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KANSAS WOMEN FIGHT BREAST

CANCER AND WIN

PUMPKINS AT THE PARK SURE TO PLEASE ENTIRE FAMILY

october 2014

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BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH: Kansas women fight breast cancer and come away stronger

Brew up fun holiday treats with these Halloween themed party snacks

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News and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

Tanganyika Wildlife Park serves up family fun during it’s Halloween-themed Pumpkins at the Park event

october 2014

Inside:

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Call for a free consultation about your child’s development.Sedgwick County: 316.945.7117 • Butler County: 316.320.1342

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Copyright 2014 by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. All rights reserved. Wichita Family Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or contest fulfillment from third parties. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is strictly prohibited. Wichita Family is distributed free of charge. The magazine’s advertisers make this possible, so support them! We reserve the right to edit submitted material. All submissions will be considered for publication, but we reserve the right to refuse material. Materials will not be returned. Any editorial content or advertising published

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published by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC

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Publisher Todd Vogts

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Wichita Family Magazine is published 12 times a year by Lucky 7 Publishing LLC. Wichita Family Magazine is available free, at schools, stores, restaurants, libraries, retailers and local attractions, as well as other places families frequent. For a complete list of where to find Wichita Family, or for subscription rates, email us at publisher@wichitafamily.com or visit our website at www.wichitafamily.com.

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Message from the PublisherOctober means many things to many people.

For most it means the arrival of Fall and Hal-loween. Ladies, it means you can finally break out those scarves you’ve been dying to put back into your wardrobe rotation. Guys, it means football is back in full swing. Every weekend can now involve setting in front of the television as you cheer on

your favorite squad. It also means the baseball sea-son is getting to its most exciting part. I’m a huge baseball fan, so I will be cheering on my St. Louis Cardinals every chance I get!

However, October means more than all of that to me. It means being

thankful for those in my life who have battled and defeated breast cancer. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month after all, so I encourage all the females reading this to get your check-ups and be vigilant about your bodies. But don’t do it just dur-ing the month of October. Make it a life-long habit.

October also means a the Kansas State Fair is over, and, for me, that brings about a bit of sad-ness. I love the State Fair. Even by spending only a couple of hours walking around the fairgrounds in Hutchinson, you get to see some of the coolest stuff our great state has to offer. The butter sculpture is always a crowd pleaser, and I personally love look-ing in the art gallery, especially all the photography entries. There is a lot of talent in this state, so don’t let anyone ever tell you differently.

Of course, my guilty pleasure of the fair is all the food. I have my go-to meals, such as Pronto Pups,

fried cheese curds and the Tacone, but I always try to enjoy something new. This year I had the red velvet funnel cake. As a fan of red velvet cake and funnel cake alike, I was very impressed by this treat. Oh, and of course I had to try to moink balls. It was delicious.

I wish that was all I ate, but it’s not. And my waist line is proof of that. It was all worth it, though. How can you complain while eat great food and have some of the most fun possible in terms of people watching? The fair is always a great time!

Now, the key moving forward will be not to allow my gut to grow any bigger with Halloween candy hitting the store shelves. Oh, and then there will be Thanksgiving meals and Christmas dinners and . . .

Maybe I better get a gym membership soon.

Photo by Todd Vogts

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HEDNews and Information from our partners at Wichita Public Schools

A Barbie attached to dozens of rubber bands bungee jumps from a fire truck as part of a science experiment for Wilbur Middle School students.

Look up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s… Barbie! Students at Wilbur Middle School worked on a hands-on science experiment to

help a Barbie doll with a bungee jump. The students had to determine the relationship between the jump height and the

number of rubber bands used to make a bungee cord. The goal was to predict the number of rubber bands needed to have Barbie bungee

off a fire truck and come as close to the ground as possible without being injured.The students first tested their predictions by having Barbie jump from the top of the

bleachers on the track. The students had a week to make any modifications before being dropped from the

fire truck. Students cheered and laughed as they watched Barbie fall from the bucket truck

and swing in the wind.

Wilbur students learn physics with Barbie

bungee jump

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HED

Education EDGE celebrates 10 yearsThe National Merit

Scholarship Program has named nine semi-finalists from the Wichita Public Schools.

Seven of those students attend East High School, one attends North High School and one attends Northwest High School.

The 2014 National Merit Semi-Finalists from East High School are: Cody Degner, Yash Kamath, Britt Leake, Nikhil Ramanan, Charles Schillings, Helen Welch and Katherine Yang.

The semi-finalist from North High School is Hannah Cheatem and

the semi-finalist from Northwest is Hannah Day.

Students become National Merit semi-finalists by taking the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) during their junior year and scoring in the top one-half of 1 percent in the state. Students become National Merit finalists through an application process and completing the SAT.

National Merit Scholarship winners will be announced in the spring.

Nine students named National

Merit semi-finalists

The Education EDGE, the district’s educational foundation, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this school year.

The Education EDGE allows private donors to support three key areas that are not supported by traditional funding sources – classroom mini-grants, fine arts and athletics.

To date, $961,898.75 in total gifts have been given to support teachers and students.

More than $444,700 have been given to teachers through classroom mini-grants for unique classroom projects.

More than $347,500 has been given to fine arts programs across the district from the Education EDGE.

For the past nine years, the Education EDGE has helped purchase many string and wood instruments, stage lighting, digital cameras, drying racks, pottery wheels and kilns.

The Education EDGE has supported athletics with more than $138,900 given to schools. T

he funds have purchased athletic equipment and uniforms for many sports including soccer, track, cross-country and softball.

For more information about the Education EDGE, or to learn how to make a donation, go to www.edge.usd259.org.

A Northwest student works on a pottery project. The Education EDGE funds allowed the district to purchase pottery wheels and kilns in support of fine arts.

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It could be you. You could develop or already have developed breast cancer. Letting that sink in can be very scary. One in eight women develop breast cancer

throughout their lives, but catching it early can make a big difference. Of the women who catch it early, 98 percent survive.

“I felt like they caught it really early. I never thought of it as being a life or death thing because so many others had it way worse than I did,” Susan Dierksen, of Sterling, said. “When I went in for my yearly checkup, I wasn’t expecting to have any problems. Then they saw it, and the doctors got a little excited. They sent me in for a sonogram. After the sonogram, they sent me to see a specialist, and by this time I was starting to get a little anxious.”

Dierksen was not alone. Debby Walker, of Sterling, said, “oh yeah I was nervous,” when she recalled coming out of her regular mammogram appointment with less than perfect news.

“When I went in for my routine mammogram, they saw ‘suspicious’ calcification. All women have them, but mine were clustered,” she said. “After my biopsy, they told me I was in stage 0, meaning it had not spread. When they gave me my options, I didn’t want to have to do Chemotherapy, so I chose a double mastectomy. That way, not only do I not have to worry, but I’m not all lopsided,” Walker said.

On the other hand, Dierksen was less worried about the chemotherapy and more focused on her faith and family.

Battling Breast CancerKansas women say faith, family key in winning fights against cancer

By Taryn Gillespie

Susan Dierksen of Sterling (Photo By Taryn Gillespie)

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“The doctor told me I was going start chemo and I would loose my hair. It would happen within a week or two,” she said. “I wasn’t too worried because I’m not very materialistic and I don’t like fixing my hair, but then it just starts falling out and and you kinda feel like, ‘Woahhh,’ even though you knew it was going to happen.”

Emotional stress comes with the diagnosis as it causes family and individuals to think about the positives and negatives of the situation. Dierksen’s husband, Fred Dierksen, and her children struggled with the news.

“It was so much more emotional for my girls than it was for me. I think, for Fred, it was hard just having to see me go through it and just the unknown,” Susan Dierksen said. “I’m pretty just cut and dry. I didn’t dwell on it. But my faith did help me stay calm. Many people from work, friends, family, people we met in restaurants, people in the waiting rooms, or those I met in cancer treatment would say they were praying for me. That is such a comfort to have so many praying for you. Some of them still see me today and tell me I am still on their prayer list.”

Looking for the positive in the situation and having a good time is something Dierksen chose to do as she went through this trying time. Her son, Gabe Dierkson, even helped her out.

“One day I was just totally weird with it, and I was like, ‘Gabe!’ And I grabbed my hair, and I’m like, ‘Look it is totally falling out.’ It kinda freaked him out, but since he had shaved boys

hair at juco before, we just went out on the back porch, and he shaved my head for me,” she said. “I had always heard that ‘attitude’ is very important as you fight the battle with cancer. I wanted to be strong for my family. I was fortunate to not get sick from my chemo treatments and was able to keep working as I ended my chemo and started radiation through the first part of school starting in the fall of 2011.”

Support through a battle with cancer can come from family, friends and community. There are many other Sterling residents who have also gone through this process who are willing

to help with whatever they can.“My support was awesome!”

Dierksen said. “Mrs. Hogan, the school psychologist, was very outgoing and helpful as she had gone through it before. She’s the first one I went to. She was like a rock! My family was willing to do almost whatever to help out after they got over she shock, except shaving their heads. I don’t think the girls were as willing to do that for me though.

“There was lots of stress for my family before surgery, but once I was home from the hospital, it was better,” she said. “But I was still out of commission. Luckily, the folks in this

town really stepped up with meals and such.”

Being aware and having regular checkups is important. It is recommended that you perform a self-check about once a month and see a doctor for a mammogram yearly.

“I had a grandpa that had breast cancer,” Dierksen said. “The doctors want you to be more aware because its less common in males. Also, the sons, as well as daughters, need to be more aware because they are more likely to have it, as well as my kids because I also have the gene. It’s never too early to start being aware and knowing what your breast tissue is like.”

The Bedazzle a Brassier display at the 2014 Kansas State Fair and hosted by Victory in the Valley aimed to bring awareness to breast cancer. (Photo by Todd Vogts)

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It is amazing how quickly this year has gone by! It’s October and Hal-loween is right around the corner. The discussion this time of year is usually trick or treating and candy. This month I’d like to suggest an alternative to eating all the candy. Save a few of your favorite pieces and bring in the rest of your candy to us. Our office and several other offices in the area hold a “Candy Buy Back” this time each year. Kids from all over bring in the candy they have collected on their trick or treating adventures and are paid based on weight for what they bring in. This is great for several reasons. One, kids don’t eat the candy and hopefully choose healthier options. Two, they get money for bringing the candy in. And three, the candy is sent to our troops over seas. It’s a great way for kids give back and learn to make healthier choices.

— Dr. Brett Begnoche, DDS

Doctor’s Orders

Masquerade Cookies and Caramel Apple Popcorn

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FAMILY FEATURES

Haunted with the thought of a ho-hum Halloween? Never fear — trick-or-treaters will want more than just candy once they see your party table.

Throw a fabulous Halloween party fit for little goblins or grown-up monsters with some devilishly good sweets.Try these easy party ideas from Wilton to make your Halloween spook-tacular:n Add some “pop” to popcorn: Trick out ordinary

popcorn into a sweet-and-salty party pleaser. Drizzle on Candy Melts® candy for festive flavors, and then capture the Halloween spirit by adding fun sprinkle mixes.

n Masquerade cookies: Who says you can’t play with your food? Create edible masks with decorated shaped cookies and attach them to cookie sticks with melted Candy Melts candy. Set up a photo station at your party, so guests can take pictures with their cookie mask creations before eating them.

Witch’s Brew MocktailServings: 6 3 cups ginger ale, chilled 1 1/2 cups pineapple juice, chilled 1/3 cup sweetened lime juice, chilled Green gel food color or green icing color (optional) Black Colored Sugar Gummy Eyeball SkewersIn large pitcher, combine ginger ale, pineapple juice, sweetened lime juice and, if using, gel food color.

To prepare glasses, dip rims of martini glasses in water, then in black sugar. Fill with drink mixture; add eyeball skewers.

Masquerade Cookies and Caramel Apple Popcorn

Witch’s Brew Mocktail

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Soon ghosts and goblins will be roaming the streets looking for tasty and sugary treats. These specters will come out into the night,

and oh they will be such a terrifying sight. Clutch-ing bags and buckets in their hands as the create fear, there is only one way to send them away for another year. You must answer their question will questions with bravery, which will be no small feat. You must answer the question of “trick or treat?”

Yes, Halloween is a time of fun for all, and the folks at Tanganyika Wildlife Park look forward to it as much as anyone else.

Every year they host the annual Pumpkins at the Park event, which the park’s Assistant Director, Matt Fouts, said is “Wichita’s largest family-friendly Halloween event.”

“Over the past five years we have grown the event to include more than 20 activities,” he said; “15 of which are included in the price of admission.”

Tickets cost $10 for adults and children. The event will be help from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 24-26, Oct. 31-Nov. 1.

Once you arrive, Fouts said you are lead through the park, experiencing the animals and many Halloween-themed activities.

“People start off in our pumpkin patch that fea-tures a giant pumpkin prop and our creep crawlers room where they can see scorpions, pet a 4-foot alligator or an 8-foot python, and get a souvenir photo,” he said. “Then they can choose to take the

Pumpkin Trail or visit Kao’s area. The Pumpkin Trail is the less-scary side of the event. It includes 15 treat stations, the Great Pumpkin, games, an inflat-able Halloween obstacle course, Land of Giants, Mad Scientist stage show with live animals, our 3-D haunted house, and the Isle of Intrigue for slightly spooky stories. Kao’s area features fire performers, the cage maze of doom, and the haunted hay ride.

All patrons will exit through the Chamber of Mys-tery, which has a new theme every year, hence the mystery. The chamber features crafts, a pumpkin painting contest, the Witch’s Kitchen where kids can add toppings to a carmel apple, rice crispy bat or monster-mellow. We also show Halloween movies and serve hotdogs, hot chocolate, apple cider, and more.”

A Spooktacular TimeTanganyika Wildlife Park hosts annual Pumpkins at the Park event

By Todd Vogts

wfm 1311310 E. 21st N., Ste D Wichita, KS 67206 (21st and Greenwich)

(316) 854-3000

For only $10, Pumpkins at the Park offers a lot.

“It is a great value,” Fouts said. “Families will be hard pressed to take part in all the activities included with their admission in the three hours we are open. In fact, we have people come two nights just so they could do it all.”

Fouts said the first Pumpkins at the Park took place in 2009. It had a slightly different format then, and it has grown significantly over the past five years.

“Pumpkins at the Park was created based on two needs,” he said. “First, Tanganyika needed to raise additional funds to support the animals in the winter because we are not subsidized like most zoos.  Second, we recog-nized the need for more Halloween events in the area. When we made the decision to create the event, we had three goals. First, we wanted to establish a safe and fun event for kids

to trick-or-treat. Trick or treating isn’t what it used to be, and parents can no longer risk sending their kids out into the neighborhood by them-selves. When parents come to Pump-kins at the Park, they can rest assured their kids will be safe, and they don’t have to worry about where the candy came from. Second, we wanted to have something for the entire fam-ily.   Third, the event needed to be family friendly, so we do not have any gore, weapons, or anything that would depict animals poorly. “

Because of the environment the event creates, Fouts said there isn’t another Halloween event like what Tanganyika hosts.

“There isn’t another family ori-ented event in the area that even compares,” he said. “It would be more on par with some of the larger, more established haunted houses in town, but family friendly.”

Fouts said adults without children are also welcome.

“We have adults that attend every year,” he said. “They like to dress up, enjoy a drink or two, participate in some of the activities, or simply watch all the kids having a great time.  Many of them do it because they want to support Tanganyika and understand how important special events like Pumpkins at the Park is for the ani-mals. We even take care of the adults by offering Witches Potions (mixed drink) and Warlock Brews (beer) in light up glasses and mugs.”

Hosting such a large event doesn’t happen over night. Fouts said the park spends between three and four weeks to prepare.

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“We string more than a mile worth of lights and have entire warehouse full of decorations and props,” he said. “Some of the activities, like the 3D maze, have to be reconstructed every year. We also hold auditions for the costumed characters in the park. Ev-ery night takes over 50 volunteers to put on the event.”

The decorations for the event from from professional-level suppliers, Fouts said.

“We travel to Haunt Shows to get some of our props and costumes,” he said. “One favorite is the large pump-kin prop right at the front. People like getting their pictures in front of

it. One of my favorite costumes is a 15-foot grim reaper costume. It has also become a crowd favorite.”

Dressing up in your favorite cos-tume is encouraged, and if you are worried about the children walking away on a sugar high, Fouts said not to worry.

“We mix it up with candy and oth-ers treats so kids don’t rot their teeth and parents don’t ruin their diets,” he said.

Because the event takes place at night, Tanganyika has to illuminate the park, which something the staff doesn’t usually have to contend with since the park is generally open only

during daylight hours.“We have thousands of bulbs on

the pumpkin trail and use other ac-cent lighting around the Park,” Fouts said.

If you have attended in the past, Fouts said you should still plan to at-tend as the event is always changing.

“Every year we try to enhance the event by adding new activities or im-proving the quality of the activities we have,” he said. “Last year we realized people were having trouble doing all the activities in one evening, so this year we are mostly enhancing the cur-rent activities. We always try to add new costumed characters. We will be

adding some new songs to the water-fall light show, and the Mad Scientist will have a new show.”

As Fouts said, the money raised by the event will go toward supporting the animals during the winter months.

“The money for the event goes to the Tanganyika Winter Fund, which was established by our 501(c)3 Spe-cies Survival Fund,” he said. “It takes more than $600,000 a year to care for the rare and endangered species at Tanganyika in the winter and the net proceeds go directly to that fund.”

Tanganyika offers Kansas families the chance to see animals they can’t see anywhere else.

“Tanganyika is home to the 3rd largest collection of animals in the state of Kansas,” Fouts said. “Nearly half of the animals on exhibit are en-dangered species. We have more than 30 successful breeding programs for rare and endangered species and have become one of the most prolific zoos in the world. We have many cats like Amur leopards, white tigers, cheetahs and clouded leopards. We also have Indian and black rhinos, African pen-guins, ring-tail lemurs, binturongs, siamangs and more.”

Tanganyika has been around for almost 30 years but didn’t open to the public until 2008. It generally closes after the first full weekend in Novem-ber, but if the weather holds out, Fouts said they might be able to stay open later into the month.

For more information about Pumpkins at the Park, visit www.pumpkinsatthepark.com. You can also visit www.twpark.com to learn more about Tanganyika.

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