Community Calendar

Dancemaker Paul Taylor (1930–2018) first presented his choreography with five other dancers in Manhattan on May 30, 1954. That modest performance marked the beginning of a profound, uninterrupted creative output that shaped the future of American modern dance and continues to this day.

Since its earliest days, the Paul Taylor Dance Company has toured to venues throughout the United States and around the globe, from college campuses and rural towns to the world’s leading opera houses and performing arts centers. The company has performed in more than 600 cities in 66 countries, including landmark tours and engagements in North and South America, China and the Far East, Great Britain, Eastern and Western Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, India and the Middle East.

Join us at Watermark Books & Cafe for story time! Author S.J. Crespo will be reading her new book hardcover picture book The Sloth Moth. Book signing and activities to follow!

Meet the Speaker

Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist at American Ancestors, assists library visitors, both on-site and online, with their family history research. She is an international lecturer with expertise in American military research, New England genealogy (17th-20th Century), genetic genealogy, African American genealogy, Atlantic Canadian research, and Jewish genealogy. Her extensive knowledge has made her a sought-after speaker around the world. In addition, she is an honorary fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society and continues to contribute significantly to the field of genealogy.

About the Program

When it comes to Colonial New England research, there is a treasure trove of reliable published resources to explore. As a group, 17th-century New Englanders are among the most extensively studied people on the planet. In this Zoom presentation, Melanie McComb will delve into essential tools for family historians, including genealogical dictionaries, finding aids, authoritative study projects, scholarly journals, and more. Discover the resources that made our Top 10 list and learn how they can simplify your research journey, ensuring you won’t need to reinvent the wheel when tracing early New England ancestry.

Note: This presentation will be held exclusively via Zoom. There is no in-person meeting.

What's the weather like today? Make a paper plate weather chart to track the forecast. This is a drop-in craft for ages 4-10.

17th-century New Englanders are one of the most studied groups with a multitude of reliable published resources including finding aids, genealogical dictionaries, journals, and more. For the Zoom link, please send an e-mail to education@wichitagensoc.org by Friday, 18 April 2024.

Join us for a screening of "Hot Times in the Heartland," a documentary about the impacts of climate change in Kansas, followed by discussion and Q&A.

April is International Guitar Month!

Gain a historical perspective for what is considered the world’s most popular musical instrument, with an afternoon featuring presentations by two of the world’s foremost authorities--

• Kansas Music History
by Humanities Kansas Speaker Derrick Doty

• The Guitar Goes Electric
by Author & Historian Deke Dickerson

Presentations begin at 2pm
Doors open at 1pm
Presentation Free with Admission
General Admission: $5 Adults, $2 Children (6 and under free)
Free for Members

About the Presentations & Speakers:

Kansas Music History
What is it like to be a musician from Kansas, and what can their music tell us about time and place? Using music and storytelling, this presentation explores informal music traditions, styles, and musicians from Territorial Kansas up to the age of the radio. It concludes with a demonstration of various instruments and music of the period popular in Kansas.

Derrick Doty is a musicologist, performer, member of the Morris County Historical Society, and a board member of the Historic Preservation Corporation. He has devoted many years to researching and presenting Kansas music history.

The Guitar Goes Electric
This presentation explores the origin and development of the electric guitar from its Wichita world debut in 1932 to its becoming a 20th-century phenomenon by the 1960s. Dickerson illuminates the dark corners of this history, with the stories of innovators, in a streamlined illustrated timeline.

Deke Dickerson is a musicologist, widely published author, record producer, songwriter, and performer from California with Missouri roots. He has provided notable programs and performances for Museums nationwide.

Become familiar with the process of printing to the Library's Prusa printers. Call (316) 261-8500, or visit www.wichitalibrary.org to register.

Read books and listen to a live DJ outside on the terrace!

America’s largest interactive comedy murder dinner theatre show is now playing! Solve a hilarious mystery while you feast on a fantastic dinner. Just beware! The culprit is hiding in plain sight somewhere in the room, and you may find yourself as a Prime Suspect before you know it!

Join us for an event that is very different from a traditional mystery dinner show. Our actors are not dressed in costume and are hidden in the audience! This results in a fun, social and interactive evening suitable for all adults.

Each ticket includes our signature award-winning mystery dinner theatre show, along with a full plated dinner, waitstaff gratuity, and plenty of surprises during the show.

MUSIC IS THE BEST uses Frank Zappa to narrate the evolution of my musical identity and the integral role my father has played in shaping this journey.
Zappa, affectionately known as “Uncle Frank” in our household, was my father’s favorite artist due to his relentless challenge of societal and musical norms. My dad consistently encouraged me to push the boundaries of my ideas, both as an artist and as a person. This philosophy ultimately guided me toward the development of my own distinct style as a composer and performer.
At the core of this performance lies the titular track from my debut album, Mortal Coil, which I wrote in honor of my father. This composition conveys my deep gratitude for his influence, particularly for instilling in me a pursuit of greater depth and meaning, both in my music and in my life.
Through exploring Zappa’s music, humor, and satire, I use his work as a musical surrogate for my father, creating a bridge between their legacies and my own compositions.

"Von's talents are many. But the most compelling part of this show is how personal it is, laced with stories that highlight how a love for music can be passed down and strengthened from one generation to the next."
– Tim Thomas, Executive Director: SO Percussion.

America’s premier comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, comes to the Century II Concert Hall in Witchita, Kansas, to perform his signature stand-up routine on April 19, 2025. Seinfeld has been hailed for his uncanny ability to joke about the little things in life that relate to audiences everywhere. His latest Emmy nominated Netflix projects include Jerry Before Seinfeld and 23 Hours to Kill along with the highly acclaimed web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Seinfeld has also starred in, written, and produced movies (Comedian, Bee Movie), directed and produced a Broadway hit (Colin Quinn: Long Story Short), and wrote three best-selling books (Is this Anything?, The Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Book, and Seinlanguage) and a children’s book (Halloween). He stars in the Emmy-nominated comedy film, Unfrosted, which he directed, co-wrote, and produced. Seinfeld continues to perform both nationally and internationally.

SOULJA BOY
The Swag Tour

All Ages
Support acts subject to change.
All sales are final. No exchanges or refunds unless a show is cancelled or postponed.

Wichitans desired to be modern since the City’s beginning in 1870. The Modern era had been evolving for a century at that time and it would take another 100 years before Wichita achieved a “modern” look. World War II (1939-1945) greatly disrupted development in design.

Over the next two decades, postwar prosperity propelled design of the modern era to its zenith. By that time, Wichita’s modernization was most apparent in its new urban 1969 skyline, which remains in place today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, modern design from architecture to fashions and furnishings became familiar as people followed popular trends replacing old with new. Visual art and advertising led the way for the modern look - which by the 1960s, people referred to as “Mod.” This new look coincided with changes as society became more pluralistic and increasingly aware of its diversity. The post-war baby boom gave rise to a prominent youth culture creating new markets. New technology improving the ability to travel and share information led to wide acceptance of modern style.

This modern sensibility cast a popular and unifying mindset. This era featured non-representational abstract design to create engaging effects rather than portray objects or scenes. The effects were both dazzling and confusing, challenging everyone’s perception of reality. Our visual world was forever changed.

(This exhibition follows (and is directly patterned after) the Museum’s previous exhibit Art Deco on the Plains. It takes the timeline forward to explore modern design experienced locally in the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition is a feature of the Lois Kay Walls Local Visual Art History Series.)

On view through 2025 in the Slawson Gallery, 4th floor.

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main