Uncovering Kansas

Happy Fall Kansas! And welcome to our October episode. We are carrying through the Halloween theme from the previous episode. When Geoff originally pitched the idea, I was sort of like "Wha? Say it again." He wanted to focus on spirits. Several meanings contained within the word spirit. Not only the spirits we usually think about when we prepare and celebrate Halloween but the holiday spirit and the associated community spirit that often runs alongside the holiday. Halloween is, at least in America, sort of the official kick-off to the longer holiday season. And what do many people choose to celebrate with… other than food? You guessed. Spirits! Liquor, wine and beer. We are going to focus on two of these (liquor and beer) in this episode.

Kansas has had an interesting and peculiar history with alcohol and a key figure of historical importance. Carrie Nation. And while we, as Kansans, appreciate that history, our state is arguably still haunted by her ghost. Efforts are underway to exorcise the ghost of Carrie Nation but until the rite of exorcism is completed, artisans and entrepreneurs wanting to operate within the alcohol beverage industry must possess courage and bravery. And we have a panel of three representatives from three different Kansas companies located across the state to discuss and share their company story with you.

Links mentioned in the show

Kansas Territory Brewing

Boot Hill Distillery

Boiler Room Brewery

Dodge City Episode

What you'll learn in this episode:

• About the unique opportunities and challenges of running a brewery or distillery in Kansas
• Kansas was the first state to implement prohibition and the last state to repeal prohibition
• How some of Kansas' liquor laws make it difficult for businesses to thrive in Kansas
• How breweries and distilleries are bringing a sense of community to small towns

How to Support the Podcast:

Tell a friend about us

Follow us on Instagram or Facebook

Buy a Kansas Travel Journal

Send us a recommendation for an episode

There is a stereotype about the crotchety old person who watches out their window and when kids step one foot onto their lawn, they run out onto the porch, shaking their fist and yelling 'get off my lawn you hooligans!'

Well, today we are going to learn about a Kansan who has impacted our culture simply because she wasn't the kind of person who would fall into that stereotype. Instead of shaking her fits and yelling at the neighborhood kids, she looked for a way to be more creative and more positive in her approach to keep the kids off her lawn.

What exactly did Elizabeth Krebs do to change culture as we know it? Well, find out in my interview with Katie Miller, President of the Hiawatha Chamber and Visitor's Bureau.

Before we get into the interview, I want to remind you about our Uncovering Kansas Travel Journal. We believe experience is at the heart of travel and meeting people and unexpected encounters make travel fulfilling. So, we created the journal so you can document your experiences. At just a little over 200 pages, we have plenty of space for you to journal, but we've also included a place for you to put together your bucket list, and pages for remembering your favorite places to eat and stay. The journal is available on Amazon. It makes a great gift, and is also available as a fundraiser for your group, organization, or team. If you'd like to learn more about fundraising opportunities, just send us an email at [email protected].

Links mentioned in the episode:

Halloween Frolic facebook page

What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• Our modern Halloween traditions were started by Kansan Elizabeth Krebs in Hiawatha, KS
• What the Halloween Frolic is all about
• The longest continuous Halloween parade has been going in Hiawatha since 1914
• Who is Elizabeth Krebs
• What to expect if you attend the Halloween Frolic in Hiawatha, KS
• Children's author Bill Martin Jr., author of the famous book, was born in Hiawatha
• Riverdale, in Archie comics is based on Hiawatha

How to Support the Podcast:

• Tell a friend about us
• Follow us on Instagram or Facebook
• Buy a Kansas Travel Journal
• Send us a recommendation for an episode

This month, Rachel talks with Ryan Biergert, festival co-chair of Svensk Hillingsfest, a festival that celebrates our state's Swedish Heritage, hosted in Lindsborg. According to the Kansas Historical Society, the first Swede arrived in Kansas in 1864, and he encouraged others to emigrate and file claims for land in what is now Lindsborg Ks. By 1890, there were 17,000 Swedes in Kansas. Lindsborg is a town that celebrates its Swedish history, and not just during the festival. Visit any time of the year, and you'll feel the Swedish culture everywhere you go. There is a lot to see and do in Lindsborg, and I hope you add it to your list, whether you go during the festival or at another time of year. What You'll Learn in this Episode:

• What you'll be able to see and do at Svensk Hyllingsfest this September
• While in Lindsborg, you can also visit Raymer Society
• Stop by the Birger Sandzen gallery
• Places to stay when visiting Lindsborg
• Other things to do in the area of Lindsborg like Maxwell Wildlife Refuge and Coronado Heights

How to Support the Podcast:

• Tell a friend about us
• Follow us on Instagram or Facebook
• Buy a Kansas Travel Journal
• Send us a recommendation for an episode

This month, Rachel talks with Tim Bascom, author and Executive Director of the Kansas Book Festival. The Kansas Book Festival is a great opportunity to learn about Kansas - authors who are from Kansas or write about Kansas or topics that are germane to Kansans. Spending a day at the festival will no doubt open your eyes to something new.

After covering the festival, Rachel and Tim talk about Tim's experience spending part of his childhood in Ethiopia. Tim gives us a feel for what it is like to grow up in two very different cultures and how it continues to shape him today.

Book Festival website: Kansas Book Festival

Book Festival Facebook page: Kansas Book Festival - Home

Tim Bascom's website: Tim Bascom, Author – Writing my way around the world

Ethiopian Restaurants in Kansas:

Elsa's - Overland Park Elsa's Ethiopian Restaurant: Home

Selamta - Lenexa Selamta Ethiopian Restaurant and Bar - Restaurant in Lenexa

What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• What the Kansas Book Festival is all about
• Who are the speakers at the Kansas Book Festival
• About Kansas author Tim Bascom's experience splitting his childhood between Kansas and Ethiopia
• Why Ethiopian food is so good
• Where to find Ethiopian restaurants in Kansas

If you haven't listened to our September 2020 episode which was an interview with public officials from Pittsburg Kansas about how they were managing the pandemic, I'd encourage you to go back and listen to it.

This episode is a follow-up to see how things have changed since that interview. We've all been through this shared experience, and although it meant something a little different to all of us, being able to follow the story of covid in one specific town gives us an appreciation of how we pull together to get through our toughest challenges.

Our topic today is a very important, very heavy one: mental health. I'm going to introduce you to a very important and innovative program in Kansas that is working to make the stigma that surrounds talking about mental health issues a thing of the past.

Zero Reasons Why is a program that is teaching teens the skills they need to be able to make mental health a normal part of our daily lives. You are going to be impressed by my guest, Kyra Fuchs, who is a teen council member of Zero Reasons Why. I learned a lot about how every one of us can support our friends and family when they need it.

Zero Reasons Why website

The Playbook referenced in the episode

The social media accounts for #ZeroReasonsWhy:

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

Built in 1877, the Oak Grove Schoolhouse has been a gathering place for the community of Lincoln Township for generations. In this episode, Rachel talks with Cary Pruitt and Roger Pruitt from the Oak Grove Schoolhouse Historical Society.

Part Family history, part Kansas history, partly a story about family legacy, we think you'll find this episode to be informative, entertaining, and important. Oak Grove Schoolhouse website What You'll Learn In This Episode:

• The mission of the Oak Grove Schoolhouse Historical Society
• ​How a one room schoolhouse became a central gathering place for the community of Lincoln Township
• Why it is important to pass down family history from generation to generation
• The importance of low water fords in the migration of pioneers settling in Kansas
• The history of the Oak Grove school district
• The importance of the Osage Trail in the history of Kansas
• How Laura Ingalls Wilder, Washington Irving, the Benders
• How the geography of Kansas contributed to the development of the Osage Trail
• The rough-and-tumble history of Ladore Kansas
• How the arrival of the KATY Railroad impacted the founding of Parsons Kansas
• A great gift idea for teacher appreciation day

This month, Rachel talks with Connie Blanke about Prairiesta, a festival that happens every 10 years in Russell, Kansas. Whether you are able to make it out to the festival or not, you'll learn a lot about community spirit, the importance of honoring our history, and what it takes to put together a festival.

Prairiesta website

Deines Cultural Center

Episode: Big Kansas Road Trip - The Experience

In this episode of Uncovering Kansas, Rachel interviews guest Kirk Sharp of the Gordon Parks Museum. For many the name Gordon Parks will be familiar. To others, only a vague recollection. And for some the name will be unknown entirely. No matter which group you are in, come along for the ride and join in and listen as Rachel learns about Gordon Parks and uncovers only a fraction of the eventful life of this Kansas-born man.

And if you're like the Uncovering Kansas production team, then after learning a little of Gordon Parks you'll quickly begin seeking more information. For example, after recording the interview Rachel devoured one Gordon Parks book and when finding another book by him was not in the library system's inventory she quickly sent off an email to the library making the case for and requesting its inclusion.

Enjoy the episode! And we hope to see you on the road soon as the Kansas climate warms and vaccinations are delivered and bodies and imagination that have likely been more dormant than usual for the better part of twelve months begin again to explore the world around them.

In this episode, Rachel chats with Kansas resident and fellow podcaster Landon Huslig of Wichita Life ICT. They discuss cultural aspects and details of Wichita and create from the specific a backdrop for a broader, more personal, discussion about their passion and support of Kansas, generally, including a similar objective each has for their respective podcast.

Wichita Life ICT website (and podcast)

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook: @WichitaLifeICT

Dockum Drug Store Sit In

Keeper of the Plains

Wichita River Fest

Uncovering Kansas episode on Comicon

Air Capital Comic Con

Taco Fest Twitter: @WichitaTacoFest

Andover KS

Coronado Heights

Little Jerusalem State Park

Mushroom Rocks

James Naismith

John Brown