Anderson County:

Garnett "Ghost Tracks" Holds Memories for Former Racer

They call places like Garnett, "ghost tracks."

Places that long ago used to reverberate with the excitement of thousands of auto racing spectators; the smell of hot oil and gasoline exhaust; the sounds of screaming engines straining for the next inch of ground to prove who was the best.

The Joy of Writing in Kansas: Colony Native Spins the Grit of Kansas to Tales

Topeka author Max Yoho takes words – those plain ol’ words we all use daily, reading and writing -- and scrubs them off with a little bit of spit and a dirty hankie, shuffles them like a worn deck of cards and then just when you think he’s going to deal, he hollers “52 card pickup” and tosses them in the air.

Montgomery County:

From Akron Aircraft to Kansas Tractor Collectibles

Joe and Howard Funk were born just 30 minutes apart on September 17, 1910, in Akron, Ohio. The brothers seemed to have a knack for all things mechanical, and both excelled in drafting and shop classes in school. They took an immediate liking to flying machines, which were becoming quite popular in the Akron area. Their folks, however, had other ideas and set them up in the retail grocery business. But that just provided them the financial platform needed to pursue their interest in aircraft.

A Golden Theatre Is Reborn in Independence

Patrons worn suits and evening dresses, and the evening as an occasion, an event, a night on the town. The was an a era in which going to the theater was about much more than popcorn and Raisinets. Independence is home to one of the last existing examples of this “Golden Age of Movie Palaces”, which reigned during the 1920’s. This distinctive time in history fostered the beginning of the motion picture industry. The Booth Theatre was the first and only movie theatre in Independence, Kansas, for more than 53 years, starting in 1927. It represents a time when going to the movies was a complete experience, and many of the movies shown paled in comparison to the theatres themselves. The lavish art deco style, in conjunction with the public fervor for motion pictures, made the Booth Theatre the hot spot for social gathering.

The Brown Mansion Lives On in Coffeyville

One of Southeast Kansas’s greatest treasures of the past still lies in Coffeyville Kansas. The Brown Mansion was home to William P. Brown and his family from 1906-1970. The Mansion cost $125,000 to build, in part because of its lavish furnishings and intricate designs. In 1970, Violet Brown sold the mansion to the Coffeyville Historical Society, and it is now a tourist attraction where visitors can catch a glimpse of upper class life in the early 1900’s.