The Kansas State Fair is like a whole world unto itself. Just forty minutes west of Wichita the fair is close to the best little city in Kansas.

One can easily get lost in time and space while wandering around the 280 acres of buildings, rides, fairways and commercial vendors. There is so much to see and so much to do it all can't possibly be done in a single outing.

Get there first thing in the morning on the first weekend. That's the best time to see all the many different animals before or shortly after they are judged. There are cows of many different varieties. More than one breed of goat (my personal favorite among the mammals), sheep, and many beautiful horses. Even llamas, or alpaca as the ones at the fair are, make an appearance.

After the buildings that are a temporary home to these mammals the birds have some real estate of their own. Inside the rabbit and bird complex you can find chickens of many different and quite interesting varieties. There are also ducks, geese and pigeons of lots of different sizes and shapes. You never knew there were so many different kinds of rabbits.

The fairway is something that Kansas can be proud of. Full of rides for all ages and tolerances. Tall scary ones, super fast spinning ones and slow easy rides for those more tame souls. There's Loads of games to win prizes at, cotton candy to eat, a fun house and much, much more.

If Competition is your game you'll find plenty of that at The Kansas State Fair.

A building dedicated to the domestic arts is full of beautiful hand made quilts of every size, baked goods and knitting, all judged for ribbons. There's even cooking demonstrations.

There's the livestock competitions. The beasts are all groomed and pampered to look their best then paraded around in front of the judges and public to be admired. Who has the best looking cow, sheep, goat or even chicken. Whatever it may be. Some really beautiful animals are to seen here.

4-H is a big part of the Kansas State Fair. Young people learning about ranching, farming and life. A really great program. Boy scouts and girl scouts make their presence known also.

Kansas is a big agricultural state so there's plenty of vegetables and such to be judged. Can't forget about wheat in Kansas. You can learn all about wheat at the fair. Where it comes from, how it's harvested and what it's used for. Yep, wheat is a pretty big deal in Kansas. Not just wheat either, lot's of different crops are on display here and there's lots to learn about them.

When your hungry it's not hard to find a good place to eat something. Food vendors of all kinds are strategically placed about the fairgrounds to ensure no one goes hungry while enjoying the fun.

One thing you won't want to forget when you come to the Fair is a good pair of walking shoes. There is so much to do and see you'll be on your feet all day racing from one cool thing to another. While there are plenty of places to sit in the shade and rest, you'll want to be sure not to miss any of the fun!

The Kansas State Fair is just one more great thing about Wichita Kansas.

You know ya wanna live here!!

Lisel and I spent last Saturday at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita Kansas. The Zoo here is quite possibly the coolest piece of real estate in Wichita. We love the Zoo. Opening in 1971, it's among the 20 largest Zoos in the country.

Out Zoo is nationally renowned and ranks among the best by visitors and visiting officials alike. This place is home to something like over 2000 different animals in large (for the most part) naturalistic exhibits. So much to do and see a full day could easily be spent at this Zoo. The admission fee is a great value for all the entertainment you get.

As you enter the Zoo right after the Cargill Learning Center you will happen upon a flock of brightly colored Pink Flamingos. One of which is no longer here but remains quite famous as it flew the coop and is spotted in different places around the country.

The Zoo has everything from a domestic animal petting area with animals and themes from around the world to exotic animals to places to dine and rest from all the walking you do.

It seems almost every year there are new and grand things being done at the Sedgwick County Zoo This year is the year of the tiger. A brand new and spectacular tiger exhibit opened up.

Some of the newer and really cool places include the Downing Gorilla forest, the just recently opened and one of my favorites, The Penguin Cove and a habitat for the king of the jungle. The last exhibit you'll see on the way out is the Koch Orangutan and Chimpanzee Habitat housing, you guessed it, Orangutans and Chimpanzees.

The Zoo itself is divided into sections from around the world. Just about all the continents are represented by the animals that inhabit them. There's North America with Grizzly bears, otters and wolves. A South American jungle , Australia and it's kangaroos and Asian animals. Africa is the biggest with the most large mammals. There are hippos, elephants, giraffes, rhinos and loads of others are to seen.

Birds, rodents and other small mammals are abundant throughout the different exhibits. Lots of colorful parrots and little creatures scurrying about interact directly with visitors as you wander through their natural habitat. A good job has been done placing the animals in natural and roomy surroundings.

Other than all the great animals to be seen and learned from, the Zoo offers different programs too. Zoobilee is a concert and the biggest fund raising event of the year. It's also famous around these parts as the place to be and be seen. At Zoobilee there is lots of food and adult beverages to be had.

Around Halloween every year there is The Night Of The Living Zoo. A night to celebrate Halloween in grand fashion. There are events around all the holidays, a creature feature night where a full length movie is shown in the Cargill Learning Center and many other special events throughout the year.

This Zoo is really something you should see. If your ever in town or even close by it's worth the trip. Our world class Sedgwick County Zoo is just one more of the many attributes for Wichita Kansas to be proud of.

You know ya wanna live here!!

Final Friday for Wichita Kansas sounds like the title of a disaster  or apocalyptic movie. It's no such thing here in Wichita and several  other cities across the country like Cincinnati, Dallas and Nelsonville, Ohio to name a few.  It is in fact a celebration of arts and culture. An art gallery crawl where crowds of people stroll around downtown to the many different art and photography galleries.       

 Some of the galleries include the Mead Street Gallery, Gallery XII, Bruce Ward Photos, Mosaic gallery, and many others. The City Arts building in the Warren Theater Plaza has 3 floors of artists exhibiting there finest work.

Often there are fun activities for the public to participate in at City arts. Last Friday they had their Apple macs out and were letting people play with software imaging. The fun was making pictures of yourself in different and unusal ways. You could then email them to yourself and have them to keep. City Arts also offers  lots of different classes throughout the year.

Final Friday isn't just all about art. The many bars and restaurants downtown have live music, good food and other activities going on. There are coffee shops, like the espresso house that have live shows. This week there was a talented band playing Irish music at the back of the shop.

There's the Qline, a trolley, for riding around in if you don't like to walk and  a horse drawn carriage is also available for those out for a little romance.

In the plaza a drum circle meets every Final Friday and people are welcome to sit in and beat a little rhythm for awhilewith the drum masters. Across from the drum circle the fountains in the plaza provide a nice distraction for the kids who can be heard from blocks away "whoopin' it up" and laughing. A nice break for the parents to sit and enjoy.

Some of the popular shops are open late for those like to browse and buy.

There's ice cream to be had, activities for the kids and adults alike and lots of people. Chances are you'll run into some of your friends and on occasion old friends not seen in a long time.

Final Fridays in Wichita are well worth the trip down town once a month to get out and shake it up a little.

Last weekend Lisel and I attended our first "Tweet up" with our Twitter friends at the Kechi Playhouse in, you guessed it, Kechi Kansas.

Kechi is basically a suburb of Wichita just minutes away from the city limits. Look at the red ball on the map. The town is a quaint little touristy place with antique shops, restaurants and craft stores built directly into some of the older homes. Real estate for sale is hard to come by.

It happens it was also the first time we had ever attended one of these little community theaters. I have to say it was a lot of fun!

The theater is a converted old Methodist church. The building itself was constructed in 1920 and  Misty Maynard, a local theater talent, made it into the Kechi Playhouse in 1983 and has been putting on fine productions ever since. The church was a small one with about 14 pews sitting 7 to 8 persons apiece and the  originals are still used today. Cozy is the best way to describe the atmosphere. There's also a small balcony.

Playing Saturday night, 8/22/2009 , was "Tons Of Money".  A comedy involving a scam to fake a death in the family in order to gain an inheritance. The plan goes awry from the beginning and the hapless couple end up having to fake two deaths and a live relative. When the real relative shows up it casts doubt on the whole plot from the lawyer in charge of distributing the money. It's very funny and had us laughing all night.

The show lasted about two hours and cost us a measly $10 each. Well worth it for the huge amount entertainment we got.

There's two more shows being put on before the season ends October 25. From September 3rd thru September 27, 2009 you can catch "Be My Baby".

The final production from October 1st thru October 25, 2009 is a brand new comedy, "You Take the Cake" that promises to make you laugh and feel good. As Misty herself puts it, "a fun, new play to finish out our 27th year of business".

You still have time to catch the fun at the Kechi Playhouse this year. Reservations are recommended. Maybe we'll see you there. We aren't going to miss the last two shows!

If you like and care about animals like I do, then you'll appreciate our new Humane society and animal shelter combination here in Wichita Kansas. The new state of the art building is modern, attractive and inviting, unlike the old animal shelter that was downright scary with it's twin smokestacks spewing what we hate to think about ominously into the sky. 

The two are now combined in the same area to better care for lost and homeless pets. Best described as large, Clean and very accommodating with central heat and air. The animals are kept very comfortable indeed as they await their owners to claim them or to be adopted into a new home.

The animals themselves have it much better. The cats and kittens reside in what are affectionately referred to as "Kitty Condos". Roomy "homes" with lots of stuff to climb on and play with.

The dogs have large show rooms where potential owners can browse and interact with mans best friend. Their is always an experienced attendant on hand in case needed. It is even recommended to bring in any pets you already have to see if they'll get along with their new Friends

If you've ever been to an animal shelter before you will immediately recognize all the care and love that went into building this one. Truly one of a kind.

While the critters on the animal shelter side don't have it quite as good, the area is kept clean and they are well fed and cared for. Many of these animals are claimed and taken home where they belong. A lot of the rest that aren't claimed are slated for transfer over to the humane society for adoption.

Unfortunately, mostly because of irresponsible people, some have to be killed. The way the professional and caring staff here handles it is much as if you were taking your pet to the vet to be "put to sleep". Kept comfortable and shown affection as a shot is administered puts the animal to sleep painlessly. No one likes this part, but kudos to the staff for their caring attention to a bad problem.

In the back, out of the public eye are the dog runs where most of the animals are kept. Don't worry, not to hide them for any reason, they just need the room.

Up front in the viewing areas it's like a hotel at the Humane society, with glassed in rooms so you can easily see the array of lost animals to choose from, and there are a lot, way to many.

The staff works hard caring for the lost pets, making them comfortable during their stay and getting them out to new homes as quick as they can. A surprisingly amount of these animals are taken home by families, but their are still way to many out on the streets. HUMAN society should take care and be more humane about having your animals spayed and nurtured.

Wichita is only one of a handful of cities in the country that has taken the initiative to build one of these modern facilities and develop programs to better care for homeless pets. The goal is, through education and community involvement, to sometime in the near future not to have to put any animals down.

Officials from the city and the humane society traveled around the country exploring some of the most cutting edge technologies in care and adoption techniques. Ours is modeled after the programs from Wisconsin and San Diego CA.

Wichita's new and greatly improved solution to the abandoned and stray pet problem is another example of how progressive a city Wichita is. Progressive and modern yet still down-home and friendly.

You wanta live here!!

The National Baseball Congress is in town this week for nonstop baseball action all day and all night. NBC world series is played in Wichita every year by competing semi-pro teams around this time much to the delight of area ball fans. Teams come from both coasts and everywhere in between to participate. Thirty six in all.

The stands are full of baseball fans continuously coming and going all week. Some hard core fans even set up tents and bring campers so as not to miss the slightest bit of action. On Saturday night I went with my Mother and Nephew. The last game started at 3am and lasted a couple hours.

Lot's of fathers and sons attend the games together along with Grandfathers and Grandsons all of the boys hoping to catch an errant foul ball. The scantly clad baseball groupies all sitting down in front waiting for a wink or a nod from their favorite player. A bit of a distraction to be sure. Eating ball park hot dogs and drinking sorta cold beer all day and night. A good time to had by all.

The first game, called the National Semi-Pro Baseball Congress Kansas State Tournament, was played way back in 1931 here in Wichita on a piece of real estate in the middle of the Arkansas river.  

That park was shut down several years later and the City built Lawrence Dumont Stadium specifically for the series. Lawrence Dumont is still used today.

None other than the great Satchel Page and his team from Bismark ND played in the first NBC tournament in 1935 to kick things off. It was a great success with fans coming from all around the area to watch. Back then the teams consisted of a lot of ex professional players and young hopefuls. Today it's mostly college kids and amateur athletesIf you like baseball and good times you won't want to miss the series next year. This year is almost over, just one more day, and it looks like two Kansas teams will face off for the big prize!

Wow, the city I live and work in selling real estate was recently voted number one on Newsmax. Wichita holds the number one ranking of the "Top 25 Most uniquely American Cities and Towns." Not sure what that's worth, but what I found interesting, and I agree, was that we were rated  a 9 on culture.

It must be the underground culture. Really, you would never believe it by the things you hear about Wichita. Nothing to do, flat, full of rednecks and then we had that little mini scandal where they tried to ban teaching evolution in the schools.

When you take off the blinders and look around though, it really is a nice place to live. It's quiet. Family values are held in high esteem. I think there may be more churches than liquor stores. (that's an exaggeration, but there are a lot of churches) The people are friendly, the business climate is good, taxes a little high, but we're working on that. The crime rate isn't bad and the hospitality is outstanding.

We have loads of museums to wander thru including a modern world class art museum.

The Sedgewick County Historical Museum is a wonderful old building full of rich Kansas history. One of my favorites is a private museum, The Museum of World Treasures,  owned by a Doctor here in town who has traveled the world collecting artifacts from full dinosaur skeletons to ancient Egyptian relics to military paraphernalia from across time and around the world.

The opera company is well known around the area for it's magnificent performances and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra rivals any in the world. Music theater of Wichita preforms stunning off Broadway shows that can easily compete with the real thing. On top of that the many playhouses and theater groups that dot the community are all fun and extraordinarily entertaining.

There's a living museum, Cowtown, that is an exact replica of a small Kansas town in the  young frontier days of our country. We have an Indian center that celebrates the culture of the first Americans that were here before our forefathers immigrated over.

Exploration Place is a museum of sorts built half in the Arkansas river for kids and adults alike. A really unique building design and a place to learn and play. Recently we had the world renown  "Body: The Exhibit" on display.

Just getting finished up is the brand new arena that the people voted to have built downtown for concerts, games and shows. If that's not enough venue, there's the coliseum right outside of town where there is everything from monster truck rallies to horse and dog shows. The Sedgewick county 4-H club uses the coliseum for all of it's major events too.

Am I forgetting anything? I'm sure I have. We have the Arkansas River that runs through downtown and hosts the River Festival every year, can't forget that.

The town and surrounding area is full of lakes to fish in. If you like to hunt your own meat, the hunting in the area is famous for deer and turkey. Hunters come from around the country to bag their limits every year.

All in all there is more to do here than you can "shake a stick at". The really nice thing is the people. Friendly, down home, laid back and full of "culture".

I like slow days like today in real estate. On days like this, after all my work is finished, and there is really nothing left to do at the Wichita office, it's time to go to school. Time to take advantage of a little down time and learn something.

Learning is a lifelong process. We start as soon as we are born and we don't ever stop. Experience teaches us, as do our mentors, the books we read, the people we listen to and our environment around us. The process of learning, or experiencing, comes natural, but can be pushed too. We can strive to stuff more information in our brain and make ourselves more knowledgeable and better ourselves and our position in life.

Brian Tracy teaches best time management practices or ways to best use or save time. One way to take advantage of time is what he calls Automobile university. Anytime I have to go somewhere in my car I put in an educational CD. It could be something about a particular topic, a motivational seminar or even just something to refresh a skill set I already possess. Now I'm not wasting the time it takes me to get from one place to another but taking full advantage and furthering my career. Sort of like killing  two birds with one stone. Never do that by the way.

If you think your bored, just the very act of gaining knowledge eliminates the possibility of boredom. There are always books to read. To many in fact and not nearly enough time. The Internet puts educational videos and classrooms literally at our fingertips. Have you ever heard someone, a child perhaps, proclaim that “I'm bored, there's nothing to do”. On the contrary there is to much to do. So much you actually have to make conscious decision as to what you want to make time for.

I happen to be in the real estate business so that is what I like to learn about. By visiting the blogs and websites of more experienced real estate professionals on sites like Active Rain there is much to be learned. How to prospect effectively for instance, or how to handle a difficult client. Lately I've increased my search engine optimization skills and knowledge 100% or more just by reading one mans blog. To many lessons to count or list here.

The best way to learn more about the business you are in or to better your circumstance is to ask the successful people that were there before you. Just ask. Rarely have I come across a successful Realtor who wasn't willing to share his or her knowledge and expertise. The best way to get to where you want to go is to learn from those before you. Then perhaps you can improve from there but don't waste time looking for knowledge when it is right in front of you.

So days like today I'll take advantage of the down time and find something to learn. Someway to improve my business or my mind. Read a book, listen to a seminar or pull up a something on the web. Whatever it is, I won't be wasting my time.

      April 3rd, 2005, 3pm at Century Two concert hall at home here in Wichita KS I experienced my first opera. I have been hooked, some say obsessed, ever sense. It just happened that the performance was Puccini's La Boheme, one of the greatest all time Operas ever written, in my humble opinion.

      I went with my Mother in Law at the time who was a big opera and symphony fan. What a show. Act one when Marcello and Rodolfo were burning pages of the book and...well, if you haven't seen it yet, you should.

     Here in Wichita we have a very good opera company. Besides our super talented Resident artists, the  artistic directer, Margaret Ann Penn, also brings in some really great and often times famous outside help.  Names such as Hector Sandoval, Zvetelina Vassileva, Marcello Giordani and even Kansas own Samuel Ramsey. The list doesn't stop there either.  

    The performances over the years have included Carmen, The Magic Flute, Faust, La Traviata and Aida, just to name a few. The sets are professionally done, elaborate and beautiful designs. The costumes nothing short of stunning.

     If you should ever call Wichita Home and are an opera fan, you have chosen the right place to live. If the WGO doesn't have something to your liking, or if you just want more opera, the Lyric in Kansas City, just 3 1/2 hours away also has a really nice program. Tulsa Oklahoma, believe it or not, is famous for thier opera house. Again, just three hours away. There is more great opera around here than the biggest critic, or fan, could ever dream of.

     So, are you an Opera fan, and if so what's your favorite?

You have saved your money, planned, made a list of all you want, and had plans drawn up. The new home you have always dreamed of is now ready to be built. Next task is finding a builder.

Do your research throughly. The best way to find a builder is through referrals. Find other people who have built with them and ask questions. If you already have found a good Realtor, get them to help. It can not be stressed enough the importance of finding a good and reputable builder.

There are good builders and bad ones. The one constant is that they are in it for a profit and are looking out first for their own best interest. Sure they may do quality work, maybe even be honest and ethical, but the fact remains that in their minds they come first.

When times are good every one and his brother wants to be a builder. It's amazing the number of small building companies that pop up. A lot of these are questionable operations and if a downturn in the economy comes along you may just get stuck with a half built home and a lot of wasted money. After the market does some weeding most of the companies left are good ones with a solid financial foundation. Even these reputable companies need to cut costs and find ways to save money and if their working on your house....well.

That leaves you, as the future homeowner pretty much at their mercy. You can read books, watch HG TV and it seems every new homeowner has done some “remodeling”. Nothing can prepare you for the actual construction of your home. You can't be there 24/7 to make sure it's being done right and to your standards. It's not the builder that does the work, but subcontractors. It's not the subcontractors that do the work for the most part, but their employees and those employees don't really care much about you and your dream home. Mostly they care about quitting time and the weekend.

Having spent nearly 20 years in the construction business, 10 of that in management, I saw a lot of what goes on. We were the people that watched over your house as it was being built and while we genuinely cared for the interest of our clients, the builders interests is always number one. Loyalty to the company and whatever policies it may have is key to collecting your paycheck.

That is why it is essential to have someone knowledgeable in the industry watching out for you and your interest. That is why you must have a Realtor. A Realtor will know their way around the local building scene. He or she will be able to recommend builders that maybe they have worked with or have some knowledge of. Having help to negotiate tricky building contracts always favoring the builder is a must for success on your project. When the time comes for the several different walk throughs that building a home requires, you will have someone watching out for your best interests. Last is the final walk through to make sure everything is done right and complete. It will be just you, the builder and his staff. That's when you need a Realtor most. Their there to watch the Builder for you. At the closing table his/her job is to make certain no surprises appear and that your building and closing experience are a good one. That will give you piece of mind and the insurance that your dream home is built to your dream standards.

Now you and your family can live happily ever after.