EVENTS

THURSDAY MARCH 14, 2024 | 6:30PM

Chili Potluck Dinner and Kitchen Fundraiser. Chili Potluck Dinner and Kitchen Fundraiser. Donations will be accepted to go toward our Kitchen Fund that purchases cups, plates, coffee, and other supplies for our events. After dinner, MCHS Board Member Terry Love will give a talk on the Kansas City Union Station and ask guests to briefly talk about their favorite train trip memories.

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2024 | 11AM - 1PM

Annual Presidents’ Day Soup Luncheon fundraiser. Enjoy a selection of homemade soups, bread, and desserts, along with hammered dulcimer music performed by Don Gillett.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “Brown v. Board of Education, the National Park Service, and Designations,” presented by Nicholas Murray. Park Ranger Nicholas Murray will tell the story of Brown v. Board of Education Museum. He will also explain the difference between a National Park and a National Landmark and show how Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park has gone through multiple designations.

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2024 | 8AM - 11AM

Breakfast and Bake Sale Fundraiser: Pancakes or biscuits with gravy along with a wide variety of homemade baked goods.

FRIDAY APRIL 19, 2024 | 2PM - 7PM

SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2024 | 9AM - 3PM

Annual Plant and Mulch Sale Fundraiser: MCHS will again be selling double-ground natural mulch and a variety of nursery-quality plants as a fundraiser.

THURSDAY APRIL 11, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “Ruralpreneurs: Tumbleweeds and Talents in Kansas Communities,” presented by Ron Wilson. Sponsored by Humanities Kansas. Ruralpreneurs are innovative entrepreneurs who built successful enterprises in small town Kansas. This presentation highlights real-world examples of Kansas entrepreneurs who have built businesses and created jobs and opportunities in a rural setting. Additionally, this presentation honors the emerging role of diversity, technology, and telecommunications that have brought profound changes in society. Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. He has served as a legislative assistant; a staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and as vice president of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives. He produces a weekly radio program and news column about rural Kansas called Kansas Profile. “Ruralpreneurs: Tumbleweeds and Talents in Kansas Communities” is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

SATURDAY JUNE 8, 2024 | TBA

Fieldtrip to Leavenworth. We will carpool from the Station to the Richard Allen Cultural Center in Leavenworth, Kansas. The museum tells the history of local Black residents including the Buffalo Soldiers and the Underground Railroad. Entrance to the museum is $5. Lunch will be at The Depot restaurant in Leavenworth. Sign up at the May general meeting, by phone, or email.

THURSDAY MAY 9, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “The Wyandot and Shawnee Nations’ History around the Time of Bleeding Kansas, the Underground Railroad, and Relocation to Oklahoma,” presented by Holly Zane and Kristen Zane. This presentation will cover the history of the Wyandot and Shawnee Tribes during the time they were both in the northeast Kansas area and the role they played during the Bleeding Kansas era. Holly Zane and Kristen Zane are sisters and citizens of the Wyandot Nation of Kansas. Holly is the Associate Director Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA); Kristen is a Trustee of FFNHA.

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 12, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “Music of the Model A Era and A Display of Model A Cars,” presented by Sherry Winkinhofer. This presentation is about life during the Model A car era. Sherry Winkinhofer will be sharing clips of the music of the era as well as displaying clothing from that period. Also, the Plain Ol’ Mode A Car Club of Kansas City will display some of their cars in the parking lot. There will be time before and after the meeting to look over the cars. Sherry Winkinhofer became interested in Model A cars and Model A-era fashions when she began restoring a 1929 Ford Fordor with her husband in 2007. In addition to serving as editor for several Model A newsletters, Sherry has held roles with the Model A Ford Club of America and has given presentations on Model As and related topics across the Midwest.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 10, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “Tricksters and Wise Women: How Stories Travel the World,” presented by Priscilla Howe. Sponsored by Humanities Kansas. Folktales reveal what we value, what makes us laugh, what makes us cry, and what we hope to be.” There are many versions of the classic Cinderella fairy tale, each representing the culture and place of the people who tell them. This talk will uncover the differences between myth, legend, tall tale, and folktale, and explore differences between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. Priscilla Howe is a professional storyteller, author, and a 2015 Fulbright Senior Scholar. A former children’s librarian, Howe moved to Lawrence in 1993 and became a global storyteller who has shared stories on 4 different continents. “Tricksters and Wise Women: How Stories Travel the World” is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.

THURSDAY NOVEMBER 14, 2024 | 7PM

General Meeting: “Holocaust Stories of Resistance and Resilience,” presented by Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg. Sponsored by Humanities Kansas. Meet two courageous men who fought to survive the horrors of the Holocaust and build new lives of hope in Kansas. Teenagers Lou Frydman, a Holocaust survivor, and Jarek Piekalkiewicz, a Polish resistance fighter, both defied daunting odds and lost everyone and everything dear to them. Despite their personal tragedies, each summoned bravery to build a new life in Kansas. How does one make a life in a new land? Their stories, shared through the broad history of the Holocaust, World War II, and the rise of Polish resistance, demonstrate their valor and hope in finding new meaning to life. Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg is an author, poet, and was the Poet Laureate of Kansas from 2009- 2013. “Holocaust Stories of Resistance and Resilience” is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau and “21st Century Civics,” a collection of resources that invite Kansans to participate in community discussions and learn more about the history of American democracy and the shared responsibilities of citizenship. “21st Century Civics” is made possible with support from “A More Perfect Union: America at 250,” an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2024 | 8AM - 11AM

Breakfast and Bake Sale Fundraiser: Pancakes or biscuits with gravy along with a wide variety of homemade baked goods.

THURSDAY DECEMBER 12, 2024 | 6:30PM

Annual Business Meeting: Election of officers and adoption of budget for 2025, holiday pot- luck dinner and optional ornament exchange.