- 42.8 °F
- Clear sky
OK, the long, cold, wet winter is finally over. Spring is officially here. So, you ask yourself, where can I go, what can I see that will scream spring?
The answer is right in your own backyard! Come to Old Prairie Town and experience Tulip Time.
Beginning April 10th through April 26th, come and enjoy the spectacular beauty of over 45,000 tulips, daffodils and more than 500 varieties of flowers, trees and shrubs. Stroll through the 2.5 acres of our botanical garden on decorative walkways, see our new water feature with 240 feet of cascading rock, our Garden Pavilion, gazebo and of course Anna’s Place. There is no place like it. It’s historic, colorful, and awesome.
We are open from 9:00am to 6:30pm daily and the cost to get in is a $5.00 per person. Children 5 and under are free. Stay as long as you like. If you want to take a tour of our historic town while you are here, there is just a $2.00 extra charge. A tour guide can accommodate you at one of four tour time’s daily-10:00am, noon, 2:00pm and 4:00pm. Parking is available in our lot at 1st and Clay.
This is one of the most beautiful displays of spring flowers, in the most unique setting you will see. And, it’s right here. Spring is here at Old Prairie Town. You won’t be disappointed.
For more information about Tulip Time at Old Prairie Town call 368-2438
Applications are currently being accepted for positions with the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Topeka. The length of employment for these positions will vary by position from March through November with the majority working June through August. Positions include Camp Counselors, Scorekeepers, Lifeguards, Pool Cashiers, Park Maintenance. Complete position descriptions is available online at www.topeka.org/employment. An application for temporary employment is required and applicants must successfully complete drug screening and background check.
This is an event the whole family can get into! Each time Topeka has a good snow fall, take your family outside and sculpt!
Give me a call and let me know where, and I will come by and take pictures of your family’s finished product. When all the entries are in, an outside judge will judge from all the pictures and decide who will take 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. Prizes will be given out to those placing.
Good Luck, and enjoy some family fun time in the snow! Remember, call 368-3790 to get your picture taken.
Well blog fans, here is the run down on some of the Parks and Recreation October events.
Come join the festivities at Old Prairie Town, 1st and Clay, 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday Oct. 24, a family fun, fright night! Activities start at 4 p.m. with a “not so scary story” in the old schoolhouse, eerie sounds and the haunted mansion with a singing cowboy! There will be spicy cookies straight from the campfire with cold apple cider and trick-or-treating in all the vintage buildings! Don’t miss it!! Geared for elementary school age children with a parent or adult. (Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.) Don’t forget to wear your Halloween costume. Admission is $2 per person. For more information, please call (785) 368-2437.
Not to be out done, Crestview’s Creepy Carnival, for children ages 2-7, is 6-8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Lots of fun games and other activities. Don’t forget to come dressed up in your costume. Kids must be accompanied by an adult. Please pre-register at least one week in advance.
First Halloween Hunt (ages 1-10) at the Rice Community Center, presents the first “Halloween Hunt.” All participants are required to be dressed in their Halloween costume or outfit and bring a bag or pumpkin bucket to collect their candy treats. Special prizes will be awarded to youth participants who find secret prizes. The fun begins at 6 p.m. Friday Oct. 30 at Rice Community Center.
At the first Halloween Pet Parade Contest, bring pets dressed for Halloween and join in the parade. First-, second- and third-place prizes will be awarded for best pet costume for dogs or cats. Pet owners are responsible for handling their own pet. Leash required. Free to participate in parade, minimal fee to enter contest. Event starts at 6:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 30 at Rice Community Center. Cost is $3.75 or $3 for Topeka residents.
Due to weather conditions, Helen Hocker Theater’s Battle of the Bands event was rescheduled for Oct. 17. Gates will open at 6 p.m. at Gage Park Ball diamond number one, and music will fill the park until 11 p.m. Tickets are $6 and may be purchased at the gate. For more information call Kim at Helen Hocker Theater at 368-0191.
Hey, don’t forget the best and most unique fall festival in Kansas is right around the corner … that is the Apple Festival at Old Prairie Town (1st and Clay) on Sunday, Oct. 4. This is the 30th year of the festival, which celebrates our Kansas pioneer heritage with crafts, music and food — including all things apple! This year our musical headliner is Pastense, plus a host of other great entertainers and demonstrators.
What makes Apple Festival so unique you ask? Well …
● Our festival is located in Old Prairie Town, which is an historic site — the City of Topeka was actually founded right here!
● It’s beautiful! We have a botanical garden with over 150 varieties of trees, flowers and shrubs all in their fall color. And then there’s Anna’s Place, our beautiful Victorian Reading Garden. You can walk through our garden on over 1,500 feet of new walkways.
● We have an historic town, with seven vintage buildings to tour. Visit our one-room school, the 1880 church, the cabin, the big white mansion (on the National Register of Historic Homes), the depot, livery stable and our doctor and dental offices.
● Our festival is put on by over 300 volunteers, all here on one day! How dedicated are these wonderful people? We couldn’t do it without them!
Advance tickets are $5 and can be purchased at all Dillons stores, City of Topeka Parks and Recreation Office at 620 S.E. Madison and the Mulvane General Store at Old Prairie Town. Tickets at the gate are $6, or free for ages 12 and under. The festival is held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 368-2439 or 368-3838 for additional information.
So, if you want an unequaled experience that brings the beauty of fall, cooking over the campfire, great food, pioneer life, beautiful gardens and talented artisans all together in one spot, you need to be at Old Prairie Town on Oct. 4! We will see you there!
It was just a week ago I thought a blog was a monster from a 1950’s “B” movie. Now here I am writing my own blog mostly about City of Topeka Parks and Recreation. Being the park planner, I get involved in about every aspect of this profession at one time or another. So I have a unique perspective and opinions concerning how things tick. It is my goal to inform people who happen upon this blog as to what’s happening in and around the parks and try to answer any questions you need answered. I will also at times try to give you some historical facts about the parks and the people who help build them.
Lately, we have been working on a variety of projects that affect seemingly every park in the city. You may have noticed some concrete trucks running in and out of different parks. This work is part of ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) projects. It amounts to a lot of curb cuts, ramps, drinking fountains and sidewalks running off to various features within the parks. There is no way to make everything accessible in a park, so our goal is to hit the high points. We have been following a “Transition Plan” the city staff put together a few years ago.
The new Parks and Recreation Fall Catalogs are hot off the press and ready for your consumption. You too can be the proud owner of this catalog and be privy to its wealth of factual information needed to sign up for the various programs, classes and special events. Facility hours and locations are also included. Where can you get your hands on these highly prized catalogs, you might ask? Well, you’re in luck. We have plenty at our office at 620 S.E. Madison St., and any of our community centers, or you can give us a call at 368-3838 and we’ll mail you a free copy.
If you are looking for park and recreation activities in the Topeka area, you've come to the right place – the Unwind calendar. Items for the calendar can be emailed to sports@cjonline.com.
