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It's time for Positively Kansas, coming up.

Oh, I'm so excited.

They have more fun in the crowd than they do on the field.

I think.

We enjoy all of the children and their talents.

A championship season is in the books for these amazing young athletes.

You'll see why everything is a thrill both on the field and in the bleachers.

Also, it's my pretty girl, my pretty little girl, she's 14 years old.

Isnt she cute?

A refugee camp for abandoned animals?

It's actually more like a spa.

They're treated with a lot of love and care by this woman who is realizing her dream.

Wait until you find out how she came up with the money to open this animal ranch in Haysville, plus.

This is a museum.

This is.

This is.

This is Wichita.

It needs to be taken care of.

So I'm doing it.

Wichita's famous founders are getting an upgrade.

Their dilapidated gravestones are getting major repairs.

As this woman follows through to do exactly what she said she would do.

I'm Sierra Scott.

Those are just some of the stories coming your way.

Positively Kansas starts right now.

You could call it a dream season on the diamond for some amazing Kansas athletes.

The field was flooded with champions who refused to let labels and challenges keep them from hitting homeruns every time they come to the plate.

Jim Grawe has the story.

It's everything to these kids.

It's everything to these kids and it's everything to these parents.

The biggest muscles in this ballpark are the hearts of the kids on the field.

This is a rare opportunity for him, so it it's it's fun for him.

He enjoys it.

Cheered on by a crowd that celebrates every play.

Oh, I'm so excited.

They have more fun in the crowd than they do on the field, I think.

Really?

What do you think?

Oh, because we enjoy all of the children and their talents.

I know, it's pretty amazing to watch.

It is.

It's a lot of them.

This was the last game of the season for the Miracle League of Wichita.

In its ninth year.

The league gives kids with special needs, such as five year old Carter Gardenheir the chance to be athletes.

For us, it it's a pretty big thrill.

He gets to, do it all himself and and that's big for him.

He's always wanted to be able to do it himself.

And this league provides that for him to be able to be independent.

Each player has an angel in the outfield, in the infield and at the plate to encourage and coach them along.

Everybody gets to bat.

Everybody gets to play.

we kind of try to toss the ball around out in the outfield, so everybody gets a chance to touch the ball and and throw it in the home and throw it into first in the pitcher and everything.

And, everybody plays every and everybody scores.

And at the end of the season, everybody is a champion.

A lot of times there's there's not there's not adaptive programs for these kids to like really, really be successful in athletics.

And and the Miracle League allows that for them.

Laynna Badgett started as a volunteer angel.

Now she's the director of the program, which is sponsored by Wichita Parks and Recreation.

These are my people, and I always say that like, I was born to serve this community.

and I'm, I'm extremely passionate about them being successful, in life.

And, I just love to see the kids smile and and run the bases and, and just have fun out there.

104 kids played in the Miracle League this year.

And everybody seemed to walk away happy and thankful for the chance to compete and succeed.

There's also a summer bowling league for these kids, and Laynna Badgett hopes to soon start a sports program for adults with additional needs, so stay tuned for that.

Now to a Kansas woman with a soft spot for kids and animals.

Donna Penley of Rural Haysville has created a sanctuary for neglected animals.

It's pretty girl, its my pretty little girl.

So she helps the animals.

But she also works to create experiences for children to play with and learn about the animals.

Well, I'd always had a dream of, having a larger piece of land where I could have animals and I could teach kids.

You know, the kids are losing all the basic primal knowledge about animals.

And, and I'll also, I wanted to give horsemanship lessons.

At one point, that dream of owning a ranch like this seemed impossible.

Her home was hit by a tornado in 1999, and she was starting to lose her eyesight.

However, this retired court bailiff fortunes turned around when she landed a spot on Wheel of Fortune.

It was a thrill.

There was.

I hit the $3,500 slot on the wheel and I thought I knew the answer.

And so I called for a “P ” and there were four “Ps ”, and it was peanuts, popcorn and pretzels.

By the time it was all said and done, Penley had won more than $27,000.

That gave her an up for a down payment on this house just west of Hayesville, which she aptly named Wheel of Fortune Ranch.

Oh, I love it.

Look.

Look around.

Look around ya.

This is a peaceful place.

With the help of volunteers, the 79 year old Penley cares for dogs.

horses, well, just about any domestic animal in need of a good home.

There is so much abuse.

And if we don't teach these kids to respect life and respect the animals, you know we're losing our connection with animals and with nature.

Meanwhile, Penley raises and sells chickens and other fowl to help pay the bills.

Anybody can visit the ranch.

Pet the animals and learn about them, but you're asked to call first and pay a $3 donation when you arrive.

Penley is currently working to establish the ranch as a nonprofit organization.

If you'd like to learn more about the Wheel of Fortune Ranch, you'll find a link on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org.

Here's another Kansas woman who's taken the bull by the horns to make a difference in her community.

A few shows back, we introduced you to Barb Myers, who was embarking on an effort to restore Wichita's oldest and most historic cemetery, Highland Cemetery at Ninth and Hillside, as the final resting place for many of Wichita's founders Buffalo Bill Mathewson, Bill Greiffenstein, Darius Munger, Nathaniel English are just some of the names.

Also, the family of Jim Steel, who was a real estate mogul and one of the legendary Four Horsemen who helped Platte out the city.

His family monument was just a pile of rubble.

Unrecognizable.

But look at it now.

Myers and her team of volunteers got permission from Steel's descendants and put it back together.

We're not trained professionals.

We did this kind of on our own, and we had a little knowledge and we made it work for us.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Myers and her group, called friends of the Wichita Pioneers, has permission from the city, and so far, 136 families to restore broken and sunken gravestones.

They've also arranged for overgrown trees to be trimmed, which in some cases had completely covered some of the gravesites.

Myers, who's working toward her master's in history at Wichita State, is getting all the work done with the volunteer help and donated supplies.

This is a museum.

This is this is this is Wichita.

It needs to be taken care of.

So I'm doing it.

If you'd like to find out more about this restoration effort at Highland Cemetery, look for the link on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org.

From honoring the dead to Serving the living.

The efforts of some generous souls here in Kansas are making a big difference to people in a far away land.

It's such a simple, basic thing, yet it makes such a huge difference.

As Jim reports.

Most Kansans have enjoyed modern kitchen conveniences for decades.

By the way, did you know that this kitchen won an award from the Woman's Home Companion?

But 3500 miles to the south.

Take a look at how the Mayan people cook in Guatemala.

Bonnie Laycock, from Wichitas First United Methodist Church was down there on a mission trip and couldn't believe her eyes.

Hey, why so sad?

Until you kind of go and you see what they've been cooking their meals on, which is just like a campfire on the ground inside their house and no windows.

And so the smoke is horrendous.

And we learned that lung disease is the number one killer of women in Guatemala.

because of that.

The women wear long skirts and the children play wherever their mothers are.

And so the skirts catch on fire.

The children fall in the fires.

We met a little boy, took some pictures of him.

He raised up his shirt, and his whole side of his body had been burned when he fell in a cooking fire.

So Laycock got to brainstorming and, with the help of a Guatemalan priest, designed a stove that would help transform lives.

Well, how do you like it?

There's only one word for it.

Terrific.

That is the most incredible experience ever.

Because they are so very grateful and just.

They cry and they thank God for.

For the people that have given the money to have the stoves built.

Laycock has a cardboard model to show people at the church.

You know, I'm so proud of it.

It's almost indecent of me.

The way the stoves designed to be very fuel efficient.

So the fire goes in here.

And what they're telling us now is that they can keep this fire going 24 hours a day on 12 pieces of wood this big, which is a lot less than they ever used before.

Most of the villagers cannot afford electricity, so they have to cook with wood.

And each stove costs $120 to build.

We buy the materials locally, which is really important to help support the local economy in these villages, and we require that the family put in the equivalent of $20.

And to us that is extremely important because even with programs we do here in Wichita, we find it's better if the programs that help the poor, that they put in something, whatever they can afford, even if it's a little tiny bit that gives them ownership and they appreciate it so much more than if we just hand it to them and say, here, we're doing this for Thank you very much.

My children are, healthy right now because your help and this is the first time that I have seen something from Lord from Lord by you.

And I want to say thank you very much.

I'm so happy.

And my heart is that happy that I want to cry.

She says.

Guatemalan Miguel Tizul says he lived like this as a child.

Now he's a businessman who helps the Wichita group connect with needy families I say they come from a town called Kansas... ...and they say, how is Kansas, where is Kansas?

The team, when they come to build the stoves for the families, It makes me a rich person.

By seeing my people with a different way of life.

just incredible change in their life.

Nothing to it.

With this kitchen, it's a breeze.

Christ was the example for us.

That he reached out and helped people.

He didn't just talk to them about, you know, there's a better life and it will get better sooner or later.

You know, and and really, we're all under that commission to go out and help those in the world who have less than we do and have a life that's that's not nearly as good.

And there are so many around the world that don't have the quality of life that we have, and yet we have the ability to help.

Laycock says there's not enough money to build a stove for every family that needs one.

She says other churches from across the U.S. are now joining the project that started with a group from Wichita who set out to make a big difference in the lives of families who celebrate something so simple as having a safe way to cook a meal.

For Positively Kansas, I'm Jim Graywe.

It was another successful Midwest beer fest.

The 17th year they celebrated suds downtown at Century II.

This year's brouhaha to beer was the biggest yet and completely different than the first fest in 2000.

Thanks to a change in trends and a change in the law that put on tap a new opportunity for local small businesses.

Justin Kraemer explains.

Bagpipers parade into Century II and behind them hundreds of thirsty Kansans kicking off Wichita's annual Midwest Brewfest, the 17th celebration of suds downtown with dozens and dozens of beers for fanatics of frosty, foamy ales, lagers, stouts, pilsners and orders.

It has grown phenomenally.

Guy Bowers started the festival back in 2001.

Back then, it didn't look anything like it does now.

17 years ago, the fest focused on the beers favored most by Kansans commercially available, mass marketed domestic brews.

But now local small breweries dominate the show.

Until a couple of years ago, it was just breweries from around the country, and it was mostly Colorado breweries, California breweries.

And then in the past two years, it's become a lot more focused on craft beer.

These have Bud Light stuff here.

You don't find Bud Light here anymore No.

offense to Bud Light it has its time and place.

But now there's a whole section of Kansas craft breweries.

This happened in 17 years.

When it comes to craft beer.

It's phenomenal.

Especially the growth in Kansas.

I think we have 13 local breweries here today at this beer fest.

The Hopping Gnome Brewery now open on Douglas by the donut Hole, was the new kid in town at last year's fest.

Been really good.

It's been better than we expected.

We expected to have to distribute a lot and get a lot of our beer out to restaurants and bars that people wouldn't know where to find us.

And we were surprised when we first opened that we just had a full taproom all the time every weekend.

While being brand new last year, the majority of the Kansas Brewers at the fest this year have opened since Hopping Gnome set up shop, with at least nine breweries opening locally in the last 12 months.

I think distribution may get tricky if there's too many others trying to open, you know, fight for shelf space.

But I think in terms of taprooms and restaurants and bars that it's so popular, craft beer just keeps getting more popular that there can be there's there's room to add more.

One of this year's winners, Aero Plains Brewing, just got on the scene seven months ago.

A hobby turned second career for owner Lance Minor.

He sees a long term future for small breweries in Kansas.

Your average beer drinker, isnt isnt comfortable or isn't, satisfied with the basic logic that they've been drinking.

So they're looking for more diversity and variety in what they're drinking, and in doing so, they're becoming more educated.

It took a decade for this trend of small breweries to reach Wichita, and in that decade, the trend hasn't slowed down.

Where it started in the northwest, in Colorado, which could be good news for Kansas beer fans, as small breweries here grow at a huge rate.

For Positively Kansas, I'm Justin Kraemer.

Wichita's chapter of the American Wine and Food Institute is behind the event.

They've been around since 1992, and you can learn more about the organization by clicking on the link on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org.

Wichita also has one of the Midwest most vibrant art scenes.

And right in the thick of it is Will and Kathy Fathi.

This dynamic duo of the esthetic realm found each other after beginning their lives in very different circumstances.

Kathy is a Kansan born and bred, while Will came here from Iran, he fled in 1980 after the Iranian Revolution and came to Wichita, where he had family.

That's when these two found each other and they've been making beautiful art together ever since.

It's it's really a nice thing to be married to someone who shares your your interests.

From my side, art is a very serious matter.

It's part.

It is an investigation of truth, not only about truth of myself and my my inner, but also investigating what is around you.

So the external as well as the internal.

Most of the time they work on individual projects.

Will with his painting and Kathy with her metal work.

Sometimes they work in tandem.

Here's an example of a piece they did together.

The Fathis also both teach art classes at City Arts in Old Town.

That can change the tones.

They can introduce that yellow.

They say it's a joy to share their talent and experience with others.

It is definitely a the greatest thing to do to be involved in teaching, novice or not novice.

I think the novice is perhaps in ways easier to teach because they're more willing to learn.

I teach because I really enjoy the interaction with the students.

I really enjoy it when they have the, when they have a successful moment when they may be struggling and we figure out a lot of it's problem solving.

So help coming together and we go, hey, maybe this will work.

Their students say it's a joy to be on the receiving end.

It's like, you should start painting with the lightest color in the picture.

I didn't know that.

So one day I was starting with one of the dark colors, and he came over and told me that I need to start with the lightest color in your painting.

Yeah, you need instruction because it opens up your world and gives you a whole lot of other ideas that you can use.

Oh, she's a wonderful instructor.

Yes, anytime we need because we can basically work on our own, you know, at our own pace and everything.

And then when we need something from her, we just go to her and ask her, and she's helpful and she tells us what we should know.

If you'd like to see more of Wil and Kathy, Fathis art and learn more about them.

Look for the links on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org The sky over High Park in Derby was a sight to see when perfect weather brought out 1200 people for the city's annual kite festival.

Oh its great time to come out and visit with the grandkids and to show up how awesome it could be to come out and fly kites.

This was the fifth year for the event, which is organized by the Derby Recreation Commission.

It's free to participate.

People can bring their own kite, make one at the event, or buy one.

They're already made.

For a lot of the kids there.

It was a new experience.

Yes, first time right?

Your first time flying a kite.

It's her first time.

Well, for those of you who know me, you know, I'm an avid reader, and I consider myself Kansas's biggest cheerleader.

So it is an honor today to have an award winning Kansas author on the show.

He just wrote a book called The Last Wild Places of Kansas.

And George, congratulations, first of all, on your award.

That is so wonderful.

You won the nature category.

Oh thank you.

Yeah, the Midwest Book Award.

Thank you very much I appreciate it.

That's wonderful.

Talk a little bit about because your book really focuses again on the last wild places of Kansas.

Talk about that a little bit and how many are left.

You know, it's not so much a matter of how many.

It's just the just overall diminishing nature of of the Kansas Wildlands.

But actually, interestingly enough, we do have a lot of, of, high quality natural areas in the state.

But because of the changing nature of Kansas lands, not a lot of people know where they are, how to access them, and why they are as significant as they are.

and I think a lot of that has to do with the sort of urbanized urbanizing that's going on in Kansas today.

You know, and one of the things I've driven all over Kansas.

So, like you, I've seen a lot of these places that the average person probably does not.

Why do you think it's so important that people actually see these places and preserve these places?

We have the legacy of the tallgrass prairie, which today is the most endangered ecosystem in North America.

and so you have sort of a quandary if you think of the wild lands out in the American West or in places like that, there's a problem with advertising them in that too many people go there and they sort of get over, you know, get trampled upon.

But in Kansas, it's just the opposite.

We have significant wild places that almost nobody knows about.

And so they kind of go, you know, under the radar.

Talk a little bit about what led you to write this, right?

This book.

Well, I think that I had a common experience.

I grew up in the city in Overland Park, and when I moved to Lawrence for college, I fell in love with the American wilderness.

And so I was doing long backpacking trips in Colorado and Montana.

I rode my bike down the West coast of America one summer, and I thought of Kansas as the place to come home and study.

I could see that.

But when I was in graduate school, I found out about a really excellent prairie we had in Lawrence, and I went and visited this prairie and I looked at the diversity of the plants in the prairie, and I realized, man, I've grown up around this stuff my whole life, and I didn't even know it was there.

Now, right as I discovered this prairie, it had become embroiled in politics.

This is the Elkins Prairie.

And, because of a road that was being built in Lawrence called the South Lawrence Traffic Way, and eventually the prairie was plowed by the owner to protect the value of investment.

But what really struck me when that happened was how strongly people felt about this wild place.

People in Lawrence, people across the state.

And so I realized that we did have wild places that mattered in the same sense that there are wildernesses and wild places that matter in the American West.

And I just didn't know anything about them.

So in a way, I feel like a stranger in my home state.

So, you know, that wasn't acceptable to me.

So I decided I wanted to learn everything I could about our, you know, rapidly disappearing prairies, wetlands and old growth forests.

And so I set out on a three year trek, with my family and on my own to, discover the last wild places in Kansas.

Well, first of all, George Frazier, thank you for taking time to be with us today.

Before we wrap up, where can we find your book?

You know, in Wichita, a good place to look for the book is Watermark Books.

and they've been a big champion of the book.

And, you can find it at the Great Plains Nature Center.

And, at pretty much any bookstore in Kansas and at the regular online outlets like Amazon.

Well, thank you again for your time.

What a great book.

I hope that a lot of people read it because I love Kansas like you do, and I think they should enjoy it as well.

So thank you.

Thank you very much.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

But next Meet some Kansas who are making a big push for people to grow their own food.

Whether it's growing fruits and vegetables or raising their own chickens, the local food movement is taking off.

Also, this Hutchinson woman gave up her veterinary practice to become a full time artist.

Find out where one of her paintings ended up and why it was such a coincidence.

Those are just some of the stories we're working on for the next Positively Kansas.

I Sierra Scott.

See you next time.

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