All About Wichita

Regrettably, Nicholas is still missing. He hasn’t been seen for about a week now. Yesterday Liz got a call from someone at the Shelter who told her that they thought they had just taken custody of a dog matching Nicky’s description. We were thrilled because both of us assumed that they got our phone number from his license tag. As it turns out, however, the dog somewhat matched the description on one of the flyers we had posted on their bulletin board. The really nice thing about the call, even though it was a false alarm, is that someone at the Shelter took the time to try an match a dog to an owner’s description. As I noted in an earlier post, some of the folks working at the Shelter take an “above and beyond” interest in seeing animals reunited with their human companions. We would like to express our appreciation for their extra interest. We would also like to express our appreciation for our “neighbors,” both near and far who have patrolled their neighborhoods looking for Nicky.

Just a reminder, should you see a dog who looks like Nicky please contact City of Wichita Animal Control before calling us. Their phone number is (316) 350-3360. I was told by an animal control officer at the Shelter that if a licensed dog is brought in, they will contact the owner, and my experience so far is that every time I arrive at a Nicky sighting the dog is no longer in the area.

There are a number of featured activities this week.

The first event of note is the Second Annual Wichita Highland Games and Celtic Festival which will be held Saturday and Sunday at Sedgwick County Park. Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm each day. Events include heavy athletics, Celtic music, crafters, food and other entertainment. We suspect that if you were to attend you might even hear some bag pipers playing “Scotland The Brave.” Tickets are available at the door.

It being the planting season, let us remind you that Saturday is the last day for the Dyck Arboretum’s Flora Kansas. Customers will find plants adapted to Kansas’ challenging climate at affordable prices. Purchases will help support the Arboretum’s mission. Liz and I have several plants we purchased at Flora Kansas, and they have thrived for many years in our yard’s hard Kansas clay, wet springs and arid summers.

The last we heard, tickets were still available for Arts Partners Tunes on the Tarmac fundraiser. Enjoy a Sterling Silver tenderloin dinner, drinks, and delicious cakes on every table. Hand-painted martini glasses with the event’s signature martinis will be available. Chances are you will find something you can’t live without in the auction of great “experiences” and unique items. Then dance to Wichita’s own Blue-Eyed Soul! This fun event is held in a Midwest Corporate Aviation hanger. The event commences at 6:30 pm and ends at 11:00 pm. Check the web site or call (316) 262-4771 for ticketing information.

Also on Saturday, the Great Plains Traveling Vaudeville Show will be featured at the McPherson Opera House. This show is a world premier! A band of talented Kansas performers will present a turn-of-the-century (talking early 20th here) vaudeville show. Fast paced action includes music, comedy, skits, and declamations. Showtime is 7:00 pm. Ticketing information is available at the Opera House web site.

Lastly, on Sunday we have two fundraisers. The timing seems to be such that, if you are so inclined, you could attend both. First, at 2:00 pm Music Theatre of Wichita is sponsoring Kelli O’Hara in Concert at Century II Concert Hall. Then, at 5:30 pm Old Cowtown Museum offers a BBQ Dinner & Auction Fundraiser. Additional information about both events may be found at the respective sponsors’ web sites.

If none of the above events appeal, check out the All About Wichita Calendar to see if there are any other events that may be of interest to you.

Nicholas is still missing. However, at 8:00 this morning, I received a phone call indicating that he had been seen the College Hill neighborhood at 3rd and Roosevelt. I am very confident in the sighting because the caller described the dog she had seen in great detail down to the color of his dog tag. Of course by the time I got there, he had disappeared. Liz and I probably spent a combined three to four hours cruising the neighborhood but to no avail. Should you see Nicky please contact City of Wichita Animal Control before calling us. Their phone number is (316) 350-3360. I was told by an animal control officer at the Shelter that if a licensed dog is brought in, they will contact the owner.

I really appreciated the call about Nicholas. However, I was also fascinated by the sense that I was part of a larger caring community. The caller patronizes “My McDonalds” at Central and Edgemoor. Liz and/or I eat breakfast there several days a week. The store has let us put signs about Nicky on their door. I know most of the morning crew and many of the regular customers by sight and a couple by name. My caller is one of the requlars whose name I do not know. Since Nicky went missing, she has always made it a point to ask about our search when we have seen each other. In addition, totally unsolicited, she offered to canvas the neighborhood this evening and to keep an eye out for Nicky when she walks her dog. I partially attribute this care and kindness to the relationship we share through the sense of community that results from regular though mostly impersonal contact at breakfast.

There are a number of featured activities this week.

First, Bethel College presents Wit Thursday through Saturday. The play follows the last hours of a single, middle-aged academic and Donne scholar, Vivian Bearing, as she is dying of ovarian cancer after undergoing an experimental and aggressive regime of chemotherapy. Performances are at the Krehbiel Fine Arts Center at 7:30 pm. Ticketing information is available at (316) 283-2500.

Starting Thursday and continuing through Sunday the St. James Episcopal Church Guild Hall Players present The Stories of Ruth. This musical sensitively tells the inspiring Biblical story of the young woman Ruth as she left her home to go with her widowed mother-in-law Naomi to return to Bethlehem and become one of history’s great role models of faith and devotion. The story of Ruth is one of only two books in the Bible told from a woman’s perspective. It is also unusual in that its title character was a Gentile convert who became the great grandmother of King David and was in the line of Jesus. Thursday through Saturday curtain time is 8:00 pm. Sunday curtain is at 7:00 pm. Tickets may be obtained by contacting the Church’s office at (316) 683-5686.

Prairie Rose Western Days is Friday through Sunday. This event is an annual festival focusing on the old west. The festival has activities for all ages, providing equal emphasis on both entertainment and history. Each year, we feature activities such as cowboy music, cowboy poets, trick ropers, Indian dancers, gunfighters, reenactors, rides, historical seminars, artists and craftsmen, classic cowboy movies, and much more! The venue is at Prairie Rose Chuckwagon in Benton, KS. See the website for further details.

On Saturday and Sunday the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum host the 52nd Annual Art, Book and Craft Fair. Each year, the Fair focuses on the presentation of high-quality arts and crafts handmade by artisans around the country. Over 80 artists will be selling original art including paintings, drawings, photography, prints, jewelry, ceramics and sculpture as well as one of a kind crafts. This year, for the first time, there will be several musical performers who will be performing throughout the weekend. The Fair will also feature several speakers who are well known artists and art scholars in the community.

Check out the All About Wichita Calendar to see if there are any other events that may be of interest to you.

Just a carryover from the last blog – we have still not found Nicholas, our standard black poodle. We had what I consider to have been a pretty reliable siting last Friday. He was seen at Hampton and Crestway (a block north of Central between Rock Road and Woodlawn). Of course by the time I arrived he had disappeared and after many drives/walks through the neighborhood, he has yet to be seen again. Liz and I live in hope and still check the shelter at least daily to see if he has been turned in. If you live in Wichita, we would appreciate it if you would continue to watch out for Nicky. Should you see him please contact either us or City of Wichita Animal Control.

Liz tends to operate with the philosophy that good can result when bad things things happen. In this instance, one positive benefit to Nicky’s disappearance is that we have a new canine addition to our household. In our multiple visits to the Animal Shelter, we noticed a shaggy black dog who would perk up every time one of us would walk by his cage. After his three day stay at the shelter, he was transferred to the Kansas Humane Society. As soon as he became available for adoption we did. We named (re-named) him Henry. Supposedly he is a Tibetan Terrier though it is sort of hard to tell given his current shaven hair style. In any event, we are certain the he will be a valued addition to the Kennedy household.

On a lighter note, those who know us well understand that both Liz and I are voracious readers. For my “light” reading I enjoy what could best be described as police procedurals. Within the last year I have discovered Alafair Burke. She appeals to me on a number of planes. Alafair is a Wichita native, having graduated from East High. In fact, she was a class mate and friend of one of my co-workers. She also appeals to me because one of he fictional characters is a Ellie Hatcher, New York City Police detective with connections to Wichita. Another, Samantha Kincaid, is a Prosecutor in Portland, Oregon, a city to which I feel connected because my son lives there. Her most recent book, Long Gone, to be published in June, though based in New York, does not feature Hatcher or Kincaid. It will be interesting to see if the book holds my fascination as well as have her past efforts.

There are a number of offering this week that you might enjoy.

First, tonight is Final Friday. Art galleries, museums,restaurants and retail shops around Wichita stay open late and welcome visitors. Hours vary between galleries but all are open during the core hours of 7p.m. to 9 p.m. Most galleries use Final Friday to unveil and debut new shows or as a closing reception. All venues are free and open to the public and several galleries incorporate artist demonstrations and/or live music. Not only does this event give guests the opportunity to view creative art space, it also is an excellent time to purchase one-of-a-kind artwork directly from artists. Though Final Friday was initially a Downtown happening, participation now includes sites in both far East and West Wichita. Information regarding Downtown participants may be found by clicking on the above link. Information about non-downtown participants possibly may be found in the All About Wichita Release Page.

Also, tonight Stimulus will be performing from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at the newly opened KTC Café. The Café is open to all and offers great food served up in an alcohol/drug free atmosphere where everyone can have fun, meet privately, play pool, hang out by the fireplace, watch movies…you name it!

Tonight (7:00 pm) and tomorrow (2:00 pm & 7:00 pm) the Friends University offers “Symphony of Spring.” From moving ballads to up-tempo dance numbers to the majesty of full orchestra and chorus, the Singing Quakers present a Broadway showcase of the full range of performing arts at Friends University. Performances will be at Sebits Auditorium on the Friends campus. For ticketing information call 316-295-5677 or 1-800-794-6945, ext. 5677

Lastly, the Symphony Showhouse starts this Sunday. This event is a biennial project of the Women’s Association of the Wichita Symphony. Dates are May 1-22. This year’s Symphony Showhouse is a spectacular home in College Hill. Decorators have been working frantically preparing the home for visitors. For more information concerning hours and amenities see the Showhouse website.

Check out the All About Wichita Calendar to see if there are any events of interest to you.

The best description for this past weekend is probably contained in the phrase, “The best laid plans…” With all that was going on Liz and I had planned to attend a number of events, but our plans were overtaken by life. Last Wednesday night, our two dogs figured out how to get out of their fenced yard. Apparently they used an old log as a springboard to jump the fence as all the gates were closed.

With the help of neighbors about a block away, we were able to find and capture Rogan. However, Niki, who is mostly afraid of strangers, ran when attempts to corral him failed. We have not seen him since though we have been told that he has been sighted in the neighborhood on a number of occasions.

I think that for pet lovers, nothing can be a worse experience than having your companion disappear. The uncertainty is numbing. Yes, there is emotional pain when you have to have a pet put down, but there is also a finality with death. One may not want to accept it, but a pet’s death offers closure. With a run away pet, however, there is no conclusion.

In our attempts to recover Niki Liz and I have done the put up signs thing. We have also advertised in the Wichita Eagle, on wichita craigslist, Wichita Lost Dogs, and Wichita Petfinder. Lastly, we have spent a lot of time driving and walking around the neighborhood.

One of the better resources we have found is the City of Wichita Animal Control Facility. They upload information, including pictures, of newly received animals to a service called PetHarbor within an hour of the time that they are brought in to the facility. Liz and I check this site at least daily. We also visit the facility, which is located at the southwest corner of K-96 and Hillside, every two to three days. Given the stereotypes most of us probably have about “The Pound,” both Liz and I have been favorably impressed. Though it is discouraging to walk through kennels filled with healthy animals who would probably make wonderful pets, the facility is bright and clean. Also, we noted that the dogs at least were being fed Science Diet which is probably higher quality food than most of them usually eat. All in all, we are very favorably impressed by this obviously well run operation.

At this juncture we are still looking for Niki. Clicking on the picture above will take you to the poster that Liz which we have posted in and around the neighborhood. If you spot a dog looking like him, please give us a call.

Another fun thing last week was that Liz and I finally had to write checks for the unpaid portions of our Federal and State income taxes. For what it is worth, our combined income taxes represented about 20% of our gross income. While that is a lot of money, I think that it was a cheap price to pay for all the benefits I receive by being able to live in this country. If that’s what it takes from me to foster a community that meets the needs of its citizens for food, shelter, health, and education so be it. I have a lot of difficulty with people who enjoy the largesse that is the United States while complaining that their taxes are too high. This is probably one of those “When I was your age” statements, but in my 69 years, I don’t believe that I have ever seen an America that was greedier and more short sighted than what I am seeing today.

One good think that happened recently, Dyne Quick reopened about two weeks ago. This is a diner that is located at 1202 N. Broadway. Back when I was working five days a week, I probably ate there three or four days a week. The primary attraction was the staff, particularly Glenda. The restaurant closed in late 2008, and from my perspective has been sorely missed. In the ten days since I discovered that the diner re-opened, Liz and I have eaten there once, and I have eaten there four times. The food is good and inexpensive. The service is outstanding.

There are several events of note this weekend.

Wichita Community Theatre is presenting To Kill A Mockingbird Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm. WCT is located at 258 N. Fountain. Ticketing information is available at the WCT website.

Then on Saturday between between 2:00 and 5:00 WCT is hosting Shakespeare’s Birthday Party. This free event will feature musicians, dancers, fencing, falconry, and royalty. There will also be performances by Theatre on Consignment, Guild Hall Players, students from Newman University, and, of course, The Bard himself! Cake and punch will be served. The party is open to the public.

From Thursday through Sunday the Wichita Center for the Arts presents Tartuffe which is a social comedy that lampoons false piety and hypocrites. Performances are at 8:00 pm except for Sunday which is at 2:00 pm. For ticketing information see the Center’s website.

There are other happenings. See the All About Wichita Calendar to see if any are of interest to you.

Last Saturday afternoon, Liz and I went to the Bartlett Arboretum for their Art at the Arb. The event featured music, art and Victorian garden landscapes. Thirty distinctive artists showcased twig furniture, vintage garden antiques, photography, and hand-made birdhouses and artifacts. Also featured were tulips – lots and lots of tulips. The trip was a nice break from gardening.

Yes, gardening. Spring seems to be here, and, at least temporarily, working the soil has consumed a lot of our time. First of all, I set all of our Amaryllis bulbs out in pots. I didn’t keep count, but my best guess is that I planted at least 30 bulbs. That may not sound impressive, but 27 of these bulbs are descendents of a single plant that Liz received as a gift about 15 years ago.

What I particularly like about spring is that, for me, it is a time of discovery. We have a section of our front yard in which we grow wildflowers. Many of these plants are perennials that pretty faithfully come up every year. A goodly number of these are ‘volunteers,’ most likely having been planted by the birds. What excites me about this time of year, is seeing what new volunteers sprout. Of course, the problem with relying on the birds to plant our garden is that they are not very discriminating about what they plant where so I have to be continually on the lookout for weeds. The issue this time of year is that its very often difficult to see what’s a weed and what will be a beautiful flowering plant.

I am particularly excited this spring because this afternoon I noticed three volunteer Butterfly Weed plants (Asclepias tuberosa). I have been trying with varying success to grow this particular plant for about five years. My interest is to provide a food source for Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) as they travel from Mexico to Canada. In addition to Monarchs, Butterfly Weed attracts Queen butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. It is also the larval food plant of the Queen and Monarch butterflies. I took the above picture in my garden last year. Though hard to see, it shows two Monarch larvae munching on the leaves of a Butterfly Weed.

If you are not planning to spend the week gardening, there is a ton of stuff to do in Wichita this week. In fact, there is so much going on that where you may decide to go may represent hard choices between equally desirable events..

Liz and I will be attending Gridiron 2011 at the Orpheum. This is one of Wichita’s oldest and most hilarious stage shows. It stars members of the local media singing (sort of), dancing (sort of) and spoofing the past year’s news and newsmakers. Performances are Thursday through Saturday at 8:00 pm.

The 58th Wichita Gem & Mineral Show will be held at Cessna Activity Center on Friday (9:00 am – 7:00 pm), Saturday (10:00 am – 7:00 pm) and Sunday (10:00 am – 5:00 pm). This year’s show, which is sponsored by The Wichita Gem & Mineral Society, is entitled World of Wonders and features dazzling and amazing specimens from around the world from massive agates and amethyst geodes from Brazil to sparkling gemstones from Australia and Africa, and mysterious fossils from Morocco.There will also be sphere making, cabbing, beading, arrowhead napping, faceting, wire wrapping, silversmithing, and other demonstrations. There will also be children’s activities. Tickets are available at the door.

The Intrust Bank Arena will host the Midian Shrine Circus Friday (11:00 am & 7:30 pm), Saturday (10:00 am, 2:30 pm, & 7:30 pm) and Sunday (1:30 pm & 6:00 pm. This is a unique, fun-filled experience for the whole family featuring acrobatics, elephants, clowns and more. For ticketing information, please see the Intrust Bank Arena web page.

On Saturday Old Cowtown Museum is having its first special event of the season. Called Civil War Day, the re-enactment will give adults and children a glimpse into the daily lives of Union and Confederate soldiers and their families through a battle re-enactment between the North and South, displays of period weaponry and military drills. Authenticity will be made possible by five Civil War re-enactment groups: the 8th Kansas Volunteer Infantry; 9th Texas Infantry; McClain’s Independent Battery Colorado Volunteers; 3rd Kansas Light Artillery; and 2nd Kansas Company C.

Finally, the Great Plains Renaissance Festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday at Sedgwick County Park. His majesty the king has summoned the very best firebreathers, jugglers, musicians, dancers, pipers from all across the realm to please the patrons of the Great Plains Renaissance Festival. Sword will ring upon shield as knights do battle for the honor of their lady fair, the royal falconer shall fly birds of prey, see slight of hand and feats of daring. Come one, come all! Time is 10:00 am – 6:00 pm both days. Tickets are available at the gate.

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There are too many events happening this week to cover each one individually. See the All About Wichita Calendar to determine if there may be other events of interest to you.

Congratulations to the Wichita State University men’s basketball team for winning the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title! The NIT is the nation’s oldest tournament. Winning this game earned the WSU team two firsts. The tournament win is WSU’s first-ever championship in a national basketball tournament. Also, this was the 2010-2011 team’s 29th win of the season, which is sets a single season record. For more information about the game, see the Wichita Eagle.

Local elections will be held April 5th but early voting is also an option. You owe it to yourself and the community to be an informed voter. Voting is both a privilege and a responsibility. You can be an informed voter by reading about the candidates. It’s easy. Just go to The Voter Guide and enter your street address and zip code to find out about candidates running in your district.

In terms of things to do and see for the week, you can celebrate April Fool’s Day with live music at a variety of venues participating in this month’s First Friday.

If you have small children, they’ll be thrilled to know that Sesame Street Live ~ Elmo’s Healthy Heroes will be at Intrust Bank Arena (IBA) from Friday April 1 through Sunday April 3. Performance times and ticketing information may be found on the IBA web site.

If you love 50s and 60s pop and rock, make plans to go and enjoy The Marvelous Wonderettes, the jukebox musical at Cabaret Oldtown on Friday and Saturday nights through May 28. The Cabaret web site provides ticketing information.

Calling All Chocolate Lovers! Saturday, April 2, is an evening to die for when Exploration Place presents its annual Death by Chocolate benefit. If you are eating chocolate to support Exploration Place, it can’t have any calories, can it? Check out the EP web site for more info.

Are You A Glee Fan? If so, you won’t want to miss Glee: The Melodrama at the Mosley Street Melodrama, March 31 through May 21.

If melodrama is not to your liking, but you love Glee, or you just love the sound of a good men’s chorus, you’ll want to catch the Heart of America Men’s Chorus show, Don’t Stop Believin’!: The Music Of Glee. Shows are on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon at Plymouth Congregational Church. Check out the Chorus web site for times and pricing.

Bartlett Arboretum celebrates spring this weekend with Art at the Arb. The event features music, art and Victorian garden landscapes. Thirty distinctive artists will be showcasing twig furniture, vintage garden antiques, photography, hand-made birdhouses and artifacts – all in consort with Bartlett Arboretum’s organic mission – simplify to restore the soul and soil. Music begins at 12:00 pm each day.

If that’s not enough, there’s tons more on the All About Wichita Calendar. Check out what’s coming and don’t forget to VOTE!

(Blog Wednesday 3/9/2011)

Céad Míle Fáilte, which is Gaelic for a hundred thousand welcomes! Over the next week to ten days, many in Wichita will be celebrating their “Irishness,” whether they have a genetic connection with “auld sod” or not.

Starting things off are two running events on Saturday, March 12. In Hesston, Dyck Arboretum of the Plains is sponsoring the Leprechaun Chase, which is a two mile event for walkers, joggers, or runners. Additional features include games, a shamrock search, informational activities and food. The race starts at 10:00 am, with registration beginning at 9:15 am.

Here in Wichita, the 2nd Annual St. Patrick’s 5K Run/Walk will be held on March 12, with an 8:30 am start time. Registration begins at 7:30 am. The run will start and end at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and is being coordinated by RUN WICHITA. This family-friendly run/walk will involve a flat course along the beautiful Arkansas River, adjacent to the Historic Delano district. in addition to the race, other highlights include a costume contest, a bagpipe performance by the Wichita Caledonian Pipes and Drums Band and food.

After the March 12th run, the Historic Delano 5th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade will commence at high noon. I have been trying to figure out whether I want to march in the parade wearing my St. Paddy’s Day costume (Yeah, I even wear it to work!) or whether I would rather take pictures. At this point, photography seems to be winning. For those who are interested, we have posted a slide show of last year’s parade.

Finally, on March 17th, the day itself, the Annual Blarney Breakfast will be held at Old Chicago East. Hours are 6:00 am through 10:00 am. The event is a fund raiser for Rainbows United and offers you the opportunity to have your breakfast served to you by one or more Wichita celebrities. During the breakfast, you also have the opportunity to participate in a silent auction. I don’t know what will be in this year’s auction, but in the past bidders have had the opportunity to bid on team basketballs signed by current WSU, KU, and KSU team members. Lastly, if you come around 7:00 am, you will have the opportunity to see me in my green outfit. Got to tell you, it’s worth the sight! I must look like a harmless leprechaun because I have been asked to pose with babies and young children.

Added Friday, March 11 for an additional St. Patrick Day event. The Corry Academy of Irish Dance will perform traditional Irish dances some with a modern twist at GracePoint Church on March 17. The show begins at 7:30. The two-hour program will also include vocal and instrumental music. Ticketing information is available at (316) 641-8460.

If you are looking for things to do, please visit our events calendar. The spring college athletic season just started, and we just recently updated our calendar to include most games played by local colleges.

(Blog Thursday 3/3/2011)

Get a jump on spring at the 44th annual Garden Show March 2-6 at the Century II Civic Center. There’s a lot to enjoy, including Great Gardens, Mid Gardens, Small Gardens and Mini-Gardens, music and other special entertainment, garden seminars and lots of vendors. Thursday, March 3, Ladies’ Night starts at 5:00 p.m. Friday night is Family Night and Sunday is Artist Day. Thanks to shuttle buses from Lawrence Dumont Stadium, you won’t even have to worry if the Century II lot is full. There’s too much going on to include everything, so be sure and check out the Garden Show website.

If you are looking for things to do, please visit our events calendar.

(Blog Saturday 2/5/2011)

February is the Wichita Public Library’s 23rd Annual African-American History Month Celebration and there’s a lot going on this week. At 1:30 p.m. on February 9 at the Central Library, the Senior Wednesday program is “The Dockum Sit-In: A Legacy of Courage,” featuring the KPTS documentary. Participant Dr. Galyn Vesey will be on hand to answer questions after the screening.

Wichita’s Griots storytelling troupe will present five programs for ages 3 and up at various locations this week: “Stories of Wit and Wisdom,” Thursday, February 10, 7:00 p.m. at the Rockwell Branch Library; “Storytelling in the Griots Tradition,” Friday, February 11, 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at The Kansas African American Museum; “The Days When the Animals Talked Out Loud,” Saturday, February 12, 10:30 a.m.; “African-American History Stories,” Saturday, February 12, 3:30 p.m. at Angelou Northeast Branch Library.

For 23rd Annual African-American History Month Celebration activities later in the month, see our calendar.

Advocate for the Arts: If you have been wondering how best to protest Governor Brownbeck’s short-sighted attempt to eliminate the Kansas Arts Commission by executive order, you need to go to the Kansas Citizens for the Arts website for information and, then, act on it. Seems to us that this is a perfect example of “penny wise yet dollar foolish.” Specifically, to “save” approximately $815,000 in general funds, the state would be losing about $1,200,00 in matching funding from other sources. Further State and local governments would lose a large percentage of the $15 million in revenue generated by the Kansas nonprofit arts and cultural sector.

If you are looking for things to do, please visit our events calendar.

(Blog Tuesday 1/4/2011)

Christmas is gone. New Year’s Day is done. We hope everyone had a good time. As of today, there are 355 more shopping days until next Christmas.

I seldom watch TV. For some reason I decided to watch a college football game on New Year’s Day. Is is par for me, I fell asleep about half way through, probably because I didn’t have any emotional investment in either of the teams that were playing. I woke just as the game concluded and sat up to, hopefully, watch another game. What I saw could best be summarized by this post I put up on my FaceBook page.

I know that I have mentioned (complained?) about this before, but it sure didn’t seem that TV programming was very influenced by either Christmas or New Years. For the most part it looked like business as usual. It seems to me that if people are running around looking to find those responsible for changing Christmas into Xmas, they might look at the TV networks.

If you have been following the news in Wichita, the argument over garbage collection continues unabated. I think that Wichita is unique among major cities. I have lived in communities in Florida (Miami), Illinois (La Grange), New Jersey (Orange, West Orange), New York (New City), and Rhode Island (Providence). In none of them have I ever had to personally contract with a trash hauler. Garbage was removed either by the local government itself or it was franchised to one hauler. In Wichita, each household is contracts with any one of a number of haulers that serve the city. The result is multiple trash trucks driving up and down city streets with consequent wear and tear where no more than one truck is really needed.

The result is also more expensive trash bills for the City’s citizens. Most of Wichita’s neighboring cities franchise trash collection with the result that on the average their citizens pay lower monthly fees and receive more services (particularly recycling). Our daughter lives in Andover and pays approximately $15 per month for service that includes recycling. Liz and I pay approximately $20 per month for the equivalent service here in Wichita.

The latest proposal would divide the city into zones with each zone being served by one trash service. This would meet the city’s objective of reducing the number of garbage trucks using city streets. What it apparently would not do is save money for many of the people that currently have to pay to have their trash hauled away. Liz and I would probably break even. Specifically, we would continue to pay about what we pay now.

The apparent justification for this differential is that none of the trash haulers currently serving Wichita would be put out of business which would happen if waste collection were to be franchised. In fact, city manager Robert Layton noted that protecting trash haulers is one of the proposal’s virtues. Well, excuse me Mr. Layton, but I am only interested in receiving the best possible garbage collection service at the lowest price. If that means franchising and a number of trash collectors go out of business, that’s competition American style. It doesn’t make any difference to me who collects my garbage as long the trash disappears once a week. Frankly, I am getting tired of City leaders pandering to special interest groups at the expense of average citizens, and this proposal is nothing more than letting the interests of the garbage collectors triumph over the general population.

While talking about trash, we need to note Pro Kansas and the Miller Recycling Center. This volunteer organization accepts a wider range of recyclables than does any trash collector in the Wichita area. The Center is open Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and most of the day on Saturdays.

If you have hazardous materials that are not accepted elsewhere, you should be aware of the Sedgwick County Household Hazardous Waste Facility. This facility will accept hazardous waste from citizens of Sedgwick County at no charge. It is open Tuesday through Saturday.

If you are looking for things to do, please visit our events calendar.