Two Johnson County Park and Recreation District fitness facilities have recently come on board as locations for the Silver Sneakers® wellness program for adults age 65 and older. The Silver Sneakers® benefit is included with many Medicare Plans. 

The participating JCPRD facilities are the Fitness Center on the upper floor of the Mill Creek Activity Center, 6518 Vista Dr., Shawnee, and the Fitness Room at the Roeland Park Community Center, 4850 Rosewood Dr., Roeland Park.

“Silver Sneakers® is a well-known and well respected program,” said 50 Plus Recreation Specialist Libby Scarborough. “Over the years many individuals have participated in our other programs and have asked if our locations offer this wellness benefit. We are excited to now be able to say yes we do! Silver Sneakers® is allowing us to expand the impact we have within our communities and connect individuals with additional health and wellness options.”

Beginning in January, Mill Creek Activity Center will be offering Silver Sneakers® Classic, yoga and circuit classes, which are also free to those with the Silver Sneakers® benefit.

In addition to Silver Sneakers®, both participating JCPRD sites are also accepting Prime Fitness and Fitness Your Way members. Prime fitness is most commonly made available through an employer health plan and Fitness Your Way is available to members and their dependents over age 18 who have healthcare coverage with a participating Blue365 plan.

Individuals who are interested in utilizing the fitness facilities at the Mill Creek Activity Center or the Roeland Park Community Center through Silver Sneakers® can check their eligibility by visiting silversneakers.com or by calling (913) 826-2950 for Mill Creek or (913) 826-3160 for Roeland Park. Checking eligibility online is easy! You’ll be asked for your name (as it appears on your insurance card), date of birth, zip code, and contact information.

Parents and their preschoolers will love stories and illustrations from long ago, read by a special guest from the 1950s All-Electric House during a series of programs being offered monthly through April at the Johnson County Museum.

This program is called Retro Storytime and is for ages three to five with an adult. After each session’s story presentation, enjoy a craft activity for little hands. Stories change monthly. An adult must attend program with child. These programs take place beginning at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday early each month at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park. 

The cost for each 45-minute program is $2 per child, and museum members receive a 20 percent discount but must register by telephone to receive their discount. Registration for these programs does not include admission to the Johnson County Museum or to KidScape. To find this program in the My JCPRD Activities catalog and online listings, browse first under preschool and then under heritage & history. In the printed catalog and when using the website’s advanced search,  look for the keyword “museum.” 

The next program is called “Birds,” and will take place on Feb. 12. “Birds” is a beautifully illustrated book from 1981.  Participants in this program will learn about birds, their nests, habitats, Kansas’ state bird, the Meadowlark, and create a bird feeder to take home.

For more information or to register, call (913) 831-3359. To register online at www.jcprd.com, click on “Register for Activities,” and complete a course ID search for 26447.

Other upcoming Retro Storytime programs this season will include: "The Fire Engine Book" on March 11 (course ID 26448 ), and “Baby Farm Animals" on April 8 (course ID 26449).

The Johnson County Museum is a department of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.

Children ages six to 12 are invited to enjoy fun activities during a Parents’ Night Out planned in mid-February at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s Mill Creek Activity Center in Shawnee.

The idea behind this gymnastics event is that parents can have a fun night out while their little ones are safe and having the time of their lives with their favorite gymnastics coaches enjoying games, crafts, activities, and snacks under the supervision of JCPRD staff. 

The February Parents’ Night Out is called Perfect Pairs. With Valentine’s Day just one day past, participants are asked to remember that life is better in twos - and bring a friend and dress as a perfect pair, whether it be Batman and Robin, SpongeBob and Patrick, ketchup and mustard, or another favorite twosome. To find this program in the My JCPRD Activities catalog and online listings, browse first under youth then under gymnastics. In the catalog and when using the website’s advanced search, look for the keywords “gymnastics special event.” 

The Perfect Pairs  Parents’ Night Out will take place beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Mill Creek Activity Center, located at 6518 Vista Drive, Shawnee. The cost for one three-hour session is $25 for Johnson County residents or $27 for nonresidents.  For more information or to register, call (913) 831-3359. To register online at www.jcprd.com, click on “Register for Activities,” and complete a course ID search for 26976.  

The My JCPRD Activities catalog is available for pickup at all Johnson County Library branches.

Giving viewers an opportunity to see artwork by nationally-recognized indigenous artists and starting some conversations around the topic of Native American stereotyping are goals for a second temporary exhibit opening at the Johnson County Museum during November.

Savages and Princesses - The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes, is the name of this exhibit, which opens Nov. 20. First curated by America Meredith, a Native American artist in Oklahoma, this exhibit consists of more than thirty contemporary artworks by 13 nationally-recognized Native American artists, and includes small art objects, framed pieces, and a giant installation.

“The pieces deal with the theme of stereotyping Native Americans and the wide diversity of Native American cultures,” said Museum Curator of Interpretation Andrew Gustafson. “Themes like the ‘savage warrior’ or the ‘drunken Indian’ are everywhere in popular culture, from books to movies to sports team mascots. This exhibit really takes a look at the stereotypes, and through the use of emotion - humor, anger, sadness - helps visitors to reflect on those stereotypes. It is a great opportunity to learn about another point of view, to learn about ourselves, and a chance to make ourselves more aware of other cultures in our own community.”

Gustafson said he believes an art exhibit is a great way to tackle a tough topic like pop culture stereotyping. 

“Art by its very nature creates dialogue - people want to talk about what they are seeing and experiencing in front of them,” he said. “Art also has the power to make us feel what the artist is trying to convey, and does not have to work around the inherent meaning that might be associated with a historical object. I think this exhibit will really pull some emotion of out visitors.”

This exhibit is made possible by Mid-America Arts Alliance and Exhibits USA, as well as through funding from Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC) and the National Endowment for the Arts. The November start of the exhibit ties into National Native American Heritage Month, and Savages and Princesses: The Persistence of Native American Stereotypes will be on display in the museum’s exhibit room through March 14.

Several tie-in programs to this exhibit are being planned, including a panel discussion called Distorted Images: Indians in Popular Culture set for Feb. 17.  This panel will be moderated by the original exhibit’s curator, America Meredith, and will feature local and national Native American artists, curators, and activists. The panel will tackle the tough themes of the exhibit, as well as contemporary realities for Native Americans in the United States, and promises to be a thought-provoking event. Other programs relating to this exhibit include a Lunch & Learn on Nov. 22 called Disruption Then Disease (22947), and another Lunch & Learn on Jan. 23 called Resettlement and Reeducation of Indians in Kansas. Registration for this program begins Nov. 18 with the release of the January through April issue of the My JCPRD Activities catalog.

The museum’s other current temporary exhibit, which opened on Nov. 12, is called Dreaming of a Retro Xmas. It celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Evergleam, the first commercially-successful aluminum Christmas tree. This exhibit features the collection of Johnson County residents Steve and Mary Pruitt, which includes aluminum Christmas trees and other vintage Christmas decorations from the 1950s and 60s, as well as some of the museum’s own collection of Johnson County-based Christmas décor. Dreaming of a Retro Xmas will remain on display in and around All Electric House inside the museum through Jan. 11.

Both temporary exhibits will take place at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park. Exhibit admission is included with regular museum admission rates of $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children, until Jan. 1, when museum admission increases to $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $4 for children. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and is closed on Sunday.