less, than high virtuosity. They have what the less generous might call a “schtick,” or what the more generous might call brilliance, inspiration, soul or genius. Mitsuko Uchida plays Mozart with supernatural poise, balance and evenness of tone. Martha Argerich has an air of spiritual mystery. Evgeny Kissin is “the mad Russian.” Lang Lang wears his heart on his sleeve. Go back a few decades, and observe Glenn Gould’s savant-like, eccentric performances of Bach, with Gould acting as conduit for bolts of modernist brilliance by a composer that too many had dismissed as dull. Hough is joined in my mind with another favorite pianist-sage, Marc-André
Hamelin. As is the case with Hamelin, it is clear that Hough has the ability, and the presence of mind, to employ every keystroke in service of interpretations that, though they mostly avoid extremes of riot or restraint, set distinctive paths and are full of character.
9 - M a r c h 2 0 1 5
Concert Review
March 2015 - 10 WestSide Story
Heart-healthy cooking begins with some homework STORY
BY
PAUL RHODES
I have launched a writing foray into some heart-healthy recipes for our newspaper group, and this month I want to begin with something that’s really easy to prepare. In the world of heart-healthy cooking, however, that does not mean that this meal’s ingredients are easy to understand in terms of their impact on your heart and a heart-healthy diet. To that end, there’s always some homework that has to be done first before the cooking actually starts. Almost exactly a year ago I found myself as a guest in the cardiac intensive care unit of a Wichita hospital, and before I could go home, I had to have two stents installed so my cardiovascular system could function again. Hospital workers I dealt with during my stay were comforting, but firm: aspects of my life had to change, or I’d be back again. A year later, I am still learning about heart-healthy cooking and eating, and trust me – I understand that it can be overwhelming. But with some simple guidelines, anyone can eat healthier for their heart. Here are some basic numbers to start with, and from there you can see how the guidelines come into play as I describe one of my favorite hearthealthy meals. Nutrition information on product labels can be overwhelming, so I tend to focus my attention on four key components: total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium (salt). What I’ve been operating on for a year is an average daily diet in the 2,000
calorie range. I’m a good little eater, and can consume way more than that in a day, but that’s the baseline where most food content labels are calculated. From there, in a day, I try to not consume more than 45 grams of fat, 15 grams of saturated fat, 200 milligrams of cholesterol and 2,000 milligrams of sodium. Those are the numbers I stick with because of my heart attack a year ago, and my on-going risk for heart disease. Your numbers could be different, based on your health conditions and risk factors. Now, let’s apply those numbers to a favorite meal of mine, which could be served for either lunch or dinner: a tortilla wrap, rice and fruit. I love the flavored flour tortillas, like spinach or tomato basil, but they are way higher in fat and saturated fat than a “fat free” white flour tortilla. And while
most tortillas contain no cholesterol, they are high in sodium levels – almost double the salt content in two slices of wheat bread. I was surprised when I first learned that. In contrast, two regular-sized corn tortillas have just 1 gram of total fat, no saturated fat or cholesterol, and only 35 milligrams of sodium. I use them a lot in Mexican cooking, but that’s another meal…and another column. This meal is all about balance and flavor, and an overall goal of heart health. You would think that grilled chicken would be awesome in a tortilla wrap… and it is! However, be prepared to tally up bad points in all four categories even with chicken – and especially if you use prepared chicken strips. Just one 10-inch tortilla and a few chicken strips will put you at more than half your allowable sodium for a day. Add some kind of regular sauce (I like an
Asian sesame dressing) and you could be maxed out on sodium for the day, and well past a third of the fat and saturated fat you should have in a day. And don’t even think about cheese… See how the numbers can fool you? You can add all the veggies and lettuce you want to this healthy-sounding tortilla wrap, and it’s still not that good for you. So let’s start over: Keep your tasty 10-inch tortilla, but just do veggies: My favorites are red leaf lettuce, yellow and red peppers, sweet peas and a little onion and fresh minced garlic. Instead of the dressing I mentioned, I have found a Mrs. Dash teriyaki sauce that is fat, cholesterol and sodium free. And it tastes good, too! Roll up the tortilla with the veggies inside, tucking the ends in as you go, and slice it in half. Add a side of brown rice (cook your own or make this meal even easier with one of the handy microwavable packets labeled as heart healthy) and a big pile of fresh grapes, and you’re ready to eat. The rice can even be added to the wrap, but I like it on the side, with a little cilantro chopped in. The grapes add sweetness and texture to the meal, and I can have about as many as I want. I think this tasty option will make you smile, and the numbers will too: This entire plate of food (pictured from my dinner on a recent evening) contains the following: Just 7 grams of total fat, 2 grams of saturated fat, absolutely no cholesterol, and less than 520 milligrams of sodium. That leaves lots of breathing room for the rest of the day…and we’ll talk about that next time.
STORY BY SAM JACK AND AMY HOUSTON Two WestSiders, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School quarterback Colton Howell and Wichita Northwest High School strong safety Brendan Johnson, were chosen to participate in the 2015 Kansas Shrine Bowl. The Kansas Shrine Bowl highlights the athleticism of the state’s top high school senior football players. Players on an “East” and “West” team have competed every year since 1974. Both Howell and Johnson will play for the west squad. Proceeds from the event benefit the Shriners Hospital for Children. This year’s Shrine Bowl will be Saturday, July 25 at Fort Hays State University in Hays. Howell ignored injury to finish undefeated season Bishop Carroll Catholic High School quarterback Colton Howell and his Golden Eagles were riding pretty high going into their Nov. 11 second-round playoff matchup versus Heights. They had zeroed their opponents of the last three weeks, racking up 152 unanswered points of offense. Opponents were having little luck stopping Howell and his teammates, and Howell was determined not to let an injury he sustained in the Heights
game accomplish the feat. “I fractured my foot again in that game, but I didn’t get it looked at until the end of the season,” said Howell. “If I would’ve been deemed unhealthy to play – there was no way I was going to miss the last two games of my senior season. Once that adrenaline gets going and that Carroll crowd gets rowdy, you really don’t feel a thing.” In those final two games, the Golden Eagles dominated Salina South, then blew past Overland Park’s St. Thomas Aquinas High School to lift the 5A State trophy, capping a season where Howell rushed for a total 834 yards and threw for 1,531 yards and 19 touchdowns. During the season, preparation and planning for football games took up most of Howell’s attention, outside of time devoted to school and homework. “It’s a lot more mental work than physical, I would say, especially at the quarterback position. It’s probably the most unique position in sports, because it’s so mental. You’re a general on the field,” said Howell. “Usually we would go pretty hard in practice Monday through Wednesday, walkthrough Thursday, and then usually the night before I would look through the scouting report, go through the script for the game. I’d usually carry the script around with me the whole day at school See SHRINE, Page 25
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11 - March 2015
Football players chosen for Shrine Bowl
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21st & Webb Cambridge Market 316-977-9332 Bishop Carroll senior Colton Howell, left, and Northwest senior Brendan Johnson, right, will play in this summer’s Kansas Shrine Bowl.
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March 2015 - 12 W e s t S i d e S t o r y
‘Still Alice’ is worth seeing, but hard to watch
“Still Alice” is so well made that it is such an emotional strain that I would not care to sit through it again. It is much easier to admire than to enjoy, but I think it’s important that a great many people see it. There is so little “plot” to it that it is virtually impossible to review without giving away what little plot there is. Julianne Moore gets Alzheimer’s disease and gradually gets worse, and tries with limited success to handle it. That’s about all; there is not suggestion of hope for things getting better, and much as we admire Moore’s character, she is disappearing before our eyes. It’s nobody’s fault, and nobody can do anything about it, really. It’s not fun to watch. But a great many people in real life are going through what “Still Alice” represents, and I’m not sure we have a right to ignore it. The most important thing – and here comes some unavoidable spoilers – is the tactics that can be used to keep things from being even worse at each stage of the disease, even though the next stage will inevitably wipe out any alleviation you can achieve. A number of the devices Moore uses were reportedly observed in real
Movie Review
Jim Erickson
life during her extensive research into the disease. She reportedly turned her thumbs down on things she had not observed and didn’t consider realistic. Written communication between the patient’s current person and future self appear even before the disease is diagnosed. Moore posts notes for herself behind a leaflet in her kitchen, supposedly to conceal her memory problems from her husband, son and two daughters. As her condition worsens, the notes appear on her laptop computer, including lectures to herself from her former self and what appears to be a suicide plan. She eventually gets so bad that she has to carry the laptop with her, because
her memory collapses in the time it takes to go up the stairs to the second floor. A short public speech has to be written and read, with a yellow marker following her delivery so she won’t just keep reading the same thing over and over. When she knows her daughter is coming over, she goes through an album of family photos to help her remember what her daughter looks like. Things could have been even worse. Little attention is given to the fact that Moore’s rare form of Alzheimer’s is hereditary and daughter Kate Bosworth is going to develop it. Husband Alec Baldwin and daughter Kristen Stewart are willing to sacrifice themselves to Moore’s aid, and almost no attention is paid to the stunting of their lives. Son Hunter Parrish is barely visible. There almost has to have been family disputes about unequal sacrifices, but writer-director Richard Glatzer (who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2001) does not let the concentration drift away from Moore. I’m just as glad he doesn’t – there was misery enough to make me squirm. But nobody on screen wallows in misery. “Still Alice” is almost clinical in its lack of
sentimentality, which in a way makes it all the harder to sit through, since there is no allowance for audience emotional release. Technically, “Still Alice” is as perfect as movies get. Moore’s performance is letter-perfect and has to be, because her character is not given to emotional display. Only once does she raise her voice above the conversational level and that’s early, before things get really grim. Shallow-focus camera work is used very effectively to suggest the narrow range of Moore’s understanding of what is going on around her, though its use for other purposes occasionally gets confusing as a result. There is one glitch, perhaps, involving a speech spilled to no effect. I expected the pages to be picked up in the wrong order and Moore not to notice it, but nothing happens. Otherwise, concentration is always on Moore, with no subplots and nothing irrelevant. The only other movie I can recall reacting to the way I did to “Still Alice” is 1981’s German “Das Boot,” about a submarine crew trapped at the bottom of the ocean. This is a masterpiece, too, and I don’t want to ever put myself through either one again.
‘Fifty Shades’ better than the book but other movies are better It seems all the fuss about the movie version of the first volume of E. L. James’ three-decker novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” has led to a new interest in such sadomasochistic pictures as “The Story of O” and “The Image” (both soft-core porn) and mainstream movies like “9-1/2 Weeks,” “Secretary” and the less-mentioned “Exit to Eden.” Since I haven’t seen most of these for a long time, my memory is unreliable and my desire to see them again is weak, I will limit myself to “Exit to Eden,” which was on the small screen just the other night. It was not a big hit on the big screen, but seems to be having a healthy run on the small one. Both “Fifty Shades of Grey” and “Exit to Eden” are distinguished mainly by presenting mutually consensual sadomasochism as acceptable behavior, though in a pretty painless form most of the time – at least as shown on the screen. “Exit to Eden” is a comedy and “Fifty Shades of Grey” is a drama with a
Cinema Scene
Jim Erickson
more serious attitude toward its subject, but in a lot of ways they are more alike than different. Both feature characters who are introduced to the world of recreational ropes and whips without the shock you might expect. In “Exit to Eden,” Rosie O’Donnell, Paul Mercurio and Dan Ackroyd encounter it, with varying degrees of acceptance. Dakota Johnson does this in “Fifty Shades of Grey” with growing acceptance through most of the film,” (which, one must remember, is based on the first novel in a tril-
ogy, with sequel movies to come). But “Exit to Eden” presents S&M mostly as a vacation recreation on a resort island run by Dana Delany (of television’s “China Beach”). Neither movie deals much with serious pain, although “Fifty Shades of Grey” presents it as an inevitability while “Exit to Eden” barely suggests it as a possibility. The notable thing is that neither movie deals with it as undesirable enough to need reforming, though the “Fifty” sequels probably will. The movie of “Fifty Shades of Grey” is enormously better than the novel, largely because of the treatment of the characters. E.L. James’ characterizations are so thin that almost any visualization would have to improve them, and Dakota Johnson as the heroine and Jamie Dornan as the hero do what they can. Johnson is helped by the abandonment of James’s insistence on epic-heroic love and the addition of a subtle undercurrent of humor, and Dornan by the abandonment of the theme of stalking,
though I fear that will be inescapable in the sequel. But only Ackroyd in “Exit to Eden” consistently rejects the new concept, and in the end even he seems to be improved by its general liberalism. Nowhere is there a serious consideration of the possible undesirability of S&M as a practice. In “Exit to Eden,” O’Donnell plays both a developing character and the emotionally uninvolved narrator who controls our reactions. She also is the sole thing in “Exit to Eden” that was generally praised, and she deserved it. Dornan’s Christian Grey is a less confident pursuer than James’s, at times seeming almost hangdog in his expectation of rejection. While this hardly makes him sympathetic, at times it makes him almost pitiable, which is surely not what anybody intended. Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia Steele (“Christian” and “Steele” – is James after some kind of symbolism? Neither name fits See FIFTY, Page 13
An allergic reaction in pets can be caused by a bite from a spider or bee, or it can also occur after a vaccination or antibiotic injection. The most common signs relate to the skin. Swelling of the face can cause the eyes to appear swollen shut or the cheeks to appear thicker. Redness is also common if there is an allergic reaction. Small raised areas on the skin can occur anywhere on the body but are most noticeable on the belly where there is little hair. These raised areas are called hives or urticaria, and resemble a bee sting. This skin swelling and itchiness occurs one to two hours after the sting or injection. Anaphylactic shock is a more severe allergic reaction and far less common. This kind of reaction occurs within minutes and needs to be treated immediately as it is life threatening. Internal swelling causes vomiting, diarrhea and difficult breathing. Cortisone or epinephrine are commonly used drugs to treat this condition. Many dogs or cats that have allergic reactions may also have an allergy to many inhaled allergens such as grass, ragweed or tree pollen. Feet licking
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Fifty
says that “Sex on screen has been in short supply since the late 1990s” and that “since 2003, R-rated films haven’t crossed 35 percent” of productions. Its list of “the 10 highest-grossing R-rated erotic dramas of all time” includes Diane Lane’s “Unfaithful” from 2002, which I hardly regard as steamy stuff. It also includes 2015’s “The Boy Next Door,” which is currently making the rounds and which I have been told is notable only for a single scene. Among its upcoming hot-stuffs are “Crossfire,” “The Price of Salt,” “S.E.C.R.E.T.” and “The Black Door,” all based on established novels – all of which I would suspect to be better reads than anything by E.L. James.
Continued from Page 12
Dr. Ron Helten | Veterinarian
and sore or red ears are common signs of allergies in pets. Antihistamine or cortisone are drugs used to treat these allergies. These drugs can also be used on pets before vaccination if they have had allergic reactions to vaccines in the past. Allergic reactions are rare but can be very serious. Much like in people, pets need vaccinations. If pets do not receive needed vaccines, illness and death from diseases like parvovirus, distemper in dogs and cats, leukemia in cats, leptospirosis in dogs and even rabies will be more common. Check with your veterinarian to make sure that your pet is current on needed vaccinations.
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the character) is much more under control and less concerned with how Grey’s slacks hang from the edges of his hips than James’ version of her, which makes her more sympathetic and even attractive. (I am among the many I talked to who are mystified as to why these characters are so attractive to women, who seem to be the majority of fans of both the books and the movie.) The Feb. 27 “Entertainment Weekly”
13 - March 2015
Allergic reactions in pets
March 2015 - 14
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Ken Jack, Attorney At Law............ Page 14 Wichita Grand Opera..................... Page 15
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Kenneth Jack: A passion for patent and trademark law Once in a great while, a person gets to combine a mix of interests into a career. And that’s exactly what Wichita lawyer Kenneth Jack has done in his lifetime. Jack’s passions run a seemingly divergent gamut: the law, inventions, mathematics and engineering. But together, those passions have helped Jack carve out a successful career in patent and commercial law. As a long-time partner in Davis and Jack, L.L.C., Jack is a prominent expert in legal areas that include patent law, trademark law and business venture development. There aren’t many attorneys who focus their practice on those areas of expertise, and Jack is pleased to be one of the few. “I feel like I’m doing a service to the area,” said Jack, who grew up in Oklahoma and was exposed to the field of inventions at an early age. His father, Dr. Sam Jack, Sr. was a surgeon and an inventor of some of the orthopedic surgical tools he personally used in the operating room. Jack’s
Ken Jack
father encouraged him to share that passion – including a trip in the 1970s to the patent library at the University of Oklahoma to do a patent search on a pump design the elder Jack had invented. Jack studied mathematics at Oklahoma State University, but became interested in law at the end of his un-
dergraduate work. He studied law at the University of Oklahoma, and during that time met his future wife, Alison Davis. Her father, Robert Davis, was a founder of Wichita’s Bruce & Davis law firm, and Jack soon went to work for the firm. “I hit the ground running,” said Jack. He eventually found himself doing legal work in the area of intellectual property, and incorporated trademark and copyright work into the practice. After studying engineering at Wichita State University, Jack passed the grueling patent exam in 1994, entitling him to practice patent law in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a legal specialty. For the past 20 years, Jack has emphasized patents and inventor representation in his practice. “I cut my teeth on an early invention project with Nowak Construction in Goddard,” said Jack, referring to John Nowak’s trenchless pipe replacement invention. Since that first issued patent, Jack has secured hundreds of issued
patents for local Wichita inventors, covering a wide range of fields – construction, agriculture, science, consumer products and – not surprisingly – medicine. “Working with doctors and health care providers is a real satisfaction,” said Jack. “Patenting their innovative devices is very pleasing for me.” Jack works with clients in all phases of a project, from initial invention concept drawings to patent licensing and enforcement. “I help inventors with deciding on and taking next reasonable steps,” he said of his guidance of clients through the patent application process. Patents and work with inventors are dominant parts of Jack’s practice, and the remainder of his time is spent serving the legal needs of business including new product development, trademark and copyright, incorporation and business organization. “New product development goes See KEN JACK, Page 16
Story
by
Sam Jack
ABOVE: WGO’s Artistic Director Margaret Ann Pent directs Annalisa Raspagliosi in WGO’s 2007 “Tosca.” LEFT: From Left to Right: Anna Netrobko, Placido Domingo and Gaston Rivero after Berlin State Opera’s “Il Trovatore.” Contributed photos
Italian soprano Annalisa Raspagliosi makes her third WGO appearance since co-starring with Pavarotti in the company’s inaugural gala as Princess Elisabeth, who is forced to marry King Philip of Spain even though her heart belongs to Philip’s son, Carlo. Raspagliosi, whose previous performances with WGO set multiple box office records, has starred in virtually every major opera house in Europe; however, her performances in the U.S. are exclusive to WGO and Los Angeles Opera. Maestro Martin Mázik, WGO Principal Guest Conductor, will conduct both “Turandot” and “Don Carlo.” Following his tenure as Principal Conductor of the Slovakian National Opera, Maestro Mázik embarked on a whirlwind international career. Since his U.S. debut in 2000, he has conducted extensively
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answer three riddles to win her hand, or else die trying. Tamura’s Met Opera debut last season as Cavaradossi in “Tosca” earned rave reviews, and in addition to his appearance with WGO, he will be returning to the Met this season. As Calaf, Tamura is entrusted with “Nessun Dorma,” the aria made world famous by Pavarotti’s passionate performance for the 1990 World Cup. In another debut, Uruguayan tenor Gaston Rivero will make his first U.S. appearance in the title role of “Don Carlo” (Sept. 25 & 27). Last season saw him singing the title role in Berlin State Opera’s new production of “Il Trovatore” alongside opera superstars Anna Netrebko and Plácido Domingo, conducted by Daniel Barenboim, in a performance now available globally on DVD.
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Kansas has a long history of producing great opera singers, but it spent the twentieth century as one of only two states in the union that lacked a professional opera company. That changed eight months into the 21st century as Founder and Artistic Director Margaret Ann Pent marshaled creative resources under the ambitious name “Wichita Grand Opera,” incorporating the company on Nov. 15, 2000. An April 2002 gala starring the great Luciano Pavarotti provided a shot of adrenaline to the young company, followed by another gala with Plácido Domingo in December of that year. Less than a year later, WGO made an international splash once again with its colossal outdoor production of “Carmen” on the Lake at Bradley Fair, which Pent directed. Pent has continued to shape the company’s artistic direction in the fifteen years since. This season’s “Don Carlo” will be her ninth outing as Stage Director or Designer with the WGO, headlining a Season of Royalty that is perhaps the most ambitious ever for the growing company. Single tickets to Verdi’s “Don Carlo” – as well as the rest of WGO’s season – are on sale beginning this month. In the nearly fifteen years since WGO’s founding, it has developed a formidable reputation both with the public and among the world’s elite opera stars. Bass Samuel Ramey, a Kansan member of that tribe, made his home state professional opera debut in Pent’s 2007 production of “Tosca.” Like Ramey, stars from around the world have flocked to WGO in growing numbers, often for the chance to debut new roles with the company. One example is renowned Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva, who has sung dozens of leading roles at companies such as Covent Garden, Berlin and the Metropolitan Opera, but has never sung the title role in Puccini’s final masterpiece, “Turandot” (Aug. 28). This summer, Wichita will be the first to hear her sing it. Brazilian tenor Ricardo Tamura will make his WGO debut as Prince Calaf, Turandot’s impetuous suitor who must
in this country, including several WGO productions. “Turandot” and “Don Carlo” will be performed in Italian, with projected English translations. However, comedy goes over better in the audience’s native language, so WGO’s final opera of the season, Offenbach’s “The Grand Duchess” (Oct. 16 and 18), will be performed in English. In the title role of “The Grand Duchess,” triple-threat Kaitlyn Costello will deploy her quicksilver mezzo-soprano, and dance and comedy skills, to tell the tale of a monarch with a weakness for men in uniform. Critics hailed Costello as “off the charts terrific” last summer as Anita in “West Side Story.” As an enlisted man whom the Duchess rashly promotes to Commander-in-Chief, Cullen Gandy makes his WGO debut as Private Fritz. Gandy previously covered the role of Fritz in Santa Fe Opera’s acclaimed production, and made his LA Opera debut last season opposite Renée Fleming in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” “The Grand Duchess” debuted at the 1867 Paris Exposition to a royal audience including Napoleon III, Russia’s Tsar Alexander II, England’s King Edward VII, Austria’s Emperor Franz-Joseph, and Prussia’s Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck. In spite of poking fun at the military potentates in attendance, Bismarck laughed, “Yes! It’s exactly like that!” and “The Grand Duchess” became an instant hit. To kick off the season, Wichita Grand Opera will celebrate the renewal of its fruitful partnership with the Russian National Ballet Theatre. The company’s 50 dancers are dedicated to upholding the grand traditions of Russian ballet, and are trained to the exacting standards of the Russian ballet academies. They will present evening-length ballet versions of Prokofiev’s “Cinderella” (April 25) and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” (May 3). Single tickets for the 2015 Season are on sale now at $40, $60 and $95. Season subscribers can save up to 25% off the regular ticket prices. Single tickets and Subscriptions are available through the WGO Box Office at (316) 262-8054 or online at SelectASeat.com. For more information, visit WichitaGrandOpera.org.
15 - March 2015
A ‘Season of Royals’ for Wichita Grand Opera
March 2015 - 16
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A rundown of Irish single malt whiskey BY MATTHEW RALLS AUBURN SPIRITS Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of drinking one of the most impressive single malt whiskeys in a long time, and, interestingly enough, it wasn’t even from Scotland. In fact, this wonderful whiskey came from Scotland’s close neighbor, Ireland. For the most part, my experience with Irish whiskeys has been somewhat limited to the blended variety, such as Jameson, Bushmill’s and the like. However, Irish single malt whiskeys are a fantastic and interesting take on the style, which is not totally exclusive to Scotch. Irish whiskey has long been considered the smallest of the “big four,” following Scotch, bourbon, and Canadian whiskeys. However, it is now the fastest growing of them all, and for good reason. Irish whiskey is triple distilled, giving the spirit an incredibly smooth and easy-drinking quality. When paired with the unique single-malt distilling
Performing Arts Calendar
the distinct and wonderfully clean and smooth qualities of Irish whiskey; with creamy vanilla sweetness and notes of citrus and pineapple dancing across the palate. For an entry-level Irish single malt, and also the lowest price in their whiskey lineup, the Knappogue 12 left a lasting impression. I highly encourage fans of Irish whiskeys, and also Scotch single malt enthusiasts, to give this one a try. Single malt Irish whiskeys are a fascinating and interesting take on the style. With their popularity growing fast, it is a good time to be a whiskey enthusiast. As a Scotch drinker myself, I am happy to be exposed to a new world of single malt whiskeys. Brands such as Knappogue Castle, Bushmill’s and Connemara offer an interesting and distinct variety of flavor profiles for one to enjoy. And what better time to indulge in a nice bottle of Irish single malt whiskey than St. Patrick’s Day?!
ular classical music featuring Fathers Martin O’Hagan, Eugene O’Hagan and David Delargy. Tickets $35-$60, www.wichitaorpheum.com.
Composition Prize will be announced at the concert. This is the inaugural year of the competition, which is sponsored by the Wichita Chamber Chorale and Senseney Music, Inc. Tickets $20 general, $15 seniors, $5 students. Free admission for high school students. Phone 316-712-2678 or visit www.wichitachorale.com. A reception will follow the concert.
March 2015
March 19 – April 5 – Wichita Community Theatre, “Last Night of Ballyhoo,” by Alfred Uhry. 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday. Winner of the 1997 Tony Award for Best Play. Tickets $14 adults, $12 students/ seniors/military. Call 316-686-1282.
March 2-4, Wichita Theater League, “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story,” 7:30 p.m. nightly at Century II. Tickets $35$90, www.wichitatix.com.
March 21 – Wichita Orpheum, 7:30 p.m., Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives. Tickets $29.50-$39.50, www.wichitaorpheum.com.
March 6 – Wichita Orpheum, 8 p.m., Ailey II, one of the most popular dance companies in the country featuring young dance talent from across the U.S. Tickets $30-$40, www.wichitaorpheum.com.
March 27 - Wichita Chamber Chorale present Joseph Haydn’s “The Creation,” 7:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 330 N. Broadway. One performance only. With a libretto based on passagaes from “Paradise Lost,” Genesis and Psalms, Franz Joseph Haydn’s epic oratorio is among his most inspired works. The work features the 36-voice Wichita Chamber Chorale, a 30-piece orchestra, and three soloists – soprano Lily Guerrero, tenor Randolph Lacy and bass Charles Turley. John Harrison is concertmaster. The winner and runner-up of the Kansas Choral
Continued from Page 14
hand in hand with new business development,” said Jack. “I can help a new business venture with all of the trademark issues surrounding branding and labeling of a business’s product, and advise my clients on marketing strategies that enhance trademark value.” Jack’s best work is almost always behind the scenes, and it’s eclectic. But in the end, it has given him a career that has been satisfying and rewarding – and encompasses his seemingly diverse passions. To learn more about what Kenneth Jack can offer you in the areas of patent and trademark work and business development, call 316-945-8251 or view www.DavisandJack.com. The Davis and Jack law firm is located at 2121 West Maple, near the Delano District in Wichita.
process, the result is nothing but pure bliss! Compared to the common blended malt styles of Irish whiskey, which make up around 90 percent of the market, single malts are typically more distinct. Single malt whiskeys, for the most part, are produced with a single type of grain, usually barley, and are also the product of a single distillery. The result is a spirit that proudly stands out as unique to the vision and quality standards of a particular distillery, often with unforgettable flavor profiles which keep customers coming back for that experience. The whiskey I tried recently, Knappogue Castle, is one of those experiences I will be returning to again in the near future. They offer several varieties, including 12-, 14- and 16-year-old. I tried the 12-year-old and it was fantastic! It teases the nose with aromas with vanilla, roasted marshmallow and sweet fruit. Tasting the whiskey reveals
March 9 – Wichita Orpheum 6:30 p.m., Abba Mania. Tickets $25$49.50. Considered the world’s top ABBA tribute production. www.wichitaorpheum.com. March 15 – Wichita Orpheum, 6:30 p.m., The Priests, religious and sec-
Through March 28 – “Always, Patsy Cline.” Based on the true story of Patsy Cline’s friendship with Houston housewife Louise Seger. The show features all the hits of Patsy Cline. Tickets $25. Call 316-265-4400 or visit www.roxysdowntown.com. Through March 28 – “My Sweetheart is Smoking’ Hot,” written by Tom Frye, followed by “Life, Love & Laughter,” a musical comedy revue conceived and directed by Patty Reeder. Musical direction by Karla Burns. Mosley Street Melodrama. 7:50 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Dinner and show $28, show only $18. Call 316-263-0222. March 31-April 2, Wichita Theater League, “Chicago,” 7:30 p.m. nightly at Century II. Tickets $50-$90, www. wichitatix.com.
17 - March 2015
East meets West With the WestSide Story and the East Wichita News neighborhood papers, you can target your advertising at Wichita’s most desirable neighborhoods on both sides of the city.
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March 2015 - 18
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Groundbreaking on major project planned for April By Paul Rhodes and Sam Jack After special meetings on Feb. 19 and 23, the Goddard City Council voted to increase its STAR bond contribution for infrastructure and ancillary improvements from $1.25 million to $3 million. The measure passed on a 4-0 vote; council member Jamey Blubaugh was out of town. In the STAR bond proposal, slated for the south side of Kellogg and west of the Walmart development,
a new aquatic facility will include two Olympic standard competition pools and a diving well for springboard, platform diving and water polo events. The proposal also includes outdoor sports fields and a hotel. “We have increased the quality of the venue,” said city administrator Brian Silcott on Tuesday, explaining the reason for the increase in the city’s contribution. “The funding that would have gone for the developer’s portion of the infrastructure and ancillary improvements has gone to other attractions that will be more local in nature.” More details will be released at the March 2 city council meeting and throughout the month of March. “We’re anticipating an April groundbreaking, so things are really taking off,” said Silcott. The state of Kansas will issue up to $25.4 million in STAR bonds, and
the city of Goddard had originally planned to contribute $1.25 million for infrastructure improvements to serve the district. It is estimated that private equity will contribute more than $44 million in financing for the facility. Another element of the financing that had been a part of the plan since the start is creation of the Community Improvement District where the main developments will occur. Within the CID, an additional 1 percent sales tax will be levied to help pay for improvements. A new citywide 1 percent sales tax that is separate from the CID sales tax for that improvement district is now being collected by the state, and much of this sales tax will go to property tax relief for local residents, as well as improvement projects around the community. Some of the revenues collected from the new citywide sales tax –
those from within the STAR Bond District, which includes Walmart – will first go to pay off the STAR bonds. “With this increase, the city will still be made whole, in accordance with our development agreement and project plan,” Silcott said. “We’re anticipating essentially a six-year repayment, based upon the value of the site in question and the revenue collected from those revenue streams.” Silcott said that the work on the development complements Goddard’s vision statement: “A vibrant community, growing and accessible, the destination for a family-oriented, active lifestyle.” “We’re looking at significant benefit being derived for the community, not just in revenue but in quality of life enhancement and in the addition of restaurants, entertainment options and things for family to be involved in,” said Silcott.
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March 2015 - 20
WestSide student wins statewide essay contest
W e s t S i d e S t o r y
Micayla Gutierrez stands with Goddard mayor Marcey Gregory. Gutierrez, a seventh-grade student at Eisenhower Middle School, penned a letter about how she would run the city if she was major.
chambers, where she was recognized by both legislative groups. In addition to her writing skills, Gutierrez is busy with many other interests in school. She is a cheerleader, is involved with honors orchestra, is a member of the student council, is a competitive ice skater, and maintains a 4.0 grade point average. She is the daughter of Robert and Nichole Gutierrez of west Wichita, and the granddaughter of Chuck and Sandy Edwards, who were with her recently when she was recognized by the Goddard City Council. In honor of her accomplishments, Gutierrez was able to sit at the city council table for an entire meeting. While she wasn’t able to discuss or vote on issues that night, she held her interest throughout the meeting and appreciated the opportunity. “It was fun,” she said of the council meeting. “It’s a lot of work being a mayor or other city official, and this gave me an idea of what it’s really like.”
By Sam Jack and Paul Rhodes Photos by Paul Rhodes Sometimes a small extra credit project for school can go a long ways. That was exactly what happened for Micayla Gutierrez, a WestSider and a seventh-grade student at Eisenhower Middle School, who recently won a statewide writing contest sponsored by the League of Kansas Municipalities. Her prize-winning essay was on the theme, “If I were mayor, I would...” Her family, principal Jerry Longabaugh and Goddard mayor Marcey Gregory surprised Gutierrez with the news of her victory. From there, things just snowballed for the young student. Gutierrez was able to read her essay in front of more than 100 mayors from across the state at the annual meeting of the LKM, which was held Feb. 6 in Topeka. She also met the governor and toured the capital. And, an all-school assembly
in honor of Gutierrez was held Feb. 4. Gutierrez’s English teacher Cary Miller who sparked the essay interest. “It was extra credit, so I just did it,” said Gutierrez. But Gutierrez didn’t just sit down and put a few words on paper. “I called my grandparents and asked them what they would want a mayor to do for their community,” she said. She also researched the position of mayor before putting together her essay. The annual competition produced 1,322 entries, and Gutierrez was one of six regional finalists. From there, she was selected as the state winner. Gutierrez won $250 for her efforts, but so far has gotten more enjoyment out of the celebrity status she garnered from the accomplishment. She was thrilled with her trip to Topeka, and was especially impressed with the House and Senate
Gutierrez won a statewide contest sponsored by the League of Kansas Municipalities. She read her essay in front of more than 100 Kansas mayors gathered at the annual LKM meeting.
If I were mayor… If I were mayor there would be many things I would do to benefit the community in a positive way. I would surround myself with good people to help implement good laws. In order to make my city in Kansas safe I would make sure we had adequate police and fire departments. I would also make sure the highways and roads are appropriate to drive on such as no pot holes or cracks. Entertainment would also be high on my list of things I would focus on. I would make sure Kansas had zoos and parks that are clean and well-kept for people to enjoy with their families. I would bring an attraction such as an amusement park to attract people to the cities for vacationing. I would attract and retain good businesses that provide jobs for citizens of Kansas. Most importantly I would do my best to minimize taxes including sales tax, property tax, and income tax. To offset the cost by controlling taxes I would promote volunteering. I would also encourage more scientific and mathematics education to kids in schools in order to prepare youth for future technology. Art and music has been put to the waste side in most schools, so I would like to bring back the creative mind to the youth of our generation. The job of a mayor is hard work but they are the leaders of the cities. In conclusion I would try and lead my city to the greater good of the United States. Micayla Gutierrez Eisenhower Middle School
21 - March 2015
Mock to become Eagle Scout STORY
BY
AMY HOUSTON
WestSide Story
LeeAlan Mock joined the Cub Scouts when he was a child, and he soon decided that he wanted to become an Eagle Scout someday. “I just kind of saw the other Eagle Scouts that were in our troop and I wanted to follow them,” he recalled. Mock was honored as an Eagle Scout during a ceremony Feb. 25 with Troop 727. It meets on Wednesdays at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at 401 N. Westlink in Wichita. “It kind of means a lot because I’ve worked for it since I turned 11,” said Mock, who is now a high school sophomore. “It’s kind of an awesome thing that I actually got finished.” The son of J’Sun and Holly Mock of Suppesville, he attends Cheney High School. He was quick to identify his favorite aspects of Scouting. “I like all the opportunities I have with camping and volunteering,” Mock said. His community projects have included raking leaves at the church on Westlink and putting in dirt for flowerbeds at a care home. His Eagle Scout project was to coordinate the planting of trees near the Norwich High School football field. Mock said the school inquired about the possibility so that when the trees grew, they could help block the wind. When he’s not spending time in Scout-related activities, Mock enjoys playing football, spending time with his girlfriend and working on cars. He said his next project likely would involve his 1990 Jeep Wrangler. “It’s got a dead motor in it right now,” he remarked. Mock also takes part in an online seminary course early Friday mornings. He recently transferred from Norwich High School to Cheney because he wanted to enroll in the automotive program. He hopes to attend technical school for welding and automotive training, and he has also considered joining the Air Force. Mock is the grandson of Alan and Kathy Brundage and the late Judy Brundage, all of Argonia; Ann Reida Mock of Harper; and Michael Mock of Wichita.
March 2015 - 22
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Eisenhower senior Nathan Brisco, pictured with coach Tom Campa, was one of five athletes who signed with college teams at an event last month. Brisco will play baseball for Kansas City Kansas Community College. Sam Jack/ WestSide Story
23 - March 2015
ABOVE: Bishop Carroll Catholic High School seniors Abby Garcia, left, and Ashley Huslig recently signed letters of intent to play tennis at Cowley County Community College. They are pictured with their BCCHS coach, Darren Huslig.
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LEFT: Bishop Carroll senior Daniel Garrison signed a letter of intent with Butler County Community College’s track program for shot put and discus. Pictured with him are his parents, Bret and Judy Garrison.
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March 2015 - 24
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WICHITA
Bald eagles winter at state parks STORY
BY
SAM JACK
Winter is the ideal time to spot America’s national animal, the bald eagle, in the local area. Though only a few dozen eagle pairs nest in Kansas, many more fly in from the north in the winter months, seeking warmer weather and easier and more plentiful food. Cheney State Park and El Dorado State Park are nearly sure bets for bald eagle sightings at this time of year. “You’ll more than likely see them, whether you come in through our east shore or west shore entrance,” said Cheney park ranger Brian Haug. For decades in the 20th century, bald eagles teetered on the verge of extirpation in the United States. By 1983, there were only 487 breeding pairs of the eagles left in the wild, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Endangered species status for the eagles, along with the elimination of environmental pollutant DDT, led to a big comeback for our national animal. Today the eagle is off the endangered species list, though it is still protected by law as the national emblem. One day last winter, there were more than 300 bald eagle sightings at Cheney State Park, according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. “They love to sit out on the ice, since you can’t sneak up on them out there, and they can also watch the water at the same time,” said El Dorado State Park ranger Randy Just, who enjoys capturing photos of the eagles. “Now it’s perfect because we have a little bit of open water and ice as well. They know where geese and ducks are, and they like to watch for any slow ones or sick ones so that they can take advantage.” Haug offered advice to prospective eagle-watchers. “One of the big things is that if you see them up in the tops of the tall cottonwood trees, which is where you’ll see them, keep your distance a little bit. Often people drive right up to them, and if you drive right up, they’ll fly off. The best place to see them is standing out on the ice or in the tops of cottonwoods. You can get lucky sometimes and see four or five of them in the same tree,” said Haug. The Kansas Department of Wildlife advises birdwatchers to avoid yelling, slamming car doors, honking horns or otherwise trying to make an eagle fly. Binoculars or spotting scopes can help visitors get a good view from a comfortable distance. Young bald eagles lack the white plumage that gives the species its name. “It takes three to five years to get that white head and tail, so sometimes people mistake the immature eagles for a golden eagle or hawk,” said Just. “Mature bald eagles will whip up on (immature eagles) if they get to fighting.” Bald eagles are not the only winter attraction in the state parks. “A few brave souls have gone out to ice fish on the north end of the lake,” said Haug. “I haven’t heard what kind of success they’re having. As for wildlife, we’ve always got deer and wild turkeys, lots of little songbirds and cardinals out in the park.” Vehicle permits for Cheney State Park and El Dorado State Park are $5 per day and can be purchased any time at self-pay booths, or at the park office from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Continued from Page 11
on Friday and be looking over it.” Howell hopes the mental focus he has developed as quarterback will stand him in good stead academically as well. He said he plans to take care of general requirements at Butler Community College, where he will begin his college career next year, then focus on pre-law after transferring to a four year college. Howell, whose parents are Chris and Stacy Howell, works with a variety of community service groups and prides himself on being a mentor and role model to younger kids. He is looking forward to competing at the Shrine Bowl on July 25. “It was such an honor to be selected, especially with the team that we had. We had tons of guys on our team that could’ve been selected. I just hope I can go out there and represent the school and the West Side well,” said Howell. Football is a family tradition for Johnson Playing football is a tradition for Brendan Johnson’s family. His father and stepfather played for Friends University – though not at the same time – and his little brother, a fourth-grader, also plays. Johnson, a standout last fall for Wichita Northwest, was chosen to play in the Shrine Bowl this summer. He said the invitation made him feel good about himself. The Shrine Bowl will take place July 25 at Fort Hays State University. Johnson will compete for the West team. He said he was most
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At the WestSide Story, we’re already working on feature stories for upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face (and story) should appear on these page, please let us know!
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25 - March 2015
Shrine
looking forward to “bonding and playing with everybody else in the state.” The honor of playing in the Shrine Bowl made him think of others who helped him develop and reach that achievement. “I was proud of myself and of my coaches and stuff that brought me to be able to play at that level,” he said. Johnson played baseball and soccer when he was a child, and he took up football as a third-grader. “I started playing football because my best friend was on a team and he wanted me to play with him,” Johnson recalled. “So I ended up playing football with him, and my dad and my stepdad both played football, and it was big to them. “And ever since then,” he added, “I’ve just been playing.” Johnson was a varsity running back his sophomore year, and he played safety as a junior and senior. He was an all-league pick in 2013 on the second team, and he was an all-league firstteam selection in 2014. Wichita Northwest finished last season 7-3 overall. Johnson said his favorite high school football memory was his senior year as a whole. He plans to continue his football career at Butler Community College. Johnson will join Northwest teammate Keshaun McGaugh, who also signed to be a Grizzly. Butler finished the regular season with a 7-3 record. The Grizzlies won national championships in 2007 and 2008, and they reached the national-title game in 2010 and 2012. Johnson offered some advice for young athletes who hope to be successful on the football field. “Listen to what their coaches have to say and keep working hard,” Johnson said. “Hard work pays off.”
March 2015 - 26
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HOME & GARDEN
How to plant your garden from scratch (StatePoint) Planting a garden from scratch can sound like a daunting task, especially for those who are new to the hobby. But with the right knowledge, you can plan a successful, fruitful green space and expect to have a great harvest. One way to get a head start on your garden is to start your seedlings indoors and then transplant them later into an outdoor garden. This time-tested technique can save you hundreds of dollars annually, as young plants at a nursery can be pricey. Here are some tips and tricks to make the most of this method: • Don’t start your indoor plants too soon. They can grow in about four weeks or less if you use a high-quality garden starter. Check seed packages to learn when to plant outdoors in your area, and then start them indoors one month earlier to your transplanting date outdoors. • Consider using a seed-starting system that takes some of the gardening guesswork out of the equation. For example, the Aerogarden Seed Starting system allows you to start up to 66 seedlings indoors with no dirt or mess, nurturing seeds with optimal amounts
For true green thumb bragging rights, grow your garden from scratch. Just be sure you know the tricks of the trade.
of water and nutrients for reliable germination and healthy growth. • Add new nutrients to the seedlings every two weeks and keep the water
at full level. Feeding your plants more than the recommended amount will not make them grow faster. In fact, it could hurt the plants.
• Before transplanting, seedlings need to be hardened off. Skipping this step will almost certainly result in some or all of your plants dying. Hardening off seedlings eases their transition to the outdoors, where they will be exposed to the elements. The process involves gradually exposing plants to the outdoors, protecting them from full sunlight, temperature variations and wind. • Don’t let sprouts get too big before transplanting them outdoors. Ideally they should be about 4-6 inches tall. If possible, wait to plant your seedlings on a cool, cloudy day. If your seedlings get too large before weather will allow transplanting outdoors, transplant them into small pots with high quality potting soil. Keep fully watered in a sunny space until weather permits transplanting outdoors. • After transplanting seedlings outdoors, be sure to water them daily for the first two weeks, especially if the weather is dry and sunny. • Save and reuse your seed starter tray for the next season. Once the spring plants have been transplanted outdoors, you will be free to get a head start on your summer crop.
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homes, look for a classic gray that will never go out of style. • Light, clear gray is fresh and airy – just be sure to look for any undertones. What appears as light gray on the swatch could seem light blue or lavender once applied. • If you’re going with dark gray as the main color, look for one that is rich but soft. Deeper shades with a harder edge are great as accents. • Gray comes alive with dramatic accent colors. Paint your door a bold color to create a strong focal point. Use other accent colors to play a secondary role. • A touch of brass, bronze or copper warms up gray; gold or orange adds a spark of color. • Both warm and cool greens look fresh against gray; from thyme to palm or forest, green naturally brings out the beauty of gray. • Tried and true blue – soft raindrop, bold blue paisley or admiral blue – keeps gray fresh and clean. • Go all neutral with gray on gray for a sophisticated scheme.
HOME & GARDEN
For a home update that will signify stability, elegance and dependability, consider going gray.
(StatePoint) Giving your home’s exterior a fresh look starts with color. And this year, many home improvement trend-spotting experts say the leading color family is gray, with its neutral yet refined elegance. “Gray is an important home exterior color because it works equally well on all home styles, from historic to contemporary, and in every part of the country,” said Kate Smith, president and chief color maven of Sensational Color. “Quite versatile, gray tones can range from cool, clear bluish gray to a true neutral gray through a warm French gray or even taupe. With gray, it’s really hard to go wrong.” While you may know whether you like something once it’s in place, achieving a look you love before making a commitment is crucial. Smith is offering tips for picking the perfect hues for your home: • The best gray for your home exterior is one that blends well with your roof and other fixed features, such as brick, stone or permanent design elements. For a middle tone that will work on most
27 - March 2015
Gray trending as a home exterior color
March 2015 - 28
Don’t just update your house haphazardly. Do a bit of research so you can complement your home’s architectural style authentically and with sophisticated flair.
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HOME & GARDEN
Tips to add design appeal to your home
Real.American.Country.
(StatePoint) Want to set your home apart? You can add character and beauty to your home by learning more about your house’s architectural style and adding design elements to complement the look. “With the right knowledge, it’s easy to transform any room of your home as well as the exterior,” said Niki Decker, senior product and marketing manager with Fypon, which creates synthetic millwork products. The experts at Fypon offered some tips and guidelines to achieve an authentic, coordinated look throughout your home – inside and out. Proportions matter. If you’re going to be adding shutters to your exterior, do a bit of math. The width of shutters used in pairs on a window should be half the width of the window, and should be the same height as the window. The higher the ceiling, the taller the baseboard should be. Additionally, the height of your baseboard moulding should always be larger than the casing, which is the frame around a door or window. Make a room feel taller by placing a chair rail – the moulding used to prevent the backs of chairs from rubbing
against the wall – one-third of the way up from the floor. Chair rails should be 1/2 or one inch narrower than casings. If you have a classic Georgian style home, characterized by strict symmetry and a centered and paneled front door, cap the front door panel with an elaborate crown supported by decorative pillars. Enhance your Victorian style home with ornamental spindlework on the porches and patterned shingles on the roof. Offset the complexity with simple surrounds for windows. For country style cottages, consider clapboard shingles for siding, or wood shake for siding and roofing, and wide white trim or shutters around windows. Complete the look and feel of your Mediterranean-style home, rich with such decorative accents as round columns, tile and stone, by planting lush gardens and installing an ornate fountain. Maintain a traditional look with innovative, updated building material that lasts longer and with less upkeep. For example, polyurethane pieces are a lightweight alternative to wood. The pieces are easy to install and resist insects, moisture and weather conditions.
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Philip Holmes | Interior Designer
bulbs is the compact fluorescent bulbs. A portion of The Energy and Independence Act of 2007 made the compact fluorescent bulb THE bulb for most household use. Compact fluorescent bulbs use 1/4 the energy and last 10 times longer the regular incandescent bulbs. They are energy rated with the “Energy Star” which was developed by the EPA. While they are a step above the tubes in terms of color, when used right next to a regular incandescent bulb, the compact fluorescent still gives off that creepy blue-grayness. Admittedly, fluorescent bulbs are getting better as the technology improves. They don’t seem to be as conspicuous as when they first arrived on the market. Many of these bulbs still need a
warm up period in order to reach their full brightness, and not all are suitable for dimmer switches. Until recently, most common bulbs, the incandescent bulbs, are the “regular light bulbs” that compact fluorescent bulbs were supposed to replace. They are relatively inexpensive and they give off a decent light. Even within the incandescent category there are different types that may be better than others depending on your application. It’s always a good plan to check your fixture for recommended maximum wattage. From there, let good judgment guide you. For example you don’t want a reading lamp that is not bright enough nor one that creates a glare. The best option is to select the maximum wattage and use a dimmer device to adjust the amount of light accordingly. If you have a fixture or lamp that features exposed bulbs, using a frosted glass bulb will be much more appealing than using a clear bulb. Clear bulbs are probably best used in attics, if even that. The worst thing you can do with a fixture is create a glare bomb. Frosted bulbs are designed to soften the light. If you are looking for a close approximation of natural light, then your best bet is to use a halogen bulb. They are
part of the incandescent family but are more energy efficient. Halogens give a bright white light and show color to its best advantage. The disadvantage of halogen bulbs is that they burn hot, and they are a little pricey. The latest development in lighting is LED (light-emitting diode) lighting. The LEDs are extremely energy efficient and give off a very specific directional light. Although LED light is useful in many applications, the technology has not yet been fully developed for general purpose lighting. The current innovation is to create a bulb using many LEDs to create a more general light pattern. More work needs to be done on that one. LED-type bulbs also cost 5-6 times more than other bulbs, although prices have dropped a little in the last few years. Many other types of bulbs are on the market today. Inform yourself of the pros and cons of each so that you can select the right lighting for every lighting situation in your home. Although they are “just bulbs,” the proper selection is really a quality of life issue. After all, lighting has a direct effect on our mood, our efficiency, and how we perceive the environment around us.
HOME & GARDEN
Having the right light fixtures is an integral part of an overall lighting strategy. And using the right type of light bulb will make or break a fixture’s appeal and effectiveness. There is not just one type of bulb that is good everywhere. Different types of bulbs are good for different applications and have varying degrees of performance. At the lowest link in the light bulb food chain is the cool white fluorescent tubular bulbs. Somebody somewhere thought these were a good idea. It is true that they are probably the least expensive lighting source for illuminating large areas. But they create simply the worst type of lighting invented, ever. They distort colors and even give everything, including people, a terrible blueish tint. I am amazed that these bulbs are still used outside of industrial situations. With so many different light bulb options, why would you ever use one of these in your home or business? Manufacturers have since offered fluorescent tube bulbs that have pink and yellow casts intended to be more like natural light. Well no, they are not: they are pink and yellow. It is still a fluorescent. The latest evolution in fluorescent
29 - March 2015
On seeing the light...Experience your home to its best advantage
Preparing your lawn and garden equipment for spring Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) offers tips to help users avoid fuel-related problems and ready their equipment to operate safely. Check the fuel tank. If fuel has been sitting all winter long in the fuel tank, do not use it in the spring. Drain it responsibly and put in fresh fuel. Remember to dispose of this fuel properly. Use only E10 or lower fuel in your outdoor power equipment. Do not use gas with more than 10 percent ethanol (E10) in outdoor power equipment. Some gas stations may offer 15 percent ethanol (E15) gas or other fuel blends, but this higher ethanol fuel is dangerous–and is in fact illegal–to use in any small engine equipment, such as lawn mowers, chain saws, generators, and all other lawn and garden equipment.
Don’t leave fuel sitting in the tank for more than 30 days. Untreated gasoline (without a fuel stabilizer) left in the system will deteriorate, which may cause starting or running problems and, in some cases, damage to the fuel system. Inspect your equipment. Check for loose belts and missing or damaged parts. If you find anything concerning, replace the parts or take your equipment to a qualified service representative. Drain out the old oil and put in fresh oil. Remove the oil drain plug in your lawn mower and catch the old oil in a container. Replace the plug and refill the engine with oil recommended by the product manufacturer. Properly dispose of the oil you drained. Install clean air filters. Your engine and equipment will run much better
with clean filters. Paper filters need to be replaced. Some foam filters can be cleaned and replaced. Sharpen your cutting blade. Have your lawn mower’s cutting blade sharpened so you can get a clean cut on your lawn. Your lawn will be healthier and your lawn mower will operate more efficiently, too. Clean your equipment. If you did not clean your equipment before storing it, there may be dirt, oil or grass stuck to it. Give your equipment a good spring-cleaning. A cleaner machine will run more efficiently and last longer. Review your manual. Now is a good time to read the operator’s manual and refamiliarize yourself with the controls and what they do. Make sure you know how to stop the machine quickly if needed.
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(NAPSI) – Spring is on its way, and soon, home and business owners will be cleaning and preparing lawn and garden equipment. “Many are so eager to pull out lawn and garden equipment once spring arrives that they sometimes forget basic steps to ensure the powerhouse of the equipment–the engine–is in good working order,” said Kris Kiser, president and CEO of OPEI. “One challenge is that most fuel contains some level of ethanol, which contains corrosive alcohol. If you left that fuel in the tank over the winter months, you don’t want to use it in the spring. It may damage your equipment. You need to drain it and put in new fuel that is E10 or lower,” advises Kiser. Whether it’s a mower, trimmer, blower, chain saw or pruner, the Outdoor
March 2015 - 30 HOME & GARDEN
Turn your bathroom into a relaxing oasis (StatePoint) Time spent in the bathroom can be precious, as it may be your only solo time. When prioritizing home upgrades, consider first transforming a ho-hum, conventional bathroom into an oasis of comfort, style and ultimate relaxation. Replace outdated fixtures with new top-quality options that offer greater functionality. Manufacturers produce fixtures and fittings designed to work in tandem. Such “suites” of a toilet, sink and bathtub can improve the look of a bathroom setting. In a toilet, there are certain features to seek. A SmartHeight toilet allows for easier access. For those who are environmentally conscious or looking for a pocketbook-friendly option, seek out a WaterSense rated toilet, signifying greater water conservation. When it comes to relaxation, the bathtub is king. Luckily, manufacturers are innovating features to go beyond whirlpools. New bathtub offerings include chromatherapy mood light systems, thermotherapy heated backrests and in-line heaters that keep water heated perfectly. Make your bathroom the perfect retreat from the rest of the house and the outside world with a few stylish accents that provide greater solitude. For example, privacy decorative glass windows and privacy acrylic block windows are design elements that don’t compromise natural light. Available in four designer frame colors, you can go beyond plain frosted glass with stylish windows that come either operable or fixed in place. Offered in varying shapes and sizes, it’s easy to match windows to other bathroom elements, such as tiles and countertops. Take your spa retreat a step further by piping music into your bathroom with humidity-resistant speakers unsusceptible to steamy showers and hot baths. On a limited budget, you can give the bathroom an elegant long-term facelift by investing in millwork products that resist humidity so you don’t experience warping. From crown moulding to trim around showers and bathtubs to ceiling medallions, polyurethane is a more practical material than traditional wood for these design elements. It’s lightweight, easy to install, and most importantly, designed to resist the humidity of bathing.
While many think of the bathroom as a place to take care of necessary business, you can easily give yours an upgrade that will transform it into a whole lot more.
To get the look of a luxury hotel, the experts at Fypon, which produce thousands of pieces of polyurethane millwork, moulding and trim in a variety of architectural styles, recommend a few project ideas: • Install a set of pilasters on both sides of your shower stall and a door crosshead overhead to upgrade your bathroom’s look.
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• Surround mirrors and decorative accent windows with painted or stained polyurethane mouldings that complement the room. • Install chair rail moulding around the bathroom to add dimension. Paint above or below the moulding and use wallpaper, paneling or a different color paint in the other section.
KSU specialist says there are flowers that rabbits don’t like
You can keep rabbits and deer out of flowers by planting something they don’t like.
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It happens way too often – we tuck those tender flowers into our landscapes and wake up to find they’ve turned into rabbit food overnight. Something to keep in mind as we’re planning for spring planting, however, is that there are certain flowers that rabbits typically don’t eat. Rabbit-proof fencing can be an effective control, but may be too unattractive for some uses, said Ward Upham, horticulture rapid response coordinator at Kansas State University. In such cases, using plants that are less likely to be attractive to rabbits can be helpful. “These plants are resistant, but not immune to attack,” said Upham, who is also the coordinator of the K-State Research and Extension Master Gardener program. Young plants or those that are succulent due to overfertilization are more likely to be damaged, he said. A lack of other food sources also can result in rabbits feeding on plants that are normally rejected. One good source of information is a University of Arizona publication, Upham said, which has a list of flowers considered resistant to feeding damage by rabbits, including: artemisia, aster, bee balm, begonia, blanket flower, bleeding heart, candytuft, columbine coreopsis, crocus, daffodil, dahlia, daylily, ferns, gloriosa daisy, herbs (except basil), iris, lamb’s ears, pincushion flower, red hot poker, surprise lily, sweet violet, verbena and yarrow. The Arizona publication, “Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants,” at http://tinyurl. com/y8sfgo2, also includes trees, shrubs, groundcovers and vines.
31 - March 2015
Think spring…and rabbit-resistant flowers
March 2015 - 32 HOME & GARDEN
If you want to make fresh, eye-catching upgrades to the exterior of your house, seek out top-quality products that add texture and pizzazz.
Top to bottom tips to boost your home’s curb appeal (StatePoint) Boosting your home’s curb appeal can help it stand out. Whether your goal is to personalize the exterior for your own enjoyment or you have plans to sell and want to improve resale value, there is great worth in this pursuit. To get started, take a logical, top-tobottom approach, and keep in mind the importance of texture, which can add personality and style to a home. You don’t need to say goodbye to the authentic look of real slate or wood shake in order to have a durable roof that’s resistant to the elements. Check out polymer slate and shake roofing tiles, which are resistant to hail, high winds, fire and other nasty conditions.
Many brands are making it easier to get the right “top” accent for your home using these materials, offering dozens of different colors and providing opportunities to create custom colors. “Color personalizes every aspect of our lifestyles,” says Kate Smith, president and chief color maven of Sensational Color. “It makes complete sense for homeowners wanting to express themselves through the color of their roof.” According to Smith, the color gray is expected to be a popular color choice this year for roofing, due in large part to its refined elegance. Here are a few projects to consider
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in order to trim out your home with smooth or textured millwork: • Trim windows with crossheads over them and moulding on the sides and below. • Use faux beams arranged lengthwise or in a criss-cross pattern to add dimension to porch ceilings. • Add decorative columns in fluted square, serpentine, flat square or plain panel square shapes. • Install a woodgrain trellis system to top off a garage door. On these elements, as well as on other millwork such as shutters, porch rails and pilasters, use a variety of surface finishes to get a textured look that’s
appealing. Different textured millwork pieces are available ready-made from many brands. Your entry provides an opportunity to make an immediate impression. “Adding a confident color to a front door can update any home scheme and create a joyful feeling every time someone comes through your entryway,” says Smith, who suggests selecting a paintable fiberglass door. When shopping for a new door, look for clean lines and crisp angles that are ideal for painting. Fiberglass doors are practical, attractive and energy-efficient. Add texture by opting for a doorlite and sidelites flanking the door.
Before you dip into your wallet, learn which home improvements will best hold their value while enhancing curb appeal.
This year’s analysis of top midrange home improvement projects provided definite direction for homeowners: • Steel entry door replacement: The 20-gauge steel
entry door has consistently delivered the best return on investment for resale, holding the top spot in the midrange product category since its debut in this report in 2009/2010. The steel entry door is the only project that, on a national basis, more than pays back its investment, typically recouping 101.8 percent. • Manufactured stone veneer: A new project on this year’s report is the installation of manufactured stone veneer on home exteriors. This category zoomed to the top of the midrange list, grabbing second place with a 92.2 percent cost-value return. Increased product demand for Heritage Stone is a reflection of this trend, observed by Wengerd and others. • Garage door replacement: The installation of new four-section garage doors on galvanized steel tracks proved to be a valuable project, with homeowners recouping 88.4 percent of their costs. • Vinyl siding replacement: Replacing a home’s vinyl siding was one of a handful of projects that jumped up the list for recouping improvement costs. So not only can new vinyl siding beautify a home, it can keep it weatherproof and enhance its resale value. • Deck addition: Adding a wooden deck can do more than provide a place to enjoy the great outdoors. When it comes time to sell, you should be able to pocket more than 80 percent of the cost for this improvement.
Before
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(StatePoint) Before you decide on a home improvement project, it’s a good idea to learn which ones will help raise your house’s value and recoup the most money when you decide to sell. From replacing your front door to adding a deck, there are many midrange improvements that won’t cost a bundle but will deliver great bang for your buck. It’s not about spending the most money; it’s about improvements that best hold their value. The experts at “Remodeling” magazine recently released their 28th annual Cost vs. Value Report, comparing construction costs with resale value for 36 of the most popular home improvement projects. When it came to midrange projects, the report found homeowners recouped the highest percentage of costs on these five improvements: steel entry door replacement, installation of manufactured stone veneer on home exteriors, garage door replacements, vinyl siding replacement, and wooden deck additions. “Making your home stand out from others on your block and others on the market is achievable if you plan wisely when it comes to remodeling projects,” says Phil Wengerd, vice president of market strategies at ProVia, a leading building products manufacturer. “This year’s statistics indicate that moderately priced exterior projects can significantly enhance home resale values.”
33 - March 2015
Five improvements that raise your house’s resale value
After
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March 2015 - 34 HOME & GARDEN
Is your home hurting you? Reduce pollutants and chemicals at home (StatePoint) The spring cleaning season is a great time to take a closer look at some of the potentially harmful chemicals present in your home – and to seek out healthier alternatives. In recent years, homeowners have started asking better questions about what pollutants are lurking around nearly every corner – from building materials to the paint on the walls down to the backing on carpeting. While it’s neither realistic nor necessary to remove every toxin from a home, there are a few common sources that can be addressed easily. “The good news is, you don’t have to be a chemist to understand what products and materials are safe to have in your home,” says Anne Hicks Harney, architect and Director of Sustainability at architectural firm Ayers Saint Gross and member of the American Institute of Architects’ (AIA) Materials Knowledge Working Group. “You can arm yourself with the knowledge needed to make smarter choices for you and your family.” Harney offers a few tips to help reduce or eliminate common toxins in the home.
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Go natural. Whenever possible, use natural or water-based materials and cleaning agents. Also, be aware of: • Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCS): From paint to composite wood, VOCs are found in many products and are responsible for that tell-tale chemical “smell.” When it comes to paint, “Low VOC” or “No VOC” are your best options and are easy to find.
• Flame Retardants and Petrochemicals: Commonly found in such foam products as couch cushions and insulation, these are a bit more challenging to avoid. The risk is that these chemicals are known to accumulate over time in the human body. Looking for an alternative? Try a natural fiber such as down in your upholstery. • Plastic Additives: Plastics are beneficial in a number of household materials but their use should be limited when possible. Search for a carpet with a polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free backing or try wool, a natural alternative. For tile or sheet flooring, avoid vinyl products and consider linoleum or cork and rubber options instead. Ventilate your home. It’s good to open your windows every now and then to get the air circulating into your home and any chemical smells out. If you can’t open your windows due to outdoor allergies or poor outdoor air quality, indoor plants constantly regenerate air and provide a pretty alternative. Take to the web. Manufacturers and professional organizations are becoming more transparent about educating consumers. Check out resources like the AIA Materials webpage or http://architectfinder.aia. org to learn more about sustainable products and to find professionals who can assist your efforts. Don’t know? Don’t buy. As a general rule of thumb, if you don’t know and understand what a product contains, don’t put it inside your house. Take advantage of the wealth of information now available at your fingertips to make safer choices.
During this spring cleaning season, take the time to protect your family by removing harmful pollutants from your home.
35 - March 2015
Wood is surprisingly flexible when it comes to color.
(NAPSI) – When it comes to giving your home natural warmth and beauty, few things compare to wood – and wood is surprisingly flexible when it comes to color. Whether you’re refinishing your floors or cabinets, restoring a fine piece of furniture or creating a new look distressing an existing piece, wood stain can enhance the beauty of the wood and add to your style. From traditional colors such as walnut or oak, to trendy espresso or weathered gray, you can choose from a variety of wood stains or create your own custom colors by mixing stains. The experts at the Minwax Company have tips to help: • Each species of wood accepts stain differently. A dark walnut stain will look
different on pine than on cherry. Test the stain on an inconspicuous area of the wood first to see the true color. • Use a pre-stain wood conditioner to prevent streaks and blotches and ensure the wood absorbs the stain evenly. • For beautiful, even color, thoroughly stir – not shake – the can to distribute pigments that may have settled on the bottom. • If you create a custom color, measure each shade carefully and write it down so you can re-create it. • For an antique or distressed look, layer lighter and darker stain colors. Once the stain has dried, lightly sand away the top layer in different spots and then protect the piece with a clear finish.
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Dream big…and make it happen with the experts at Gross Tile Mark Gross, founder of Gross Tile and Concrete Design of Wichita, just smiles whenever someone asks about customer satisfaction. He knows that goal starts with giving customers the personal attention they need right from the beginning of a home remodeling project. But that’s just the beginning. The real test is delivering what’s promised, and giving everything to every job. It’s about finding the right solutions, and in the end, making each customer stand back and say, “Wow!” For more than three decades, Mark has been delivering that “wow” factor for his clients. “I was installing hard-surface flooring and countertops for a company here in Wichita while going to college,” he said. “I was working with vinyl and tile flooring, and was doing old-time plaster showers with concrete walls.” Mark loved the work, and the Wichita native stayed in the industry after earning his business degree from WSU. He opened a floor-covering store with a partner in the early 1980s, and later did installation work as a private contractor before he and his wife Cathy – also a Wichita native who graduated from Newman University – opened the first Gross Tile location at Fern and Douglas. Now, all these years later, they’re back in the Delano District, where a second Gross Tile showroom will open soon. Their daughter, Jenna Hill, who has years of experience working with clients at the current showroom, will staff the new Delano showroom when it opens to the public this spring. “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 just what they’re looking for.” Gross Tile continues to bring fresh ideas and exciting new products to the table, and Mark’s excitement level to meet customers’ needs isn’t diminishing. One of those great ideas is the concept of “curbless showers,” which can accomplish many things for new and remodeled bathrooms.
Second location coming soon to Delano District
While the concept has been around for some time, Gross Tile is making a name for itself as a leader in curbless shower designs for today’s homes. These highly individualized shower designs offer roomier spaces for homeowners, modern looks, and easy access for handicapped individuals. “Imagine a shower that is both beautiful in design and also has easy walk-in access as well as the ability to move a wheelchair in and out of the shower,” said Mark. “It’s a perfect solution for both those who want that kind of look and design, and those who need to address accessibility issues.” Gross Tile also offers an extensive line of quartz and concrete countertops, and specializes in complete kitchen and bath remodeling projects, as well as being a leader in the Wichita area for all types of flooring. For more information call 316773-1600, or stop by the current showroom at 10680 W. Maple, near Maple and Maize Road. You can also find Gross Tile on Facebook.
ABOVE: A recent Gross Tile project included a custom concrete countertop. Gross Tile stocks and can custom design a variety of countertop products. BELOW: Curbless showers are becoming a signature home improvement for the Gross Tile team. Curbless designs help with accessibility issues and add modern design to a bathroom.
A second showroom for Gross Tile and Concrete Design is coming soon to 1528 W. Douglas in the historic Delano District of downtown Wichita. The additional showroom 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. Gross Tile is converting a historic brick building on the northeast corner of Douglas and Fern streets. There’s a high volume of traffic in the renaissance business neighborhood, and it is easily accessible from all across the city of Wichita. It also brings Mark back to his roots. Soon, with two locations, the expertise that Gross Tile brings to all types of remodeling and redesign projects will be even more accessible to all clients in and around Wichita. “Our current customers know just what we can accomplish with their projects, and having an additional showroom will make us just that much more accessible to anyone interested in a new look for their home,” said Mark. Work is continuing at a rapid pace on the new showroom in the Delano District, and soon it will be open for all to enjoy – and glean ideas for that next important home renovation project. So stay tuned…it’s coming soon! And in the meantime, learn more about Gross Tile and Concrete Design by calling 316-773-1600, or take a few minutes to stop by the west Wichita showroom at 10680 W. Maple, near Maple and Maize Road. You can also find Gross Tile on Facebook.
36-inch walk-behind mower should be ideal,” says Daryn Walters at Exmark, a leading manufacturer of residential and commercial mowers. For smaller lawns, consider a small, zero-turn mower with a cutting deck around 34 inches. Many of these mowers require little maintenance and offer fuel economy and durability. If you live on a larger plot of land, don’t rule out a commercial zero-turn mower, which is more durable, tends to be more comfortable to operate, and offers increased productivity with more professional-looking results. Keep in mind, properties of more than an acre may warrant a mower with a 60- to 72-inch cutting deck. You’ll be using your mower a lot, so look for an advanced ergonomic design. After you’ve considered your budget, lawn size and terrain, you’ll want to look at the engine and features offered. Many models come with a variety of engine types and configurations, including eco-friendly models that can save you money on fuel. Mower accessories can include mulching, bagging and striping kits. Decide what your priorities are and get a model that’s right for you.
By tackling your lawn with a low-maintenance, durable, easy-to-operate mower, you can save time, money and energy. So do your research before making a purchase.
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(StatePoint) - Now is a great time to take stock of your lawn equipment, and assess whether your gear can withstand another season of wear and tear. If you’ve determined it’s time to replace your toolshed’s most valuable player -- your lawn mower -- get informed so you can make a savvy decision, as mower technology has changed a lot in the last several years. Whether this is your first mower, your old mower is on the fritz or you’re simply looking to upgrade, these tips and considerations can help you make a decision that’s wise for you and your lawn. The first thing to take into account is your budget. You need the most dependable and durable mower that you can afford. However, keep in mind, you may not have to pay the entire cost of the mower upfront. Some brands offer various financing options that allow you to make payments over time. Whether you’re seeking low minimum payments or you want to minimize interest payments, ask your dealer about your options. Take into account the size of your property. A smaller lawn requires a smaller machine. “For properties under a half acre, a 21- to
37 - March 2015
What to know about replacing your mower
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March 2015 - 38 HOME & GARDEN
Let dreams become reality this spring with the Kitchen Tune-Up team! If you’ve been dreaming about that new kitchen or bath, it’s time to let some reality sink in. This spring, call the Kitchen Tune-Up team to make those dreams come alive…at a budget you can live with, too. Kitchen Tune-Up has remodeled hundreds of kitchens since Jim and Arlene Phillips started the business in 2005, and the company’s services range from One-Day “Tune-Up” of cabinets or any interior wood surfaces, to cabinet refacing projects to complete custom kitchens and bathrooms. All of those refacing and new construction options are now available to see at the company’s new design center in East Wichita. The new design center is located at 4057 N. Woodlawn, Suite 1. “We’re excited to meet all of our soon-to-be new friends at the new design center,” said Arlene. Jim and Arlene take pride in their active involvement with customers, and one of the best ways they can help make dreams become reality is through their knowledge of what Kitchen TuneUp has to offer in the way of product lines, service – and the right look and budget for each project. “It’s amazing what we can do for tired, and damaged wood finishes with our Tune-Up services,” said Jim. “That’s one of the cornerstones of this business, and we really can make magic happen in just one day. The Tune-Up repairs any finish issues such as wa-
ter damage near wet areas, dark areas around handles and corners of cabinet doors, scratches, etc. This process really refreshes tired wood!” For other customers, it’s time for a whole new look. In those instances, refacing projects can utilize existing cabinetry and provide a “wow” factor that is nothing short of amazing. And for still other customers, it’s time to start over with a completely new custom kitchen or bathroom. The Kitchen Tune-Up team has proven itself over and over again with complete kitchen renovations, and their clients have the smiles to back up those high expectations. Wichita homeowners Diana Rickson and Joy McLain were repeat customers with Kitchen Tune-Up recently, and Joy is thrilled to share her story: “We first worked with Kitchen TuneUp at another residence, and they were awesome,” said Joy. “They met all deadlines and kept us posted on any changes in the schedule.”
At their new home, Joy and Diana quickly realized their kitchen wasn’t exactly what they wanted. “Our first thought was to call Kitchen Tune-Up,” said Joy. “They were able to help us with some fresh ideas, and the end result was perfect.” The new kitchen now features a vertical tile backsplash with a glass look, and contrasting white granite countertops with a marble ‘look,’ but without the issues of marble in a kitchen. Rollout trays were added, and 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 were re-doored to blend with the modern look they love. Working as an integral part of the
Kitchen Tune-Up team is daughter-inlaw Rachel, whose design services are in high demand. She has a strong background in design and customer service. “My goal for each customer is to design the most amazing space possible for the budget and then make the whole remodeling process as relaxing as possible,” said Rachel. “Great customer service is the cornerstone to our success. My clients know I will take care of them and their space won’t look like everyone else’s on the block.” At the design center, clients can look at samples of the new cabinet structure, sample door styles for custom remodels/refaces/redoors, a sample reface project, tile, and many kinds of countertop samples including granite, quartz, and laminates. “In addition to kitchens, we do bathrooms, countertops, back splashes – anything to do with a kitchen or bath 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 in-home consultation, call Kitchen Tune-Up at 316-558-8888 or visit kitchentuneup.com/wichita-ks-phillips. Be sure to check out the local company’s extensive BEFORE/AFTER portfolios on Facebook and when you visit the Facebook page, be sure to ‘LIKE’ Kitchen Tune-Up, Wichita (Jim and Arlene Phillips)!
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Two recent projects showcase the Kitchen Tune-Up team’s makeover talents. FAR LEFT: A full renovation turned a cramped kitchen into a beautiful workspace. LEFT: Kitchen TuneUp designer Rachel Phillips, right, interviews a happy homeowner after another successful project.
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Is your yard wildlife friendly? mosquitoes are most active, you should change the bird bath water even more often. Promote safety. A bird feeder in your backyard, full of water and seeds, will be the perfect invitation for beautiful migrating and local birds to stop by. Just be sure your property is safe for birds. Unfortunately, birds don’t see clear glass. As a result, millions of birds die every year by striking glass. Don’t let your sliding glass doors or other windows become a death trap for birds. To protect birds, apply special decals that reflect ultraviolet sunlight. “Wildlife can beautify your garden and be a sign that your yard is healthy” says Spencer Schock, founder of WindowAlert. “But birds and other wildlife need food, shelter, and safety.”
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(StatePoint) Being a good neighbor means more than being friendly to the humans across the street, it also means being friendly to the animals in your yard. Making your yard a safe place for local wildlife should be a top lawn care priority. With that in mind, here are some tips for creating a healthy habitat for local critters. Stock your garden with small native species of trees, shrubs and flowers to give wildlife needed nourishment, as well as cover from predators. A source of water can also be a great resource for visiting fauna. Whether it’s a pond or a bird bath, be sure this zone is well-maintained so you don’t inadvertently create a haven for unwanted species. In the warmer months when
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15 questions for you in 2015 1)
Do you believe you will live to see another major stock market downturn?
2)
Do you remember:
8)
If you want protection for your portfolio if the market crashes, how will you know when to take defensive steps to protect your investments?
a)
when the technology bubble burst and we had a three year bear market
the metrics and the mindset to make timely defensive moves? Did your
b)
advisor do so in either 2000 or 2008? If not, what do you think will be
when the housing bubble burst and we had a financial crisis and a two
Do you understand that Federal Reserve monetary policy was the primary contributing factor for these bubbles?
4)
If you use a financial advisor, are you confident that your advisor has both
(2000 – 2003)? year bear market (2008 – 2009)? 3)
9)
Do you realize that since 2008 the Fed has massively increased the
different the next time? 10) Can you imagine how much money is typically left in harm’s way when markets crumble? 11) Would an investment approach (not annuities!) that allows occasional
size of its balance sheet from roughly $850 billion to about $4.5 trillion
modest declines but actively seeks to protect your portfolio from major
today and that these actions dwarf what the Fed did prior to the other
drops appeal to you?
bubbles? 12) Do you know your own risk score, the implications of your risk score, and 5)
Can you accept the premise that the vast amount of “quantitative easing”
how to compare it to the risk score of your portfolio?
and the extended artificially low interest rates may ultimately herald either a bubble-producing liquidity buildup or rising interest rates, either of which could derail the economic recovery? 6)
Have you noticed that when the stock market is doing reasonably well, many investors and advisors can feel comfortable and be complacent?
7)
When you think about what the Fed and other major central banks around
13) Do you want your portfolio decisions to be made in the context of a personal financial plan which reflects your goals and concerns and is updated annually? 14) Are you interested in learning how the tools and techniques of Coe Financial Services might work for you? 15) Would you be willing to invest an hour of your time for a no obligation
the world have done (a very dangerous and massive experiment of
meeting to learn more about what we do and why? If so, this is your
unprecedented magnitude), do you think there is any realistic chance that
opportunity to call Richard Coe at 689-0900 or email him at jrcoe@
this party will end well?
CoeFinancialServices.com.
Financial advisors Jim DeKalb, left, and Richard Coe help build strong and lasting relationships with their clients. The keys to maintaining those relationships are communication and service.