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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
Ep78
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Border Breath Challenge
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[00:00:00]
Gus Applequist: When my family goes to Colorado, uh, and actually any time we leave the state, we have a tradition when we go over the border. And I'm just curious if this makes us weird or if this is normal.
Sydney Collins: I'm gonna automatically say yes, knowing your family traditions.
Gus Applequist: So, no, and this is-
Sydney Collins: But go ahead
Gus Applequist: ... Hannah and I's tradition.Not like my-
Sydney Collins: Oh,
okay. Then okay.
Gus Applequist: And I think it was her family's. But what we do is, like, we hold our breath at, for as long as we can. Uh-
Sydney Collins: I have heard of this.
Gus Applequist: Yes, like, like, the border's coming up and we're like... And then you, you just keep driving and whoever lasts the longest, like
Sydney Collins: I have heard of that.
Gus Applequist: Do you have any traditions when you leave the state?
Tunnel Luck and Cow Counting
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Sydney Collins: Well, I, well, not, not when we leave the state, but I taught Madeline the tunnel, uh, hold your breath.
Cause we rode the train at the state fair, and there's a little tunnel. And I said, "Okay, you have to hold your breath." And she, like, looked at me.
I go, "Hold it up now." And she, you just hear her go And then we, we got up through the tunnel and she goes, "Why did we just do that?" And I was like, "It's good luck."
Julie Mindrup: Oh, [00:01:00] goodness.
Gus Applequist: You had her convinced that there was, like, an alien-
Sydney Collins: I did.
Gus Applequist: invasion.
Julie Mindrup: She was bought in. She completely. Um, ours is not too crazy.
We count cows. So, uh, we play a game called My Cows. Um, not really going through the state, but kinda just, um, throughout the whole- trip, even if we're just- A lot of cows. It, it is.
Gus Applequist: Is it by, like, the paddock, or is it, like, individual cows?
Julie Mindrup: By the pasture. By the pasture. So Okay ... you kinda have to, like, estimate how many cows that you got- and try to keep track of them.
Gus Applequist: Is there a record?
Julie Mindrup: Oh, my gosh. Um, Tyla has the biggest, because she sits in the back and is very, um, observant. Cow observant. Very cow observant. And she likes to say things like, "Hey, guys, you see that over there? Those are my cows."
[00:02:00]
Welcome to Ask a Kansan
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Gus Applequist: Welcome to Ask a Kansan.
Sydney Collins: A podcast where we're amplifying, connecting, and uncovering stories across Kansas.
Gus Applequist: I'm Gus.
Sydney Collins: And I am Sydney.
Gus Applequist: And this is Julie, one of our awesome producers on the show. And today's episode is really for anybody who wants to love Kansas a little bit more, or wants to explore Kansas.
Maybe you're driving across the state and you wanna know a little bit more about, uh, this place that you're driving through.
Sydney Collins: And I- a little bit about our podcast. So we have been, producing for about a year and a half, I think, roughly.
Gus Applequist: Have about 80 episodes now.
Sydney Collins: About 80 episodes now. So if this is your first episode and you get a glimpse of just something you like, we have a whole catalog of all kinds of guests- that we've had. Um, and they're all Kansans. So they're all really cool Kansans doing very interesting things. Um, the last couple weeks we've had the Flint Hills Fiddler, who also builds [00:03:00] coffins. We've had- um, uh, this week, is Simone. Um, she is with, uh, the Kansas Sampler Foundation, and they do nothing but support rural Kansas. Um, we've had, um, just-
Gus Applequist: Just about anybody- ... a
Sydney Collins: number ...
Gus Applequist: from a different walk of life you can imagine.
Sydney Collins: Very different walks of life.
Gus Applequist: So you can find more episodes of Ask a Kansan wherever you get your podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, et cetera.
Dice Roll Episode Picks
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Gus Applequist: So what we're gonna do today is, because I'm a nerd, we have this 20-sided dice, and um, our producers have gone through and selected shorts from many of our episodes. And we're gonna go through some of, uh, those episodes and, and hopefully learn a little bit about Kansas as we go.
So-
Sydney Collins: That's right ...
Gus Applequist: you guys ready?
Sydney Collins: Yep. I'm ready.
Gus Applequist: Sydney, why don't you give it a roll?
Sydney Collins: This is gonna be a blast from the past. All right. Here we go. Rolling.
Gus Applequist: That is three.
Sydney Collins: Three. Three. That is such a clack.
Home and Belonging in Kansas
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Julie Mindrup: So it's episode 35 with Becky Tanner. Discover the true meaning of home through heartfelt [00:04:00] discussions exploring Kansas, inclusivity, and belonging. Whether you've spent 15 minutes or a lifetime here, learn why everyone can find a piece of home in the Sunflower State
AAK_Ep78_wide: Have a way of [00:05:00] Worked for 35 years. The thing we would joke about it, but if you You know, it, it doesn't matter
Gus Applequist: So there's a lot to love there. W- Kansans have a complicated relationship with The Wizard of Oz, and so to reframe The Wizard of Oz in such a positive way, I, I love.
Sydney Collins: Well, and Becky s- um, if, Becky had a really good episode, if you go back and listen to it. So Becky is, um, a journalist. She's a historian. She is just...
She also is flipping hilarious. Um, I just wanna drink with her, um- and Deb Goodrich, who is another guest of ours- just in a [00:06:00] circle late at night, and just w- Hear them talk and just be a fly on the wall, 'cause it's just so funny.
Gus Applequist: They're unapologetic in their love for the state.
Sydney Collins: Oh my gosh, I love it so much.
They are s- just so much, uh, just themselves. but she had a lot of good framing n- um, outside of just that home piece that really, that really made that episode.
Julie Mindrup: All
Gus Applequist: right. All right. My
Sydney Collins: turn? Your turn. Go for it. Uh,
Gus Applequist: I think nine.
Sydney Collins: Nine?
Language Access and Diversity
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Julie Mindrup: Nine is going to be episode 56 with Leland Danes.
Sydney Collins: Oh, Oh, Leland.
Julie Mindrup: Imagine being 12 years old and translating a cancer diagnosis for your parent.
Leland Danes discusses this challenging reality and the importance of using appropriate communication tools to support families in these situations. Trust in children is valuable, but professional resources are [00:07:00] essential
Sydney Collins: So that was, uh, so his response was, um, part of either a comment or a question that I asked him, 'cause I worked in my mom's insurance business for y- for a short period of time. Um, insurance is not my thing. But it was, uh, because we would have kids come in, I mean, young as, like, six, seven years old, translating for their parents about car insurance, and it's, [00:08:00] it's this wild thing of, like, we never thought of, like, what's the impact on the child- um, when you're trying to explain these adult concepts to them.
Um, so he's with, um, Kansas Span- Spanish Speakers, and what they do, um, is give resources to, uh, families who need, um, English as a second language, and provide resources and, um, uh, teach English, and all these different things.
Gus Applequist: Something that might surprise you if you're not from Kansas is that we have some of the most diverse communities in the country.
Sydney Collins: Very much so.
Gus Applequist: Um, especially in the southwest, Garden City and Dodge City- um, are communities that just have this rich diaspora of- of different languages and cultures represented, and I think, uh, I think Leland's episode pointed to that.
Julie Mindrup: I remember being young and having to translate for my parents at 12.
Oh, And, uh, comprehending adult verbiage is not the same for a 12, you know- year old. Um, so, um, loved that episode. It really did kind of hit [00:09:00] home with me. So check it out, guys.
Sydney Collins: One,
oh. The first one.
Get Off the Interstate
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Sydney Collins: Uh, this is episode 14 with Jordan Romerman.
"The interstate isn't Kansas. It's just the flattest, fastest stretch they could build on. If you want to experience Kansas, its rolling hills, chalk formations, and wide open skies, you've got to get off the highway."
AAK_Ep78_wide: Yep. [00:10:00] [00:11:00]
Gus Applequist: So check out communities that are off the interstate. Also, uh, look at, look at a map if you... Or you probably don't have a map. Look at your phone- Look at your phone ... and, and look for scenic byways of Kansas. There's several wonderful-
Sydney Collins: Yep ...
Gus Applequist: short excursions away from the interstate that will show you things you never expected to see.
Sydney Collins: Well, and you can find those byways on, um, the Kansas Tourism website too. So Jordan was with Kansas Tourism, as she mentioned, and [00:12:00] she was just a wealth of knowledge of all the things, like, that you could possibly do in Kansas. Um, but reiterate, the interstate was made to go the fastest way through the state, not the greatest way through the state.
Julie Mindrup: So hop off the interstate and check out episode 14.
Gus Applequist: Nice.
Julie Mindrup: That's loud. Number two. Two.
All right.
Wild Kansas Landscapes
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Julie Mindrup: This is gonna be episode 29 with Rex Buchanan. Okay. Uncover the beauty of Kansas Cimarron National Grasslands, where the vibrant Indian blanket bloom creates a breathtaking landscape of wildflowers
Sydney Collins: [00:13:00] So Rex's episode I think probably got the most, like, views on the shorts. Like- we probably over, you know, 50, 60,000 altogether. But, um, also Rex's episode, he had the most relaxed fit out of all of-
Gus Applequist: Oh, Totally
Sydney Collins: ... out of all of our, our, our guests. Um, so-
Gus Applequist: Kind of a
Hawaiian shirt
kind of vibe
Sydney Collins: ... Rex used, Rex used to be, [00:14:00] um, the director of the, uh, Kansas Geological Survey, and his wealth of knowledge is just fascinating.
Here's this guy coming in in his Hawaiian short, uh, Hawaiian shirt and shorts, and just sprouts all of this- ... information off the top of his head, and you're like... It, it's, we had to define a lot of terms for me. It was very, v- very informational.
I think, uh, you'd be forgiven if you're not from Kansas and you're driving through and you think, "There's not many trees here.
Wow, this is just-" Oh, nothing. And, and the truth is y- you couldn't be more wrong. Um- there's, there's a lot here. we don't have, you know, big forests that cover our landscape, but there are some really incredible things to discover if you're willing to look for them.
Julie Mindrup: Yep. Episode 29 with Rex, he does, um, give out some, um, fun gems around Kansas.
Oh, So definitely check out his episode.
This episode is sponsored by Renaissance [00:15:00] 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
SB Mowing Neighborly Kindness
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Gus Applequist: 17.
Julie Mindrup: This is gonna be episode nine, know your host dream guest. Oh. Oh, okay.
Sydney Collins: [00:16:00] Spit it out, lady It's just so early in our editing journey.
Gus Applequist: If you're not familiar with, uh, SB Mowing, uh, why don't you tell our audience
Sydney Collins: about SB Mowing? So SB Mowing, and they... And, and here's what's funny, is that episode was over a year ago, and so much has happened, um, in that year with SB Mowing. So Spencer is from Wichita, and he's just a guy that finds lawns that are overgrown and mows them for people.
For free. Um, and for free. But as he does this, he discovers all these amazing stories, um, in, um, Wichita or the surrounding [00:17:00] areas. the biggest one he's known for is helping this elderly lady mow her yard. She, it was a real worry on her because it was so tall and the city was gonna charge her, and she was on a fixed income. She was also, um, struggled mobility-wise and so, like, her deck was falling apart. She hadn't gotten a new bed in, like, 20-plus years. And so Spencer just listened to her, and that's all he did, was just stand there and listen and talk to her. And so he got her, got her yard mowed and then started a GoFundMe, and it raised, like, I don't know, over three- Hun- over, like- Hundreds of thousands of dollars ... hundreds of thousands of dollars. And, um, but didn't just say, "Here's the money," and go. No, he made sure to get, like, an estate set up with her and lawyers and things like that so people couldn't come after her for this money, set up the contractors to come work on her house, and then, um, she had some health issues, and, like, would actually go to the hospital and make sure she's okay, and, like, all these different [00:18:00] things.
It's like, it's not just him doing, like, the good work like you see a lot of influencers do. No, he takes it a step further. And so that's why I'm such a huge fan of him. Um-
Gus Applequist: And he's doing what Kansans do best. Showing up for our neighbors. And, and- So much ... he's doing it in a public way, which is awesome. Um, but there's a lot of that that goes on behind the scenes here as well.
Sydney Collins: Yep.
Julie Mindrup: Agree.
Sydney Collins: Big money, big money.
Gus Applequist: 19.
Julie Mindrup: All right.
Quirky Kansas and UFOs
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Julie Mindrup: This is episode 62 with Jim Gray, Beam Me Up, Kansas. Oh, Jim. Get ready to explore the quirky side of Kansas. Um, Sydney and Gus tackle the intriguing question: Which Kansas town would most perplex visiting aliens?
Sydney Collins: I had a lot of fun making this one [00:19:00] Oh, no. So we always get this wrong. Tanner, what is the Christmas town?
Gus Applequist: Wakinni.
Sydney Collins: Wakinni? Okay. '
Gus Applequist: Cause we've said Wamego. '
Sydney Collins: Cause we keep saying Wamego.
Gus Applequist: And
Sydney Collins: we've gotten in trouble. We've gotten in trouble. It's- But, um, that's [00:20:00] the b- beauty of it. Tanner's going to the map.
Gus Applequist: Tanner's going to the map to show us.
Sydney Collins: But, again, it's how... You can find the quirky anywhere- and Kansas is just- We own- ... filled with the quirky. We own- ... the quirky.
Gus Applequist: It's ours.
Sydney Collins: We own it. So not only... 'Cause this episode was based on Geneseo, um, and,
Julie Mindrup: The UFO
Sydney Collins: Festival ... the UFO Festival. The Ufo Festival.
Julie Mindrup: Yep.
Sydney Collins: And, um, Jim Gray, who we have... He is the cowboy. I have dubbed him the Space Cowboy.
Gus Applequist: Um-
Sydney Collins: you need to check
Gus Applequist: out that episode ...
Sydney Collins: that episode's really good. But you can s- you can just find all these little treasures. Um, so like Wakinni is the Christmas town, so go to Wakinni during Christmas, and it's everywhere.
Gus Applequist: We, we talked about Lucas and that, and so
I just-
Sydney Collins: Oh, Lucas
Gus Applequist: ... Lucas is an easy one. If you're on I-70, take, take a little trip to, to Lucas. Lucas is home of the Garden of Eden, which is this crazy concrete- Concrete ... sculptural garden in which the, the artist behind it- buried himself there, uh, in like a mausoleum.
Sydney Collins: You can see him and his wife.
Gus Applequist: You [00:21:00] can see, like, the world's-
Sydney Collins: Literally
Gus Applequist: ... what, what is the toilet called? It's, it's, it is... I, I, I need to- It's like a- You just need to go and experience the public toilet-
Sydney Collins: There's all kinds of things there ... in Lucas, Kansas.
Gus Applequist: How many times have you been directed to a public toilet?
Julie Mindrup: The Bowl Plaza.
Gus Applequist: This is your chance to, to experience- The Bowl
Plaza.
Oh, and while you're there, you can visit, um, Erika Nelson's- Erika Nelson ... the World's Largest Museum of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things.
Good for you. Nice.
Julie Mindrup: Gus nailed it.
Sydney Collins: I struggle with that every single time. All right. Eight?
Gus Applequist: Eight.
Julie Mindrup: Eight.
All right.
Wichita DJ Life Story
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Julie Mindrup: Eight is episode 57 with DJ Carvin. Yes. Oh, DJ Carvin. Why does DJ Carvin hit a different gym every time? For a small business owner and a DJ, being seen in the right places can make a world of difference [00:22:00]
Gus Applequist: In addition to having one of the world's greatest mustaches- DJ Carbon, um, is such a exemplary Kansan in just the- Oh, the way he connects people and views his work as a DJ, not as just playing ambient music, but as- like showing up for people, like he said.
Sydney Collins: Well, also, his life story is so fascinating.
I'm not gonna give it away 'cause I want you to go listen to the episode. But he, he's from New York. Like, that's where he's originally from. Made his way to Kansas, and then just had this [00:23:00] whole life scenario that just flipped his world upside down, um, within, you know, weeks of each other. Just one thing after another, and it's just fascinating.
And he just has this bright spirit and this bright spot. And it's- And he's
Gus Applequist: living his best
Sydney Collins: life. And he's living his best life. So it's fascinating. And he chose Wichita to be his home, so. Yep.
It's just so heavy. This die is so heavy.
five. Five. Okay.
Cosmosphere Space Nerd Out
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Julie Mindrup: This is episode 51 with Claire Ludus. Okay. Um, explore the Cosmosphere's incredible collection of space artifact with Claire Ludus. From US treasures to Soviet wonders, it's a journey through space history. Discover how their astronaut programs and restoration projects are shaping the future. Gus really does nerd out on this one. [00:24:00]
Gus Applequist: There's so much- There's so much ... I could try to talk about right now. But I think the most important thing is, uh, this is named one of the best space museums in the world. And the reason why it's so good is that it tells you the complete story of the space race, um, from both sides of- uh, the world.
Uh, you know, the Soviet and the, the American. And so if, if you're going near Hutchinson, Kansas, I'd highly recommend stopping by the Cosmosphere.
Sydney Collins: It's, [00:25:00] one, super affordable, and two, there's a lot of stuff to do there. Um, there's even a little restaurant in there so you can get lunch while you're going through the museum.
Um, also that episode with Claire you'll... So Gus and I have certain things that we nerd out on when we get certain guests. Um, mine are apparently band directors and romance authors. Um, and dogs.
Julie Mindrup: Animals. And animals. Just in general.
Sydney Collins: Where Gus's is space and what else, what other ones do you- Oh,
Gus Applequist: History I like.
Sydney Collins: History, So you get certain passions out of each episode.
That's very true. Very true.
Want to spread your organization's message across Kansas? Consider becoming a sponsor. Ask a Kansan has a unique focus on Kansas and its people. By sponsoring our podcast, your organization can reach people from Kanorado to Kansas City, Wichita to Washington, and all the great places in between. We have a variety of sponsorship packages available to fit your budget and needs.
For more information, visit [00:26:00] askakansan.com/sponsorships or call us at 785-571-9507.
Julie Mindrup: 11. Ooh.
Wichita War Dancer Regalia
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Julie Mindrup: 11 is going to be episode 26, Wichita War Dancer. Oh, It's more than just clothing, it's a representation of culture and people Greg Victors proudly represents.
AAK_Ep78_wide: I, uh, it takes me, uh, a couple hours [00:27:00]
Gus Applequist: If you're listening to the podcast, um, Greg when... So Greg is the Wichita War Dancer. When he was here with us, he wore his full, full regalia, as you mentioned, and he didn't fit in the normal chairs we have.
Sydney Collins: He had to bring his own chair.
Gus Applequist: It, it's worth checking out that episode, uh, and, and seeing what, what, how he dresses.
'Cause it's, it's truly incredible.
Sydney Collins: And he gave a lot of really good insight into things that we never-
Gus Applequist: Yep ...
Sydney Collins: even would have, not necessarily considered. We don't have a Native American background. We have... we don't have that kind of background. So it was just fascinating to, um, learn from him.
Gus Applequist: Oh, last one.
Sydney Collins: All right, last one.
Connecting Kansas
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Sydney Collins: 20.
Julie Mindrup: This is episode 60 with [00:28:00] Tanner Johnson. the connection we made with Cody and the Wichita War Dancer. So give this segment a listen
Gus Applequist: I think that says a lot. And that- I
Sydney Collins: think you should give a little bit more context on who Cody is.
Gus Applequist: Cody is a, is a friend of mine. We were in a band [00:29:00] together, uh, and, and he's a violinist, and he conducts an orchestra in Manhattan. Uh, or he conducts the high school orchestras there. So I think Kansans are a little bit guilty of looking down on their state.
Sydney Collins: Yep.
Gus Applequist: And that's one of the reasons why we started this podcast, is 'cause we, we wanted to help them be proud of what's here and come together a little bit around it. And so stories like this where we see our podcast doing that is when it all feels worth it.
Sydney Collins: Very much so. Um, It's such a good way to kind of overall encompass, like, what we, the whole goal of our podcast was, is to get people not necessarily like, "Hey, come to Kansas and travel." It's not like a tourism thing. But, like, for locals, there are, there's a lot of people doing really cool things, and a lot of times we get down on ourselves.
A lot of times the things that we see in traditional media are kind of dragging us down. So th- the [00:30:00] whole point of our podcast was positivity, you know, to amplify, connect, and uncover um, amazing, you know, places, people, um, stories, um, in Kansas.
Gus Applequist: And I would just tag onto that, that, um, you don't have to agree with everyone-
Sydney Collins: Nope
Gus Applequist: to, to listen and still get something from an episode. And, and that's a lot of what we do is, is just- be curious about this state and learn a little bit more about it every time.
Wrap Up and Credits
---
Gus Applequist: So with that, thank you for, uh, listening to an episode of Ask a Kansan. We hope you'll check out more.
Sydney Collins: Check out our website at askakansan.com, where you can find our library of over, 70 episodes.
Um, we're creeping up on 80, so ke- keep listening. Um, links to our social media, um, our line of merch, our Curious Kansan newsletter, um, featuring, um, Tanner, who is, um, one of our producer. Um, he travels throughout the state of Kansas, um, and produces stories. So make sure you sign up for that.
Gus Applequist: He has some great photos of [00:31:00] buffalo that he took.
Or sorry, American bison.
Sydney Collins: Bison.
Gus Applequist: That he took recently. Ask a Kansan is a production of Fili Creative based in Salina, Kansas. Our show is produced by Tanner Colvin and Julie Mindrup, technical direction by Merlin Shippy, graphic designs by Austin Tone, and we are edited by Bryan and Alan at Forge Podcasts.
Sydney Collins: Thanks to Everyday Lights for the use of our theme song, uh, Horse Thief Canyon.
Gus Applequist: For everyone here at Ask a Kansan, thanks for tuning in. And remember, every Kansan has a story.
Sydney Collins: What's yours?