Great performance from PrideFest 2023

 

Zava performed at the 2023 Kansas City Pride Festival.

Zava is a singer and dancer based in Kansas City.

I prominently featured Zava in the first of two compilation videos of entertainment from last year’s festival. 

 

As I edited videos from this year’s pride festival, I decided to publish all of the footage I recorded of Zava’s outstanding performance last year. 

 

 

 

 

 

Zava’s medley of songs included “Wrong,” an original song you can listen to on Zava’s YouTube Channel.

 

 

The performance also featured "H.O.E.", which stands for "Heaven on Earth." 

"H.O.E." was written by Zava and Giuseppe Sorce. 

 

 

  

Big Kansas Road Trip - Lucas, Sylvan Grove, Vesper

 

Last month, I traveled to Lucas, Sylvan Grove, and Vesper during the Big Kansas Road Trip.

On the way home, I stopped in Tescott and Abilene.

 

 

Every year, the Kansas Sampler Foundation organizes the Big Kansas Road Trip to highlight some of the hidden treasures in rural Kansas. 

 

 

 

I attended the Big Kansas Road Trip for the first time last year, in Smith, Jewell, and Republic counties, in North Central Kansas, along the Kansas-Nebraska border.

 

This year, the Road Trip was held in Ellsworth County, Lincoln County, and Lucas, in central Kansas. 

Lucas is located in Russell County.

The Road Trip took place from May 2-5, although I was only able to participate on Friday, May 3.

 

 

 

In Lucas, I took photos of the art on display at Fork Art Park. 

 

 

 

 

The public restroom for the park features intricate works of art built from toy cars, dominoes, dice, and other eye-catching materials. 

 

 

 

 

I took photos of beautiful murals in Lucas as well.

 

 

 

 

I attended a tour led by an official from the Kansas Audubon Society, who discussed their conservation work. 

 

 

In Sylvan Grove, I visited the Yesterday House, the town’s history museum, and a historic Union Pacific Railroad Depot, shown below. 

 

 

 

 

I took photos of “In the Wind,” the mural that surrounds the Vesper Community Center.

 

 

 

 

On the way home, I stopped in Tescott, where I photographed murals, memorials, and birds resting atop the Tescott water tower. 

 

 

 

I also stopped for a bite to eat at “The Lumberyard,” a bar and grill in Tescott.

 

 

 

In Abilene, I took photos of sculptures of women in fantasy settings.

The sculptures were for sale in the Great Plains Gift Company section of the 24/7 Travel Store, a gas station just off I-70.

 

 

 

 

I created a video from the photos I took during the trip. 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed this video, you might enjoy my Slices of Life playlist.

 

 

2024 Solar Eclipse - a Celestial Odyssey

 

In early April, I watched the 2024 Solar Eclipse.

I observed the eclipse in the small town of Sparta, Illinois, on April 8.

While I was there, I recorded video of the mid-day twilight created by the eclipse, and the reactions of onlookers gathered in Sparta’s City Park.

From my location, the moon completely blocked the sun, except for the sun’s corona, which formed a ring of light around the moon.

The brief time when this occurs is known as totality. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My attempt to photograph and record video of the eclipse itself didn’t turn out as well.

 

 

 

A Pleasant Journey

 

My eclipse odyssey began April 7 as I departed from my home of Manhattan, Kansas.

During my drive, I stopped at a park called “Old Prairie Town” in Topeka.

The park displayed a work of art depicting flowers created from bottle caps and pop tabs.

I didn’t see the name of the piece or its artist’s name displayed nearby. 

 

The park also included many colorful tulips for visitors to enjoy.

 

 

 

I drove through Kansas City later that day.

I stayed the night at a hotel in Columbia, Missouri, for a reasonable rate.

Hotels along the path of totality were considerably outside my price range.

 

 

 

On April 8, I drove to St. Louis, before heading south.

After St. Louis, traffic increased tremendously, from all of the people driving to see the eclipse.

I originally planned to watch the eclipse in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but I decided to stop in Sparta, Illinois, instead, due to the heavy traffic.

Sparta was still well within totality, and the town had a nice park where I could comfortably view the eclipse.

 

 

After the eclipse, I charged my phone at the Sparta Public Library.

Between my navigation app and recording the eclipse, my phone definitely needed to be charged before my drive home.

 

 

 

I stopped at a Target in the St. Louis suburb of Bridgeton.

Targets in larger cities have a lot more to see than ones in smaller cities like Manhattan or Salina.

The Target sold large plushies of Pokémon, including this adorable Eevee.

The Target also sold “The Game Master’s Book of Villains, Minions, and their Tactics.”

After a harrowing drive through Kansas City at night, I finally made it home to Manhattan, before returning to work the next day.

 

If you enjoyed my video of the eclipse, you might also enjoy the videos in my Natural Wonders playlist.