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Ask A Kansan is a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Every week, Gus and Sydney sit down with the people who actually make this state run — museum directors and ranchers, founders and historians, zookeepers and woodcarvers. From Kansas City to Kinsley, WaKeeney to Wichita, we go where the story is.
You'll leave each episode knowing something you didn't about the state we call home. It's not a history lecture and it's not a business show. It's a real conversation with a Kansan worth knowing.
New episodes weekly. askakansan.com
Ep80
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Plane Art Surprise
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[00:00:00]
Sydney Collins: So there's this guy who, quote-unquote, not necessarily skywrites, but he tracks his plane, but he draws things in the air with his plane. So Tanner, our producer, found this little happenstance. So this is, what he drew in southeast Kansas. He took off from Little Rock.
Gus Applequist: Oh, okay. I know what we're talking about now.
Sydney Collins: Now you know, now you know what we're talking about. So-
Gus Applequist: This is like the flight plan, not like, like smoke in the sky.
Sydney Collins: Right. Okay. So it's, uh... How does it track, Tanner? Can you, can you give us that little tidbit?
Gus Applequist: His, like, signature, his-
Sydney Collins: His transponder's on ... transponder And it keeps track of where he goes. So he, he writes ... this in the sky, but I'm more fascinated on how he does this, like, in general.
But he did this, uh, like near Coffeyville, southeast Kansas.
Gus Applequist: So if you're listening, um, what we're seeing here is it is, it is a [00:01:00] map of southeast Kansas. We see Coffeyville. We see Os- Oswego.
Sydney Collins: Oswego.
Gus Applequist: Oswego. Ah, sorry everyone in Oswego, Baxter Springs. Um, but, but he has drawn this line drawing of the Ghostbusters, I assume-
Sydney Collins: Yep ...
Gus Applequist: um, dr- writing Happy Halloween. Um, and it's kind of the middle of the drawing. He hasn't finished the word Happy yet.
Sydney Collins: But we'll, um, we'll put it up. We might share it on our Facebook.
Um, but it's a kinda fun little Halloween thing that-
he does. Apparently, he does this all the time. But it was kinda fun that he chose southeast Kansas to skywrite without skywriting. It's a weird- like...
Gus Applequist: we, we haven't really ever touched on, like, the aviation part of Kan- Like, there's a lot to talk about there.
No, there's a lot
Sydney Collins: we gotta-
we need to do.
[00:02:00]
Meet Mary Landes
---
Gus Applequist: Welcome to Ask a Kansan.
Sydney Collins: A podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Gus Applequist: And we get to talk to one of our favorite people today.
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: Um, there is, there is a, a, a, a place in Salina where if you go there, you are going to meet Mary Landes.
Sydney Collins: And Mary is, you'll find this out, the most selfless person on the face of the planet.
Um, we talked about this a little bit, but I really wanna highlight, she started this nonprofit and was not paid for a number of years. And no one knew this until the board was like, "Hey, guess what? We finally raised enough money to start paying Mary." And we're like, "Mary hasn't been paid?" And so she's been able to create this beautiful community- within another beautiful community in Salina. But, um, and it's, I don't know.
Gus Applequist: It's people like Mary that create legends [00:03:00] like Ted Lasso.
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: So bravo.
Sydney Collins: She is, she is the Ted Lasso personality of Kansas. Yes-
I say.
Gus Applequist: So we'll let Mary explain what the heck we're even talking about. Yes. Uh, and so without any further ado, here's our interview with Mary Landes. Hey Mary, come on
in
Sydney Collins: What's up? Come on in
Gus Applequist: How are you today?
Mary Landes: Good. That was a great video.
Gus Applequist: Oh, thanks.
Sydney Collins: Oh, good. It's an o- it's an oldie but a goodie. You might be
the last person to
watch it, to be honest. We'll have to send you the link later.
Mary Landes: I like all the drone shots, the different seasons. And that was... That's great.
Sydney Collins: Um, we call that the beautiful bean footage of, of Kansas. For our audience, can you introduce yourself for us?
Mary Landes: Yes. I'm Mary Landes. Um, I'm the executive director of The Temple and a longtime Salinan,
What Is The Temple
---
Sydney Collins: Can you, um, tell us what The Temple is? Give us the-
the lowdown.
Mary Landes: Oh, that's a big one. So, uh, we are a historic building in Salina. If you haven't seen it, it's the building that's so [00:04:00] big you almost miss it when you drive by, the former Masonic temple. We're a nonprofit that formed to save and repurpose the building, and we've been in existence for about 10 years now.
Gus Applequist: Wow, time flies.
Mary Landes: It does.
Mary’s Journey Home
---
Sydney Collins: Um, what... So you're a lifelong Kansan, but you've also had a lot of experience in other places. I have. So can you give us kind of your, your background-
a
little bit?
Mary Landes: So I, I grew up in Salina. I went to college at Bethany. Uh, graduated from Central, I guess, back up, Central High. Uh, went to college at Bethany, and then when I graduated, you know, I thought, "Salina's a small town." "I need to get out and go see some things." So, so I've lived a few places. Um, I, I was in Iowa City. Uh, I went from there to Columbia, Missouri. Uh, and I was in, uh, Fairfield, Connecticut. Uh, and, uh, went down to North Carolina, uh, Wilmington, North Carolina.
I, I was in Philadelphia for a while, and then- .. ended up back in Bronxville, which is this little town, um, where Joe Kennedy lived. It's kind of an [00:05:00] interesting- ... historic little town in Yonkers. Um, and, and then back in Fairfield. And Fairfield is, uh, if you've... Connecticut has this little panhandle, and it was right kind of in the bend of the panhandle, sort of the sixth borough of New York. Um, and it was fun. It was fun and interesting and very different from Kansas, and then I came home.
Coworking Inspiration
---
Sydney Collins: But all that travel kinda inspired- um, the co-working space at The Temple, right?
Mary Landes: It did. It did.
Sydney Collins: Can you kind of tell us about that?
Mary Landes: It gave me an appreciation... You know, Fairfield was settled in the 1600s.
The roads in those areas were, uh, established by the cows that moved through the fields, you know.
Sydney Collins: Oh, wow, okay.
Mary Landes: If you've ever driven around, you know, in, in New England, uh, there's always a lot of winds and twists to the roads, but also very old buildings. And we don't get that as much in, in Kansas or the Midwest.
We tend to tear it down and rebuild it and not as interested in saving it. Uh, and so I, I, I guess I developed an appreciation for the history, you know, of a [00:06:00] building. Um, when I was in Connecticut, the idea of co-working was something that was new to me, the idea of having a place that you could go to get out of your house and work. Um, and it was an old 18, uh, '90s courthouse in Stamford, Connecticut that looks like the temple-
Sydney Collins: Oh, cool ...
Mary Landes: that the city of Stamford saved. It was abandoned, and they repurposed it for a co-working space. So- it was really fun and interesting, you know, to be able to, to just buy a membership, come in, spread out, work where you want. Um, since it was a courthouse, they had, uh, WPA murals- Oh, wow ... and actual- Wow ... you could sit at a judge's bench. You know?
so it was an interesting... But what was more, um, interesting and what really, affected me was the fact that all of these people came together. Um, they were artists and, and entrepreneurs and, you know, just everybody that had an idea. Some of them would bring their own computer in, you know, and just figuring [00:07:00] out how to help each other. And if you needed a design, you know, "Hey, tap the graphic artist," or, you know, if they needed legal advice, "Hey, I'll do a logo for you if you'll..." You know. So this collaborative, supportive, exciting environment. Um,
Inside The Temple Tour
---
Gus Applequist: Just so people can kind of picture in their head the building that- we're gonna talk about a lot today, could you, could you describe the building's-
Mary Landes: Yes ...
Gus Applequist: facade and- and roof and all that?
Mary Landes: So I, uh, I heard, uh, a couple girls the other day that were in there saying, "This looks like a bank." Um,
Sydney Collins: it's got- It does have a little bank vibe,
Mary Landes: um, it's columns, big beautiful columns on the outside, uh, limestone. It's made out of limestone. Uh, the quarry also supplied most of the capitol buildings in the United States. So if you think of a capitol building. Um, it has copper gargoyles around the outside, which is r- you know, not something you see in the Midwest- a lot. Um, so it's a very, you know, large staircase leading up to [00:08:00] bronze doors, and huge columns and, and copper and, you know. And then you walk in and it's marble, and just-
Sydney Collins: Lots
of marble ...
Mary Landes: lots of marble. And, and beautiful light fixtures- and, you know. Um, a- and just designed to look- Gothic and large and- you know, and special. Um-
Sydney Collins: It's six floors, right?
Mary Landes: Seven floors total. Seven floors.
Eight if you count the- Count the basement ... spooky sub-basement that's- ... two stories underground.
Sydney Collins: Is that where the boiler lives?
Mary Landes: Yes, that's where the boiler- And all the ghosts are down there.
Sydney Collins: And all the ghosts.
Gus Applequist: And for m- sorry.
Sydney Collins: Go ahead.
Gus Applequist: I was just gonna say, for most of this building's lifetime-
it was kind of a big question mark-
Sydney Collins: It was
Gus Applequist: ... for most Salinans..
Mary Landes: It still is, I think.
Sydney Collins: A lot,
Mary Landes: It was private. It was a club, you know? And Masons built this building 100 years ago, uh, and it was a hub, a regional hub for all of the Masons to come, you know?
And, and the Masons were a private club group. They're philanthropic and- but, you know, generally when you joined, you didn't talk about being a [00:09:00] member and, you know, unless you were a member or a family member, you weren't allowed in the building. So, so a lot of, um, I think, mystery around it, Da Vinci code.
A lot of- ... you know, stories about the, the Masons and so,
Sydney Collins: And to, and to give our audience a bigger picture, there is a whole theater in this room. It's not even on the main floor. That's the thing- that's wild. It's a-
Gus Applequist: With two balconies.
Mary Landes: Yes.
Sydney Collins: it has two balconies.
Mary Landes: It's like an- It's like an opera house style-
theater the size of the Stiefel that's tucked in the middle of this building.
Sydney Collins: The middle of this building.
Mary Landes: So it's hard to get your, you know, wrap your head around the size of the building. We have four grand staircases, one on each side. I think the building technically had three addresses. You know, one on, because they had doors- Oh, on each side, and they had a caretaker that lived there at one point, so that was 7th Street. it's, you know, it's a grand scale. But there's also like the lower level's very casual, you know? And, and w- we have office spaces throughout the [00:10:00] building that businesses have taken, and they fix them up, and they're really cute and cozy, and each one is different.
And so they have their own little, you know, place to, to do their business and to grow. Um, and then you step outside, and we're having a Quinceanera. You know, or something big and grand and, you know. So it's, it's a lot of moving parts
there.
Saving The Building
---
Sydney Collins: Can you give us kind of the, um, starting point of the Salina Innovation Foundation?
Like, this building had gone into disrepair- that needed a lot of work. And the Masons just couldn't keep it up anymore, and then w- this co-working idea came to you. Can you tell us- how that conversation went?
Mary Landes: So I had just moved back from Connecticut. Um, and sort of felt like I'd been shot out of a cannon, landed back, you know, rebooting my life.
and I brought the idea of co-working back with me, and I, I was really surprised when I moved back, coming from an area that was pretty wealthy, you know- and, uh, [00:11:00] that most everybody here was working two and three jobs, and not all of them were, you know, great jobs. And, and some people, they had one really good job, but they always have a side hustle or, you know. Uh, and so co-working is perfect for that.
You know, the, the idea that you wanna take your passion and, and do it. Maybe you're not gonna make a full living out of it, but you've got a place. You know, um, and so I, I decided, um, after going through a divorce and being diagnosed with cancer, that I once I made it through all of that, uh, that I wanted to do something for myself, and I wanted to try this.
So I loved that building, uh, and I went in one day, door was open, and I'm wandering through, and one of the Masons came down, Alan Ross, and he was the only guy in the building. Um, and I said, you know, "Gosh, do you have any rooms here for rent?" And there was nobody in the building. It was this beautiful space that just looked like everybody had walked out, you know? And [00:12:00] essentially, I was walking in as they were walking out. I kind of got there at the end of a long chapter. Um, it'd been decades of, of these groups, you know, deciding to leave over- disagreements in management, just not being able to take care of it. It's an overwhelming responsibility. Um, and, and at one point, uh, they'd just gotten to the point where they had run out of money and said that they, they were going to abandon the building.
They'd had some misfortune. So they called me up and said, "We're done. We're shutting the doors." Uh, and I was crushed And so I, I was in a, a women's group, a mastermind group online, so we all had our little ideas. We'd get together on Zoom. Most of these women were back east, and they're like, "Why don't you form a nonprofit and see if they'll donate the building?" And I was like, "Oh, gosh, I don't know."
Sydney Collins: It's a big
ask.
Mary Landes: And so I said, "You know, why not? Maybe this would work." And I talked to the Masons about it, and the idea [00:13:00] was that we could still save the building- repurpose it for Salina, but then maybe the Masons would still have a space in there that they could come.
They would always feel like they still had a, you know, a place that they belonged, you know? Um, and so, uh, they voted yes to do it.
And then I was off and running with this idea, and, and I had a lot of people joining me along the way. We were sort of like this snowball of a grassroots effort to, to save the building. Um, a- and starting a nonprofit is ... If anyone has any idea that they wanna do this, I've made all the mistakes, so come and talk to me, you know? It, it's been an experience on what it is to be a nonprofit- uh, and how you live your mission, you know? And, and, um, and then in the process, how do you take a building like this and take care of it- you know, and get it what it needs? And then also, uh, doing cool things with it, you know? We've got this space and right in the heart of [00:14:00] Salina. who, how can we help everyone and, and repurpose it? So,
Gus Applequist: I think it's really interesting that you, you said something earlier. You said, um, "I decided to do something selfish."
And-
Sydney Collins: Which is the least- To, to put this in perspective, Mary, you were not paid for the longest time. You were doing this work for years.
Gus Applequist: Yeah so it's, it's just funny that you frame it that way because it wasn't selfish at all.
Mary Landes: You know, I, it was trying to give myself a life and a purpose and a job- after rebooting my life, you know? And I wanted to, to create this environment where it was positive and the things that I loved about the co-working in Connecticut, where we help each other. You can feel safe if you're coming out of a bad, uh, maybe an abusive relationship and you're trying to reboot your life, or you lost your job.
Now what? I guess I'll do this thing that I always wanted to do. You know? And, and to feel like no one's going to make fun of you for that. No one's going to- you know, say, "Ah, you're crazy." [00:15:00] You know, you've got this place where everybody's gonna be rooting for you, you know?
Coworking Success Stories
---
Sydney Collins: Are there any really amazing stories that have come out of this co-working space?
Mary Landes: Oh, gosh, several. So, um, I, I've had, and I won't mention names, but you know, I've had, uh, women that have come to me and said, "You know, my marriage is falling apart. I've been in a difficult relationship," and that's similar to what happened to me. Um, and, and you know, I, I've got this idea that I'm gonna try to build this business that I've always wanted to build, you know? And I need a safe place to do it, so maybe this person from my past won't come and, you know, and tell me I can't be doing this or, you know. But, but just to get in a place where everybody's starting something and everybody's trying something.
And, and this person that I'm thinking of in particular built this business up. She was with us for about two years, and then she's moved out to her own space, and she was successful enough that she could put her daughter through school. And now her daughter has come back with her, her [00:16:00] specialty, and they're going to move into an even bigger space together-
Sydney Collins: Wow
Mary Landes: and do their thing. And so, you know, it's just really exciting and a proud moment. I, you know, feel like a parent that's like- you know, helped their kids launch into the world and... And some people come and try, and they decide, "You know, that's, it's not for me, but gosh, I was glad I got an opportunity to do it." Um.
Sydney Collins: Can you give us an idea or glimpse of all, like how many different things- The, the variety ... the variety of co-working?
Mary Landes: Gosh. Oh, boy. It is. It's everything. You know, I said we've, we've had mutt school, you know? Where, where they, dog obedience classes and dog therapy classes, you know, up to had an attorney, and I think that's kind of a, you know- spectrum. Uh, we had a security business that, that was just getting started, and now they have over 100 employees. And you know, we, we have someone now... It's fun to watch the rooms change over. It's almost like a neighborhood in New York that, you know- ... started off as this and then, you know, became that.
Um, w- where they, someone will [00:17:00] come in, take a room. Um, for instance, we had a room that, uh, I started off with, with my office up there on a TV tray. You know- That's right ... that's where we really got started. And then this photographer came in, and he was from Venezuela, and there's a Venezuelan community here.
And, and he's like, "This dream of mine was to be a photographer, a destination photographer, where people will fly me to New York to film their quinceañeras, you know, or, or other weddings and things like that." Um, and he said, "I know it's crazy, but you know, I wanna do this." He took this old room and he fixed it up, and it became this amazing beautiful space, and he worked, uh, at one of the fast food restaurants to get his English better, you know?
And he became this charming, wonderful, you know, example of someone that, people were flying him to Denver. They flew him to Israel.
Sydney Collins: Oh, wow.
Mary Landes: They flew him all over. Um, he learned how to, uh, broadcast, uh, the, the quinceañeras, and so people could watch him in Mexico and Venezuela and all over. And [00:18:00] he would get, you know- hundreds of people, like tuning in, you know, more than that. Um, and then he was really sad that he decided to move out of our space. And I was like, "Yes, I'm so glad you are." He moved to Kansas City, and he was in the Power & Light District, and then he set up in the Oak Park Mall, which is a high-end mall. And he's got this really cool- ... space there, and I'm like, "Wow." And I still see him broadcasting and, you know. So, you know, we have everything from... You know, and then he moved out, and we have a filmmaker in there.
Sydney Collins: Oh,
Mary Landes: You know, and so it's just, you know, very different people coming in and out. We had a room in the lower level that started out as, um, as a, the veterans would come in and do their coffees in there. They outgrew that space, so they moved out, uh, and a group of artists took it for a while. Um, and then they moved out, and then a nonprofit group of girls took it, and it went from being this guy-looking place to, you know, butterflies on the wall- ... and purple and, you know. And then they moved out, uh, and, and a girl that [00:19:00] started a yoga studio moved in, and she put a wood floor in and hung these really cool lights and, you know. So it's just fun to see people coming and going and what the rooms get to, the energy they build on and, you know. So it's- yoga studio, um, artist consortium of about 20 different figure drawing. We have live figure drawing there on Thursdays. Um, and we have someone that's just moved in that is working on a historic Kansas, uh, Clara Hatton was a historic figure in Kansas.
And he's curating, uh, an art exhibit and historical things for her. Um, we had, uh, an attorney that started her own business. She wanted to get away from the boys- you know, and was in a long time.
Sydney Collins: I get that.
Mary Landes: And-
Sydney Collins: I get that ...
Mary Landes: started a family practice, and now she's downtown. And she, you know, and so it's just, it's a little bit of everything.
Therapists, photographers, um-
Literally everything.
It's everything.
Sydney Collins: One-stop shop. It is like going to the mall.
Mary Landes: It, it is. It, it- For services ... a mall for, [00:20:00]
Downtown Vision
---
Gus Applequist: There's something, uh, that I've noticed in, in many of our interviewees on Ask a Kansan, and that is, that a lot of Kansans that are making a difference-
are people that can see opportunity in a place that not everybody else can see opportunity.
And, and so I, I just commend you on- looking at, at the temple and saying- "This isn't, you know, a, a big problem. This isn't a, something that we have to figure out what to do with." But, but instead, like, this is a big tent-
that we can bring all sorts of people under.
Mary Landes: I, I had this vision when I came back to Salina that I wanted to be kind of in a downtown... I love the downtown. And there was nothing in 2013.
Sydney Collins: Yeah You were, you were trying to make downtown downtown before downtown was making downtown.
Mary Landes: and I, remember seeing this movie, uh, that I loved. It was a Meg Ryan movie called The Shop Around the Corner. And I wanted a shop around the corner where people would just- it was a bookstore in a downtown where people would come in and feel comfortable and, you know. Uh, and I remember [00:21:00] we were standing downtown under an a- you know, in a doorway, and my sister s- it was pouring down rain.
My sister's like, "You're crazy. You're just gonna be down here with the homeless people. There's nobody here," you know. And, and to see it go from that to, you know, almost if you build it, they will come kind of thing. If you, if you put that energy out, it attracts the energy back. And one of the things I've said, too, about Salina, we're unique. Um, we're a city of entrepreneurs.
And, you know, you look at the big businesses that are here. Charlie Walker is one of my favorite stories, you know. Here's a guy that my dad remembered he had this idea for a high-powered truck wash.
You know, and he got my dad, you know, "Come over, try it out on your motor home," you know. And, you know, and, and what he built From that idea, Tony's Restaurant in Salina, downtown- that's where Tony's Pizza came from. And, you know, another-
Sydney Collins: Oh, really? ...
Mary Landes: story my dad had.
Sydney Collins: Oh, I never knew that.
Mary Landes: He was- out near Arnold Avenue. My dad had a place out in Arnold [00:22:00] Avenue, which is out by the airport, and he was trying for years to figure out, how do you freeze and reconstitute a pizza? And, you know, these things don't happen overnight.
Gus Applequist: And now there have been millions- and millions of Tony's pizzas.
Sydney Collins: You know how many times that I have done that tour at Tony's and no one's ever mentioned that?
Mary Landes: They're just little stories that got lost, you know, about who started this, you know? And there's story after story of these people that had an idea. Um, one of my favorite is, is, uh, John Veneer that, with the grain elevators and So he, he was an accountant for one of the grain elevators, and he saw that they were losing money. My dad told me this story over and over again. What a smart guy he was. So he bought, he saved up and bought the, the, the elevator, you know? And then he got into, you know, lots of other things, but just, you know, the idea that you could start with this idea and say, "You know, I could do this better." You know? Or I can, you know, take this idea and really make something out of it, so. We've got a lot of stories like that here.
Gus Applequist: I'm learning so much.
Mary Landes: You know, and then the, the children and the grandchildren give [00:23:00] back, and that's the thing I love too about Salina is that, you know, um, it's, it's, it's a generational of responsibility- I think in Salina that, you know, you take care of your town, you know?
Gus Applequist: you know, when you think about a community, you think about a group of people, and you have, you have this rich community that you, you've helped build in the temple. But, like, the temple itself is part of that community too. Like, you can't have a community unless you have a place to put it.
Mary Landes: Yes.
Gus Applequist: And so, um, can you describe the, the uniqueness-
of this building and how it shapes the community that resides within it?
Mary Landes: I think what's so unique about it is that it's, it's so many floors and so many, um, different, vibes in the building.
You know? The... And, and with the Masons, they... Each group, what made it a temple was that it housed all the organizations, and when you join the Masons, I [00:24:00] guess, I don't know all of the, the details, but you, you join, uh, like Blue Lodge, and then from there you can join other groups within it. And a lot of people know the Shriners, you know?
And they're different, like five or six different groups, and each one had a different floor, so that's why it's got all of these different, I think, vibes and, and, you know. Uh, and so running with that, you know, if you're looking for a place to, to, you know, uh, just train dogs, we've got this common area downstairs that if they pee, it's okay, we can wipe it up, you know?
And they're- It's all normal. It's all good ... they're welcome here, you know. There's some rooms that have like a wood floor and a dropped ceiling, and those are great for filmmakers or people that wanna practice music or, you know. Um, we've got some rooms that have... are sectioned into two suite areas, and so we've got someone that is a therapist, uh, but she also, uh, teaches music.
So she's got her music room and her, you know. So I think that that's what's fun is you come in and, and tell us what your dream is. And, you know, [00:25:00] I've seen people move into closets. They take... They're like, "Hey, that's perfect for me," you know? And they clean it out, and they paint it blue and, you know, and hang their lights and, you know.
We've got a space, I think, that would work for you, and no one's going to laugh at your idea. No one's going to say, "You know, I, you know, go back to that other job," you know. Come here and see what you can do, and we've got spaces for it. And then if you wanna have a big grand event, boy do we have space for you.
Oh you do. You know?
This episode is sponsored by Renaissance Café. Serving northern Italian cuisine prepared with a fresh contemporary influence, the Renaissance Café is one of Kansas' favorite restaurants. Whether you're planning a romantic dinner date, a family celebration, or an intimate meal with friends, the Renaissance provides a unique dining experience with an old world atmosphere. Open Thursday through Saturday evenings, the Renaissance Café is located just south of Salina in Assaria, Kansas. Visit renaissancecafeassaria.com to -book your reservation today
100 Years And Upgrades
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Sydney Collins: So the temple turns 100 in [00:26:00] 2027, right? Right. Do you have any big plans for that?
Mary Landes: Yes. I think we, we are going to have a year-long, uh- event of- Obviously ... you know, um, we're, we're really gearing up for what is this need now, you know? To really make it a first-class place, um, you know, to have all of the amenities that you would expect, you know?
And, um, like accessibility. That's been a big thing. You walk into any building today, in 50 years of ADA, you know, championing to just be able to bring yourself in without anyone having to help you- with dignity, you know? And we don't have, we have mostly have that, but we still, you know, are working on it, and so-
Sydney Collins: The building is 100 years old It's 100 years old.
Mary Landes: You know? And in the '20s, that wasn't a thing. And you know, and so, you know, uh, finding ways to make sure that everybody's comfortable and everybody can use it is, you know, is what we're working towards,
Sydney Collins: so as a old building.
Ghosts And Orbs
---
Gus Applequist: Here comes the shift.
Sydney Collins: The shift. We are getting close to [00:27:00] Halloween. so you've had a chance to basically live in that place for a while. Right.
Mary Landes: Yes, we have ghosts.
Sydney Collins: What are their names? We named one Reginald. they, um, it, there's definitely, um, energy there, and what we, when we really noticed it was when we put the cameras in, the security-
Oh, really? you know, so you see orbs and, you know and just things, um, motion detection. One of my favorites was, you know, we've got cameras, you know, go and it set off an orb, which you think spec of dust. Well, it's a spec of dust. Two of them came together. They went down the stairs, turned the corner, came into co-working, went through co-working together. Nope How do you explain that? I've got it on three different cameras. Nope. Yep. And so, like, you know, it, uh, there was one-
That's a hard pass for me.
Mary Landes: There's one girl that, that was like, she would work at our events, and she's like, same with you. "Nope. I'm not-"
Nope ...
not doing the ghosts." Well, that's... I saw [00:28:00] the orb, like, hanging around her- you know, uh, and it's just, I don't know how to explain it. You could say,
Sydney Collins: "Well- It's just a
curious little
orb ...
Mary Landes: it's just dust." Or, But I really think, you know, if you, if you had to spend, you know, eternity hanging out somewhere, why not at the temple? Like, you know.
Sydney Collins: There's a lot
happening.
There's a lot going on.
you know,
Mary Landes: if you're waiting around for... But, uh, you know, we've... There's a lot of history there. I think there's a lot of energy there. They're not scary. It's not, you know, like, you know, like boo ghosts. It's a, you know, I feel like they're just, um, layers of, of time that are maybe still trapped there or something. I, I keep laughing saying, you know, "Someday somebody's gonna say, 'I see this girl going up and down the stairs all day,' and it's me, you know- ... in another dimension." You know? Um,
Temple Origins And Collapse
---
Gus Applequist: I wanna, like, hit a couple of highlights of the history- that I think bring the ghost story alive.
So can you tell the story of the [00:29:00] disaster that happened- the first time the temple was- reconstructed.
Sydney Collins: I was gonna bring this up. How many times has the
temple-
been built?
Mary Landes: Right. So the temple started down on Santa Fe.
And it was, it was one of the wooden buildings down there.
And if you know the history of Salina, there were fires. Lots of them. Lots of fi- So they, it burned two different times, and so they decided... They bought the, a couple properties there at South and, and Santa Fe, put that property together, and they started building it in 1922, and they almost made it to the top and it collapsed. And I've heard stories of, of people who said their grandfathers remembered hearing it come down. No one was killed- that I know of, but it made a big boom when it came down. Um, and there were a couple stories of, of that it was a vaulted ceiling in the theater, which is the top- and that that gave and pancaked.
And the other one I've heard is that it just, the concrete wasn't, wasn't right. But anyway, it, whatever happened, it collapsed. They moved the rubble over to the river, so I'm telling Jane, you know- Sorry, Jane ... "You're [00:30:00] gonna find pieces of us over there," you know- ... when you really start dredging that out.
Gus Applequist: But- It's still... That, that material, that concrete- is still up and down the river- in several spots.
Mary Landes: So-
you know. Um, and, and then they started over and they finished this version in 1927, and they really made it to last. It's- And they're like-
Sydney Collins: concrete and marble.
Mary Landes: And, and lots-
Sydney Collins: Or limestone and marble
Mary Landes: of iron. You know, the, there's steel or whatever those columns are.
Sydney Collins: This thing it's
not coming down.
Mary Landes: So it, you know, it had its... And I can't imagine the, the tenacity of, of the Masons where they, you know, their lodge downtown burnt, and then they rebuilt it, and then it burned again. And then they built a temple, and then it collapsed.
And, you know.
Gus Applequist: These weren't just any regular Masons. These were Kansas Masons.
Mary Landes: They were, you know, working to have this place and-
Sydney Collins: They're like, "We're not gonna sit... no is not a,
a word we
know.
Mary Landes: So kudos to them for sticking with it- because now we have this beautiful, you know, beautiful building.
But-
Gus Applequist: I wanna... Okay, fast-forward just a little bit in history.
And, and just one data point that you said before that I think our audience needs to hear. How many bars did the facility have? I was gonna bring that up too.
Mary Landes: Yes. [00:31:00] I have heard 16. You know- 16 bars in one building. Yes, and we have lockers where they locked up their
their liquor. They're only wide enough to put a bottle in, and they- have a ring in it. And so, so I mean, you think back prohibition in the '20s when this was built. So, you know.
Gus Applequist: So, so place memory.
Masonic Heyday Events
---
Gus Applequist: So, I, I think the last little thing I wanna hit on
that, that I think these ghosts might be somehow related to- is can you describe what, in, like, the heyday of the building when, when it was- when the Masons were at their height, how many people were there? What was an evening-
Sydney Collins: What was happening?
Gus Applequist: at the lodge like, or the temple like?
Mary Landes: And, and it's, they were grand events. The men wore top hats and, you know, and, and tuxedos, and the women were dressed to the nines, and they were a big, a big deal. You know, and there have been different types of things. Like, in the '40s it was a USO club for- it, for the soldiers. And so they, I heard they had as many as 5,000 people.
Sydney Collins: My gosh
Mary Landes: You could dance with a girl for 10 cents. And I actually met a woman that was at [00:32:00] one of the dances. And so, you know, they, um, there were just events. There were always, um, events happening in the building. It was an event space, you know.
Artifacts And Ghost Energy
---
Mary Landes: Um, and so I think, you know, going through those decades of, you know, the, the '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, one of the fun things, 'cause we have...
I think when you're attracting ghosts artifacts, you know, everything in there is a piece of history. It's all through the decades. I was sitting at a wedding, uh, this past weekend, and we have all of these metal folding chairs, you know. And I'm sitting there, and I look at the name on the back of one of them, so I Google, you know, like Googled it.
And it's a 1940s chair. They go for a lot online. You know.
Sydney Collins: Like we're just-
Mary Landes: Because they were at USO shows, clubs- Oh, and, and things like that. And, you know, and I found a picture from one of the, uh, one of the dinners that they had in the '40s, and you can look through to the kitchen, and you see these coffee urns. And I'm like, "Those are upstairs. We've got the same coffee urns," you know. And all of the, the rotary phones. How many- [00:33:00] people had conversations- on those phones through the years? And, you know, velvet furniture that the back is worn off of, but, you know, how many men sat in these and smoked cigars and, you know, talked about i- things that they wouldn't talk about in front of their wives maybe or, you know. So it's just layers of history. It's like a giant scrapbook, you know. And, and so I think- you know.
Gus Applequist: It's no surprise that a place like that would have ghosts.
Mary Landes: I don't think so.
Top Floor Views History
---
Sydney Collins: Well- and can you talk about the, the very top floor?
The sixth floor, seventh floor-
a little bit. And all the different rooms and how everything is just...
Mary Landes: The very top room is- is the, the room that you weren't allowed to go to unless you were, you know, you were a Mason. And there's, it's essentially three large meeting rooms. But what I love about it is that when you look out, uh, to the south, you can see Coronado Heights.
Sydney Collins: Oh,
Mary Landes: You know, so Lindsborg's that way. When you're on another side, you can see the wind turbines in Ellsworth, you know. And, and it's just this view of the downtown that's sweeping and beautiful. [00:34:00] Um, we actually have a, a time lapse, uh, that Aaron Anders did of the downtown over a year and a half.
Sydney Collins: Oh, wow.
Mary Landes: So it's the whole thing from when they broke ground and took everything up to when it was all finished and, and done. And so, um, the, the upper floor is just this penthouse for Salina is what I think of it as, you know. Um, but it, it's also very historical. It's the least touched of- of everything. And so, you know, uh, artifacts, there are two globes up there that I just love.
One's a celestial, you know, and one's a globe of, of the world from the '20s. And so the borders have changed and, you know, it's just everything is right as it was from the '20s when you walked in. And it's just interesting, very historical. But I think rooms that, that, uh, have a lot of potential for- You know, use as event spaces and, you know- special places to gather.
Paranormal Hunts Hotspots
---
Sydney Collins: back on the ghost part, you've had multiple people come to [00:35:00] you and be like, "Can we do a ghost hunt?" And most of the times they end up on that upper floor.
Can you tell us-
Mary Landes: There's two places-
Sydney Collins: a little bit about
that?
Mary Landes: So So we have professional paranormals. We actually had a paranormal convention where it was-
Sydney Collins: Oh, really?
I didn't know
that.
Mary Landes: There were probably, I don't know, 20 different groups, and they have YouTube channels, and they're all, you know... And they brought all their, their, um, meas-
Sydney Collins: Bag?
Bags of equipment.
Mary Landes: You know, the- the things that go woo and ch- you know, and, and they measure things. And it was really fun to have all those different groups. But, you know, it, it, it's, uh, the upper floor, that, that top floor, I feel like a gravity or a heaviness up there. And sometimes when you're walking through the building you feel a little bit like Alice in Wonderland, where y- you're getting bigger or the room's getting smaller.
It's just the, you know, the, the proportions of the building. But, um, but up there, there is kind of a heaviness to it. Um, and not in a bad way, just that room was, was the special, you know, place-
Sydney Collins: The
secrets
were there
Mary Landes: ... to go. And then that, that sub-basement where the boiler is, where it's the belly of the building- down there, and, and that's a favorite place for them [00:36:00] to, to, set up and, you know. The, the, the ghost hunters love that building because it's got- so many different areas. Um, and, and there's always something. You know, temperature change, and you know, and, and energy change, and...
Sydney Collins: And you're like, the building's 100 years old. Of course. It
is. Of course it's gonna have some cold spots.
Mary Landes: It's...
Sydney Collins: It might be an orb-
Mary Landes: It might be an orb ...
Sydney Collins: or it might just be out.
Mary Landes: Could just be that boiler's out, I don't know.
Sydney Collins: Oh, shoot.
Modern Upgrades Accessibility
---
Sydney Collins: well, back to kind of what is the temple today. What are some of the things you're working on? Where can we find more information-
and all that?
Mary Landes: I think coming up on its 100th, you know, and the 10 years, the last 10 years have felt like 100 years-
Sydney Collins: I'm sure ...
Mary Landes: to us. You know, walking into that building, you know, the first day and thinking, you know, "Is anyone gonna see this?" There were days that I would walk out, um, and there was, you know, uh, I was the only one in the building the whole day, and I'm like, "Am I crazy?"
as I'm [00:37:00] walking out the door and turning off the lights, to seeing how alive it is today. And- and I think that the, what we're going for are, is, uh, the things that it really needs to be a, a, a modern facility with a historic... It's on the national h- national and Kansas Historic Registry, so accessibility is the number one.
We're working on putting an elevator in. Um, we've got two elevators, actually, that we're gonna put in. One of them we've, we've got, and it's almost there. It's always a moving month away, you know? But it's, I think any day now it's gonna be. Um, and then retrofitting the second elevator. We're still raising funds for that. Um, and then there's an idea for a third location- for an elevator. So I think adding that ability to move people in the building is gonna be everything for that. Right now, the elevator is me and a key.
Sydney Collins: For context-
Mary Landes: Um ... the,
Sydney Collins: the elevators are original to the-
Mary Landes: Yes ...
Sydney Collins: building that they are
Mary Landes: currently in.
1920. Every time I shut the
Sydney Collins: door- You have to do the handle.
Mary Landes: I, you know, I'll shut the door and turn around to the people in it, and I'm like, [00:38:00] "Welcome to 1927." Um, it, because you still open the cage. And a lot of people in Salina either haven't, you know, seen that-
Sydney Collins: Experienced that,
Mary Landes: or some people remember at the United Building they had that.
Oh, Or you know. Um, so accessibility. Uh, the bathrooms were the other accessible-
Sydney Collins: They're very narrow,
Mary Landes: And they, they're beautiful. They're, they're, you know, marble. Marble. But, but people were smaller back then. And, and- ... accessibility wasn't a thing. And so taking, um, the existing bathrooms, um, and dividing it, and it's still a big bathroom for three stalls, but then we were able to put in a single-stall bathroom.
Mm. And the thing I'm most proud of is having a baby changing table. Just little things- Yay you know? Little things like that. So, so having bathrooms that are modern and accessible. And then climate control is our, our next thing. You know, we have a boiler, and it's all on or it's all off, you know, and we, we kinda time it to, you know, it comes on, and then it's really hot, and then we turn it off, and it, you know. Um, but to protect the [00:39:00] plaster and- Oh, the backdrops and, you know. Um, it, we don't have air conditioning throughout the whole building. We do have on our first floor, and it works great- Um, and generally when we book things in the theater, we've got this lovely, you know, north-south breeze- that comes through. but to be able to reliably have air conditioning and climate control is huge, and it's gonna be make or break, I think, you know, for, for being able to book events year-round, you know?
Theater Backdrops Treasure
---
Gus Applequist: You mentioned the backdrops. I was-
Mary Landes: Can you, can you explain that?
Sydney Collins: You and I are in sync.
Mary Landes: So the theater, back to the theater that we were talking about.
We have a three story theater that, um, is a big open space in the middle, ballroom dance floor- with balconies that seat, uh, 420 on each of the balconies. Uh, so the theater seats 1,500- total. And then-
Gus Applequist: 300 more than our, our, our Stiefel theater downtown..
Mary Landes: But, and then we've got these backdrops.
So the backdrops are these canvases that are hand painted. [00:40:00] Um, they're, uh, 104 of these scenes that, and they hang from ropes, and they don't roll up, they pull straight up. And they form about 30 different scenes, and these were painted in 1905 in Chicago by a company that did these backdrops for Masonic temples around the country.
And this collection went, in 1905, down to McAlester, Oklahoma, and on the back of the canvases, written, handwritten in charcoal, is McAlester, and then number one, two, three, four, you know. And then in 1927 when Salina was building, McAlester was remodeling, so they wrote a letter and said, "Would you guys like to buy," or, you know, "Would Salina like to buy the backdrops?"
So they were brought up here on a specially, uh, modified rail car that came up behind the building, and they bought the backdrops, $30,000, which I can't imagine today what that would even be. I,
Sydney Collins: I couldn't even- '
Mary Landes: Cause each one is a work of art, you know?
Sydney Collins: They're all hand painted, right?
Mary Landes: They're hand painted, and they're multiple, so there's a, a, a solid back, [00:41:00] uh, scene, and then there's a middle part of the scene that's cut out. Usually has a netting with it, and then there's a front legs that go with it. So it's very dimensional. Um, and there are palace rooms. Um, there are forest scenes that are fun. There's a hell with a devil and a dragon, you know? Um, there's a, a treasure room with a menorah that's painted in gold. Um, just all different, you know.
Gus Applequist: You can, if you wanna have an event at the temple- you know, you can- You can choose
your
backdrop
Mary Landes: you can choose your backdrops.
Gus Applequist: You can pick a backdrop that fits the event.
Sydney Collins: There's a nice little flip book that you can go through- and say, "Mary, I want five and 10 and 15."
Mary Landes: And we have combined them, you know?
So it's, you know, it's fun, but it really is, uh, such a unique thing to have, you know? To have those, those scenes. And then generally when someone's having a, you know, a, an event they'll... Like, we have a cathedral scene. You know? So if someone's getting married, you know-
Sydney Collins: My, my brother and my sister-in-law
had the
cathedral-
Mary Landes: Or sometimes it's-
Sydney Collins: ... when they got married in the theater
Mary Landes: ... you know, they wanna get married in the forest. Or, you know, [00:42:00] um, prom, you know, we're, we're having a, a, a theme for Ga- Great Gatsby. Well, we've got that. Oh, You know, it's, you know, different for everyone, but- but- those are so unique.
They're the only collection in the United States that is, you know, still together. It's very, very rare, and it's not Masonic any longer, you know? And those were very private for, for their rituals and, and the Masons have told me the only secret they have is a handshake, that they're, you know. Everything's pretty much out on the internet now. And so we wanted to make sure that we, we weren't doing anything that was disrespectful- to their organization. And, you know, and they've been wonderful about it. But, and they still haven't taught me the handshake, so. But.
Sydney Collins: So close.
How To Visit Contact
---
Sydney Collins: Well, where can people, um, find you guys- find out more information?
Mary Landes: Just SalinaTemple.com is the website. And they can call, uh, 785-201-3132, or generally you'll find me. Most days I'm there.
Saving Historic Buildings
---
Gus Applequist: So [00:43:00] Mary, you're, you're a person who saw, you know, this, this big old building and you saw- opportunity there. There's another building here in Salina called Memorial Hall- Yes. which needs a, a Mary to come and save it too. We need a Mary. Um, but, but there are-
there are buildings across the land, across Kansas- that are waiting for someone to discover them.
And so what would you say to somebody who's teetering on the edge of- making a decision like the one-
you did. How would you encourage them?
Mary Landes: You know, it, it's one of those things that when I started this, I didn't say, "Okay, you know, we're gonna do this. It'll only take us 10 years."
But we know. You don't know what, what... You know, there's no blueprint for this. And so I was hoping that maybe other Masonic Temples, 'cause there are a lot of them have been abandoned. not just Masonic Temples, but Memorial Halls and- and things like that. It, it's a labor of love, but I think that it's so worth it because once it's gone, it's gone.
And I knew when, if this sat empty for a year, you know, it's, they're, the windows would be broken. There'd be, you know, people, you know, [00:44:00] setting fires, vandalizing, and it's gone. So, you know, I would love to see Memorial Hall saved, you know? And, and even though what I think made this a, a little bit, um, easier was that, not easy, but you know, it's on Santa Fe.
If Memorial Hall- was on Santa Fe, you know, I think it, it would've been maybe a little bit... And same with St. John's Hospital or- you know, some of the other buildings that, that haven't survived. Um, but you know, don't give up on it. Um, I, I think that there are uses for it, whether it's the idea of, of using multiple spaces for multiple things, which is- a really, uh, a good way to spread out. You know, if you say it's only co-working and then co-working goes out of fashion or, or whatever, then, you know, you still have other things. Kitchens are a big thing right now. We remodeled our kitchen and, um, finding a kitchen for hire. So if you have a building that has a kitchen, think of that as a revenue source.
If you have a theater space, if you have office spaces, you know, um, if you have a [00:45:00] big open space. We had a, a mall in Salina that just, you know, shut down overnight. And all of these people, I know Taylor's Twirlers were thinking- "Gosh, where do we go to twirl?" I'm like, "Well, we-"
Sydney Collins: I got a lot of big ceilings.
Mary Landes: You know, You know. Um, we also have historic chandeliers, so you have to be careful where the batons go, but- there's that. ... but I think that there's ways to reach out and to help people who, you know- are looking for space. You know, farmer's markets that need a winter space. There's, you know... Just look around your community and what, you know, what, where is there a need and what could you do?
Gus Applequist: What a- You know ... what a great place to end. Mary, thank you so much.
Mary Landes: Thank you. Appreciate
Sydney Collins: it.
Mary Landes: And if you haven't seen the temple, come, come visit.
Gus Applequist: It's worth a trip.
Sydney Collins: It's worth
Mary Landes: it.
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Gus Applequist: Mary's just, um, positive outlook and op- general optimism is just such a invigorating thing. Every time I'm around her, I just, I leave a little bit happier than I did going in.
Sydney Collins: And I, and I, it's just her calmness, but excitement at the same time. We use the word passion a lot- but, like, she's such a calm personality- but yet you, she can hype you up like nobody's business, and you don't even expect it.
Gus Applequist: It's exactly the kind of personality somebody who's starting a new business-
or a new nonprofit need to be around.
Sydney Collins: Yes.
Gus Applequist: A cheerleader that's just gonna be there for them and create opportunity for them.
Sydney Collins: Sure, you wanna start this crazy thing, go for it.
Kansas Made Snack Taste Test
---
Gus Applequist: Speaking of crazy things, uh- So- ... there is a table full of-
Sydney Collins: There's
a table full of food ...
Gus Applequist: incredible [00:47:00] looking things.
Sydney Collins: So as the resident pregnant lady at the moment, um, I think about food a lot.
Um, plus it is the Halloween season- which leads into, um, the holiday season, which leads into you just eat all the time. So I had the f- uh, fortune of going to Abilene today, um, and I stumbled upon Wilkins Acres, which is basically all Kansas, a, a Kansas store and that I did not know exists. They've been there for about five years.
Um, Tina, I got to chat with Tina there. And so I picked up a bunch of Kansas products that are made in Kansas. Um, and a lot of these are w- um, part of the...
Mary Landes: Oh, I'm gonna blank on the names here.
Sydney Collins: Are part of the From the Land of Kansas, who we've also had on. So if you wanna learn more, that's another, um, uh, organization through the state, um, that helps, um, promote [00:48:00] Kansas, uh, farmers and growers and, um, foodies basically.
So-
Gus Applequist: I'm already crazy about Crazy About Dill.
Sydney Collins: Crazy About Dill. Does it say where that, that one's from on the back?
Gus Applequist: Um, it sure does. Wichita.
Sydney Collins: Wichita.
Gus Applequist: Uh, hand- handcrafted by Twisted Pepper Company.
Sydney Collins: Twisted Pepper Company. So this- From what ... it's a, it's a j- a mix that you put in with sour cream and mayo, and it's delicious.
And So this next one is, let's see, it is Cherry Cheesecake Popcorn, and this one is from, I have to remember It's Schlegel's Popcorn. They've been doing it since 1970. We might have to look that one up. Oh, Holton, Kansas.
Gus Applequist: Oh, that's like in Tim's n- neck of the woods.
Oh, cool.
Sydney Collins: So Holton, Kansas, so there you go.
Gus Applequist: Oh, and listen to these flavors. Amaretto, bacon and cheese, butterscotch caramel, cheddar, che- cherry cheesecake, chocolate drizzled caramel. I, I'll let you read the le- rest online, but visit their website, [00:49:00] popcorngifts.net-
for more.
Sydney Collins: And they, and that was, like, only, like, one of, like, six or seven flavors they had there at Wilkins.
Gus Applequist: That's actu- Like, it actually tastes like that flavor, for once.
Sydney Collins: It tastes like-
it tastes like it.
So this one is called, um, it's from Weedal's Meat and Sweets. It's Gingersnap Bites. Um, and this one is from Durham, um, Kansas. Apparently this is a holiday, um... I like how you take a handful- I'm- ... and I take one.
Gus Applequist: I'm so sorry.
Sydney Collins: No, I love this. For everyone listening, this is just ASMR for you
Gus Applequist: I'm-
Sydney Collins: of us shoving food in our mouth ...
Gus Applequist: I'm so sorry if you're grossed out by the sounds of eating. Please tune away at this moment.
Sydney Collins: But they're actually really good. This would be really good if you dipped it in cream cheese or-
Gus Applequist: Okay ...
Sydney Collins: or, like, a coffee maybe.
Gus Applequist: Oh, coffee, yes. Totally. Or like, um-
Sydney Collins: Maybe I just really like cream cheese ...
Gus Applequist: apple cider. Apple cider.
Sydney Collins: There is, there was an apple cider jelly I almost got- but I thought that would've been a little much. [00:50:00] Those are good.
Gus Applequist: Okay.
Sydney Collins: I can see why you took a handful.
Gus Applequist: I, I knew I was gonna like those, for sure.
And I like all of these things, but-
Sydney Collins: Interesting.
Gus Applequist: What's, what's this? Garlic parmesan pork rinds. Pork rinds. This is not what I thought this was. Like, freeze-dried?
Sydney Collins: Nope. I think those are just the pork rinds. That's what, what normal pork rinds taste like. It's just fried pork fat, basically.
Gus Applequist: I'm not sure I've ever had pork rinds.
Sydney Collins: Really?
Gus Applequist: Uh-huh.
Sydney Collins: Let me see. Did 'em one time. These ones are from... I have to remember now. I think Bronson, Kansas, and Bronson is, like, southeast, right? Kinda by Fort, uh, Just west of Fort Scott ... just west of Fort Scott. We looked it up on the, on the-
Gus Applequist: Dartography map ...
Sydney Collins: on the tartography map. But they also had different, um, flavors of this.
This is Perry's Pork Rinds.
Gus Applequist: We're torturing our crew right now.
Sydney Collins: Oh-
Gus Applequist: So sorry ... they're
Sydney Collins: [00:51:00] gluten-free. Well, I just want to make sure that everyone has a chance to understand that-
Gus Applequist: What's up?
Sydney Collins: Oh, these are amazing
Gus Applequist: Let's move on to the sugar. So we've got, we got some ca- wow, what is th- I've never seen anything like... We've got Geek Clusters freeze-dried candy.
Sydney Collins: So it's freeze-dried Nerds clusters.
Gus Applequist: Oh.
Sydney Collins: These are out of Manhattan.
Gus Applequist: Oh my goodness. Th- this is a King's Kandy Shop processed in Manhattan, Kansas. Yep.
Sydney Collins: So we have the Nerds, we have the, which one? It's the Jolly Ranchers. They also have Skittles, um, Peach Rings. There's another one, I can't remember. Oh my gosh, those are amazing.
Gus Applequist: Like, imagine if you crossed a nacho with a-
Nerd cluster.
Sydney Collins: A nacho and a Nerd cluster?
Gus Applequist: That's kind of what I'm getting out of that.
Sydney Collins: Okay. I'll ta- I'll, I'll give the Nerds a-
Gus Applequist: These are huge, the D-
Sydney Collins: They're,
Gus Applequist: the Rancher ones.
Sydney Collins: The Rancher ones are big. I'm hoping those taste like cotton [00:52:00] candy. I could get behind the nerds ones. I'm not-
Gus Applequist: This, this is an insane thing to experience.
Sydney Collins: Really?
Gus Applequist: It's all the taste of a Jolly Rancher, but like, like a cheese puff texture.
Sydney Collins: Oh, okay.
Gus Applequist: I'm gonna have stuff in my teeth for like a week, but it's, it's, it's good.
Sydney Collins: And they're crumbly.
Okay. I understand the cheese puff texture now.
Gus Applequist: Yep.
Sydney Collins: So freeze, freeze-dried Jolly Ranchers out of Manhattan. Happy Rancher freeze-dried candy, King's Candy Shop. Okay
Gus Applequist: It's an experience, isn't it? it? like, just imagine that somebody like blew up a Jolly Rancher and then collected all the dust and like-
Sydney Collins: I had a sour apple one. I got the sour apple.
Gus Applequist: Uh-huh.
Sydney Collins: I should have picked a different color.
Gus Applequist: That's my favorite, and I enjoyed it. That, those were very interest- Now tell us about this honey.
Sydney Collins: So the honey sticks are from AJ's. They're from Salina.
I have to look at the different flavors. Honey sticks are always the best. [00:53:00]
I have to remember. Where'd my phone go? There it is.
Gus Applequist: Can't tell you how many antique stores I survived as a child- With honey sticks? ... based on my mom promising me that she would buy me a honey stick.
Sydney Collins: See, I didn't know honey sticks were a thing until like- a couple years ago when my kids started doing them. So you are, that's wild, uh, wildflower, wi- wildflower. My mouth is like numb from this sour- sour apple.
Gus Applequist: This is some A+ quality content.
Sydney Collins: I love this so much. Well, we haven't done this before. We've talked about food- Candied's Foods, but we've never really eaten them.
Gus Applequist: Oh my goodness.
Sydney Collins: All right. I'm gonna try the green one. My poor sugar levels- You are really like- ... are gonna go crazy right now ...
Gus Applequist: really into, uh-
Sydney Collins: Oh, this is- ... green apple ... this is, uh, definitely apple.
Gus Applequist: Uh-huh.
Sydney Collins: Apparently I really like green apple. All right.
Gus Applequist: I do. That's a great
Sydney Collins: flavor. I'll eat this whole thing. I'll do that a little bit.
Don't you just-
Gus Applequist: I, what I was... The way I learned is, like, you either bite or you press the opposite direction [00:54:00] on the corner of it, and then it-
Sydney Collins: And it pops. Oh, there it goes.
Gus Applequist: There you go.
Sydney Collins: Oh.
Gus Applequist: I heard it. I- And I think our audience did, too.
Sydney Collins: Oh, that's really good.
Wrap Up Credits Farewell
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Gus Applequist: Well, as we, uh- complete our honey sticks here- Our honey sticks. We have the- ... we can wrap things up. Thanks for tuning in to another episode of Ask a Kansan. You should go out and find some of these places that sell Kansas-made goods, 'cause there's some really unique-
Sydney Collins: Yes
Gus Applequist: and wonderful... Get in here- Get in here, crew ... and try some of this.
Sydney Collins: Try some of the food.
Gus Applequist: Um, Check out our website, askakansan.com, where you can find a library of over 70 previous episodes, um, links to our social media accounts- our line of merch, and Curious Kansan, our newsletter that features Tanner, this guy.
His explorations of people and places of Kansas. Th- Um.
Sydney Collins: Ask a Kansan's a production of Fili Creative. We're based here in Salina, as we mentioned. Um, our show is produced by Tanner. Tanner. Julie, [00:55:00] Merlin. I'm surprised he's not in here. Um.
Gus Applequist: He will be in a few minutes.
Sydney Collins: He will be. Don't you worry. Technical director, Merlin, and graphic designer, Austin Tone. Edited by Bryan and Alan with Forge Podcasts.
Gus Applequist: Uh. Thanks to Everyday Lights for the use of our theme song, Horse Thief Canyon.
Sydney Collins: Um, for everyone here at Ask a Kansan, thank you for tuning in.
Gus Applequist: And remember, every Kansan has a story.
Sydney Collins: What's yours?
Gus Applequist: Okay, let's eat some more food.
AAK_Ep80_Wide: Quick, quick. Oh, my God.