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It's tim for Positively Kansas coming up.

Oh, it's a huge deal for this little town.

It was huge.

Huge.

And they're stil talking about it 40 years later.

The time this small Kansas town went Hollywood.

Townsfolk are marking the anniversary with a trip down memory lane.

also.

This is a surprise to people.

They walk in and they're taken back by what they see.

And they just can't believ this isn't in New York City or, you know, some more like Charleston.

It's in Marion, Kansas.

That's right.

This historic, elegant hotel rival some of the best in the world.

And it's just down the street from a grain elevator.

Shuttered for decades.

It's now back in business and more beautiful than ever.

We'll take a look, and.

Work hard and be kind.

I think to be a team player.

This small town girl who made it big.

shares her secrets of success with the next generation.

And wait till you see what's going on at the Kansas Oil Museum.

Youll want to make plan for a visit after you see this.

I'm Sierra Scott.

Those stories and many more are coming your way.

Positively Kansas starts right now.

What happens when the charm of a small Kansas town meets the glamor of showbiz?

Well, in this case, the answer is you create great memories that last a lifetime.

And for the people of Florence, this part of history, as it's easy to revisit, is pushing play.

But the story being told here is about more than just a movie being shot in their town.

It's about helping tell a story of a remarkable young woman and her mission to bring justice to the Kansas prairie.

Jim Grawe has the story.

The town of Florence was ready for its close up when cameras started rolling in 1977.

Oh, it's huge deal for this little town.

It was huge.

Huge!

Hollywood producers picke this little Marion County burg for its old fashioned downtown buildings and brick streets.

The town, just like the actors, was playing something else.

Here Florence is supposed to be Emporia early in the 20th century.

That's where famed writer William Allen White lived with his family.

The movie is the real lif story of White's daughter, Mary.

Her father set out to tell her story.

A teenage who is frustrated with the way women and minorities are treated in society.

If getting older means putting words before actions, I hope I die young.

Mary White's standing up for injustice all the time.

She wants the black girls that she's friends with at Emporia High School to b able to use the same bathrooms.

And she's so upset that they just can't decide, can't make those changes immediately.

Mary was a young woman with great promise, whose life was tragically cut short in a horseback riding accident when she was 16.

It was much more heart wrenching, I think, now, than whenever I watched it in 77.

This highly acclaimed fil got a lot of attention in 1977, and now it's getting renewed attention in Florence.

With the arrival of the 40th anniversary.

In May of 77, Hollywood crews came in and dressed up the town to look vintage.

And then it was time for action.

I love history.

And to be able to recognize people and places from 40 years ago has just.

I don't know, I don't have words for how I felt, but it was a cool I mean, it was just a cool feeling to kno that Our Town was part of this.

Most of the locals who played extras are no longer with us, and the town of Florence is a little worse for wear.

Some of the buildings are gon and the old depot has certainly seen better days.

I guess we've lost about half of our population since then, and, huge numbers of small businesses that no longer exist.

But that time, 40 years ago, when Florence got the star treatment and stole the spotlight, lives on in memories and on film, where it'll never completely fade away.

The Florence Library Board scheduled a special showing of the movie to mar the anniversary of the filming, and to raise money for a new sidewalk.

Time has indeed taken its toll on the small Kansas town.

But Florences role in helping tell the story of the heroic Mary White is forever cemented in history thanks to the magic of film.

Sierra, back to you.

Great stuff.

Jim.

Thank you.

Now to another small Kansas town and its Hollywood connection.

Her name is Kathy Grable, and you've probably seen her in a number of TV commercials.

Hey there, George.

You know, she also recently had a reoccurring role on the sitcom Last Man Standing and played Nicole Kidman's voice double in the hit movie Batman Forever.

Grable grew up in Mound Ridge and recently returned to star in a local production at the high school.

While she was in town, Grable addressed the student body to share her life stor and offer some words of wisdom for those seeking success in life.

It's to work hard and be kind.

I think to be a team player, to listen, as well as be willing to step forward when it's your turn.

But I have been so fortunate sometimes just by saying yes, that Batman Forever.

I got a call.

I'd be there within 45 minutes with L.A. traffic.

That's challenging sometimes, so sometimes just showing up.

Believe it or not, Grable says her Kansas roots have also helped her succeed in the rough and tumble business of Hollywood.

I just am such an advocate of Mound Ridge and Kansas and the Midwest because when you're in California, it's amazing how many of us are out ther and there is a community spirit.

Like I said, teamwork.

you find people who will, you know, kind of be your family out there, a community, and they still believe in community and hard work.

And I think that's a winning combination.

Grable is married with two teenage daughters.

She says her next career goal is to land a starring role in a sitcom.

So stay tuned.

Even the biggest Hollywood stars would find suitabl comfort and elegance in Marion.

The town's historic hotel is back in business and is vintage Victorian, bu with all the creature comforts.

That' after a roller coaster history that could have ended in disaster.

Jim Grawe has the story.

Imagine it's 188 and you just got off the train or the stagecoach, and you need a place to hang your hat.

If you were in Marion the Elgin Hotel would have been the fancy new plac to get a meal and some shut eye and do it in style.

And now those glory days are back, only bigger and better.

It is the finest boutique hotel in the Flint Hills of Kansa and probably throughout Kansas.

Tammy Ensey and her husband are the latest owners of this historic place.

We just have a passion for history, first of all, and we've always enjoyed the Victorian era, and so this felt like a perfect fit.

But rewind 130 years ago, the first owners were all the local citizens who bought stock to build the Elgin.

Two passenger rail lines stopped at Marion back then, and community leaders believed a grand hotel would convince visitors to stay a while and take in the local attractions, such as the nearby lakes and the healing springs.

And it seemed to work for several decades anyway.

But by 1967.

Time had taken its toll.

The Elgin was closed and abandoned.

We almost lost the Elgin.

It was days away from being knocked down.

A church out of Emporia was planning to purchase it so that they could use the limestone, which is native to this area, in erecting a church.

But the plan fell through.

Then a year later, the building was reopened as a humble apartment house that lasted until 2006, when the owner decide to sell the building at auction.

A wealthy couple purchased it and spent a lot of cash renovating the building from top to bottom.

In elegant, vintage Victorian style.

They made it their home and rented a portion out as a bed and breakfast.

Then in 2016 the Enseys purchased the Elgin and once agai opened it as a high class hotel.

This is a surprise to people.

They walk in and they're taken aback by what they see, and they just can't believ this isn't in New York City or, you know, somewhere like Charleston.

And it's in Marion, Kansas.

Each of the 12 rooms is unique.

Welcome to the Elgin Mama Suite.

This suite pays tribut to those who have been integral in either building, maintaining, or keeping the Elgin alive.

Visitors can enjoy both the romanticism of historic Victorian deco and the comfort of modern beds and other contemporary must haves.

Our suite 309 is our Amelia Earhart Suite, and this pays tribute to Amelia Earhart, who is from Atchison, Kansas.

But the luxurious rooms are not all the hotel has to offer.

There's also a ballroom, which has become a popular place for weddings and other memorable events.

We're 20 miles from the tallgrass Prairie Preserve which is in the national park.

Many people don't even know Kansas has a national park.

we have the wildlife refuge with the buffalo over near Canton Galva area.

We have two lakes here at our disposal.

And even more recently, Father Kapaun, Saint John that you see in church, which is only nine miles from us.

so we have a lot of things to offer to people.

The Elgin Hotel is a true ge and a rare find in rural Kansas.

It's a piece of history that survived, and after more than 130 years, has never looked better.

It is indeed quite a place.

You can learn more about the history of the Elgin and book a room if you'd like, by looking for the link on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org.

Now back to Sierra.

The Kansas Oil Museum in E Dorado tells the history of one of Kansas's big industries of the 20th century.

But that's not all.

There's also the first log cabin ever built in Butler County being restored as we speak.

Enrique Ramirez has the story.

Tucked away back on the 100 acres of the Kansas Oil Museum sits a quaint log cabin rich in Kansas history.

It also gives, I think, the communit and folks at the state of Kansas the opportunity to see what living pre-Civil be pre-Civil War in Kansas was like.

It's a it's a great opportunity.

Takes you back, say 160, 170 years now.

The O'Connor cabin was built in 1857 by a gentleman named Mister William Hildebrand.

He flipped the cabin a year later for $50 to J.D.

O'Connor.

Welcome to the cabin.

The cabin actually was built in 1857.

The intent was just a settlers post.

O'Connor used the cabin to sell provisions such as buffalo hides, tobacco, flour, and any of the essentials for those traveling on the Cherokee or Chisholm Trail, herding cattle on their way up north.

Mr. Connor's biggest clientel were the natives, the Washita, and some of the other local tribes in the area, who were also becoming, more dependent upon a general store kind of environment.

O'Connor would add on to the cabin as his family grew over the years.

The family owned the homestea claim for over half a century.

Surprisingly, it is pretty fair shape.

Fast forward to the present.

Has got to come ou before we even start.

Volunteer Richard Wells has worked in wood his entire career.

Now retired, Richard stays busy helping preserve the past.

It needs some tender loving care.

Which, it's over 100 years old, and, I don't know, I, you know, he just.

And I want prodding around it and looking at it, and, Well, I think it's worth reserving.

It really is.

It's not that bad.

It's the not that bad that puzzles Wells on how this old cabin has survived so many harsh Kansas winters and summers.

It's dry down in there, and it has cracked.

Wood is still a hackberry.

Why in the world that hackberry has lasted this long?

I don't have a clue.

Wells with a couple of handy helpers will spend two days chipping away and rubbing gallons of boiled linseed oil on the century old cabin logs, hoping to preserve them for years to come.

It's just, something you love to do to show the generation today what your great great grandfather lived in and what he had to to do to survive.

Sense of history is really important.

And this is a chance for a child to actually touch and feel history versus reading about it or just seeing it on a video.

There's so much to learn at the Kansas Oil Museum to find out more or pla a trip there.

Check out the link on the Positively Kansas page at KPTS.org.

Now to a story that defines the old saying money doesn't buy happiness.

A Derby couple says their lif has changed much for the better.

After acquiring a business that is teaching them that quality of life is much more important than material success.

Anthony Powell has their story.

Our largest section is the Mystery thriller adventure and it expands this whole wall.

Every day, Kim Catron feels like she's living a fantasy life.

A lifelong lover of books and an aspiring author.

Kim and her husband, Chris are the new owners of Blue Dragon Books o Madison Avenue in Derby, a store packed with used very affordable books on countless subjects.

And there's that personal touch that makes a mom and pop business so special.

This shelf here is books that I personally have read and that I personally recommend.

While Chris and Kim are elated about their new venture, it hasn't come without some sacrifice.

We had a good income coming in.

My husband and I and my family traveled.

We would take 2 or 3 vacations a year.

We had every single gaming subscription in the world.

For many years Kim was an accountant and combined with Chris's job at Coke Industries, they had a sizable income, but something sizable was missing from their life.

I was not happy and my family was not happy.

Kim knew she had to find a less stressful occupation.

Then came the opportunity to buy the bookstore.

She thought Chris would say no, but he knew it would make her happy.

Although there was some hesitation.

My initial reaction was not, this is going to be a lot of work.

It has been a lot of work.

But the couple says the stor has brought them closer together because Kim is so much calmer and outgoing.

And even though they lost her income and the store is not making money, they are learning that there's nothing more valuable than happiness.

We had an RV.

We had a boat got rid of all of that.

we don't travel.

But it's not just personal satisfaction and quality of life that Chris and Kim say they'v gained by owning the bookstore.

More importantly, they are elated and knowing that they are providing the community a place to come and enjoy affordable books.

Avid reader Jolene Harp is grateful for Blue Dragons affordability and its welcoming atmosphere.

You come into used bookstores, people are always more friendlier, whether it be the customers or who works here.

You run into people that you haven't seen in a while.

Surrounded by appreciative customers, fascinating books and a calm work environment.

It's easy to see why Blue Dragon Books has been such a life changer for Chris and Kim Catron, and it's taught them such a valuable life lesson about the unimportance of material items.

You don't need it.

You truly do not need it.

For Positively Kansas, I'm Anthony Powell.

And speaking of books I have with me a young author.

I love this a junior in college already an author I love.

This is so cool.

Amy Lightfoot and I want to talk about this book because it's really unique.

it's for about autistic children.

I grew up with a cousin who has autism, and she's, on the spectrum.

She's pretty severe.

And I met her when I was five.

My aunt moved to Honduras as missionary and ended up adopting my cousin.

Lillia and I met her when I was five.

First Christmas that we had them over, and my mom warned me when, before she got there, that my cousin was going to be a little different than me.

so I ended up, thinking of ways to play with her, and I wasn't quite sure what to do.

So my mom said, just play with her like she's a normal child.

And so, I ended up just twirling around with her because she likes to twirl around, and I ended up flapping things because she likes to flap things.

And that's kind of where our friendship began.

And it's grown since then.

She's 28.

I'm 21 now, and, our relationship has grown into this friendship that I wouldn't trade for the world.

And when I was applying for college, there was a lot of questions about what inspires you, what has made you what's driven you in life, what's made you want to do the degree you want to do?

and I ended up thinkin about that, and it always came back to my cousin Lily, and she inspired m from when I was five on to love those who have differences from me an to appreciate their differences.

And while we were writing all these essays out, my mom ended up saying this would be a really great children's book.

and I was I was like, you're right.

It would be a great children's book.

So this last Christmas, when my aunt, Christy and my cousin Lily were in town with us in Colorado Springs.

we ended up writing the book, and it took about six months to write it and get it published.

So, that's been such an exciting ride.

Most authors would be so jealous because it's usually doesn't happen that quickly.

That's awesome.

One of the things I love about your book is are the illustrations.

Unbelievable.

Talk about who did those.

Well, my aunt works with the Bible Translations Project down in Honduras.

She's translating the Bible into Honduran sign language with a really great group of people down there.

And one of those people's name is Tail Field Padilla.

And he is a deaf man who was a graphic designer.

And so while we were writing the words for the book, we were trying to think of how we can illustrate it.

Do we want to put real pictures in?

And then my aunt said, oh, I know someone who's very talented and who would, who knows Lily and who knows m and would want to work with us.

And so he ended up taking real pictures from our childhood, from when we were growing up.

And he put them into illustrations.

And this book.

I didn't realize it was from Real Pictures.

But they're really good illustration.

Yes, he's very talented.

Yes he is.

And one of the things I really like about the book, too it's in more than just English.

Yes, it's also in Spanis because, I mean, it makes sense.

My cousin is from Honduras, where the main language is Spanish, and so we wanted to be able to reach out to all the demographics that touch her life as well.

Do you speak Spanish fluently?

I do not, working on sign language.

Oh, that's really neat.

Yes You know, what are you hoping?

Because one of the things you talked about earlier was the fact that you are so inspired by this person, and that the people with differences we should accept.

Is that what you're hoping this book will help people do, or what's the goal of it?

One of the main goals we had when writing this book was to not sa the word autism in in the book, because it is for children.

And, if you just say autism, no one's going to no child is going to fully understand what that means.

and like my mom did to me when I was five, she said, just play with her like she's a normal kid.

And so the main point of th book is to tell other children to not be afraid of someone who's different than them, just because, you know, Lillian can't, doesn't like to make eye contact.

But when she does make eye contact, that's her showing love.

just because she can't talk doesn't mean she's not trying to communicate with you.

and so I wanted to give tha to other children and say it's okay tha someone is different than you.

Just show them love and reach out to them like they're a human being.

And you guys will have a great life.

So that's kind of the whole purpose of it.

I love that you're light years ahead of me.

What's sad is when and you know, things have changed.

But when I was back in school those children were segregated.

They were put in a corner and they'd stare at the wall.

And it's amazing now that there's more acceptance.

And I appreciate the fact that you're trying to create even more of that.

Yes.

I'm very happy about that movement too.

So how do we get a hold of this book?

This book is available on Amazon and at Barnes Noble online.

And proceeds go to the proceeds are going to go to Lillian.

all the proceeds go to life in Honduras with her and helping out my aunt, who is a, a single mom of Lillian.

So all the proceeds go to help out my family, and I give kudos to your aunt too, because a lot of people don't want to adopt special needs children.

And that's really nea that she was willing to do that.

Yes.

I mean, they ha just had an instant connection.

My aunt met her in a hospital in Honduras, when she was very little, and she was in the burn unit of that hospital.

And my aunt just fell in love with her instantly.

And, they've never gone back.

They.

I think they just celebrated their 17 years together.

Wow.

So, yes, it's it's been wonderful.

And she's been the hugest blessing to our family.

Well, and you're you've been a blessing to her too.

So that's really neat.

So thank you so much.

Thank you.

That's all for this week.

If you have a question, comment or a story idea, please send us an email.

The address is Positively Kansas at KPTS.org.

That's pretty easy to remember.

I'm Sierra Scott, thanks for watching.

We'll see you again soon.

Brought to you by Central Security Group, your experts in home automation, security and peace of mind.

View vide on your smartphone and control your home's lights, locks, heating, cooling and more.

Security of compatible with Apple Watch and Amazon Echo.

The preceding program was brought to you by tz productions, offering 40 years of media experience.