Inlay

Saturday night, while Riverfest visitors filled downtown Wichita, a crowd of eager spectators gathered at nearby Harvester Arts. It was for the third iteration of Clown Jam, a local variety show created by local actor and “full-time fool” Madi White. The air was hot and humid outside, but inside was full of electricity. Fifteen minutes after the doors opened, only a few single seats remained. By curtain, it was standing room only. My own attitudes were apprehensive. It isn’t that I don’t like clowns. When I was considering colleges with theater programs, clown school was a viable contender. But I have become a middle-aged skeptic, anxious in over-zealous crowds of young people seeking attention in the name of self-expression. I didn’t want to be bored, and I didn’t want to be pulled on stage. The lights dimmed, the music started, and a cleverly costumed “Tumbleweed” blew across the stage followed by a full-cast, hyper-stylized train robbery. Then, the host clown, “Polly Fartin,” played by White herself, introduced the evening with polish and charm, and I knew we were in good hands. A train of robbers churns forward with the help of some fantastical props and costumes. __Courtesy photo by Emmett Joseph.__ Each of 10 different acts featured its own character, complete with full-color costume and makeup, loosely connected by an “Old West” theme but otherwise independent of one another. My favorite was “Chartreuse the Sleepy Time Clown,” who carries a lantern running out of fuel. Canteen empty, they set about to solve the problem. Gentle audience interaction along with very carefully crafted moment-by-moment discovery kept the audience rapt with attention and then exuberant with joy at the clever conclusion. ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “Tomfoolery,” of slight build and bold blue hair, fumbled with a single sheet of paper, bumbled through a bit of schtick, and then dropped the note and wowed the audience with a fantastic yodeling number about looking for the love of a cowgirl. “Achy the Clown” finished up the evening, closing the loose plot point of a train robbery. The clever characterization of the lovable “bad guy,” along with extremely specific bits, played very well. These are only a few highlights from a long list of fast-paced, high-energy acts full of creativity and warmth. For "full-time fool" Madi White, clowning is serious business. __Photo by Emmett Joseph for The SHOUT.__ As for audience participation, it was limited to the front row or to self-selecting volunteers. If you raised your hand, you could be fairly confident the clown was going to keep you in the bit and have fun. One exception might be the volunteer who ended up being ridden across the stage while wearing a headband of cow ears. The next volunteer to reluctantly wear the ears timidly walked on stage unsure of what to expect, only to have the clown run away and leave her on stage with no script or prompt. This was during the section of “new clowns,” and Polly Fartin graciously instructed the guest to return to her seat and apologized for the mishap. No clowns or audience members were harmed, and all seemed to take it in good fun. The stage was a single curtain washed in a few multi-colored lights. Elaborate makeup designs and wearable art costumes provided visual punch, such as with stage kittens Salty Glaze, Suspicious Glaze, and Kitten Fang: Every time they stepped on stage, they reminded us we were in a modern-day clown show. They are a little naughty and a lot of fun. Two clown assistants unfurl a Clown Jam banner at the February show. __Courtesy photo by Patrick Heath.__ Clowning is much more broad than makeup and gags, but Clown Jam is even more diverse. Talents include music, puppetry, drag, and any act capturing the playful spirit of joyful clowning. A full score of intentional songs, both as underscore and performed live, elevated the work and never once distracted. In one of the final numbers, music took full focus and turned the entire room into a brief but lively dance floor. Even I, the curmudgeonly critic with fading joy, found myself moving to the groove and smiling through the end. The key to the evening’s success is creator Madi White, who understands that clowning is serious business. The tradition extends well beyond French mime Marcel Marceau and Rowan Atkinson’s “Mr. Bean” and deep into medieval times. From court jesters to rodeos, successful clowns dedicate hours to their craft — honing specific, skills-based routines, sharpening their crowd work, and building sequences of bits to build fanciful narratives. With 10 years of clowning experience on top of an acting degree from Wichita State and furthered by clown school, White has the resume and the chops to deliver the goods. What is more, through teaching workshops of her own, she is also building a local culture of the craft. The Wichita Arts Council provided a well-deserved grant to Clown Jam, but our community would benefit by finding even more ways to keep artists like White working. Madi White, host and producer of Clown Jam, in character on Harvester's makeshift performance area at the February 7 show. __Courtesy photo by Patrick Heath.__ I will be at the next Clown Jam on October 31. It promises to be spooky, but there is nothing to fear. As a reluctant first-timer, I made it through unscathed and left delighted. If you share my apprehensions, I offer a few words of advice. Don’t be scared by the invitation to “dress clowny.” Yes, there are people in full clown get up, and they are obviously having a blast, but there are also others in casual jeans and t-shirts. No one is out of place. Clown Jam performers take a curtain call at the February performance at Harvester Arts. __Courtesy photo by Patrick Heath.__ Maybe this is the biggest piece of magic performed all night: Clown Jam achieves a full range of acceptance without any of the didactic tropes of modern theater. It is popular for a reason, and I anticipate it will become even more so. Get your tickets early, arrive early, and find a good seat. If you don’t want to be a part of the action, don’t sit in the front row. All the better if you do. Finally, bring cash. Tipping opportunities and other clever devices will help these artists keep making art. After an evening of this much joy, you will want to support it. ## The Details The next Clown Jam will take place on October 31 at Harvester Arts. The ticketed event is general admission and 18+. Follow Madi White on Instagram and/or sign up for emails from Harvester Arts for news about the next show. Related coverage in The SHOUT: Heart to heart: Madi White's 'The Free State' at KC Fringe * * * _**Leslie Coates** is a theater faculty member at Butler Community College and has acting and directing credits from San Diego to New England. He is a former board member for Forum Theatre Company where he also appeared in "Christmas Letters," "Pump Boys and Dinettes," and various Words and Music performances. _ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

When I was about 14, I abruptly realized that the people in another part of the house were strangers, even though I knew they were my parents. I wasn’t having a tantrum, nothing had happened. I just momentarily became an ephemeral “other” watching my life as if it were someone else’s. I was yet to go through any of the physical or experiential rites of adolescence, but I had become someone changed, and bewildered. This memory came to me watching opening night of Kimberly Belflower’s “Lost Girl,” now on stage at Wichita Community Theatre through June 14. Granted, I had not experienced the cosmic upheaval that befell Wendy Darling when Peter Pan seduced her away through her bedroom window to a land where children never grow up and she gave away her first kiss. That would mess with anybody’s head. But it was fitting that I connected to the performance not cerebrally but viscerally, via memory, because that’s what this play evokes: memory, sadness, fleeting glimpses, enigmatic emotion, transformed into flesh and blood. Francie Robu as Wendy in front of the appropriately pastel-colored set and props. __Courtesy photo by Grant Seymour for Wichita Community Theatre.__ Copious metaphors are the script’s primary tools — the window, the toys, the “lost boys,” Peter Pan (the character and the story itself), the lost ability to fly, the kiss, and on and on. Quite a feat, because metaphors don’t generally have a long shelf life. (Alas, they do expire before the play does.) Those metaphors as the play’s foundational building blocks are, I think, why the play left my companion and me with so much to chew on. Bella Vogt’s simple set, embodying narrative and feelings, presents a lovely tableau: a window frame, its latticed French windows flung wide open, abutting a cozy seat with stuffed animals piled into a tidy triangle. That window, those comfort creatures, surrounded by wide-open nothingness. They are both an anchor for Wendy and the means of her eventual, inevitable changes. Further endowing the production is Beetle Hatch’s rich lighting design, featuring soft, diffused close-ups; daguerreotype-like projections behind a wide screen; overlaying shades of pale colors; and scenic shifts in moods, locations, and realities. ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Francie Robu beautifully embodies Wendy and her lonely, messy, deeply sad place in the world, pining for Peter and his promise to return. She’s stuck like dust in that window’s sill — neither back in the land she left along with the story’s “lost boys” nor returned to the real world embracing her life’s next stages. The playwright has given her (at times, more accurately, saddled her) with plaintive exchanges and monologues that become, as the story unfolds, repetitive, contradictory, and eventually downright tiresome. In short, she’s a lot. She mystifies her worried mother, her doctors, the detective working the case of her nine-day disappearance years earlier, and her real-world friends, whom she has abandoned. Even the lost boys themselves, who have moved on but good-heartedly fill in as avatars for genuine friends, eventually decide they must pull away for her own good. Mitchell as Slightly offers fireflies to fill in for the fairies of Neverland. __Courtesy photo by Grant Seymour for Wichita Community Theatre.__ I suspect Wendy’s maddening behavior is intended, given the common behaviors of young women mourning the loss of their first love, but it’s a lot to put on the shoulders of an actor whose job, along with the rest of the cast and crew, is to keep audiences engaged and rooting for her. Robu pulls it off, and does so with seeming ease — the tell of a skilled actor. Avoiding what could have become repetitive whining in the hands of a lesser performer, Robu endows Wendy with a light, wistful quality, achingly honest in her own self-exploration, her willingness to reconsider her assumptions. She is aided by a solid cast that offers strong performances, both as individuals and as a nicely gelled ensemble. Particularly notable are Shane Wilson, whose portrayals of Wendy’s therapist and lost boy Toodles are flexible, appealing, and distinct; Tryston Mitchell as a sensitive and funny Slightly, whose advances Wendy rejects as she continues to wait for the evasive Peter; and remaining lost boys Nathaniel Schmucker (also strong as the exasperated detective), and Caleb Jamal Manuel. The Other Girls — Rachel Criswell, Laura Koerner, and Bella Vogt. Ezri Mitchell filled in for Criswell on Thursday. __Courtesy photo by Grant Seymour for Wichita Community Theatre.__ A trio of “other women” played by Ezri Mitchell (who stepped in for Rachel Criswell Thursday due to a family emergency), Laura Koerner, and Bella Vogt serve as a chorus, both reflecting and repelling Wendy’s feelings and also forming more of the tableaus that fill the production. Grey Thaw solidly plays Nina, a duplicitous “other woman” hiding an upsetting secret (of which there are several over the course of the story). Justice Murray plays an assured Peter and Grayson Williams plays a sweet real-life boyfriend unable to crack Wendy’s shell. Laden with themes — fear of growing up, lost innocence, woman’s battle for agency — the one I find best depicted in this particular production is the relationship between a mother and a daughter on the cusp of … “something changed,” as Ashley McCracken says in her outstanding portrayal of Wendy’s mother. McCracken renders a strong but uncertain woman trying her best to support but also protect her daughter, even when faced with behaviors she cannot understand. McCracken evokes equal doses of warmth and parental power in a refreshingly healthy, loving mother-daughter relationship. Noting her daughter’s extended mourning of a fantastical adventure that’s ended, she admits, “I wish I could be more like you.” Robu as Wendy embodies the lost girl's immense sadness in her inability to transition from childhood. __Courtesy photo by Grant Seymour for Wichita Community Theatre.__ Director (and costume director) Jessica Heidrick has imbued the production with visual gifts: attractive arrangements of people, items, and colorful costumes. Wendy wears a pretty dress of an azure blue that my friend saw as signifying her lost ability to fly into the sky, and bright and pastel colors abound. But Heidrick’s staging lacks rhythmic variety; scenes move at equal pacing, contributing to the latter part of the play’s heaviness and repetitiveness. The script comprises several short scenes rather than fewer longer ones more receptive to sustained arcs of emotional rises and falls. In many, Heidrick crisscrosses cast members while they walk and talk rapidly, but the theater’s old wooden stage renders the staging noisy, which adds to the choppiness already inherent in the script’s string of short scenes. Nevertheless — and more crucially — this carefully crafted production is honest to the bone. Thoughtful care radiates through its strong, disciplined performances, interpretations, and visual filaments. “Lost Girl” dares to trust the audience with vulnerability, and we are rewarded with a theatrical, shared experience that will stay with us for some time. ## The Details **Wichita Community Theatre presents “Lost Girl” by Kimberly Belflower** June 4-14, 2026, at 258 N. Fountain St. in Wichita Performances take place at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sundays. The show runs about 100 minutes with no intermission. Friday-Sunday general admission tickets are $20; students, seniors, and military tickets are $18. All tickers for Thursday shows are $16. The Wichita Community Theatre building is accessible to people with physical disabilities, and there are numerous floor seats available. Learn more and purchase tickets. * * * _**Anne Welsbacher** writes plays, fiction, and nonfiction. She is the Performing Arts Editor for this publication. awelsbacher.com_ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

Wichita’s North End has long been anchored by a deeply rooted Mexican-American community. The area is home to Evergreen Park — a 26.8-acre municipal park featuring a recreation complex with sports fields, a playground, a swimming pool, and three striking public murals that celebrate the community’s cultural heritage. “Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural” graces the east-facing front-entrance wall of the Evergreen Recreation Center. Painted by Felipe Ortiz and Ivan Salazar, a Colombian art duo known as the Fresco Exchange, the public mural was completed in 2018 as part of the Horizontes community murals project. __Photo by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The youngest of this trio of Evergreen murals is the “Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural,” which graces the east-facing front-entrance wall of the Evergreen Recreation Center. The mural focuses on Mesoamerican iconography, centering on Tlaloc, the Aztec deity associated with rain, water, and agriculture. It is a fitting echo of the agrarian and industrial roots of the historic North End worker communities that grew around the turn of the 20th century to support Wichita’s nearby rail yards, refineries, and meatpacking plants. Angled views of “Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural,” one including the Evergreen Recreation Center Park and Recreation sign. __Photos by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ Painted by Felipe Ortiz and Ivan Salazar, a Colombian art duo known as the Fresco Exchange, the mural is part of the Horizontes community murals project. Conceived and led by the Wichita-based artist Armando Minjarez, the initiative aims to connect neighborhoods through large-scale public art. The artwork renders traditional Aztec patterns and forms in crisp geometric detail, using dominant shades of feather-blue accented by yellow, green, purple, and red. The white, skull-like visage of Tlaloc dominates the work. Felipe Ortiz and Ivan Salazar, “Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural,” paint and concrete, 2018. __Photo by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The mural was unveiled to the public in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2018 by Troy Houtman, then the city’s parks and recreation director, and Cindy Claycomb, the Wichita City Council member who represented District 6. ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. “We’re here today to officially unveil this new asset for District 6,” Claycomb said. “Studies have shown that public art has a ripple effect of promoting a healthy economy and a healthy social environment.” She went on to thank the artists and Minjarez for his role in the creation of the mural as the originator of the Horizontes project. Painted in 1995 by Ryan Drake and Cody Handlin, the “Evergreen Recreation Center Mural" spans the facility’s north-facing façade. The mural was repainted and restored in 2020. __Photo by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The center’s first mural — “Evergreen Recreation Center Mural” or simply Evergreen Mural No. 1 — is also replete with Aztec-inspired designs. Painted in 1995 by Ryan Drake and Cody Handlin, the artwork spans the facility’s north-facing facade. Drake, who later channeled his drafting skills into a career as a prominent regional tattoo artist, worked with Handlin to engage local youth apprentices in the painting process. The mural combines abstract geometries with trompe-l’oeil detailing that tricks the eye into perceiving depth — and a “real” child and man gazing into the distance — on an otherwise flat wall. The mural was repainted in 2020, restoring the work’s original warm red background and standout blue, yellow, and tan patterning. Ryan Drake and Cody Handlin, “Evergreen Recreation Center Mural,” paint and concrete, 1995. __Photos by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The “Evergreen Park Pool House Mural” was completed in 2014 as a community endeavor led by Joel Escarpita working under the banner of the ICT Army of Artists, a Wichita collective of creatives, activists, and artists dedicated to community enrichment through public art. __Photo by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The smaller mural on the south-facing concrete wall of the pool house — a short walk across a parking lot from the recreation center — was completed in 2014 as part of another collaborative public art endeavor organized by Minjarez, whose community initiatives consistently blend art with social advocacy. “The pool house mural is a community mural,” he explains, adding that Joel Escarpita, now principal of Horace Mann Dual Language Magnet school in Wichita’s North End, led the mural-making, working under the banner of the ICT Army of Artists — a Wichita collective of creatives, activists, and artists dedicated to community enrichment through public art. Details of “Evergreen Park Pool House Mural,” made of paint, cement products, and stucco in 2014. __Photos by Connie Kachel White for The SHOUT.__ The “Evergreen Park Pool House Mural” swims in colorful geometric shapes reminiscent of the sun and its rays, as well as barns, silos, and fields. Like its fellow Evergreen murals, it offers viewers a tangible reflection on such intangible things as community identity, change, ancestry, resilience, and pride. ## The Details **“Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural” “Evergreen Recreation Center Mural” and “Evergreen Park Pool House Mural"** The Evergreen Recreation Center is located at 2700 N. Woodland in the El Pueblo neighborhood of North Wichita. The park's hours are 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Fridays. Learn more on the Public Art Archive pages for the “Aztec Design/Tlaloc Mural,” the “Evergreen Recreation Center Mural,” and the “Evergreen Park Pool House Mural”. For more information on the Evergreen Recreation Center, visit its page on the City of Wichita's website. * * * _**Connie Kachel White** is a writer and editor who has written about the arts in Wichita for going on three decades now. White, whose communications gigs range from book-editing to investigative reporting, is the founding and current editor of Wichita State University’s The Shocker magazine. More of her writing can be found online at _theshockermagazine.com_and_ shockerconnect.com_._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

From the time she was born until the age of 10, Eden Quispe lived in a Victorian home with a spiral staircase in the 1200 block of Fairview Avenue in Wichita’s Historic Midtown neighborhood. Quispe’s father fenced the flat part of its rooftop so she and her siblings could sleep under the stars. From that vantage point, the family enjoyed an excellent view of the annual fireworks display at the Wichita River Festival. As a child, Eden Quispe lived with her family in an old Victorian at 1237 Fairview St. in Wichita's Historic Midtown neighborhood. __Photo courtesy of Eden Quispe.__ Fireworks at a Riverfest long ago. Perhaps Eden Quispe and her family were watching from their rooftop in Midtown. __Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ Quispe records that experience in “Where the River Flows Everything Will Live,” a fiber work on view in “Eden Quispe: Narrative Threads” at the Wichita Art Museum, which has acquired the piece for their permanent collection. In the bottom-left corner, the artist’s little brother is depicted at the age of 3, lying on his back, while his older sister draws a bow, echoing the pose of the Kaw warrior of Richard Bergan’s sculpture “Ad Astra,” which is installed atop the Kansas State Capitol building in Topeka. "In Where the River Flows Everything Will Live," Eden Quispe and her little brother play on the roof of their home in Historic Midtown. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ The sprawling, complex piece also documents the landscape of Quispe’s childhood, including recognizable landmarks such as North High School, the Dillons store that used to be at the corner of Waco and 13th Streets, and Jack’s North Hi Carryout. Recognizable landmarks in "Where the River Flows Everything Will Live": the distinctive boomerang sign of Jack's North Hi Carry-Out, the old Dillons at Waco and 13th, North High's tower. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ “I felt a lot of beauty and imagination in a place that people didn't consider romantic at all … but having a really interesting culture around me made it feel very magical,” Quispe said in an artist talk at WAM in February. Eden Quispe, “Where the River Flows Everything Will Live,” 2025; stitched, printed, painted and collaged textiles, quilt, vintage dress, doll clothes, scarves, embroideries, doilies, potholders, buttons. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT__ Eden Quispe attended Horace Mann Elementary School, then a language magnet where she and her classmates studies Japanese and French. The school, which moved to a new building in 2003, is now a dual language magnet. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ She got to know kids of other cultures at Horace Mann, where she was one of the only white kids in her classroom, and at home, where her parents hosted Bible clubs for the neighborhood children. Another scene in "Where the River Flows" depicts a birthday party with a piñata. Quispe often incorporates vintage textiles in her work, many made by her grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, and other female ancestors. She found others on trips to Peru, where members of her husband's family live. For this piece, Quispe added a riot of other baubles, including a single Barbie high heel and a Riverfest button from 1985, the year of the artist’s birth. In an old photo, a man wears a cap decorated with buttons from past festivals. "I was really fascinated by the buttons, because it was always a different artist that did them," Quispe said. __Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ “I found it very appropriate to make this work with lots of random pieces of stuff, because that was my growing up years in that neighborhood,” she said in her WAM talk. “There were lots of little random things I would pick up off the ground.” The artwork is adorned with mementos that hold meaning for Quispe, including a button from her husband's native country of Peru and a 1985 Wichita River Festival button. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ Quispe rendered the sky with antique lace doilies, a fragment of a hooked rug, other vintage linens, and a child's sock and shoe. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ Her mom called these treasures trash, so Quispe squirreled them away in a little “hidey-hole” under the porch, a place she likens to the grotto in “The Little Mermaid.” “I didn't realize (then), but that is part of being an artist: being able to find beauty in the little things that people don't consider beautiful.” The Riverfest scene unfolds along the bottom of the piece. Decorated rafts float on the Arkansas River as spectators look on from the riverbanks. In this detail image, Wichita Riverfest participants float along the Arkansas River. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ Riverfest watercraft from the era Eden Quispe evokes in "Where the River Flows Everything Will Live." __Photos courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ Festival-goers watch goings-on from the bank of the Arkansas River. __Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ The long neck of the “Riverfest dragon,” which adorned a well-remembered raft, extends toward the sky. The Riverfest dragon roars. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ Eden Quispe's father took this photograph of the Riverfest dragon, which she said "everyone remembers" from Riverfests in the 1980s and '90s. __Photo courtesy of Eden Quispe.__ "(The dragon) represents the dark side — it's kind of scary," Quispe said in an interview with The SHOUT. "It's a representation of this darker feel." In that way, it resembles "Balance," another work in the exhibition at WAM. In both, a female figure is threatened by the presence of a serpent underfoot, a threat the girl and the woman both overcome. Eden Quispe, "Balance," 2023; stitched, printed, soldered painted and collaged textiles, women's clothes, scarves, quilt remnants, embroideries, pot holders, doilies, hand towels. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ One Riverfest button-holder hints at the source of the threat: A man with his arms crossed wears a bandana emblazoned with the design of the Confederate flag. Quispe says the figure is based on a photograph published in The Wichita Eagle by longtime Eagle photographer Fernando Salazar. Nearby, two men brandish broken bottles-as-weapons. These figures complicate the artwork and acknowledge that the Wichita of Quispe's childhood wasn't _all_ magic: Racism and violence marred the world then as they do now. From left: A man wearing a Confederate flag bandana stands with his arms crossed; two men square off, each holding a broken bottle. __Photos by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ Quispe used her daughter as a reference for the heroic central figure in “Where the River Flows.” The young girl's pose with outstretched hands resembles Blackbear Bosin’s “The Keeper of the Plains," the monumental sculpture and enduring symbol of Wichita that stands at the confluence of the Arkansas and Little Arkansas Rivers. “Blackbear Bosin … talked about walking in two worlds," Quispe said. "I pulled into that narrative: What does it mean to walk in two worlds?” Her daughter, who also helped paint this piece, is herself of two worlds: Kansas, where her mother's family stretches back generations, and Peru, her father's home country. Installed in 1974, Blackbear Bosin's "The Keeper of the Plains" has become Wichita's most enduring symbol. __Photo by Fernando Salazar for The SHOUT.__ The central figure in "Where the River Flows" is based on the artist's daughter. Her embellished, painted dress hints at her multiethnic identity. In her children, Quispe "sees the hope of future generations." __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ In "Where the River Flows," the girl's multiethnic identity is a source of power. I mentioned Quispe’s exhibition in an editor’s note earlier this year: > Each of Quispe’s densely textured fiber work would make for an excellent game of “I spy,” and after her talk I noticed museum visitors lingering for an unusually long time in front of each piece. One WAM employee told me that when the show opened at 10 a.m. on Friday, staff gathered in the first-floor gallery to get a closer look — and “that doesn’t always happen.” At the time, I couldn’t get a good photo of “Where the River Flows,” because people were crowded in front of it the whole time I was in the gallery. Museum visitors contemplate "Where the River Flows Everything Will Live" on a Saturday morning. __Photo by Emily Christensen for The SHOUT.__ The “I spy” nature of the work is absorbing on a literal surface level — but there’s lots more to consider. It reminds me of a history painting (albeit one rendered with textiles): The artist is historicizing her own childhood in a diverse neighborhood in central Wichita, and , in doing so, she asserts that time and place is worth preserving and examining. Perhaps best of all, Quispe offers interpretations of her personal history that differ from tired arguments about both Wichita and its annual community festival, which play out on social media between relentless civic cheerleaders and those who complain that “nothing happens here” or who romanticize the past at the expense of the present. A mass of humanity at the River Run during a long-ago Riverfest. Since the 1970s, the festival brings together people from different walks of life for river activities, a road race, concerts, and fair food. __Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ Children play with bubbles during a festival in the early '90s. __Photo courtesy of Wichita Festivals, Inc.__ “I wanted to show both the good and bad of Wichita,” Quispe said. The good includes the city's racial and ethnic diversity, which mirrors national demographics. “We can always improve, but we come from a position of strength.” ## The Details **“** Eden Quispe: Narrative Threads**”** February 13-August 16, 2026, at the Wichita Art Museum, 1400 Museum Blvd. in Wichita “Eden Quispe: Narrative Threads” is the sixth show in the Naftzger Family Regional Creatives Exhibition Series, offered in partnership with Harvester Arts. The exhibition is located in the Kurdian Gallery on the museum’s first floor. The Wichita Art Museum is open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sundays. The museum has extended Friday evening hours until 9 p.m. Admission to most galleries is free, and the building is accessible to people with physical disabilities. Free parking is available in the lot adjacent to the museum. * * * _**Emily Christensen** is one of the co-founders of The SHOUT. She is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and a recipient of an Arts Writing Grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation. Send her a message: _ [email protected]_ _._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

The graffiti rolling past Wichita on the sides of freight trains doesn't usually receive the kind of close attention viewers pay to art in galleries or museums. In her current show at the Great Plains Transportation Museum, photographer Darnel Marley is making the argument that it should. "The Art of Benching," on view Saturdays through the end of June, gathers photographs from Marley's ongoing project of documenting freight-car graffiti, a practice known in the community as “benching.” The term is said to have originated in 1970s New York City, where graffiti writers gathered on a bench in the 149th Street subway station to critique the work passing through. Today, benchers post images online, trade leads with one another, and sometimes reconnect artists with pieces they painted years ago in another part of the country. Darnel Marley poses for a photo in front of a graffitied freight car that is on permanent display at the Great Plains Transportation Museum in downtown Wichita. The most prominent tag reads “SPACE,” but Marley does not know the identity of the graffiti writer, or of any other tags linked to the same artist. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ "There are a lot of graffiti writers who appreciate the benchers, because we are documenting their works," Marley said. "I will let them know, 'Hey, I just saw your piece roll through Wichita, or I saw your piece roll through Wellington.' It gives them the chance to say, 'Oh wow, I painted that piece five years ago in Seattle or the Bay Area.'" Darnel Marley, archival pigment print of digital photograph. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Darnel Marley, untitled archival pigment print of digital photograph. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ The exhibition opened on April 3 as part of the Transportation Museum's first-ever First Friday event, which also featured food trucks, a DJ, and the unveiling of a new mural painted on a shipping container on museum grounds. The museum received a $3,000 cultural partner grant from the Arts Council for the project. A new mural on view in the display yard at the Great Plains Transportation Museum shows a BNSF engine emerging from the lens of a camera. It is by the Wichita artist Nervz. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ The mural, by Wichita artist Nervz, is based on one of Marley's photographs and incorporates a stylized version of her camera. It depicts a train with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway livery. BNSF is one of two main lines that run past the museum. The institution is now raising money to paint the other side of the container with a mural featuring the Union Pacific Railway colors and insignia. Darnel Marley, untitled archival pigment print of digital photograph. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ A group of untitled archival pigment prints of digital photographs by Darnel Marley. __Photos by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Marley has been meticulous in building her personal archive of train graffiti. She works as a floral designer in Wichita and spends most lunch breaks watching for trains. "It's a way for me to unwind, and on a good lunch break I might be lucky enough to catch two or three trains, or I sit there and see nothing," she said. "It’s the same as fishing: You may sit there and come home skunked." To improve her odds, she listens to a rail-traffic scanner and watches Virtual Railfan, a YouTube channel that streams from rail cameras across North America. A simpler example of a moniker graffiti tag. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ The work she is drawn to varies. There are throw-ups — quick, unpolished pieces painted swiftly — and tags, which she described as quick signatures. There are monikers: small drawings, often less than two feet across, that function like calling cards. The form descends from hobo monikers left on rail cars more than a century ago, and Marley said today's moniker writers include graffiti artists as well as people with no other connection to graffiti culture, such as railroad workers. She has found monikers from the 1970s on cars still in service. "You can barely see them, they're so worn down, and you have to have a trained eye, especially if the train is rolling," she said. Darnel Marley, untitled archival pigment print of digital photographs. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ In this photo, Marley captures a more traditional — though elaborately styled and colored — style of tagging on the left, along with more representational graffiti on the right and far left. QR codes are another more recent innovation in the world of train graffiti. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Full pieces — the elaborate, multi-color works that can take all night or longer to paint — get her attention, but characters are a specific draw. "Not all graffiti writers are good at actual character painting. They're more trained on the letters,” she said. “So it's cool to see an artist who can paint actual art outside of merely their name on a train." Darnel Marley, archival pigment print of digital photograph. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Pop-culture designs are prized in the community for their rarity. Marley has seen works referencing The Simpsons and South Park. One notorious car carries a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, which she is hoping to see one day. Darnel Marley, archival pigment print of digital photograph. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Model railroad cars with graffiti art are incorporated in the show.__Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ The culture is, by necessity, secretive, but Marley said she has met some of the artists whose work she has photographed, sometimes without knowing it until later. She does not paint herself, partly out of caution and partly because of her role as a volunteer at the museum. She also draws a line between train graffiti and the tagging that shows up on Wichita streets and buildings. Train artists, in her telling, work to a code: They do not paint on engines, and they paint around the numbers and letters railroads use to track cars. "It's a respect thing," she said. "They also know that if they leave those things alone, their work could keep going for years." One of Marley’s favorite graffiti writers is Chaos Magick. Magick customizes each moniker (small tag) with a unique painting, and often includes a short phrase, such as “Believe in yourself,” “Punch all Nazis,” or in the pictured tag, “Head on.” __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ Marley said the exhibition has already shifted some attitudes. "Since I started taking photographs for the museum, a few people who were anti-graffiti — usually the traditional rail fans. Now, they still might not approve, but they can take a moment to look at the artwork. It is going to be there regardless.” “The Art of Benching” is on view at the Great Plains Transportation Museum, Saturdays through the end of June. __Photo by Sam Jack for The SHOUT.__ ## The Details **"Darnel Marley — The Art of Benching"** April 3-June 27, 2026, at the Great Plains Transportation Museum, 700 E. Douglas Ave. in downtown Wichita The Great Plains Transportation Museum is open 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. The majority of the museum is accessible by stairs. Admission is $9.75 for ages 13 and older, $6.25 for ages 4-12, and free for children 3 and under. * * * Sam Jack_is a poet, a classical tenor, and the adult services librarian at Newton Public Library. He performs with several local groups, including Wichita Chamber Chorale, Wichita Grand Opera, and Opera Kansas. He received a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Montana._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

Do you remember what it’s like to be 17 and in high school? I recall dreading certain classes, avoiding specific hallways, and many days wishing I didn’t have to go. I loved to learn but was secretly afraid of my teachers and other students. Worst of all, I was afraid of saying something stupid and being revealed as the idiot I no doubt was. In the late 1970s, only a handful of people — mostly remarkable parents, teachers, and social workers — were much concerned about whether students were “nervous” or “high strung.” With high school (and, of course, middle school), being stressed out just came with the territory, an expected downside of being a teenager. Since then, awareness and acceptance of anxiety and other mental health issues as concerns to be treated rather than as personal failures has become more common — although stigma remains, and signs indicate that progress may be reversing in the current political environment. Overcome with remorse, Evan (Xavier Huffman) seeks comfort from his mother Hiedi Hansen (Jenny Mitchell). __Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ Art that normalizes and examines mental health helps us empathize, learn, and identify parts of ourselves that could warrant reconsideration. “Dear Evan Hansen” is that kind of art. Through June 13, Roxy’s Downtown is staging the first locally produced run of this thoughtful 2015 musical, which debuted in Washington D.C. before proceeding to off-Broadway, then to Broadway in 2016. ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. The production is deeply moving. Let’s just say that while I waved away the tissue box our server offered me at intermission, I regretted it later. The world director Rick Bumgardner creates here is populated with genuine human beings, endowed with real-life charms and faults by Steven Levenson, who wrote the musical’s book, and Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who crafted the music and lyrics. The actors bring those people to life for us — to feel shame for, to be confused by, to root for regardless of their foibles. Just like us, they want to do the right thing, but they also want to be loved, to believe everything is all right — and sometimes those things conflict with each other. Evan Hansen (Xavier Huffman) spends a lot of time by himself on his computer. __Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ Xavier Huffman embraces the demanding role of Evan, who in spite of a caring heart suffers from extreme social anxiety and crippling loneliness. His expressive singing voice helps us understand Evan’s longing and intense need to be seen, tentative one minute, crying out for attention another, a torn soul for whom each day brings worry and shame, best expressed in the aching song “Words Fail.” It is impossible to imagine the role of Evan, or the very show itself, being a success unless the actor playing him can convincingly win our hearts, in spite of his terrible choices. A young friend who saw the show said the realistic way he physically expressed Evan was triggering to her — and she meant that as a sincere compliment. I am definitely on Evan’s team, too. He is up against a lot, and Huffman lets us see that. The social media rabbit hole he tumbles down is a spoiler, so I’ll keep that to myself. Evan’s relationship with the Murphy family causes conflict with his mother (Jenny Mitchell), at left. __Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ Evan’s mother, Heidi (Jenny Mitchell), has her hands full. First there’s Evan, whom she adores, but who is a constant source of concern. It is truly a “just the two of them against the world” situation, and Heidi is frequently forced to leave Evan alone while she works at the hospital. Mitchell is the epitome of a caring mother, infusing Heidi with humor, understanding, and disappointment. The memory of her performance of “So Big/So Small” brings tears to my eyes as I type. Hunter Bartholomew is sharp as Connor Murphy, a taunting presence who haunts Evan. Nick Albrecht’s performance as Connor’s father, Larry, is utterly heartfelt, notably when he teaches Evan how “To Break in a Glove.” Hayley Loya as Connor’s sister, Zoe, has her own trauma with which to contend, and Loya’s Zoe grows from a place of her own seclusion, breaking free from suspicion with a duet she beautifully shares with Evan: “Only Us.” Zoe Murphey (Hayley Loya) and Evan Hansen (Xavier Huffman) grow closer as a result of a shared traumatic event.__Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ Cynthia Murphy (Kirsten Witsman) is deluded on a number of levels, admitting her cluelessness along with Heidi in the witty, “Anybody Have a Map?” Her strong voice shines in the group number, “Requiem.” Olivia Hill as an upbeat Alana Beck and Lorenz Looney as the opportunistic Jared Kleinman lend their robust singing and dancing skills to this strong company. Alana Beck (Olivia Hill) is drawn into Evan’s unintentional deception. __Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ The gentle yet powerful (and challenging) songs by Pasek and Paul are at turns funny, sweet, poignant, and agonizing. Led by music director Simon Hill on piano, the exceptional eight-piece orchestra features Megan Bollig and Adrian Torres on guitar, Darin Lee on stand-up bass and bass guitar, Anthony Gropper on drums, and string players violist Danny Ibarra, violinist Addison Wegerle, and cellist Amanda Wen. The set by J Branson features an onslaught of projections that reminds us that social media is always right in our faces, like it or not. Sound is by Brad Thomison, lighting by Jason Huffman, properties by Tracy Ciambra, and costumes by Kálon Kirk. Mitchell choreographed. The “Dear Evan Hansen” ensemble: Olivia Hill, Lorenz Looney, Jenny Mitchell, Xavier Huffman, Hayley Loya, Kirsten Witsman, Hunter Bartholomew, and Nick Albrecht. __Courtesy photo by Kevin Connelly for Roxy’s Downtown.__ It's been 11 years since the premiere of "Dear Evan Hansen." Since then, members of the U.S. Congress have proposed more than 500 pieces of legislation to regulate social media. In spite of passionate testimony of parents who say their children suffered or died because of social media, Congress has yet to pass comprehensive regulation of these platforms. (The COVID-19 pandemic did not help matters, as it forced countless young people into isolation and online at an age when building social skills is essential.) Two bipartisan bills aimed at protecting minors have advanced: the Kids Online Safety Act and the Kids Off Social Media Act. These recommend a number of limitations and tools such as algorithmic bans, age restrictions, increased parental controls, and limitation of design elements that encourage addictive behavior. While there is no guarantee that they will meaningfully eliminate the emotional distress associated with social media, it would be a hell of a good place to start. ## The Details **Roxy’s Downtown presents “Dear Evan Hansen”** May 8-June 13, 2026, at Roxy’s, 412 1/2 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita Performances take place at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. Reserved tickets are $42. Designated floor seats are available for people with physical disabilities. Audience members who cannot navigate the stairs to the public restrooms may use the restroom located backstage. Learn more and purchase tickets. * * * _**Teri Mott** is a writer and actor in Wichita, Kansas, where she covers the arts as a critic and feature writer. She is co-founder of The SHOUT._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

Whenever I talk to people about my home state, I always mention that Gilbert Baker, the artist who created the Rainbow Flag, was from Kansas. Born in Chanute and raised in Parsons, Baker was drafted into the army after high school and ended up in San Francisco. There, in 1978, the politician Harvey Milk asked him to make a symbol for gay pride and the rest is history. The Rainbow Flag is now an international emblem for LGBTQIA+ identities and inclusivity. Other notable LGBTQIA+ Kansans include the current U.S. Congressional Representative for Kansas Sharice Davids, who is the first openly queer Native American woman elected to Congress; the pioneering Black actor Ruby Dandridge; long-time Kansas resident, musician, teacher, politician, and transgender activist Stephanie Byers, who was the first transgender Native American to serve as a Representative in the Kansas State Legislature; the 20th century playwright William Inge; the contemporary musician and actor Janelle Monáe; the visionary architect Bruce Goff; the transgender physician and writer Alan L. Hart; and Wendell Sayers, a gay rights activist and the first Black lawyer to work in the Office of the Colorado Attorney General. Despite the recent legislation passed by the state house and senate designed to persecute transgender Kansans (notably, they overrode Governor Laura Kelly’s veto), queer and trans communities as well as their families, friends, and supporters persist and this year the state is filled to the brim with Pride fests. Manhattan held its Little Apple Pride, including a festival, parade, and after hours party, on April 25, but most events in Kansas will take place in June — Pride Month in the U.S., which commemorates the Stonewall riots that took place in June 1969 and the beginning of the Gay Liberation Movement. LGBTQIA+ History Month is in October, and some Kansas municipalities will host their Pride festivities then. Below is a full list of upcoming celebrations in 2026, most of which are free to attend. Whether you are part of the queer community or an ally, these events are for you! ## 2026 Pride Overview Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6| Salina Pride Celebration ---|--- Saturday, June 6| Atchison Pride FestivalCowley County PrideEl Dorado Pride FestivalLawrence Pride Saturday, June 13| Hays Pride Saturday, June 13 and Sunday, June 14| McPherson County Pride Sunday, June 14| Leavenworth Family Pride Saturday, June 20| Garden City Pride FestPeople’s Pride ICT (Wichita)Pride Palooza Topeka Sunday, June 21| Emporia Pride Friday, June 26 and Saturday, June 27| Dodge City PrideFestWichita Pride Festival Sunday, June 28| Gardner Pride CelebrationHutchinson Homemade PrideNewton Pride Saturday, October 3| Pittsburg PrideFest Saturday, October 10| Johnson County Pride ## Detailed 2026 Pride Calendar ## Friday, June 5 & Saturday, June 6 Salina Pride Celebration **June 5: Drag Show** The Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., Show starts at 9 p.m. **June 6: Celebration** The Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe Ave. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Organized by the Smoky Hill Equality Coalition, after North Central Kansas Pride organized a number of annual Pride events over the years, Salina’s Pride in 2026 will take place at The Temple, where the Marsha P. Johnson Garden is planted. On June 5, they will host a drag show for adults that is a benefit for Smoky Hill Equality. On June 6, there will be a full day of family-friendly events including a butterfly release, performances, a puppet show, resources, story time, and vendors. ## Saturday, June 6 Atchison Pride Festival Servaes Brewing Company, Riverfront, 118 S. Second St. in Atchison 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Organized by The Artist Box LLC, an art and music studio, and Servaes Brewing Company — Riverfront, this all-ages festival will include art activities, food and drinks, games, and vendors. Cowley County Pride **Pride in the Park** Island Park, 200 Main St. in Winfield 4-7 p.m. **Karaoke** Ladybird Brewing, 523 Main St., Winfield 8-10 p.m. Cowley County Pride started in 2019, and this year they are hosting a gathering in Winfield’s Island Park featuring face painting, food trucks, games, live music, a photo booth, and tabling with LGBTQIA+ resources. Afterward, Ladybird Brewing will sponsor an evening of karaoke. El Dorado Pride Festival **Pride in the Park** East Park, 100 S. Woodland in El Dorado 9 a.m.-5 p.m. **Pride After Dark** Club Vaudeville, 206 S. Main St. 8 p.m.-2 a.m. Hosted by Equality El Dorado, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQIA+ inclusivity in the city, this will be El Dorado’s first Pride festival and will comprise a full day of events. Starting with Pilates at 9 a.m., the family-friendly Pride in the Park will have activities like art projects and a tug of war contest, community speakers and organizations, food trucks, live performances, and vendors. In the evening, Pride After Dark will take place at Club Vaudeville with drag performances beginning at 9 p.m. Lawrence Pride **Pride Parade and Block Party** South Park, 1141 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence 11 a.m.-8 p.m. **Pride After Dark** The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St. in Lawrence 8 p.m.-12 a.m. Lawrence, notably the home of the only chapter of the Gay Liberation Front in Kansas, has organized an entire month of events in June to celebrate Pride and Lawrence Pride on June 6 is the biggest. The day will commence with a parade at 11 a.m. starting from the north end of Massachusetts Street and ending at South Park, where from noon to 8 p.m. there will be a free block party with acrobats, drag performers, food and drinks, a kids’ stage, live music, and vendors. Pride After Dark will begin at 8 p.m. at the Granada, with BDSM demos and a dungeon, dancing, and vendors. The organizers describe it as “the kinky queer rave of your dreams.” ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## Saturday, June 13 Hays Pride **Pride in the Park** Frontier Park West, Highway 183 Bypass, West of Main Street in Hays noon-4 p.m. Featuring food, games, and music, Pride in the Park is organized by Hays Pride, a nonprofit group focused on activism, advocacy, education, and community-building for LGBTQIA+ citizens and allies of Hays. They will also have a contingent in the Wild West Parade taking place on July 4, 10-11:30 a.m. on Main Street in downtown Hays. ## Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14 McPherson County Pride **June 13: Pride Celebration Day 1** Wall Park, Middle Shelter, S. Park Ave. in McPherson 10 a.m.-3 p.m. **June 13: Cabaret Drag Show** McPherson Opera House, 219 S. Main St. in McPherson 7-10 p.m. **June 14: Pride Celebration Day 2** First United Methodist Church, 1200 E. Kansas Ave. in McPherson 3-7 p.m. Put together by the McPherson Social Outreach League for the sixth year in a row, McPherson County Pride has a robust program planned starting with a cabaret drag show on June 13th. On June 14, they will host a park gathering during the day, including food trucks, keynote speakers, a kids’ storytime, raffle prizes, and vendors. In the afternoon and evening there will be an indoor celebration with a market, tie-dying T-shirts, and the monthly installment of the League’s “Windows & Mirrors Queer Film Watch Party” starting at 5 p.m. The movie will be “1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture,” released in 2022. ## Sunday, June 14 Leavenworth Family Pride **Pride Picnic** Hawthorn Park, 1100 Ohio St. in Leavenworth 1-3:30 p.m. For their fourth annual celebration, Leavenworth Family Pride is hosting a picnic with free barbeque, a guest speaker, kids’ activities, music, a photo booth, and resource stations. ## Saturday, June 20 Garden City Pride Fest Stevens Park, 502 N. Main St. in Garden City 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The organization Better Together Garden City is coordinating the city’s fourth annual Pride Fest, which will take place in Stevens Park and feature food trucks, free all-ages activities, live music and performances, and a vendor market. People’s Pride ICT (Wichita) **Picnic and Drag Performances** OJ Watson Park, Shelter 1, 3022 S. McLean Blvd. in Wichita 4-8 p.m. **Sober Kink Mixer** Safe Streets Wichita, 1200 E. Waterman St. in Wichita 8-10 p.m. This free DIY Pride celebration will include a self-catered family picnic with live music from 4 to 6 p.m., drag performances from 6 to 8 p.m., and a sober kink mixer from 8 to 10 p.m. for ages 18+. There will also be interactive community art projects and tabling with local organizations and resources. Masks are encouraged outside and required inside. Pride Palooza Topeka Evergy Plaza, 630 S. Kansas Ave. in Topeka 6-10 p.m. Home to the Equality House, Topeka holds their Pride Palooza each year, which is organized by the Topeka Pride nonprofit. Their 2026 event will feature arts and crafts vendors, drag performances and a drag story hour, food trucks, a live DJ, and a splash pad. ## Sunday, June 21 Emporia Pride: Glitter & Groove Greenspace at 9th Ave. and Commercial St. in Emporia 4 p.m.: Parade 4:30-7 p.m.: Community Activities, Vendor Booths, and Musical Performers 7:30-9 p.m.: Drag Show Organized by the group Queer Year Round, this year’s Emporia Pride will feature a parade, a festival with activities, live music, and vendors, and a drag show with headliner drag artist and designer Q, who starred on RuPaul’s Drag Race as well as Project Runway and hails from Emporia. The parade and festival are free to attend and tickets for the drag show can be purchased online. ## Friday, June 26 & Saturday, June 27 Dodge City PrideFest: Queens of the Cowtown **June 26: Drag Night** El Torino’s Night Club, 110 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd. in Dodge City 10 p.m.-2 a.m. **June 27: PrideFest** Wright Park Bandshell, 71 N. 2nd Ave. in Dodge City 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Brought to life by the Dodge City Pride Association, the Fifth Annual Dodge City PrideFest starts with an age 18+ evening of drag performances and music at El Torino’s Night Club and continues with an all-ages outdoor festival in the park with food trucks, performers, and vendors. Wichita Pride Festival **June 26: Pride Drag Pageant** Century II Exhibition Hall, 225 W. Douglas Ave. in Wichita Registration at 4 p.m., Pageant at 7 p.m. **June 27: Pride Parade** Starting at 11:30 a.m. at the Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N. Main St., and ending at Century II **June 27: Pride Festival** Century II Exhibition Hall noon-4 p.m. Wichita Pride is hosting a slew of events throughout the month of June, culminating in their Pride Weekend with an evening drag pageant followed by a mid-day Pride Parade from the Sedgwick County Courthouse to Century II, where the Pride Festival with community-driven actions, food and drinks, live entertainers, and a marketplace featuring local vendors will take place in the afternoon. You can find the full list of June festivities listed on their website. ## Sunday, June 28 Gardner Pride Celebration: Pride Lives Here **Pride Walk** From Warren Place Venue, 136 E. Warren St., down Main Street to The Tumblewood Bar & Grill and back 10-11 a.m. **Pride Celebration** Warren Place Venue, 136 E. Warren St. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The Sixth Annual Gardner Pride Celebration is family-friendly, starting with a Pride Walk down Main Street in Gardner, then returning to Warren Place Venue for a party with food trucks, performers, prize drawings, a silent auction, and vendors. Tickets are free but must be reserved for entry. Hutchinson Homemade Pride Plaza Towers Ballroom, 125 E. 2nd Ave. 1-9 p.m. Taking over for the Hutchinson Salt City Pride folks who put together festivals in the city for many years, the organization Queer and Trans Equality and Resilience (QTER) will mastermind this year’s event, which includes artists, drag performers, family-friendly activities, food trucks, live music, and vendors. Newton Pride **Popsicles in the Park + Picnic** Athletic Park, 700 W. 1st St. in Newton 1-4 p.m. **Pride Karaoke** Moxie Community Pub, 1420 Old Main St. in Newton 7-9 p.m. In June 2025, Newton held their first ever Pride celebration, Popsicles in the Park, and this year the afternoon gathering is back with the addition of a community picnic. In the evening Moxie Community Pub will be taken over with Pride Karaoke. Congratulations to Newton Pride for continuing and expanding! ## Saturday, October 3 Pittsburg PrideFest _Details forthcoming_ Each year the Pittsburg PrideFest hosts a variety of events, usually held at Lincoln Park. Watch their Facebook event for more details. In the meantime you can attend their Pancakes for Pride Fundraiser on June 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. at Andiamo and Co., located at 106 E. 9th St., Suite B, in Pittsburg ## Saturday, October 10 Johnson County Pride in the Park _Details forthcoming_ Save the date for Johnson County Pride’s annual Pride in the Park, which usually takes place in the Sar-Ko-Par Trails Park in Lenexa. Follow the Johnson County Pride Facebook page for updated information as we get closer to October. * * * _**Genevieve Waller** (she/her) is an artist, curator, and writer who was born in the heyday of disco and grew up in Wichita. She currently splits her time between Wichita and Denver, where she is the founder and editor of the art magazine _DARIA: Denver Art Review, Inquiry, and Analysis_. She is also a longtime college radio DJ, most recently on_ Radio 1190_in Boulder, Colorado._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT

You travel more than a mile down a set of dirt roads to get to get to the Counterpoint Music, Art, & Conservation Festival. But, when you get there, there is music. And lots of it. Wind turbines reach up towards an increasingly cloudy Kansas sky. __Courtesy photo by Katie Pownell.__ Cellist and organizer Susan Mayo hosted the annual festival on May 30 at her country home near Peabody, Kansas, just 43 miles from Wichita. The gathering, which began at 1 p.m. and ran until about 10, included music performances and workshops, land stewardship speakers, children's activities, food trucks, and visual art — paintings and drawings stacked under tents and tacked to trees. Where the trees part, there is a stage, and someone carries an upright bass. Someone else a banjo. Someone lugs a hammer dulcimer. The Alfred Packer Memorial String Band plays a set for festival-goers on an outdoor stage. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ The performers included Alfred Packer Memorial String Band, Jim "Stinky Feet" Cosgrove (a children's act), Von Hansen, and Jopará Ensemble, among others. With a slant towards strings, the musical styles included world music, folk, old-time, and pop. The Packer band, which includes the hammer dulcimer, banjo, and upright bass, sang this zany lyric: "I miss Pluto. / You're the cutest dwarf / in the sky" from the main stage. Von Hansen performs on the outdoor stage, which is partially enclosed by trees. __Photo courtesy of Susan Mayo.__ In a clearing with tall trees vignetting all sides, concert-goers sit in lawn chairs, wear sunglasses and hats, sip from water jugs, chat and watch. They tug at their beards. They watch the dark clouds move in. As the evening simmers, and the rain starts to fall in quarter-sized drops, everything moves inside. Some lug tables into the outer rooms, and the living room goes to rows of folding chairs. What was once an outdoor affair under the sun and sky has become a house concert. After the rain begins, Jopará Ensemble plays in Susan Mayo's home. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ Jopará Ensemble, a string ensemble composed of Paraguayan immigrants who perform new and traditional music from their home country, played to a backdrop of dark skies and heavy rain, sometimes punctuated by thunder and lightning. Irene Diaz plays cello with the Jopará Ensemble. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ "When the wind goes, and the trees, like this," Jopará cellist Irene Diaz points to the window full of storm, "that is Paraguay." The virtuosic quartet performed complex, energetic tunes — some slow, some quick — with zest and spunk and with good spirits. Ramiro Miranda serves as the violinist and bandleader for Jopará Ensemble. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ Jopará performed the tune "Mis Noches Sin Tí/My Nights Without You," and bandleader/violinist Ramiro Miranda said the composer of that ballad wrote the tune when he was away from home, missing it, and an audience member said "homesick." Alejandro Avila plays piano in the Jopará Ensemble. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ "To all Paraguayans who have left home … it is something we can relate to. We four," said Alejandro Avila, Jopará pianist. After his vehicle got stuck in the mud, Tim Snider made the final part of his journey to the festival on foot. __Photo courtesy of Susan Mayo.__ Once the rain let up, Switchgrass String Quartet's featured violinist Tim Snider was able to make the walk up the dirt road to the house with his instrument. (His car was stuck in the mud.) Switchgrass concluded the evening, ending around 10 p.m. ## Our free email newsletter is like having a friend who __always__ knows what's happening Get the scoop on Wichita’s arts & culture scene: events, news, artist opportunities, and more. Free, weekly & worth your while. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Organizer and host Susan Mayo plays cello in the group. Mayo is an important, sustaining force in the Midwest strings scene, co-founding groups like Switchgrass and Multifarious Trio. Mayo is also a composer who contributes tunes to both groups. Recently, the South Kansas Symphony performed her first work for orchestra. Susan Mayo speaks to the crowd gathered in the impromptu indoor performance space. __Photo by Kevin Rabas for The SHOUT.__ "It is so nice to play cello after schlepping things all day," Mayo said. Each pluck of the string or bowed note is now intimate. You can hear the trace of fingertips. You can hear breath. Toe tap. Chair creak on hardwood floor. What was for the wind through the trees has become a serenade. Onstage, upfront, I imagine you can hear the room listen. Chloe Hagen demonstrates how to grow mushrooms in a log. Participants left with their very own starter logs. __Photo courtesy of Susan Mayo.__ Manhattan, Kansas-based artist Kelly Yarborough leads a workshop on drawing the natural world. __Photo courtesy of Susan Mayo.__ Lawrence, Kansas-based performer Richard Renner brought his "Recycle Cycle" to the festival. __Photo courtesy of Susan Mayo.__ ## The Details Next year's **Counterpoint Music, Art, & Conservation Festival** is slated for June 12, 2027. It is free and open to everyone, though donations are welcome. Learn more about the festival and other events on the Flint Hills Counterpoint website. * * * _Past Poet Laureate of Kansas (2017-2019)**Kevin Rabas** teaches at Emporia State University, where he directs the creative writing program. He has 16 books, including “Elizabeth’s City.” Rabas is also a jazz drummer. He lives in Newton, Kansas._ ****Popular Reads**** ❋ Derby man has the kind of voice that turns heads — and chairs ❋ Socializing while sober: how some Wichitans are cultivating alcohol-free communities ❋ As a small creative business closes, the owner mourns❋ Painting through it: Autumn Noire on 20 years of making art❋ How a guy from Wichita resurrected 'Dawn of the Dead'❋ Bygone Friends University museum housed curious collections ## Support Kansas arts writing The SHOUT is a Wichita-based independent newsroom focused on artists living and working in Kansas. We're partly supported by the generosity of our readers, and every dollar we receive goes directly into the pocket of a contributing writer, editor, or photographer. Click here to support our work with a tax-deductible donation**.** Yes! I want to support the SHOUT