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He sings like the King | 16

ON THE COVER

INSIDEI Volume 30 • Issue 9

WestSide StoryEditorialPublisher Paul RhodesManaging Editor Travis MountsGraphics Abbygail WellsReporters/Contributors Sam Jack, Dr. Ron Helten, Jim Erickson, Philip Holmes

Sales & BillingSales Valorie Castor, Paul RhodesBilling/Circulation Tori Vinciguerra

A Division of Times-Sentinel Newspapers125 N. Main • P.O. Box 544Cheney, KS 67025Phone: (316) 540-0500Fax: (316) 540-3283

Now in our 30th year!The WestSide Story is a monthly newspaper focused on the far west side of Wichita. It is delivered free to most west Wichita homes within our coverage area, although distribution is not guaranteed. Guaranteed home delivery by mail is available for $10 per year. Single copies are available for free in west Wichita Dillons stores and at Times-Sentinel Newspapers.

Email story ideas and photographs tonews@tsnews.com. Visit us on Facebook.

© 2015 Times-Sentinel Newspapers

Features

From the Publisher’s Files ..................................................5

Dateline ..........................................7

People and Places ...................10

Wichita Homes .........................14

Pet Smarts ..................................15

Focus On Business ...................19

Cinema Scene ...........................26

Performing Arts Calendar .....27

Movie Review ............................29

Beauty queen vies for Miss Africa title | 8

Native son visits the Great Pyramids | 4

WestSider Roy Helm channels the music of popular icons like

Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond and Roy Orbison.

A county fair can be a lot like a family reunion. It certainly was for me.

For four days ‑ Wednesday through Saturday, July 8‑11 – the Sedgwick Coun‑ty Fair was held in Cheney. It’s always a great opportunity to catch up with long‑lost friends.

The first opportunity for me was a chance encounter on Friday evening. I was walking by myself, a bit tired from a full day of activities on the fairgrounds. Suddenly, I saw a face that seemed famil‑iar. I stopped to take a second look. The familiar face looked at me and had what appeared to be a mirror reaction to mine.

The face belonged to Brad Neuen‑swander. Brad is familiar to the readers of our Times‑Sentinel weekly newspa‑per, which includes Cheney in its cov‑erage area in western Sedgwick County. He was superintendent for several years in Cheney, served before that as an as‑sistant principal and spent much of his childhood in Cheney.

Brad and his wife, Julie, now live in the Topeka area. Brad is now the deputy commissioner at the Kansas State De‑partment of Education, and Julie works in audiology. But I got to know them first and foremost as next door neigh‑bors years ago.

The Neuenswanders were surround‑ed shortly after stepping onto the fair‑grounds. When I stumbled upon them, they hadn’t moved in about 30 minutes, as a constant stream of friends appeared and spent time catching up. They were there at least another 30 minutes after I had my turn and left.

I got to have another reunion on Sat‑urday, this time with a friend from my own childhood. David Beaver and I were barely into our teens when we spent a summer or two working as counselors at the Cub Scout day camp at Camp Tawa‑koni. We saw each other occasionally through high school, primarily at cross country meets.

We weren’t able to connect on Thurs‑day night, when his 11‑year‑old daugh‑ter, Mollie, sang in the Fair’s Got Talent preliminary round. But she advanced to Saturday’s final, and I got to have my second reunion in two days.

It’s been nearly three decades since Da‑vid and I saw each other, but we were still able to recognize each other on Saturday. It helped that I had talked to his daughter on Thursday, so he knew to look for me. And time has been kinder to David than me, so I was able to spot him fairly quickly.

More than anything else, connecting with old friends is what I’ll remember from this year’s Sedgwick County Fair.

• • • • •

We were getting ready to go to press with this month’s paper when word came that Fran Jabara had passed away. He was 90.

Fran was known in Wichita and across the country for his work as an entrepre‑neur and a philanthropist.

His story is the classic American im‑migrant story. His parents came here from Lebanon. Jabara was one of nine kids.

He earned degrees at Oklahoma A&M University and Northwestern University in Chicago. His first job was at Wichi‑ta State, where he taught for 40 years. He founded the Center for Entrepre‑neurship on the WSU campus and guid‑ed it for a dozen years. Jabara Hall was renamed for him and his wife, Geri, in 1996. He was a supporter of Newman University and Butler Community Col‑lege. He is a member of the Oklahoma State University Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame.

He influenced countless businesses, including Pizza Hut.

Wichita is a better city because of Fran Jabara. While he will be missed, his influence will carry on for generations.

Travis Mounts | Managing Editor

County fair brings multiple reunions

Little girl wins big at Sedgwick County Fair talent show | 12

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The National Baseball Congress has announced the 2015 Hall of Fame class. Six inductees will be honored during the 81st NBC World Series, run-ning through Aug. 8 at Lawrence-Du-mont Stadium. Since the inaugural Hall of Fame Class in 1991 the National Baseball Congress has chosen to rec-ognize some of the great contributors to the NBC legacy. The 2015 class is comprised of: Emmett Ashford, Ron “Gardy” Gardenhire, Chris Hmielews-ki, Frank Leo, Gil Carter and John Braden.

Ashford, inspired by Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier as a player, became Major League Baseball’s fi rst African-American umpire in 1966. Ashford umpired fi ve seasons in MLB, including the 1967 All-Star game and the 1970 World Series. After his retirement from MLB, Ashford served as Umpire-In-Chief for the Alaska Baseball League in the early 1970s and then worked the NBC World Series for a couple of years.

Gardenhire managed the Minneso-ta Twins for 13 seasosn, compiling a win-loss record of 1,068-1,039. He earned the AL Manager of the Year in 2010 after his team fi nished the season 94-68. Gardenhire played in the NBC World Series in 1977 and 1978 for Wichita Coors. Gardenhire also logged fi ve years of MLB service as a short-stop and second baseman for the New York Mets.

Hmielewski is in his 10th year as the director of athletics at Southwest Minnesota State University. However, around Wichita, he’s known to have one of the best World Series performances ever. As a slugging fi rst baseman and pitcher for Kenai (Alaska) Peninsula

Oilers during the 1991 NBC World Se-ries, Hmielewski smacked 8 home runs, a record 25 RBI and 42 total bases.

This is Leo’s 33rd season as manager for the Hays Larks. During his tenure, the Larks have won six NBC Mid-west Regional titles and eight Jayhawk League titles. Leo has coached the Larks in 23 trips to the NBC World Series, fi nishing as runner-up in 1995, 2000, 2001 and 2007. Leo was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005.

Carter is known as the man who hit the longest home run in organized baseball, a record 733 feet. Carter helped the Wichita Rapid Transit Dreamliners to NBC World Series Championships in 1962 and 1963. He belted six home runs during the 1962 World Series. In July, Carter was induct-ed into the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame. Recently, his family was presented the Pride of Kansas Award by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.

Braden became the fi rst manager to guide teams to fi ve NBC World Series Championships with teams from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He racked up four straight from 1947 to 1950, with num-ber fi ve happening in 1956. A dominat-ing run though the NBC World Series in the early years has earned him a place in the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame.

The 2015 Hall of Fame class will be inducted on six different nights during the World Series. The 81st National Baseball Congress World Series is tak-ing place now, and a national champion will be crowned on Saturday, Aug. 8.

For more information, visit www.nbcbaseball.com or call the NBC Offi ce at 316-977-9400.

Players inducted into NBC Hall of Fame

FACES WANTED.At the WestSide Story, we’re already working on feature stories for upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face (and story) should appear on these pages, please let us know!

news@tsnews.com | 316-540-0500www.facebook.com/TheWestSideStory

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How do you digest one of the most monumental tourist attractions on the planet?

You tackle it the same way you would eat an elephant: One bite at a time.

During my recent vacation trip to Egypt, I had the opportunity to view and visit the Giza Pyramids not just once…but twice. It was an unusual set of circum-stances that unfolded for myself and my girlfriend, Kim Swansen, who was instrumental in making my visit to Egypt happen.

Kim’s daughter Jennifer has been living in Cairo, Egypt, for the past few years. Jenn just completed a master’s degree at the American University of Cairo this past month, and Kim took an extended trip there to be with her daughter for the graduation ceremony and some much-needed time together.

This trip had been in the making for months, and at one point Kim asked if there was any chance I could join her for the last part of her visit. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse.

The list of adventures that I wanted to experience in Egypt was long but manageable, and at the top of that list was a visit to the Giza Pyramids, located on the southwestern edge of Cairo. While more than 100 pyramids have been identifi ed in Egypt, the pyramids of Giza are the largest and most famous.

Yep. Those were the pyramids I wanted to see, touch and go inside.

That proved to be easier said than done.On the afternoon that had been set aside for our

pyramid visit, we were almost turned away because of scheduling tied to Ramadan, the month-long religious celebration that focuses on prayer, fasting and inner re-fl ection. A buggy driver from Giza Village, at the foot of the pyramids, convinced a guard to let us into the area outside the fence surrounding the pyramids, and from there convinced us to let him take us around the perimeter of the grounds – for a price.

At fi rst, I was disappointed to not get to experience the pyramids up close…but an unexpected adventure was about to unfold.

While Jenn and our driver waited for us, Kim and I experienced a buggy ride through the ancient village of Giza and went out into the edge of the desert on the other side of the pyramids. We met some Bedouins who afforded me a wild camel ride, and our buggy driv-er snapped some pretty amazing pictures of us with the pyramids in the background.

Giza Village, which once housed the pyramid build-ers and now is home to the people who give rides and tours around the pyramids and sell souvenirs, was amazing to tour. And we wouldn’t have seen that “side” of the Giza Pyramids if it hadn’t been for our sched-uling snafu.

Yes, every turn of that unexpected adventure re-quired me to open up my wallet, but it was worth it. And back at our taxi, our driver agreed to bring Kim and me back out early the next morning so we could actually visit the pyramids and the Great Sphinx.

Words cannot do justice to the incredible energy and awe that surged through me as I was able to walk up to and touch the Giza Pyramids. I really believe I felt an energy coming from the center pyramid as we walked up to it…but of course, that could have been self-gen-erated. I’ll leave it at that, and won’t question what I experienced.

We also were able to go inside the largest of the pyr-amids on the site, the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which is believed to have been built over a 10- to 20-year peri-od concluding around 2560 B.C. At 481 feet in height, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for more than 3,800 years.

While there’s disagreement over how the pyramids were built, recent discoveries made at nearby workers’ camps suggest that they were constructed by tens of thousands of skilled workers and not by slaves. No matter how the work was accomplished, it is accurate that the Great Pyramid of Khufu consists of an es-timated 2.3 million blocks of limestone transported from nearby quarries.

From Kansas to CairoNative son visits the Great Pyramids

The Pyramid of Khafre is the

center of the three Great Pyramids of Giza, located

on the edge of Cairo, Egypt. In

the foreground is the corner of the

Pyramid of Khufu, the largest of the

pyramids.

See PYRAMIDS, Page 6

S T O R Y A N D P H O T O S B Y P A U L R H O D E S

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I recently returned home from an extended visit to Egypt, and the experi-ence was nothing short of incredible.

You learn so much about another cul-ture – and even about yourself – when you take a journey like this. Some of the lessons I learned were pretty serious and touching.

Others were just interesting, and even a little funny.

Like the fact that no matter how far you travel…even 5,000 miles to Egypt…a french fry is a french fry is a french fry. I’ll explain in a minute.

The most often-asked question be-fore I left for Egypt was, “Why?” Many people assumed that such a trip would be dangerous, or at least questionable. I can assure you it was not.

My purpose for the trip unfolded through an invitation from my girl-friend, Kim Swansen, whose daugh-ter Jennifer has been living in Cairo, Egypt, for the past few years. Jenn just completed a master’s degree at the American University of Cairo this past month, and Kim took an extended trip there to be with her daughter for the graduation ceremony and some much-needed time together.

This trip had been in the making for months, and at one point Kim asked if there was any chance I could join her for the last part of her visit.

It was an offer I couldn’t refuse. My passport was in order, and I just needed a travel visa and a little luck booking my airline fl ights. By mid-June, I was on my way to Egypt.

There was a certain amount of culture shock to deal with, but because Jenn is fl uent in Arabic, our travels were less complicated and confusing than most tourists experience. We did our best to heed Arab customs and traditions, and for the most part tried to immerse ourselves in the lifestyles to which native Egyptians are accustomed.

And those lifestyles, especially in Cai-ro, are a bit intense. Traffi c is unbeliev-ably heavy and wildly out of control, but amazingly, everyone gets where they are going. And “everyone” in the city of Cairo is upwards of 17 million people.

The day I landed, Muslims across Egypt had just started observing Ra-madan, their month-long religious cel-ebration that focuses on prayer, fasting and inner refl ection. This unplanned bit of timing gave my vacation an added element of culture shock and education that I might not have gained otherwise.

With much of the country fasting during the day, this new world around us exploded with energy and excite-ment every evening at sunset. Muslims broke their fast at that time each day and celebrated through the night.

We split my time in Egypt between Cairo, the nation’s capital, and Alexan-dria, a port city and vacation area on the Mediterranean Sea. I was grateful to start my “Egypt time” in Alexan-dria, since it allowed me to rest up a bit compared to the intensity awaiting me in Cairo.

“We’re warming you up for Cairo,” Jenn would tell me daily. Even there, traffi c was crazy as taxis and micro-buses full of people darted around horse-drawn buggies and pull carts and clogged the city’s narrow streets and intersections.

Alexandria gave us a chance to visit museums and relax on the beach, which was just across the street from the apartment we were able to rent. We joked about the condition of the apartment, but the tradeoff was a wrap-around balcony with a perfect view of the ocean. We fell asleep at night with the shutters open and the ocean breeze blowing across us.

Back in Cairo, I was able to enjoy

Trip to Egypt was an eye-opening experience

From the Publisher’s Files

Paul Rhodes | Publisher

See RHODES, Page 7

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At completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced with “casing stones,” which were slant-faced and polished white limestone. A massive earthquake loos-ened many of the outer casing stones, and over the years, these stones were used to build other structures in Cairo. Some of these casing stones can still be seen at the base of the pyramids today.

We climbed all the way up the Grand Gallery inside the pyramid, up to the

King’s Chamber. All that remains in that chamber today is a granite sarcophagus, but it was worth the climb. We took time to soak it all in, rest our sore legs and prepare for the grueling climb back down the wooden ramp that runs up through the narrow Grand Gallery.

Of course, we were accosted all across the pyramid grounds by souvenir sales-men, but after all the adventures we had experienced – on the grounds and in Giza Village the previous day – it was worth a few Egyptian pounds for some physical memories of our visit.

Our memories will last for years…and maybe the refrigerator magnets will last just as long.

PyramidsContinued from Page 4

TOP: Paul Rhodes, with Kim Swansen, in the desert on the outskirts of the Giza Pyramids. There are more than 100 known pyramids in Egypt, but Giza’s are the largest.LEFT: A view of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, seen from a street in Giza Village near the pyramids. Recent archaeology suggests the pyra-mids were built by paid workers, not slaves.

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a sailboat ride on the Nile River and spent parts of two days at the pyramids. And the nightlife, enhanced by the fact that we were in the middle of Rama-dan, was simultaneously relaxing and energizing.

We would stay up late at night at coffee and shisha (hookah) bars, sipping cappuccinos and enjoying the local cuisine. Which brings me back to

french fries…After a particularly intense day of

sightseeing in Cairo, it was still relative-ly early in the evening, and our driver had broken his fast for the day. At our invitation, our driver agreed to join us for shawarmas, a classic Egyptian street sandwich. We stopped to get the sandwiches, which our driver offered to jump out and pick up for us, and then headed to one of Jenn’s favorite coffee shops.

The sandwiches were delightful, and – you guessed it – came with a side of fries. A little touch of home, from halfway around the world.

RhodesContinued from Page 5

Aug. 4 – Extension Master Gar-dener recruitment open house. Those interested in applying for the Extension Master Gardener fall class are encouraged to attend an infor-mational meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. at the Sedgwick Coun-ty Extension Center in 4-H Hall. Applications will be available at the event. The requirements and benefits of the program will be outlined and current Master Gardeners will share their experiences as volunteers. For more information contact Extension horticulture agent Rebecca McMa-hon at 316-660-0142 or visit www.sedgwick.k-state.edu.

Aug. 8 – Genealogy DNA, 1 p.m., presented by the Midwest Historical Genealogy Society Library, 1203 N. Main. Discover the newest information available to learn what DNA can tell us about our ancestors, what the different tests are and where they can be found.

Aug. 15 – Wichita Genealogical Society quarterly meeting, 1 p.m. at the Lionel Alford Library, 3447 S. Me-ridian. “Lost Kansas Communities,” presented by M.J. Morgan, a Kansas Humanities Council speaker. Kansas has nearly 9,000 disappeared towns and communities, cause by its unusual and spectacularly fast settlement history. The variety of town types is as striking as the stories they left behind. This talk

will explore research conducted on lost Kansas places and discuss problems researchers have when searching for information.

Aug. 15 – Genealogy on the Inter-net, 10 a.m., presented by the Midwest Historical Genealogy Society Library, 1203 N. Main. Learn to organize data, the quickest ways to access information, and more.

Aug. 22 – Afro-American Special Interest Group, 1 p.m., presented by the Midwest Historical Genealogy Society Library, 1203 N. Main. Learn about the historical and genealogical study of families through stories, research and discovering family history.

If you have a community event for the September edition of Dateline, email details to the East Wichita News by Aug. 15 at ewn@eastwichitanews.com.

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WestSider and pharmacist Idia Tokunboh’s first beauty pageant experi-ence was a year ago, when she traveled to New York City and claimed the title of Miss Ghana USA. That victory qualified her to represent Ghanaian women living in the United States at Miss Africa USA, to be held on Aug. 29 in Silver Spring, Md.

Tokunboh has enjoyed honing her approach to typical pageant events – talent, evening gown, interview – but those are not why she chose to par-ticipate, she said. The opportunity to make a difference, both in her home country and in the African immigrant community in Wichita, is much more important.

“Brain drain is happening, which means a lot of the young and able peo-ple who live in Africa or are from there are leaving the continent – for educa-tion, for jobs – and not returning,” said Tokunboh. “So you’re having the elder population growing, and the younger population also growing, but when they come of age, they’re leaving. So Miss Ghana USA and Miss Africa USA, yes, they’re beauty pageants and are flashy and glamorous, but the main goal is to empower young women here in the U.S. who have a desire to give back.”

Tokunboh has given back over the past year by promoting her cause: diabetes treatment and prevention in Ghana. Her grandmother, Ernestina Yankah, died of complications related to the disease, and though the preva-lence in Ghana is below the global aver-age, there is a lot of work to do to help Ghanaian sufferers and educate their friends and families.

Tokunboh was able to return to Gha-na this year, as Miss Ghana USA, and lead a diabetes workshop. It was just one workshop, but it made a difference, and it was a start.

“When I conducted the workshop, we had people complaining that they can’t even find relationships, because

Beauty queen vies for Miss Africa USA titleS t o r y b y S a m J a c k people don’t know that it’s not a con-

tagious disease,” said Tokunboh. “One had low blood sugar and passed out in the marketplace, so everybody poured water on them to try and revive them. Well, that’s not going to help with low blood sugar; you need to give them sugar. You don’t need a whole lot of money and medical equipment to teach those kinds of things.”

Managing diabetes is difficult even here in the United States, with all the benefits of a first-world medical system, Tokunboh pointed out. The challenge grows for Ghanaians who may not have reliable access to doctors and other forms of support.

“In Africa you have to deal with no access to medication, being la-beled, being ostracized, not having any resources. I want to help create an understanding that diabetes is not a death sentence. Many people live with diabetes and live like regular people,” said Tokunboh.

If more people in Ghana become aware that diabetes is controllable, stig-ma and myths can be reduced. Tokun-boh is working with Quality Health Africa, an American nonprofit, to find ways to contribute to the solution of a difficult problem.

Tokunboh has maintained an active interest in her home country, and she is equally engaged on issues affecting African immigrants in Wichita and the United States. She moved to Wichita at the age of 15 when her father, a com-mercial pilot, landed a job here.

“It’s a new environment, new culture, new laws. I started high school right in the middle of sophomore year, and I walked into a class midway through and had to hit the ground running,” said Tokunboh. “I had to learn a lot of things that people don’t think about – I didn’t even know who the first presi-dent of America was. Sarcasm wasn’t part of my culture, so it took me a number of years to get used to that.”

Having her family with her made it easier for her to work through

ABOVE: East Wichitan Idia Tokunboh just finished her reign as Miss Ghana USA. She will compete later in August in the Miss Africa USA pageant.LEFT: Tokunboh was able to return to Ghana this year. She led a diabetes workshop. Many people there lack basic informa-tion about the disease, such as it is not conta-gious.

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challenges, but many Ghanaians and Africans come here by themselves and don’t have a built-in support system. While she was a student at Wichita State University, Tokunboh served as president of the African Students Association. She used that group to help fellow Africans bridge the cultural divide.

“International students pay several times as much as regular students, yet they can’t work. They don’t have work permits, so parents back home fund them. If you look at exchange rates, you see how much that means for someone back in Africa, to be sup-porting their child in school here in the U.S,” said Tokunboh.

Navigating an unfamiliar culture while also bearing the weight of fam-ily hopes can be both crushing and isolating. Tokunboh told the story of one student who misread a map of the Wichita State campus and ended up taking several hours to fi nd the cafete-ria. When he did fi nd it, he was em-barrassed at not knowing how he was expected to order.

“When he got back to his room, he locked himself in and cried for hours. This happens constantly,” said Tokun-

boh. “Yes, people have to ask for help, but there’s so many cultural barriers.”

Now that Tokunboh has received degrees from Wichita State and KU and begun her career as a pharmacist, she is teaming up with a few other young, African professionals to provide men-torship for “African Pioneers.”

“I understand that (African students) are not citizens, but they are people who contribute to the society they’re in, here in America, and there has to be greater balance. There’re defi nitely a lot of people that fall through the cracks,” said Tokunboh.

Tokunboh is eager to compete for and win the Miss Africa USA title, and not just so she can don a tiara. The title would allow her to make lots of new connections in the Ghanaian and African activist communities across the world.

“The girl who won last year was from Ethiopia, and she got to meet presi-dents of different countries in Africa, as well as ambassadors. That’s the scale it’s on,” said Tokunboh.

There is a popular vote component to the pageant, and supporters can vote for Tokunboh once every 12 hours at missafricausa.org beginning Aug. 1.

Idia Tokunboh was 15 when her family moved to Wich-ita. She earned degrees from WSU and KU and is now a pharmacist.

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316-667-2429www.mounthopedental.com

Wichita’s West Side Rotary installed new offi cers and committee chairs at the noon meeting at Rolling Hills Country Club, on June 30. Past pres-ident Tony Morrow offi cially handed the gavel to incoming president Jamie Anderson. The new offi cers are presi-dent-elect Cindy Hand, secretary Shelli Kadel, treasurer Tom Wagner; club ser-vice chair Terry Gardner; community service chair Randy Bowles; vocational and youth service chair Eric Parkhurst; international service chair DeAnn Sul-livan, foundation chair Brent Groves; and membership and public relations chair Joey Timmer. Pictured: West Side Rotary past president Tony Morrow offi cially hands the gavel to incoming president Jamie Anderson.

The Sedgwick County Zoological Society welcomed the following trust-ees to the board in May for a term of three years: Kevin J. Arnel, Foulston Siefkin LLP; Dave Dahl, 18th Judicial District Court, Sedgwick County; Amy Ekerberg, DVM, CCRT, Northridge Veterinary Clinic and Rehabilitation; Sarita Francis, Sarita Pitt Interiors, LLC; Bill Moore, community representative; Barry Schwan, House of Schwan; Sue Watson, community representative; and Joe Williams, Cox Communications. The board offi cers are: president Mark DeVries, Poet Ethanol Products; vice president Sue Pearce, Piping and Equip-ment; secretary Jeff Bloomer, Sunrise Oilfi eld Service; and treasurer Steven A. Houlik, Allen, Gibbs and Houlik, L.C. Returning trustees include: Stanley G. Andeel, Foulton Siefkin LLP; Cindy

Burgess, community representative; Kelly E. Callen, Edmiston Oil Compa-ny; Rhonda Fullerton, Cessna Aircraft Company; Michael Herbert, Delta Den-tal of Kansas, Inc.; Ron Holt, Sedg-wick County; Dale Hoyer, InfoSync Services; Dirk Jones, Cargill Pork; Don Knappenberger, Knappenberger Law Offi ce; Gary Kohn, Koch Industries; Dave Larson, Westland Corporation; Marvin Long, Taylor Enterprises, Inc.; Buz Lukens, community representative; Sam Marnick, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.; Scott Ochs, Wells Fargo Bank; Mary Lynn Oliver, community representative; Martin W. Park, Mommy’s Little Helper, Inc.; Karl Peterjohn, Sedgwick County; Mary Lynn Priest, Community Repre-sentative; Albert R. Sanchez, Fidelity Bank; Don Sherman, Westar Energy, Inc.; Jay Smith, INTRUST Bank; Collin Stieben, Commerce Bank.

Gemma Maliszewski of West Wichita was named to the spring 2015 dean’s honor list at University of St. Mary on Leavenworth. Students on the dean’s honor list have earned a grade-point average of 3.5 or better.

More than 500 undergraduate and graduate students at Baker University received their degrees during com-mencement ceremonies in May at the Collins Center on the Baldwin City campus. Graduating students included:

• From Goddard, Melissa Davis, mas-ter of science in school leadership.

• From Maize, Adrienne Johnson, master of science in school leadership.

• From Wichita, Heather Bell, master of confl ict management and dispute resolution; Sarah Birchfi eld, master of arts in education; Kristi Flaming, bache-lor of business administration; Ashley Hatterman, bachelor of science in man-agement; Matthew Jenkins, bachelor of science; Jennifer Kern, doctorate of education in educational leadership; Ky-rie Kinder, master of science in school leadership; April Ornelas, bachelor of business administration; Ashley Wagner, master of science in school leadership; Christin Wise, master of science in school leadership; and Bradley Zubke, master of science in school leadership.

WestSide Story

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FACESWANTED.

At the WestSide Story, we’re already working on feature stories

for upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face (and story) should appear on these pages, please

let us know!

news@tsnews.com316-540-0500

www.facebook.com/TheWestSideStory

HAYSVILLE, KSCITYWIDE

GARAGE SALESaturday &

SundayAugust 8-9

400+ Garage Sales!The country’s first

community-wide garage sale

Maps available at theHaysville

Community Library, 210 S. Hays

Sponsored by the Haysville Friends of the Library.

People and PlacesWestSiders Matthew Jenkins and Emi

Kniffi n were named to Baker Univer-sity’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education undergraduate dean’s list for maintaining a GPA of 3.5 or higher during the spring 2015 semester.

WestSider Jacob James Maddox was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2015 semester at Washington Univer-sity in St. Louis. Maddox is enrolled in the university’s College and Arts and Sciences.

Georgia Southern University recently named 2,611 students as 2015 Spring Semester Dean’s List honorees. Aman-da Horst has been named to the list for excellence in academics. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, a student must have at least a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 hours for the semester.

Patrick Schweiger of West Wichita has graduated from Marquette Universi-ty in Milwaukee. He earned a master of education degree in educational policy and leadership.

WestSider Mallorie Nicholson received a degree from Stephen F. Austin State University during May’s commencement. She earned a bachelor of science degree in environmental science.

Southwestern College held Com-mencement exercises Sunday, May 10, in Winfi eld. The ceremony was pre-ceded by receptions for graduates and their families, and the Order of the Mound honorary society induction, which represents the top 10 percent academically. Jeffrey Carpenter, Wich-ita, earned a bachelor of arts degree in elementary education. Sasidi Flores, Wichita, earned a master of business administration degree in business administration. Chelsea Haley, Maize, earned a master of education degree in special education. Daren Krier, Wichita, earned a master of business administration degree in business ad-ministration. Lucas Lill, Maize, earned a bachelor of science degree in busi-ness administration. Adrianne Moore, Wichita, earned a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction. Kristina Sims, Maize, earned a master of education degree in curriculum and instruction. Isa Whitley, Wichita, earned a bachelor of science degree in physical performance and sport studies.

Jessica Johnson of Wichita graduated from the University of Dallas on May 17. Johnson majored in English and t heology and was one of more than 250 students to receive a bachelor’s degree from the university during its spring 2015 commencement ceremony.

Extension to hold family board game night

Before going back to school and getting trapped in all of that stress the new routines bring, join Sedgwick County Extension for a relaxed evening spending time with each other playing board games as a family.

Board games foster the six characteristics found in strong families; with devel-oping quality time with each other; fostering appreciation; opening venues for ef-fective communication; paving the path for passing values and convictions; gaining coping skills; and, ultimately, committing to each other.

The closer the family, the better children’s school performance. With board games you get a perfect resource to start a new school year as a strong family.

The board game night will be Friday, Aug. 7, 7-9 p.m. in the Sunfl ower Room at Sedgwick County Extension, 21st and Ridge. All ages are welcome. Board games will be available for youth as young as 4.

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A WestSider has been crowned champion of the Sedgwick County Fair’s Got Talent competition, held July 9 and July 11 in Cheney.

Maya Mikity, who attends Goddard’s Discovery Intermediate School, was named the winner.

Mikity is only 11, but she has already logged a lot of performance experience. She made it to the final three in last year’s Kansas State Fair Kids’ Got Talent con-test and has become well-known for her renditions of the National Anthem.

“I felt very, very happy. I couldn’t believe it,” said Mikity of her win. She performed a song from the new mov-ie-musical version of “Annie” in the preliminary round, then sang “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan in the final.

Like McLachlan, Mikity accompanies herself on the piano. Also like McLach-lan, and in common with favorite artists like Norah Jones, Enya and Adele, she writes her own songs.

“One of them is called ‘Broken,’ and it’s a heart-broken song. My new one is called ‘Swept Away,’” said Mikity. “They’re kind of in an R&B style.”

Mikity studies voice and piano, plays French horn in her school band, and also plays ukulele and guitar. She hopes to pursue a career as a professional mu-sician.

“She was beaming, so happy that she won,” said Amie Green, Mikity’s moth-er. “I think she knows she’s got a gift,

Youth wins Fair’s talent competition

but she just feels really grateful for it, that she can share it with people.”

Chuck Mikity, Maya’s father, said that her passion for music had inspired him

to set up a home recording studio and renew his own pursuit of musical ex-pression.

“She practices every day. She’s so pas-

sionate, we have to pull her back, tell her to stop sometimes. She has the passion, so as long as she’s enjoying it, we’ll be supporting her,” Chuck Mikity said.

S t o r y b y S a m J a c k

P h o t o b y P a u l r h o d e S WestSider Maya Mikity sings during the final round of the Sedgwick County Fair’s Got

Talent contest. Mikity, 11, beat out 17 other contestants, both youths and adults, to win the competition in her first year

competing at the Fair.

EastmeetsWest

With the East Wichita News andthe WestSide Story neighborhood papers, you cantarget your advertising at Wichita’s most desirable

neighborhoods on both sides of the city.

Call today for rates and more information.316-540-0500

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At the WestSide Story, we’re already working on feature storiesfor upcoming editions. If you know of someone whose face(and story) should appear on these pages, please let us know!

news@tsnews.com

316-540-0500

www.facebook.com/TheWestSideStory

FACES WANTED.

Have you ever tried to soundproof a room? Perhaps you want to sound-proof your home theater room, a music room or just a room with bad acoustics. In any case, you may have found this to be a daunting chore.

The reason you may have had diffi -culty soundproofi ng is that, unless you can create a perfect vacuum, you cannot totally stop sound from traveling. Ever.

No matter what technology you employ, sound will fi nd a way to travel. Sound travels through vibrations. And the vibrations will travel on rigid surfaces including air vents, studs in the wall and pipes. This phenomenon is called sound fl anking. With conventional construction, it can be diffi cult to control the sound.

An analogy often used to describe soundproofi ng is that of a fi sh tank. No matter how solid the glass and secure the seams, water will escape through even the slightest hole. Sound works in much the same way.

However, all is not lost. There are many things that you can

do to dampen the sound. You can re-duce it but cannot eliminate it entirely. The fi rst step is to understand the concepts of sound.

As mentioned before, sound is made up of vibrations. If you can interrupt the path of travel, you can reduce the amount of sound traveling. This is called decoupling.

One way to interrupt the sound path is by changing your ductwork. The standard metal ductwork is a perfect conduit for sound. By replacing it with a fl exible ductwork system, the vibra-tions no longer have a straight path and will lose momentum.

This effect also can be achieved by using alternating studs or by building a double wall structure. It is recommend-ed that the material not be the same on both sides. For example, you could use dry wall on one side and plywood on the other. To reduce the vibrations further, you can use resilient sound clips, which are made of rubber and metal and are attached to the framing materials.

Green glue is a preferred sound con-trolling material that can be used between two wall boards. This adhesive substance, when vibrated by sound, creates heat. The end result is that the green glue converts

the energy from the sound into heat.Doors do very little to stop sound be-

cause they typically are hollow. Even if the door is replaced by a solid door, it would also need to be properly sealed. Other sound conduits include ceiling can lights and electrical outlets. They carry the sound right to the framing materials and through the structure.

Unless you address the framing issues, adding insulation will do very little to con-trol sound. Insulation in conjunction with these other methods can be very effective. Mineral wool and fi berglass are the most popular types of insulation. A friend of mine has used, and swears by, recycled denim for its sound absorption qualities.

From these examples, you can see that trying to retrofi t a room for sound damp-ening could be a huge and expensive undertaking. Many of these strategies are better suited to new construction.

The most effective means you have in an existing room is to concentrate on sound absorption. In this scenario, you can rely on well-placed fabrics to absorb and dampen the sound. Carpet and rugs on the fl oor, heavy fabric win-dow treatments and upholstered furni-ture are the fi rst priority. Even the way the furniture is arranged can make a big difference on how sound will travel.

There are things you can do to walls and ceilings, as well. The use of acousti-cal tiles or fabric-treated walls will help dampen sound.

Sound is an energy to be reckoned with. And you will have far better luck with the high tones than the low bass tones. Unless you are designing a recording studio with a very healthy budget, the best you can hope for is to control the sound vibrations rather than totally eliminate them.

Soundproofi ng...Can you hear me now?

Wichita Homes

Philip Holmes | Interior Designer

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Many of the problems we encounter as we get older also occur in our pets as they age. Teeth and gum disease, arthritis and organ failure are common in later life stages. Large breed dogs and overweight pets may experience these health issues at an earlier age versus small breed or ideal weight pets.

If we didn’t brush our teeth for ten years, we would have halitosis, red and sore gums and most likely some loose teeth. Our ten-year-old pet is in a simi-lar situation.

Feeding dry food, brushing teeth and having your veterinarian clean your pet’s teeth will improve and prolong their life. The smaller the pet and the more soft food that is fed, the sooner gum disease occurs.

Arthritis is common in older pets. Joint cartilage wears out. If a pet is overweight, this process happens at a faster rate, occurring earlier than expected in life. Limping, problems jumping up into a chair or going up stairs is a common fi nding. Weight loss,

pain medication and joint enhancement medications such as glucosamine or omega 3 fatty acids are helpful.

Our pets’ main organs – liver, kid-neys, lungs and heart – won’t work as well when they age. Lab tests may need to be run to diagnose these problems. Lack of appetite, vomiting, diarrhea, excess water intake and excess urination and coughing can be common signs. Check with your veterinarian if you notice any of these signs.

Medication and diet changes are often helpful.

Disease problems in older petsPet Smarts

Dr. Ron Helten | Veterinarian

The Passageway Par Scramble golf tournament this month will raise money for Passageways Living Center, a non-profi t charity that helps homeless veterans.

The dates are Aug. 24-30. Regular tournament play will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Exclusive VIP twilight hours are 6-10 p.m.

The four-person simulated golf

scramble will take place at Divots Golf Shop, 8414 W. 13th Street West, Suite 140. The cost is $30 per person or $100 per team for regular play, and $40 per person or $150 per team during twilight hours.

To register and reserve a time slot, visit www.passagewaysltd.org/events. Call 316-721-1316 for more informa-tion.

Golf scramble to help homeless vets

During the summer and fall, vol-unteers will be conducting tours of McCormick Elementary School every Sunday.

McCormick is the oldest school build-ing in Wichita. Enjoy viewing an 1890s classroom, historic displays, science room, the library with Wichita yearbooks and a visit to the USD 259 archives, with material dating from 1873.

You can also view videos of high school events from the 1930s, listen to audio recordings of middle and high school bands and view records from the late 19th century.

Tours begin at 2 p.m. and end at 5 pm. Admission is free; donations are accepted.

A 125th anniversary celebration is being planned for Nov. 6-7.

McCormick School and Museum tours offered

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WestSider Roy Helm goes by many names. Customers of his industrial cleaning chemical company, Shiloh Industries, call him by the name printed on his business card: Spanky. On stage he goes by Chase, and Chase, in turn, channels Elvis Presley, Neil Diamond and Roy Orbison.

Helm does what he can to physically resemble the singers he impersonates, particularly when he does Elvis. He owns two bespangled jumpsuits, both created by the same people that made the Elvis Presley originals.

He also dons the shades, grows the sideburns and follows the King’s lead in dying his hair black or wearing a black wig. But that only gets you so far with an audience, according to Helm. Charisma, plus hard work, is what an audience responds to.

“I know I’m not six-foot-one and 170 pounds. I’m 252 pounds and five-foot-six. But that doesn’t matter. When you come to a show, if you had fun and enjoyed yourself, that’s what really matters,” said Helm.

Helm put on a brief performance for me in front of the karaoke machine in his basement studio. He has a strong, clear singing voice, especially for a 70-year-old, and he has unshakeable confidence in his talent for capturing the timbre and vocal mannerisms of his subjects, which, in addition to Presley, Diamond and Orbison, sometimes include Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash. When he went for a big note, wheeling his arm or crouching like a sprinter, it was hard not to cheer or sing along.

S t o r y b y S a m J a c k

“Hearing is the trick,” said Helm. “You cannot reproduce a sound if you can’t hear it. When I do Johnny Cash, I sound like Johnny Cash. People say, ‘How do you do that?’ I don’t know! I just hear how he sounds, and I repro-duce it.”

Helm was born in Broken Arrow, Okla. in 1944 and got an early start in show business when he appeared on a radio talent contest at age three.

“Back then, they had wooden folding chairs, and they weren’t really stout, and I was shaking so bad that mine wobbled,” Helm recalled. “I sang two songs, ‘This Little Light of Mine’ and ‘Jesus Loves Me,’ and I won first prize in the contest.”

From that time onward, Helm dreamed of a professional singing career, but his father told him that a Christian didn’t have any business hanging around clubs and bars night after night. Helm agreed.

Helm is a graduate of Oklahoma Christian College, now Oklahoma

Sings like the KingWestSider channels icons of popular music

ABOVE: Roy Helm, left, impersonated Elvis Presley for reenact-ments of the “Aloha from Hawaii” television special. His wife, Evelyn, right, has now been married to “Elvis” for decades.LEFT: In addition to Elvis, Helm impersonates Rat Pack crooners like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

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yChristian University, and in 1963 he

performed in “Songs America Sings,” a popular campus musical and satirical revue. In the middle of the show’s run, President John F. Kennedy was assassi-nated in Dallas, but the show went on.

“We were sold out every night, and people had already bought tickets and come from Nebraska and all over, so we didn’t want to cancel. We had to change the whole script, because it would’ve been really rude and un-thoughtful to do the jokes about Kennedy and stuff like that. We had to relearn all our parts and totally rewrite the play,” said Helm.

A National Guard serviceman, Helm was called up to active duty in May 1968 and sent to Vietnam in January 1969. He kept up his affi nity with show business during his tour of duty, host-

ing a morning radio show and meeting several celebrities who came over for USO shows, including Miss America, network comedy star George Gobel and fi lm actor Troy Donahue.

“Our son is named after Troy Do-nahue, and when he came to Vietnam, Roy went up to him and told him that, and he (Donahue) got a real kick out of it,” said Evelyn Helm, Roy’s wife.

Not long after he returned from Viet-nam, Helm fi rst tried his hand at Elvis.

“We put on a show at Eberly Farms, and I did it as a joke,” said Helm. “I had a lady make me a costume, not a really good costume. I normally wore a moustache, but I shaved my moustache, and my wife didn’t even notice, though I kissed her three or four times during

See ELVIS, Page 18

Roy Helm sings some of his favorite tunes in his basement studio. He performs with the same intensity, where it’s an audience of one or 1,000, he said.

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Come check out the Beautiful Cherry Oaks Golf Course!

20 Minutes From West WichitaCheney, KSMonday & Tuesday Specials:18 Holes with Cart $25

1119 N. MainCheney, KS

316.540.0133

the day. I dyed my hair black for the show. They laughed so hard when I came out, and it was such a surprise. I said, ‘That’s a lot of fun,’ and decided to get serious with it.”

A near-death experience on a mo-torcycle in 1989 provided another push and led Helm to reconsider his earlier decision about the compatibility of Christian faith and a performance career.

“I thought, ‘If I die, I will never had had the opportunity to sing profes-sionally,’ so I said, ‘Lord, if I live, I think I’m going to fi gure out a way to do it, without singing in clubs and bars.’ I know the parable about the man whose master game him a talent, and he buried it in the earth. What’s the Lord going to say to me if I don’t use those talents to glorify Him and make people happy?”

After that, Helm didn’t wait for anyone’s permission. He hired back-up singers and a light and sound crew and promoted himself across Kansas and the region, performing for mostly private parties and gatherings in Scott City, Greensburg, Topeka, Kansas City and Wichita. Local venues including the River Festival and many hotel ball-rooms.

His biggest audience was at a 2000 performance in Wichita State Univer-sity’s Charles Koch Arena to benefi t the Special Olympics. But many of his favorite performances are for smaller groups, especially gatherings of nursing home residents.

“Sometimes it’s people that can’t converse very well, but they under-stand music. I even had a 102-year-old woman get out of her wheelchair one time and start bouncing, and they had to have her sit down; they said she’d fall and break something,” said Helm. “I like to do Elvis for them, because everybody recognizes Elvis, but some of my favorite songs to do are by Roy Orbison, because I sound so much like Roy that I get accused of lip-syncing.”

Celebrity impersonators are some-times fi gures of fun, but Helm seems to be immune to embarrassment, which has made him a hit with the similarly

unabashed, “Toto-ly Oz-some” Red Hat Society of Wichita, a ladies’ social club.

“They’re mostly 65 years old and up, and they’re feisty,” said Roy.

“They threw underwear at you!” Eve-lyn put in. “I still have the underwear.”

“Yes, they all took underwear out of their purses and threw it at me at the end of the show,” Roy said with a chuckle.

In addition to performances in char-acter, Helm has directed the Red Hat-ters in several musical performances. The most recent was “Grease.” Helm demanded total commitment – and total disregard for the fact that the stage was full of retirees portraying teenagers.

“I told them we were going to make a memory and that they were going to lose 10 pounds. Because I made ‘em dance. We were going to do the A Stroll, and we did it over and over. By the end of the rehearsal nights, we were wiped out.

“Most of them had never done something in front of an audience. I told them on the last song in Grease not to rush that song, because I’m changing from one set of clothes to another. I’ve got to change clothes! They rushed it, and I had to come out with no shoes on. When you’re hot and sweaty, the clothes don’t just slip on,” said Helm.

The sweat is Helm’s, not Elvis’s, and so is the hard work that goes into his performances. “Impersonation” doesn’t seem like quite the right word for what he does. The word suggests that the appeal comes from a pretended visit by a different person – Elvis, or Johnny Cash, or whoever – but at least with Helm, sincerity comes through, not fakery, and however many stage names he uses, it’s him up there getting folks “shook up,” not Elvis.

It’s hard to get tired of sincerity and unabashed enthusiasm, even if the ma-terial is recycled. Evelyn, for one, is not tired of it, even after decades of being “married to Elvis.”

“I captured her,” said Roy. “I still do things like, I look at her and I say, ‘If I look into those beautiful green eyes much longer, I’m going to fall in love. Oops, too late.’”

“He stole that line from a movie,” Evelyn said.

“It’s true,” Roy agreed. “But she loves it every time she hears it!”

ElvisContinued from Page 17

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Focus On Business is a monthly feature offered to area advertisers. If you would like your business featured here,

please contact our sales office at (316) 540-0500.

Featured this monthFisher Lumber .............................. Page 19

Wichita Grand Opera .................... Page 20

Pathway Church ............................ Page 21

Kitchen Tune-Up .......................... Page 21

Honey Tree Academy ................... Page 22

Gross Tile and Concrete Design .. Page 24

Via Christi Hospital St. Teresa ..... Page 25

Fisher Lumber is always growing, changing with the times and working to meet its customers’ needs.

That dedication to customer satisfaction can be seen across the company. Now, its countertop division has earned the top distinction awarded through Cam-bria, the world’s leader in quartz countertops.

Fisher Lumber, with locations in west Wichita, Garden Plain and Andale, has been named as a Cam-bria Premier Dealer. It’s a distinction that company officials are pleased and humbled to have earned and makes Fisher Lumber the only Cambria Premier Deal-er in the Wichita area.

“With this distinction, we have been identified as a top retailer that embraces the Cambria business model and provides consumers with the ultimate Cambria experience,” said Fisher Lumber co-owner Joe Fisher. “We are extremely proud of our Cambria salesmen and our installers.”

Those installers, who work with the latest in digital and laser technology to measure and fit each job pre-cisely, “sell our product better than anyone else,” said Fisher. “They give our customers their last impres-sions, and if that’s a good impression, we can’t ask for anything more.”

The Fisher Lumber yard facility in Garden Plain has expanded to become one of the largest contractor and public suppliers in the area. The company also

has a yard in Andale.In 2007, Fisher Lumber added Gallery Expressions

near Ridge Road and Kellogg in west Wichita. The 11,000-square-foot showroom offers more than 35 kitchen and bath displays, featuring several of the best cabinet and countertop lines available today.

All together, the three facilities provide opportuni-ties to better serve customers.

“We have a great team working for us and everyone is working together very well,” said Joe Fisher. He and his brother Jack Fisher are partners in the company,

and each brings areas of expertise to the business.In addition, the company’s knowledgeable employ-

ees are always working to educate themselves on the newest products and striving to supply dependable products and new services to help customers. The Cambria line of products is a prime example of that quality, said Jack Fisher.

Cambria is the only American producer of natu-ral quartz surfaces. Cambria surfaces are 93 percent quartz, making them twice as strong as granite.

In addition, Cambria is non-porous and non-absor-bent, so harmful bacteria will not grow. This makes food preparation safer.

“It’s a one-stop shop with us when it comes to countertops,” said Jack. The company’s countertop department provides service from start to finish.

“All of our solid surface countertops are fabricated right here in Garden Plain by a certified fabricator, providing clients with hands-on local craftsmanship,” said Jack. Products include two lines of solid surface granite and Cambria quartz. And, Fisher Lumber employs its own installers.

For more information about all of the services that are available through Fisher Lumber, check out the company’s website at www.fisherlumber.net, or call Gallery Expressions at 316-721-1228. Questions can also be emailed to sales@fisherlumber.net.

Fisher Lumber earns top distinction from Cambria company

Fisher Lumber – with locations in Garden Plain and Andale, plus its Gallery Expressions store in West

Wichita – is the only Cambria Premier Dealer in Wichita.

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The Kitchen Tune-Up team can get you ready for

fall and the holidaysA new kitchen or bath – just in time for fall or

holiday entertaining – can be an easy reality with your local Kitchen Tune-Up team.

Kitchen Tune-Up can turn dreams into reality. And the process is simple and low-stress for each and every project.

The experts at Kitchen Tune-Up have remodeled hundreds of kitchens since Jim and Arlene Phillips started the business in 2005, and the company’s ser-vices range from One-Day “Tune-Up” of cabinets or any interior wood surfaces, to cabinet refacing proj-ects to complete custom kitchens and bathrooms.

All of those refacing and new construction options are now available to see at the company’s new design center in East Wichita. The new design center is locat-ed at 4057 N. Woodlawn, Suite 1, and is a cornerstone to the services that make Kitchen Tune-Up the best solution for your next home remodeling project.

“We’re excited to meet with clients at the new de-sign center,” said Arlene. “This facility helps us make the process comfortable and hassle-free for all of our

clients.”Your local Kitchen Tune-Up team includes Jim and

Arlene’s daughter-in-law, Rachel. She, as the designer, is the “creative mind” on the staff, and works directly with clients in their homes and at the design center to make their dreams and ideas come to life.

Today, Kitchen Tune-Up specializes in kitchen and bath remodeling projects. Rachel’s design services are always in high demand. She has a strong background in design and customer service.

“Once a contract is signed and after cabinetry de-cisions are made, we start the shopping process with our clients to pick out counter tops and back splashes, and we’re always available for help with other deci-sions that may come up,” said Rachel.

“My goal for each customer is to design the most amazing space possible for their budget and then make the whole remodeling process as relaxing as possible,” said Rachel. “Great customer service is the cornerstone to our success. My clients know I will take care of them and their space won’t look like everyone else’s on the block.”

A potential client’s first step is meeting with Ra-chel at the design center. Clients can look at samples of the new cabinet structure; sample door styles for custom remodels/refaces/redoors, samples of reface projects, tile, and many kinds of countertop samples including granite, quartz, and laminates. Once those

decisions have been tentatively been made, we meet in the customer’s home to finalize the process.

“In addition to kitchens, we do bathrooms, counter-tops, back splashes – anything to do with a kitchen or bath project,” said Jim. “And when the work is done, clients can rest assured that they’ve gotten the best possible results.”

For more information or to schedule a consulta-tion, call Kitchen Tune-Up at 316-558-8888 or visit kitchentuneup/wichita-ks-phillips.

Be sure to check out the local company’s extensive BEFORE/AFTER portfolios on Facebook and when you visit the Facebook page, be sure to ‘LIKE’ Kitch-en Tune-Up, Wichita (Jim and Arlene Phillips)!

It’s not too soon to think about fall and holiday entertaining!Designer Rachel Phillips, left, works with cus-tomers at the Kitchen Tune-Up showroom. The showroom provides a perfect setting for clients to view product samples.

When pastor Rodney Elliott stands inside the wor-ship center of Goddard’s new Pathway Church and looks out toward U.S. Highway 54, he just beams.

The new church campus was designed so that as a church service is gearing up to begin, people pulling into the parking lot can see into the church, through its open atrium and into the worship service where the band is playing. It’s a welcoming, beckoning view, and the new church campus is connecting with its members in so many ways.

It’s not every new congregation that can go from a high school auditorium to a state-of-the-art, $5.2 million church building in just three-and-a-half years. Elliott credits Pathway’s “multi-site church” model with enabling the rapid growth.

“Our original campus is on Maize Road, near 21st Street, the Westlink campus,” said Elliott. “Three and a half years ago, we sent a group of people out here (to Goddard). It was exactly 204 adults and children who came out and were the pioneers here. Many of them lived in the area and had been driving in to attend Westlink, so we brought the church to them. We’re at about 650 on a weekend now. Our first Sunday we had 921 in attendance between the two services.

“We couldn’t accomplish this, have a facility like this to do ministry out of, if it weren’t for the fact that we have another campus that’s also supporting us.”

And a huge part of that reach has to do with Path-way Goddard’s student and children ministries.

“That’s a big reason we came to Goddard,” said pastor Elliott. A large portion of the new campus facility is devoted to spaces for children, from infants on up, and students. “The Neighborhood,” an entire wing of the church, is devoted to classrooms and spaces for children. Custom-designed wallpapers give the rooms themes, including a farm and, for the upper elementary kids, a baseball stadium.

On the other end of the building, a large area is designed for middle school and high school students. Throughout the campus, technology is a key.

A check-in center allows for safe and secure drop-off and pick up of children. The teen center and other rooms are brimming with technology. And in the worship center, technology and contemporary Christian music create services with energy.

“We’re trying to reach those who do not have a church home as well as grow believers,” said Elliott. “We want everyone to be welcome and comfortable, and hear the message of Jesus.”

Elliott emphasized that those interested in Pathway need not wait for an invitation. The church and its more than 200 volunteers are eager to welcome visi-tors. And from there, it’s easy to get involved with the church’s many home teams and volunteer teams.

“We even have a parking lot team, just to welcome people and point them in the right direction. We have complimentary Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts every Sunday. We want to create a welcoming environment. With so many faithful volunteers as we have, it creates a great feeling,” said Elliott.

Goddard Pathway’s Sunday services are held at 9:30 and 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.path-waychurch.com/goddard.

Pathway Church Goddard connects with community in many ways

Pastor Rodney Elliott said Pathway Church in Goddard is trying to reach out to people in our community without

a church home.

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You can measure business growth in lots of ways.

For Kimberly Fielding, founder of Honey Tree and Branches Academy, the sound of construction in the back-ground says a lot. In just a few weeks, the private preschool and elementary school in West Wichita will launch classes in its new elementary school building – which is located right behind its new preschool building.

Honey Tree and Branches Academy

quickly outgrew it’s new facility located along a beautiful creek setting on 21st Street, and Fielding was faced with a critical decision. She could either cap enrollment numbers and struggle with crowded conditions that were less than optimal for her staff, students and par-ents, or she could expand again.

The frenetic hum of construction work in the background speaks to her answer.

“We’ve just exploded with growth,”

Growing to meet the needs of students and parents

Honey Tree and Branches Academy foot facility opened at 12725 W. 21st Street North.

Fielding and her staff members were thrilled with the new facility and the welcoming environment it provided.

But in what seemed like – and was – just the blink of an eye, the new Honey Tree and Branches Academy was full and Fielding was scrambling to make space in her gym and a storage room for classes.

So once again, Fielding looked to expand. More land was available behind her new facility, and construction was launched early this year on the new el-ementary school building. The original building on 21st Street will now house just preschool and pre-kindergarten students.

The new building for Branches Pri-vate Elementary School carries on the themes and amenities of Honey Tree Academy and will provide individual classrooms for each grade level, kinder-garten through fi fth grade. Classrooms will be capped at 16 students each, and classes will be grouped by ability and not age so that instruction can be differentiated, and each student can be challenged to their fullest extent.

“We want to challenge each child as far as they can go,” said Fielding. “The academic growth that our students achieve is phenomenal! It’s exciting – and we’re ready for the new school year.”

said Fielding. The former USD 259 teacher founded Honey Tree Academy in 2007 with a simple goal: Provide the highest quality early childhood edu-cation experience possible to young children in west Wichita.

Her fi rst facility off North Maize Road went through its own growing pains, fi rst with an expansion in 2009, and then again as Fielding added ele-mentary education to her curriculum in 2010. Even though it wasn’t a direction Fielding originally planned to take, she was guided by the urging of parents who wanted to continue the education-al excellence their children were getting at Honey Tree Academy.

“Our preschool children were per-forming at a second grade level in some cases when they got to kindergarten, and now we can continue to work with children at their own pace and their own level,” said Fielding. “Our parents have high expectations, and I do, too.”

With the birth of Branches Private Elementary School, Fielding knew she would soon outgrow her fi rst facility. She found just the site she was looking for on some former Eberly Farm acre-age, and in 2013 the new 7,000-square-

With the expansion, both Honey Tree and the new Branches facility have a few remaining openings for students. For more information, visit www.hon-eytreeandbranchesacademy.com, call 316-425-7050, or stop by the school at 12725 W. 21st Street North.

An open house is being planned for Saturday, Aug. 15. The open house will provide an opportunity for current and future families to tour the facilities and meet with teachers and staff.

Small class sizes help make

the learning environment as

personal as possible for each student.

Modern facilities can be found at both Honey Tree Academy and Branches

Academy.

Founder Kimberly Fielding is excited about the new

Branches Private Elementary School that is opening soon

behind Honey Tree Academy, pictured here.

OPEN HOUSESaturday, Aug. 15

Meet the Teacher for students and families 10 a.m. - NoonOpen House for the public

Noon - 2 p.m.

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Worship at the Church of Your Choice

This empty seat…

…is for you andyour family

Aldersgate United Methodist Church - 7901 W. 21st St. N. (west of Ridge Rd.), (316) 722-8504, www.aldersgatechurch.org. Sunday morning services at 8:15 a.m. (traditional), 9:30 a.m. (blended), and 11 a.m. (traditional). Wednesday night activities. Nursery available for all services. Sunday school each week at 8:15 a.m. for adults and at 9:30 a.m. for all age groups. Youth group and youth worship on Sunday evenings. Bible studies, children’s activities, and different fellowship events available throughout the year.

Asbury Church – Administrative Offices - 2810 W. 15th St., Wichita (one block north of 13th on St. Paul) (316) 942-1491. Two locations across the Wichita Metro Area. Sunday Services: Central Campus – 15th & St. Paul. Traditional Service at 8 a.m., a Praise Service at 9:15 a.m. and a Blended Service at 10:45 a.m. West Campus – 119th & Pawnee. An Upbeat Praise Service suited for the whole family at 10:45 a.m. Visit www.asburychurch.org to learn more about Asbury’s many family-centered ministries. Asbury Counseling Center information can be found at www.AsburyCounselingCenter.com

Beacon Community Church - 810 N. Casado, Goddard; 794-2424; 10:45 a.m. Sunday Service; Sunday School at 9:25 a.m.

For HIS Glory Church – 2901 W. Taft St., Wichita • (316) 794-1170 • Worship Sunday 11:00 a.m. • ChurchForHISGlory@gmail.com • Family integrated full Gospel church where all ages worship and study God’s word.

Goddard United Methodist Church – 300 N. Cedar, Goddard; (316) 794-2207 • 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Worship • Children’s church during both services • Nursery Available • 10 a.m. Sunday School • Steve Morgan, Pastor • Eric Wilson, Youth Pastor • Children’s Pastor, Kassie Taylor

Good Shepherd Episcopal Church – 8021 W. 21st St. N., Wichita; (316) 721-8096; Saturday 5:30 p.m. Spoken Worship; Sunday 8:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship; 11 a.m. Traditional Choral Worship; Church School - Children 9:50 a.m., Adults 10 a.m.; Children’s Chapel 8:45 & 11 a.m.

Harvest Community Church – Worship at 8340 W. 21st in Wichita Sunday at 10:30 a.m.; Senior pastor Rev. Dr. Dave Henion; www.wichitaharvest.com.

The WestSideChurchDirectory

Heritage Baptist Church – Corner of 135th St. & 13th St. N., Wichita; (316) 729-2700; Sunday School 9:45 a.m.; Morning Worship 10:45 a.m.; Evening Worship 6 p.m.; Wednesday Adult Bible Study/Prayer Time 7 p.m.; Wiseguys 3 yrs.–6th grade 7 p.m.; Nursery provided at all services. “Your neighborhood church just around the corner.” Email: swede132@sbcglobal.net; Website: heritage4u.net.

Hope Christian Church – Meeting 10:30 a.m. Sunday mornings, NEW LOCATION - 1330 E. Douglas. Worship is casual and encouraging. Online at www.hope4wichita.org and on Facebook. Pastor Mark McMahon. markm@hope4wichita.org. 316-648-0495.

West Heights UMC – 745 N. Westlink Ave. (Just north of Central on Westlink); (316) 722-3805, Email: westheights@westheightsumc.org. Sunday services 8:15 and 10:30 a.m. (Traditional/Blended); Sunday school 9:15 a.m.; Wednesday meal (during school year) 5:30 p.m. fun classes and study for all ages; nondenominational preschool, host to the Shepherd’s Center of West Wichita providing dynamic activity for the Classic Generation, full children’s programming, and an active youth program challenging today’s generation, website: www.westheightsumc.org.

Pathway Church – Westlink Campus, Saturday at 5pm, Sunday at 9:30 & 11am • Café Campus, Sunday at 11am • 2001 N Maize Rd (21st & Maize), Wichita • 316-722-8020 • Goddard Campus, Sunday at 9:30 & 11am • 18800 W Kellogg, Goddard • 316 550 6099 • www.pathwaychurch.com • Following Jesus/In Community/For Others. Trinity Reformed Church (RPCNA) – Come glorify and enjoy God with us. 3340 W. Douglas Ave., Wichita, KS 67203 • Sunday worship 9:30 a.m. • Sunday School 11 a.m. • Evening services 5 p.m. • Pastor Adam King • www.trinityrpcna.org • 316-721-2722

Westlink Church of Christ – 10025 W. Central, Wichita; (316) 722-1111; Sunday 9:30 a.m. Bible Classes, 10:30 a.m. Worship, 6 p.m. Devotional; Wednesday 6 p.m. Meal (during school year), 7 p.m. Bible Classes; Gary Richardson, Minister; Nick Miller, Youth Minister; Website: www.westlinkchurch.org.

Westwood Presbyterian Church – 8007 W. Maple, Wichita; (316) 722-3753; “Simply making disciples who walk with Jesus, grow to become like Jesus, and live for Jesus by loving others.” Worship Sunday 9 a.m. with Praise Team, 10:30 a.m. with Choir; Fellowship and coffee between worship services; Sunday school for all ages 9 a.m. Nursery open 8:45-11:45 a.m.; www.westwoodpc.org.

Make a connection, grow your business.

WestSide StoryWest Wichita’s neighborhood newspaper.

original<<

locally-owned

Westside Story’s Focus On Business lets you tell the story of your business.It’s a great way to connect with more than 40,000 readers.

It’s e� ective AND a� ordable, and there is room for you in next month’s edition.Call today and ask for Valorie or Paul. We’ll do the work, and you’ll reap the bene� ts.

316.540.0500

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B y P a u l R h o d e s

From their first meeting, East Wichita homeowners Steve and Karen Nestelroad were impressed with Mark Gross of Gross Tile and Concrete Design.

There were many reasons for those first impressions to be positive as the Nes-telroads unveiled their plans for a total renovation of their master bathroom. They already knew they were meeting with an industry leader in the Wichita area, and Mark Gross was immediately able to visualize the clients’ ideas and get the ball rolling on this all-important home renova-tion.

Gross Tile had been recommended to the Nestelroads after they were dissatisfied with the high price of another quote they had received. A glass company that was familiar with the Nestelroads’ proposed project suggested Gross Tile as its top rec-ommendation for the renovation work.

What the Nestelroads want for their master bathroom is a totally accessible walk-in shower system with a “curbless” entry to replace their existing tub and small shower. The tub never gets used, and the shower isn’t comfortable or safe for either Steve or Karen.

In addition, the double-sink vanity in the master bathroom needs to be raised to a more comfortable height for both of the homeowners.

“Mark has his business down to a ‘T,’” said Steve. “People like Mark make it great to launch a project like this.”

And that isn’t surprising, considering Mark’s extensive experience in the business and track record working with customers.

Over the years, Gross Tile has grown from a respected flooring company into a leader in bathroom and kitchen ren-ovations, as well as a total remodeling company. It’s a transformation that Mark Gross relates back to customer satisfac-tion.

“We found that over the years, we had clients who liked our work and wanted us to tackle other projects for them, and we expanded into those areas,” said Mark. “That’s really how we started getting into bathroom makeovers, and then kitchens, too.”

The transformation of Gross Tile has

Homeowners turn to Gross Tile for expert help‘Knowledge of the industry impressed us’

spanned nearly three decades, and the story of how the company got to where it is today – and where it is headed – is an exciting one.

Mark Gross grew up in Wichita, and after attending North High School he started working on his business degree at Wichita State University. While in college, he started working in the flooring business.

“I was installing hard-surface flooring and countertops for a company here in Wichi-ta,” he said. “I was working with vinyl and tile flooring, and was doing old-time plaster showers with concrete walls.”

Mark loved the work, and stayed in the industry after earning his business degree from WSU. He opened a floor-covering store with a partner in the early 1980s, and later did installation work as a private con-tractor before he and his wife, Cathy – also a Wichita native who graduated from West High and Newman University – opened the first Gross Tile location at Fern and Doug-las. Today, the company’s showroom is located in West Wichita at 10680 W. Maple.

Their daughter, Jenna Hill, also is an integral part of the business. She has years of experience working with clients at the Gross Tile showroom.

Right from the start, Mark and the Nestelroads were able to picture the same end result for this important project. They shared ideas, and the plan got even better.

Steve has some neuropathy issues that make an easier-access shower and a higher vanity important for the future. Gross Tile specializes in curbless showers, and a dou-ble showerhead design will make the new walk-in shower system beautiful, comfort-able and functional for the Nestelroads – now and in the future.

“I can tell that when Mark walks off the job, it’ll be right,” said Steve.

For more information about everything Gross Tile has to offer, call 316-773-1600, or stop by the showroom at 10680 W. Ma-ple, near Maple and Maize Road in West Wichita. You can also find Gross Tile on Facebook.

Editor’s note: Watch our publications for the finished project as Gross Tile brings the Nestelroads’ dreams and ideas to life!

From left, Mark Gross, Jenna Hill and Cathy Gross. Mark and Cathy have owned and operated Gross

Tile for three decades, and daughter Jenna has been involved for many years.

ABOVE: A major bath-room renovation at the home of Steve and Karen Nestelroad will start with replacing the existing tub and shower with a curbless walk-in shower system.LEFT: Work will also be done to raise the height of the bath-room’s vanity system.

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A lot has happened since Via Christi purchased 120 acres of land in West Wichita from the Strunk family in 2007.

Back then, there were only a handful of physician offi ces and almost no minor emergency options on the city’s west side and no full-service hospital to pro-vide in-patient care close to home.

Via Christi Hospital St. Teresa and an attached medical offi ce building opened in September 2010 to serve Wichita’s growing west side, along with nearby rural communities, by providing a broad range of health care services closer to their homes. The hospi-tal, the fi rst to be built from the ground up in Wichita in nearly half a century, was developed and designed with input from physicians, clinicians, community leaders and West Wichita residents.

The hospital has become a vital part of the communi-ty, known for its warm, caring service. Having a full-ser-vice emergency room, supported by a hospital, in West Wichita has helped save lives in emergency cases.

“St. Teresa is a great example of how Via Christi strives to support the needs of the communities we

serve,” said Kevin Strecker, the hospital’s administra-tor. “We saw a need for a full-service hospital in West Wichita and worked to bring those services to that community.”

Since its opening, the hospital has become a hub of medical activity for West Wichitans and nearby community residents, as well as for those who live elsewhere and prefer its laid-back atmosphere. The community hospital’s inviting design and personalized attention help patients feel at home, while its high-

tech amenities ensure big-city capability. In the past several years, the hospital has brought

new services to the community it serves including inpatient rehabilitation services and an ambulatory infusion center for patients needing blood and drug therapies.

“Opening St. Teresa has been a long-term commit-ment,” said Strecker. “We’ve been here for fi ve years and we plan to be here to serve the west side commu-nity for many years to come.”

Via Christi Hospital St. Teresa prepares to celebrate its fi fth anniversary

West Wichita’s onlyWest Wichita’s only

24/7 hospital ERVia Christi Hospital St. Teresa features

Three miles west of 21st and Maize

21ST ST N

135TH

ST

151ST

ST

YMCA

68 private patient suites 24-hour emergency care Six state-of-the-art operating rooms Diagnostic imaging and lab services

Inpatient pharmacy Critical care Orthopedics and inpatient rehab Cardiovascular care

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I wanted to speculate on why “Magic Mike XXL” is so appealing to women, but all the women I asked about it said it was because it is full of good-looking men stripped to the waist, and if that satisfi ed them, so be it. But it seems to me to be more a male fantasy than a female one. The men are paid for ev-erything they do, usually in both money and sex, but also in room and board and, in one case, with a car. There are a couple of overweight women, but such women as Jada Pinkett Smith and Amber Heard are not such as to make their labors onerous.

The men are professionals who promise – and apparently desire – no commitment or even personal feeling. I have long supposed these themes to be of great difference between men and women. But it has been suggested that I am more than ordinarily ignorant in this area, and being in no hurry to reveal my inadequacies further, let me turn once again to my shot analysis of “Citizen Kane.”

Observe that none of the things I am pointing out require expertise about movies, which I cannot claim to have. In fact, one my points is that “Citizen Kane” is not particularly subtle in its use of visual – and I am limiting myself almost entirely to camerawork, especial-ly camera placement and editing.

Orson Welles came out of radio, and he used sound more expertly than perhaps any other director could have. Compare, for instance, the sound of the amplifi ed voices in Leland’s open-air political speech and Kane’s speech in an enormous but enclosed audito-rium or in the huge room in Xanadu. And my tin ear for music excuses me from discussing the musical score. But remember: “Citizen Kane” was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including for sound editing and musical score. But when a fi lm artist calls for too much analysis of his devices, as for example Jean-Luc Godard or Ingmar Bergman with “Persona” or “The Silence,” he may be violating the very advantages of the medium itself – as I may be when I try to make logical or even psychological sense of movies

like those, which represent a school of fi lm I have never been able to appreci-ate or understand. The motion picture has to have an immediate effect – a small fi gure fl anked by large ones will always seem to be in danger unless the large ones are clearly identifi able as friendly, a large open space with a tiny fi gure in the middle will always sug-gest loneliness, and loneliness usually suggests vulnerability. If one has to stop and think, the identifi cation with and absorption in the artwork is inter-rupted and much emotional effect is lost, and the movie goes on and leaves one behind. In the theatrical situation a movie is intended for, there is not stopping to adjust to individual capac-ities to understand; effects must be obvious enough to be instantly grasped without being so artifi cial as to remove all sense of reality. One of the secrets of “Citizen Kane” is that it does not call for sophisticated contemplation, except perhaps at the end when the investigator suggests that no amount of study can explain a man, and we learn what Rosebud was and are encouraged to wonder whether that really explains Kane. (I maintain that it certainly does not.)

As the characters move out of the house into the outdoor setting, the established pattern of guardian and mother at the sides and child in the middle continues, as if the child were trapped between the jaws of a vice. The father ineffectually enters the center space background with the boy after he has capitulated to the entrapment, but the boy is immediately called to

Some idle speculation, and then back to ‘Citizen Kane’

Cinema Scene

Jim Erickson

See CINEMA, Page 31

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August 2015

Aug 5-9 – “Hello, Dolly!” Music Theatre Wichita. In the early 1900s, two timid clerks risk a one-day escape to New York City, where they encounter unpredictable complications, farci-cal situations and poignant romance engineered by Yonkers’ most famous matchmaker, Dolly Levi. Tickets $28-$64, www.mtwichita.org.

Aug. 6 – Ulrich Museum Art For Your Ears featuring Doug MacLeod. Winner of the Blues Music Awards Acoustic Artist of the Year and Acous-tic Album of the Year, MacLeod will ply his multiple talents as a singer/songwriter, storyteller and blues guitar player. MacLeod is an international touring artist.

Aug. 21-23 – Auditions for the Wichita Symphony Orchestra. Perma-nent positions available include section violin and English horn. A one-year position as section viola also is avail-able. Auditions will be in the Duerksen Fine Arts Center at Wichita State Uni-versity. Contact the Wichita Symphony for audition requirements and applica-tion form. Call 316-267-5259 or email abrown@wso.org. Audition materials may be downloaded at www.wichitas-ymphony.org. Application deadline is Aug. 12.

Aug. 28-29 – The Raging Idiots fea-turing Bobby Jones, at The Orpheum. Presented by 102.1 The Bull, proceeds benefi t the Kansas Humane Society.

Reserved seats $25, remaining seats $15. Aug. 28 show is sold out. Tickets at www.selectaseat.com, 855-755-7328, at the INTRUST Bank Arena box offi ce, participating Dillons stores and plant employee clubs.

Aug. 28 and 30 – Puccini’s “Turan-dot,” Wichita Grand Opera. Aug. 28, 7 p.m. at Century II Concert Hall, and Aug. 30, 3 p.m., Carlsen Center, Over-land Park. Featuring Zvetelina Vassileva as Princess Turandot, Ricardo Tamura as Prince Calaf and Wichitan Samuel Ramey as Timur.

Through Sept. 12 – “Mom and Pop’s Cockroach Casino” or “Quick, Run, It’s a Raid,” Mosley Street Melodrama. Written by Tom Frye. Tickets $28, $18 for show only. Call 316-263-0222.

Through Sept. 12 – “Pageant,” at Roxy’s Downtown A Cabaret. Tickets $40 for dinner and show, $28 for show only. Call 316-265-4400 to reserve your tickets.

Chorus is auditioning for new membersThe Wichita Chorus of Sweet Adelines International (WCSA) has announced its

“Come Sing with Me!” event for 2015.Women of all ages who enjoy singing are invited to come sing with WCSA for

the next few months, dues free, and on their show this fall. The show, “Happy To-gether,” will take place at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at the Scottish Rite Center in Wichita. The headline quartets for the show will be two 2014 internationally ranked quartets: Vocality, from Sweden; and Rio!, from the United States.

“WCSA is a place where you can come have fun, meet lifelong friends and say ‘Ta-Da’ to the world,” said Jo Shope, president of WCSA. WCSA meets Monday evenings at 7 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center and is currently auditioning for new members. The chorus is under the direction of Melynnie Williams, who became a Sweet Adelines Queen of Harmony with her quartet, Zing!, in 2010, placing fi rst internationally. Melodee Wright serves as assistant director and also previously won her crown with the Shondells.

For more information, call 316-943-3900, or email 4partharmony@wichitacho-rus.com.

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WestSider Mariah Jack, a rising senior at Eisenhower High School in God-dard, has a knack for arts and crafts. Two projects she entered in the Sedg-wick County Fair were selected for display at the Kansas State Fair. Only seven entries total were chosen for the honor.

She was also chosen to display craft projects at the 2013 and 2014 state fairs.

“I was really surprised to get the nod from two of them this year,” said Jack, “especially with how much competition there is in the arts and crafts project for so few slots.”

One project that judges selected this year – a silk painting of a peacock – took more than 30 hours to execute. Silk painting is an involved process, Jack said, and a misstep at any point can ruin the delicate silk.

“You start out with the plain white silk and stretch it out over a wood frame. Then you trace out the design that you would like with resist. Resist is a waxy substance, and wherever you put it, the paint will not go there,” said Jack.

“Once the resist dries, you can start painting, but you wet your surface as you paint it; otherwise, you get little creases, and that looks bad. After you’re done, you use an acid treatment to set the dye.”

Jack’s peacock faces the viewer, fanning its tail. The tail is painted in fantastical rainbow colors.

“When the judge saw it, she said, ‘Wow,’ and she just wanted to know how I did it,” said Jack.

Jack’s 2014 state fair craft project was also a silk painting, of irises.

Other craft disciplines Jack has

4-Her recognized for arts and crafts prowess

mastered are less delicate but demand no less skill. A mosaic-tiled stool that was chosen for this year’s state fair is decorated with a starburst pattern of glass tiles, embedded in grout.

“I feel like most people just kind of throw tiles down randomly and do a random pattern. I do that too, some-times, but to make it more impressive, people should try doing designs,” said Jack. “If you draw what you’re going to do fi rst, it turns out better. That’s what I did.”

The stool was designed to serve as a cake stand or centerpiece component, Jack said.

Grout and tile projects require Jack to get her hands dirty, and so did her 2013 state fair craft project, a ceramic pot. Jack designed and constructed the pot as a student in a ceramics class offered in the Eisenhower High School art department.

“It’s called a slab pot, and it was a bunch of circles of clay formed togeth-er into a vase. They kind of look like scales,” said Jack. “The challenge there is to keep everything even and symmet-rical without having the whole thing collapse or go bad in the kiln.”

With Jack’s 4-H crafting efforts rank-ing among the top in the county for

her fi rst three years of high school, she is feeling the pressure to make it four years in a row next year, her fi nal year in 4-H.

“I feel like I want to make something even more impressive. I really enjoy silk painting, so I’ll probably do a silk painting. That’s my favorite thing to do, out of the things that I took to state,” said Jack.

Jack’s 4-H involvement is not limit-ed to arts and crafts. She is president of the Delano 4-H Club is a member of the Teen Council and has attended several statewide 4-H leadership camps and conferences.

Mariah Jack poses with one of her two art projects chosen for exhibition at the Kansas State Fair this year. The silk painting of a rainbow peacock took more than 30 hours to plan and execute.

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“Mr. Holmes” purports to be a story about Sherlock Holmes in his waning age, when he has abandoned 221B Parker Street and Dr. John Watson has left him, and when his memory has so degenerated that he is having an awful time remembering his fi nal case – the one that led to his retirement as the world’s fi rst consulting detective, which he wants to write up correctly to cor-rect Dr. Watson’s romanticizing.

But it isn’t just his memory that screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher and direc-tor Bill Condon have deprived him of. By the end of the movie, even his bee-keeper instincts have slowed down dan-gerously. You can take away his deer-stalker hat and pipe and a lot of other things and move him into the country with Laura Linney has his housekeeper and no crime anywhere in sight, but when you take his brain away you don’t have Sherlock Holmes anymore. While “Mr. Holmes” is a fi ne movie in many ways, it is not a Sherlock Holmes movie at all. (I have not read Mitch Cullin’s novel, “A Slight Trick of the Mind,” on which the movie is supposedly based, and so I will say nothing about it.)

There are three stories here, all

Sherlock isn’t really part of ‘Mr. Holmes’

Movie Review

Jim Erickson

of which make sense and which are loosely related. One concerns Holmes’ efforts to recall the old case, which gets little attention, really. The second in-volves the case itself, which gets a good deal more attention but never makes a lot of sense in terms of human motiva-tions. And the third and by far the best involves relations between Holmes and Linney’s young son, played very well by Milo Parker, whom I have never seen before but would be happy to see again.

I wish this story had come to a more satisfying end, but it avoids the cloying sentimentality I was afraid of from the start.

There also is a bit about a trip to Ja-pan in pursuit of bee material, but you can pretty well ignore it. It is best also to concern yourself little with normal human motivation in the story of the old case; perhaps Mr. Holmes’ memory never quite served him after all.

Those who miss Sherlock Holmes’ feats of ratiocination should perhaps consult his obvious original, C. Auguste Dupin, in Edgar Allen Poe’s “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” especially the fan-tastic street conversation regarding the actor Chantilly. Like most of Sherlock Holmes’ similar deductions, these had nothing to do with solving the rele-vant mystery. Ellery Queen’s deductive powers were usually more essential to the stories. “Mr. Holmes” includes very little along these lines.

“Mr. Holmes” offers many satisfac-tions if you can forget about Sherlock Holmes. Ian McKellen is always good – in this case, almost too much so – for

See SHERLOCK, Page 31

Cheney

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Anytime Fitness Wichita ANYTIMEFITNESS.COM

215 S. MAIZE ROADWICHITA, KANSAS 67209(316) 260-1254

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0 Shrine Bowl moments

Two Westside football players were on the field for the Kansas Shrine Bowl

game on July 25. Colton Howell (12), a graduate of Bishop Carroll Catholic

High School, and Brendan Johnson (9), a graduate of Wichita Northwest, both played on the West squad during the

game. The Shrine Bowl game and related activities, including a banquet and a

parade, helped raise money for Shriners Hospitals. The game featured players from across the state, as well as more

than 200 members in the Kansas Mason-ic All-State Marching Band and dozen of

cheerleaders.TOP LEFT: Johnson, a strong safety,

makes a tackle during the first half of the game at Fort Hays State University.

BOTTOM LEFT: Howell, a quarterback, tries to escape an East squad defender. The game was aired live on Cox Kansas 22.

Travis Mounts/WestSide Story

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the foreground between guardian and mother. Eventually the camera moves down to an almost Madonna-and-child shot, suggesting the presence of real love. We must fi nd credible Leland’s later suggestion that Kane did, after all, love his mother, and this shot will stay in our memory.

It is important to notice that in almost no case in “Citizen Kane” is there a contrast between the obvious meaning of the action and the sug-gestion of the cinematic device. The signifi cance of the device almost always reinforces the clear meaning of the action. That’s one reason that it matters so little whether one grasps the sym-

bolism, if you want to call it that. The main themes and plots are always clear, whether one does so or not.

But few narrative fi ction movies car-ry as much “fact” material as “Citizen Kane,” and the continual cross-ref-erences between, say, one narrator’s interpretation of Kane and another’s require that we remember some vesti-gial details of past sequences, as when references in the sequence Kane meets his second wife recall his mother, whom we must remember from this one early scene. Such elements remind us that the events in the story do not mean the same thing even to all the narrators, and we would be wise to withhold our judgment until all the evidence is in.

This is as far as we get today. Next time, we make an abrupt jump to Kane’s public career and a quite differ-ent narrator’s point of view.

CinemaContinued from Page 26

those who do not care to see Holmes as a character so feeble that at one point, recalling the classic television commer-cials, he falls down and cannot get up. He does not act cute-old-age beyond what the situation with the boy might demand, and he does not try to inspire pity for the old relic of what was once a great man. His is an honest, convincing picture of age and failing, and Laura Linney treats him appropriately, recog-nizing his frailty but expecting him to make more sense than he sometimes does, and to show more responsibility. Milo Parker as her son assumes equality with the old man, and pretty much lives up to it. I can’t share the San Francisco Chronicle’s enthusiasm (in the Wichita Eagle’s Go! section July 17) for Hat-tie Morahan as the mystery woman, because the part gives her so little to do and lacks reality too much. But she sustains an air of mystery without the stereotypical devices of costume,

makeup, pose and facial expression, and I can still see her two days after seeing the movie.

And visually, the movie is gorgeous. Victorian/Edwardian England is always full of props and vehicles and houses that fascinate, with all manner of moth-er-of-pearl inlays and fi ligree woodcarv-ing and tapestried walls and walking canes and rooms jammed to inconve-nience with jimcracks and gewgaws and knick-knacks that are chocolate to an antique lover’s eyes. And the beautiful spring-like countryside seems appro-priate to the theme of relaxed retired country living.

The acting is as good as you expect in an English movie about England, and it’s gratifying that the very Amer-ican Laura Linney is as rural-English as anybody else; she seems completely comfortable with the current Grand Old Master of British acting, Ian McK-ellen, and she comes across perfectly as a housemaid to a failing old man who still deserves respect and as a mother whose son may be getting a little too interested in beekeeping.

All in all, it’s a good little movie. But it’s not about Sherlock Holmes.

SherlockContinued from Page 29

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316-945-3606∙ Aggressive Rehab Services with State of the Art

Equipment∙ Private Suites∙ Internet Café and Wi-Fi∙ Selective and room service menu’s∙ Accepting Medicare, Medicaid and all managed

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The American Red Cross urges eligible donors to give blood in Au-gust and help meet the constant need for blood products by patients. Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood.

Summer is an especially diffi cult time to collect enough blood to meet the needs of hospital patients. Despite travel and other activities that may cause some donors to be less available to give, the Red Cross must collect 15,000 blood donations every day to meet the needs of patients at approximately 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

With more summer days ahead, every blood donation is important in helping ensure blood is available for patients in need, and volunteer donors are the only source of blood for those who need it. Donors of all blood types – especially those with types AB, O negative, A negative and B negative – are needed to help ensure blood products are available to hospital patients this summer.

To make an appointment to give blood, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

Upcoming blood drives include:• Aug. 8 – 7:45 to 11:15 a.m. at Bel Aire City Hall, 7651 E. Central

Park Ave.• Aug. 12 – 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., NetApp, 3718 Rock Road.• Aug. 13 – 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, Wesley Medical Center, 550 N. Hill-

side.Donations can be made Monday through Saturday at the Wichita

Blood Donation Center, 707 N. Main Street.

Blood donors neededThe weather is good, the fi sh are coop-

erating and you’re reeling in fi sh as fast as you can. Before you know it, a hook gets snagged and you have to break the line. There’s no trash can nearby and you’re on a roll. You leave the line on the ground with the intention of throwing it away later. But the reality is that line will mostly likely end up staying right where you left it.

Too often, line, plastic lures and other trash are left behind by well-intentioned anglers. A small piece of a plastic worm here and a little bit of line there hardly seem like cause for concern, but when ev-ery angler leaves a little bit of trash behind, a big mess can be the end result.

Today’s monofi lament fi shing line can last many years after an angler has left it behind. Not only is it an eyesore, fi shing line can have deadly consequences for fi sh, turtles, birds and other wildlife.

Here are some tricks and tips for leaving a public fi shing spot better than you found it:

• Always carry a folded-up trash bag in your tackle box. It can serve as a poncho and gear protector during the rainy season

and as a trash container for empty cups and other food items when it’s time to clean up.

• Allot space in your tackle box for broken lures or lures in need of repair. At the end of every trip, empty it out at the nearest trash can, or take them home to repair on a Sunday afternoon.

• Keep a coffee can in your vehicle to collect old line. By cutting open a small slit in the plastic cover, you can stuff in old line. Also, always clean up the line of others you come across. (The good karma may pay off during your next fi sh-ing trip!)

• Consolidate hooks and lures where you can. When looking through your gear prior to a trip, consider placing similar lures together, especially if you have only one or two left. This will cut down on the num-ber of bags or containers that need to be thrown away when out fi shing.

Kansas has some great public fi shing opportunities, and we owe it to the land and our fellow anglers to keep it that way. When fi shing public waters, leave it better than you found it.

Don’t leave trash while fi shing