Paige and I are long time Blarney Heros

On most any day of the year, Topeka is filled with a rich  diversity of people of different heritages.   March 17 is one exception. On St. Patrick’s Day, everyone is Irish.

Many begin their day at Blarney Breakfast.   A longstanding tradition, Blarney Breakfast is the annual fundraiser for the Capper Foundation Easter Seals.

For more information or to buy tickets, go to: http://capper.easterseals.com

Please help Paige lead the White Team to victory by clicking ‘White Team’ when ordering tickets on-line.

Every year hundreds of Northeast Kansas third-graders come to the beautiful Topeka Performing Arts Center to attend The Sheffel Theater Clinic.   The Sheffel Clinic was founded in 1995  with the help of local theater philanthropist Irv Sheffel.

During six, 30-minute workshops students get to experience all aspects of theater, both back stage and on stage.

Volunteers lead the groups on a tour of the facility and to each class where area actors and theater techs give the kids hands on experience with make-up, costumes, acting, movement, lighting and sound.

To cap off the day, they are treated to a performance demonstrating how all those elements come together to create the magic of theater and allowing them to show what they have learned about being good audience members .

Sheffel Clinic VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Women Empowerment, Inc has a speaker scheduled for their January 24 AWE business meeting, Ms. Joe Cheray.   Ms. Cheray will speak on the topic:  Social Media: Connecting the Dots.  Don’t think social media is just Facebook and Twitter, Joe will help us tie everything together that we have heard lately on these subjects. 

Joe Cheray is President and CEO of Wildheart Social Media a company she formed in 2011.

Her areas of expertise include but are not limited to blogging, Twitter, Facebook, finding networking opportunities, and looking for other marketing opportunities that are sometimes off the beaten path.

She actively engages in Twitter chat’s, Facebook groups that meets the mission of her company.

She is a 3 year veteran of the 30 Day Challenge, a graduate of the Blog Mastermind Program, had a 6 month guest blog stint on an Australian digital scrapbook blog called Scraps of Mind, has ran 3 blogs getting them to go viral within a matter of months.

Joe has spoken at two #140conf- conferences which are focused on the state of NOW on the internet. Wildheart Social Media was a media sponsor for Podcamp Topeka as well as Tick Tick Boom a production held at the Break Room Topeka. She has also spoken to young women from the Save Yourself Program. Ms Cheray is the advertising and promotions chair for Friends of Tinkham Veale here in Topeka.

The business meeting begins at 12 noon sharp, so if you plan to eat lunch before or during our meeting, please arrive in time to purchase your lunch from the Millennium Café. First floor of the library.  It is perfectly ok to bring your lunch to the meeting room and eat during the meeting.  The only thing we can bring into the library is bottled water.

Don’t forget to bring your business cards to put on the meeting table so other members can pick up what they want, and we are not tossing cards all around the table, or walking around the room handing them to everyone. 

Invite a guest to attend the meeting.  If you have any questions, call Lyla Ralston Accardi – President AWE at 235.9144

Carol and Terry Ronnebaum will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to announce their project for LetsDesignAHouse.com. This past week our local community was able to begin following along with the on-going construction of a new home built in Topeka’s very own Lauren’s Bay Subdivision. Terry Ronnebaum Construction, Inc. recently broke ground on this exciting project. Throughout the construction process the public will have the opportunity to virtually monitor and view the building progress online. Currently the public is voting on exterior paint and exterior stone siding.

Carol created a blog, LetsDesignAHouse.com, to inform followers of the step-by-step process of construction during which choices of décor and products may be voted on by the public. At the end of the voting period the selection will be revealed and incorporated into the home. VOTE NOW FOR THE PAINT AND STONEWORK TO BE USED ON THIS HOME!

Elements for Voter Participation:

• Exterior paint and stone
• Cabinets, Granite tops and Hardware
• Flooring – Hardwood, Carpet, Tile Design
• Bath Design – Shower Tile design, Vanities designs and faucets
• Door handles, Lighting and Window Treatments
• Interior Paint Colors

This home, located at 4428 SW Shenandoah, is expected for completion Mid-Spring. Carol, a licensed REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Griffith and Blair American Home and co-owner of Terry Ronnebaum Construction, Inc. stated, “The Let’s Design A House program is intended to increase interest while educating the public in new home construction in our community, show home buyers the many benefits of a new home and encourage community and small business involvement.” Ronnebaums have co-sponsored this project with more than 20 contractors and local area businesses. Some of these co-sponsors and vendors with show rooms will have on display the pre-selected voting options that its business is providing for the construction of the home.

Terry Ronnebaum Construction, Inc. has designed and built 100’s of homes in Topeka, Shawnee County and surrounding areas over the past 30 years. Carol noted, “We feel that this is a great opportunity to not only provide Topeka with another new home but to also help to promote the building industry in our local area. “

Great Plains Balloon Club members Cyndi Menzel and Lori Hutchinson present a $7,500 donation to Martha Hagedorn-Krass and Jenny Taylor of Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House.

The Great Plains Balloon Club presented the local Ronald McDonald House with $7,500 raised during September’s Huff ‘n Puff Hot Air Balloon Rally.

“The Great Plains Balloon Club believes in the work being done by Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House – it’s what helps make Topeka a wonderful community,” said GPBC President Lori Hutchinson. “We in the GPBC consider ourselves a family and we are very proud to be able to help the families of the Ronald McDonald House with this monetary gift.”

Topeka’s Ronald McDonald House provides a ‘home-away-from-home’ for out-of-town families of children and young adults receiving medical care in Topeka. GPBC’s Huff ‘n Puff has raised over $50,000 for the charity.

Huff ‘n Puff is held the weekend after Labor Day at Lake Shawnee. This year nearly 20,000 people came to see 32 hot balloons. During the evenings of the two-day rally, local and area pilots provide tether rides to the public.  The club also donated food and drink after the rally.

“Much of the $7,500 donated comes from the generosity of those pilots and their crew who tethered their Hot Air Balloons, as well as all of the generous Topeka area residents who made a donation to get a ‘ride’ during Saturday night’s events,” she said.

Major sponsors for this year’s Huff ‘n Puff include Shawnee County Parks and Recreation, Cox Communications, Capitol Federal, Topeka Capital Journal/CJOnline, 13 WIBW TV, AM 580 WIBW/ 94.5 Country, Tropical Waterscapes, Flying High Balloon Services/JRS Designs, Propane Central, Holiday Inn and the Tantillo Family Foundation.

Also sponsoring were Kansas NEA, Logan Business Machines, RE/MAX, DeBacker’s Heating & Air, NeKan Mac Advertising Co-Op, Puffy’s Steak & Ice House, Walt’s Auto Service Plus, Dillions Food Stores, Carpet Plus, Murphy & Fruend Attorneys-At-Law, Top City Liquor, Capitol City Chiropractic, Baskin Robbins, Hearing Doctors of Topeka, T&M Financial, Hyatt Place, Pizagel’s and Hy-Vee, Custom Tree Care.

Here we are, December is already here!  Time for the Topeka First Friday Art Walk and here is the schedule for the downtown events.

Thanks to Downtown Topeka, Inc. for sharing the information with us.

World AIDS Day, observed December 1 each year, is  dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV. Young people in  the United States are at persistent risk for HIV infection. Since the beginning of the epidemic, an  estimated 40,059 young people in the United States had received a diagnosis of AIDS, and an  estimated 10,129 young people with AIDS had died. That is why; Save Your Self will be hosting two  informational sites for the Annual Awareness Day.

Save Your Self is a teen pregnancy and HIV/AIDS prevention program offered through Women  Empowerment, Inc. This prevention program inspires, educates and empowers young girls ages 12-18.  Teens gain the confidence to make respectful, empowering decisions regarding their bodies. This  event is co-sponsored by the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library and Highland Park High  School. Save Your Self will be on site at Highland Park High School (in front of the Library) 2424 SE  California Ave Topeka, KS 66605 from 3-4pm. Save Your Self will be on site at by the Topeka &  Shawnee County Public Library (Leamon Circulation Lobby) 1515 SW 10th Ave Topeka, KS 66604 from 5-6pm.

Women Empowerment, Inc. has been developed to empower young and teen girls by means of camaraderie, support, and  growth that strengthen positive individuality while creating social change. WE seeks to provide a haven  for women to expose themselves to new interests and encourage other women while enlightening one  another.

It’s October already and it is time for Topeka’s First Friday art walk.  The weather is beautiful for a night out on the town to visit some of our great local art venues.  Below are the downtown venues for this Friday’s art walk.  Thanks to Downtown Topeka Inc. for providing this information!

For more than 20 years, the observance of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month each October has provided a time to reflect on loved ones who have won and lost the battle against breast cancer.

I recently learned about an online Cancer support network called “I Had Cancer” (ihadcancer.com).

I Had Cancer (ihadcancer.com) is a new, international, social support network for anyone touched by cancer - supporters, fighters and survivors.

What makes I Had Cancer unique is the simplicity of the site layout and the ease of connecting with others. You can search the user community by age, gender, type of cancer, type of user, year of diagnosis and location.  We encourage you to check the site out for yourself to get a better grasp of how it works.

We have all been touched by Cancer by either being affected ourselves or have a loved one who has been.  The Topeka area currently has no one registered on the site as a current fighter or survivor, but I suggest if you fit one of these categories, you should add yourself to the network so you can communicate and be a support system for other Topeka Cancer fighters!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFYTZaVGZLc

Cathy Ramirez grew up approximately one mile from and attended Rochester Grade School in Topeka, KS. “One of the most important lessons learned before ABC’s and 123’s was to watch out for the “Ghostly Albino” while walking to and from school,” she recalls. “That is probably what initiated my curiosity into the paranormal without me even knowing it! My favorite holiday has always been Halloween and ghost stories were my favorite books to read.”

With adulthood came the usual responsibilities of work, family, and home but about six years ago something else took over in Cathy’s life. She had a realization that lead her on what would turn out to be a very successful path and Ghost Tours of Kansas, LLC was born.

Cathy knew that other cities, such as Atchison, KS, had ghost tours so she figured why not have a ghost tour in Topeka. She already knew that there was at least one story of interest to the area people. She knew about the “Albino Lady” which by the way, was an actual living person that resided in North Topeka and after her death was reported to had been seen by numerous area residents. They reported seeing a “ghostly woman in white with stark white skin and blazing pink eyes.“ Having been written about in several books over the years Cathy was sure that the “Albino Lady” would be a top favorite for a Topeka tour.

Over the years the tours have lead visitors to the State Capitol Building, Overland Station, Rochester Cemetery, North Kansas Avenue Bars, the Moose Lodge, and have now expanded to visiting haunted locations in Holton, Lawrence, Manhattan, Atchison, Leavenworth, St. Joseph, Missouri an soon there will be a Wichita tour as well.

Cathy wants to be able to answer all the questions that may be asked so when doing the research on a particular building she makes it a point to look up all the facts and not leave out the juicy details that everyone wants to know. For example, “Why would there be ghosts in the building? Were there fires, suicides, murders, love triangles, was it a
brothel, mortuary, was there some other significant event that occurred there?” These are some of the details that make the tours exciting as well as educational.

She also has had some interesting experiences and some strange things happen during her investigations, “First City Photo in Leavenworth, I heard my first
disembodied voice. Curtis Cemetery in Topeka was the first time I was physically touched by something.”  “My favorite personal experience, is that which occurred at Marion Lane Candles during an investigation. My niece and I were sitting in the dark in the basement. I had both hands full with equipment and felt like a cobweb was on me. Trying to brush it off while holding items in my hands wasn’t working so I asked my niece to turn on the flashlight thinking I now had a spider on me. Having turned on the flashlight and pointing it at me, we both saw a red Christmas ribbon lying across my wrist. After trying to debunk we came to the conclusion, a ghost put it there. After presenting the story to the owner, she had remembered and incident that happened to an employee the first week of opening in her new location. An employee saw a ghostly girl standing in the main room and the girl had a thin red Christmas ribbon in her hair.” Cathy shared enthusiastically.

Ghost Tours of Kansas, LLC does not consist of ghost tours alone, new and exciting events are being added consistently. For example, the most recent addition is the
“Psychic Fun and Feast.” A scrumptious dinner is held at a haunted restaurant and customers enjoy food and conversation with a real psychic and then after ghost stories of
the location and history, the psychic gives each customer a personalized reading.  A few upcoming event to look forward to include, Paranormal Slumber Parties, Ghost Tours for TWEENS, Public Paranormal investigations, to name just a few.

Currently Ghost Tours of Kansas, LLC has eleven professional tour guides, two paranormal investigative teams, two renowned psychics, and two talented event planners.
“So far there seems to be a never ending supply of ghosts to keep the business propelling forward!” exclaimed Cathy.

Find out more about Ghost Tours of Kansas by visiting their website!