(Blog Sunday 8/1/2010)

Recap and What’s Coming: Both Liz and I attended the Mid-America All Indian Center’s 39th Annual Powwow. The event was held on Saturday and Sunday and featured dance competitions, arts & crafts booths, and food. Despite having lived in Wichita for more than 30 years, this was a first for us. We really enjoyed the experience, particularly the regalia-clad dancers. Our single complaint was one of those “good news – bad news” things. The crowd was much larger than expected (good news for the Indian Center) with the result that there was a long, long wait for Indian Tacos (bad news for those of us who had planned to eat our dinner there). Even though we did not get to eat any at the Powwow, we should remind you that the Indian Center offers Indian Tacos on Tuesdays (11:00 am thru 2:00 pm) and Wednesdays (11:00 am thru 2:00 pm & 5:00 pm thru 8:00 pm) . Call in orders can be placed at (316) 350-3346.

August 2-August 8, 2010: Some of the things of potential interest going on in Wichita and surrounding communities this week include:

The nation’s largest and most historic summer amateur baseball championship, the National Baseball Congress (NBC), began last Friday evening. The tournament continues daily through Saturday, August 14. Timely information about pairings and game times may be found at the NBC website. The tournament is an opportunity to maybe see a future Major League Baseball star or two. According to the NBC website, “…the legendary Leroy “Satchel” Paige…won the first NBC title with his pitching prowess and his Bismarck, ND, Corwin-Churchill barnstorming, integrated ball club.” Some of the many Major League ball players who have passed through the NBC on their way to “the show” have included Bob Cerv, Roger Clemens, Joe Garagiola, Tony Gwynn, Whitey Herzog, Billy Martin, Mark McGwire, Craig Nettles, Tom Seaver, and Dave Winfield.

Curtains is Music Theatre of Wichita‘s (MTW) season show-biz finale. The show is a recent Broadway Tony-winner that celebrates the things we love about musical comedy. From John Kander and Fred Ebb (the creators of Cabaret, Chicago, and New York, New York) comes this uniquely entertaining murder mystery musical, set backstage at Boston’s Colonial Theatre in 1959. During out-of-town previews for the new western musical “Robbin’ Hood,” the leading lady is murdered, and everyone is a suspect! Can the stage-smitten young detective solve the case, fix the show, and still find time to fall in love? If you want to find out, you won’t want to miss Curtains!. The show runs Wednesday through Thursday. Time and ticket pricing information is available on the MTW website.

Thursday offers the August installment of the Ulrich Museum‘s “Art For Your Ears Series.” This month features the Nouveau Quintette, which plays ’20s and ’30s classics like “Sweet Georgia Brown” and “Dark Eyes,” but also pushes the tradition in surprising, modern directions, including American bluegrass and Brazilian choros. Behind the powerful, four-to-the-bar rhythm section of Shane Marler (guitar) and Jim Keefer (bass), soloists Ken White (guitar, mandolin), Rob Loren (violin) and Bill Harshbarger (clarinet, soprano saxophone) take flight. It’s music from a Parisian cabaret, played for you on the Ulrich esplanade.

Friday is First Friday which features a variety of live music performances throughout Wichita. A complete list of this month’s performers may be found at the First Friday website.

Saturday offers two opportunities of special note.

First, in lovely Cottonwood Falls, the Tallgrass Express String Band will be debuting “Clean Curve of Hill Against Sky,” their unique new CD of all original songs about life in the Kansas Flint Hills. Written by local rancher and band member Annie Wilson, these songs will take you to a world of stunning landscapes, working cowboys, runaway horses, Indian buffalo hunts, Victorian balls, ranch romance, and prairie walks among native birds and grasses. Blended harmonies complement the group’s wide-ranging instrumental skills on strings including fiddle, mandolin, banjo, dobro, guitar, and bass, with occasional fills from concertina and harmonica. The Emporia Gazette says: “This group is the real deal; their music rises from the land they love.” The concert will be outdoors by the historic Chase County courthouse on the Emma Chase “Broadway Stage.” Should you want, you can enjoy a special concert menu at the Emma Chase Cafe from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

Second, not quite so far afield, at the Intrust Bank Arena, Celtic Woman is returning to Wichita in support of their latest CD release, “Songs From The Heart.” Liz and I have seen this group, and we both agree that their performance is a powerful experience. The group combines the melodies of traditional Irish music with modern American musical techniques. David Downes, former musical director of Riverdance combines ethereal, yet powerful, vocal pieces supplemented with traditional instruments to obtain an almost spiritual experience of the auld sod. Showtime is 8:00 pm. Tickets may be purchased at the Arena box office, by telephone (316-755-SEAT), or Online.

Finally, on Sunday the Hot Club of Cowtown will be performing in the Bartlett Arboretum‘s Treehouse Concert Series. The group performs jazz and western swing. Showtime is 3:00 pm. Tickets are available at the gate.

There are still more things to do! Check the All About Wichita calendar for additional events and exhibits that we didn’t have the room to list here. In the meanwhile, have a good week.