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Tag: Now That’s Rural

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Dawn Gabel – National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“Creating a classroom.” That’s something that teachers do frequently. Today we’ll learn about a Kansan who is creating a classroom for agriculture, but not inside a traditional school. This Kansan is leading a national center which provides a living experience to help people of all ages learn about agriculture.

Dawn Gabel is the new director of the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
Dawn Gabel is the new director of the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

Dawn Gabel is the new director of the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kansas. The ag center, as it is sometimes called, has deep history in Kansas. Congress approved a federal charter for the center. It was signed by President Eisenhower in 1960.

However, no funds are appropriated to support the center, so it relies on private sector funding.  Today the facility has grown to include 10 buildings and tens of thousands of visitors – but a lack of funding caught up with the center in 2014.

When the previous director left, the board decided to close for the 2014 summer months. Now a new director has been hired and the center is again open and active.

Dawn Gabel is the new center director. She has deep roots in rural Kansas. Her family homesteaded in Jewell County. Dawn grew up at the rural community of Courtland, population 322 people. Now that’s rural.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Dawn Gabel – National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Wayne Kruse – Orchestra on the Oregon Trail

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

What happens when music meets a meadow? That sounds like an unusual combination. Today we’ll learn about an initiative which brings together high quality symphonic music, genuine western history, and pristine natural beauty in rural Kansas.

Wayne Kruse is chair of the steering committee for a brand new event to be conducted in 2015.  Wayne is on the board of the Marshall County Arts Cooperative which is leading this initiative.

Alcove Spring in Marshall County, Kansas will be the setting for the first ever Orchestra on the Oregon Trail, featuring the Topeka Symphony Sept. 6.
Alcove Spring in Marshall County, Kansas will be the setting for the first ever Orchestra on the Oregon Trail, featuring the Topeka Symphony Sept. 6.

Wayne is a Marshall County native, having been born and raised in Marysville. He went to KU and lived in Lawrence before coming back to Marysville where he now works for KNDY radio.  He also volunteers with the Marshall County Arts Cooperative, called MCAC for short.

In 2012, the MCAC was the presenting organization for a concert by the Topeka Symphony Orchestra in Marysville. The symphony played an entire concert of music by Mozart. To the surprise and delight of symphony director John Strickler, the symphony played to a full house and an appreciative audience.

Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Wayne Kruse – Orchestra on the Oregon Trail” →

Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Doug Anstaett – Kansas Press Association

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

On the wall of Doug Anstaett’s office, a large map of Kansas is adorned with stars. “Those stars are the newspapers in Kansas, and the color (of the star) tells me when I visited them,” Doug said. Staying in contact with newspapers is part of the lifeblood of his position, because he is the executive director of the Kansas Press Association.

Doug has been executive director of KPA since 2004. He grew up in Lyndon, where the weekly newspaper was the People’s Herald. Doug was 12 years old in 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was shot. As were many of us, Doug was horrified and then captivated by the news. “I became a voracious reader,” he said.

Doug Anstaett has been executive director of the Kansas Press Association since 2004.
Doug Anstaett has been executive director of the Kansas Press Association since 2004.

He also became a writer and served on the high school newspaper. “We had a senior English teacher that kids didn’t like much because she was really tough, but I was thankful for her when I got to college,” Doug said. He graduated from K-State in journalism and began as a reporter for Stauffer Communications, working his way up to become an editor and publisher. He worked in four states before becoming editor and publisher of the Newton Kansan in 1987.

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Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Carl Koster – Regional Economic Area Partners

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

“You reap what you sow.” The truth of that timeless proverb has been demonstrated forever. Today we will learn about an organization serving south central Kansas which is helping to sow regional cooperation and reaping the results.

Carl Koster is the chair of the Regional Economic Area Partnership, or REAP. Carl is a member of the city council in Cheney, which is located near the Sedgwick-Kingman county line west of Wichita.

carlkosterreapCarl’s grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Germany in 1884. In 1891, his grandfather bought a farm near Cheney. That land has been in the family ever since, and the farm has grown through the years. Carl grew up here, went to K-State, and pursued a career in video journalism but still lives at Cheney and manages his farm ground.

“My family was always public spirited,” Carl said. “My grandfather served on the school board and my dad was a township trustee.” Carl continued this family tradition. He got elected to the city council in Cheney and went on to serve as mayor for 12 years. He still serves on the city council today. Continue reading “Kansas Profile – Now That’s Rural: Carl Koster – Regional Economic Area Partners” →

Deanna Munson – Munson’s Prime

Posted on by Mary Lou Peter

It’s time to name the Grand Champion at the American Royal. And here it is! But this isn’t the grand champion steer, it is the grand champion steak. The American Royal has wisely started to honor a top quality end product, in the form of a steak, as well as the traditional grand champion steer. The Grand Champion steak for 2013 is from the Munson Angus farm near Junction City, Kansas. The Munson family are high quality beef producers and innovators in marketing their product all the way to the consumer.

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Deanna Munson makes ice cream at Munson’s Prime restaurant in Junction City, Kansas.

Deanna and Chuck Munson are owners of the Munson Angus farm and a new restaurant, Munson’s Prime, in Junction City. Counting their grandchildren, there have been six generations of the Munson family in Geary County going back to the 1870s. In 1924, they started breeding Angus cattle for their superior meat production and quality.

Charles and Deanna and son David now operate some 200 Angus cows and 2,000 acres of pasture plus 3,000 acres of crop ground. Friends and neighbors started buying Munson beef directly from the farm and then the Munsons opened a retail outlet for fresh beef in Junction City. One constant through all the years had been the hearty meals prepared for family and farmworkers each day, and those could be marketed to others too. The Munsons discussed trying to get all their enterprises under one roof.

Meanwhile, a Munson steak was entered in the competition at the American Royal. The purpose of this competition is to identify the best tasting steak in America. The winner, based on a sensory lab and trained judges, was the steak from Munsons.
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