Month: May 2016

Sit in the Engineer’s Seat at the Great Plains Transportation Museum

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If you’d like to know more about the tradition and history of railroading in the Great Plains area, check out the Great Plains Transportation Museum in Wichita. The museum allows guest to not only learn about the history of locomotives, but also to see and climb on actual steam and diesel trains used in the early 1900’s.

The museum is small so it won’t take long to walk through the exhibits, but for a rainy-day activity with kids, there’s a lot to be learned. Kids can climb through different locomotives and even sit in the engineer’s seat to get a feel for what it was like to drive these massive trains.

The museum is open every day except for Sundays from November through March. Admission to the museum is free for kids under 3, $4 for kids ages 4-12, and $7 for those 13 and older. If you’re attending with a group, call ahead to schedule a group tour.

Great Plains Transportation Museum
700 E Douglas Avenue
Wichita, KS 67202
(316) 263-0944
www.gptm.us

Check out Bug-O-Rama this Saturday at the Sedgwick County Park

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Bug-O-Rama 2016
"To raise funds to assist & support the transportation of children to the "Shriners Hospitals for Children" of North America & the Q Foundation for Kids"

When: Tomorrow-Saturday, May 21st from 9am-4pm
Sedgwick County Park (13th street entrance)
There will be Food Trucks, Music, Door Prizes, Vendors, Silent Auction & more!

Click here for more information.

Take a Journey through the Old West at Old Cowtown Museum

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It’s rare that a museum or exhibition can transport you to another time, but Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita does just that. The venue has what seems to be a preserved Western frontier town from the 1860’s on display with artifacts, replicas, and staff dressed in period costumes. Guests can walk through multiple businesses like an old-time barber shop, saloon, and more.

Throughout Old Cowtown, visitors can see more than 10,000 artifacts from textiles to furniture and tools. Visitors will learn all about the transformation of Wichita from a cattle town to what it is today.

Cowtown is open Tuesday through Sunday and closed on Mondays throughout the regular season. In the winter months, the museum is closed Sundays and Mondays. Admission to the museum is $7.75 for adults, $6 for seniors and kids ages 12-17, and $5.50 for children ages 5-11. Kids under 4 can experience Old Cowtown for free.

Old Cowtown Museum
1865 W Museum Boulevard
Wichita, KS 67203
(316) 219-1871
www.oldcowtown.org/Pages/default.aspx

How to Shake (or Stir!) the Perfect Cocktail

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If you think you need to venture to the bar to find a unique, tasty cocktail, think again. You can easily mix up your own creative cocktails and mocktails in the comfort of your own home. The most important part of a great drink is how long the flavor lingers in your mouth. You want to intrigue your taste buds and mind after the sip goes down. These tips are sure to leave a unique, lasting flavor on your tongue.

  • Choose a good quality base liquor or flavor of your cocktail.
  • Use a generous amount of the base spirit.
  • Mix in a tart or sweet ingredient such as lime juice, simple syrup, or liqueur. Remember to keep it simple and balanced, as this will make the flavors last in your mouth.
  • Add a few drops of bitters or a hydrosol, such as rosewater, to add aromatics to your drink.
  • A cocktail that contains delicate flavors or ingredients should be stirred. Be sure to shake any cocktail containing juice or egg whites.
  • To avoid diluting your drink, use larger ice cubes that will melt at a slower pace. In your glass, the ice should be visible about the alcohol line.
  • Take some time to make your cocktail look presentable. A simple lemon twist can add a touch of elegance to your drink.

From A Genius Mixologist: The Only Ratio You Need For Perfect Cocktails [Fast Company]
How to make cocktails: follow these 10 golden rules [The Guardian]
How to Make Perfect Cocktails [Williams-Sonoma Taste]

New Facebook Sweepstakes! Enter to Win an iPad Mini!

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To enter the Sweepstakes, visit our Facebook Page and then look for the Sweepstakes tab (image shown below) located on our Facebook Page to enter. Sweepstakes ends June 30, 2016. We suggest you like our page to keep informed about future sweepstakes and community happenings.

For mobile users, click here to enter.

Super-Simple Ways to Refresh Your Apartment’s Decor

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If you feel like your apartment's decor is looking a little tired, don't fret. You don't have to save up for months to complete a total overhaul of the place; instead, you can make a few quick tweaks designed to have the ultimate impact. Here are five ideas to get you started.

  1. Reupholster a dying chair. If you consider yourself a solid DIYer, then reupholstering a chair should be no large feat for you. Perhaps you already have a comfy chair at home that you can reupholster, or maybe you'll have the added perk of being able to find one at your favorite thrift store. Either way, head to the craft store to choose a fabric you like, then use an online tutorial to help you make over your chair.
  2. Paint your throw pillows. There are countless ways to spruce up throw pillows, from slapping on a new case to painting them with colorful stripes. Use the method that suits your style (and time constraints).
  3. Make over your headboard. If it's your bedroom that needs the facelift, start with its focal point: the bed. You can recreate your headboard easily and cheaply, in various ways. For instance, hang a curtain panel across a metal bar for a contemporary twist on the typical headboard.
  4. Mix and match different rooms' accents. Maybe you already have all the components you need to update your apartment within its four walls. If you have certain decorations that distinguish a room, try swapping them between other spaces in your home to create a new aesthetic. For example, you could move the end table from your living room into the guest room, and repurpose the bedside table as a new end table instead.

10 Ways to Redecorate Without Spending a Dime [Bob Vila]
Give Your Bedroom a Money-Saving Makeover [All You]
How to give your room an instant makeover [Homedit]