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Olathe News - Mar. 10 '08

  • City of Olathe LogoHighly-Anticipated Mahaffie Heritage Center Opens Next Month
  • Free Easter Egg Hunt March 15 at the Great Mall in Olathe
  • Still Time to Purchase a Plot in the Olathe Community Garden
  • Cultural Learning Links Series Continues with Russian American Focus
  • Severe Weather Awareness Week: Are You and Your Family Prepared?
  • Sign Up Now for Upcoming Community Emergency Response Team Training

Highly-Anticipated Mahaffie Heritage Center Opens Next Month:
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony 11 a.m. April 4 & Public Open House noon - 4 p.m. April 5
The much-anticipated opening of the Mahaffie Heritage Center will become a reality April 4 when the facility opens its doors for the first time to tell the story of the Mahaffie family and their connection with Olathe, Johnson County, Kan., and the Santa Fe Trail.

Visitors to the Heritage Center, 1200 Kansas City Road, will receive an all-new Mahaffie experience aided by historic exhibits and audio-visual presentations.

 "The long-awaited opening of our beautiful new Heritage Center will boost tourism in the Olathe community and greatly enhance the experiences that visitors of all ages enjoy at the Mahaffie historic site.  The Heritage Center will be a premier attraction for the site and our community and will allow us to tell more about the great story of the Mahaffie family and Olathe's proud beginnings," said Olathe Mayor Michael Copeland.

City of Olathe Parks and Recreation Department Director Kevin Corbett said, "This is truly a great day for our city and the community that was made possible by numerous individuals and groups donating time and giving money, including community leaders, organizations, City staff and the great citizens of the Olathe community."

The celebration for the new Heritage Center kicks off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony from 11 a.m. to noon on April 4.

Mayor Copeland and other city and county leaders will speak at the April 4 event and cut the ceremonial red ribbon - marking the official opening of the Heritage Center.

A Heritage Center public Open House will be from noon to 4 p.m. April 5. Visitors to the Heritage Center during the public open house will be able to tour the new facility, view historical exhibits, listen to live period music and special presentations on Mahaffie history and enjoy refreshments. Also, the Mahaffie home will be open with cooking demonstrations and other living history activities in the historic house and the stagecoach will be operating with a fee per rider. 

Heritage Center Highlights
The 10,000-square-foot "Heritage Center" is built on about eight acres at the northwest corner of Kansas City Road and Ridgeview Road. The Heritage Center features a 2300-square-foot assembly room with a working fireplace and adjacent catering kitchen facilities with a pass-thru window to the outdoor patio.  

Besides the assembly space, the new facility features a gift shop, exhibit galleries for Mahaffie and the Olathe Historical Society, offices, and restrooms.

Custom-engraved bricks, purchased by individuals and entities, will line the front sidewalk of the new center. Bricks can still be purchased and proceeds will benefit programming and operations of the new facility.

In the spring, landscapers will surround the exterior of the facility with native plants, trees and nineteenth century ornamental flowers.

And a life-size relief sculpture of a stagecoach, passengers and six horses will be installed on the property in May near the corner of Ridgeview and Kansas City roads. The bronze sculpture by artist Kwan Wu is the Olathe Sesquicentennial Committee's Legacy Gift to the city.       

A unique aspect of the facility is that it will be available for rent for corporate meetings, business meetings, wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners, family reunions, and birthday and anniversary celebrations.

 "I can't help, but think that if JB & Lucinda (Mahaffie) were here today they would be amazed at the interest the community has in their farm and the outpouring of support for this great new facility," said Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop's Historic Site Manager Tim Talbott.  

Funding Sources Used for the Building
The heritage center is being funded through $900,000 raised by Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site's Foundation in partnership with $1.65 million from the retail sales tax fund approved by the Olathe City Council. There were also generous contributions from the following:

  • Johnson County Heritage Trust Fund - Johnson County Board of County Commissioners
  • Kansas Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Division
  • Olathe City Council and City staff
  • Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop and Farm Foundation
  • Money from the R.R. Osborne Trust
  • Olathe Historical Society
  • Maron Moore and many other corporate and private donors

The Mahaffie Historic Site contains the only remaining stagecoach stop open to the public on the Santa Fe Trail and is a certified historic site on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail by the National Park Service.

For more information about the Mahaffie Heritage Center and the Mahaffie Stagecoach Stop & Farm Historic Site, 1100 Kansas City Rd., Olathe call (913) 971-5111.

Free Easter Egg Hunt March 15 at the Great Mall in Olathe
The City of Olathe Parks and Recreation Department is partnering with Olathe Hy-Vee, 16100 W. 135 St., to sponsor an Easter egg hunt from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15 at the Great Mall of the Great Plains, 20700 W. 151 St.

This is the third year for the Free event.

Separate egg hunts will be held for different age groups.  The hunt for children up to 2 years of age will begin at 1:30 p.m., ages 3-5 at 12:30 p.m., ages 6-8 at 11:45 a.m. and ages 9-12 will begin at 11 a.m.

In addition to hunting for eggs, the event will feature booths by the Olathe Police and Fire Departments, the Johnson County Sheriff's Department, Kansas Highway Patrol, Kids Park, face painters, the Roberts Dairy Cow "Bossie," moonwalks by Wacky Banana, and of course, the Easter Bunny.

Still Time to Purchase a Plot in the Olathe Community Garden
Those who love planting fruits and vegetables may still purchase a plot in the Olathe Community Garden.

The deadline for applications is March 31, 2008.

There are 12 plots available, plus one wheelchair accessible plot, available in the community garden, which will soon be located at the corner of Santa Fe and Pine Streets in downtown Olathe. The garden has been located downtown at the southwest corner of Loula and Water streets since 2004.

Each plot is 10x 22 feet. Participants are responsible for the maintenance of their plot in accordance with the community garden guidelines.

The garden committee meets the second Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Lone Elm Conference Room of Olathe City Hall, 100 E. Santa Fe.

Those interested in purchasing a plot should come to a meeting of the group or contact City of Olathe Neighborhood Planner Elizabeth Barker at (913) 971- 8817.

Cultural Learning Links Series Continues with Russian American Focus
A group of panelists, representing the Russian American community, will come together to dispel myths, discuss and explore Russian culture, and share personal experiences.

"Celebrating Diversity and Honoring Unity" is the theme of the Cultural Learning Links series.

The event, free and open to the public, will meet from 1 - 3 p.m. March 11 at MidAmerica Nazarene University's Bell Cultural Events Center, 2030 E. College Way, Olathe.

The facilitator will be Svetlana Yeager, director of marketing at All World Languages & Cultures Inc., dba, Universal Highways.

The following are the panelists:

  • Dennis Ayzin - General Manager of Translation Perfect
  • Eve Levin - Professor Kansas University
  • Laura Breitberg , Clinical Therapist LSCSW, LCSW, - Jewish Family Services
  • Gregory Sandomirsky - Associate Concertmaster of the Kansas City Symphony
  • Artur Tkachenko - Student Panelist Junior Olathe Northwest

The Cultural Learning Links panelists will each answer different questions and then discuss their answers with each other. The audience will have an opportunity to write questions on note cards for the moderator to ask the panelists.

The event is sponsored by the City of Olathe, Americana Jubilee, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Able Hands Interpreting Services, Olathe Public Library, and Ken Hinson's KHR radio.com.

The meeting room is accessible. For more information about the March 11and upcoming Cultural Learning Links, contact the Office of Human Relations at (913) 971-6490 or go to http://www.olatheks.org.

 

Severe Weather Awareness Week: Are You and Your Family Prepared?
The Olathe Fire Department challenges you to prepare and plan for severe weather during "Kansas Severe Weather Awareness Week," March 10-14, 2008.

In 2007, Kansas reported 137 tornadoes - that's 80 more than Kansas' annual average and a new record for a single year!! Last year, Kansas tornadoes killed 14 people and injured 82.  The Greensburg tornado, on May 4, 2007, is the strongest tornado on record.

Lightning is the #2 weather killer in the United States - killing more people than tornadoes and hurricanes combined!! Lightning produces an electric charge or current that generates heat up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit - that's five times hotter than the sun's surface.

Do you know the fastest and most reliable way to receive information about severe weather and other community hazards like chemical spills or leaks? A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) All-Hazards Radio is the fastest and most reliable way to receive severe weather watches, warnings and advisories and information about other community hazards. One metro program, Project Community Alert, makes NOAA all-hazard radios available at cost.

The annual statewide tornado drill is Tuesday, March 11 at 1:30 p.m.  In the event of inclement weather, the drill will occur on Thursday, March 13 at 1:30 p.m.

Do you know what CERT is? CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team. A CERT group is an organized team of people trained by the Olathe Fire Department for disaster planning, preparedness and survival. The Olathe CERT program has trained more than 800 people since its inception in 2001.

Learn more about severe weather, emergency preparedness and CERT by calling Olathe's Emergency Management Coordinator Rita Hoffman at (913) 971-7943 or visit www.olatheks.org and click on "Emergency Preparedness."

 

Sign Up Now for Upcoming Community Emergency Response Team Training
The Olathe Fire Department is accepting applications for the next Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training class.  The next CERT class will begin Saturday, March 22 at 1 p.m. at the Fire Administration Building, 1225 S. Hamilton Circle, Olathe. 

CERT is about readiness, people helping people, rescuer safety, and doing the greatest good for the greatest number of people.  A CERT group is an organized team of people trained for disaster planning, preparedness and survival. Following a major disaster, like a tornado strike, professional first responders who provide fire and medical services may not be able to meet the initial demand for these services.

The potential for large numbers of victims, disabled telecommunication equipment, and road blockages may delay emergency services workers from reaching disaster victims. In a disaster, people will have to rely on each other for help to meet their immediate live-saving and life-sustaining needs. A CERT network can train people to meet Olathe's needs in the event of a disaster.

The course will run form 1-5 p.m. Saturday March 22 through April 19.

An on-line application is available at www.olatheks.org/Fire/ResponseTeam or contact Rita Hoffman, (913) 971-7943, for more information.

 

100 E. Santa Fe; Olathe, KS 66061
913-971-8700