What would you do?

What would you do if you owned this 1880 Gothic Revival style house? It was built in 1880 by early and influential Wallace businessman Peter Robidoux.


If you were Buddy and Glenda Allama you'd buy it and renovate it one room at a time.

Twelve of us that ventured to Wallace for The Happening met here for snacks and a tour. It was amazing.


This is just a view of the staircase but you get the idea that they've done a magnificent job in restoring the signature historic home left in Wallace, population 66, in Wallace County.

They have a commercial kitchen and love to host groups or give tours.

After two more rooms are done, they'll start on the outside.

People like Buddy and Glenda are an inspiration. To understand why people would make this kind of an investment and effort in a small town will help you "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Stay at the top of Kansas!

After you climb to the top of Mount Sunflower about 30 miles from Sharon Springs, you'll want and need a very relaxing overnight stay. That place would be an 8-room, nice as they come, bed-and-breakfast found within a converted 1922 Methodist Church.

Firm but comfortable mattresses, very soft towels, soap that you don't see in chain motels, and a delicious breakfast is part of the basic package. All rooms have private baths, high-speed internet access, and individual heat and air units, as well as cable TV. Two handicapped-accessible rooms are exceptional and an elevator makes it easy to get around the three-level church.

Breakfast is served in the basement in a room that can convert into a conference room for 100!


We were there for The Happening. Later that day they were hosting a tea. They even topped their sugar cubes with personally crafted frosting flowers!

The local Wesleyan church owns the bed-and-breakfast now and the church ladies volunteer their time to run it.

A block off of the main street, it's easy to walk around town from the bed and breakfast.

To learn more, go to www.mtsunflowerbandb.com.

Stay at "the top of Kansas" at the Mount Sunflower Bed and Breakfast and "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

The picture we didn't take...

We turned west off of U.S. 83 about 27 miles north of the K-4 intersection in Logan County and headed cross country to Russell Springs.

One generally expects this area to look dry and barren. With plenty of rain this year, the High Plains vegetation had a lot of pep to it. The dry land crops looked lush.

But the most amazing part was the view. The picture we didn't take. At a certain point it seems that from a stance in the middle of the road, a person could have turned a 360 and seen little of civilization save the crops and road. Our guess was that we could see about 6-8 miles in every direction.

We does a farmer think about when he plows these colossal fields? What thoughts must he have? Likely a great affection for the isolation or it would have driven him mad by now and far, far away.

The wide open view was so awesome it was almost scary. A remote part of Kansas that most people likely can't imagine.

In fact, that is what our Explorer event, The Happening, is for. To encourage people to come to an area they aren't familiar with and learn about it, experience it.

By the time we got to Russell Springs, it was almost a shock to see a homestead. And what a great site it was to see the former courthouse. Civilization!
We saw many hitching posts as we approached this former county seat. A reminder of the annual Butterfield Trail Ride. We saw deer, pheasant, and flocks of turkey.

I was mostly reminded of how every county in Kansas is so different, has its own special characteristics. To the people that live here, this is the norm. Most years it's dry but that just makes the years with more moisture all the more special. If we just all understood and appreciated these differences, we could all pull together for one strong Kansas.

If I got on my soap box I'd say not everyone was made to live in Johnson County and I doubt that most natives of JoCo would be very comfortable in the expansive lands of Logan County. We ought to be glad we have people that can handle these extremes and be a little more respectful and supportive.

In any case, it was a great pleasure to have a reason to make this drive. We sure have a beautiful state.

The backroads of every county help us "Get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

How did that giant rooster get there?

Two things drew us into this store. A grocery store called "Ma and Pa's" AND the giant rooster. WenDee took the lead on this and when we went inside the fabulous grocery store in Ransom, population 326, she found out that a guy in Ness City "makes" these giant roosters and he put one here to showcase it.

If you have an extra $1550 you might want to buy this for traffic-stopping yard art.

Seeing it wasn't hard. Finding out the story is the extra step that Explorers take.

One comment on the grocery store. It was clean, well-stocked, and had friendly staff -- in a town of 300+. That right there tells me a whole lot about the community of Ransom. Way to go!

To "Get Kansas" you have to ask the right questions -- like what is that giant rooster doing in your front yard?

KE #2 Marci Penner

Buying stamps in Bison

The Kansas Explorers Club Happening took place in Wallace this past weekend. Part of the plan is to encourage people to enjoy the journey on the way to the Happening.

We had terrific Exploring stops in Lyons, Otis, Bison, LaCrosse, Ransom, Utica, and Russell Springs before getting to Sharon Springs. For now, let's just talk about Bison, population 229, and Otis, population 316, in Rush County.


I love it when the Kansas Sampler Foundation needs stamps at the same time that we're headed out on a road trip. We get to choose a small town post office to make a usually substantial purchase. Bison got the business this time. Maureen was a very friendly and engaging post master who was grateful for the business -- which makes it feel even better.


$108 later, we left the post office. Amount of revenue decides salary, hours, and even whether or not a post office gets a digital scale or the antique version. When the revenue declines too much, the post office is in danger of closing.


Post offices are often a hub in a small town and you sometime see signs like this.


The red-brick corner bank is next to the post office. They have historic pictures of Bison inside.


Look closely here against the leaves but you'll see iron cut-out street signs shaped like bison.


When have you last seen a First ME Church -- I mean, First Methodist Episcopal Church. This one was built in 1921. It was locked so we couldn't see the inside. Beautiful exterior.

The cool looking Peter Brack Memorial band shell is found in the Otis park. It was named after a Russian immigrant. At 3rd and Eagle is a decorative entrance found above the doors of the 1931 school. Could that be Carthalite?

Exploring Kansas is all about the journey. There is so much to see, so much to "get" about Kansas if we just open our eyes.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Cleverness in small towns

I saw this promotion for a Fish Fry in Reading when we were there for our Power Up meeting. Obviously, I should have posted this sooner but the point of the post is to show how a little time being creative can go a long way in grabbing attention.

Frying pans, fish, white picket fence. Good job Reading! I bet it was a big success!

Little things help the public "Get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

A Very Good Road Trip

All it takes is an impetus -- a reason to get out on Kansas roads. Explorers choose quests for such a reason. Sometime the reason can be a meeting.


In the case of our "Very Good Road Trip" yesterday, it came about because we went to the Kansas Sampler Festival volunteer luncheon in Concordia hosted by local festival directors Susie Haver (see her in the picture and in real life) and Tammy Britt. They served a great meal that came from a combination of locally-owned businesses in the area. It's always good to see them.

We really hadn't planned a route in advance except we knew that we wanted to end up at Fat Boyz in Little River for their chicken-fried steak night. The journey just unfolded.


First stop was the stone arch bridge at Rice, a tiny unincorporated spot in the road between Concordia and Clyde on K-9. There are stone steps around the big ol' cottonwood at the base of the 1911 bridge. Since the creek was dry it was easy to get some good shots.


We were anxious to go to Clyde to see all the flower pots. They had won one of the $1,000 Grand Idea prizes at the We Kan! Conference for their plan to put out 125 pots or hanging planters to celebrate their 125th Watermelon Festival. People are even putting out flower pots on their home porches. All the flowers makes Clyde look very friendly.

We were out in the street taking pictures when a car stopped just in front of us, in the middle of the street. She got out of her car and left the car door wide open, came over to us, and pointed to the mortuary to make sure we saw the flowers on the second floor windows. She was the friendly owner of the mortuary. There wasn't lots of traffic so our middle of main street visit was very pleasant.

Many windows were painted with a watermelon theme. Great job Clyde!


Next stop was the unincorporated town of St. Joseph. We later found out from the men's coffee table at the Kountry Kafe in Miltonvale that the St. Joseph Church is slated soon for demolition. What a shame...you could easily imagine it in its glory years.

The cemetery behind the church is a reminder that this was a French settlement. Almost all the names on the stones sound like French names and some of the words are even written in French.


Miltonvale was founded by Milton Tootle. Tootlepark has a tremendous playground for kids, a swimming pool, a stone walking bridge, and a bandshell built by the WPA in 1936. Miltonvale's population is just over 500. We also found some buildings from the former Milton College.


I've long wanted to visit Tricia Remley's Grassland Gardens located between Miltonvale and U.S. 81, out in the country. It's so impressive! We'll try to let you know about her Fall Open House and urge you to go. She has a variety of areas on this showcase farm. Ornamental grasses are grown in one lot, flowers and plants in another, and a regular garden in the ruins of an old building. That's just the very short of it. She has paths through the prairie, a greenhouse, and a shop for cut flowers and a drying room.


We even ate some blueberries off the vine!


The last stop of the day was Fat Boyz in Little River. It was chicken-fried steak night. They buy their meat from the next door Garden of Eden grocery story and hand-bread it before they deep-fry it. It was so very good. Fat Boyz Steaks are featured every night. If you go on the weekend call for reservations. They do a very brisk business. 620.897.5216. Though they still allow smoking here, the room is big with a tall ceiling so it's not too noticeable.


Can you read this sign on a Little River storefront? Barber Shop. Painless dentistry and blood letting. You gotta love the fun.

All it takes to have "A Very Good Road Trip" is an explorer mindset and the desire to enjoy the journey. Once you have these valuable tools you'll "Get Kansas" by stopping in towns of every size.

KE #2 Marci Penner