Post # 11, The Centre of Topeka

Greeting Readers! I have decided to tell you about the Kansas Expocentre this time around. The Kansas Expocentre is a multipurpose arena completed in 1987. It sits on 80 acres and was the original location for the Kansas State Fair until it was moved to Hutchinson, Ks in 1913. Over the years there has been additions and updates applied to it to make it the expocentre we know today. According to their website over 600 events are booked annually with some of them running at the same time. That's pretty impressive!

Landon Arena

There are five major building. The Landon Arena is located in the main building. This arena host many events. The NAHL hockey team, Topeka Roadrunners calls this arena home. If you are a fan of hockey their tickets are reasonably priced and would make a great evening event. The ice arena is available to the public to skate as well. The arena host other sport from basketball to volleyball. Landon arena is also the location for many local high schools' graduation ceremonies which are coming up. Here soon there will be a monster truck derby hosted here. Concerts are also hosted here. Some past concerts have included Darius Rucker and Carrie Underwood. Each year the Arab Shrine Circus has also used the arena to bring their act to the Topeka area.

Exhibition Hall

The hall is also located in the main building adjacent to the Landon arena. Proms from various high schools are held here. This hall host a lot of exhibitions, gala, and tradeshows. Part of the Cider Days Festival is held here. Many vendors set up stalls and sell their products. Over the years I have seen. Chocolate, glass figurine, quilts, clothes, jewelry, and more sold at the event.


Domer Livestock Arena

Equine events are heavily showcased here. Ropings, barrel racing, and team penning are some of the events. Livestock sales occur frequently as well. The Shawnee County 4-H host their yearly fair here. Domer isn't just for equine events either. Many dogs shows also utilize the arena. There is also a cafe located adjacent to the arena for the convenience of attendees.


Heritage Hall

Heritage hall is a beautiful building for gathering. A popular place for wedding receptions although it can also be used for family reunions, smaller tradeshows, meetings, and other events of the sorts. The limestone building gives of a charming and historical atmosphere that works well with photography side of events.

Agriculture Hall

This building is excellent for parties especially dances and dinners. One of the main events hosted here is the Festival of Trees in the winter. Companies and organizations put together Christmas trees to sell. The profits go to Sheltered Living. When I was in high school we entered each year as part of K.E.Y. club.  One year we set up a Dr. Seuss themed tree! Even if you don't end up buying a tree it's still a fun event to go to  just to see all the neat trees. There are kids sections during the festival too.

As discussed, the expocentre host many events. There is yearly events such as gem shows, garden showcases, rodeos, just a little bit of everything really. All of these facilities are available to rent as well. If you want to see what all events are coming, feel free to visit the calendar on their website.

Post # 10, The Sweet Life

Greetings Readers! Let me tell you what one of my biggest weaknesses is. Chocolate covered raisins! I'm not the biggest fan of raisins alone but, combined with chocolate I could eat a million of them. Sweets in general tends to make things 100% better. That's why today I want to tell you about my favorite places to go to quench a sweet tooth.

Hazel Hill Chocolates

My favorite place to get chocolates is Hazel Hill located on Kansas Ave. This cute little shop offers a variety of chocolate edibles. I was first introduced to them when a coworker of mine bought us caramel covered apples and they were delicious! Their products include chocolate covered strawberries, handmade truffles, rice crispy treat, chocolate platters, chocolate covered pretzel sticks, my personal favorite chocolate covered raisins, and much more. Not only can you go in and enjoy their chocolates but you can also order online and have them delivered to you! They're great for weddings and other events. If you have a sweet tooth be sure to visit!

Cashmere Popcorn

 I'm a big fan of popcorn, but after eating mostly regular butter popcorn you want to try something else. Most people don't associate sweet with popcorn. I added it to my sweets list due to the various flavors Cashmere offers. On the sweet side Cashmere offers strawberry, peanut butter, caramel crunch, chocolate, blueberry cheesecake,etc. They also offer different flavors such as savory cinnamon, camo crunch, spicy chili cheese, and cheesy cheddar. The blueberry cheesecake taste surprisingly good. You wouldn't think that the two would add up so tasty together! It quickly became my favorite. There is different sizes in bags of popcorn you can buy and they offer online ordering as well. Cashmere is also next door neighbors with Hazel Hill so you can stop by both easily!

Smallcakes

Cupcakes! Everyone should enjoy a good cupcake occasionally and boy, Smallcakes knows how to whip up some good ones! Located on Wanamaker road right next to Starbucks the cupcakery offers interesting flavors of cupcakes. The location is small but charming too. They offer Pink Vanilla, Cookies n' Cream, Lemon Drop, Hot Fudge Sundae, Birthday cake, and others on a daily basis. They occasionally roll out new kinds such as the Banana Creme Pie. They'll have daily deals occasionally too!

All of the mentioned stores are great to visit. Their chocolatiers, bakers, and cashiers are all kind a treat you like a valued guest. The treats themselves will keep you going back for more! Feel free to checkout their websites/Facebook pages.

Hazel Hill
Cashmere Popcorn
Smallcakes

Post # 9, La Fiesta Mexicana

Greetings Readers! I'm going to be talking about an event that has been happening in Topeka since 1933! The Fiesta Mexicana! Ever since I've moved to Topeka we have gone to the Fiesta. As a Mexican-American it is something quite special and an honor to be a part of such a tradition. It's an annual event where I can get back to my roots and enjoy a celebration of my culture! The Fiesta is held in mid July and lasts about a week. It takes up a few blocks around its main location Our Lady Of Guadalupe Church. The event itself is a fundraiser for the church. The proceeds not only go to the church but also is school program. The early fiestas were small and usually only involved church members and their families. Now, the event welcomes anyone! I know people who come by Topeka every year for the fiesta itself.

There are plenty of things to do at the fiesta. There is a parade that starts the event and travels around the downtown area. A 5k Run/Walk also occurs a couple of days before as well. During the actual event there are plenty of food vendors that sell authentic Mexican dishes and snacks. My favorite is all the homemade gorditas and tacos! Many merchants also set up shop on the closed off streets. They sell clothes, jewelry, toys, etc. Contest such as a jalapeno eating contest and a golf tournament. An art show is also organized with art by locals. The biggest attraction for kids would have to be the carnival rides! I will never get tired of the Tilt-a-whirl!

You can also catch plenty of tradition dance and song at the fiesta too. There is a big stage that host bandas from around the region. There is a smaller stage set up in the church's parking lot with tables for people to enjoy music while eating their meals. Multiple Mariachi bands make appearances through out the week too. There is also traditional folk dance with the dancers dressed in traditional dresses and suits. They're spectacular to see!

The Fiesta also picks a king and queen. The Royalty Coronation occurs in the first part of the Fiesta. Candidates are announced months before. The candidates are young adults that are members of the parish. They run as an opportunity to give back to their parish and community. Each candidate will host fundraising campaigns with food sales at the parish's activity center. When it comes time to crown the winners a Coronation Ball takes place at the Expocenter here in town.

The Fiesta Mexicana is an event you definitely shouldn't miss. It let's you experience the Mexican and culture while also giving back to the community. That and it makes for a great day out! The church itself is lovely with a elegant mural of Mother Mary inside.  If you want to know more about the fiesta their website provides useful information.

Post #8, Long Live The Music

Greeting readers! If there is one thing we all have in common is that we all listen to music. What genre of music might divide us though. Either way one of my favorite events to go to is live music! Big concerts like Selena Gomez or Volbeat are great but I'm talking more about local live music. Not only are they cheaper but there is usually something going on every weekend. You just have to keep an eye out for it. Topeka has quite a few spots for live music.

One such place is The Burger Stand. While it's mostly know for its excellent burgers and beer choices it host music events too. The Burger Stand has included genres ranging from traditional country to jazz to slam poetry. Their most recent band hails from Topeka, Top City Rambler. The restaurant also host ping pong tournaments, game day specials, and can be rented out for special occasions. The atmosphere is casual. Catering both to families but also a more college-aged crowd due to its location being a few minutes from Washburn. The restaurant is actually divided into two areas. The front where most of the dining is held with the main cashier and bar. Then there is the back with ping pong tables, pool tables, back bar, and a couple of arcade games. All the music events are usually free too! Check out their Facebook page for updates on events.


Next on the list is The Classic Bean. A coffee shop with three locations. One on Kansas Ave, Fairlawn, and Urish area. Not only does the bean offer coffee from different parts of the world, but they also blend their own. They offer a deli service, outside seating, and cocktails with a full service bar. Local artiest can also showcase their art on the beans walls. Every Friday and Saturday live music burst through out their walls. The genres here range from Bluegrass, acoustic rock, alternative country, 60's, 70's, and 80's. You can see a calendar of their live music on their website as well as an art calendar.

If you want more of a blue's sound then Uncle Bo's Blues Bar is your destination. Uncle Bo's is located at the Downtown Ramada Hotel. They offer live music every Friday and Saturday with artist from all over. This a 21 and over crowd and ticket purchase our required. The prices aren't bad though. $10 pre tickets or $12 at the door. Uncle Bo's also has a website where you see upcoming events and buy tickets ahead of time at the reduced price.

Topeka has other venues, some I've mentioned before such as White Concert Hall and Serendipity in the NOTO district. It also has more pubs that you can stop by with an array of live music. Jeremiah Bullfrogs, Lazy Toad, B&B Backyard, Specks, and Joletta's are all excellent places to hear some quality music in Topeka. Be sure to check out all that you can!

Post #7, The Washburn Experience

Greetings Readers! Today I want to talk to you about a place that I am very familiar with, Washburn University. This year marks my third year at Washburn and it still amazes me how much goes on at campus. 2016 will mark Washburn's 151TH birthday. Not so bad for Mr. Ichabod! Now, there is events that are for students only, but there is plenty for non students as well.

One of the main places to stop by on campus is the White Concert Hall. The place to be for music majors and where to go to for orchestra performances! There are plenty of performance throughout the year to attend. During the summer the White Concert Hall also houses the Sunflower Music Festival. This event let's you experience chamber ensembles, jazz concerts, and piano pieces.

If the performing arts are more your cup of tea then hop on over next door to the Neese Gray Theatre. Usually there is four or five shows per season. This season has included "Mauritius", "Into the Woods," "The Nether," and upcoming production "This Is Our Youth."  The theater also host The 24 Hour Play Festival. This year's festival presented a Y.A. edition where all the actors, directors, and play writers were high school and college students. They scramble getting everything together in the set time to reach their performance at the end of the day. Truly tests the skills of these young thespians.

If religion is a part of your lifestyle I would suggest heading to the Carole Chapel. While it is a petite church it certainly has charm. The chapel holds services when classes are in session. You can also rent out the space for weddings and other events. Even if religion isn't your doing the church is beautiful to see!

Washburn also has excellent facilities for its sports. Catch a baseball game at Falley Field, the Lee Arena, Moore Bowl, or at the tennis court. The homecoming game is always filled with excitement! Don't forget there is less popular sport games you can watch too. Washburn has rugby team that has home games throughout the seasons. This year Washburn also started up a Quidditch team! Harry Potter fan or not their games are pretty fun to watch!

KTWU is also located on Washburn's campus. You can stop by and take a tour  of the station. It pretty neat to see the behind the scenes of what goes to the daily news! The Crane Observatory holds open houses for the public as well. Gaze the stars through a stunning telescopes from the late 1800's! There is also a planetarium that you can schedule to see!

It's always a good idea to keep up to date with the Washburn calendar! There are plenty events that happen all over campus. The International House holds English classes and the union will occasionally have guest speakers such as comedians, magicians, and even co-host from the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters. There is also lectures and events at Mabee Library. As mentioned on my previous post, the Mulvane Art Museum is a great place for people to visit. Lastly, different departments host events too. I know the History department has movie of the month presentations that are open the public. After the film there is usually a discussion led by one of the History department professors. As you can see Washburn is a pretty busy place. Definitely go visit even if it's just to walk around campus!

Comedian Nick Guerra

Music/comedy duo Dakaboom

Post #6, A Little Slice Of History

Greetings Readers! I don’t know about you but I have a personal weakness for museums. I have always looked forward to field trips in my school days just to go out and explore whichever museum we were heading to. Something about just having a little slice of the past right in front of you was always intrigued me. When I moved to Topeka I was pretty stoked to find out that there quite a few museums in town.

My favorite museum is a bit of a hidden treasure. The Holley Museum is located inside the Ramada Hotel on 6th Avenue. The museum is only five rooms but they pack a punch. It is a military museum that covers events from WWI, WWII, Vietnam war, etc. There are plenty of dioramas displayed showing battles, planes, ships, etc. It’s an interesting collection that was started by Mr. Holley. He used to house all of these dioramas and collectibles in his basement working on dioramas became a passionate hobby of his. When he passed, his wife gave his collections away and they became the museum of today. Over the years other individuals have donated pieces to the Holley museum. The admission is free and there is an audio guide on loop to help you navigate.  

Another of my favorite museums here is The Great Overland Station. Although it’s mostly used to hold events there is still plenty to see. One room in particular has model trains. The station holds events such as the “Painted Quilts Across the Flint Hills.” Perhaps the biggest event that happens at the Overland Station is the Railroad Festival. Every year it holds a family-friendly festival. There are merchants from all over that sell jewelry, bags, and other accessories. They have live re-en actors that give people a look at life during the old prairie times. There is also a stage with music and a second stage with Native American dance and songs. Of course there are train carts, mini-train rides, etc to explore as well!

Washburn University also houses an art museum. Mulvane art museum showcases many pieces throughout the year. Many Art seniors have displayed their work at Mulvane. Mulvane also offers classes to all ages and abilities. They have their classes listed on their Washburn page. They also hold special events. On April 16 they will have a free event at the ArtLab where you can create a cherry blossom painting to celebrate the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington DC.

These are probably my favorite, but there are other museums in town. The biggest ones are the Kansas Museum of History and Forbes Field's Combat Air Museum. Both are filled with knowledge and are a must see. The Charles Curtis Museum is a brick mansion filled with Kansas history artifacts and memorabilia. There is also many historical sites. The most famous one being the Brown vs Board of Education. The building gives you a look at the landmark case and the time period in general. Admission is free too!

Post # 5, To The Conventions We Go!

Greetings Readers! Today I am going to be talking to you about one of my favorite events to go to. Conventions! I have loved super heroes since I could remember. The ability to save the day and prevail just about everything thrown their way was just fascinating to me! To see super heroes and heroines go from clumsy fighters to butt-kicking vigilantes while learning about their own lives and characteristics was inspiring. Some would say it's to far-fetched to relate too. For me though, that just helped me relate more. Sometimes we need something more out there instead of the conventional.

A small chunk of my growing collection

I wasn't heavily interested in comics until after Joss Whedon's 2012 blockbuster hit, The Avengers. I fell in love with Hawkeye. In the film he is played by Jeremy Renner and runs around with the bow and arrow. A lot of people thought he was a bit useless compared to the other heroes. I of course thought he was the best and wanted to learn more about him. So I thought why not hit up the local comic book store and do just that.

Refocusing onto conventions. Conveniently enough, a year or so after I got into comics was also the year that TopCon was announced. Conventions are gatherings of people who share similar interest in ranging topics. They buy, sell, cosplay, discuss, compete, and just generally enjoy "nerding out." There are many conventions that offer people to meet stars and prominent figures from the works the fans enjoy. This could be authors, actors, voice actors, and artist. Conventions don't have to solely focus on comics. In fact nowadays almost all conventions that use the word comic in their name also focus on other things. Tv shows, video games, table top games. movies, book series, etc can appear at comic cons or there can be conventions that focus on one topic instead of multiple. Hearing Topeka was getting it's own convention was thrilling!

2015 marked TopCon's second year. The event was in September at the Ramada Hotel downtown. It lasted 3 days took up downstairs of the hotel, the main commons, and at least 5 rooms of the Ramada's main building. There were comic book dealers, art work, cosplay merchandise, video game tournaments, table top game tournaments, cosplay contest, independent film premiers, and much more. The environment was lively! There all sorts of people. From babies to grandpas! One of my favorite things was seeing family cosplay. There was a family dressed up as Batman, Catwoman, and the son was Robin. How cute is that! It was exciting to see how much bigger this year's convention was compared to the first one. The first TopCon was just a large room with 3 smaller rooms attached. People were crowded and even had a bit of trouble getting around.

This year also marked the first year of EmpowerCon. This a similar convention to TopCon but focuses on the message of empowerment. This year focus was on women. The guest were woman who have worked hard in their field. The main guest were Lindsay Wagner (The Bionic Woman), Gigi Edgley (Farscape) and Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story: Asylum).

It's nice to know that both of these events are growing. The conventions give people a chance to connect with each other and spend the day enjoying what they love. TopCon and EmpowerCon are still in their early years and have plenty of room to expand. We are no where near as big as conventions like San Diego's ComicCon but with time who knows. To continue showing you about conventions below is a video showing how wicked awesome some cosplayers can get. The one in the video if from a much larger convention but it helps you get the idea.

Both events will be coming back. TopCon 2016 will occur in September and EmpowerCon will return next February. Feel free to click on each to go to their websites and get the latest news. If you are interested in checking out a local comic book stores Topeka has two major ones. Boom Comics and Gatekeeper. They host tournaments and other events too!