Les Anderson is a professor in the Elliott School of Communication at Wichita State University. This is his second year of bringing journalism students to Greensburg to tell the story of its rebirth.
An early day photo from Buster's Web site shows the saloon when Sun City was a bustling town.
I’d never heard of Buster’s, but a couple of friends we met last year in Haviland insisted we needed to visit the saloon in Sun City before we went back to Wichita this year. I had to admit I also hadn’t heard of Sun City. And I’m familiar with a lot of small Kansas towns.
Sun City is on the northern side of the striking beauty of the Gyp Hills in Barber County. The trip from Greensburg down dirt roads and over cattle guards in open pastures was awesome. Wildflowers are in full bloom this time of year. The waitress told us there were about 60 people in town, if you counted all the cats and dogs.
Buster’s opened in the mid 1940s, and takes credit as the first bar in Kansas to have draft beer on tap. Katt Kerns and her family operate one of the few — if not the only —businesses in Sun City.
Buster’s is known for its ice-cold fishbowls of beer, but the food is good, too. Most of us had cheeseburgers and homemade fries. Best cheeseburger I’ve had in some time. Our friends were right — Buster’s is worth the trip.
The front of Buster's Saloon today. It's an inviting place — inside and out.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Lou Heldman // Jun 3, 2009 at 12:11 pm
I’ve really been enjoying the Elliott School media explosion out of Greensburg. Congratulations to everyone involved.
Les, please bring me back a Buster’s cheeseburger.
Lou
2 Cheryl Miller // Jun 7, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Les, how could I have known about Buster’s and the fishbowl beers before you? The burgers are good, and sometimes they have live music from a few of the locals.
Whatever happened to the Trail’s End Junk Shoppe in Belvidere?
3 Katt Kerns // Jul 5, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Thx much Les for making Buster’s the subject of your blog. In today’s economy it’s a real challenge for any small business owner to keep their heads above water and sometimes it’s the little things – like a few words of praise in a blog, that keeps you going. I’ve printed your blog to pass to my team and I know they’ll appreciate your thoughts as much as I did. Thank you!
Miss Cheryl, I’m sad to tell you that the owner of Trail’s End Junk Shoppe, Ms. Margaret Turnbull, passed away in January, 2008, and her shop is no more. There is still a shop of sorts there though, operated by Mr. Hank Halley, called Halley’s Junction.
Thanks again and do come see us!
Katt Kerns
Buster’s Saloon
Sun City, Ks
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