Painting tucked away in Iola bank vault could be worth $500K by RICK DANLEY // May 29, 2018 In January of 1922, nearly thirty years after swapping his native Sweden for the rolling plains of central Kansas, the painter Birger Sandzén received his first one-man show in New York City. To this day, that exhibition at … Continue reading Hidden History: Sandzen in Kansas
by RICK DANLEY // March 29, 2019 The United Methodist Church entered a new era in its long history when in late-February, after three days of fierce debate, the church voted to uphold its prohibition on both same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian clergy. The controversial measure, which passed by a narrow … Continue reading ‘Think and Let Think’: UMC/LGBTQ
by RICK DANLEY // September 22, 2016 There’s a certain type of American male for whom the Hollywood Western acts upon his system like a comfort food. It’s consolingly basic, composed of the same ingredients every time, and is — aside from a handful of artful exceptions — relatively easy to digest. Looking across the Atlantic … Continue reading Keaton & the West
by RICK DANLEY // January 4, 2019 In the few months since their slow rollout, the guys at Red Beard Barbecue have put together what must be the most ambitious, locally sourced, well-made menu in southeast Kansas. Pulled pork with ancho barbecue sauce and homemade pickles. Fry-bread tacos with smoked chicken and house chorizo. A beef and … Continue reading The Beard & the BBQ
by RICK DANLEY // November 10, 2016 The stage direction for Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play “Our Town” are simple: “No curtain. No scenery.” Wilder believed that the theater of his day had become too obsessed with spectacle. Directors loaded the stage with period furniture and elaborate costumes and realistic set design — what Wilder called the … Continue reading ‘Our Town’
by RICK DANLEY // September 21, 2016 One local gentleman, having shuffled off his mortal coil about a week ago, is doing more to influence county policy from the Great Beyond than he was ever likely to manage in his lifetime. Iola’s Feuerborn Family Funeral Service is in possession of a deceased individual whose sister is … Continue reading Bring Out Your Dead
By RICK DANLEY // June 6, 2018 Billy Ray Hayes was born and raised on a Cherokee reservation in eastern Oklahoma. When he was old enough to join the service, the U.S. government shipped him to Hawaii. At the end of his military tenure, Billy Ray stayed on in Hawaii, but eventually his money dried up. … Continue reading Billy Ray Hayes, Leaf Weaver
by RICK DANLEY // December 2, 2015 Santa Claus is inviting area children to Iola’s courthouse square Thursday between 5 and 7 p.m. Old Saint Nick, currently on the road promoting Christmas, met with the Register in a back booth at the A&W on Tuesday. He spoke expectantly about the kids he’ll meet this week … Continue reading Lunch with Santa
by RICK DANLEY // February 1, 2019 There was a day in the middle 1950s when Spencer Ambler betrayed his instinct and agreed to join his friends at the Silver Grill Restaurant in Chanute. “All the kids said, ‘Let’s go to the Silver Grill,’” remembered Ambler. “I said, ‘No, I don’t want to go.’” But … Continue reading A Spirit of Love
by RICK DANLEY // July 14, 2018 In place of the usual hello, Mike Hook, the veteran pawnbroker and manager of DM Past and Present, has a phrase prerecorded on his mobile phone, which he plays when a customer first enters his small Iola shop. The audio is of a woman’s voice, tinny, robotic — … Continue reading The Value of Things
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