(Blog Sunday 8/8/2010)

Recap and What’s Coming: This was a busy weekend for the Kennedy household. On Friday evening, a group of us had an excellent dinner at the Hyatt’s new restaurant, the HARVEST Kitchen/Bar. Not only was the food good and the service prompt, but we parked in the Hyatt garage, had our ticket validated by the restaurant, and after dinner, walked through the Hyatt and the convention center to see the Music Theatre of Wichita production of “Curtains,” which was a riot.

Then, on Saturday evening we enjoyed the Celtic Woman show at the Intrust Bank Arena It was our first visit to the arena, and we were impressed! Parking was no problem; neither was traffic bad after the performance. We always enjoy Celtic Woman and this time, they brought a special performer with them, an award-winning bagpiper who also played for the crowd outside the arena after the performance.

August 9-August 15, 2010: Events of potential interest going on in Wichita and surrounding communities this week include:

On Monday evening between 5:00 and 7:30 pm the College Hill Pool will host the “Dog Days of Summer.” This event, sponsored by the Kansas Humane Society, invites all dogs to try wading, paddling, swimming, or diving. The event allows dogs to experience the joy of swimming in a pool without chlorine. Owners can wade only knee‐deep with their dogs in the shallow end of the zero‐depth entry family swimming pool or let the dogs jump by themselves into the deep end. Or compete in the long jump contest, frisbee catch, or largest and smallest dog contests. All dogs must be leashed when not in the pool or participating in contests and current on all vaccinations including rabies. All proceeds go to benefit the Humane Society.

Janet Williams AKA “The Tennessee Tramp” will be appearing at the Looney Bin Wednesday through Saturday. Her audiences consist of folks 18 to 80 as her subject matter encompasses all ages, genders, and ethnic groups. She has an endearing stage presence that makes her audiences think of her as a crazy grandmother, a wacky aunt, or a nutty neighbor. All can relate to her in some way. Showtimes are 8:00 pm Wednesday through Saturday with 10:30 pm performances on Friday and Saturday.

Friday offers Loretta Lynn at the Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre. For over four decades now, Loretta has fashioned a body of work as artistically and commercially successful—and as culturally significant—as any female performer you’d care to name. Her music has confronted many of the major social issues of her time, and her life story is a rags-to-riches tale familiar to pop, rock and country fans alike. Showtime is 8:00 pm. Tickets are available through Select-A-Seat or at any Dillon’s Superstores, and Plant Employee Clubs.

“A Taste of Wichita” will be held on Saturday between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm. This is a benefit for the Lord’s Diner and the City of Wichita’s No More Hungry Children Program The event will feature food sampling, music, art, car show, and childrens activities. It will be held at Naftzger Park which is located downtown at Douglas and St. Francis streets.

On Sunday, Gordon Lightfoot will be performing at the Cotillion. He is the author and voice of many other timeless songs including Early Morning Rain, Sundown, and If You Could Read My Mind. Showtime is 8:00 pm. Tickets are available through the Cotillion or Select-A-Seat.

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.