Explore more than 40,000 historical photographs documenting the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas from the 19th century to the present!
A self-defense program meant to help women and girls fight the kind of violence which killed a 19-year-old Leawood resident who was murdered while working as a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool in Johnson County is being offered in early October at the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s Mill Creek Activity Center in Shawnee. Social distancing and COVID-19 safe practices will be encouraged during this program.
The program is called The Ali Kemp Educational (T.A.K.E.) Foundation Seminar and takes its name from a woman who was murdered while working alone as a lifeguard at a subdivision pool. Participants will learn basic techniques which could save their lives and thwart an attack. These programs are open to the public including any girl 12 years and older and women of any age. Participants are encouraged to bring a friend as portions of the curriculum use a partner and mothers and daughters or good friends make great teams.
To find this program online at JCPRD.com, browse first under adult and then under sports. When using the website’s advanced search, look for the keywords self defense.
The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation Seminar will take place beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10, at the Mill Creek Activity Center, 6518 Vista Dr., Shawnee. A donation of $12 per person is requested for the two-hour session. For more information about this program or to register by phone, call (913) 831-3359. To register online at www.jcprd.com, click on “Register for Activities,” and complete a course ID search for 37186.
The self-defense seminar was designed by JCPRD Corporate and Community Wellness Manager Jill Leiker, a professional self-defense trainer, in consultation with local law enforcement agencies after the idea for the program was brought to local recreation agencies by representatives of the Kemp family. The T.A.K.E. program began in mid-2004, and over the past 15+ years, the program has reached tens of thousands of girls and women.
Focus on ways to help live your life well during two days of live virtual sessions when the Johnson County Park and Recreation District’s 50 Plus Department presents a modified version of its annual Live Well Age Well special event in early-October.
This free event is now in its 11th year, and will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, and Friday, Oct. 9, in a virtual format via Zoom. From the comfort and safety of their own homes, participants will hear local experts engage on topics meant to provide tips, resources, and take-aways that are available online or in the community.
Sessions planned for Thursday will include: Aging Services in Johnson County presented by Johnson County Human Services and Aging, Fraud & Scam Awareness presented by the Johnson County Department of Information and Technology, a Live Cooking Demo presented by Johnson County K-State Research and Extension, Brain Health as We Age presented by Natural Grocers, Brain Games presented by Johnson County K-State Research and Extension, and For Your Health presented by Health Professional Panel. Presentations planned for Friday include: Online Library Resources presented by the Johnson County Library, What’s New at the Museum? presented by the Johnson County Museum, Senior Living Panel presented by local housing professionals, Food and Mood presented by Rediscovering You!, Maintaining Muscle Mass presented by Natural Grocers, and a fitness demonstration presented by JCPRD 50 Plus fitness instructors. All presentations are subject to change. For updates and presentation times, visit jcprd.com/LiveWellAgeWell.
In addition, both days will also include live entertainment, there will be opportunities to win prizes during Bingo games, and Virtual Health Screening and Vendor Resource pages will also be available on event days.
To find this program online at JCPRD.com, browse first under 50 Plus and then under special events. When using the website’s advanced search, look for the keywords “special events.”
While the event is free, advance registration is required this year, as this program will be limited to 270 participants. An event bag with event details, resources, and goodies will be available for pickup prior to the event for every participant who registers by Oct. 1. Those new to Zoom© will have an opportunity to test out the virtual platform and receive help prior to the event.
For more information about this program or to register by phone, call (913) 831-3359. To register online at www.jcprd.com, click on “Register for Activities,” and complete a course ID search for 39738.
This event is being presented by JCPRD in partnership with gold sponsors Advent Health, the Shawnee Gardens Healthcare and Rehab Center, the Merriam Gardens Healthcare and Rehab Center, and Sunflower Health Plan. Premier event sponsors include Dignity Memorial, Evergreen Community of Johnson County, Colonial Village, and Westchester Village of Lenexa.
Enjoy the crisp autumn air by taking a hayride through Oak Ridge Parklands at Shawnee Mission Park. Organized hayrides for groups are available through the Johnson County Park and Recreation District and conclude with a warm campfire where apple cider and marshmallows await! This year’s hayride offerings have been modified for physical distancing and COVID-19 safe practices.
Hayrides are now being scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday dates between Oct. 3 and Nov. 22 at Oak Ridge Parklands on the north side of Shawnee Mission Park, 7460 Ogg Road, Shawnee. No rides are being offered this year at Heritage Park. Haywagons are being limited to 20 riders, and all participants must wear masks (no gators) during the ride. JCPRD hayrides are tractor-drawn, last approximately one hour, and are followed by a one-hour campfire. The cost is $8 per person or a minimum of $90 when there are 12 riders or less. There is a maximum of 20 people per wagon and one adult per ten children is required.
Reservations must be made at least two weeks in advance of the date of the hayride. Hayrides fill quickly, so please call early to assure your choice of dates. For scheduling and information, call (913) 831-3359.
JCPRD’s Public Hayrides, which allow individuals and families to participate in a hayride with other folks they don’t know, will not be offered this year.
The My JCPRD Activities catalog is available for pickup at all Johnson County Library branches and JCPRD facilities.
A roughly 1.25-mile section of the Gary L. Haller in the Mill Creek Streamway Park will be closed for about a month for a maintenance project, Johnson County Park and Recreation District officials announced.
The closure begins Tuesday, Sept. 1, and involves the closure of the section of trail located between the Barker Road access point, located north of Shawnee Mission Parkway at 5946 Barker Road in Shawnee, and the Mid-America Sports Complex, located at 20000 Johnson Drive, Shawnee. During the closure, trail users can still go south on the trail from the Barker Road Access Point, and go north from Mid-America Sports Complex.
“We are replacing cross-trail culverts that manage stormwater,” JCPRD Project Manager Mark Allen explained. “The existing culverts have reached the end of their useful life and have begun deteriorating. We are replacing those pipes with reinforced concrete pipes that we expect to last 50-plus years. Additionally, we are working on a slight realignment of the trail near Mid-America Sports Complex, to reduce steep grades and to allow us future access to the streambank for maintenance.”
This project is dependent upon favorable weather. For more information about the project, contact Mark Allen at (913) 826-3429.
Visit the Johnson County Museum for free on a Saturday in late September. Take advantage of this Free Day to enjoy the museum, including the 1950s All-Electric House, and the 2,500 square-foot main exhibit titled "Becoming Johnson County," featuring more than 400 objects, and more than 500 photographs.
The Free Day will take place on Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Johnson County Museum, located inside the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center at 8788 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park.
To find this program online at JCPRD.com, browse first under fun for all and then under heritage & history. Look for the keyword “museum.”
In order to promote physical distancing, the museum is offering a limited number of entry tickets for two separate timed sessions on this day. Visitors will be allowed to visit anytime in the designated time window of either 9 am to noon (course ID 39731), or from 1 to 4 p.m. (course ID 39731). Tickets expire at the end of each session, and do not include access to the KidScape experience. For more information or to register by phone, call (913) 831-3359. To register online, visit the website and click on “Register for Activities,” and perform a course ID search for either of the codes listed above.
Regular museum admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors 60 and older, $4 for children one through 18, and free for children under one year old.
At the time of the free day, three special exhibits are also going on at the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center.
Coney Island - Visions of an American Dreamland is the name of a fun, interactive exhibit which will be in the museum’s temporary exhibit room through Oct. 17, and is included as part of the free day. This traveling exhibit looks at the novelty of the summer resort and amusement and entertainment mecca. Made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It is adapted from the traveling exhibition Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland, 1861-2008 and organized by Robin Jaffee Frank, Ph.D., former Chief Curator and Krieble Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, CT. It was supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Henry Luce Foundation, and The Mr. and Mrs. Raymond J. Horowitz Foundation for the Arts, Inc. It was adapted and toured for NEH on the Road by Mid-America Arts Alliance.
The other two temporary exhibits are located in JCAHC’s Creative Commons area and are free to visit whenever the facility is open. They include: “Rising to the Challenge: Suburban Strength in Difficult Times,” which is filled with stories of our community rallying together in the face of economic hardship, natural disasters, war, and health crises, and “Resilience, Reflection, Rebuilding: Artists Respond to Covid-19,” which is meant to be a reflection of local artists’ experiences and feelings during the COVID-19 pandemic and a consideration of the pandemic as a catalyst toward change.
The Johnson County Museum is a department of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.
How much do you know about Johnson County? Come test your trivia skills with our Spin-to-Win wheel at Johnson County Old Settlers in downtown Olathe! We will have a booth at this event today, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day. In addition to learning about the county, you’ll find experts on the upcoming 2020 Census who can answer your questions about what to expect next year, why participation is so important and how you can become a census worker.
Our booth is located just to the north of the Johnson County Administration Building (111 S. Cherry St., Olathe). Other county entities represented at this event include the Johnson County Election Office, Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management and Communications department. For more information on this event, please visit the Old Settlers website.
Explore more than 40,000 historical photographs documenting the people, places and organizations of Johnson County, Kansas from the 19th century to the present!
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