Flyover People Daily News

An old stone building in downtown Walton has murals in place of the windows. Walton is along US50 in Harvey County.

It’s a 130-year-old building.

Cheryl small towns

When I visited Newton in March, 2009, it was a day full of gray clouds. Since there was some color in the sky on my trip last week, I knew I’d have to swing by Centennial Park to capture the Blue Sky Sculpture with blue sky and clouds behind it.

This is the work of Phil Epp, Terry Corbett and Conrad Snider. Epp and Corbett created the Blue Sky; Snider the stoneware figures in front.

Something new since that 2009 visit is Phil Epp’s Blue Sky water tower. Very cool.

Cheryl other people's stuff

In Walton, Harvey County.

A shoe scraper at the door of the former post office.

Cheryl small towns

HAYS, Kan. — Sightings and a video a few years ago gave ornithologists hope that a bird believed extinct since the 1940s was still alive. But no one since has found an ivory billed woodpecker in the swamps of Arkansas, and much debate has developed over the fuzzy photos and video evidence.

“Ghost Bird,” a documentary to be screened at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15, at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center, 592 NE K-156 Highway, Great Bend, explores the debate over the evidence and some surprising angles of the story. Admission is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be provided by the Friends of Cheyenne Bottoms.

The possibility that the species still exists has invigorated efforts not only to conserve the bird but has also created an economic boon for the small community of Brinkley, Ark., said Curtis Wolf, director of the Wetlands Education Center.  ”We are very excited to have a screening of this documentary at the KWEC.  We hope we can draw a large crowd of bird watchers, nature enthusiasts, and conservationists, as well as people interested in ecotourism.”

The ivory billed woodpecker, about 20 inches long with a 30-inch wingspan, was the largest in North America. The habitat of the last known population of the birds was clear cut in the 1940s. Until 2005, when University of Arkansas professor David Luneau happened upon and shot video of what may have been an ivory billed woodpecker, the bird had not been seen since 1944.

“Ghost Bird,” produced and directed by Scott Crocker, explores all sides of the story, focusing on the debate of whether spotters really saw an ivory-billed woodpecker and also on the issue of people’s role in conserving our natural resources and how natural resources can also be used in ecotourism to help economies of small communities.

A second screening of “Ghost Bird” will occur at Sternberg Museum of Natural History in Hays, KS on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 7 p.m.

Other resources including the movie trailer and photos are available on the Web at www.ghostbirdmovie.com.

The Wetlands Center site is at http://wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu/.  For questions, please contact the KWEC at 1-877-243-9268.

Cheryl events, nature

Today’s Flyover People column as seen in The Emporia Gazette:

Thigh, German potato salad, applesauce.

CHICKEN MARY’S

In Yale, the customer doesn’t have to cross the road to get to the other chicken restaurant – it’s right next door.

Two chicken houses are pretty much side by side in what’s left of Yale, an old coal mining community about five miles north of Pittsburg near U.S. 69. At the highway intersection, billboards point to the east, one sign advertises Chicken Annie’s, the other Chicken Mary’s.

The restaurants have similar beginnings; both were started during the mining days. One restaurant is the Pichler family’s story; the other is the Zerngast story.

In the 1930s, Ann Pichler’s husband was hurt in the mines, so Ann started cooking to support the family. In the 1940s, Mary Zerngast’s husband was no longer able to work in the mines, so Mary started cooking.

Both fried chicken places have flourished, and there are four other well-established and popular fried chicken restaurants in Crawford County. Grouped together, these six restaurants were one of the eight winners of the Kansas Sampler Foundation’s Eight Wonders of Kansas Cuisine contest.

Dave and I have driven through this region several times over the past few years at lunch time, but Sunday is the only day of the week these two restaurants are open for the noon meal. They cater to the evening crowd.

We had been so close, but yet so far.

However, on our recent trip to Franklin for a Kansas Explorers event, by late afternoon we were still in the area. Luckily for us, dinnertime starts at 4 p.m. at both Chicken Mary’s and Chicken Annie’s.

From U.S. 69, which is also the Frontier Military Scenic Byway, Dave and I followed a paved county road east about three miles. We pulled into the parking lot at the first restaurant, Chicken Mary’s. It was shortly after 4 p.m. and already a dozen people were walking toward the building. We stood in line just briefly as customers before us were seated.

Mary’s has plenty of room. There are several large dining areas with tables and booths. It’s not a fancy place, there are no crisp white tablecloths like you’ll find at Abilene’s Brookville Hotel. No china here either, meals are served on Melamine plates.

The restaurant moved to this building in 1966. It is decorated in earth tones with chicken wallpaper and wood paneling. I heard country music playing softly in the background.

In March, the “Food Wars” TV show aired a taste contest between Chicken Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s and the show did its best to create tension and drama between the fans of these two adjacent restaurants. “Food Wars” declared Chicken Annie’s Mary’s as the winner.

Although ordering fowl is not my first inclination when I am handed a menu, I decided fried chicken was required for one’s first visit here and I ordered a thigh. As the two side dishes, I chose applesauce and German potato salad, which is odd, because I love mashed potatoes and gravy. But, I hadn’t had German potato salad for a long time.

The chicken was excellent. It had a very tasting coating and it was crunchy. I’d say it was more crunchy than crispy. And the meat was juicy. So, thumbs up to Chicken Mary’s. I liked it a lot.

As far as side dishes go, the German potato salad had too much vinegar for me and no bacon as far as I could tell. So next time I’d definitely go with the mashed potatoes and gravy.

Dave and I were finishing up our meals when fellow Emporians Tom and Florence Haskett walked into the dining room. The Hasketts had also been to the Kansas Explorers Club meeting and, like us, were drawn to Chicken Mary’s. We stopped at their table on the way out and told them that we had enjoyed the fried chicken.

Now, Dave and I will have to arrange another trip to the southeast corner of the state to give Chicken Annie’s a shot.

Chicken Mary’s is located at 1133 E. 600 Rd., Pittsburg, 620-231-9510; Chicken Annie’s is at 1143 E. 600 Road, Pittsburg, 620-231-9460. The hours for both restaurants are the same: Tues.-Fri. 4-8:30 p.m., Sat. 4-9 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Closed on Mondays. The trip is about 150 miles one way, so call to confirm hours before you go.

Cheryl columns, traveling, vittles

Tom Parker’s meal at the Emma Chase Cafe.

Dave and I met Tom and Lori Parker and Jack Casner at the Emma Chase Cafe in Cottonwood Falls for lunch on Saturday. And, you know, since I write a travel blog, I like to show what’s out there in Kansas – what to see, what to do, and what to eat.

So, I take photos, but usually just of my food and often Dave’s food. Despite Tom’s claim that I’m something of a photo Nazi, I only take photos of other people’s food if they offer up their plates.

Tom and Lori are fun people. They’re from Washington County and they’ve come to our area twice and it’s our turn to visit them. Tom is an amazing writer and photographer, a photojournalist.  He excels at both the written and visual arts, darned him. Here’s an example of his writing, a news story he wrote in June when a murder suspect shot a cop in Blue Rapids and took a hostage: Small Town Under Siege.

Below are some of his blog entries from Saturday’s “Return to PrairyErth” film premiere at which William Least Heat-Moon appeared. The event was held at Pioneer Bluffs, just north of Matfield Green in Chase County.

Tom’s posts: PrairyErth, The Q of Quoz, and This photo cost me $5,124.00.

Cheryl small towns, vittles

Next to a stone fence along K-177 is a modern mailbox that bears the name of the one-time landowner of this piece of Chase County property just north of Matfield Green. The land now belongs to a not-for-profit organization, Pioneer Bluffs, which is using the property, the homestead and barns, as a local education center to promote history, community and sustainability.

On Saturday, Pioneer Bluffs hosted a documentary premiere Return to PrairyErth by John O’Hara. William Least Heat-Moon gave a talk and signed books. Heat-Moon spent much time in Chase County in the 1980s, writing the book PrairyErth.

Cheryl events, life on the ground

I have their new CD and it is really incredible. Buy it!

Bobbi Mlynar wrote a story in Saturday’s Gazette about the Tallgrass Express String Band: Captured in Music.

I photographed this poster on the window of the Emma Chase Cafe in downtown Cottonwood Falls, which is where they’ll be having their debut concert on Aug. 7.

Cheryl Kansans

I’ve been so busy and I’ve gotten way behind on my picture posting. Here’s Steve posing with another of his cool shirts. I’m not sure if this was from last Wednesday or Saturday – I’m lost in my own world these days. Here’s the rest of his collection that I’ve recorded.

Cheryl Farmers Market, Kansans

William Least Heat-Moon, autographing a copy of PrairyErth for us.

William Least Heat-Moon was at Pioneer Bluffs near Matfield Green yesterday for the premiere of the documentary film by John O’Hara, Return to PrairyErth.

In the film, Heat-Moon talked about his early trips to Chase County in the 1980s and how things have changed since then. He was proud of how much Chase County residents had done for themselves in the past few decades.

See Beccy Tanner’s story in the Wichita Eagle: Pioneer Bluffs celebration draws huge crowd.

Cheryl life on the ground, other people's stuff

Walton, pop. 287, is along U.S. 50 in Harvey County.

Cheryl elevators, small towns

The water is up and it’s muddy in the Cottonwood River as it flows past the old Drinkwater and Schriver Mill in Cedar Point in Chase County.

Cheryl history, nature

The list came out on Wednesday:

2010 Kansas Notable Book List Announced

State Librarian Joanne Budler and Roy Bird, Director of the Kansas Center for the Book at the State Library of Kansas, today announced the 2010 Kansas Notable Book List. Fiction, nonfiction, and children’s books are on the list which contains the best books published by Kansas authors or about Kansas in 2009.

“Nearly 150 books by Kansans or about Kansas were considered for the 2010 Kansas Notable Books List,” said Bird. “We celebrate these titles that reflect our state’s diverse historical, literary, and cultural experience.”

Here’s the list:  2010 Kansas Notable Books.

An Emporian, Kevin Rabas, has a book on the list: Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano.

Kevin Rabas with his 2010 Kansas Notable Book, Lisa’s Flying Electric Piano, and Bird’s Horn, his first book of poetry.

Cheryl Kansans, writing

Call for Poems: Kansas History’s “Kansas at 150” Special Issue

Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, issued quarterly by the Kansas Historical Society, Inc., publishes new research on Kansas and central plains history and offers interesting, well-illustrated articles that appeal to both the serious student and the general reader.

In commemoration of Kansas’s sesquicentennial in 2011, Kansas History will offer its readers a  special “Kansas at 150” issue next spring. The essays in this issue will explore the theme of historical or collective memory as it relates to the identity and imagery of Kansas and/or the plains.

To open this special issue the editors of Kansas History will select and publish the poem they feel best speaks to the issue’s theme.

Submission Guidelines

Submit up to five poems that explore the theme of Kansas and/or plains identity and imagery

through historical or collective memory, either:

• by attaching a Word or RTF file to mtubbsloya@kshs.org. Identify your submission in the email subject line as “Poetry Submission:” plus your full name;

• or by post, along with a self addressed stamped envelope, to:

Kansas Historical Society

Attn: Kansas History

6425 SW 6th Street

Topeka, KS 66615

Include your name, address, and email address on each page submitted by email or post. Cover letters are accepted but not necessary.

Simultaneous submissions will be accepted if they are identified as such and with the understanding that the author will notify Kansas History of acceptance elsewhere at the earliest possible opportunity. We will not accept previously published material.

Deadline: November 1, 2010

Questions should be sent to: mtubbsloya@kshs.org

For more on Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, see  http://www.kshs.org/publicat/history/index.htm

Cheryl writing

Walton’s first building still stands in this town of 287 in Harvey County. It later served as the town’s post office.

Cheryl history, small towns