Uncovering Kansas

There are 1,200 Master Gardeners in the State of Kansas. But in June, there will be Master Gardeners from across the country coming to Kansas for their conference. Ever wonder what the best tomatoes are to grow in Kansas? Or how to manage Japanese Beetles. Well all of these things have one thing in common: the K-State Extension office.

One of the things we like to highlight on the podcast is events that bring in people from outside of Kansas. Whether drawing from other states across the US or pulling in people from other countries, these events are not only good for the Kansas economy, they are a chance for us to show off our state, teach people about who we are as Kansans, and hopefully do a little bit of stereotype busting.

In June, Overland Park will be hosting the International Master Gardener Conference for 2023. My guest today is Dennis Patton, a Horticulturist with the Johnson County Extension office. Dennis is also one of the chairs for the Conference, along with 2 other dedicated gardeners who are volunteers.

Links from the Show Notes:

• International Master Gardener Conference website

• Events open to the public

• To learn more about becoming a Master Gardener: search for your county + extension office to see if your local county has a program.

• Episode 0504: Monarch Watch

• Episode 0209: Kaw Valley Farm Tour

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• What is a Master Gardener

• What training is needed to become a Master Gardener

• What is the International Gardener Conference?

• What are the events that are open to the public at the International Gardener Conference

• What is the Kansas Extension program

• How do you access Kansas Extension programs

How to Support the Podcast:

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

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If you are a cyclist, you already know what Unbound Gravel is. If not, today, I'm going to take you into the world of cyclists and how Emporia Kansas has created an event that draws people from 45 different countries.

I love to highlight how Kansans make their visions come true. Today's episode is a great example of a small group of people who came together around their passion for cycling in the flint hills.

Fast forward 17 years, and now Unbound Gravel brings in 4,000 riders the weekend after Labor Day.

My guests today are Ben Sachs is the Race Director and Kristi Mohn is the Marketing Manager. You'll hear how Kristi has been involved with the event from the beginning and Ben since early on and it is a great conversation to understand how the event got started, and what it has become today. I was really interested to hear what it takes to plan the event, and especially the routes for the races. The other thing that was so interesting to me is how the towns along the way participate.

As Ben says - hope to see you at the Finish Line!

Show Notes:

Unbound Gravel website

Dynamic Discs Episode

Volunteer with Unbound Gravel

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• What is Unbound Gravel?

• How Unbound Gravel started

• How Unbound Gravel routes are planned
• How to volunteer for Unbound Gravel

How to Support the Podcast:

Tell a friend about us

Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

Send us a recommendation for an episode

Setting Kansas up to succeed in the future means diversifying into industries that have not traditionally been associated with our state.

In today's episode, you are going to learn about a Goodland company that is doing just that.

I like to highlight Kansas companies that are having an impact outside of Kansas. Today's guest is not only doing that, but they are also working to change some of the fundamental issues that we are currently facing in Kansas.

We are losing people to other states because of jobs.

We are unable to fill all of the jobs we have in Kansas because of lack of the correct skills.

We are in the process of transitioning into a state with a vibrant technology industry.

GoodlandTech is a Kansas company that is addressing all of these huge challenges at once with their business model. My guest today is Ben Coumerilh, one of the founders of Goodland Tech. I met Ben at the Ad Astra Technology conference back in September in Wichita and was grateful that he agreed to be a guest.

I always enjoy my conversations with our guests, but this one is really close to my heart because we talk about a topic I'm passionate about. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Show Notes:

Goodland Tech website

Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center website

Northwest Kansas Technical College

Building a Bookshelf website

Contact Geoff here

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• About Kansas business Goodland Tech

• What a workforce development company does

• About Building a Bookshelf

How to Support the Podcast:

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

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We are going to time travel in today's episode. My guest, Ann Anderson is the author of Posts of a Mid-Century Kid, a memoir about 1950s and 60s Kansas.

Today's episode is as much about our ability to be present and appreciate what we have - in all aspects of life - as it is an episode about Kansas. There are so many quotes from Ann in this episode that I would love to pull out and put on a t-shirt. I am certain that one of them will make an impression on you - leave you with goosebumps.

Show Notes

Ann's Website

Ann's Facebook Page

Posts of a Mid-Centry Kid - link to Bookshop.org where you can buy the book and support a Kansas bookshop at the same time

Topeka Kansas

Lake Shawnee

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• About Author Ann Anderson and her book Posts of a Mid-Century Kid
• About Topeka Kansas circa 1950s and 1960s
• What to do outdoors in Topeka
• Popular 1950s recipes

How to Support the Podcast:

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

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I'm trying to help the Kansas Office of Broadband get the word out about the Federal Communications Commission broadband funding deadline that is January 13 2023. It requires that you take action by the 13th to help ensure that Kansas get the appropriate allocation of Federal funding to invest in high-speed internet.

The funding will be based on a map that determines what portion of each state has access to broadband. The issue is that the map is not always accurate. What the Kansas Broadband Office is asking all Kansans to do is to make sure you are accurately represented on the map.

The reason is that the FCC shows KS at ~5% unserved. We are more likely closer to 15% unserved, and that difference will have a direct negative impact on the dollars we receive … potentially 100's of millions of dollars! We can challenge/change this map, but it will take a strategic concerted effort across the state and through our networks.

So - here is what you need to do:

1. Go to https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/challenge/
2. It has all of the instructions. But, I got some information from Morgan Barnes with the Office of Broadband Development that may be helpful.
3. When you get to the map, you are going to check your location to make sure your house or location has the service location pin in the right space. Some places have shown outbuildings or barns as points of access.
4. When looking at your internet service provided. Review the list of broadband providers and services. If you are unable to access the speeds or services listed, click the Availability Challenge link.

If you find that either of these things is wrong on the map, you'll want to click on the link for "Location Challenge" or 'Availability Challenge" depending on what the issue is.

The other way you can help is to get the word out. Please tell your family, friends and neighbors

About this and ask them to take action. And, if you have older relatives who that may not feel comfortable using site you can help complete this challenge.

Again, the deadline for making challenges to the map is January 12th 2023 so time is of the essence here.

Websites:

https://www.kansascommerce.gov/program/challenge/

Broadbandmap.fcc.gov

We've reached the last episode of the year, and today I'm talking with Branden Dross, the City Manager for the city of Herington Kansas. I have been interested for a while in better understanding what the role of a city manager is, and so I took the opportunity to learn more for myself while sharing what I learn with you. That is the best part of having a podcast. When I want to know more about something, I can do that, record it, and share it with you.

So, I hope you walk away from this episode with a better understanding about what a city manager is, what its like to run a city, and more about Herington Kansas, a small town on Hwy 56 west of Council Grove and Hwy 77 south of Junction City.

Show Notes

Herington Kansas

Bookshop.org

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• What the role of the city manager is
• About Herington Kansas
• About the Flint Hills Trails expansion
• That people fly into the Herington airport to eat at the restaurant there
• About the revitalization plans for the WPA era pool and bath house

How to Support the Podcast:

Tell a friend about us

Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

Send us a recommendation for an episode

My guest today, Joe Summers describes Guerilla Art like this - you make a thing and put it out into the world for people to find.

Joe works with his students and children to create robot sculptures that they then take to different locations around the state and leave behind for someone to find. This episode is about Joe and his robot art program, but it turns out to be a travel episode as well because Joe covers so many Kansas towns and sites as part of his program.

Rules for leaving robot art in the world:

• At least an hour from the house
• Nobody could see you
• Drop off is a place that is arts focused
• Attach a note to them
• Go get breakfast at a local restaurant

Get to Know a Kansan

• Linn County
• Chanute Kansas
• Lawrence Kansas
• Mass Street Soda Shop
• Lucus Kansas
• Goodland Kansas - Giant Van Gogh painting
• Original Jayhawkers

How to Support the Podcast:

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Today I'm joined by Shelley O'Brien and Mary Boller, two Kansans working in the State's library system. Reading is my primary hobby - I'm currently sitting at 76 books read so far in 2022 - so as you can imagine, this episode is going to be one I remember for a long time.

What I'm hoping you take away from today's episode is what my guest, Mary Boller says - that libraries have become the hub of the community. If you still think that libraries are just about books, you need to get out to your local branch and see what has changed.

Supporting our local Kansas libraries is a great way to support our local communities. So, I'm hoping you find out something you didn't know, and that we maybe spark something new for you today.

Show Notes

Northwest Kansas Library System

Northeast Kansas Library System

7 regional library systems

Golf Course Superintendents Association

Talking books program

Lawrence Library recording studio

STEAM Punk Makerspace Lab

Dane G Hansen Foundation

Which libraries you can get a state park pass

Prairie Dog State Park

The School for Rural Culture and Creativity

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• How the Kansas library system is organized
• How the Kansas library system coordinates
• That libraries are much more than just books
• That it is ok to talk above a whisper in a library!
• What Family Place Libraries are all about
• How the Kansas Library system and Kansas Parks system is working together to encourage people to get out and go to the state parks.
• Some of the challenges of being a rural library

How to Support the Podcast:

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Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

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Have you ever dreamed of just taking off and traveling the world? That's exactly what my guests today did.

1 year, 24 countries, 4 continents….

Their Instagram account says it all: Kansas Meet World. I can't wait for you to meet this Kansas family and learn about their gap year.

This trip was about so many things - seeing the world, learning how to support locals, experiencing other religions, figuring out what you can and can't live with, and how important it is to live your life connected to those who are most important to you..

It happens to me very often that I'm someplace outside of Kansas and I run into Kansans. For the Lewison family, it happened in places like Zanzabar. We may be a fairly small population, but we show up in a lot of exotic places!

What I ultimately take away from my conversation with the Lewisons is that it is important to explore the world AND our home in Kansas.

Kansas Meet World Instagram

What You'll Learn in this Episode

• How a family of 5 traveled the world for a year
• What is a whirling dervish?
• About the Kansas Burger in Portugal
• How the Kansas school system allowed kids to travel the world and still stay in school

How to Support the Podcast:

Tell a friend about us

Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook

Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

Send us a recommendation for an episode