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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Dan Hohman, Sugar Creek Country Store

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“This Reuben sandwich,” said the New Yorker, “is better than we get back in New York.”  That is high praise, for this sandwich comes from a store in the middle of the country. Not only does this place provide great sandwiches, it provides the experience of entering an old-time general store with lots of classic products.

Dan Hohman, Jen Hohman and Philomena Hohman

Dan Hohman is founder and owner of Sugar Creek Country Store in St. Marys, Kansas.  In 1992, Dan and his wife Jen relocated their family from Pennsylvania to St. Marys because of the school system. They were seeking the traditional Catholic education that is offered at the St. Marys Academy.

Dan’s background was in the industrial hydraulics business. After coming to Kansas, he eventually launched his own company which specializes in recruiting engineers and technical sales people for the fluid power industry. For more information, see www.fluidpowerjobs.com.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Casey Cagle, Prairie Earth Tours

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

The young man was feeling homesick. He was browsing through a used bookstore in Georgia when he came across a book about his home area in the Flint Hills of Kansas.  The book gave him a lift. Years later, he would create his own tour company to share the beauty of the Flint Hills with others.

Casey Cagle is the founder and owner of Prairie Earth Tours in Emporia. He grew up on a farm near the rural community of Oswego, population 1,829 people. Now, that’s rural.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: William Allen White, Part 2

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Four statues stand in the rotunda of the Kansas Capitol. They honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Sen. and Gov. Arthur Capper, aviator Amelia Earhart, and country newspaper editor William Allen White. White was one of the most famous newspaper editors of his day. He was nationally influential while publishing the daily newspaper in his small town in rural Kansas. His legacy continues through the years.

A statue of famed Emporia Gazette newspaper editor William Allen White is one of only four on display in the Kansas Capitol building rotunda.

Last week we learned about Red Rocks, the William Allen White home which is now a state historic site in Emporia. At Red Rocks through the years, William Allen White and his wife Sallie hosted many visitors, including several presidents and thought leaders from across the nation.

One of those was Edna Ferber, the most successful female novelist in the first half of the twentieth century. She wrote:  “…there is no ocean trip, no month in the country, no known drug equal to the reviving quality of twenty-four hours spent on the front porch or in the sitting room of the Whites’ house in Emporia…”

White was a gifted and articulate writer. He wrote 22 books. His newspaper editorials through the years dealt with topics ranging from national policy to his favorite recipes.  His 1896 editorial, “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” first brought him national fame. This editorial led to him meeting and becoming a longtime friend of Teddy Roosevelt. In later years, White came to embrace Roosevelt’s progressive policies within the Republican party.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: William Allen White, Part 1

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Guess who’s coming to dinner? A Hollywood movie star, a best-selling author, or maybe even the President of the United States. These were the remarkable types of visitors who came to call on rural Kansas newspaper editor William Allen White.

Red Rocks, the home of William Allen White in Emporia, Kansas, is celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth in 2018.

In 2018, White’s home in Emporia is celebrating 150 years since the birth of this amazing Kansan.

William Allen White was born in 1868 in Emporia. Roger Heineken and Kathie Buckman, volunteers with the William Allen White Community Partnership, shared the story of his home and his life.

White grew up in the rural community of El Dorado, with a population at the time of 3,466 people. Now, that’s rural. He attended the College of Emporia and the University of Kansas.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Kyle Bauer, Part 2 – KFRM Radio

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“It’s hard to farm while listening to your radio station,” a listener said. “Why is that?” came the question. “Because I don’t like it when I have to step out of the tractor and miss something,” the listener said. In backhanded fashion, that is high praise for a rural Kansas radio station which has become a leader in agricultural broadcasting. It’s now known as the Voice of the Plains.

Kyle Bauer

Last week we met Kyle Bauer, owner and general manager of Clay Center’s KCLY FM radio station. He is also owner and general manager of KFRM radio, which is 550 on the AM dial.

Kyle was a farmer and businessman in the Clay Center area, farming 4,000 acres near the rural community of Morganville, population 192 people. Now, that’s rural.

He bought into ownership of KCLY at Clay Center in 1994. After growing that business, his next venture in radio was to buy KFRM. This station had been founded back in 1947 but it was at a low point when Kyle bought it in 1996.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Kyle Bauer, Part 1 – KCLY Radio

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“Me, too radio.” That refers to radio that sounds like every other radio station and provides no unique or local content. Today we’ll meet a radio station owner whose goal is not “Me, too radio,” but instead to provide local coverage for his greater community.

Kyle Bauer is general manager and owner of Clay Center’s KCLY FM radio station, which he doesn’t want to be “Me, too radio.”

Kyle did not set out to be in the radio business. He graduated from K-State in Agricultural Economics and returned to the farm near Clay Center. He diversified into other businesses over time.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: C&R Railroad Museum

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

The train emerges from the tunnel and speeds down the mountain track, overlooking a bustling village in the valley below. There aren’t a lot of mountains in Kansas, but this scene features a model train. It is part of a remarkable model railroad museum in rural Kansas.

The C&R Railroad is a model railroad museum, part of the Huck Boyd Community Center in Phillipsburg. The center, named for long-time Kansas journalist and civic leader Huck Boyd, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2017.

One wing of the community center houses the C&R Railroad, a legacy of local citizen Bill Clarke. The C in the name stands for Clarke. The R stands for his wife’s maiden name, Reiss.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Cody Foster, Advisors Excel

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“Giving back.” It is a simple but powerful concept. Today we’ll meet a Kansas entrepreneur with small town roots who created a remarkable marketing organization that assists independent insurance agents and financial advisors across the

Cody Foster is the co-founder of Advisors Excel, based in Topeka, Kansas.

nation. They also emphasize the importance of giving back to their community.

Cody Foster is co-founder of Advisors Excel, an industry-leading financial and insurance marketing organization in Topeka. Cody grew up in Stockton. His grandparents owned the café in town, but when he was in the fifth grade his grandma had to run the café by herself. “As the oldest grandchild, I worked with my grandma a lot,” Cody said.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: John McCurry, McCurry Angus

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

Biloxi, Mississippi. It’s time to announce the Beef Improvement Federation’s national Seedstock Producer of the Year award. And the winner is…a leading farm family from rural Kansas. This family is using modern technology to constantly improve beef cattle production through the development of improved bulls and heifers.

The McCurry family operates McCurry Angus Ranch near Burrton, Kansas.

Last week we learned about Tyson and Emily Mullen in western Kansas. Emily McCurry Mullen grew up in south central Kansas as part of this award-winning farm family at the McCurry Angus Ranch. Her brother John McCurry leads the Angus operation today.

The McCurry family has deep roots in Kansas agriculture. Five McCurry brothers started the Angus operation with two heifers in 1928. The oldest of the brothers was A.J. A.J.’s son Andy met and married Mary who came from an Angus cattle-producing family in Tennessee and was getting a master’s degree in meat science at Kansas State University. Andy and Mary moved to south central Kansas and had Emily and John.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Tyson & Emily Mullen, Next Door

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

 

 

Down the main street of town comes the Christmas parade, including a combine covered in Christmas lights. That’s a sure sign that this is happening in rural Kansas. Along the parade route, shops are open late – including a gift shop owned by an innovative young Kansas couple. In small town Kansas, wouldn’t it be nice if we could do our holiday shopping in a local business? For example, right next door? Today we’ll learn about this couple in rural Kansas who has opened a convenient gift shop – and it is literally named Next Door. This is a special holiday edition of Kansas Profile.

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