We're here for another half hour of information and inspiration.

Here's what's coming up on this edition of Positively Kansas.

We hear it all the time.

Kansas is a sunflower State.

But how did our state become so identified with these big, bright blossoms of autumn?

Well, venture into the fields and into the archives to find out.

We'll also meet some kids with a real need for speed.

They put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber as their mom and dad cheer them on.

And then we'll meet a super senior who still has plenty of get up and go.

If you're feeling old and worn out, well, his story may be just the pick me up you need.

Then some local students get a lesson in farming the way it used to be done.

And in our Kansas Wild Edge report, see how journalist Mike Blair went about doing what Mother Nature didn't do on his county farm.

Isaiah Scott.

Those stories and more cued up and ready to roll in this edition of Positively Kansas.

Positively Kansas is brought to you in part by.

Before investing your hard earned money, make sure your financial advisor understands your objectives.

Mark Douglas CFP Serving our community for over 20 years, providing customized financial solutions that focus on the individual.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas serves more than 930,000 Kansans in various programs.

Independent member of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, an independent licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, supports its.

Program support provided by the off price cost Fund Memorial Trust and Trust Bank Trustee.

Bringing you that Kansas Wild Ed segments on positively Kansas.

You hear it all the time.

Kansas referred to as a Sunflower State.

These big yellow blossoms of late summer and fall are a beautiful addition to the Kansas countryside.

As Jim Gray shows us, their association with Kansas goes way back and thrives today like never before.

Sunflower, good morning.

Should you make it like a sunny day?

Few flowers have more personality and purpose than the Healy at this, and it's commonly known as the sunflower.

This plant is as practical as it is beautiful.

And no doubt a lot of Kansans would agree that makes it the ideal symbol for their state.

They're the prettiest.

Flower, don't you think?

I love the color.

Kind of hard.

To believe that when they take the seed and they make oil out of it and they make grain for cattle.

They just are happy.

They're a happy flower.

Each year, people flock to Dianna Burris's field near Augusta.

It's their fleeting chance to pose with the big, bright state flower of Kansas, which blooms for just a short time at summer's end.

Once they start blooming there, there's about a 10 to 12 day time time frame that you've got.

To be out here.

Because before long they start looking like this.

This was Pam Rogers Field, just west of Wichita.

As harvest time was approaching.

The sunflower is my favorite flower.

My favorite flowers.

This was Rogers first ever attempted growing them on her family farm.

And as soon as the flowers started blooming, visitors started showing up.

Well, people just like sunflowers.

It's the color of.

It's it's happy.

It's makes you feel good.

Rogers only planted eight acres as an experiment.

It was something she discussed with her father, Lynn Burkey, shortly before he passed away in 2020.

Turns out he had raised them once before in 1979, and he didn't make much money on them.

But Rogers says she's not worried about that.

No, that's that's not the point here.

I just enjoy the color of it, the the beauty of it, how it grows and it can grow just about anywhere.

And they just start popping up everywhere in August.

They're just beautiful sunflowers.

The smaller, wild varieties have thrived in what is now Kansas for thousands of years.

Here before there was a state, even people that were traveling the Santa Fe Trail back and forth between Kansas City and Albuquerque, Santa Fe noted the presence of the sunflowers, which makes sense because the ground that had been dug up by the traffic on the Santa Fe Trail would have been a perfect place for sunflowers to grow.

So you would have been certain times a year you'd have been walking right through a gallery of sunflowers as you cross the prairie.

Native Americans were the first to grow and consume sunflowers.

Then European explorers exported the seeds around the world.

It was in Russia, where the high yield domestic hybrids were originally developed and farmers started cultivating the plants in large numbers.

But commercial production of the sunflower was still a new idea in the United States in 1903, when the Kansas legislature voted to make it the official state flower.

State Senator George Morehouse introduced the bill, citing the sunflower for being striking to look at easy to draw paint and carve and noting its association with the Prairie Trail that brought settlers to the region.

Thought this was a very eye catching emblem, easy to produce, easily recognized.

The editor of the Ellis Review headlight offered his endorsement, writing that the sunflower will do.

It isn't much of a smile or he wrote, but it is a great looker.

And these flowers make great photo subjects because they're almost always facing the sun.

Because the the the blossom on of a sunflower plant is there as a kind of a landing pad for insects, honey bees and other pollinating insects being cold blooded creatures.

What the sunflowers will do is they actually are capable of the limited range of motion to where they will face the sun as it comes up in the morning.

And that provides a a nice warm spot, extra warm spot for the honey bees to come in and feed and increase their body temperature at the same time through.

The generations, one part of the plant or another has been promoted for livestock feed.

Hair tonic, healing salve.

And even a preventative for malaria.

Nowadays, the number one commercial use for sunflowers is cooking oil, and that is the variety that is best suited for the climate in central Kansas.

The confectionary or snacking type grow well in western Kansas, where it's drier.

Rogers says her first harvest was a home run, and she says she'll plant more acres next year.

Meanwhile, Burris looks forward to many more sunflower seasons as well and many more visitors who share her passion for the Kansas State flower for Positively Kansas.

I'm Jim Gray with.

When it comes to farming sunflowers, Kansas ranks fourth in the nation behind North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.

And now the story of a Kansas family with a need for speed.

There are three generations of drag racers in this family from Bentley.

As Chris Frank shows us, the children start racing about the time most kids are learning how to ride a bike.

Passionate about this.

And it's something that I don't want anyone to take from me.

It could be scary at your first start.

Hopefully I win when we're in the car, ready and shoot it up.

My heart starts being really fast.

Well, whose heart wouldn't be beating fast as one prepares to drag race.

These four kids range in age from 9 to 14.

The children represent a third generation of Kansas drag racers.

They are part of the Roberts drag racing family of Bentley, including cousins.

You got fuel in your car, Carson?

Yep.

You got fuel?

Yes.

All right.

The kids don't just get into the dragsters and drive down the strip.

They have their jobs of preparing the vehicles before race time.

That includes changing the oil, fueling up and checking tire pressure.

You got to keep the kids rounded up and point in the right direction.

Andrew Robertson wife, Tamara are parents of 13 year old McKenzie and ten year old Carson.

Their nieces, nine year old Michele Roberts and 14 year old Nevaeh acquiring round out the extended racing group here.

These kids compete during the summer racing season against other junior dragsters to earn overall points, which determine the season's winners.

As points race number four.

McKenzie is currently leading points and Parsons in third place.

So it's kind of big for them.

They got to stay up at the top.

You want to end up being the points champion for the year.

You get trophies and you're in prizes if you are.

So the National Hot Rider Association in HRA set up the junior drag racing league for kids between ages five and 17.

These cars are half scaled dragsters.

Not to be confused with the full size fire breathing top fuel dragsters which can exceed 300 miles per hour on the strip.

These single cylinder, five horsepower engines can go as fast as 85 miles per hour on a one eighth mile track, not the quarter mile.

But younger racers are restricted to slower speeds and times.

These kids can't legally drive on public streets yet, but they can get the thrill of driving fast in a straight line on strips like this one, the Kansas International Dragway, just northwest of Wichita.

McKenzie got interested in racing after watching her dad and older brother race.

She was only seven years old then.

I've been around the racetrack since I was like a newborn, and then my dad's hard racing, a big dragster.

So that kind of got me into gene dragster racing.

Her grandfather, Wayne Roberts, got the racing heritage started in the family.

He watches the progress in the sport the generations following him are making.

Yeah, I blame me and my brothers race.

We've been racing since we were kids.

Our folks never really approved much of it, but it is standard our way.

So we went racing.

Wayne even owned this track for a period.

There's so many things that the kids could be doing these days, but now out here, they're competition matches with each other.

They're having a good time.

They're learning how to win.

How to lose.

And good sportsmanship.

And that's just so much better than what other possibilities are out there for kids to get involved in.

The kids suit up in their safety gear while waiting in the staging areas.

She's putting all her safety gear on, so got to make sure they do it right.

That gear includes helmet, fire suit and a head and neck support device.

So what about the danger of racing?

I mean, there is McKenzie has rolled her car at the end when she's taken, you know, you take off too fast, taking the turn at the end.

She has rolled it to the side.

You know, they run 75 to 85 miles an hour, which is about what you run down the highway.

But they have a car specifically built for that, so it has extra safety built into it.

They are five point harnesses, fire suits, helmets of head and neck devices.

So it's really about as safe as you can be, is probably safer than driving down Kellogg.

It's race time as the official motions the juniors forward.

14 year old Navia Query thinks about the time trial she's about to run.

I just take a deep breath and I count the light and I go, I'm hoping I cut a good light.

All these racers talk about cutting a good life.

Cut a good lie and focus on the last syllable.

The starting light is commonly called the Christmas tree.

The yellow lights count them down to the start.

Racers try to time their start to as near perfection as possible.

But if they start too early, they get a red light which can disqualify them.

Now, here's an example of that.

Notice the red light on.

The red light star.

For the day.

Some of their friends still don't believe they race.

Your friends don't believe your race?

No, but I show them videos and they're like, That's not you.

That's not you.

You're just sitting in the car.

I'm like, No, that's me racing.

So for McKenzie's friends, here she goes.

McKenzie says she'd like to drive a Top Fuel dragster when she gets old enough, but for now, she gets up to 78 miles per hour.

Nevada is a 14 year old cousin to the Roberts children.

She got the drag racing bug after seeing her cousins racing.

Now she wants to make a career of it.

I do it as a hobby, but I want to get when I get older, I want to get bigger into like bigger cars.

And I want to get like I want to make money off of drag racing.

Ten year old Carson says racing down the strip at 73 miles per hour is like scoring a touchdown or hitting a home run.

I just say to myself that hopefully I do good and then just have fun.

Now some families spend their recreational money on boats.

Motorcycles, campers and such.

For the Roberts, it's on the racing.

I spend a good, good chunk of money on it.

It's not as bad as you would think, but it's like with anything else, a boat or a side by side, ATV or you TV or whatever.

I mean, it's all in line with that.

But in my opinion, it's worth it.

I mean, I know where my kids are on Saturday night.

It's something that they enjoy.

They're not out roaming the streets or getting into trouble.

They're here having fun with their family.

It is a family event.

You also make friends that turn into basically your family out here.

We consider a lot of our friends just family.

Who knows how long these kids will race?

They may tire of it quickly and find another interest to pursue.

But for now, they'll drive as fast as they are allowed to for their ages on the eight mile stretch.

This is Chris Frank reporting for Positively Kansas.

So there you have it.

Those kids are ambitious to climb into the most competitive ranks, so we may be hearing about them again.

The saying age is just a number might be overused at times, but for a Wichita man you're about to meet, the saying couldn't be more appropriate.

Anthony Powell tried catching up with 99 year old Dynamo Don Martinson.

Don Martinson doesn't have a nickname that we know of, but if he did, Dynamo, Don would certainly be appropriate.

Whether he's delivering Meals on Wheels, cutting the grass at his church or working in his home shop.

Don just keeps going and going.

Oh, yeah.

Did we mention that at age 99, he still drives and lives alone?

I just respect that and admire him so much for the way he keeps himself busy and in his mental acuity and his physical abilities.

Don's a humble guy.

Says there's really nothing special about him.

He just is always had a strong work ethic, developed at a very young age, growing up on a farm in South Wichita.

Don stayed active all these years because, well, he says it makes him feel young, but keeping his mind sharp has been just as important as a young adult.

Don thought about a few careers.

A very religious man.

He loved teaching Sunday school.

So I figured my best contribution to society would be in teaching.

Have you taught math and science?

Math and science.

I had my back, my bachelor's in physics.

Don spent most of his career teaching at Wichita's North High.

He retired in the early eighties, but to this day enjoys talking math and physics.

As we mentioned earlier, Don's religious faith has always been a very important part of his life.

So much so that when he was drafted into World War Two, he declared himself a conscientious objector, opting to do humanitarian work rather than go to war.

Both the Old Testament, where you find Ten Commandments, says they're really hard.

Carol and I took it pretty directly and cause Christ teachings saying, Love your enemies and so forth.

As you might imagine, Don says, some people shunned him for not fighting, but others told him he had guts.

Don's religious faith and skills around tools has also led him to being involved with Habitat for Humanity for many years.

One of the reasons he likes the organization so much is that it stresses a strong work ethic like his for those that it helps.

Well, I enjoy working with the homeowners because the homeowners themselves have to put in sweat equity, so to speak.

If it's a couple, they have to put in 450 hours or 400, I guess, and a single person getting one had to pay at least 250.

So whether he's delivering Meals on Wheels, cutting the grass, working in his shop, going to church or talking physics and math.

99 year old Don Martinson gives the elderly and other people who might be struggling some hope.

You know, if he can do it, maybe they can do it.

Don, I don't think is one to sit around.

And.

And let age creep up on him.

A lesson for us all that an active body and mind can keep father time at arm's length for quite a long time.

For Positively Kansas.

I'm Anthony Powell.

Don will turn 100 in March.

And as you might have guessed, he says he has no plans to let that big birthday slide down one bit.

A lot of people dream about having their own personal lake or pond for fishing, boating and enjoying wildlife.

When this week's Kansas Wild Edge report, Mike Blair shows us how he went about making his dream come true.

I've always wanted my own pond.

Until recently, I.

Never had.

A place to put one.

But that changed a few months ago when we bought a small.

Farm and it had a. Drainage that seemed perfect.

So right away I saw the pond in my mind's eye.

And after some planning.

And contact with an area contrac They arrived this week with heavy equipment, an excavator and two bulldozers.

And as we gathered to watch the show, it was amazing how fast the land changed.

The excavator started pulling out trees, and in less than half a day, the draw was empty and ready to carve.

Years before, someone had dumped all kinds of trash and broken concrete into the ravine to help stop erosion that was largely hidden by the trees.

But now it was exposed and in the way, so the dozers had to dig around and bury it as they began to form the pond using laser elevations.

They went to work.

Time lapse showed how the powerful machines cut the soil into the natural channel.

And it took several days to.

Get it right.

How different.

Things looked.

The dam was pushed up across the wide.

Draw and.

The bottom was dug out to our desired depth.

The work impacted acres of the pasture, some of which will be restored and reseeded in coming months.

The overflow system was designed without a normal spillway due to the narrow draw in the composition of the soil.

But soon it was ready to.

Encounter any big rings.

That sometimes come to.

This area.

The runoff zone was armed with concrete to help protect the dam.

And finally, after three days, the pond was completed.

Now we hope for rain.

And my.

Grandson, anxious is.

A little ahead of.

Himself for the fun to come.

No bites yet.

I'm Mike Blair.

Four Positively Kansas.

Mike will do another story about his pond.

When it's full of water, that will be fun to see.

Some Newton High School students had a chance to step way back in time, and as they learned about the way some food used to be brought to the table.

Anthony Powell was there for this history lesson.

A trip back in time.

Tilling farmland the way it used to be done long before tractors and other technology took over.

It turns the ground over and then buries your top.

And that way it'll decay down there.

Act as a fertilizer.

But what you're seeing here took place in 2021, a demonstration by an old Kansas farmer named Winston Sommerfeld.

For some Newton High School history and agriculture students, they want to learn more about how agriculture progressed with history.

And so we're here with our horses.

We're going to do a little demonstration for them and and hopefully get them educated.

How our forefathers started this country.

And you won't find anybody better to learn from than Winston Summerfield.

I guess I grew up using them.

It's kind of in my blood.

I think I probably owned a horse for 65 years.

For many years, Summerfield and his wife have operated Country Boys Carriage, which offers rides for all kinds of events.

But the Summerfield tour phasing out of that business and doing more plowed demonstrations.

That's why Newton a high teacher, is gone.

New Winston was the perfect person for this combined and up close history, an agricultural learning experience.

Gosh, it would be so awesome with our AG Academy program to get some horses out here.

Actually tell some of this up because we have all of this land.

Gun making sure on this day.

Her students knew the important role horses played in establishing countless American industries.

Actually, the heavy horse became more important during the Industrial Revolution when we were mechanized in things than what people would think.

A lot of times we were like, Oh, that's when the horse kind of started to maybe not be as important.

But that wasn't until the automobile.

Students we spoke to say, perhaps surprisingly, this was a day that they really looked forward to being off their devices and engaging some hands on learning and most of all, learn about the way things used to be done.

It's preserving history.

And it's kind of a cool, unique thing.

To do.

Eli telling us he and his dad have a plow team for their own farm, but wanted to learn more about perfecting the technique and say they came away with some very useful knowledge.

Meanwhile, Winston Sommerfeld says his goal during these demonstrations is to also teach people just how special and unique horses are.

The personalities, I mean, everybody says, are dumb animals.

They're they're far from normal animals, you know, like these people use them in these gardens and stuff.

Them horses know exactly.

Not to step on produce.

Yes, there are still people using horse plows, but not enough for Winston's liking.

That's why he's always so eager to get in front of the younger generation.

Is getting to be a dying art to work these horses.

And and maybe we can get some of them educated and some say maybe this is the thing to do.

In Newton, I'm Anthony Powell for Positively Kansas.

Well, that's a wrap for this week.

If you have a question, comment or story idea.

Shoot it off at positive.

The Kansas at Cape Eats, dawg.

We love getting your emails and we love having you watch the show.

Until next time I see Prescott.

Take it easy, play it safe and be careful with you again soon.

Positively.

Kansas is brought to you in part by program support provided by the F price Cosby Memorial Trust and Trust Bank Trustee bringing you the Kansas Wild Ed segments on Positively Kansas.

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas serves more than 930,000 Kansans in various programs.

Independent member owned Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, an independent licensee of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, supports KPS.

Before investing your hard earned money.

Make sure your financial advisor understands your objectives.

Mark Douglass CFP Serving our community for over 20 years, providing customized financial solutions that focus on the individual.