Ask A Kansan

Ask A Kansan
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Documentary
  • Updated Weekly

Ask A Kansan is a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. Every week, Gus and Sydney sit down with the people who actually make this state run — museum directors and ranchers, founders and historians, zookeepers and woodcarvers. From Kansas City to Kinsley, WaKeeney to Wichita, we go where the story is. You'll leave each episode knowing something you didn't about the state we call home. It's not a history lecture and it's not a business show. It's a real conversation with a Kansan worth knowing. New episodes weekly. askakansan.com

  1. 8h ago

    Banking on Kansas with Jeremy Hill

    What if the Federal Reserve wasn't just a boring government agency setting monetary policy, but a mission-driven storyteller trying to make sense of your household budget? On this episode, Julie and Sydney sit down with Jeremy Hill, regional executive for the Kansas City Federal Reserve, to unpack what the Fed actually does, why manufacturing is quietly booming across Kansas, and how inflation is hitting some households harder than others. Jeremy breaks down the Fed's three core functions, explains the K-shaped economy squeezing lower and middle-income families, and shares surprising stories from the Kansas City Fed's money museum, the shredded-cash vault, and the fly-fishing origins of the Jackson Hole Economic Symposium. Plus, stick around for a fun round of Kansas Penny Pinchers, where Sydney and Julie swap money-saving confessions. Highlights The Federal Reserve has three main functions: monetary policy, bank supervision/regulation, and managing how cash physically moves through the economy.The K-shaped economy is splitting households into two groups — some doing better every year, others falling further behind due to inflation eating into fixed costs like rent, insurance, and car payments.Kansas's GDP is currently growing faster than the national average, driven largely by a manufacturing boom (aerospace, machinery, fabricated metals).Agriculture and energy sectors in Kansas are struggling, while manufacturing is picking up steam and creating wage pressure as firms compete for labor.The Kansas City Fed operates a free, public money museum where visitors can see the history of currency and even watch cash being shredded.The Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, which draws central bank leaders from around the world, originated because a former Fed chair loved fly-fishing in Wyoming.The Fed is a semi-private organization with a public mission — it doesn't receive funding from Congress and instead earns revenue through banking services and its asset holdings.Jeremy describes economics as more art than math — piecing together abstract, nebulous signals to tell a bigger story about where the economy is heading. Chapters 0:00 – Kids Freezer Obsession 0:39 – Frozen Fruit Cup Logic 1:51 – Do Your Kids Do This 2:47 – Podcast Intro & New Co-Host 3:24 – Meet Jeremy Hill 4:20 – Jeremy's Role at the Fed 5:37 – Why Economics Clicked 6:41 – The Fed Explained Simply 7:36 – How Banks View the Fed 9:07 – Which Businesses He Visits 10:49 – Backbone Industries in Towns 12:08 – K-Shaped Household Strain 14:27 – Where the Data Comes From 16:29 – Money Museum and Cash Vault 18:18 – Why Money Gets Shredded 18:57 – Counterfeits and Secret Service 19:41 – Back to the Third Bucket 19:51 – Fed Mandate Explained 20:15 – Rates: Buyers vs. Savers 21:05 – Kansas Bootstrap Spirit 22:43 – Inside the Fed Culture 23:53 – How the Fed Funds Itself 25:10 – Kansas Roots and Career Path 27:26 – Economics as Art 28:34 – Kansas Economy Snapshot 30:52 – How Manufacturers Adapt 31:33 – Jackson Hole Symposium Story 33:23 – Where to Learn More 34:14 – Post-Interview Takeaways 34:51 – Kansas Penny Pinchers Game 40:25 – Wrap Up and Next Month Resources Mentioned Kansas City Federal ReserveKansas City Federal Reserve's Money Museum — a free, public museum highlighting the history of currencyFetch app — a receipt-scanning app for earning points/gift cards Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Banking on Kansas with Jeremy Hill

  2. Jul 20

    Wildlife and Conservation with Ryan VanZant of the Rolling Hills Zoo | Wild Kansas

    Why do the animals you fall in love with sometimes have to leave the zoo? This week we sit down with Ryan VanZant, executive director of Rolling Hills Zoo in Salina, and trace his winding path from a childhood obsessed with parakeets and parrots to falconry, movie animal training, and eventually leading one of the youngest zoos in the country. We get the real story behind the zoo's famous museum, hear about the massive new Tiger Falls habitat on the way, talk through the tough calls zoo staff make about animal welfare, and dig into why Kansas prairie ecosystems deserve just as much attention as the savannas of Africa. Plus, we've got some big personal news of our own, and we close things out with a new round of Stories from the Hat. Highlights Ryan VanZant shares his journey from breeding parakeets and parrots as a kid to training animals for movies to running zoos in Hutchinson and now SalinaThe real history of the Rolling Hills Zoo museum and its taxidermy collection — plus a rumor finally debunkedDetails on Tiger Falls, a major new habitat expansion for Amur tigers, snow leopards, and incoming red pandasThe story behind Creed the baby rhino, named after Chiefs player Creed Humphrey, and how that story went viralAn honest look at how zoos make difficult animal welfare and relocation decisionsWhy Kansas's native prairie ecosystems are disappearing faster than any other ecosystem type, and why that mattersA rundown of upcoming Rolling Hills Zoo events like Zoo Brew, Safari Breakfasts, Silent Sundays, and Taste of AdventureA new round of "Stories from the Hat" with random prompts about hometown landmarks, guilty pleasure gas station snacks, and more Chapters 0:00 — Sydney's Big News 0:48 — Podcast Plans Ahead 1:30 — Meet Rolling Hills Zoo 2:39 — Ryan's Kansas Path 3:41 — Why This Zoo Location 4:39 — Childhood Animal Obsession 5:57 — Parakeets to Parrots 8:12 — Peregrines and DDT 10:24 — Falconry Life Explained 12:48 — Becoming Zoo Director 17:56 — Leading People Like Animals 19:15 — Rolling Hills Origin Story 24:10 — Funding and Conservation Work 26:29 — Inside the Museum 29:26 — Christmas Lights Feedback 30:19 — Holiday Lights Highlights 30:59 — Tiger Falls Expansion 34:37 — Viral Zoo Babies 36:44 — Animal Welfare Decisions 42:15 — Future of Modern Zoos 45:22 — Saving the Prairie 50:36 — Events and Visiting Tips 55:37 — Stories from the Hat 59:56 — Podcast Wrap and Thanks Resources Mentioned Sunflower Summer app - https://sunflowersummer.org/Rolling Hills Zoo — https://www.rollinghillszoo.org/H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Wildlife and Conservation with Ryan VanZant of the Rolling Hills Zoo | Wild Kansas

  3. Jul 13

    Baseball Traditions with Katie Woods | Playball Kansas

    What if the hottest summer ticket in Kansas sports has been hiding in plain sight for 92 years? We sat down with Katie Woods, director of the National Baseball Congress in Wichita, and walked away completely obsessed with bobbleheads, Bananaball, and a baseball tournament with more history than you'd ever guess. From a 3 AM game under the lights to a decade-before-Jackie-Robinson integrated championship team, this conversation covers just about everything that makes baseball in Kansas special. Highlights Katie Woods introduces herself as director of the National Baseball Congress (NBC), founded in Wichita in the 1930s by Hap DumontThe story behind the brand-new Ozzie Smith backflip bobblehead giveawayHow NBC teams work today: summer collegiate players (ages 18-22) from colleges across the countryWhy Katie fell into baseball via an internship with the Houston Astros, then the Frisco RoughRiders and Everett AquaSoxThe wild history behind minor league team names and mascotsHap Dumont's decades of innovation: pitch clocks 60 years early, glow-in-the-dark baseball, mic'd-up umpires, and even early attempts at instant replay and an automatic ball-strike system"Baseball Around the Clock" — 11 games in 33 hours, complete with tent camping, RVs, and survivor t-shirtsThe emotional and communal side of directing an all-night tournamentTrophy and prize money: the historic Cessna Cup and an $18,000 winner's pursePlans for the NBC's upcoming 100th anniversary/centennial celebrationDigitizing decades of NBC archives with Wichita State's Special CollectionsThe incredible true story of the 1935 Bismarck Churchills — the first integrated team to win a national title in any sport, a decade before Jackie Robinson broke the color barrierThe growing role of women in baseball, including Katie being the NBC's first female tournament director in 90 yearsA rousing round of Stories from a Hat, covering white lies, favorite chairs, and nostalgic Wichita hangouts Chapters 0:00 — Studio Backdrop Reveal 0:27 — Wood Carving Nerd Out 1:42 — Show Intro & Baseball Tease 2:15 — Meet Katie Woods 2:51 — Ozzie Smith Bobblehead 4:42 — What Is the NBC? 5:53 — How Teams Work Today 7:05 — Why Katie Chose Baseball 9:37 — Career Path to Kansas 11:30 — Why the NBC Matters 12:27 — Tournament Venues & Logistics 14:39 — Minor League Name Madness 16:07 — Banana Ball and Innovation 20:45 — Wichita NBC Community 22:04 — Offseason Planning Pipeline 22:56 — Baseball Around the Clock 23:57 — Camping at the Ballpark 25:03 — Director All Night 26:00 — Sunrise and Sacrifice 27:32 — Trophy and Prize Money 28:05 — Kansas Community Baseball 29:29 — Centennial Plans 30:43 — Digitizing the Archives 32:09 — Hap Dumont's Vision 33:45 — How to Watch & Support 34:46 — Colorblind: Origin Story 37:28 — Women in Baseball 40:01 — Host Wrap and the Organ 41:33 — Stories from a Hat 46:00 — Closing and Merch Resources Mentioned NBCBaseball.comNBC Baseball on Facebook, Instagram and YouTubeColorblind by Tom Dunkel Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Baseball Traditions with Katie Woods | Playball Kansas

  4. Jul 6

    The Legacy of Bleeding Kansas with Dr. Kristen Epps | Kansas Shaping America

    There was a time when what happened in Kansas was front page news on the east coast. This week, Sydney and Gus sit down with historian Dr. Kristen Epps, professor at Kansas State University and editor of Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, to dig into Bleeding Kansas, the people slavery's expansion actually affected, and why the messy, complicated version of our state's story matters more than the tidy one. Kristen shares how she stumbled into Kansas history research, what it's really like editing an academic journal, and the wildest things she's found in dusty courthouse archives (John Brown's actual handwriting included). She also gives us a first look at her upcoming narrative history of Kansas, co-written with Jim Leiker, and reflects on resilience, reform movements, and why she finds hope in the next generation as the country marks its 250th anniversary. Plus, Sydney closes it out with an America 250-themed round of obscure Kansas facts covering everything from the Exodusters to ancient camels. Highlights Kristen Epps introduces herself as an "adopted Kansan" and explains her path from the Pacific Northwest and Colorado to becoming a Kansas historian.She edits Kansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains, a peer-reviewed publication jointly run by the Kansas Historical Society and K-State.Her book, Slavery on the Periphery, centers enslaved people's experiences rather than treating slavery as purely a political debate.A breakdown of what Bleeding Kansas actually was, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act, popular sovereignty, and the violence that followed.Confirmation that enslaved people did live in Kansas, including at the Shawnee Methodist Mission, Fort Scott, and Fort Leavenworth.Research stories from the archives, including finding Abraham Lincoln's signature and reading John Brown's surprisingly ordinary letters.A preview of Kristen's upcoming narrative history of Kansas with co-author Jim Leiker, out in early 2027 from the University Press of Kansas.Reflections on resilience through Kansas history, from the Dust Bowl to the decades-long fight for women's suffrage (won in Kansas in 1912).Kristen's thoughts on why history matters heading into America's 250th anniversary, and where she finds hope in today's college students.Sydney's America 250-themed Kansas trivia: the Exoduster migration, prehistoric camel fossils, a Kansas doctor's role in founding modern EMS, and the tiny town of Speed, Kansas hosting a Hot Wheels anniversary event. Chapters 0:00 – Garden Bounty1:44 – Podcast Intro and Guest Tease3:05 – Meet Historian Kristen Epps4:09 – Why Kansas History Matters8:40 – Inside the Kansas History Journal10:49 – Becoming a Historian and Editor11:59 – Slavery on the Periphery12:50 – What Was Bleeding Kansas15:11 – Enslaved People in Kansas16:20 – Researching Hidden Histories19:08 – Archives Not Just Google21:29 – Letters from John Brown and Others23:38 – History Hits Home24:39 – Writing Kansas For Everyone26:26 – From Ancient Seas To Today27:35 – Resilience And Many Kansases31:38 – America 250 And Civic Duty33:17 – Why History Matters35:20 – Finding Hope In Community38:25 – Post Interview Reflections40:00 – Exodusters Black Migration41:41 – Camels And Prehistory42:24 – Kansas And Modern EMS45:39 – Speed Kansas Hot Wheels46:48 – Episode Wrap And Farewell Resources Mentioned Slavery on the Periphery by Kristen EppsKansas History: A Journal of the Central Plains https://www.kansashistory.gov/p/kansas-history/12443Kansas Historical Society: https://www.kansashistory.gov/Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    The Legacy of Bleeding Kansas with Dr. Kristen Epps | Kansas Shaping America

  5. Jun 29

    Discovering Hidden Trails with Jeri Brungardt | Hiking Kansas

    What if the best hiking in Kansas has been right under your nose the whole time? Jeri Brungardt co-founded Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond in 2019 with a simple idea: stop losing track of friends who wanted to tag along on hikes and just make a Facebook group. What happened next surprised even her. Twelve strangers showed up to that first hike — none of them personal friends — and the group has grown to over 12,000 followers since. Jeri shares how the group scouts trails, what gear actually matters, why rattlesnakes dictate their summer schedule, and how hiking has become an unexpected source of community for women going through life's hardest moments. Highlights Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond started in 2019 and now has over 12,000 Facebook followers — grown entirely organically with no paid advertisingThe co-founders personally hike every trail before taking the group, checking parking, safety, and seasonal hazards like rattlesnakes at Horse Thief CanyonThey use the AllTrails app to discover new trails across the stateThe group is open to any female 12 and older; their oldest participant is in her upper 80s and outpaces most of the groupMonthly hikes are free; overnight trips charge a $20 fee managed through EventbriteTheir annual September trip to Estes Park, Colorado has been running every year since 2020Jeri recommends hiking poles for everyone — they reduce strain on your back and help probe water crossingsAlways bring sunscreen, a hat, water or electrolyte drinks, and a small first aid kitThe group has attracted women from 12 different states to their Colorado tripCindy Kuhnauer, the co-founder, also runs Fearless and Female, a self-defense business out of WichitaSydney defends Spangles with her whole chest (and eats it in the Walmart parking lot so her kids don't find out) Chapters 0:00 — Madeline's softball ear muff situation 2:13 — Podcast intro 2:49 — Meet Jeri Brungardt 3:25 — How Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond got started 5:06 — How they pick trails and scout locations safely 7:10 — What "hiking" actually means for this group 8:02 — Upcoming Salina hike (Marty Bender Nature Area + Audubon Society) 9:18 — Beginner tips: gear, shoes, water, and safety 13:32 — Age range and the community the group has built 15:31 — Jeri's personal hiking backstory 17:17 — Favorite trails in Kansas 17:07 — Trail diversity across Kansas 19:57 — Jeri's backstory and career at Wesley Medical Center 22:34 — The health benefits of walking 23:52 — Beyond Kansas: Estes Park, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas City 26:26 — How much work goes into running the group (+ Eventbrite) 31:04 — Rapid fire: shoes and hats 32:27 — Weather safety and what to do when it's 100 degrees 33:59 — Rails-to-Trails and connecting with other hiking groups 36:42 — Hiking with kids and different trail personalities 39:45 — Future plans for the group 43:25 — How the group grew through COVID and the power of one Facebook page 47:55 — Stories From a Hat: parking lots, prairie dogs, Spangles, and soup flights 53:34 — Outro and where to find Ask a Kansan Resources Women Hiking Kansas and Beyond — Facebook Group AllTrails — alltrails.com — trail-finding app mentioned by JeriKanopolis State ParkElk City State ParkMonument Rocks / Castle RockTallgrass Prairie National PreserveFearless and Female — self-defense business run by co-founder Cindy Coughenour, based in Wichita Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Discovering Hidden Trails with Jeri Brungardt | Hiking Kansas

  6. Jun 22

    Cowboys, UFOs, and Distant Horizons with Jim Gray | Kansas Space Cowboy

    For centuries, history has been passed down through the stories of our lived experiences. And in this episode you’ll get a taste of the remarkable life of Jim Gray — The Cowboy — and this conversation might just be the most unexpected one we've had yet. Jim Gray is a rancher, historian, author, and director of the Jansen Museum in Geneseo, Kansas — a town of about 220 people in Rice County. He takes us from the wild cattle towns of 1860s Kansas all the way to a blinding white light on a rural road in the summer of 1972. Whether he's riding the Chisholm Trail or piecing together a collection of UFO drawings in a repurposed farmhouse museum, Jim sees the Kansas prairie as a place that communicates with those willing to listen. Highlights A severe hailstorm recently devastated Salina — lost movie theater, closed mall, shattered pool railings — and the aftermath brought a wave of out-of-state dent repair hustlers trying to bribe Sydney at the permit officeJim Gray grew up three miles east of Geneseo and comes from a long line of livestock people whose family ranch in Rice County is still operating todayA music teacher once told young Jim to ditch the cowboy hat — his voice would take him farther. He didn't listen, and he has no regretsJoseph McCoy's stockyards in Abilene (1867) transformed Kansas: cattle shipments went from 35,000 head to 300,000 in just four years before the town literally ran the drovers offIn 2011, Jim helped organize a modern cattle drive from south of Caldwell to Ellsworth — 300 head, three weeks, chuck wagons, and a near-runaway that cost him his canteenHollywood cowboys (think Yellowstone) don't match reality — real cowboys Jim has known are shy, polite, and would never cuss around a womanJim's book centers on Ellsworth, where the phrase "a man for breakfast" meant killing someone — and where Civil War veterans once dragged outlaws out of their beds to restore orderIn late July/early August 1972, Jim and his wife-to-be experienced a blinding white light that filled their car and retracted up into the sky — followed by a massive dust devil that came straight down Main StreetThe Janzen Museum in Geneseo preserves the collection of Dr. Elmer D. Janzen — minister, chiropractor, ventriloquist, auctioneer — who amassed 8,000 family history slides and an entire room of UFO materials, including technical drawings of flying saucers by a Nickerson mechanical arts teacher named John DeanJim built a medicine wheel on his pasture 25–30 years ago, aligned to the equinoxes, that he says has taught him as much about the circle of life as any college classKansas UFO Day is June 27th (a Saturday) at the Jansen Museum in Geneseo, featuring vendors and the "Martians and Market" pop-upThe hosts played "Beam Me Up, Kansas" — a segment preparing extraterrestrials for life in the Sunflower State, covering tornado sirens, I-70 crosswinds, the Kansas State Fair parking situation, and which Kansan should negotiate first contact (Jason Sudeikis got a strong vote) Chapters 0:04 — Hailstorm Fallout in Salina 1:20 — Dent Repair Hustle Stories 3:27 — Meet The Cowboy, Jim Gray 4:54 — Becoming The Cowboy 7:05 — Falling for Kansas History 9:01 — Abilene Stockyards Revolution 13:22 — Modern Chisholm Trail Drive (2011) 18:19 — Cowboy Work Then and Now 23:03 — Hollywood vs. Real Cowboys 23:57 — Ellsworth Wild West Tales 27:19 — Gunfight Myths and Reality 28:25 — The 1972 UFO Encounter 31:19 — Museum Founder & UFO Links (Dr. Elmer D. Janzen) 32:29 — Doc Janzen's Slide Archive 33:12 — The UFO Room Origins 34:19 — Museum Neglect & Revival 35:39 — Did Janzen Believe? 37:26 — Distant Horizons Prairie 38:51 — Medicine Wheel Wisdom 41:17 — Kansas UFO Day & Visiting the Jansen Museum 42:48 — Roswell: Cowboys and Aliens 43:49 — Hosts Reflect on Jim 45:39 — Beam Me Up, Kansas (Segment) 47:27 — Alien Questions: Tornado Sirens 49:30 — Driving I-70 Survival Guide 50:38 — Which Kansan Negotiates with Aliens? 52:05 — Which Kansas Town Has the Most Alien Energy? 53:40 — Share Your UFO Story 54:47 — Episode Wrap & Announcements Resources Geneseo City Museum — https://www.geneseomuseum.com/Kansas UFO Day — June 27th (Saturday) at the Jansen Museum, Geneseo, KS https://www.geneseomuseum.com/copy-of-aboutSend your UFO story: info@askakansan.com Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Cowboys, UFOs, and Distant Horizons with Jim Gray | Kansas Space Cowboy

  7. Jun 15

    Preserving Kansas African American Stories with Shane

    What does it take to preserve the stories that shaped Kansas — and to tell them honestly? Shane Carter, executive director of the Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM), joins us for a rich conversation about history, identity, and the work of building something that lasts. Shane's path to Wichita is anything but ordinary: a chance painting job in Newton, a curiosity-fueled afternoon touring Wichita's historical sites, and a job posting that felt like it had his name on it. What followed was a year of pouring hard-won lessons from 13 years running a community center in Ohio into one of the most important cultural institutions in the state. We get into the history of the museum's building — a church hand-built brick by brick by its congregation, saved from demolition by a woman who stood in front of it and said no — and the responsibility TKAAM carries to tell accurate history without pointing fingers or creating shame. Shane is direct, personal, and genuinely inspiring. Stay for the whole thing. Highlights The Retro Future Home — A 1950s all-electric model home in Prairie Village toured by 60,000 people, preserved inside the Johnson County Museum, and a striking reminder of who those "American Dream" suburbs were designed forShane's Kansas origin story — How a cash job painting in Newton led him to spend his lunch breaks learning about Hattie McDaniel, the Dockum Sit-In, Chester I. Lewis, Nicodemus, and the ExodustersThe do-gooder's dilemma — The tension between giving everything to your community and actually making it home for dinner; Shane reflects on what it cost him and what the move to Kansas restoredThe Lincoln Community Center — A one-room schoolhouse turned regional hub: 120 kids daily, a staff of 30, a $6M construction project completed during COVID, and job re-entry for people the system had given up onTKAAM's building history — Calvary Baptist Church, demolished and rebuilt by its congregation in 1916–17, saved from county demolition in the 1970s by Doris Kerr Larkins, and now the home of the Kansas African American MuseumThe new museum and culture center at 201 North Main — A capital campaign with a goal of opening in June 2028, featuring immersive and interactive exhibits on Wichita's civil rights historyTelling history without shame — How Shane thinks about creating a genuinely non-political safe space where the Tulsa Massacre, segregation, and civil rights are told accurately to everyone in the roomJuneteenth programming — Free admission June 19–20, a community mural with Evergy at the museum, and events at McAdams Park with the Juneteenth ICT group Chapters 0:00 — Retro Future Home2:03 — Segregation Reality Check2:38 — Introducing Shane Carter3:53 — Kansas Journey Begins4:41 — Ohio Roots & Leadership8:17 — The Do-Gooder's Dilemma9:50 — Skills for the TKAAM Role13:29 — Finding the Museum21:36 — Learning Kansas & Wichita23:48 — Museum Origins & Building29:25 — Hidden Stories & Water Street31:37 — Churches as Community Pillars35:38 — Museum Literacy Program36:09 — Museum Programs Overview37:25 — Trailblazers Hall of Fame38:41 — STEM Spotlight at Exploration Place39:21 — Taking Education Beyond Walls41:48 — Building the New Culture Center43:19 — Telling History Without Shame50:46 — Support the Capital Campaign51:33 — Juneteenth Events & Meaning56:48 — Mom's Knick-Knacks Game1:02:07 — Wrap-Up & Announcements Resources Mentioned Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM) — www.tkaamuseum.org/Juneteenth ICT — Community programming at McAdams Park, WichitaJohnson County Museum — Home of the Retro Future HomeExploration Place — Wichita; site of TKAAM's African Americans in STEM February projectionGreenwood Rising — Tulsa, Oklahoma; TKAAM peer and partnerCosmosphere — Hutchinson, KansasSunflower Summer — Kansas free-admission summer program for families Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    Preserving Kansas African American Stories with Shane

  8. Jun 8

    In the Grain: Kansas to Ecuador and Back with Tanner Johnson | Kansas Carver

    What happens when a kid from Lindsborg, Kansas follows his heart to a cloud forest in Ecuador — and then returns after staying for nearly 20 years? Tanner Johnson's answer to that question is one of the most unexpected, quietly profound stories we've heard. He built a bamboo house, married into a local family, taught English to kids from kindergarten through 12th grade, and somewhere along the way, picked up a knife and started carving wood. Now he's back in Kansas, reunited with his family, and using his art to honor the memory of Jewish people lost to the Holocaust — one face at a time. Highlights Podcast listener Greg Victors (the Wichita Wardancer) inspired a collaboration with Manhattan High School Orchestra director Cody Toll — exactly the kind of cross-Kansas connection Ask A Kansan was made to createTanner grew up in Lindsborg, studied anthropology at K-State, and ended up in an Ecuadorian cloud forest as a volunteer on a bird study — and never really leftHe lived for years with no internet, no foreigners within 50 miles, and learned Spanish entirely by immersion in a rural communityHe built his own bamboo house, asked for his wife's hand from her brothers (her father had passed), cleared nearly two acres of land with his 90-something-year-old grandfather-in-law, and planted 110 trees during a pandemic military lockdownGrowing violence and crime in Ecuador in 2023 pushed him to bring his family back to Kansas — they got married here, bought a house, and are now all togetherHis daughters arrived in Kansas with almost no English and had to sink or swim in the school system — and thrivedHis woodcarving specialty is realistic faces, with a particular focus on honoring the memory of pre-Holocaust Jewish communities, inspired by Roman Vishniac's photography book A Vanishing WorldA face-to-face encounter with antisemitism solidified his decision to pursue a degree in Jewish studiesHe's carved over 650 pieces in five years — all by hand, no power carving toolsSydney debuts the new podcast segment: Fart or Art? Chapters 0:05 — A Surprise Ask A Kansan Connection 1:23 — Meet Tanner Johnson 3:23 — From Hobby to Woodcarver 5:16 — Lindsborg Roots and Music 6:37 — Anthropology to Ecuador 11:08 — Choosing a Life Abroad 12:51 — Forest Life and Family 16:34 — Pandemic Reality Check 19:07 — Back to Kansas Together 23:24 — Finding Woodcarving Style 25:58 — Tools and Tropical Hardwoods 26:58 — Relearning the Knife 27:25 — Counting 650 Carvings 28:25 — Finding Purpose in Memory 32:01 — Art Form and Antisemitism 35:11 — Choosing Jewish Studies 36:54 — Spiritual Beliefs Explained 39:11 — Hand Tools and Roughouts 41:07 — Where to Find Tanner 43:12 — Hosts Reflect on the Interview 44:04 — Fart or Art Game 52:20 — Episode Wrap and Plugs Resources Tanner Johnson Woodcarver — tannerjohnsonwoodcarver.comTanner on Instagram — @tannerjohnsonwoodcarverA Vanished World by Roman Vishniac — the photography book that shaped Tanner's Holocaust memorial carving focusZen Mind Jewish Mind — the book Tanner credits for shaping his spiritual perspective Learn more about the podcast at askakansan.com! This show is part of the ICT Podcast Network, for more information, visit ictpod.net

    In the Grain: Kansas to Ecuador and Back with Tanner Johnson | Kansas Carver
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Ask A Kansan is a podcast where we're amplifying, connecting and uncovering stories across Kansas. Every week, Gus and Sydney sit down with the people who actually make this state run — museum directors and ranchers, founders and historians, zookeepers and woodcarvers. From Kansas City to Kinsley, WaKeeney to Wichita, we go where the story is. You'll leave each episode knowing something you didn't about the state we call home. It's not a history lecture and it's not a business show. It's a real conversation with a Kansan worth knowing. New episodes weekly. askakansan.com

Information

  • Creator
    Ask A Kansan
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    67
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Ask A Kansan

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