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Greater Andover Days: Family Fun for All Ages

October 16, 2021 by Vanessa Whiteside Leave a Comment

Disclosure: City of Andover sponsored this post. However, all opinions and photographs are my own.

Greater Andover Days are the ultimate weekend experience for festival fans of all ages. Since 1967, the annual 4-day event has brought the community together to enjoy outdoor activities. Whether you’re a resident of Andover or just passing through town, the festival is worth a visit thanks to a long itinerary of entertaining things to do – the fun never ends! A $5 button ($3 if you purchase it early) gains you access to all the festivities.

I took advantage of a sunny weather day to visit most of the Saturday events. The impressive lineup of things to do kicked off with the parade on Andover Road. Parents and kids lined both sides of the street ready to grab flying candy thrown from floats passing by. The energy was high as Boy Scouts kicked off the parade leading a trail of local school groups, Shriners, and trucks advertising local businesses toward Central Avenue. “Candy! candy!” yelled the kids with arms raised as they begged for sweet treats. It seemed the entire community showed up for the parade to applaud and wave in the spirit of Greater Andover Days.

As soon as the parade came to an end, families gathered their belongings and headed to Andover Central Park (1607 E. Central Ave.). Parking wasn’t an issue since there were plenty of spaces available at nearby Andover Central Middle School. A free shuttle took people to and from the festival, but I walked since it was a short distance.

The 80-acre park is a beautifully maintained area that plays host to various stations of entertainment from KidsFest to live music productions at Capitol Federal Amphitheater. To enter, each festival attendee wore their official button and walked directly into the festival where a half-dozen vendors waited to serve everything from flavored popcorn to barbecue at the food court.

Car enthusiasts gathered at the Wheat State Falcon Club Car Show to “ooh and ahh” over classic and modern cars. Shined and detailed to perfection, old-school vehicles sat on display for onlookers to enjoy. Gearheads grabbed their phones to snap photos. Vehicle owners chatted about their love of all things cars. In my opinion, the shining star of the show Ford Falcon Squire Wagon. Its white-wall tires, candy red paint, and classic design caught my attention as well as that of passersby. What make and model do you hope to see on display at a car show?

The fun didn’t stop there! Parents shuttled their kids to the carnival where the rides like the ferris wheel and fast-moving Tilt-a-Whirl awaited. I think the best part of the carnival was witnessing adults taking their kids on rides for the first time. They sat close, buckled in and smiling ear-to-ear as they experienced carnivals rides as a family. “Are you scared?” one asked of his son while waiting in line. “Yes!” he exclaimed. They felt jitters, but they experienced joyful moments. It was fun to watch.

Festival Tip: For $25, you can purchase a wristband that lets you ride as many rides as you want during the carnival. While a button is required for entry to Greater Andover Days, the wristband provides hours of entertainment Friday-Saturday.

While the fishing clinic at Lake George and hot dog eating contest took place, I returned to the carnival to buy concessions food and check out the games. I asked the concessions stand worker, “Which should I buy…cotton candy or a snowcone?” Once I saw the massive bag of spun sugar, I opted for a cherry snowcone, a yummy choice.

The sound of arcade games and a ringing of the winner’s bell rang out only steps from the concessions stand. A lifelong fan of Skeeball, I had to check it out. With every toss, kids and their parents worked hard to win oversized stuffed animals.

More activity was bustling at the Business Expo/Craft Fair where artisans sold unique gifts and local store owners talked with festival-goers. In a nearby tent, kids excitedly picked out the design they wanted to have painted on their faces while parents introduced themselves to one another. Entrepreneurs talked business and chatted about local happenings.

Nearby, small groups of kids ran to the nearby bouncy houses, a highlight of Saturday’s KidFest. Children couldn’t kick off their shoes fast enough. Piles of sneakers sat outside the entrance of an inflatable castle as kids jumped and giggled inside. Long lines formed to climb the towering stairs to slide down slides where parents waiting poised with cameras.

The Greater Andover Days committee worked hard this year to continue some of the traditional events while adding new ones to the lineup. Another highlight of the day was watching the Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center perform “School House Rock” on the City Hall Plaza. The young performers delivered a showstopping performance that entertained while educating kids. Afterward, kids jumped up to burn off energy at three family-friendly stations nearby: hay maze, water balloons, and pedal cars.I took a break from the activity to grab lunch at the food court where there were many choices for street food fare. I walked by a barbecue food truck and a grilled hamburger station but ultimately decided to order a “tacone” from The Twisted Kitchen food truck. It’s a taco in a fried flour cone stuffed with beer or chicken, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes topped with salsa. If you’ve never tried one, I’d recommend it. Based in El Dorado, you can find their food truck at Wichita area events next spring through fall.

I knew just the place to sit down and enjoy my meal. The beer garden. Set up on Central Park Lodge’s patio within viewing distance of the concert stage, it was the ideal setting to people watch and listen to the band’s perform soundcheck. Speaking of bands, Greater Andover Days is known for hosting two bands on the Saturday night of the festival at Capitol Federal Amphitheater. On this night, Texas Hill and Chronic Audio entertained the crowd seated in foldable chairs on the lawn.The excitement of the day was topped off by a spectacular firework show that lit up the night sky over Andover Central Park. Onlookers craned their necks to admire the colorful splendor. If you’ve never experienced Greater Andover Days, I’d recommend buying a button for each member of your family and taking advantage of the extended weekend of entertainment. A short drive from Wichita, it delivers a good time.

50 Ways to Break Up the Monotony of Your Life: A List of New Experiences to Try

August 13, 2017 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

Recently I lost a close family member to cancer and during that time of grieving, I was reminded how fleeting life can be and that I wanted to seize every moment moving forward. I vowed to try something new, to push myself to show up to life every day.

My life had become a routine of commuting to work, sitting in a cubicle, and then coming home and repeating the same evening activities almost daily. Do your work days all seem to be a blur and before you know it you’re waking up on Saturday uninspired? I can relate.

So, I promised myself that I would begin to incorporate new experiences into my day to break up the monotony, force my brain to fire off new circuits to positively impact my life and my health. Some days I wake up and already know what new experience I will have on that particular day and other days I refer to a bucket list of sorts saved in my phone notes. Either way, I’m having a blast learning about myself, firing up my brain, and sharing these experiences with others. I’m feeling rejuvenated and I’m showing up for life, a more delightful one.

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.” – Henry David Thoreau

We only get one life and I plan to live mine to the fullest. The following list is made up of activities I recently experienced or that I hope to try soon. Not all of these experiences require much money or a lot of time required. Perhaps you would like to stretch the boundaries of your comfort zone and try one or all of them too?

Go to brunch with your parent at a restaurant you’ve never tried.
Drive a different route to work.
Call up a family member you haven’t spoken to in years (or that you only text on occasion) and ask them about their day.
Reach out to a co-worker or friend who works nearby and asked them to meet you for lunch.
Volunteer on a committee, for your church or kid’s school or for a neighborhood association.
Say yes when a friend invites you to travel to the lake, go camping, or site-seeing outside of town. Better yet, ask them to go with you.
Eat local. Sip on a coffee at a local cafe or try the seasonal beer at a brewery.
Style your hair differently than you did yesterday.
Change up your fragrance. Wear new perfume or cologne.
Pull your bicycle out of the garage and take it for a spin around the neighborhood after dinner one evening.
Visit the library, walk over to a category of books that interest you and close your eyes. Run your hand across the shelf of books until you decide to stop. Remove whatever book your hand landed on and check it out to read it.
Introduce yourself to a stranger and make small talk.
Tour a neighborhood in your city that you never explore.
Smile and say hello to a stranger on the street. You might find you have something in common with them.
Don’t just sunbathe while at the lake or pool. Run and jump in the deep end with careless abandon. “Cannonball!”
Desk yoga.
Paint and sip wine at an art studio.
Visit a festival and eat at a food truck. Ever try bbq nachos? Curry chicken?
Eat your lunch away from your workplace at a park.
Try an adult coloring book.
Learn new skills by taking a webinar.
Grab some friends and sign everyone up to try an escape room challenge.
Experience a local seasonal activity like riding in a horse-drawn sled at Christmas, making s’mores with the Girl Scouts on National S’mores Day or grab a map and navigate a corn maze at a pumpkin patch.
Wear colored socks to work.
Pick up a new hobby that doesn’t involve using technology.
Create a date jar with ideas for date night fun. Draw a new idea from the jar this weekend.
Buy yourself flowers.
Travel anywhere you’ve never been before.
Throw a party that coincides with a random food holiday.
Follow a recipe for food you normally buy. No churn vanilla ice cream anyone?
Visit a tourist attraction or museum in your own city.
Pick fruit in an orchard.
Point the car west and just drive.
Stop and talk to your neighbors when you see them outside.
Always go to the movie theater? Try a dramatic play production instead at a local theater.
Lasertag. Paintball. Water balloon fights.
Grow vegetables or purchase them from a local farmer instead of buying them from a store.
Walk into a toy store and buy a toy to assemble yourself like a puzzle or box of Legos.
Try a different way of exercising or use a different exercise machine at the gym.
Watch wildlife anywhere but in your own neighborhood.
Take a new car for a test drive.
Walk your friend or neighbor’s dog.
Host a potluck or food contest amongst friends at your home. Who can make the tastiest beef jerky, mac-n-cheese, or pizza?
Let a local artist or friend sketch your portrait.
Get a henna tattoo.
Celebrate your city or town’s birthday. Take in the sites and buy cupcakes to celebrate.
Try a Pinterest DIY project.
Listen to a different radio station all day long.
Take a tour of the city from the air.
Do anything counter to your normal routine and when a friend of family member makes a suggestion to do something you’re about to reject, say “yes!”

Have an idea of something I should try? Challenge me by leaving your idea in the comments section below!

35 Free Summer Activities for Adults

June 15, 2016 by Vanessa Leave a Comment

If summers “off” as a high school teacher taught me anything, it was that I was always on the hunt for free (or nearly free) summer activities. I certainly couldn’t afford to go out every weekend for a wine night or to a summer concert series on my salary alone. So, I created a fun list of 35 Free Summer Activities. Scroll down to choose an activity!

Visit the local art museum. Most offer a no-cost day on the weekend, but it is common courtesy to donate a dollar or two when you enter.
Ask a friend if you can swim in their neighborhood’s community pool.
Walk the air-conditioned mall and head to a department store’s make-up counter to try on a shade of summer lipstick.
Check out the latest magazines or books from the local library. They often have summer reading group discussions planned. Ask for their calendar of events.
Sample tasty local fare at the area’s farmers market. Many farmers offer samples of honey, sausage, and artisan cheeses.
Host a summer-themed movie night for friends with fresh-popped popcorn. (See our popcorn seasonings recipes). Encourage each attendee to bring their favorite candy to share.
Volunteer to be on the building site crew for Habitat for Humanity.
Tour a flea market, mall, or city-sponsored event. Enjoy the people watching.
Plan a seriously competitive game night at home. How long has it been since you broke out the ol’ Scrabble board?
Mark down your not-so-new belongings and host a one-day garage sale. If it isn’t sold, it goes to Goodwill.
Stop by an area winery for free samples. Check their calendar for the release of their newest blend.
Go on a model home tour.
Test drive a convertible.
Go fishing at the state park or your neighborhood’s pond.
Invite your musician friends over for a jam session on the deck in front of the chiminea.
Seek out your area’s nature center. Walk hand-in-hand with your honey or take the dog for a brisk walk.
Check your park board’s event calendar. Yoga in the park at sunrise anyone?
Brush up on your Shakespeare while enjoying a dramatic local theater production at the city park.
Put the chairs in the middle of the yard and stargaze with ooey-gooey smores.
Go geocaching. Don’t forget to bring your own trinket, pen, and paper to leave in the capsule once you find it.
String up a hammock or lay back in the gravity chair and read a hot romance novel checked out from the library.
Kick off your flip flops and dance with your special someone on the deck by the light of the moon.
Go on a photo shoot outdoors capturing beautiful landscape, nature images.
Take the dog to the area dog park and meet other fur baby parents.
Take up frisbee golf.
Turn on the sprinkler system and have a backyard water party.
Make a competition out of catching fireflies in a jar with a friend.
Host a BYOB party or assign each guest a food item to bring.
Play quarter pool (or going during a open to the public free time) at billiard hall.
Have a watermelon seed spitting contest from the deck.
Lay on a beach blanket at the park and let your thoughts wander while you declare cloud shapes.
Wash your car in your swimsuit. Take breaks to drink lemonade. Let’s face it. Detailing your car is hard work.
Make alcohol-infused fruit popsicles.
Go to a local airport’s airshow or tour their aviation museum.
Actually talk to your neighbors when out for a walk. They secretly want to break the ice with you too.