The Sedgwick County Commission took a step away from Old Cowtown Museum last week in terms of financial support, just as the city of Wichita took over the cash-strapped cultural treasure. About $300,000 of a once-earmarked $519,000 from the county still could end up supporting Cowtown, but $115,000 was redirected as part of the passage of the county’s 2008 budget. It’s not surprising that the county would reassess its role at Cowtown, now that Wichita has opted to be responsible for Cowtown’s operations. But the county has been a crucial partner in working through Cowtown’s problems for the past year. Bowing out now would only make the city’s task more difficult.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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18 Comments
Is this Mooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo Town Wichytaa again?
Drumming up tourism to compete with Disneyworld? (snort, snort)
Are you going to teach the children:
Some breeds of dairy cattle are: Holsteins and Friesians [most milk], Brown Swiss [high lands], Jersey [rich and creamy milk], Normandy , and the Dairy Shorthorn.
Some kinds of beef cattle are Aberdeen, Angus, Brahman, Charolais, Herefords, and Polled Herefords. Farmers pick which breed they want to raise by the climate where they live. For example, some cattle can be raised in areas where there isn’t too much water.Male cattle are called bulls and females are called cows. Steers are males who cannot reproduce. Young cows are called heifers until they have babies. Then they are called dams. The father is called a sire and the baby is a calf.
IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT VOTE AGAINST GAMBLING CASINOS IN SEDGWICK COUNTY, THE MAKEUP OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF OLD COWTOWN MUSEUM NEEDS TO BE RE-EVALUATED.
In my opinion, those members of the board who were pro-gambling casinos prior to the election are now on the southwind side of the Sedgwick County electorate and should resign immediately from this important board.
For example, I’m thinking of Councilwoman Sharon Feary who was reportedly a pro-gambling casino proponent. In addition, last winter, Councilwomen Sharon Feary was one of the loudest detractors of the Old Cowtown Museum operation. Feary amazingly, WANTED TO FIRE THE MANY LOYAL COWTOWN VOLUNTEERS WHO … ARE NOT PAID FOR THEIR MANY HOURS OF SERVICES TO THE MUSEUM.
Actually, their are two main financial problems at Old Cowtown Museum neither of which has anything to do with the loyal volunteers. One was the exhorbitant monthly pay to a less than inspiring manager, which pay continued for some time after her termination and might still be going on as far as I know.
Number two, there is the high cost of paying the operational costs of the new and glorius Old Cowtown Visitor Center at the east end of the property. REMEMBER THIS BUILDING HAS BEEN RARELY USED FOR OLD COWTOWN ACTIVITIES BEING MORE OF A COUNTRY CLUB FOR SOME PARTY USES.
As I understand it, the cost of construction of this building was somehow paid in part by private donations and part by contributions of tax money from various units of local government.
But there is still a large unanticipated expense of the usual operational costs such as electricity, natural gas, insurance, daily maintenance, management, glass breakage repair, staffing, stocking with groceries, etc.
Personally, I have rarely seen any cars in that parking lot which raises the question of who actually uses this building. Was it another boon-dogle by the Old Cowtown Board of Directors?
And is this Board of Directors in reality a silk stocking committee who knows and cares little about Wichita history and how to run a successful operation?
SO NOW, FOR A NEW BEGINNING, THE INDIVIDUAL BOARD MEMBERS WHO SUPPORTED GAMBLING CASINOS FOR SEDGWICK COUNTY … WHO ARE NOW OUT OF STEP WITH A MAJORITY OF SEDGWICK COUNTY VOTERS … SHOULD VOLUNTARILY STEP ASIDE TO GIVE NEW MEMBERS A CHANCE TO FIND SOME WAY TO MAKE THIS PROJECT A SUCCESS AND PROTECT THE INTERESTS OF THE TAXPAYERS.
East Coast Girl, very good. Now can you tell me what a female pig that hasn’t been bred is called?
JWink, you need to get some sleep, dude! You’re babbling. What on earth does supporting casinos have to do with Cowtown?
I have to admit that Cowtown has been lack luster for sometime, it reflected the reality of the old western days. A world not of gunfights, Indian raid and Rattle snakes as much as simply surviving in a harsh environment of the mid-west prairie states. To present day people where surviving is not in question and they just can not relate to such a reality. It does not take long for stagnate displays to become stagnate!But then what is the answer? If West World with rides and flash could not make a go of it, so what could Cowtown do to make it stay afloat? I do know there is an interest from outside the everyday world of the people of Kansas to learn and experience the old west culture. The Prairie Rose would attract a good number of people from Europe and the like. LOL I will never forget the sight of the twenty something German woman running around in front of the main music/dining hall there. Wearing the plastic holster and cap guns, a child’s cowboy hat on her head, yelling “Ya whoo!”.
I wore my “Paladin” holster set when I went there as a kid. The guy who played the Sheriff back then was kind of funny as he asked me to surrender my firearm while in town. I did and got it back with playing card with his signature on it. heh
Cowtown could be so much more if they tried to coordinate with other functions in Wichita.
For instances, the Arts and Crafts people in Wichita could make a once a month appearance in Cowtown. Putting on display their arts and craft for sale with a small percentage going to Cowtown for any sales made.
Cowtown could coordinate with local theater groups to put on shows and re-enactments. I think this would be a huge draw.
There are tons of Civil War re-enactors. I’m sure they could be convinced to put on a show and tell. Even the vendors that accompany these type of events could attend selling their wares with a small markup for Cowtown benefit.
The Wichita Symphony could put on era songs in an outdoor tent symphony. I think that would be a grand idea. Proceeds benefiting both agencies.
The new location for the Library could be near Cowtown and the Library could be arranged where Sedgwick and Wichita history has a special section devoted to the promotion of early era.
There are many things that could be done, community involvement is the most important.
“Some kinds of beef cattle are Aberdeen, Angus, Brahman, Charolais, Herefords, and Polled Herefords. Farmers pick which breed they want to raise by the climate where they live. For example, some cattle can be raised in areas where there isn’t too much water.”
You must know something about cattle. Either that or you are in the FFA
Kansas, have you never been to the Old Sedgwick County Fair in Cowtown?
If I did Rox, I don’t remember it. I was about eight years old when we moved to another town. The times I visited Cowtown was when my grandparents took me there.
I was gone a lot of years because my father moved a lot with his job, then I joined the Air Force, so missed out on a lot of events in Wichita.
Please support the city of Wichita as they attempt to promote Cowtown. It may take tremendous resources, but we believe the tax money spent and time by city staff will be worth it for your city.
This will be mutally beneficial for our city and other mid-sized cities in Kanss. We won’t be competing for the few in-state and local tourists.
We believe, Cowtown, will appeal to your local citizens and not threaten our economy.
Thank-you very much.
Two cities that benefit from the type of program Kansas talks about are SAnta Fe, New Mexico and Colorado Springs, Co. They have art exhibits, jewelry displays, local craftsmen doing their things and many other interesting things to observe and be a part of. They are anchored by a rustic downtown area with many historic buildings. In Colorado Springs the old courthouse is very interesting but no more so than Cowtown. The main difference is that you can take a family and spend the day without spending a large sum of money.
Cost for young families is very important and sometimes to draw the necessary crowds you have to have support from local governments. Money spent here would benefit the masses much more that the arena in MHO.
Hope the city and county reps are listening to the people when decisions are made.
By developing an appreciation in our young families you are growing support for the future with the preservation of our culture.
The problem has been ksgrm, that the powers that be resist attempts to do anything with Cowtown that hints at modernism.
They don’t want rustic they want authentic.
They want it to be a museum not an attraction.
Cowtown could have a thriving arts and crafts community within and around it but it would have to give up being a ‘museum’ and this has been resisted for years.
Excellent observation Happy.
We definitely need to continue appeasing the anti casino Christianists Taliban wing of the Repubs by immediately turning Cowtown into an Intelligent Design play-pen for adults with the minds of children and dedicated to the memory of Terry Schiavo.
Then get rid of the new coliseum and shut down the WaterWalk completely. Then look at cutting off access to I-35 and forbidding “others” from entering the city.
Then we can look at obtaining the lost tax money from the businesses that lent their effort to thwart the casino…
“About $300,000 of a once-earmarked $519,000 from the county”
What a waste of taxpayer money. Why should both my city and county taxes support this project?
I don’t need it, the city doesn’t need it, and the citizens do not need it.
It is a lark for dreamy small town elected officials and a locally spun BIG BUSINESS supporting idea. Just like republicans at the federal level.
If this is such a great project, why are not PRIVATE businesses funding it? Because it is a SINK HOLE. A money LOSER.
It will require annual payments forever from both the city and maybe county (until they completely wash their hands of it).
A permanent burden upon the taxpayers.
If it is truly such a “wonderful idea”, then great. Put it to the vote of the city and county citizens. If it is so great, you should believe it will pass. If not, then we have saved some BIG money. Money needed for fixing the crumbling curbs and gutters. Money for crime prevention.
Let us vote to restore this cowtrap.
Afterall, it is the taxpayers you are asking to pay for it forEVER.
Well, I think the City of Wichita has managed to stick Sedgwick County citizens with enough crap related to different schemes to bring in visitors. Let the City finance Cowtown. Its not to say I don’t want to see it succeed, its that I am tired of paying bills for the City of Wichita when I don’t live there and rarely go there. What has the City of Wichita done for any of us who live in the rural areas of Sedgwick County or even the smaller towns surrounding it?
What has the surrounding communities done for Wichita?
A. N. Keny,What about the libraries and the parks? They make no money either. Why aren’t private business paying for their upkeep.
The negativity of some of this city’s citizens just astound me. Why not see if this new idea works instead of complaining. But that is not Wichita’s way of doing things.