Good morning, Wichita!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Now we’re back at it like a bad habit.

No more holidays until Labor Day, only 63 days to go (but who is counting)!

Let’s get to it!

-Landon

p.s. If you’ve ever wondered how to support the Wichita Life Update, consider upgrading to be a Wichita Life Insider.

Flavor & BBQ Fest

The team at Wichita Festivals knows how to throw a party (see Riverfest).

Now they’re bringing the inaugural Flavor & Barbecue Fest to Gilley’s October 9th & 10th.

With more than $15,000 in barbecue prize payouts, an incredible lineup of food vendors, and a chance for Wichita to showcase its vibrant food scene, this new festival is shaping up to be a can't-miss event.

Hosted through a partnership between the teams behind Riverfest and Autumn & Art and Gilley's, Flavor & Barbecue Fest will bring together barbecue competition, local flavors, and family-friendly entertainment.

Applications are now open for barbecue competitors and food vendors at https://flavorbbqfest.com/.

Together with the Wichita Wind Surge

You’d think the Wind Surge might want to take a week off after going hard last week for the 4th, right? WRONG.

They are back and they aren’t slowing down.

Check out a few of the awesome promos they have going on this week with everything from the K-State Football Jerseys to Honkers Basketball Jerseys and more.

Interested in advertising with us?

LOCAL BUSINESS

Opening

Bohemia Healing Spa - SW Corner of Central & Woodlawn - Opening Tuesday 7/7
Wingstop - 3000 N Rock Rd (same strip center as Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery at 29th & Rock) - Opening Wednesday 7/8
Sky Zone of Wichita (indoor trampoline amusement park) - 3535 N Rock Rd near Sam’s Club - Opening Friday 7/10
Sweet Drop Candy Shop - 800 N Baltimore (former Mattress Outlet) in Dergby - Same Owners as Derby Donuts - Opening in Late July
Escapology - coming to K-96 and Greenwich entertainment corridor next Spring

Harvest to Market

Rural food and farm businesses in eligible Kansas and western Missouri counties may qualify for grants of up to $25,000 through the Harvest to Market Grant program.

Funding supports projects that expand market access and strengthen local food systems. Learn more at HeartlandFoodBusiness.org. Applications are due August 31.

🍽️ Wichita Life Dinner Club 🍽️

July is here!

Come out and make some friends!

Here’s how it works:

🍽️ Take a quick quiz about your personality, interests, and food preferences.

✨ Get matched with five other Wichitans who fit your vibe (food preferences, budget, life stage, etc.).

📍 Your table of six meets for dinner on Thursday, July 23rd — the exact restaurant is revealed that morning.

🥂 After dinner, all groups are invited to a casual after-meetup to keep the conversation going (more on that below).

👉 Take the quiz & grab your seat ›

If you’ve been wanting to meet new people in town, this might be the easiest (and most fun) way to do it.

This month we’re doing something a little different for the After-Party..

Instead of keeping it a secret like usual, we’ll let you in on it.

We will be continuing the after-dinner party in the All-American Club at Eck Stadium (WSU baseball) for the NBC World Series opening night! Your tickets to the game + All-American Club are comped with your dinner club ticket, so come out and enjoy an amazing view PLUS great fellowship.

CIVIL

Class Action Lawsuit

Back in 1994, there was a contamination at 29th and Grove that wasn’t made public knowledge until 2022. Judges recently certified that as a class action lawsuit.

Minisa Bridge

Minisa Bridge is the historic bridge that honors Native Americans near North High on 13th St over the Little Arkansas River. It is about to go under some rehab work.

Tag Hours

The Sedgwick County tag hours are being cut by an hour to 8am to 5pm starting Wednesday.

LOCAL

The Titanic

Dr. Robert Ballard is a Wichita-native. He also discovered the Titanic (not James Cameron as some people might think).

250th Banners

America’s 250th Birthday was over the weekend and Wichita Public School students now have banners displayed downtown to celebrate.

Swimply

Did you know you can rent private pools by the hour? Even here in Wichita.

Local Author

Check out some books from local author Carron Hairabedian.

She currently has a three volume series out now!

Historic Trash

The Orpheum has been around for a minute (104 years actually) and will soon be reopened after some much needed renovations. But with time comes memories, and trash (historic trash).

Oak Tree

Some people can make anything into art. Like Daniel Dossett did by turning an oak tree in Andover into a lighthouse.

Viral Video

You know we love local videos that go viral. Some 6 year old local basketball girls recently had a couple of videos seen by 150,000+ people.

Largest Employers in Sedgwick County

Here is a list of the 280 largest employers (by # of employees). Is your company on there?

Rail Baron's Ball

The Great Plains Transportation Museum is a delightful but little-known known gem in downtown Wichita, serving to preserve and present Kansas and Wichita rail heritage. Old and young alike, once having visited the museum, fall in love with the experience of the historic site and the full-scale locomotives and rail cars, massive remnants of bygone eras. Join them for the Rail Baron’s Ball on October 23rd.