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🌾 Open Streets ICT

🌾 Open Streets ICT

Plus turkey legs, chainmail, and medieval chaos.

Landon Huslig
April 17, 2026

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning, Wichita!

Kellogg crawls at five
Wind cuts through a 60° day
Still, we call it home

Happy Haiku Poetry Day!

Let’s get to it!

- Landon

Open Streets ICT

Open Streets ICT is one of the best events every year. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Wichitans come out to walk various Streets.

This is a time when the City of Wichita closes off a street for individuals to walk or ride (no motorized vehicles) and stop by a variety of booths and businesses.

This Sunday is the WSU & Shocker Neighborhood edition from 12 - 4pm where nearly two miles of 17th St (Oliver to Volutsia) will close.

Together with Parade of Homes

The 2026 Spring Parade of Homes is HERE and this is your chance to see where dreams are built, and where inspiration comes home.

This isn’t just an event to tour homes (although they are amazing to look at), it is an opportunity to interact with the top builders in the Wichita area, ask questions, and get inspired about your possible future home.

There’s not one not two, but TWO weekends for you to stop by:

18-19, 25-26

(SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS 1PM TO 5PM)

LOCAL BUSINESS

Opening

Madras Meals - WSU Tech NICHE Graduate - Pop Up - Now Open
Foxi Ice Cream (Hand-crafted) - 436 S Khedive St - Now Open
Flo and Co Luxury Picnics - Now Open
Stoner’s Pizza Joint - 645 E Douglas Ave Naftzger Park - Opening Mid-July
Flirt with Dirt Plant Boutique and Rescue (Formerly A Little Leaf Rescue) - 233 S Lulu St - Now Open
Violet Closet (upscale resale shop) - 117 N Chatauqua - Now Re-opened

Elderslie Farm

We love Elderslie Farm. Can’t wait to head to the outdoor cafe reopening on May 2nd.

This year you can come out for something other than picking blueberries. You can pick a wide arrangement of flowers.

NONPROFIT

United Way

United Way of the Plains will be investing $4.1 million to advance the work of 74 programs at 57 charitable organizations in collaboration with 16 direct services already provided by United Way.

SPOTLIGHT

Meet Laynna Badgett

“Laynna is one of the most remarkable caring women I’ve ever known! She has a passion for special needs individuals and is the founder and director of Meaningful Life Foundation here in Wichita! This amazing organization serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a variety of social, educational, sports, and musical programs! My daughter is special needs and has been attending Laynna’s Meaningful Life program for many years and it has truly changed our lives!

She is so passionate about these families! Her baseball program even pairs up disabled individuals with various teams from around Wichita and the surrounding communities to work together and it is just amazing to see! I get a little tearful every time! I know she has sacrificed so much to always put Meaningful Life foundation first and make it successful. It has grown phenomenally over the years and she is so humble. I absolutely cannot say enough wonderful things about this very special woman!!”

Who should we spotlight next?

CIVIL

🚨Warning Canal Route Drivers 🚨

If you take the ‘canal route’ aka I-135, there will be back to back ramp closures if you’re heading south starting 4/20 that will affect the Pawnee exit. The exit to K-15 has already been closed and will be until December.

Parking Garage

A unanimous (6-0) vote from the City Council means the City of Wichita is buying a parking garage near the ballpark downtown for $9.6 million.

So all those worried about parking, 300-spots are coming your way.

LOCAL

Sports with Aliyah

I’ve followed Aliyah Funschelle and her sports brands since she was interviewing players at Wichita State.

She was ahead of the curve when it came to promoting and going all in on Women’s sports and she continues to crush it.

I’m never surprised when I see her with any big name in sports, or out of sports for that matter.

Keep crushing it Aliyah!

Renaissance Festival

If you’ve ever felt you were born in the wrong time period, maybe you wish you were born in the time of knights and jousting?

Well lucky for you, you’re annual taste of turkey legs and blacksmiths comes to life April 18th and 19th at Sedgwick County Park with the 21st Annual Spring Great Plains Renaissance & Scottish Festival!

Civil War Reenactments

Head to Cowtown this weekend (4/18 - 4/19) to experience Civil War reenactments and live in the 1860s.

Opera Kansas

I wrote about tornados last week. But did you know Opera Kansas is putting on Mr. Twister and the Tale of Tornado Valley this Spring?

Shocker Studios

This deserves a deep dive on its own.

Shocker Studios is an incredible gift to Wichita and organization that has a state-of-the-art production facility and 50,000-sq-ft of production and collab spaces.

Now their Shocker Studios Casing office wants to connect actors with projects and jobs.

Sheinelle Jones

Sheinelle Jones (one of the most famous people from Wichita and co-anchor of NBC’s Today with Jenna & Sheinelle) is coming to town tomorrow at Grace Presbyterian Church to promote her new book.

✈️ Flight Deal(s) of the Week

Wichita (ICT) → Phoenix for $88 (normally $243) - saving you 64%! - July 4 - July 11
Wichita (ICT) → Orlando for $123 (normally $352) - saving you 65%! - May 11 - May 18

Price is subject to change and may no longer be available at the time you check this link.

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