On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Specialist Sara Bloom.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-x4jb-pMEsg?si=50OqA7MYOln789SV" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Kansas Department of Commerce Community Development Specialist Sara Bloom.

🎤Forward Ever: KS Dept. of Commerce Employee of the Year Sara Bloom

The Stiefel Theatre announced earlier this week that the multi-talented comedian, actor, singer, and writer Rodney Carrington will be performing on Saturday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Stiefel Theatre. 

Tickets, starting at $49, go on sale Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased in person at the Stiefel Theatre Box Office, online at <a href="http://www.stiefeltheatre.org">www.stiefeltheatre.org</a>, or by calling 785-827-1998.

Known for his hilarious stand-up routines and comedic songs, Carrington promises an evening of laughter and entertainment for mature audiences only.

Carrington, one of the top 10 highest-grossing touring comedians for the past two decades, has released several successful comedy albums, including his latest, "Get Em Out," which hit #1 on iTunes. He has also starred in his own sitcom, "Rodney," co-wrote and co-starred in the feature film "Beer for My Horses" with Toby Keith, and released a popular Netflix special.

Don't miss the chance to see Rodney Carrington live as he continues to entertain audiences worldwide with his unique blend of humor and music.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699384815089.png" alt="Stiefel Theatre" />
 <figcaption>Stiefel Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTThe Stiefel Theatre announced earlier this week that the multi-talented comedian, actor, singer, and writer Rodney Carrington will be performing on Saturday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Stiefel Theatre. Tickets, starting at $49, go on sale Friday, June 21 at 10 a.m. They can be purchased in person at the Stiefel Theatre Box Office, online at <a href="http://www.stiefeltheatre.org">www.stiefeltheatre.org</a>, or by calling 785-827-1998.Known for his hilarious stand-up routines and comedic songs, Carrington promises an evening of laughter and entertainment for mature audiences only.Carrington, one of the top 10 highest-grossing touring comedians for the past two decades, has released several successful comedy albums, including his latest, "Get Em Out," which hit #1 on iTunes. He has also starred in his own sitcom, "Rodney," co-wrote and co-starred in the feature film "Beer for My Horses" with Toby Keith, and released a popular Netflix special.Don't miss the chance to see Rodney Carrington live as he continues to entertain audiences worldwide with his unique blend of humor and music.<h2>Mature Audiences ONLY!</h2>

Rodney Carrington to perform at Stiefel Theatre in Salina

Salina, get ready for an unforgettable night of post-punk nostalgia and rock &amp; roll energy. The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain are coming to the Stiefel Theatre on Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 21, at 10 am, starting at $69.

Grab your tickets online at <a href="http://stiefeltheatre.org">stiefeltheatre.org</a> or at the Stiefel box office by calling 785-827-1998. The Stiefel box office is open Monday through Friday, noon to 4:30 p.m.

The Psychedelic Furs, fronted by the charismatic Richard Butler and his bass-playing brother Tim, have left a lasting mark on the rock &amp; roll landscape. Emerging from the UK post-punk scene, they quickly became a staple of college and alternative radio with hits like "Love My Way," "Pretty In Pink," "Heaven," "The Ghost In You," and "Heartbreak Beat." Their influence spans over four decades, highlighted by their latest album, "Made Of Rain," which received critical acclaim and became their second-highest-charting UK album.

Known for their electrifying live performances, The Psychedelic Furs have graced stages at prestigious venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, London's Royal Albert Hall, and New York's Radio City Music Hall. The current lineup features Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Rich Good (guitar), Amanda Kramer (keyboards), and Zachary Alford (drums).

Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024, The Jesus and Mary Chain are set to release their new album "Glasgow Eyes" on March 8. The band, formed by brothers Jim and William Reid, continues to push boundaries with their intense, darkly romantic sound. The new album, recorded at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio, marks a return to their roots while embracing new influences.

Fans can expect classic Mary Chain elements blended with fresh, radical sounds in their latest single "JAMCOD." Despite decades of making music, the Reids maintain their spontaneous, anarchic approach to recording, capturing the raw energy that has defined their career.

This is a rare opportunity to see two legendary bands in one night, so don't miss out. Secure your tickets this Friday and prepare for a night of unforgettable music at the Stiefel Theatre.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1699384815089.png" alt="Stiefel Theatre" />
 <figcaption>Stiefel Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTSalina, get ready for an unforgettable night of post-punk nostalgia and rock &amp; roll energy. The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain are coming to the Stiefel Theatre on Thursday, October 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 21, at 10 am, starting at $69.Grab your tickets online at <a href="http://stiefeltheatre.org">stiefeltheatre.org</a> or at the Stiefel box office by calling 785-827-1998. The Stiefel box office is open Monday through Friday, noon to 4:30 p.m.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718810842259.jpeg" alt="Image Courtesy Stiefel Theatre" />
 <figcaption>Image Courtesy Stiefel Theatre</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>The Psychedelic Furs</h2>The Psychedelic Furs, fronted by the charismatic Richard Butler and his bass-playing brother Tim, have left a lasting mark on the rock &amp; roll landscape. Emerging from the UK post-punk scene, they quickly became a staple of college and alternative radio with hits like "Love My Way," "Pretty In Pink," "Heaven," "The Ghost In You," and "Heartbreak Beat." Their influence spans over four decades, highlighted by their latest album, "Made Of Rain," which received critical acclaim and became their second-highest-charting UK album.Known for their electrifying live performances, The Psychedelic Furs have graced stages at prestigious venues such as the Hollywood Bowl, London's Royal Albert Hall, and New York's Radio City Music Hall. The current lineup features Richard Butler (vocals), Tim Butler (bass), Rich Good (guitar), Amanda Kramer (keyboards), and Zachary Alford (drums).<h2>The Jesus and Mary Chain</h2>Celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024, The Jesus and Mary Chain are set to release their new album "Glasgow Eyes" on March 8. The band, formed by brothers Jim and William Reid, continues to push boundaries with their intense, darkly romantic sound. The new album, recorded at Mogwai’s Castle of Doom studio, marks a return to their roots while embracing new influences.Fans can expect classic Mary Chain elements blended with fresh, radical sounds in their latest single "JAMCOD." Despite decades of making music, the Reids maintain their spontaneous, anarchic approach to recording, capturing the raw energy that has defined their career.This is a rare opportunity to see two legendary bands in one night, so don't miss out. Secure your tickets this Friday and prepare for a night of unforgettable music at the Stiefel Theatre.

The Psychedelic Furs and The Jesus and Mary Chain at the Stiefel Theatre in Oct. 

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with District 111 Representative Barbara Wasinger.&nbsp;

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VG5fXQSMzgc?si=B-doP6FQ71Io1v0_" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times host Gary Shorman speaks with District 111 Representative Barbara Wasinger.&nbsp;

🎤Forward Ever: District 111 Rep. Barbara Wasinger

Staff of the Lindsborg Midsummer's Festival announced on social media that gates to Heritage Square will re-open at 6:15 p.m. and the show will begin again at 7:00 p.m.

Salina Post will update the story as more information becomes available.

By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Lead Reporter - Salina Post

Under the beaming summer sun with the murmur of traditional Swedish songs like "Sma Grodorna" and "Mo' Grisar," hundreds of visitors plan to experience a little bit of Swedish heritage for the 2024 Midsummer's 

For many Lindsborg residents, the Midsummer's Festival is a staple to celebrate the warm summer months and the rich Swedish heritage that decorates the small town.

If asked, any resident would say, "The festival has been around as long as I can remember," to this day, Visit Lindsborg continues to search for the year the organized tradition formed in the community.

READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/665c942c-cc1a-41e3-822b-9e72f7039d98">Salina Parks and Rec. replaces 26-year-old equipment at local park</a>

"We've got committee members in their 50s and 60s who say, 'It's been going on my whole life,' or, 'It's been going on since I was in high school," said Megan Elmer, secretary of the Midsummer's Committee. "I'd love to know because this could be a big year, and we could accidentally miss it."

Regular staples like the Swedish Dancers and the Viking Reenactors plan to perform at Riverside Park, but Elmer said the committee invited some new acts this year. 

The Lindsborg Folkdanslag, an adult dancing troupe, will join the park's lineup of performers, fitting in between the Swedish Heritage Dancers and the Viking Reenactors.

"This year, we've got the Scandinavian Folk Dancers of Kansas City," Elmer said. "My favorite little tidbit about them is they actually performed for IKEA whenever it opened in Kansas City."

The Scandinavian Folk Dancers will perform at noon in Riverside Park.

Alongside the acts during the day in the park, dozens of craft vendors plan to display and demonstrate their arts, like rope making, wood carving and a blacksmith.

For more information on the Midsummer's Festival, visit the <a href="https://www.midsummersfestival.com/">Midsummer's Festival website</a> to see the full lineup of events. Entry to the festival is free, but guests can choose to buy artwork, bloom crowns or food while visiting.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718491894238.jpeg" alt="Photo courtesy Midsummer’s Festival" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Midsummer’s Festival</figcaption>
 </figure>By SALINA POSTStaff of the Lindsborg Midsummer's Festival announced on social media that gates to Heritage Square will re-open at 6:15 p.m. and the show will begin again at 7:00 p.m.Salina Post will update the story as more information becomes available.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717881201133.jpeg" alt="Visit Lindsborg 2024 Midsummer's Festival graphic. Graphic courtesy Visit Lindsborg" />
 <figcaption>Visit Lindsborg 2024 Midsummer's Festival graphic. Graphic courtesy Visit Lindsborg</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Lead Reporter - Salina PostUnder the beaming summer sun with the murmur of traditional Swedish songs like "Sma Grodorna" and "Mo' Grisar," hundreds of visitors plan to experience a little bit of Swedish heritage for the 2024 Midsummer's For many Lindsborg residents, the Midsummer's Festival is a staple to celebrate the warm summer months and the rich Swedish heritage that decorates the small town.If asked, any resident would say, "The festival has been around as long as I can remember," to this day, Visit Lindsborg continues to search for the year the organized tradition formed in the community.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718308376995.png" alt="Midsummer's Festival. Image courtesy Visit Lindsborg" />
 <figcaption>Midsummer's Festival. Image courtesy Visit Lindsborg</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/665c942c-cc1a-41e3-822b-9e72f7039d98">Salina Parks and Rec. replaces 26-year-old equipment at local park</a>"We've got committee members in their 50s and 60s who say, 'It's been going on my whole life,' or, 'It's been going on since I was in high school," said Megan Elmer, secretary of the Midsummer's Committee. "I'd love to know because this could be a big year, and we could accidentally miss it."Regular staples like the Swedish Dancers and the Viking Reenactors plan to perform at Riverside Park, but Elmer said the committee invited some new acts this year. The Lindsborg Folkdanslag, an adult dancing troupe, will join the park's lineup of performers, fitting in between the Swedish Heritage Dancers and the Viking Reenactors.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718308495034.png" alt="The raising of the Midsummer's Festival Pole. Image courtesy Visit Lindsborg" />
 <figcaption>The raising of the Midsummer's Festival Pole. Image courtesy Visit Lindsborg</figcaption>
 </figure>"This year, we've got the Scandinavian Folk Dancers of Kansas City," Elmer said. "My favorite little tidbit about them is they actually performed for IKEA whenever it opened in Kansas City."The Scandinavian Folk Dancers will perform at noon in Riverside Park.Alongside the acts during the day in the park, dozens of craft vendors plan to display and demonstrate their arts, like rope making, wood carving and a blacksmith.For more information on the Midsummer's Festival, visit the <a href="https://www.midsummersfestival.com/">Midsummer's Festival website</a> to see the full lineup of events. Entry to the festival is free, but guests can choose to buy artwork, bloom crowns or food while visiting.

UPDATED: Midsummer's Festival activities resume 

Click the arrows on the left and right of the window above to see photos from the 38th SM Hanson Festival Jam.

By COLETTE STRASNER Salina Post Contributor

Thursday, June 13 marked the 38th SM Hanson Festival Jam, which unfortunately had to end several hours ahead of schedule due to heavy rain in the area. 

Although the park will reopen today at 10 a.m., due to the nature of the event and the schedules of the performers, SM Hanson Festival Jam itself will not be rescheduled.

READ MORE:<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/d8fdfd0e-0146-48a6-9e74-5abbab9d8c48">&nbsp;Salina Arts and Humanities — Smoky Hill River Festival reminders</a>

Being in its 38th year, SM Hanson Festival Jam as well as the 48th Smoky Hill River Festival, have an important place in the lives of many area residents and their families. Festival attendee Ami Allison spoke of her family’s relationship with the event.

 “We buy festival shirts every year, all of the family pictures are in our festival shirts in the summertime," Allison said.&nbsp;

The Allisons have been using the event as a family reunion for around fifty years, returning time and time again to enjoy the music and to look back fondly on years past.

The SM Hanson Festival Jam certainly has a history of fond memories and great music, but the event is no stranger to severe weather putting a damper on things either. 

Salina Arts and Humanities Assistant Director Anna Pauscher Morawitz told Salina Post that the last time this had happened was as recently as 2021. Despite SM Hanson Festival Jam’s abrupt ending last night, the rest of the Smoky Hill River Festival will continue as scheduled throughout the rest of this weekend. 

Salina Post would like to thank the artists and event staff of the for all the work and passion put into this event.

<div><a data-flickr-embed="true" data-footer="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/200778904@N03/albums/72177720317893793" title="SHRF SM Hanson Festival Jam"><img src="https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53790198929_b886e7506e_b.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="SHRF SM Hanson Festival Jam"/></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Click the arrows on the left and right of the window above to see photos from the 38th SM Hanson Festival Jam.By COLETTE STRASNER Salina Post ContributorThursday, June 13 marked the 38th SM Hanson Festival Jam, which unfortunately had to end several hours ahead of schedule due to heavy rain in the area. Although the park will reopen today at 10 a.m., due to the nature of the event and the schedules of the performers, SM Hanson Festival Jam itself will not be rescheduled.READ MORE:<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/d8fdfd0e-0146-48a6-9e74-5abbab9d8c48">&nbsp;Salina Arts and Humanities — Smoky Hill River Festival reminders</a>Being in its 38th year, SM Hanson Festival Jam as well as the 48th Smoky Hill River Festival, have an important place in the lives of many area residents and their families. Festival attendee Ami Allison spoke of her family’s relationship with the event. “We buy festival shirts every year, all of the family pictures are in our festival shirts in the summertime," Allison said.&nbsp;The Allisons have been using the event as a family reunion for around fifty years, returning time and time again to enjoy the music and to look back fondly on years past.The SM Hanson Festival Jam certainly has a history of fond memories and great music, but the event is no stranger to severe weather putting a damper on things either. Salina Arts and Humanities Assistant Director Anna Pauscher Morawitz told Salina Post that the last time this had happened was as recently as 2021. Despite SM Hanson Festival Jam’s abrupt ending last night, the rest of the Smoky Hill River Festival will continue as scheduled throughout the rest of this weekend. Salina Post would like to thank the artists and event staff of the for all the work and passion put into this event.

📸 SM Hanson Festival Jam 2024

By RICK HELLMAN <a href="https://news.ku.edu/news/article/kevin-willmotts-new-film-shines-light-on-kc-civil-rights-figure">KU News Service</a>

For Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott, the Hollywood jobs are great and all. But the material closest to his heart inspires the stories he tells of overlooked historical events, and particularly local ones, that cast a revealing light on the problems of today.

The newest film written, produced and directed by the University of Kansas professor of film &amp; media studies is just such a story.

Premiering June 19 as part of the Juneteenth Film Festival at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks” is a documentary tribute to a Kansas City civil rights icon.

Brooks, still “sharp as a tack,” according to Willmott, at age 92, was one of Kansas City’s first Black police officers in the early 1950s. He went on to a storied career as the city’s first Black department director and creator of its human relations department, as founder of the&nbsp;<a href="https://adhocgroupkc.org/">Ad Hoc Group Against Crime</a>&nbsp;and its Crimestoppers anonymous tip line, as a City Council member, an educator and an all-around advocate for human and civil rights.

READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/cfc32e4d-411c-4a45-99d3-cd521e203724">Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in northwestern Kansas</a>

Willmott said he first got to know Brooks 20 years ago while filming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsAxiscVZY">“From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Centers,”</a>&nbsp;about the racial history of Kansas City’s public hospital.

“We interviewed him for that,” Willmott said, “and he had so many great stories I was like, ‘Wow, there should be a documentary just about him!’ And so when I did a blurb for his&nbsp;<a href="https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/binding-us-together/">autobiography</a>, it reminded me again of how much I really wanted to make that film. And so we finally did it.”

Willmott said Brooks makes for a great documentary subject.

“I'm not sure if it's because he was a policeman or what, but he can tell you the street addresses of where things happened 65 or 70 years ago,” Willmott said. “He tells a story in the film about an encounter he had with a white cop when he was a little kid, maybe 10 years old, and we go back to that location 82 years later, and he says, ‘This cop put a gun to my head and told me, “Run up this hill, (N-word), before I shoot you!”’

“I know I use the term 'living history' a lot, but he is truly living history.”

Willmott said it’s more important than ever, in light of political efforts to downplay and cover up the history of racism in America, to remind people of it.

“I have tried to tell stories that other people don't want to tell and that Hollywood definitely is not interested in,” Willmott said. “There's this whole thing right now that people don't want to hear the ugly part of the American story. They don’t want Alvin to tell what happened to him on that street corner 82 years ago. But to me, you can't get to the beautiful part of the American story without dealing with the ugly part.”

Willmott said the film offers viewers a ray of hope in dark times.

“We're so divided, and there's so much hate going on right now,” he said, “and who knows where it’s going to end up? But Alvin is a reminder of what we can be. He's a reminder of the best of us. Because I still hold on to Dr. King and what he believed in. That's the America I believe in. And it's hard to hold on to that these days. So the movie, in some ways, is a great reminder of ... who we really are, and who we can be.”

The early show of the June 19 premiere is sold out at press time, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.screenland.com/movie/binding-us-together-2">tickets</a>&nbsp;remain for the 8:30 p.m. show. The film will also be&nbsp;<a href="https://freestatefestival.org/event/alvin-brooks/">presented</a>&nbsp;at 6 p.m. June 30, at the Lawrence Arts Center as part of the Free State Festival.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717945458645.jpeg" alt="Alvin Brooks, a Kansas City civil rights icon, is the subject of a new documentary that will air June 19 at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 30 at the Free State Festival. Image courtesy Kevin Willmott / Hodcarrier Films" />
 <figcaption>Alvin Brooks, a Kansas City civil rights icon, is the subject of a new documentary that will air June 19 at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and June 30 at the Free State Festival. Image courtesy Kevin Willmott / Hodcarrier Films</figcaption>
 </figure>By RICK HELLMAN <a href="https://news.ku.edu/news/article/kevin-willmotts-new-film-shines-light-on-kc-civil-rights-figure">KU News Service</a>For Academy Award-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott, the Hollywood jobs are great and all. But the material closest to his heart inspires the stories he tells of overlooked historical events, and particularly local ones, that cast a revealing light on the problems of today.The newest film written, produced and directed by the University of Kansas professor of film &amp; media studies is just such a story.Premiering June 19 as part of the Juneteenth Film Festival at the Screenland Armour theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks” is a documentary tribute to a Kansas City civil rights icon.Brooks, still “sharp as a tack,” according to Willmott, at age 92, was one of Kansas City’s first Black police officers in the early 1950s. He went on to a storied career as the city’s first Black department director and creator of its human relations department, as founder of the&nbsp;<a href="https://adhocgroupkc.org/">Ad Hoc Group Against Crime</a>&nbsp;and its Crimestoppers anonymous tip line, as a City Council member, an educator and an all-around advocate for human and civil rights.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717945424412.jpeg" alt="Kevin Willmott, professor of film &amp; media studies, speaking at an event at KU in 2021. Image courtesy KU Marketing" />
 <figcaption>Kevin Willmott, professor of film &amp; media studies, speaking at an event at KU in 2021. Image courtesy KU Marketing</figcaption>
 </figure>READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/cfc32e4d-411c-4a45-99d3-cd521e203724">Airborne electromagnetic survey of aquifer conditions planned in northwestern Kansas</a>Willmott said he first got to know Brooks 20 years ago while filming&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZsAxiscVZY">“From Separate to Equal: The Creation of Truman Medical Centers,”</a>&nbsp;about the racial history of Kansas City’s public hospital.“We interviewed him for that,” Willmott said, “and he had so many great stories I was like, ‘Wow, there should be a documentary just about him!’ And so when I did a blurb for his&nbsp;<a href="https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/binding-us-together/">autobiography</a>, it reminded me again of how much I really wanted to make that film. And so we finally did it.”Willmott said Brooks makes for a great documentary subject.“I'm not sure if it's because he was a policeman or what, but he can tell you the street addresses of where things happened 65 or 70 years ago,” Willmott said. “He tells a story in the film about an encounter he had with a white cop when he was a little kid, maybe 10 years old, and we go back to that location 82 years later, and he says, ‘This cop put a gun to my head and told me, “Run up this hill, (N-word), before I shoot you!”’“I know I use the term 'living history' a lot, but he is truly living history.”Willmott said it’s more important than ever, in light of political efforts to downplay and cover up the history of racism in America, to remind people of it.“I have tried to tell stories that other people don't want to tell and that Hollywood definitely is not interested in,” Willmott said. “There's this whole thing right now that people don't want to hear the ugly part of the American story. They don’t want Alvin to tell what happened to him on that street corner 82 years ago. But to me, you can't get to the beautiful part of the American story without dealing with the ugly part.”Willmott said the film offers viewers a ray of hope in dark times.“We're so divided, and there's so much hate going on right now,” he said, “and who knows where it’s going to end up? But Alvin is a reminder of what we can be. He's a reminder of the best of us. Because I still hold on to Dr. King and what he believed in. That's the America I believe in. And it's hard to hold on to that these days. So the movie, in some ways, is a great reminder of ... who we really are, and who we can be.”The early show of the June 19 premiere is sold out at press time, but&nbsp;<a href="https://www.screenland.com/movie/binding-us-together-2">tickets</a>&nbsp;remain for the 8:30 p.m. show. The film will also be&nbsp;<a href="https://freestatefestival.org/event/alvin-brooks/">presented</a>&nbsp;at 6 p.m. June 30, at the Lawrence Arts Center as part of the Free State Festival.

Kevin Willmott's new film shines light on KC civil rights figure

This Saturday, a familiar local band invited the public to participate in the music video for its newest hit, "Two Beers," which will be released this Friday.

Sunset Sinners plans to overtake The Well Lake beach spot at 2095 Water Well Road southeast of town with a production crew from Nashville alongside dozens of Salina citizens.

"The guys have a brand new song called 'Two Beers,' and it's coming out everywhere Friday, June 7," said Jesse Atwell, the Sunset Sinners' representative from Atwell Management. "As part of that celebration, they're kicking off a music video shoot on Saturday, June 8, in Salina, and it's open to the public completely free."

Atwell said that the event is for participants 21 years or older since Anheuser Busch sponsored the event.

"There will be beer available, but we're flying in a production crew from Nashville to shoot the video, and we just want as many Salina and Kansas-area folks invited and available to be in the shoot," Atwell said.

Stereophonic Films will be the Nashville-based production company shooting the music video.

Sunset Sinners set off away from Salina earlier this year, traveling to Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley, Texas, to record their new material and to Texarkana, Texas, in April for the Sunset Solarbration Festival.

READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/c15e4d1d-90ea-4b39-a33a-4fb7dd7ea70b">The Sunset Sinners start 2024 'With a Bang!'</a>

The Sunset Sinners "Two Beers" Music Video Party will begin at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 8, at the Well Lake beach area. 

"Kickoff time is 3 p.m., but that's when we'll probably start rolling," Atwell said. "So if people would start showing up a little before, that would probably be best."

Atwell said the event is free to the public — the only requirements include bringing flip-flops, sunscreen, beach towels and being 21 or older. 

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717507318594.jpeg" alt="Sunset Sinners. Image courtesy Jesse Atwell" />
 <figcaption>Sunset Sinners. Image courtesy Jesse Atwell</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Lead Reporter - Salina PostThis Saturday, a familiar local band invited the public to participate in the music video for its newest hit, "Two Beers," which will be released this Friday.Sunset Sinners plans to overtake The Well Lake beach spot at 2095 Water Well Road southeast of town with a production crew from Nashville alongside dozens of Salina citizens.<div><iframe src="https://www.google.com/maps/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d4548.491442761517!2d-97.58156092310071!3d38.772109154085406!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x87bcc7bab518153b%3A0xd99fbfe97577ed3a!2s2095%20E%20Water%20Well%20Rd%2C%20Salina%2C%20KS%2067401!5e1!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1717447605069!5m2!1sen!2sus" width="600" height="450" style="border:0;" allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" referrerpolicy="no-referrer-when-downgrade"></iframe></div>"The guys have a brand new song called 'Two Beers,' and it's coming out everywhere Friday, June 7," said Jesse Atwell, the Sunset Sinners' representative from Atwell Management. "As part of that celebration, they're kicking off a music video shoot on Saturday, June 8, in Salina, and it's open to the public completely free."Atwell said that the event is for participants 21 years or older since Anheuser Busch sponsored the event."There will be beer available, but we're flying in a production crew from Nashville to shoot the video, and we just want as many Salina and Kansas-area folks invited and available to be in the shoot," Atwell said.Stereophonic Films will be the Nashville-based production company shooting the music video.Sunset Sinners set off away from Salina earlier this year, traveling to Yellow Dog Studios in Wimberley, Texas, to record their new material and to Texarkana, Texas, in April for the Sunset Solarbration Festival.READ MORE: <a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/c15e4d1d-90ea-4b39-a33a-4fb7dd7ea70b">The Sunset Sinners start 2024 'With a Bang!'</a>The Sunset Sinners "Two Beers" Music Video Party will begin at 3 p.m., Saturday, June 8, at the Well Lake beach area. "Kickoff time is 3 p.m., but that's when we'll probably start rolling," Atwell said. "So if people would start showing up a little before, that would probably be best."Atwell said the event is free to the public — the only requirements include bringing flip-flops, sunscreen, beach towels and being 21 or older.

Sunset Sinners invites public to participate in new song 'Two Beers' music video

Once caution faded from the cold call, Vivette Ashen-Brenner let loose with a soliloquy of proud moments in her short career as a dancer, followed by 49-plus years as a dance instructor — her true calling.

Happiness flowed from the heart as Miss V fast-forwarded through a half century of dance in Salina.

Trickling tears were sensed as a sweet voice cracked over the phone while she weaved her wonderful life into a special story.

“My heart’s always been with the little kids,” said Vivette, who doubled for decades as a substitute school teacher.

In the closely knit Salina dance community, there’s little need to include her hyphenated last name.

“There are wonderful memories. It’s all been about the joy of dance, the love and design of it, the service, the children being so happy, and the look on their faces,” Vivette said. “That’s what it’s all been about.”&nbsp; &nbsp;

Mixed into her blessed life is a more private role as wife and partner to Sid Ashen-Brenner, a retired locksmith from the maintenance department at Salina Regional Health Center, mother to Lisette Ashen-Brenner, of Lenexa, and several “bonus daughters.”

Vivette calls herself Salina’s “grandmother of dance,” as founder of Vivette’s Dance Studio, currently at The Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe, one of five dance schools in town.

But after Sunday’s dance recital on the third floor of The Temple, the 4-foot, 8-inch dynamo announced her retirement, less than a month from her 72nd birthday.

“My family needs me at home,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d keep it going.”

When she learned of Vivette’s decision, Tamara Howe, owner and director of the Tamara Howe School of Dance, 124 S.Santa Fe, rallied the dance community to give the senior leader a proper sendoff.

“I think anyone who’s been in business for 49 years should be celebrated for the contributions she made to our community. That’s a long time to be enriching children’s lives,” said Howe, who moved to Salina with her husband, Steven Howe, 17 years ago.

“I worked with Peggy Simms and Vivette and enjoyed my time with them both,” Tamara Howe said. “When Peggy retired, she wanted a place for her students to go, and asked me to open a school. Vivette has impacted hundreds of lives through her teaching.”

She’s been devoted to dance since enrolling in a class at age 4, while growing up in Champaign, IL .

“I was a firefly in my very first recital,” Vivette recalled. “That was wonderful being on stage.”

Her goal is the same experience for every class member, serving as a springboard for all, no matter their pursuits in life.

Some went on to make careers of dance, but regardless of where they ended up, all were equipped with some priceless tools.

“You just feel so proud that they have become successful persons, that they took whatever lessons we taught them and used them in their life,” Vivette said. “If you can get on stage, do your dance, and smile, you can do anything in life. You can be a doctor, a lawyer, or anything you want to be, because you’ve already done the hard stuff, managed the scary. You’ve had to overcome fear and be confident.”

That recipe works for the preschoolers — Vivette’s favorite age group — into adulthood.

LaRana Skalicky can attest. The former Vivette student got a late start in the business, but shares her mentor’s devotion. She’s the executive director and a member of Denver-based Kim Robards Dance, meaning she still performs throughout Colorado, nationally and internationally, including New York City’s Lincoln Center.&nbsp;

“Vivette’s love for dance was always evident. When she was teaching someone, you could just tell it was her passion,” Skalicky said. “She had a great ability to teach in a way to make everybody feel they could be a success.”

Growing up in Salina, Skalicky first focused on music and played the cello. Her first dance class was at 18, late in her years at Salina Central High School, and there was one month to prepare for her debut performance.

“I’m talking four weeks of dance classes — period — and I was concerned,” she said. “I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just trying to figure it out at the moment.”

“She said, ‘Don’t worry. Just fake it until you make it,’ ” Skalicky recalled.

Skalicky completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance degree and a minor in philosophy from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, landed a job with Kim Robards Dance, and is in her 35th year of performing, teaching and touring.

READ MORE:<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/97b89f6d-3517-4599-beca-4694d960bb10">&nbsp;1 Vision Aviation Salina Leases Hangar H626</a>

It all began in the basement of Vivette’s home.

Dance is life for Skalicky, 58. Her dog is named “Pique,” which is a ballet dance term that means “stepping directly on the&nbsp;pointe&nbsp;of the working foot in any desired direction with the other foot raised in the air,” according to&nbsp;<a href="http://lbcc.edu/" target="_blank">lbcc.edu</a>&nbsp;(Long Beach City College website).

Vivette teaches ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, bollywood, and belly dance.

“I’m the last of the belly dance teachers in Salina, unless somebody new pops up,” she said.

The daughter of Loren Pullum, a bank vice president, and Genevieve Pullum, “a French war bride,” Vivette grew up in Illinois, moved to Missouri, then Omaha.

Her foray into the arts was as a violinist.

“I played it very badly. I couldn’t reach an octave. My hands were too small,” Vivette said.

Size was a hindrance as a dancer as well.

“I took a summer class in Utah. They looked at me and said ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ because I was too short to be a ballerina. At that time, short male dancers were put into tap dancing,” she said. “Frankly, I wasn’t that good and my heart’s always been in teaching. I didn’t have star quality, but I could find it in others.”

She completed a degree in elementary education and performing arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and began teaching as Crescent, Iowa, “a town with three bars, two gas stations and a school.”

Vivette moved to Salina in 1975 and began working at the YWCA as program director.

“I was in charge of anything that didn’t involve a ball or a swimming pool,” she said.

Whenever an opportunity arose to teach, the vivacious Vivette volunteered and became very busy.

“I started teaching tap, then ballet. Our first recital was at Coronado (Elementary) School in May of 1976. In addition to being program director, I taught all the dance classes for several years.”

Vivette began also teaching dance in the basement of her home, starting in 1978, and eventually launched her own studio full-time.

“I kinda outgrew my basement, and moved to Ninth and Crawford,” she said. “I kept thinking ‘I have to expand.’ There was a little chiropractor building right around the corner from my house.”

There was no vacancy because martial arts was being taught in part of the structure.

“I stopped and asked ‘When the martial arts goes belly up, will you rent it to me?’ And they said, ‘Why would you think it will?’ ” Vivette said. “Two months later, they called and asked if I wanted to rent the building.”

It was home to her studio for 10 years, and then Vivette built a building on Armory Road.

“I sold it three years ago when I needed to downsize. The building&nbsp;brought joy to people, and now it’s continuing to do that by helping people put their lives back together,” Vivette said.

She rented space in The Temple and relocated the studio there, where her students range from preschool-elementary to a class of three seasoned alumni.

“It’s kind of a social time, for exercise,” Vivette said.

At Vivette’s Dance Studio, no matter the size, shape or future, pupils learn that “Every dancer is a star.”

Her age groups are aptly named — Starlets, ages 3 to 4; Sparklers, 5 to 6; Comets, 7 to 9; Meteors, 9 to 10; and Constellation, 10 to 13.

“What can I say? When I pick a theme, I stick to it,” Vivette said.

Every group is special for a specific reason, she said, such as the Meteors class of Gracie Wenger, Saya Sawyer, Imogen Eilts, Amara Keck, Ava Jones, and Kennedy Sheffield.

“These girls come every week properly dressed and ready to work, and yet can be so giggly and silly,” Vivette said.

She often branches out at The Temple in downtown Salina, and pitches in to prepare for other events.

“Vivette’s just been so good to us,” said Mary Landes, executive director of the nonprofit Salina Innovation Foundation, where entrepreneurs get a hand up starting new businesses.

“Everyone else is a startup,” Landes said. “Vivette calls herself a ‘wind down.’ ”

The dance studio’s mirrors and wooden ballet barres will be donated and the foundation will look to repurpose the space.

The little lady is credited for helping Salina’s dance community grow and improve, while enhancing many aspects of the town.

“Vivette has always been very welcoming and kind. She’s an encourager of collaboration and support, and always a welcoming face in the dance community,” Tamara Howe said. “She’s done a lot over the years, and I would hate for Vivette to end quietly and not know what an impact she made with the community and all the students she taught.”

One of the more challenging times in her career came towards the end, when the COVID pandemic changed life as most knew it.

“The kids didn’t go anywhere after COVID. There was no Bible study, no story, time. The COVID kids were very, very different. They struggled,” Vivette said. “One little girl’s mom was right beside her, and within a few weeks, she could be close by, then on the edge of the stage. Two years later, mom was in the audience. I think coming to dance was scary.”

Memories are golden to Vivette, harkening back to so many visits to nursing homes during the Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day seasons, also just before recitals. She relished joy on the faces of residents.

“The ladies were just so happy to have us there. Once at Holiday Resort while the students were shaking hands with everybody, they told me a man began to talk, who hadn’t spoken in years. Something connected,” Vivette said. “I told the children, (residents) are going to hold your hand, and they might not let go. Dance is a performing art. It’s a way of touching hearts. It is a way for that quiet little kid to get a moment to shine. So many people walk up to me and say ‘My daughter loves dancing.’ ”

“I kept seeing this guy who was in karate class, a teenager. He was doing everything I was doing while I was teaching my kids, copying our exercises,” she said. “I said ‘come on in here,’ and I started working with him. I soon realized I didn’t know enough to teach someone with his raw talent.”

His name was Brian Bender. Vivette asked her teacher from Creighton University, Valerie Roche, to evaluate Brian, and came to the same conclusion.

“She had no funds for a scholarship, but gave him a place to live in the basement of the studio, and the ability to audit all classes,” Vivette said.

Brian studied there and went on to perform with the Royal Canadian Ballet of Winnipeg, and later opened a training studio in Colorado. Bender, who recently died, would occasionally come home to Salina to visit family, and taught master classes for Vivette.

To this day, she is proud that Bender’s mimicry took place “at the right place and the right time,” and helped influence a career.

“Brian wouldn’t have realized his talent and passion and would not have achieved that part of his life,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that I was able to start him on his path. He went on to train a lot of dancers.”

Remembering those days with so many youngsters, provides enduring pride.&nbsp;

“I’ve touched a lot of lives in many ways,” Vivette said. “They didn’t all go on to be famous dancers, but they all went on to be wonderful people.”

About Vivette’s married name. As told by her husband, Sid: Either during World War I or as a result of it, his ancestors opted to change the spelling of the family name “to make it appear less German,” Vivette said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717422656205.jpeg" alt="Vivette poses with her Sparklers dance class after a recent rehearsal. Left to right are Aspen Keck, Charleigh Simpson, Miss V, Adalynn Long, and Lilly Holloway. All of these students are age 6. Photo by Tim Unruh" />
 <figcaption>Vivette poses with her Sparklers dance class after a recent rehearsal. Left to right are Aspen Keck, Charleigh Simpson, Miss V, Adalynn Long, and Lilly Holloway. All of these students are age 6. Photo by Tim Unruh</figcaption>
 </figure>By TIM UNRUHOnce caution faded from the cold call, Vivette Ashen-Brenner let loose with a soliloquy of proud moments in her short career as a dancer, followed by 49-plus years as a dance instructor — her true calling.Happiness flowed from the heart as Miss V fast-forwarded through a half century of dance in Salina.Trickling tears were sensed as a sweet voice cracked over the phone while she weaved her wonderful life into a special story.“My heart’s always been with the little kids,” said Vivette, who doubled for decades as a substitute school teacher.In the closely knit Salina dance community, there’s little need to include her hyphenated last name.“There are wonderful memories. It’s all been about the joy of dance, the love and design of it, the service, the children being so happy, and the look on their faces,” Vivette said. “That’s what it’s all been about.”&nbsp; &nbsp;Mixed into her blessed life is a more private role as wife and partner to Sid Ashen-Brenner, a retired locksmith from the maintenance department at Salina Regional Health Center, mother to Lisette Ashen-Brenner, of Lenexa, and several “bonus daughters.”Vivette calls herself Salina’s “grandmother of dance,” as founder of Vivette’s Dance Studio, currently at The Temple, 336 S. Santa Fe, one of five dance schools in town.But after Sunday’s dance recital on the third floor of The Temple, the 4-foot, 8-inch dynamo announced her retirement, less than a month from her 72nd birthday.“My family needs me at home,” she said. “Otherwise, I’d keep it going.”When she learned of Vivette’s decision, Tamara Howe, owner and director of the Tamara Howe School of Dance, 124 S.Santa Fe, rallied the dance community to give the senior leader a proper sendoff.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717422691656.jpeg" alt="Vivette’s Meteors dance class lines up “ready to work” along the ballet barres at her dance studio. Members are Gracie Wenger, Saya Sawyer, Imogen Eilts, Amara Keck, Ava Jones, and Kennadi Sheffield, all of Salina. Photo courtesy of Vivette Ashen-Brenner" />
 <figcaption>Vivette’s Meteors dance class lines up “ready to work” along the ballet barres at her dance studio. Members are Gracie Wenger, Saya Sawyer, Imogen Eilts, Amara Keck, Ava Jones, and Kennadi Sheffield, all of Salina. Photo courtesy of Vivette Ashen-Brenner</figcaption>
 </figure>“I think anyone who’s been in business for 49 years should be celebrated for the contributions she made to our community. That’s a long time to be enriching children’s lives,” said Howe, who moved to Salina with her husband, Steven Howe, 17 years ago.“I worked with Peggy Simms and Vivette and enjoyed my time with them both,” Tamara Howe said. “When Peggy retired, she wanted a place for her students to go, and asked me to open a school. Vivette has impacted hundreds of lives through her teaching.”She’s been devoted to dance since enrolling in a class at age 4, while growing up in Champaign, IL .“I was a firefly in my very first recital,” Vivette recalled. “That was wonderful being on stage.”Her goal is the same experience for every class member, serving as a springboard for all, no matter their pursuits in life.Some went on to make careers of dance, but regardless of where they ended up, all were equipped with some priceless tools.“You just feel so proud that they have become successful persons, that they took whatever lessons we taught them and used them in their life,” Vivette said. “If you can get on stage, do your dance, and smile, you can do anything in life. You can be a doctor, a lawyer, or anything you want to be, because you’ve already done the hard stuff, managed the scary. You’ve had to overcome fear and be confident.”That recipe works for the preschoolers — Vivette’s favorite age group — into adulthood.LaRana Skalicky can attest. The former Vivette student got a late start in the business, but shares her mentor’s devotion. She’s the executive director and a member of Denver-based Kim Robards Dance, meaning she still performs throughout Colorado, nationally and internationally, including New York City’s Lincoln Center.&nbsp;“Vivette’s love for dance was always evident. When she was teaching someone, you could just tell it was her passion,” Skalicky said. “She had a great ability to teach in a way to make everybody feel they could be a success.”Growing up in Salina, Skalicky first focused on music and played the cello. Her first dance class was at 18, late in her years at Salina Central High School, and there was one month to prepare for her debut performance.“I’m talking four weeks of dance classes — period — and I was concerned,” she said. “I really had no idea what I was doing. I was just trying to figure it out at the moment.”Vivette added some sage advice.“She said, ‘Don’t worry. Just fake it until you make it,’ ” Skalicky recalled.And she made it.Skalicky completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance degree and a minor in philosophy from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, landed a job with Kim Robards Dance, and is in her 35th year of performing, teaching and touring.READ MORE:<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/97b89f6d-3517-4599-beca-4694d960bb10">&nbsp;1 Vision Aviation Salina Leases Hangar H626</a><h2>Humble beginnings of a dance legacy</h2>It all began in the basement of Vivette’s home.Dance is life for Skalicky, 58. Her dog is named “Pique,” which is a ballet dance term that means “stepping directly on the&nbsp;pointe&nbsp;of the working foot in any desired direction with the other foot raised in the air,” according to&nbsp;<a href="http://lbcc.edu/" target="_blank">lbcc.edu</a>&nbsp;(Long Beach City College website).Vivette teaches ballet, tap, jazz, hip-hop, bollywood, and belly dance.“I’m the last of the belly dance teachers in Salina, unless somebody new pops up,” she said.The daughter of Loren Pullum, a bank vice president, and Genevieve Pullum, “a French war bride,” Vivette grew up in Illinois, moved to Missouri, then Omaha.Her foray into the arts was as a violinist.“I played it very badly. I couldn’t reach an octave. My hands were too small,” Vivette said.Size was a hindrance as a dancer as well.“I took a summer class in Utah. They looked at me and said ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ because I was too short to be a ballerina. At that time, short male dancers were put into tap dancing,” she said. “Frankly, I wasn’t that good and my heart’s always been in teaching. I didn’t have star quality, but I could find it in others.”She completed a degree in elementary education and performing arts from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and began teaching as Crescent, Iowa, “a town with three bars, two gas stations and a school.”Vivette moved to Salina in 1975 and began working at the YWCA as program director.“I was in charge of anything that didn’t involve a ball or a swimming pool,” she said.Whenever an opportunity arose to teach, the vivacious Vivette volunteered and became very busy.“I started teaching tap, then ballet. Our first recital was at Coronado (Elementary) School in May of 1976. In addition to being program director, I taught all the dance classes for several years.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717422745171.jpeg" alt="As instructor Vivette Ashen-Brenner looks on, Charleigh Simpson works on a dance move. Photo by Tim Unruh" />
 <figcaption>As instructor Vivette Ashen-Brenner looks on, Charleigh Simpson works on a dance move. Photo by Tim Unruh</figcaption>
 </figure>Vivette began also teaching dance in the basement of her home, starting in 1978, and eventually launched her own studio full-time.“I kinda outgrew my basement, and moved to Ninth and Crawford,” she said. “I kept thinking ‘I have to expand.’ There was a little chiropractor building right around the corner from my house.”There was no vacancy because martial arts was being taught in part of the structure.“I stopped and asked ‘When the martial arts goes belly up, will you rent it to me?’ And they said, ‘Why would you think it will?’ ” Vivette said. “Two months later, they called and asked if I wanted to rent the building.”It was home to her studio for 10 years, and then Vivette built a building on Armory Road.“I sold it three years ago when I needed to downsize. The building&nbsp;brought joy to people, and now it’s continuing to do that by helping people put their lives back together,” Vivette said.She rented space in The Temple and relocated the studio there, where her students range from preschool-elementary to a class of three seasoned alumni.“It’s kind of a social time, for exercise,” Vivette said.At Vivette’s Dance Studio, no matter the size, shape or future, pupils learn that “Every dancer is a star.”Her age groups are aptly named — Starlets, ages 3 to 4; Sparklers, 5 to 6; Comets, 7 to 9; Meteors, 9 to 10; and Constellation, 10 to 13.“What can I say? When I pick a theme, I stick to it,” Vivette said.Every group is special for a specific reason, she said, such as the Meteors class of Gracie Wenger, Saya Sawyer, Imogen Eilts, Amara Keck, Ava Jones, and Kennedy Sheffield.“These girls come every week properly dressed and ready to work, and yet can be so giggly and silly,” Vivette said.She often branches out at The Temple in downtown Salina, and pitches in to prepare for other events.“Vivette’s just been so good to us,” said Mary Landes, executive director of the nonprofit Salina Innovation Foundation, where entrepreneurs get a hand up starting new businesses.“Everyone else is a startup,” Landes said. “Vivette calls herself a ‘wind down.’ ”The dance studio’s mirrors and wooden ballet barres will be donated and the foundation will look to repurpose the space.The little lady is credited for helping Salina’s dance community grow and improve, while enhancing many aspects of the town.“Vivette has always been very welcoming and kind. She’s an encourager of collaboration and support, and always a welcoming face in the dance community,” Tamara Howe said. “She’s done a lot over the years, and I would hate for Vivette to end quietly and not know what an impact she made with the community and all the students she taught.”One of the more challenging times in her career came towards the end, when the COVID pandemic changed life as most knew it.“The kids didn’t go anywhere after COVID. There was no Bible study, no story, time. The COVID kids were very, very different. They struggled,” Vivette said. “One little girl’s mom was right beside her, and within a few weeks, she could be close by, then on the edge of the stage. Two years later, mom was in the audience. I think coming to dance was scary.”Memories are golden to Vivette, harkening back to so many visits to nursing homes during the Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day seasons, also just before recitals. She relished joy on the faces of residents.“The ladies were just so happy to have us there. Once at Holiday Resort while the students were shaking hands with everybody, they told me a man began to talk, who hadn’t spoken in years. Something connected,” Vivette said. “I told the children, (residents) are going to hold your hand, and they might not let go. Dance is a performing art. It’s a way of touching hearts. It is a way for that quiet little kid to get a moment to shine. So many people walk up to me and say ‘My daughter loves dancing.’ ”There were many special times:<ul>
 <li>During difficult weeks while pregnant with Lisette, Vivette enlisted the skills of experienced students — Ellen Schwindt, now a composer, and the aforementioned LaRana Skalicky — to teach her classes, both in her basement and during an outreach program in Ellsworth.</li><li>Early on, while teaching at the Salina YWCA, Vivette caught a glimpse of someone in the hallway. </li>
 </ul>“I kept seeing this guy who was in karate class, a teenager. He was doing everything I was doing while I was teaching my kids, copying our exercises,” she said. “I said ‘come on in here,’ and I started working with him. I soon realized I didn’t know enough to teach someone with his raw talent.”His name was Brian Bender. Vivette asked her teacher from Creighton University, Valerie Roche, to evaluate Brian, and came to the same conclusion.“She had no funds for a scholarship, but gave him a place to live in the basement of the studio, and the ability to audit all classes,” Vivette said.Brian studied there and went on to perform with the Royal Canadian Ballet of Winnipeg, and later opened a training studio in Colorado. Bender, who recently died, would occasionally come home to Salina to visit family, and taught master classes for Vivette.To this day, she is proud that Bender’s mimicry took place “at the right place and the right time,” and helped influence a career.“Brian wouldn’t have realized his talent and passion and would not have achieved that part of his life,” she said. “I feel very fortunate that I was able to start him on his path. He went on to train a lot of dancers.”Remembering those days with so many youngsters, provides enduring pride.&nbsp;“I’ve touched a lot of lives in many ways,” Vivette said. “They didn’t all go on to be famous dancers, but they all went on to be wonderful people.”<h2>FACTOID:</h2>About Vivette’s married name. As told by her husband, Sid: Either during World War I or as a result of it, his ancestors opted to change the spelling of the family name “to make it appear less German,” Vivette said.

‘Every dancer is a star’ — Final curtain call for Salina dance icon

Abilene is preparing to welcome a captivating new exhibit to its cultural scene. The "See Kansas" exhibit will be showcased at the Abilene Public Library from June 1 to August 7.

"We are truly excited to be able to display the "See Kansas" exhibit in the Jordan Room at the library this summer," said Library Director Wendy Moulton. "Our 2024 Summer Reading theme for all ages is Adventure Begins at Your Library, and the travel poster-inspired art on display will encourage everyone to enjoy and explore our wonderful state and community."

Produced by Parks and Green Spaces&nbsp;Art Projects, the exhibit features the work of nine artists from across the state, celebrating iconic and historic Kansas landscapes. Among these is the latest addition, "See Abilene," highlighting many aspects that contribute to Abilene being recognized as the Best Historic Small Town.

"The "See Kansas" Art Project spotlights some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the state," says Mary Gage, director of the project. "Nine Kansas artists were challenged to channel the beloved style of the National Parks Posters of the 1930s and '40s and produce unique new images for Kansans of favorite Kansas places. We're looking forward to sharing the exhibit of the artwork, as well as the new "See Abilene" poster, created in a similar style, with the community of Abilene this summer."

Visitors are encouraged to attend a special sneak peek unveiling of the "See Abilene" at the Abilene Public Library on Thursday, May 30, at 4 p.m.

"We are thrilled to collaborate with the Abilene Public Library and Parks and Green Spaces to bring this series to our community," said Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau director. "The "See Kansas" series pieces are beautiful, and we're proud to add 'See Abilene' to its collection."

Copies of the "See Abilene" piece will be available for purchase at the Abilene Visitors Center.&nbsp;

LISTEN:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/6a4e3cd9-a93e-40de-ab9a-856ed8613326">🎙King in the Community Podcast — Jane Anderson, Update on Smoky Hill River Renewal Project funding</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717167092689.jpeg" alt="Mary Gage, the director of the "See Kansas" art project talks to the public about the new "See Kansas" exhibit for the summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene" />
 <figcaption>Mary Gage, the director of the "See Kansas" art project talks to the public about the new "See Kansas" exhibit for the summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene</figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedAbilene is preparing to welcome a captivating new exhibit to its cultural scene. The "See Kansas" exhibit will be showcased at the Abilene Public Library from June 1 to August 7."We are truly excited to be able to display the "See Kansas" exhibit in the Jordan Room at the library this summer," said Library Director Wendy Moulton. "Our 2024 Summer Reading theme for all ages is Adventure Begins at Your Library, and the travel poster-inspired art on display will encourage everyone to enjoy and explore our wonderful state and community."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717167184423.jpeg" alt="The new "See Kansas" exhibit for the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum's summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene" />
 <figcaption>The new "See Kansas" exhibit for the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum's summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene</figcaption>
 </figure>Produced by Parks and Green Spaces&nbsp;Art Projects, the exhibit features the work of nine artists from across the state, celebrating iconic and historic Kansas landscapes. Among these is the latest addition, "See Abilene," highlighting many aspects that contribute to Abilene being recognized as the Best Historic Small Town."The "See Kansas" Art Project spotlights some of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in the state," says Mary Gage, director of the project. "Nine Kansas artists were challenged to channel the beloved style of the National Parks Posters of the 1930s and '40s and produce unique new images for Kansans of favorite Kansas places. We're looking forward to sharing the exhibit of the artwork, as well as the new "See Abilene" poster, created in a similar style, with the community of Abilene this summer."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1717167260005.jpeg" alt="Mary Gage, the director of the "See Kansas" art project, talks to the public about the new "See Kansas" exhibit for the summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene" />
 <figcaption>Mary Gage, the director of the "See Kansas" art project, talks to the public about the new "See Kansas" exhibit for the summer program. Image courtesy Visit Abilene</figcaption>
 </figure>Visitors are encouraged to attend a special sneak peek unveiling of the "See Abilene" at the Abilene Public Library on Thursday, May 30, at 4 p.m."We are thrilled to collaborate with the Abilene Public Library and Parks and Green Spaces to bring this series to our community," said Julie Roller Weeks, Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau director. "The "See Kansas" series pieces are beautiful, and we're proud to add 'See Abilene' to its collection."Copies of the "See Abilene" piece will be available for purchase at the Abilene Visitors Center.&nbsp;LISTEN:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/6a4e3cd9-a93e-40de-ab9a-856ed8613326">🎙King in the Community Podcast — Jane Anderson, Update on Smoky Hill River Renewal Project funding</a>

Discover Kansas through art — "See Kansas" Exhibit opens in Abilene

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp; Medical Foster Home Program coordinator Amy Adams.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3lyU_3rNfM?si=oAweCkNXxMo7Iubc" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp; Medical Foster Home Program coordinator Amy Adams.

🎤Forward Ever: Veterans Administration social worker Amy Adams

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8_QapUV_xYo?si=MR_64btnWHxJsyzR" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with U.S. Senator Roger Marshall.

🎤Forward Ever: U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall

The founders of the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas, could not have imagined its growth throughout the last 30 years. What started with a few orators in a tiny gazebo has evolved into a multi-venue event with hundreds of attendees.

Over two days, the festival adds another 300 people to Downs' population count of 800, with visitors and storytellers gathering from across the United States to hear stories ranging from fictional tall tales to mysterious local legends.

"Happy, sad, a lot of tall tales, maybe some embellishing of stories going on," said Storytelling Festival Steering Committee member Brenda Guiterrez. "It's the range of emotions and lots of laughter throughout the day."

The 30th Kansas Storytelling Festival kicked off its two days of narrations at the Downs Memorial Hall with storyteller <a href="https://www.leppstorytelling.com/">Bil Lepp</a> from South Charleston, West Virginia, and his comedy-fueled tall tales from his childhood.

Lepp took the stage with just a microphone and a backdrop of locally sewn quilts to help with the echoes inside Memorial Hall. He began telling the story of a young boy named Wallace who caused some mayhem at his elementary school in West Virginia.

"Almost all of my stories are based a little bit on something that I did or somebody I know," Lepp said. "I just take a little thing that happened to me somewhere along the way and&nbsp;just&nbsp;start asking myself, 'What if, what if, what if?' and it just grows into a story."

Lepp said he travels nationwide to tell stories at festivals and enjoys watching the audience absorb and react to his tales.

"A lot of artists never get to see their audience enjoy their art," Lepp said. "A painter, journalist, or a movie director, they don't always get to watch people, but I can stand on stage... to see the people react to it, and that's my favorite part."

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Five featured storytellers from across the United States visited Downs for the festival this year, including Lepp, <a href="https://andyirwin.com/">Andy Offutt Irwin</a>, <a href="https://www.kimweitkamp.com/">Kim Weitkamp Gum</a>, Anne Rutherford and <a href="http://dinoodell.com/">Dino O' Dell</a>.

Alongside the featured tellers, 13 more orators and Master Storytellers joined the festival, voicing tall tales on four different stages in downtown Downs.

"It's [The Kansas Storytelling Festival] grown to four venues," Guiterrez said. "We have Memorial Hall, our Senior Center, our Historic [Train] Depot  and one of our church fellowship halls."

Guiterrez said that artists switched venues every hour throughout the day so audiences could follow their favorite artists around town or stay in one location to see several performers.

The Kansas Storytelling Festival is unique to Lepp, and he noted the focus on the local community and the support he sees from the region's residents.

"It's a&nbsp;really&nbsp;neat festival, and we go to lots and lots of festivals in lots of small towns, but this one is probably the smallest town," Lepp said. "So many people come out to this festival, and people come from all over the country to come to this festival. There aren't enough motels in this area to house everybody who comes to this festival, which I think is great."

Downtown Downs' parking spaces were filled with visitors for the festival, muffling the sound of passing trains that flow across Morgan Avenue with laughter, gasps of surprise and the continuous murmur of voices telling tales of both faraway places and hometown backyards.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715299313337.jpeg" alt="The Kansas Storytelling Festival kicked off inside the Downs Memorial Hall with storyteller Bil Lepp telling the story of a mischievous young classmate who caused some mayhem at his elementary school as a child in Downs, Kansas, on Friday, April 26. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>The Kansas Storytelling Festival kicked off inside the Downs Memorial Hall with storyteller Bil Lepp telling the story of a mischievous young classmate who caused some mayhem at his elementary school as a child in Downs, Kansas, on Friday, April 26. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>By OLIVIA BERGMEIER Lead Reporter - Salina PostThe founders of the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas, could not have imagined its growth throughout the last 30 years. What started with a few orators in a tiny gazebo has evolved into a multi-venue event with hundreds of attendees.Over two days, the festival adds another 300 people to Downs' population count of 800, with visitors and storytellers gathering from across the United States to hear stories ranging from fictional tall tales to mysterious local legends.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715299493621.jpeg" alt="Storyteller Bil Lepp tells a fictional tale from his childhood about a mischievous boy named Wallace on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Storyteller Bil Lepp tells a fictional tale from his childhood about a mischievous boy named Wallace on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"Happy, sad, a lot of tall tales, maybe some embellishing of stories going on," said Storytelling Festival Steering Committee member Brenda Guiterrez. "It's the range of emotions and lots of laughter throughout the day."The 30th Kansas Storytelling Festival kicked off its two days of narrations at the Downs Memorial Hall with storyteller <a href="https://www.leppstorytelling.com/">Bil Lepp</a> from South Charleston, West Virginia, and his comedy-fueled tall tales from his childhood.Lepp took the stage with just a microphone and a backdrop of locally sewn quilts to help with the echoes inside Memorial Hall. He began telling the story of a young boy named Wallace who caused some mayhem at his elementary school in West Virginia.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715299697468.jpeg" alt="Locally-sewn quilts dressed the walls of the Downs Memorial Hall to dampen the echoes while storytellers narrate tales on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Locally-sewn quilts dressed the walls of the Downs Memorial Hall to dampen the echoes while storytellers narrate tales on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>"Almost all of my stories are based a little bit on something that I did or somebody I know," Lepp said. "I just take a little thing that happened to me somewhere along the way and&nbsp;just&nbsp;start asking myself, 'What if, what if, what if?' and it just grows into a story."Lepp said he travels nationwide to tell stories at festivals and enjoys watching the audience absorb and react to his tales."A lot of artists never get to see their audience enjoy their art," Lepp said. "A painter, journalist, or a movie director, they don't always get to watch people, but I can stand on stage... to see the people react to it, and that's my favorite part."READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/468bc8ee-a938-49e5-aa9d-286e2f02e11d">AJ Honey Farms — leading local beekeepers toward success</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715299576887.jpeg" alt="Storyteller Bil Lepp narrates the fictional tale of his childhood classmate on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>Storyteller Bil Lepp narrates the fictional tale of his childhood classmate on Friday, April 26, at the Kansas Storytelling Festival in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Five featured storytellers from across the United States visited Downs for the festival this year, including Lepp, <a href="https://andyirwin.com/">Andy Offutt Irwin</a>, <a href="https://www.kimweitkamp.com/">Kim Weitkamp Gum</a>, Anne Rutherford and <a href="http://dinoodell.com/">Dino O' Dell</a>.Alongside the featured tellers, 13 more orators and Master Storytellers joined the festival, voicing tall tales on four different stages in downtown Downs."It's [The Kansas Storytelling Festival] grown to four venues," Guiterrez said. "We have Memorial Hall, our Senior Center, our Historic [Train] Depot and one of our church fellowship halls."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/5/1715299779917.jpeg" alt="The Historic Train Depot was one of four venues around town for the Kansas Storytelling Festival on Friday, April 26, in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier" />
 <figcaption>The Historic Train Depot was one of four venues around town for the Kansas Storytelling Festival on Friday, April 26, in Downs, Kansas. Photo by Olivia Bergmeier</figcaption>
 </figure>Guiterrez said that artists switched venues every hour throughout the day so audiences could follow their favorite artists around town or stay in one location to see several performers.The Kansas Storytelling Festival is unique to Lepp, and he noted the focus on the local community and the support he sees from the region's residents."It's a&nbsp;really&nbsp;neat festival, and we go to lots and lots of festivals in lots of small towns, but this one is probably the smallest town," Lepp said. "So many people come out to this festival, and people come from all over the country to come to this festival. There aren't enough motels in this area to house everybody who comes to this festival, which I think is great."Downtown Downs' parking spaces were filled with visitors for the festival, muffling the sound of passing trains that flow across Morgan Avenue with laughter, gasps of surprise and the continuous murmur of voices telling tales of both faraway places and hometown backyards.

Kansas Storytelling Festival fills downtown Downs with tall tales

On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;HaysMed President, CEO Eddie Herrman.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o8KYn5O7ROo?si=I9ZAyP0OjLukO9P5" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with&nbsp;HaysMed President, CEO Eddie Herrman.

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On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WI1_KldMTjg?si=FNFCltxat4qiGW_d" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt.

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On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with CASA of the High Plains executive director&nbsp;Jan Johnson.

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HiZHgSSbXgE?si=TxdJjOj7HZupVOv2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>On this episode of Forward Ever: Leading in Challenging Times, host Gary Shorman speaks with CASA of the High Plains executive director&nbsp;Jan Johnson.

🎤Forward Ever: CASA of the High Plains executive director Jan Johnson

The Salina Senior Theater Project (SSTP) will open its fourth season with Carol Nimmons's comedy&nbsp;"Mernie's Little Hoax" on Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 4, at 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army 1137 North Santa Fe.

"Marnie's Little Hoax" is about a rich widow living in the Golden Gate retirement village. She is concerned because she has no known heirs to whom she can leave her fortune. She devises a hoax to see who among her so-called friends might be candidates in her will. When her fake demise backfires she becomes the victim of crazy shenanigans plotted by a network of unpredictable retirees.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/2/1708533986894.jpeg" alt=""Mernie's Little Hoax" poster image. Image courtesy Salina Senior Theater Project" />
 <figcaption>"Mernie's Little Hoax" poster image. Image courtesy Salina Senior Theater Project</figcaption>
 </figure>SubmittedThe Salina Senior Theater Project (SSTP) will open its fourth season with Carol Nimmons's comedy&nbsp;"Mernie's Little Hoax" on Friday, May 3, at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 4, at 3 p.m. at the Salvation Army 1137 North Santa Fe."Marnie's Little Hoax" is about a rich widow living in the Golden Gate retirement village. She is concerned because she has no known heirs to whom she can leave her fortune. She devises a hoax to see who among her so-called friends might be candidates in her will. When her fake demise backfires she becomes the victim of crazy shenanigans plotted by a network of unpredictable retirees.<h2>CAST **SSTP Debut</h2>Mernie Mayham.......Connie Gibson&nbsp; Maxine........................Taffy Speilman Sally.............................Judy Eilrich Helen...........................Laurie Moavec Herman.......................Mike Odell** Nellie...........................Carol Bragg Stanley........................Jack Owen ** Sadie...........................Kala Hurde Activities Director...Donna Tope ** Judge..........................Wally Hitchcock&nbsp;READ MORE:&nbsp;<a href="https://salinapost.com/posts/f8169fe9-e03b-4e8b-998f-2ce10f24d094">Hammer fight breaks out between coworkers in Dollar General parking lot</a>

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