Wichita Weekend

Thanksgiving Day is Thursday November 27th, and that morning, Grace Med Health Clinic's 15th Annual "Say Grace" 5K Thanksgiving Race will take place in Midtown Wichita. The annual family-friendly event has become a Thanksgiving tradition for many in our community. We invite you to come out with family and friends to run, walk, or stroll through Midtown, one of Wichita’s most historic neighborhoods...

Saturday, November 8th is a day to honor the men and women of our military!  Our guest is Ann Houk, Chief Operating Officer of Home Health and Hospice of Kansas. Ann tells us about the Veterans Day Parade downtown and the special "Freedom Under The Stars" Gala that evening at Crestview Country Club. Complete information on both events is available on Facebook. 

Our guest is Alma Hammer, Victory in the Valley's Assistant Director and Volunteer Coordinator. Alma comes to invite us to the East & West United for Victory Walk and Survivors Celebration, Sunday October 19th at Equity Bank Stadium. This is Victory in the Valley's ONE & ONLY annual fundraiser supporting local cancer fighters and survivors.  Register now online at victoryinthevalley.org or...

Join us for the first-ever Sedgwick County Emergency Preparedness and Safety Expo, brought to you by Sedgwick County Emergency Management LEPC! This free, family-friendly event is all about being emergency ready and safe. There will be interactive activities, firsthand demonstrations from Fire Rescue, First Responder Big Toys, and much more. Explore emergency preparedness tool and resources, meet...

Our guests are Breanna Monk, President of Wichita Festivals Inc., and local artist Sarah Grant, who stop by to tell us about Autumn & Art, the premier al fresco art show in Kansas. Showcasing artists from across the US, we celebrate the creative spirit of our community. Autumn & Art 2025 is scheduled for September 12–14 on Bradley Fair Parkway.  https://autumnandart.com/

Nobody ever said parenting was easy. And for families in crisis, Kansas Legal Services offers the Parent Advocate Program. It's designed to help keep children in their homes and keep families functioning. Parent advocates Shyla Estes and Jill Ayers discuss some of the many ways this program benefits our community. 

Thursday night, June 5th, outside Century II, it's the 37th Annual Cajun Food Fest, sponsored by Goodwill Industries of Kansas. This not-to-be-missed culinary celebration is just one example of the thousands of ways Goodwill helps make our communities better. Erin Younkin, Goodwill's Chief Communications Officer, and Justin Rupert, Director of Marketing and Communications stop by our studio to tel...

Join us for Andover’s newest spring event – HeritageFest! Saturday, May 17, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. at The Heritage (located off Yorktown Road and Kellogg). Andover's Public Information Officer Megan Schapaugh stops by our studio to tell us all about it. HeritageFest celebrates Andover's roots with themed food, old-time photos, kids’ activities, and a family-friendly trip into the past. Mark your calenda...

Eck Auto Group here in Wichita is well known for supporting our community. The Adopt  A School Golf Tournament in June and the Adopt-A-Cause program near the holidays are two great examples. Community Engagement Director Johanna Pfaff stops by to tell us how you can help Eck Auto Group do great things for our city. https://adoptaschoolkansas.com/

Fireworks! Food! Live Music and Festival Fun! The time is near for Wichita's annual spring celebration, Riverfest!  We invite Wichita Festivals CEO Breanna Monk and Allen Howarter, Admiral Windwagon Smith 51, to tell us all about what to expect in 2025!  www.riverfest.com

April is Autism Awareness Month, and our guests are Clara Miller and Nikki Bina from Heartspring! They stop by to tell us why this month is so important to so many Wichita area families, and to invite us to the Heartspring Gala on April 12th.  www.heartspring.org; www.heartspringgala.org

Our guest is Connie Dietz from Pine Valley Christian Church. She stops by to invite us to Camp Sunflower Spaghetti Night, which is Saturday, April 26th, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., at Calvary United Methodist, 2525 North Rock Road. Camp Sunflower believes that all young people deserve and need supportive and affirming communities. So they hold camps and retreats for LGBTQIA+ middle and high school you...

Every foster parent knows that fostering comes with challenges you’re not always equipped for.  Jill Ayers and Foster ICT can help. Jill is a Foster Care specialist whose mission is to give every child hope and a future. Foster ICT is here to equip, empower, and provide resources for currently licensed foster parents, kinship placements, and adoptive families. She stops by the Wichita Weekend stud...

February is American Heart Month, and the American Heart Association encourages you to learn CPR and Join the Nation of Lifesavers.  Our guests are Heather Smart, Senior Development Director for the American Heart Association, and Deb Devor-Mullins, a multiple stroke survivor and Chair for the 2025 Heart Walk, June 21st. www.heart.org/nation   www.heartwalk.org 

The Bridges to Home Holiday Donation Drive is on now through January 15th. Tori Pedruzzi, the 2024 Miss Augusta, and a Miss Kansas Hopeful in 2025, invites you to make this Christmas merry and bright for individuals at the Open Door Day Shelter. Bring your donations to St. Catherine of Siena Church or Kansas Perio, or feel free to Venmo @bridgestohome.

The red kettles are in place, the bells are ringing, and again, the Salvation Army is working hard to make this a brighter Christmas for all of Wichita. We visit with Major Merrill Powers about the need for bell ringers, The Angel Tree, and much more.  www.salvationarmyks.org; www.registertoring.com

Illuminations is a Wichita holiday tradition! Don’t miss the choreographed light shows, hot chocolate and cookies, and a visit with Santa.  Botanica Wichita ’s Illuminations is open every evening from Nov. 24-Dec. 30. Botanica's Executive Director Dr. Lynette Zimmerman invites us to this year's spectacular! For tickets...botanica.org/illuminations

Every year, somewhere around 1500 of our friends and neighbors come out into that crisp, November morning to run in the Say Grace 5K Thanksgiving Race. Some are amateur athletes who are looking to set their best times. Others are the multi-generations of whole families who have come from far and very wide to work up an appetite and add to a family tradition. Grace Med Interim CEO Julie Elder and D...

Utah may have Sundance...but Wichita has Tallgrass! The Tallgrass Film Festival is celebrating 22 years of bringing the best independent films and film-makers to our city. Melanie Addington, Executive Director of the Tallgrass Film Association, tell us all about it. www.tallgrassfilm.org

Wichita Weekend welcomes Traci Kennedy, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Wichita! Catholic Charities works to serve the hungry, homeless, lonely, disabled, and abused in South Central Kansas. To get help or give help, log on to catholiccharitieswichita.org.

Enjoy a Sunday stroll and help fight breast cancer!  Sunday, October 20th, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Riverfront Stadium, it's the American Cancer Society's Making Strides of Wichita event! ACS Senior Development Manager Melissa Easterberg stops by to tell us all about this fun, rewarding, family-friendly event, presented by Ascension Via Christi.   www.makingstrideswalk.org/wichitaks

Losing a loved one is hard -- especially for kids. And the Kidzcope Program at the Wichita Children's Home provides no-fee, peer-based bereavement services to young people ages 3 thorugh 18. WCH Development Officer Kim Pennington and Community Volunteer Tracy Farrell explain why Kidzcope is a very worthwhile program to support. www.wch.org, kidzcope.org

For the first time ever, Wichita Weekend is proud to host an author! Ibrahim, author of the new book "The Bravest American," stops by out studio to discuss his inspiring work. Ibrahim, born in 1987 in Nigeria, embodies the quintessential narrative of pursing the American Dream.  "The Bravest American" is an inspiring work that will encourage people of all walks of life to embrace and manage life's...

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Wichita Weekend welcomes Keri McGregor, director of Catholic Charities’ Harbor House.  Harbor House is more than a safe shelter for survivors of severe violence. Harbor House uses outreach advocacy services to guide survivors of abuse through the judicial, medical and DCF systems.  If you believe you and your children are not safe, Harbor House is a...