Cowley College entrepreneurs

I recently attended a Cowley College entrepreneurship class taught by Lisa Roberts. (She was a substitute for the regular instructor who was on a brief leave of absence.)

Because of limited time to get my story done, I wasn't able to report many of the comments of her students, who made some thoughtful comments about the Arkansas City economy. Some comments might even be considered provocative.

In my Traveler story that was printed — and can be found on our website — Sept. 13, I focused on several of the students who interviewed Ark City business owners who had started as young entrepreneurs and had built up successful businesses. But there is another, not-so-pretty side to the entrepreneurship game. I didn't really cover that side of the story.

Entrepreneurship is hard work. And it's harder these days, especially in small markets like Ark City, than in the past, some of the students noted.

A would-be entrepreneur may have to be inventive, as Nicole Ferguson, who wants to open a scrapbooking store, said. For her entrepreneurship interview, Nicole talked to a man from Texas who had invented a first-aid product, a disinfectant, called "911."

At least a few students said "Ark City doesn't seem to have the market for it," or words to that effect, referring to the products they wanted to sell. Roberts countered that they could always consider selling their items on-line. Products can be sold from just about anywhere — no matter how remote the location — via the Internet.

"You can sell your dance tapes on-line," Schylur Watson said to another student who wants to start a dance studio.

Catherine Dalton said she believed clothing would sell in Arkansas City, which has only a few clothing stores to choose from, and no shoe stores. (In days of old, the town had more than twice as many clothing stores as today, including at least two stores that carried dress-up items. It also had shoe stores.)

But others disagreed. "I don't think it would," one student said. "It wouldn't compete on Wal-Mart prices."

Another student said he thought Ark City was "too small and too poor to support busineess."

As for local stores competing with Wal-Mart, someone — maybe me — mentioned that some items purchased at Big Box stores wear out pretty quickly. "You get what you pay for," said Rebecca Williams, a student who used to work at Brown's store in downtown Arkansas City.

Williams said that Brown's — which started as an office supplies store — had diversified to attract more customers. And some of those customers live far from Ark City. For instance, the store started carrying gourmet coffee beans that are shipped to customers all over the country. "People would pay $55 a pound for Jamaican Blue," she said.

Other issues related to a store's location include what else is out there, and whether it would be a draw if there were just a few shops near — say — Strother Field. (There is a multiplex theater at the south edge of Strother Field, which is midway between Ark City and Winfield.)

"When you do have things out there, you need to be connecting businesses," Roberts said. (Or anywhere else, for that matter, including downtown Ark City. There also was some discussion on whether — and how well — local businesses downtown "partner" or connect with each other.)

The next project for the students after they completed their interviews with successful entrepreneurship was to evaluate two feasibility studies on real-life new businesses that want to start. (I think they are real-life, not theoretical, and I think those businesses are considering locating in Cowley County.)

I would be interested in knowing how the students are doing on that project — and also hearing from anyone who reads this blog and has something to say about entrepreneurship in the Arkansas City area.

List of Arkalalah themes

My former colleague Kathleen Anderson-McIntyre — we worked together at the Kansas City Kansan in the 1970s — has asked that I list the Arkalalah themes year by year. Kathleen also grew up in Ark City, and is a member of the ACHS Class of 1972. Her class is among those having a reunion this coming Arkalalah.

Following are the Arkalalah themes, identified by year, as provided to me by the Arkalalah Committee. (I'll list them through the '70s, and list the others in a later blog):

1928 — Under the Big Top; 1929 — Sunflower Garden; 1930 — Modernistic theme; 1931 — (no theme listed); 1932 — Halloween Theme; 1933 — Autumn Theme; 1934 — The Girl in the Clock; 1935 — (no theme listed); 1936 — (no theme listed); 1937 — Southern mansion stage background; 1938 — Good Neighbor; 1939 — From the Land of Enchantment, to the Land of Make Believe, to the Land of Now; 1940 — 70th Anniversary of the Founding of Arkansas City; 1942 Miss Liberty Bell. (Arkalalah was discontinued for several years during World War II.)

1946 — It's a Queen's Town Tonight; 1947 — Awetomic Age; 1948 — Fun, Frolic and Mystery; 1949 — (no theme listed); 1950 — (no theme listed); 1951 — Arkalalah Meody; 1952 — Indians and Pioneer Theme "???:"; 1953 — Opening of the Cherokee Strip Run "???"; 1954 — Chilocco's 70th Anniversary; 1955 — Santa Fe's 75th birrthday; 1956 — Silver Jubilee (25th anniversary); 1957 — International Friendship & Goodwill; 1958 — No Theme; 1959 — Far Away Places.

1960 — Ninety Years of Progress; 1961 — Centennial Arkalalah "My State, My Kansas 1861-1961"; 1962 — Out of This World; 1963 — Harvest Hoopalalah; 1964 — Coronation Time, 1964 Mardi Gras; 1965 — Arkalalah Hallabaloo; 1966 — Arkalalah Carnival; 1967 — (no theme listed); 1968 — Fantasies, Fairy Tales; 1969 — Haunters Holiday; 1970 — Halloween Moon Walk; 1971 — Panorama 100, 100 Years of A.C. History; 1972 — Witches Holiday; 1973 — Halloween Masquerade; 1974 — Hullabuloo; 1975 — Up with People; 1976 — Heritage in Harmony; 1977 — Autumn Jubilee; 1978 — Halloween Homecoming; 1979 — '70s in Review.

Arkalalah themes: 2007, 1957

The Arkalalah Executive Committee recently announced the theme for Arkalalah 2007: "Dr. Seuss on the Loose."

At first I thought it was a cute theme, especially for the kids — and Arkalalah exists mainly for the kids; that's how Arkansas City's fall festival started over 75 years ago, to give kids a "good time" around Halloween. (Really, Arkalalah is for the child in all of us.)

Dr. Seuss, of course is the famed author of rhyming children's books including "The Cat in the Hat," which was published 50 years ago this year. Dr. Seuss is a pen name for the late Theodor Seuss Geisel, of Springield, Mass.

The idea behind the theme, I was told, is to get Ark City kids to read more, and to inspire some creative floats.

I like those ideas but I'm having second thoughts on the theme. It seems a little remote to Ark City. I don't see a tie-in to our town, and Arkalalah is Arkansas City's festival — a time for family fun, class reunions and reunions in general with people who grew up here or have some tie to Ark City — or have heard about Arkalalah and want to experience the festival for the first time.

What other theme could the committee have chosen? An obvious one would be the 100th anniversary of Oklahoma statehood. Oklahoma became a state in 1907.

Ark City is only a few miles from the Oklahoma border and has been promoted as the "gateway to Oklahoma." It's also the biggest departure point for the famed land rush of 1893 into Oklahoma territory.

Plus, Miss America — either for this year or last, I'm not sure at the moment — is from Oklahoma. I made a suggestion months ago to the Arkalalah committee to get in touch with her to see if she could be in the Arkalalah Parade. Apparently nobody did, so that was an opportunity we missed, I believe. (She could still be contacted, of course.)

Fifty years ago we celebrated being neighbors with Oklahoma. As a 10-year-old, I took a picture of a float entitled "From Injuns to Engines" honoring the 50th anniversary that year of Oklahoma statehood.

The official theme of Arkalalah 1957 was "International Friendship and Goodwill" — what a different time than today! The United States was about to embark on a space race with the old Soviet Union in those Cold War days. In fact, the first artificial satellite launched by humans, Sputnik, was launched by the USSR in 1957, in October, the same month Arkalalah was held.

I don't think we have to repeat that theme this year. But it's interesting that Arkalalah organizers then thought up that theme. It was a simpler, perhaps more naive, time. But friendship and goodwill are qualities we could really use now.

Arkansas City through the years has promoted itself as a friendly town, extending goodwill to all its citizens and its neighbors. That's how I remember it growing up.

Does the town still value those qualities as highly as it did 50 years ago?

People who (can) make a difference

It's you and I, folks, who can make a difference in Arkansas City.

The examples of people who have done a lot for the town are many. We could join their ranks.

I may mention a few of those people from the town's history later.

But right now I want to talk about a couple who moved here recently. They are trying to fill a need for Arkansas City by opening a new authentic Italian cuisine restaurant.

Doreen and Jim Ryan recently held a "soft opening" for their classy restaurant on First Street just north of Fifth Avenue.

Before I go any further, I want also to acknowledge that Pizza Hut is building a new Wings Restaurant with an expanded menu on Summit Street across from the Dillon's Store. And another place, the Redzone bar and grill, has opened at 1419 N. Eighth, in the Redwood Village shopping plaza.

The Pizza Hut is expected to open in September, so obviously I can't review it, although I'm happy it's coming. And I haven't yet visited the Redzone.

But I can talk about the Ryans' new place, Mozitti's.

Walking in there for the first time a few days ago was like being back in a nice restaurant in Italy. I recently returned from a vacation in Rome.

I don't want to give the wrong impression. Mozitti's is not a stuffy fine-dining place, although it does have white tablecloths and great food. It is a comfortable, inviting place. A place you'd like to bring friends or family.

That's the way Ryans want it, Doreen told me. They want to provide a casual atmosphere and a pleasant dining experience.

Doreen Ryan brings 20 years restaurant experience with her to Ark City. She started out as a dishwasher in restaurants her family operated. Her husband wanted to join her in a venture here, and she finally agreed.

Mozitti's now features pizzas and sandwiches made with special Italian breads and seasonings. But eventually the restaurant's menu will include such entrees as grilled steak, grilled salmon and shrimp scampi.

Ryan said she also plans to add pasta and wine offerings.

The day Mozitti's opened, the restaurant was packed, I am told. It had a lot of people there the day I was there.

Let's keep supporting our restaurants, including this new one.

Another fine, family-run restaurant that has operated successfully here for decades is the Green Door. It offers authentic Mexican food with fine ingredients and is run by the Ramirez family.

And don't forget Jerry's Donuts, now called Ike's, at 909 N. Summit St.

Jerry Stover was an Arkansas City native who worked in the donut business for 45 years. He and his wife, Janelle, opened a donut shop here in 1981 and they kept rising at dawn to make the donuts until retiring last December.

They turned the shop over to Ike Heilig, who worked for them.

And finally, an example of a successful Ark City restaurant from the past: the Purity Cafe. It was located next to the Home National Bank on Summit; its space now is part of the HNB.

I remember it serving good food when I grew up here in the 1950s and '60s. Business people would eat there daily.

Recently I came across a Traveler article printed in March 1953 on its early owners, the Gochis brothers.

They first opened the Purity Cafe on April 1, 1918, at 309 S. Summit St. Later, they moved it to the 200 block of South Summit and operated the Busy Bee for a number of years.

The Gochis brothers also operated the Chocolate Shoppe in the Osage Hotel for two years before moving the Purity Cafe to its 123 S. Summit St. location in 1938.

Re: Rants and Rails

Foss-

Good JOB on this story! I really enjoyed it! Yes for the people that grew up in Ark City we have many fond memories of how good ole' AC used to be. As the years have gone by, we miss seeing many buildings that once were there. The old high school for one. I remember when Larry Pike Construction tore it down. It only had a few cracks here and there and I wondered years later why they did not just repair it. The new high school cost over $4 million or so to build and after a few short years it began to show wear and tear. The first high school in AC still stands. My mother went there. I wonder when they will tear it down! What a shame!

As far as the old, old bricks that are on many of our streets all over town yes they are still there. It would be nice to see them once again.

Newcomers come and go and have some terrific ideas so they think, but they move away knowing that good ole' AC was not really their home.

Once again Foss good job!

Rants and Rails

The voting is over on The Traveler's web poll on whether or not readers want to see Summit Street returned to a brick street. Athough a modest majority of 56 percent said "no," most of those who said "yes" -- 26 percent of the 44 percent affirmative voters -- said they would be willing to help pay to have the street "paved" with bricks.

Actually, the question wasn't worded fairly; Summit wouldn't have to be "paved with brick." It already is, as we saw during the final stages of the recently completed Streetscape project. The bricks are under the asphalt surface. Critics of brick streets say they are damaged beyond repair from being scraped by street equipment. But they looked pretty good to me. And others agree. As one downtown businessman said, "All you'd need to do is turn the existing bricks over."

Yes, it would take a little manpower -- something that seems lacking these days in Ark City. And it would take some willpower, also lacking.

I liked a few of the comments we got on the poll -- some were tagged onto our website voting site and another sent to the paper as a "letter to the editor." Two points seem to me worth noting here: we would not need to return the whole four miles of Summit to brick, just the several blocks where Streetscape improvements were done; and we could help fund the project through donations from alumni of Ark City High School -- or for that matter through individuals. Bricks funded by these groups or individuals could be stamped with their names -- the Class of 1965, for example.

Our town's existing brick streets are worth preserving, I believe. Other towns and cities have brick streets and there is a movement nationwide to go back to the bricks for beautification and to provide an historic look. One critic of bricks said tourists wouldn't come to a brick town area here, but I disagree. If we could focus more on Summit business and get some more restaurants and shops opened, people would enjoy the pleasant ambiance of these amenities and the brick streets.

My guess is that the "no" votes came from people who didn't grow up in Arkansas City, or who grew up here -- or moved here -- over the past 10 to 20 years. During those years the brick streets have not been kept up. Let's not let what happened to several historic buildings in town over the years happen to our brick streets. They ended up being razed after years of neglect.

I'd like to turn now from bricks to railroads. Arkansas City was a rail center in Kansas during the 20th century. The Burlington Northern Santa Fe still operates out of here. And there is a movement to bring Amtrak up through here from Oklahoma.

We had four or five rail depots here at one time. In addition to the Santa Fe, at least one -- the Midland Valley -- is still standing.

The Traveler in its May 19, 1930 edition carried a story by student journalist Josephine Pollard who reported: "Four thriving railroads prove themselves a major industrial asset to Arkansas City by providing an annual payroll of $1,956,000 earned by Arkansas City citizens." Nearly two million dollars in 1930 was a lot of money.

A March 28, 1950 Traveler story has the headline: "Santa Fe at Peak Level in Big Operations Here." The story notes: "The Santa Fe's strategic part in the city's life dates back to Jan. 2, 1880, when the first train entered Arkansas City from the north, completing a 10-year dream of railroad transportation for the new frontier town."

Dreams, some may scoff, don't bring money. True, but dreams can provide a direction, or goal, to work toward. How can we build on our history as a rail center? How can we use that history to draw other industry, to draw more people to Ark City?

Re: Early history

The history of Ark City is really fascinating. There's a 3 volume set of booklets called "Between The Rivers", By Bess Oldroyd (I think), that gives a very good history of the town and local area. I believe the public library has a copy of it.

I'm especially fascinated by the history of the canal and how it was used to power a mill, a furniture factory, and electric power plant. I understand that Hap Benshoff (sp?), who went to our church when I was a child, was responsible for operating the old headgates out north of the old city dump. He would have to go out there and regulate the flow of water flowing through the canal. I wish I could have seen the canal when it was "working".

Another part of our history that I like is about the Aunt Sally riverboat that came up the Arkansas river, then the Walnut river and docked around where Walnut Park is now located. From what I've read there was a park where the big dug-out hole south of the east Madison bridge is located. Indians used to camp there and there was quite a nice park there.

I remember the old Ice House on south F street, just south of Madison. I'm not sure, but I think it may have burned down.

I, too, am saddened that so many structures of our past have been destroyed. The Elmo Hotel was one of my favorite buildings in the whole town.

It's not too late for Ark city to make a come-back. Sure, we've been hit hard by plant closures in past years (packing house, refinery, etc), but I believe there are enough inovative people here to overcome the adversity we've faced as a town and to begin a fresh start, building on the solid foundations of our historical past.


__________________
Steve Manley

Re: Early history

Last week I read Blaze Marks on the Border again for the first time in many years. This 1970 book contains many interesting stories of Arkansas City's early days. One sad aspect of this and other local histories is the casual disregard with which so many historic treasures have been destroyed. The Fifth Avenue Opera House, the Fifth Avenue Bookstore, the Ranney-Davis Building, the Syndicate Building, the Gladstone Hotel, and many other local assets have been razed with the contempt bred by familiarity. This is particularly depressing when we compare Arkansas City to Ottawa and other Kansas towns that still have so many of their historic buildings.

Re: Early history

Great thread!

Whenever I go to a new town, the first thing I always do is to get one (or more) books on local history. It gives you an entirely different sense of things and puts everything you do or see while there into context.

As a newbie to the Ark City area, I am looking forward to learning more about the history of the town. I will definitely check out the "Between The Rivers" trilogy and "Blaze Marks on the Border"!

Early history

Arkansas City has a fascinating history. Founded in 1870, the town in some ways was typical of many frontier, "western" towns. In other ways, it was -- and remains, I think -- unique. The Cherokee Strip Land Rush of 1893 was the biggest historical event to happen near Ark City and the town's population swelled to 50,000 to 100,000 in the days surrounding the run -- I've seen various estimates, but more than 100,000 participated in the run from various towns, Ark City being the largest.

What I want to share in this first posting is description of the town from a "Handbook of Arkansas City," published in 1887 by a Chicago publishing house. I don't know the author's name, but he identifies himself as a periodic visitor, not a resident.

The handbook calls Ark City "the canal city of mills and factories, solid and fast growing trade -- the coming railway and manufacturing center of Southern Kansas."

According to the handbook: In the summer of 1869, several pioneers settled near the present site of Ark City. It is said these settlers and traders were obliged to pay $5 per capita tribute to Chetopa, the head chief of the Osages. (One name among the pioneers I recognize is (H.C. and Pat) Endicott. I grew up in the 1200-1300 block of North A Street and we had Endicotts as neighbors -- don't know if they were descendants of the pioneers. There are Endicotts today listed in the Ark City telephone book.)

Anyway, the author is optimistic in his description of Ark City and Cowley County in general. He praises the people: "A county whose 36,000 people hail from every civilized land and represent the best blood, heart, brain, skill, experience, working power and ambition of the older states ..."

He goes on: "Arkansas City is the chief commerical town of the county and with a single exception, the most promising city in the great State of Kansas."

"The pioneer settlement of the lands upon which Arkansas City now stands ... was made by John Brown, John Strain. T.A. Wilkinson and G.H. Norton, on the first of January, 1870. A little later, came a party of well-known Emporia gentlemen and formally laid out Walnut City. the name of the new town was subsequently changed to Delphi, and a few months later, to Cresswell, in honor of the late Postmaster General. Still later, the founders adopted the name of Arkansas City ..."

Speaking of the culture of people in 1880s Ark City, the author states: "They have too, much more than the average mental and social culture of western towns, and make the finest practical display of UNITY AND PUBLIC ENTERPRISE (these words are capitalized in the handbook) that I have found anywhere in the west."

He goes on: "The internal spirit of clique and division and discord that has blighted the fair prospects of many a western town, has never entered Arkansas City. The people are a unit on anything and everything that promises the material advancement of their favorite town. Every good enterprise meets a ready and hearty response from the stalwart workers of this brave, bustling, buoyant, busy and booming young city."

Let's look at those words in terms of Ark City today. Readers, you can make your own comparisons in regards to the unity level of the current Ark City, and where we fall on the optimism-pessimism scale.

Of course, we live in a changed world and face economic obstacles that were not there in the 1880s. The question is: Where do we go from here?