Leah Howell State Representative

“Kansas was forged in the fire of severe conflict, but it was also built on perseverance.”

OPINION: What John Brown’s mural could teach us Each time I walk through the Kansas Statehouse, I’m drawn to the massive mural, “Tragic Prelude” by John Steuart Curry. It is one of the most striking images in the

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Specify - Riverside Pagoda Project

The Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit hopes to raise enough money to convert the pagoda found in Riverside Park into a state-of-the-art educational and community space. 🌳

“Hundreds of school children come each year to eat lunch and play on the playground. We envision introducing students there and bring Kansas wildlife alive - rain or shine."

The pagoda was built in 1911 as a concession
stand for the Riverside Park Zoo. Architect W.R. Springfield designed it to evoke a "quaint Japanese style." 🏯 The concession stand was operated directly by Coca-Cola in the summer of 1913. Later in 1913, it was converted into bathrooms with a waiting room.

The Riverside Park Zoo, with its displays of alligators, black bears, ostriches, and a lion, was a major attraction. In 1910 attendance hit 10,000 people a 𝘥𝘢𝘺! 🐊 The restrooms were shuttered in 1938 when newer ones were built, and the pagoda became a very elaborate storage shed.

In 1964, the building became the Children's Pagoda House. It was used by the Wichita Zoological Society as a means to generate interest in a new zoo. They constructed a maze of make-believe animal exhibits for children to play in and asked people to fill out a survey of what they would like to see in a future zoo.

This project was not part of the Riverside Park Zoo, but rather a push to replace it because it could not be made any larger, and was unable to accommodate the bigger animals people wanted to see in a modern zoo. The Sedgwick County Zoo opened in 1971. 🦁

Through the 1970s and '80s, exotic exhibits at the Riverside Zoo were traded for displays with a focus on native animals. In 1988 it was re-dedicated as the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit, now visited by 40,000 people a year.

If you are interested in seeing the Pagoda structure before renovations begin, and would like to help the Riverside Park Pagoda Renovation Project, there is a fundraiser to be held t̶h̶i̶s̶ Saturday from 3:00 - 5:00pm with ice cream.

𝗨𝗣𝗗𝗔𝗧𝗘 : Due to rain, the Fundraiser Kickoff has been postponed for 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬, 𝗝𝗨𝗟𝗬 19𝗧𝗛 from 3:00 - 5:00 pm.

We’d love to see you there! ❤️

🎧 https://www.kmuw.org/podcast/the-range/2025-07-11/the-range-july-04-2025e r

Sunflower Summer kicks off statewide on July 12, giving Kansas students and their families FREE entry to the state’s coolest museums, zoos, parks, and more.

Learn more and download the app at

Sunflower Summer – Kansas Tourism School’s Out For sunflower summer! Saturday, July 12 – Sunday, August 3 Download for Apple Download for Android Sedgwick County Zoo Museum at Prairiefire Wilson State Park Little Jerusalem Botanica Wichita Sternberg Museum Museum at Prairiefire Boot Hill Museum Program Updates Why is the program...

Brainfuse: Summer Online Tutoring Brainfuse is partnering with Derby Public Schools to provide high-dose online tutoring during the summer at no cost to families. Brainfuse is perfect for students who are ready to strengthen their academic skills in math or reading. This program is open to students in grades 2-10.

An interesting idea to consider as we move forward.

This scam is going strong right now. I’ve received it, along with many others, including older family members. Don’t fall for It!

SCAM ALERT! Fraudulent texts are being sent to random numbers with no regard to toll road usage. KTA does not send unsolicited text messages about unpaid tolls. Learn more about identifying scam messages. https://ksturnpike.com/information-security

Thank you for taking the time to go vote!
I look forward to continuing to serve you.

9:30am

Derby Voters reporting about 20 minutes in and out right now.

Look up your poll site here:

Kansas Secretary of State | Elections | Elections Home The site is secure.The https:// or lock icon ensures you're safely connected to the website and any information you provide is encrypted.

Great information in this article!

Can you take a selfie at Sedgwick County polling places? See what is & isn’t allowed There aren’t any state laws regarding ballot selfies. But Sedgwick County does have rules for voters.

Derby area voters (or any Sedgwick county voters)

Here is your local early in person voting information.

Sumner County Voters!
As we have been visiting about early in person voting at the doors this week I thought this would be helpful! Please share this with any Sumner County Voters. District 82 covers parts of both Sumner and Sedgwick counties. I’ll post the location and times for voting early in person in Derby soon. 😊

Today (October 15th) is your last day to register to vote or update your registration because of a move etc. It takes only a couple minutes!

Welcome - Kansas Online Voter Registration The site is secure. The https:// or lock icon ensures you're safely connected to the website and any information you provide is encrypted.