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Spring festivals in the Kansas City area for 2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Spring is here and blossoms will soon be on the trees. Sunrise will have that reddish-purple glow as you come into work in the morning. Spring started on March 20th and will continue till June 21st. You may be wondering what are some cool activities in the Kansas City area you can attend, so here’s a list of this year’s spring festivals and activities. Spring activities listed here include: Easter egg hunts, craft brewery tastings, flower arrangement classes, wine and cheese gatherings, music festivals, film festivals, and love for mushrooms, apples, and bacon.

April 3 – Culinary Fight Club Presents the 2019 National BBQ Association Kansas City Street Food Showdown: 10 teams will compete for the 2019 Culinary Fight Club Apron and trophy. There will be two winners. Dinner tickets cost $50. You can expect a night out with gourmet BBQ meant as street food. What exactly is street food? According to the competition, it is ready-to-eat foods and beverages prepared and sold by vendors off streets or similar places. The Culinary Fight Club will challenge contestants to plate the most gourmet version of “low to middle income” cuisine with limited fresh ingredients in only 60 minutes. The event will be held at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown location in Kansas City, MO. It is from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

April 3 – Stella & Dot Spring Kick Off: Stella & Dot is working to change the fashion industry to meet the demands of busy women. You have the chance to see the company’s jewelry and apparel as well as mix and mingle with the stylist community. Ticket will include hors d’oeuvres. This will be held at the Malfer Studio in Leawood, KS. It costs about $10. It starts at 6:00pm and ends at 9:00pm.

Craft beer being poured.

April 6 – NKC Rotary Spring Fling Beer Fest: the third annual fest will feature 30 local home brewers, soon-to-open breweries, and several beer-related vendors. This is a fundraising event for charitable efforts – such as scholarships for students and growing literacy. The event is in conjunction with the Missouri Mashers Brew Club. This is located at 1520 Clay Street, North Kansas City, MO. It costs around $10-$40.

April 6 – 4th Annual Spring Fling in the Vines: includes cotton candy cocktails made with Muskrato de Missouri wine, mini strawberry shortcakes, and games like redneck golf, washers, yard Yahtzee, and Giant Jenga. It is free to attend and no reservations are required. Come out between 11:00am and 6:00pm. It will be held at the Jowler Creek Vineyard & Winery.

April 6 – Let’s Celebrate Spring: in April the American Wine Society Kansas City Chapter will dive into sparkling wines and champagne to toast the new season. You’ll have the chance to learn about how wines are made, stored, and learn about unique wine aromas and flavors. Visitors are welcome to attend. The cost for members and guests is $10. Tickets must be purchased prior to the event due to venue space and regulations. This will be held at the Sylvester Powell Jr. Community Center in Mission KS. The event is from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

April 6 – Sans Bar KC Spring Booze-Free Bash: ticket includes hand-crafted alcohol-free drinks and live music by the E&M Sound initiative. The event is for people who want to gather without alcohol. It is for anyone 17+ years of age. It will be from 7:00pm to 10:30pm at the Yoga Patch located at 7235 Central Street, Kansas City, MO.

April 7 – Say Cheese Fest Kansas City: you’ll have the chance to sample some of the best cheese dishes in Kansas City and the surrounding area. Enjoy mac & cheese, cheese pizza, grilled cheese, and more. It costs around $25-$45. VIP admission gets you in at 3:00pm. The first general admission round is at 4:00pm to 7:00pm. The second general admission round is at 7:00pm to 9:00pm. There are several vegetarian options at this event. Children are welcome, but strollers are not allowed. You’ll receive one sample ticket for each food vendor. Each guest receives around 8-10 food tickets.

April 10-14 – Kansas City FilmFest international: the film festival will include a variety of films at different lengths, including fiction and documentary style movies. The Heartland Student Short will include movies from college students and high school students from Kansas or Missouri. These films will be 40 minutes or shorter in length and in any genre. The festival includes 120+ narrative and documentary shorts and features. It covers all topics from jazz, Latin cinema, Black Voices Matter, alternate stories, world cinema, and more. It is the longest running and largest film festival in the Kansas City metro.

April 11 through May 2 – 2019 Italian Film Festival: the event includes four critically-acclaimed Italian films. All movies will be shown in English subtitles. This is sponsored by Volpi Foods and the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago in collaboration with Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art. The festival is free. Movies are shown on Thursdays. On April 25 the museum will show seven short film programs.

April 11 – German Film Festival: Showing “Bonhoeffer” and “The Sorrows of Young Werther.” This will be at the UMKC Student Union Theater, first movie at 6:00pm, second movie at 9:00pm.

April 11 – Just Between Friends Shawnee Spring 2019 Sale: this is a community event where families can sell items their children no longer use and buy items that fit for them now. The spring event features clothing for boys and girls, shoes, baby items, maternity clothes, feeding and bathing gear. You can also find toys, electronics, books, games, strollers, and more. Items have reduced prices. The idea is that since children grow fast, the community can come together to exchange items. The event is free to attend. It is held at the Wyandotte County Fairgrounds in Kansas City, KS.

April 12 – Alphabet Soup: Stories from Queer Voices LGBTQ Short Play Festival: this is the 4th year for the festival. Tickets cost $15. This year it will include seven plays centered around LGBTQ matters. The show is suggested for people 17+ in age. This will be at the Squeezebox Theatre in Kansas City, MO. Plays cover a wide range of topics from: science fiction, family issues, college life, sexual orientation, individuality, and the consequences of research. Doors open 30 minutes before the show. The plays start at 8:00pm and will end around 10:00pm.

April 13-14 — Cider Hill Apple Blossom Festival: located at the Cider Hill Family Orchard in Kansas City, KS. It includes hayrides through the orchard, apple blossoms, spring flowers for sale, vendors with handmade items, a train, classes, BBQ lunch, cider donuts, slushies, kettle corn, and more. It is from 12:00pm to 5:00pm both days.

April 13 – Community Egg Hunt: if you have kiddos and are looking for somewhere to celebrate Easter, this event is free and put on by Cross Points Church. The hunt includes a bounce house, cotton candy, games, and music. It will be held at the Lion’s Park in Bonner Springs, KS. It is meant to be a community event and just for fun.

April 13 – FSE Spring Craft & Vendor Fair 2019: the craft fair supports local businesses and shops for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, graduation, prom accessories, and wedding shower gifts. The event is free and will include authentic Mexican food, a raffle, face painting, pony rides, and a clown. There will be over 50 booths for you to explore. It will be held at the Franklin Smith Elementary Gym. All proceeds raised benefit students. Money will go to field trips, special person days throughout the year, reading programs, playground equipment, and other important necessities.

April 13 – Turkish Food & Art Festival: the food festival includes Turkish favorites such as gyro, baklava, Turkish pizza, stuffed flatbread, and cakes. There will also be personalized books and pottery for sale. It is hosted by Dialogue Institute Kansas City. It is from 11:00am to 3:00pm at 4215 Shawnee Drive, Kansas City, KS.

April 14 – Spring Cheese & Wine: it costs $50 to sample multiple cheeses, wines, and other items. Tickets are available for purchase through www.thebettercheddar.com under the event tab. You can also purchase a ticket in store or by phone: 816-561-8204. The event is located at The Better Cheddar in Kansas City, MO. It is hosted by Matthew McDowell & Lincoln Broadbooks.

April 14 – Festival Passport to India: the event includes South and Southeast Asian art and culture. You’ll have the chance to learn from teachers about art and dance. There will be live music, fashion shows, and a variety of dance performances. This will be held at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art from 10:00am to 4:00pm. Food will be available for purchase. The full schedule is listed on the museum website. It includes a fashion show, traditional string and percussion music, and art activities.

April 18 – The Pitch’s Bacon & Bourbon: for those who love bacon and bourbon this is going to be heaven. Last year’s event sold-out. You can sample over 20 bourbons and sample treats from local restaurants, including Aladdin, Homesteader, Pressed Penny Tavern, Pickens Sweet Treats, and several other eateries. The event will also include live music. Also, bacon. There will be lots of bacon, and probably no Kevin Bacon. It will be held at the Truman and starts at 7:00pm. General admission is $38. VIP and early bird entry is $48.

April 18 – Spring Vegetables: if you want to learn more about cooking and vegetables than this class is perfect for you. Join Renee Kelly aka “Sassy Chef” for cooking classes at Portfolio Kitchen and Home located at 215 W. Pershing Rd, Kansas City, MO. All classes are interactive. Renee will share with you over 20 years of practice. Food, beverages, and recipes will be provided for all classes. Some of the vegetables in the class are: watercress bisque, shallots, roasted carrots, braised radish, and asparagus. It costs $75 and the class is from 6:30pm to 8:30pm.

April 20 – Asia Cultural Festival: the festival showcases a wide variety of Asian food, performances, and music. There will be a martial arts workshop in the afternoon. The Miss Asia Contest kicks off at 10:00am. The Mid-American Asian Culture Association is hosting the event. It costs $0-$5 to enter. It will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center from 10:00am to 6:00pm.

April 20 – Finally Spring and Pretty Flowers: join the lead designer at D&R Flowers for a fun class on arranging flowers. The event includes cocktails, wine, and small bites in the Solarium Lounge at The Fontaine Hotel in Kansas City, MO. Workshop tickets include all materials necessary for the class and a vase with flowers to take home. A floral arranging kit will be available for purchase during the class. It costs $25 and includes floral clippers, sheers, floral tape, D&R Flowers, a personalized apron, rose/stem stripper, etc. The floral arrangement class is from 2:00pm-4:00pm and costs $65.

April 26 – UMKC Conservatory Spring Dance in Kansas City: dance students and Conservatory musicians will perform for the general public. Tickets are free for UMKC faculty, staff, and students with a UMKC ID. It costs $12 for general admission.

April 27 – Douglas County Fair Spring “Total Knockout” Demolition Derby: the spring demolition will be held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Lawrence, KS. It starts at 6:00pm and ends at 11:30pm. It costs $10 to enter.

April 27 – Spring Craft Fair: the Riverstone Retirement Community will host the handiwork and crafts of some of Kansas City’s finest. It will include art, vendors, jewelry, gifts, home décor, and other activities. RSVP by Tuesday, April 23. If you have questions call 816-741-2555.

April 27 – Kegs N Eggs: thousands of Easter eggs will be hidden across the Kansas City Renaissance Festival grounds. Each egg contains tickets to be redeemed for prizes. There will be free t-shirts, live music, craft beer tastings, 10 food trucks, and the chance for cash prizes. It occurs at 11:00am to 4:00pm.

April 27-28 – Kansas City Homes Tour Experience: 2019 Spring Urban Core Home Show and Bus Tour: this event includes a home-buyer’s seminar, with on-site approval, raffles, and a kids’ zone both days. Bus tour registration begins at 11:00am and buses leave at 12:00pm. This will be held at the Mohart Multipurpose Center in Kansas City, MO. It is free to attend.

April 28 – The Kritiq Spring Fashion Show: the fashion show is a platform for local talent to show off their creativity. The show is a blend of casual street glamour and high fashion. It costs around $40-$65 to attend. It will take place at the Airline History Museum in Kansas City, MO. The show starts at 5:00pm and ends at 9:00pm.

April 28 – William Baker Festival Singers at Holy Angels Basehor: this is a one-hour concert featuring American folk hymns and African-American spirituals. It will be held at the Holy Angel Catholic Church in Basehor, KS. It will feature several composers. There will be a 50-voice a cappella chorale. The event is from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. A donation is suggested. The William Baker Choral Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)-(3) arts organization of the state of Kansas licensed to operate in Missouri and Georgia.

May 2-4 – Mushroom Festival: Thursday evening will kick off the 39th year of this event with a kids night at the carnival. On Friday over 200 craft and food vendors will be at the event. Saturday will include live entertainment, a children’s talent show, and a demolition derby. The Grand Parade will showcase floats and entertainers such as the Richmond Marching Band. There will also be a corn hole tournament, morsel contest, National Guard Military display, a basketball tournament, and much more. It will be located at the intersection of 10 & 13 Hwy.

May 4 – KC Brew & Chew: attendees have the chance to sample from the area’s top food trucks and local brewers. There is a kid friendly zone, along with vendors, and live music. A percentage of the proceeds will go to help police agencies and first responders. The festival is free to attend. Craft beer sampling is from 2:00pm to 6:00pm and requires a $20 ticket. You must be 21+ to participate. The festival as a whole is from 2:00pm to 10:00pm. The event will take place at East Forty Brewing in Blue Springs, MO.

May 11 – Strawberry Swing Indie Craft Fair: the fair brings together experts on ceramics, clothing, printing, painting, photography, woodworking, leather working, fiber arts, and more. The Strawberry Swing has a fair for every season. The event will be held from 10:00am to 6:00pm at the historic Alexander Majors Barn & Grounds at 8201 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO.

May 15-19 – International Quilt Market Spring 2019: the event will feature 1,000 booths showcasing the latest products. Located at 301 W 13th St, Kansas City, MO.

May 17-18 – Bluegrass in the Bottoms: bluegrass musicians from across the country will play. It will take place outside the Knuckleheads Saloon. The area is known for vintage antique boutiques, bistros, and cocktail bars.

May 18 – 2019 Kansas City Nanobrew Festival: for those wanting to try out some local home brewing, this is your chance. Admission includes unlimited tastings from 350 home brewed beers, a full-size souvenir glass, food, and entertainment. You must be 21+ to participate. You must have a valid ticket to enter. It will be held at the Berkley Riverfront Park in Kansas City, MO. The festival is from 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

May 18 – 4th Annual Weston WineFest presented by Pirtle Winery: the festival will be held on adjoining space with the Weston Brewing Company. Wines will be available for purchase. A souvenir wine glass and a gift is included with tastings. Ticket sales are limited. Carpooling is suggested — there is limited parking. You must be 21+ years of age to attend. No pets or coolers are allowed. This will be held at Pirtle Winery in Weston, MO from 12:00pm to 7:00pm. The event includes wine from 10 different wineries from around the area including:

Pirtle Winery Ladoga Ridge Winery Windy Wine Company Riverwood Winery Fence Stile Winery Tipple Hill Winery Vox Vineyards Jowler Creek Winery Weston Wine Company Van Till Family Farm Winery

May 31-June 1 – Tumbleweed Real Country – it’s considered one of the best country music and camping festivals in the United States. The whole experience lasts three nights and 2 days. Besides country music, it also includes a pool party, hot air balloon rides, horse drawn carriage rides, camping, fishing, helicopter rides, archery, and live music. Kids 10 and under are free to enter. Camping is optional. Camping spots are not reserved; it is first-come, first-served. Lawn chairs are permitted. RV camping is adjacent to forest camping. Tumbleweed is a family-friendly festival. Prices vary.

June 8 – 15th Annual Kansas City International Dragon Boat Festival: opening ceremonies begin along Brush Creek on the Country Club Plaza. There will be dancing, singing, drumming, magic, acrobatics, skits, and martial arts performances. Arts and crafts activities are available for both children and adults. Booths offer a wide range of goods from jewelry to dragon parasols. Food trucks will be at the event. The sidewalks will be decorated with Chinese Lanterns and banners. The festival begins at 8:00am with the boats heading into the waters. The festival ends at 4:00pm.

June 21-22 – Heartland Yoga Festival 2019: celebrate the summer solstice and International Yoga Day. Several yoga teachers will attend the event for demonstrations and guidance. It will include beverages, food, and vendors. The event hopes to connect people who like yoga to each other. It includes 3 community classes, 3 breakout workshops, music, and more. It will be held at the Unity Village Hotel and Conference Center in Unity Village, MO. It starts on Friday at 4:00pm and ends at 10:00pm the next day. Costs vary.

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thecreatorformula · 6 years ago

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Shawnee County’s health outcomes drop 18 spots to 79th

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Shawnee County dropped 18 spots in a ranking of its health outcomes, with premature death and racial disparities highlighted as two areas of concern.

The county rankings are part of an annual report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.

“It’s an easy-to-use snapshot that compares counties within Kansas and it shows really nicely that health is more than about health care,” said Janna West Kowalski, an action learning coach at County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. “So things like where we live, where we go to school, good jobs are all factors that influence health.”

Craig Barnes, division manager for the Shawnee County Health Department, said good health care isn’t enough.

“One of the biggest things that this report points out is that where you live matters and that it’s possible that your ZIP code could play a more important factor in your health than your genetic code,” he said.

Out of 102 Kansas counties that were assessed, Shawnee County ranks 79th for its health outcomes. Last year it was ranked 61st.

“What was a cause of concern to us specifically in the outcomes was the length of life measures, the years of potential life lost,” Barnes said.

Premature death

This category measures the number of years of potential life lost before age 75.

The number of potential years lost for blacks is 15,600 years, 6,800 years for Hispanics and 7,700 for whites in Shawnee County.

“What we’ve been looking at and kind of realizing over the last couple years, and this is kind of just another opportunity to bring it to the forefront, is to start really talking about the need to start addressing some racial and ethnic disparities that are here in Shawnee County,” Barnes said. “There is a major discrepancy between those populations.”

Kowalski said accidents and intentional self-harm jumped out at her in Shawnee County’s report.

“Those are typically deaths that we see in younger people, so that can give you a big change in your ranking,” she said.

Barnes said suicide is a growing trend.

“The concerning fact here in Shawnee County is our younger population,” he said of the issue.

Creating awareness of the topic is important, Barnes said, as is empowering parents to broach the subject with their children. He also pointed to a countywide suicide prevention initiative created last year that is facilitated by Family Service and Guidance Center.

Other leading causes of premature death included cancer, heart disease and respiratory diseases.

In the health factors scoring, Shawnee County fell from 56th to 59th. The county improved in areas including high school graduation, access to exercise opportunities and a decrease in teen births and alcohol-impaired driving deaths. It worsened on sexually transmitted infections, mammography screening and violent crime. The uninsured, smoking and income inequality rates stayed the same.

Barnes pointed to access to exercise as an area of success, with the parks and recreation department increasing mileage on the Shunga Trail. He also said the county scored well in the clinical care categories.

Housing

The report this year highlighted housing and its link to health. The report looked at the amount of households that spend more than 50 percent of their income on mortgage or rent.

Fourteen percent of Shawnee County residents suffer from severe housing problems.

“There’s less left over for things like health care, medicine, healthy food, reliable transportation to a good job,” Kowalski said.

Topeka city manager Brent Trout said the city will be working on a housing study to identify areas that need help and programs that will be effective.

Topeka JUMP has been working on establishing a housing trust fund for a couple of years. Housing trust funds are a suggested strategy to increase affordable housing, according to County Health Rankings & Roadmaps.

JUMP organizer Shanae Holman said the fund will go toward home rehabilitation, construction of single-family homes and rental assistance. They are aiming for a $1 million commitment of public dollars and an additional $6 million to come via a public-private partnership.

A vote by the city council to establish the mechanism for the fund is expected in April. Holman said the vote looks “pretty tight.”

The fund would affect an estimated 300 families each year.

“It really is a foundation for supporting our most vulnerable,” she said.

Having housing first increases the likelihood of solving health, substance abuse and employment challenges, Holman added.

Path forward

Kowalski said the rankings serve as a call to action.

“The data are only as useful as the action that they inspire,” she said.

The rankings can serve as a basis to engage with community and see where energy and concerns exist. Then evidence-informed strategies can be identified.

She pointed to North St. Louis County as one place that has addressed health in a holistic way. Twenty-four municipalities came together to examine health in terms of education, jobs, health behaviors and housing.

Barnes said they are working to get Shawnee County’s stakeholders, including community members most affected, to the table.

“The biggest thing is we want to really try to engage partners from all sectors to work on this because it’s not just the role of the health department, it’s not just the role of any one entity, it takes the entire community to move the needle,” he said. “And so we really need to look at breaking down some of the silos, working on collaborating across sectors and if we can do that, we can make some great progress on improving the overall health of the community.”

He said progress can be made in terms of policies, system changes and environmental changes. Some areas to consider include reducing food deserts, food sales tax and implementing breastfeeding policies.

“The biggest thing is this kind of stuff doesn’t change overnight,” he said. “So we need to look at long-range planning, we need to see what is the impact we can make that will actually make a sustainable change.”

The health department and Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods will host a community conversation on the county health rankings on Monday, April 8. The event will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

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thecreatorformula · 6 years ago

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Communities around KC metro prepare for another storm

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All cities promise they are doing what they can to tackle snowy and icy roads although this winter has been a challenge.

SHAWNEE, KS (KCTV) — All cities promise they are doing what they can to tackle snowy and icy roads although this winter has been a challenge.

Looking at some numbers, in Shawnee there are 22 plows covering 805 miles.

Overland Park has 45 plows covering 2000 miles.

And Kansas City has 200 plows covering 6,400 miles which 2,400 of those are residential.

So keeping up with all of the snow is a challenge no matter what city you live in.

“These storms have been on weekends, we are running up a lot of money in overtime because of staffing needs because almost all of these storms have been on the weekend,” Chris Hernandez, who is the Director of the City Communications Office, said.

Let’s talk salt. In Shawnee, they’ve gone through half of their supply. Overland park has ordered additional salt and Kansas City has gone through tons and tons 10 thousand tons. So they have ordered more. We’re now up to 23 thousand tons.

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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55 Kansas lawmakers sponsor bill to ban LGBT discrimination

A bill introduced Monday would ban discrimination in the private sector on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Dozens of lawmakers attached have their names to the proposal, which offers protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community in employment, housing and services.

“Many people don’t realize that you can be fired, denied housing or refused business for being LGBTQ, and I think that’s wrong,” said Rep. Brandon Woodard, D-Shawnee. “I don’t believe that’s a Kansas value, and so we want to work to change that.”

Woodard and Rep. Susan Ruiz, D-Shawnee, expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support they received after being sworn in last month as the state’s first openly gay legislators. Their proposed bill is co-sponsored by 38 representatives and 17 senators, including some Republicans in both chambers.

Ruiz said the legislation would help Kansas appear welcoming to businesses.

“We really want this for Kansas,” Ruiz said. “We want to attract a diverse work force. We need a very strong work force in Kansas.”

The bill would amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination, passed in 1953 and updated several times through the years, to add sexual orientation and gender identity to a list that includes race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin and ancestry.

The protections for the LGBTQ community mirror an executive order signed by Gov. Laura Kelly, which only applies to state government employees.

Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said the law already exempts religious institutions, and “concerns by people who support these institutions are misplaced and unfounded.”

Sen. Barbara Bollier, D-Mission Hills, said the Presbyterian Church, to which she belongs, once relied on scripture to support slavery. Eventually, the church changed its policy, she said, but the Bible didn’t change.

“You are not allowed to discriminate against others,” Bollier said. “So if you want to go back to the Bible and say I’m against people of a different color or I’m against people of a different religion, you’re not allowed in our law to do that. And to say then that I’m against people who are different than me — how God created them, that’s different than me — that is still wrong. That shouldn’t be an individual right.”

Among the co-sponsors in the House is Shawnee Republican Rep. Tom Cox, who voted in favor of a bill a year ago that allows religious institutions to deny child placement services to same-sex couples. The measure passed into law when it cleared the House by one vote.

Cox said his vote was the result of a compromise. Although he didn’t support the bill, he agreed to vote yes in exchange for limiting the scope to apply only to contracts with the Department for Children and Families instead of all government agencies.

“I’ve always supported equal rights for the LGBT community,” Cox said. “It’s something that I’ve grown up in. One of my biggest frustrations with the Republican party over the years was the continual push against the ability for same-sex couples to marry.”

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Freda Lavera (Briant) Bowden

Freda Lavera (Briant) Bowden was born on March 22, 1925, the second child of Claude Elton and Fay (Marken) Briant in Matheson, CO. She passed peacefully into the arms of her Savior on Saturday, January 12th, 2019 at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Shawnee Mission, KS. Services will take place Thursday, January 17, at McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204. Visitation will be at 10 am followed by the Celebration of Life at 11 am. The burial will be at 3:30 pm in Pleasant Ridge Cemetery in Admire, KS. The burial ceremony is also open to the public. Freda is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Joyce and Brian Hancock of Olathe, KS; her son and daughter-in-law, Steven and Grace Bowden of Ft. Worth, TX; five grandchildren: Sarah, Drew, Paul, Breanna and Tanner; five great-grandchildren: Kendall, Coralyn, Jacob, Nova and Ellery. She is also survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Clara Marie and George Smith of Topeka, KS and sister-in-law, Margaret Briant of Topeka, KS. She also leaves behind many beloved nieces and nephews and extended family. Freda was preceded in death by her parents, Claude Elton Briant in 1979 and Fay Marken Briant in 1982; her two brothers, Carl Frederick Briant and Claude “Elton” Briant Jr both in 2002. She most recently lost her husband of 68 years, Noel “Marvin” Bowden in 2017. Noel “Marvin” Bowden and Freda Lavera Briant were married on April 10, 1949 in Topeka, KS. After marriage, they lived in Emporia for 2 years then moved to Wichita, KS where they would live for 57 years. They had both of their children there, Joyce Noelene in 1951 and Steven Leslie in 1953. In 2008, they moved into an assisted living in Olathe, KS. They celebrated their 65th Anniversary in 2014. Not only was Freda a dedicated wife and mother, she was a successful career woman and active church member as well! From 1959 to 1980, she was the Supervisor of Central Records at The Inst of Logopedics in Wichita. From 1980 to 1990, she worked as Secretary in the PT Dept at WSU. She and Marvin were members of North Hillside Baptist Church from 1955 to 1970, University Baptist Church from 1970 to 1989 and finally Metropolitan Baptist Church from 1989 until the day they moved from Wichita. She participated fully in their church with roles as Sunday School Teacher, Church Clerk, Financial Secretary, working in the Nursery and singing in the choir. She loved singing Alto in the family quartet. She and Marvin also sang many duets together. They instilled a love and talent for music that is still going strong all the way through her great-grandchildren. Marvin and Freda enjoyed every second of their retirement. After developing a love for camping in a tent with their own kids, they graduated to mobile campers and RVs. Freda combined her love of travel with her love of genealogy, writing and making new friends and decided to research the Bowden family tree. She spent years researching and meeting new Bowdens all over the country. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association. Full obituary and condolences may be left at www.mcgilleyhoge.com.

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Carrie Lynn Molz

Carrie Lynn Molz, 53, of Shawnee, KS passed away Monday, December 24th, 2018. Carrie is survived by husband of 30 years, Todd Molz and sons, Tyler and Trevor Molz of the home; parents, Gary and Frances Smith of Neosho Rapids, KS; and sister, LaDonna Smith of Bella Vista, AR. Carrie was born in Emporia, KS and grew up in Neosho Rapids, KS. She graduated from high school in 1983 from Hartford Kansas High School. She spent her summers in high school working at World’s of Fun and that is where she met her husband. Carrie received her Bachelor Degree in December of 1986 from Emporia State University in Sociology. Upon graduating college she moved to the Kansas City area and has lived in Shawnee, KS. Carrie was a pricing anaylst for US Foods in Lenexa, KS. Carrie had many hobbies, some of which were sewing, quilting, and enjoying spending time with the family at the lake and beach. She served as a mentor to First Robotics and volunteered for the Shadow Buddies Foundation. Carrie enjoyed spending time with her nieces and nephews, and great nieces and nephews. She was involved with Big Brothers, Big Sisters during high school and college. She will be dearly missed by all of her family and friends. Visitation will be from 6-8 pm Friday and funeral services will be 10:00 am Saturday at the Johnson County Funeral Chapel, 11200 Metcalf, Overland Park. Fond memories and condolences for the family may be left at www.johnsoncountychapel.com.

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Filing deadline passes with 4 candidates seeking Shelly Buhler’s Shawnee County Commission seat

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One Democrat and three Republicans will vie in this year’s elections for the District 1 Shawnee County Commission seat being vacated by incumbent Shelly Buhler.

Friday’s filing deadline passed with no new candidates entering the race. That means the three Republicans who had filed for the seat will compete in the Aug. 7 primary election for their party’s nomination for the seat in District 1, which covers much of western Topeka and Shawnee County.

Those Republican candidates are:

• Jeff Coen, who has represented southwest Topeka’s District 8 on the Topeka City Council since 2015. Coen has owned C-Team Studios, a website and graphic design company in Topeka, since 2001.

• Retired rural mail carrier Carol Marple, who farms with her husband, Ben Marple, in southern Shawnee County. Carol Marple won the Republican nomination in the primary election but ran unsuccessfully in the general election for the District 1 seat in 2010 and 2014.

• Bill Riphahn, longtime director of planning and development for Shawnee County Parks and Recreation and previously, the city of Topeka’s parks and recreation department before the city and county departments were merged in 2012.

One Democrat is running in District 1.

That is Chris Palmer, executive director of Cornerstone of Topeka, Inc., a local non-profit affordable housing provider and developer with more than 170 housing units in Topeka.

The winners in the Aug. 7 primary will face off in the Nov. 6 general election to replace Buhler, an Independent who won elections to the District 1 seat in 2006, 2010 and 2014.

District 1 is home to 38,399 registered voters, more than either of the other two Shawnee County Commission districts, according to Shawnee County election records.

Those records show 16,109 District 1 voters are registered as Republicans, 11,081 as Unaffiliated, 10,863 as Democrats and 346 as Libertarians.

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Share memories or express condolences below.

RONALD E. MASTERS Ronald E. Masters, 74, Shawnee, KS, died Thursday, September 7, 2017, surrounded by his family at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. The Rosary will be prayed at 5:00 p.m. with visitation following until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 14, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church (Early Education Center), 11525 Johnson Dr. Shawnee, KS, 66203. The Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 15, at the St. Joseph Catholic Church (Early Education Center), 11525 Johnson Dr. Shawnee, KS. Entombment will follow in the Prince of Peace Mausoleum at Resurrection Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to: Knights of the Holy Sepulchre. Ron was preceded in death by his parents, A.H. Jr. "Buck" and Laverne Masters, and brothers, Kenneth and Gary Masters. He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Rosemary, children, Rita (Charlie) Owsley, Ron Jr. and Rhonda (David) Endecott, sister, Linda (Roy) Campbell, 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. (Full obituary and condolences may be expressed at: www.porterfuneralhome.com Arrangements: Porter Funeral Homes & Crematory, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS (913) 438-6444)

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Payday lender lawyer Tim Muir faces reckoning – Kansas City Business Journal

Sitting in a prison cell that is his new home, Tim Muir potentially has years to contemplate everything that went wrong in his life and landed him in this position. But he’s not feeling guilty.

Muir thinks about being separated from his family. He still fumes about FBI agents storming into his Overland Park home wearing tactical gear, guns drawn, and arresting him in front of his children. It’s an emotional wound that remains raw years later.

But in a six-page letter he wrote in answer to questions from the Kansas City Business Journal, one sentiment not evident anywhere is regret. Muir believes he was wrongly convicted.

In October, a federal jury in New York convicted Muir for racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering and filing false Truth In Lending Act disclosures. The charges stemmed from his job as general counsel for a payday lending operation, which a jury determined used shell companies to give the appearance of Native American tribe ownership to circumvent state lending laws.

In reality, the operation — owned by Scott Tucker of Leawood — was run out of Overland Park. The operation generated $2 billion in profits and victimized 4.5 million consumers by charging interest rates ranging from 400 to 700 percent, according to prosecutors.

Muir and Tucker were tried and convicted together. Tucker was the flashy one, spending more than $100 million on luxury homes and cars, a Learjet, lavish travel and expenses for a professional racing team with six Ferraris.

By contrast, the low-key Muir played a relatively unknown character in the whole saga. He lived in a $300,000 house on a cul-de-sac not far from 119th Street and Roe Avenue in Overland Park. He coached his daughters’ sports teams. He helped raise money for charities ranging from a child abuse advocacy center to a scholarship fund for foster and adopted children to an organ donor program. A local lawyer who worked on fundraising with Muir said he was actively involved in the bar association and bar foundation, describing Muir as “a tremendous asset to the legal community and the local community in general.”

That’s a dramatically different picture of Muir than the one prosecutors painted: Muir filed false affidavits that claimed the tribes, not Tucker, were doing the lending. Muir orchestrated a sham merger to make it appear the tribes bought the business, and he even had two of Tucker’s corporate entities sue each other in an effort to confuse investigators and throw them off the trail. Prosecutors argued that Muir went too far in shielding the payday lending operations from law enforcement, making him culpable alongside Tucker.

Who is Tim Muir?

Muir, 46, moved to the Kansas City area with his parents at age 6, immigrating from Australia. He graduated from Shawnee Mission West High School in 1989.

Muir earned a biochemistry degree from the University of Kansas in 1998. He was intent on getting a law degree but couldn’t afford to go to law school right away. So he took a job as a manager at Godfather’s Pizza.

He later enrolled at Chicago Kent College of Law, with a focus on patent law. However, he had to leave Chicago Kent after only a year. His oldest brother, Patrick, suffered from a spinal disease that left him paralyzed, so Muir moved home to help care for him.

Muir eventually resumed law school at KU, commuting from Kansas City. He earned a law degree in 2004, at age 32.

He married Stephanie Tucker-Muir in 2007, and they have two daughters.

Seeing a payday

In 2006, two years out of law school and weighed down by student loans, Muir said an acquaintance recommended him to Tucker for a job as general counsel. Tucker already had several payday lending companies up and running. He drove exotic cars and flashed around cash, offering handsome wages for a new legal staff he was assembling.

“I was employed as general counsel for his company for about six months, and then subsequently started my own firm, becoming outside counsel,” Muir wrote to the Kansas City Business Journal. “There was no job description when I started. I joined a very large legal team that Scott had retained through the years.”

Muir estimated that more than 200 lawyers worked on Tucker’s legal matters through the years. Muir eventually took on the various tribal entities as clients, as well.

“The scope of my representation included business, litigation and regulatory matters,” he wrote. “I regularly interacted with tribal officers, attended board of director meetings and accompanied tribal leaders for government-to-government meetings, including with the New York Department of Financial Services, the Treasury Department and the chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.”

The scheme

Tucker set up agreements with Native American tribes, which prosecutors said involved having the tribes establish corporations on reservation grounds for payday loan businesses.

Russell Bradley of St. Joseph was treasurer for the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas when Tucker reached out offering a business opportunity. Tribal officials asked Tucker why he was approaching them.

“It was mainly because they wanted to get around the activity of the states establishing more regulations to deal with the payday-loan-type businesses,” Bradley testified at Tucker’s and Muir’s trial.

Bradley said Tucker’s pitch amounted to giving the tribes something for nothing.

“We’d be guaranteed $20,000 a month, plus a percentage over $2 million in lending per month,” Bradley testified. “We would be the owners, and they would be the managers of the company; they’d put up the money, and they would make us a regular check every month.”

Aside from on paper, Bradley said the tribe had little to do with the business. The documents signed by the tribe showed it had no obligation to invest money or pay the operation’s expenses, except for maintenance of a business office on the reservation. The business office — a computer set up in the tribal attorney’s office — was used to funnel financial reports. No one in the tribe was trained on how to use the system.

The loans started coming in as soon as the deal closed. Loan terms were confusing, helping generate excessive fees. Borrowers were told they would pay a $90 finance charge on a $300 loan. Then $75 would come out of each paycheck, leading victims to believe they were on track to pay off the loan. However, those $75 debits actually were renewal fees and not principal payments that would cover the debt in the alloted time. Prosecutors said the scheme’s multipart payment plan, if allowed to go to fruition, would result in a $300 loan costing $975.

In a Netflix documentary series titled “Dirty Money,” one victim, a truck driver named Walter Archer, talked about his experience borrowing $500 from one of Tucker’s companies. Archer said it was infuriating to find out those were renewal fees — and none of the principal had been paid.

“If I was in the same room with Scott Tucker, I would tell him there are millions of people you probably put into a position where, at least temporarily, they were homeless, or they did without electricity, or their water and sewer or garbage was turned off, or maybe they did without food for a little while so the kids could eat,” Archer said in the documentary. “Your greed put them in a very bad position, and you need to stand up and take accountability for what you’ve done and publicly apologize.”

The debate

Muir argues that borrowers knew the terms. He said the agreement was an industry standard used by more than 100 lenders. Customers received multiple emails describing the payment structure and how it worked, stating that if they took no action the loan would be renewed without the principal paid.

Muir also argued that the operation was up and running when he went to work for Tucker in 2006. He professes that he simply followed the lead of other attorneys before him and operated in good faith that his actions met the legal standard.

“All of my clients, and myself, believed whole heartedly in the legality of their business model,” Muir wrote to the Business Journal. “Whether through litigation, direct consultation with state and federal regulatory agencies or engaging congressional leaders in the legislative process, we never shied away from a debate regarding the lawfulness of tribal online lending.”

But prosecutors liken that argument to someone driving 80 miles an hour down a neighborhood street and, when stopped, arguing that others drove that fast, too. The prosecution convinced a jury that Muir was fully aware of the New York usury statute and that Muir’s job was to maintain the lie that these loans originated from Native American tribes and not Tucker.

“Lawyers paid by Tucker and supervised by Muir drafted bogus resolutions that they directed the tribes to pass to make it seem like the tribes owned part of Tucker’s business,” prosecutors said in the trial’s opening statements. “They filed false affidavits lying to the courts across the country, claiming that the tribes, not Tucker, were doing the lending.”

Employees in Overland Park were told to lie about where the company was located. The company went so far as to provide them with weather reports for the areas where the tribes were located, in case customers made small talk during phone calls.

“What the jury heard in a case like this is that (Muir) had an oath,” said Charlie Harris Jr., a partner at Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris and a disciplinary hearing officer for the Missouri Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel. “He knew he had an oath and responsibility to represent the truth to the court for each of the entities that he set up. The jury took a look at this case and said these are no more than sham corporations. The management of these companies were not strictly within the confines of the tribes. In fact, it’s pretty clear that the jury’s reaction was, not only did the tribes have little to no management powers, but he knew they’d have little to no management powers when he set up these corporations, and they were set up solely for the interest of making money.”

Tucker, who allegedly netted more than $1 billion, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison.

Muir received about $10 million for his role in the payday operation, according to sentencing documents. He was sentenced to seven years in prison, starting his time on Feb. 27. Muir has filed an appeal.

Muir ended his letter to the Kansas City Business Journal with a simple statement: “Last, I have one thing to say: Prison sucks.”

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Possible tornado causes damage near Pratt

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) –

A possible tornado downed power poles and overturned a semi near Pratt as severe storms moved through parts of Kansas on Wednesday.

Winds topped 92 mph as the stormed rolled across US-282 just north of Pratt at around 3:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.

The National Weather Service says two tornadoes were reported in Ottawa County. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from that storm.

A Tornado Watch had been issued for a large swath of Kansas, including the city of Wichita.

The threat of severe weather came on the heels of 12 reported tornadoes reported in Kansas on Tuesday.

If you have storm pictures or video, post them directly on the KAKE-TV Facebook page or upload them on the KAKE First Alert Weather App.

With the Weather App, you’ll have on-the-go access to our Interactive Radar and LIVE weather coverage, as well as forecast videos customized alerts and much more.

Click here to follow KAKE First Alert Storm Trackers in the field.

A severe weather threat for Wednesday currently covers a very large swath blanketing much of the eastern half of the state.

Storms on Wednesday are expected to initiate in the early afternoon near Dodge City, Meade, Kinsley, Greensburg and Coldwater. These storms will rapidly spread northwest toward Saint John, Sterling and Salina.

Large hail and high wind will be the most likely threats with a tornado or two not out of the question early on in the evolution of these storms. As storms merge into a line, the threat will shift more toward high wind gusts.

This entire line of storms will gradually slide east toward the I-135 corridor, reaching Wichita after 5 p.m. Storms will be exiting KAKEland between 11 p.m. and midnight.

While storms and showers will still be possible on Thursday, the ingredients for severe weather will likely occur just east of KAKEland.

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Shawnee approves TIF district, rezoning for mixed-use development | The Kansas City Star

The Shawnee City Council on Monday night approved the creation of a tax-increment financing district and rezoning for the 37-acre Cobblestone Village mixed-use development northwest of 62nd Street and Pflumm Road.

The largely undeveloped tract is bordered by 62nd Street on the south, Pflumm Road on the east, the Shawnee Civic Center and Veterans Park property on the north and Widmer Road on the west. The developers, Qrivit LLC, propose to build an 80-unit assisted-living center surrounded by 73 “villa” homes, a 60,000-square-foot building combining office, retail and housing, three three-story apartment buildings and two commercial buildings. A handful of homes now bordering Pflumm Road will be torn down to make way for the project.

The city’s first TIF, or tax-increment financing, district was established on the same plot of land in 2008. A different developer had made a similar, mixed-use proposal at that time. Those plans, however, were scuttled by the intervening recession, and the TIF district was allowed to lapse. The action Monday was taken for the benefit of a new developer and is the city’s fourth such district.

TIF allows developers to keep the value of increased property taxes on land they improve.

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The city’s economic consultant, David MacGillivray of Springsted Inc., outlined the financial aspects of the deal for the council members. The project has an estimated total development cost of $63.5 million, he said. With TIF benefits of nearly $8 million accruing to the developer, Qrivit can expect a return of 7.37 percent on its investment, which MacGillivray said was in line with industry standards. MacGillivray said the Cobblestone development was financially feasible. It is expected to take seven years to be completed.

Three residents spoke in opposition to the creation of the TIF district.

Mary Grimm decried the destruction of wildlife habitat and urged the council to do its part to stem an alarming decline of bees and butterflies.

Valerie Sprout and Mike Ross expressed concerns over the increased traffic the development would generate at its main entrance, the uncontrolled intersection of 61st Street and Pflumm Road.

The council voted 7-1 to approve the TIF district and the rezoning, with only Mike Kemmling voting in opposition.

Afterward, Kemmling said he generally opposed TIF districts and shared the residents’ concerns about traffic.

Councilman Mickey Sandifer said he thought Cobblestone was a good project and that there was a need for housing directed at the 55-plus demographic of baby boomers.

“TIF is a tool that is available to cities to attract economic development,” Sandifer said. “I don’t like them, but if we don’t offer it, another city down the road will give it. If we want to be competitive, we have to do it. … For many years, Shawnee has been a bedroom community, and we are trying to get that turned around to support our tax base.”

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Shawnee County to replace Kansas Expocentre HVAC systems at cost of $900,000-plus

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Shawnee County will spend more than $900,000 to replace the system that provides heating, ventilation and air conditioning to the Kansas Expocentre’s Exhibition Hall and Maner Conference Center.

Commissioners Kevin Cook, Shelly Buhler and Bob Archer voted 3-0 Thursday morning to enter into a contract with Central Mechanical Construction Co. to replace Exhibition Hall’s HVAC system at a cost of $649,700 and the conference center’s HVAC system at a cost of $274,200.

Those facilities are currently served by one HVAC system but will be served by two after the project is completed, said county counselor Jim Crowl.

Revenue from a countywide half-cent sales tax will be used to finance HVAC replacement at Exhibition Hall, while money from the county’s 2017 contingency fund will cover the project at the conference center, according to the agenda packet for Thursday’s meeting.

Commission chairman Cook said the HVAC system that serves Exhibition Hall and the conference center currently is operating at between one-third and one-half of its capacity, with that being an “urgent concern” considering the number of upcoming events booked for those facilities.

Crowl said Central Mechanical submitted the lowest, most responsive bid after the county sought proposals from companies interested in carrying out the project.

Also on Thursday, commissioners held a work session following their regular meeting to discuss how part of $6 million in excess reserve funds might be used to carry out projects at the Expocentre.

Commissioners voted Feb. 1 to set aside the $6 million to carry out projects at the Expocentre and in the county’s parks and recreation department, but didn’t reach agreement on how much to allot to each.

Commissioners at Thursday’s work session took no action while discussing potential uses for some of that money at the Expocentre. They plan Monday to do the same regarding the parks and recreation department. The commission tentatively plans April 19 to consider deciding how the $6 million will be spent.

In other business, commissioners:

• Voted 3-0 to approve a $400,000 project budget to carry out road repairs on S.W. 77th Street west of US-75 highway, with the project being financed using money from the county’s special highway fund.

• Voted 3-0 to authorize the sale at public auction of 14 lots of surplus real estate the county owns in the vicinity of the Willard Bridge.

• Met behind closed doors in executive session to receive legal advice regarding programming at the Expocentre.

• Heard Expocentre general manager Kellen Seitz say additional seating had been made available to ensure all potential customers could buy tickets to Saturday’s concert featuring the bands Skillet and For King and Country at the Expocentre’s Landon Arena.

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thecreatorformula · 7 years ago

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Vantage apartment project to go back to Shawnee council | The Kansas City Star

A proposal for an apartment complex in Shawnee that has faced heated opposition from many of its potential neighbors is headed back to the full city council for a second time.

After a short discussion of the traffic projections, the Shawnee Planning Commission reiterated its support of the Vantage at Shawnee project Monday night, voting 9-2 to allow the rezoning that would pave the way for the project.

The council had asked planning commissioners to further discuss the matter after a long meeting last month in which many of the project’s nearest neighbors showed up to oppose it. However the planning commission did not allow public comment for its second look at the project on Monday. The commission heard neighbors’ objections at its November meeting.

The $35 million project, on vacant land near West 62nd Street and Pflumm Road, won approval from the planning commission in November, but ran into trouble when the full council took it up Dec. 15. At that meeting, which ended after midnight, council members could not reach consensus on whether to approve it, so they sent it back to the planning commission for further review.

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The preliminary plan put forth by America First Real Estate Group of Omaha calls for 312 apartment units in 14 buildings. The development would be gated, with electronic access. Also included in the plans are a swimming pool, clubhouse, dog park and walking trails.

The plan has been opposed by many nearby residents, who have shown up at public hearings to voice concerns about traffic flow and the impact on schools. Some have worried that the developer could later turn the area into low-income housing.

America First representatives have pledged not to do that. The apartments would be high-quality, with a small one-bedroom unit renting for $750 and a three-bedroom unit for about $1,300, they said.

The Vantage area was originally planned for a senior housing complex called Cobblestone, which got approval for a tax increment financing district in 2008 but never got off the ground. The Vantage developers have not asked for any public financing of the current project, however.

Increased traffic and potential backups at the Vantage entrance on Pflumm Road were some of the neighbors’ top concerns at previous meetings and the only focus of the planning commission discussion Monday.

Curt Petersen, representing the developers, said a traffic study of the area projected substantially less traffic from the Vantage proposal than would have been generated by the Cobblestone plan, which was approved. The Vantage would generate about 20 percent less traffic during morning peak hours and 55 percent less during afternoon peak hours, compared to Cobblestone, according to the numbers Petersen presented.

Commission Chairman Augie Bogina said he trusted the traffic engineers’ projections about flow patterns at the entrance at Pflumm and 62nd Street. “I have no reason to doubt these traffic engineers as far as what they have come up with on the plans,” he said.

Because neighbors have filed a protest petition on the plan, it will need a seven-vote supermajority to be approved by the full council.

Roxie Hammill: [email protected]

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Josh Rouse: Berkeley Mouse Tail brings in big trout full of eggs

After getting mostly skunked last week while trout fishing at Lake Shawnee, I was determined to come back this week and get a nice one.

I picked up some Berkeley PowerBait Floating Mice Tails and a couple of Rooster Tails and headed down to the south side of the lake to see if a change in scenery would improve my odds. Little did I know that everyone and their dog would be out at the lake that day, and when some kids started throwing rocks in the water at my first spot, I decided it was time for a move. I don’t know how much it affects the fish bite, but it can’t help.

I moved up and down the west side of the lake looking for a good spot. Eventually, I settled again on the heated dock. I fished a deep worm below a big school of shad hoping to get a bite from a crappie or catfish, while I drifted a Mouse Tail about a foot and a half under a crappie float on a small jighead. A lot of people have questions about how to rig a Mouse Tail, and the general consensus I find is that you just hook it through the PowerBait ball connected to the long rubbery tail and use it however you want to fish — floating, drop shot, under a bobber, etc.

The shad were all over the place, and I could sit there and watch them pop up at the surface inside the dock. I had a couple hits on my worm early, but when I went to set the hook I got snagged up on the structure below the dock.

My light crappie bobber then started to bounce as another angler, Richard Cooley, came in. It turns out that Richard, who was fishing for crappie, knows my dad and my uncle Dan. Dad says he used to race street stocks and hobby stocks against him at Topeka Raceway, Junction City Raceway and a couple other spots, and they bowled together in a league years ago.

As the float with the Mouse Tail kept bobbing, I figured it was a shad or small bluegill that was grabbing the tail. However, it eventually went all the way under for several seconds. I set the hook and was shocked when my rod bent in double, and soon I saw the giant side slab of a big, beautiful female rainbow trout.

It wasn’t quite as long as the one that got away earlier in the year at the heated dock — though it was just under the 20-inch Kansas Master Angler Award size at 19.5 inches — but it had incredible girth. The side of the trout was about the size of my hand.

As I got down on my belly with a grabber claw that I had purchased after the last trout got away, it took me several minutes just to get the trout corralled. Every time it got close to the side of the dock, it would slam its powerful tail and take off on a run again. Richard offered me a net, but I let the trout wear herself out and finally grabbed it by the mouth.

I took her to my Grandma Rouse’s house to clean outside with my electric fillet knife and was shocked by all the eggs she had inside her when I cut off the first fillet.

I thought she might be pregnant because of her girth and a protrusion near her anal fin, but this confirmed it. There were literally hundreds of eggs, if not more. I got a Ziplock baggie and put them in there to use as bait later — they’re very similar to salmon eggs, which are sold in small jars as trout bait.

If it were a natural-born fish in Lake Shawnee, I likely would have released her back into the water to lay her eggs, but the rainbow trout are stocked in the fall and spring and are said to mostly die off in the summer, so I wasn’t too worried about her offspring being released.

I got two giant fillets out of her, each about the size of a side of salmon like you’d see at a nice restaurant.

As a side note, spoonbill (also known as paddlefish) snagging season began Thursday and will continue until May 15, and trout anglers have until April 15 to catch their haul of rainbow trout, though the state has been known to allow all anglers to keep trout after the season since they die out anyway.

The youth spring turkey season begins April 1 and runs through April 17. Adult hunters can take turkeys with bow and arrow beginning April 9, and the regular spring turkey season (firearm/archery) runs April 18 through May 31.

I look forward to seeing a bunch of turkey photos from my readers this spring, as well as fishing photos. Speaking of which, Patricia Mellard sent a couple of photos she snapped of a nice bass she caught in a pond near Wakarusa on March 3.

She said she was using a 3-inch smelt Berkley grub — her go-to bait.

Congrats on the nice fish, and I look forward to seeing more fishing photos from readers as the season progresses.

Dale Hossfeld, of Topeka, also sent a bunch of interesting trail camera videos from the woods near his home. Included in the videos were coyotes, a raccoon and a skunk getting in a fight and several bobcat videos. They will be posted on the online version of this story.

ARCHERY EVENTS ON TAP — Topeka Bowhunters recently announced its 2018 shoot schedule.

Each event will include 40 3D targets and starts at 8 a.m. at S.E. 37th and Ratner Road. Cost of registration will be $12 per person.

The next event will be April 7, followed by shoots on May 5, June 2, Aug. 4-5 and the Chili shoot on Dec. 1, which will include lunch.

For more information, contact Gary at (785) 246-4033.

The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office will host its eighth annual Ad Astra Youth Archery Tournament on April 21 at MacLennan Park. Students grades kindergarten through 12 can participate in the event.

The event will include a fishing clinic, instructional area and a demonstration on how to make your own arrows.

Registration is due by April 6 to guarantee your receive a T-shirt in your size. You can register online at https://tinyurl.com/y7dj69yw/.

AQUATIC EDUCATION DAY SLATED — On April 21, the Emporia chapter of Fishing’s Future will host its second annual Aquatic Education Day at the Marina Cove at Council Grove Reservoir.

The event will teach kids about water safety and fishing. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will be sponsored by Fishing’s Future and the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Fish KS.

For more information, contact the Council Grove Marina or Phil Taunton at [email protected].

COMMISSION MEETING AHEAD IN TOPEKA — The Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission will hold its next public meeting March 22 at the Kansas Historical Society History Center, 6425 S.W. 6th Ave. in Topeka.

The afternoon session will begin at 1 p.m. and recess at 5 p.m.. The evening session will then convene at 6:30 p.m. Discussions will focus on webless migratory birds, waterfowl regulations, deer seasons on Fort Riley, public lands regulations and antelope and deer regulations.

The commission will vote on the 2018-19 Kansas deer seasons during the evening session and hear Secretary’s Orders on deer permit numbers.

Live video and audio will be available online at http://www.ksoutdoors.com.

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