General News in the 316

[SubGod22]

Another big tour making a stop in Wichita.

KSN - Pentatonix bringing 'Most Wonderful Tour' to Wichita

The popular vocal group Pentatonix is coming to Wichita this holiday season with what it’s calling The Most Wonderful Tour of the Year.

The concert is on Dec. 19 at Intrust Bank Arena. Tickets go on sale this Friday, Aug. 25, at 10 a.m., but there will be some presale opportunities before then. Click Select-A-Seat to learn more.

Five talented singers make up the quintet — Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee.

If you're not familiar with Pentatonix, you should check them out. They're an impressive a capella group that's been around since 2011. They have a number of wonderful covers, some original music, and are probably best known for their Christmas music.

You can pull up YouTube and some of their most popular songs include:

Daft Punk Medley
Evolution of Michael Jackson
Radioactive
Mary, Did You Know?
Carol of the Bells
Little Drummer Boy
Hallelujah
Bohemian Rhapsody
Over the Rainbow
Amazing Grace
White Christmas
Happy Now
Can You Feel the Love Tonight
Mad World
Evolution of Music
The Sound of Silence
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

among others.

[WstateU]

KWCH - Home game attendance surges for Wichita Wind Surge

Hopefully Kevin Saal is taking note of this...

[SubGod22]

WBJ - With new leadership at the helm, Wichita Wind Surge takes leap in attendance

According to a recent Baseball America report, the Wind Surge have seen a 48.8% jump in attendance, year over year, to 4,895 per game — the largest increase in all of minor-league baseball.

"That's been incredible," said Miller, who previously served as president from January 2019 until December 2020 before returning after Diamond Baseball Holdings bought the team this past winter.

Coming off of a 2022 where it had the lowest attendance in the Texas League, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins has averaged 1,606 more fans this season through late July.

It's really nice to see them rebound and make an effort.

[WstateU]

WBJ - With new leadership at the helm, Wichita Wind Surge takes leap in attendance



It's really nice to see them rebound and make an effort.

But the name's still holding them back...

[SubGod22]

Two new craft breweries will be coming to the area.

Eagle - Raise a glass to Augusta: Near-Wichita town about to add two new craft breweries

Augusta’s craft brewery count at the moment is zero.

But by this time next year, the small town with a quaint but up-and-coming downtown area will be home to two craft breweries operating on the same street.

The first one slated to open will be co-owned by Shane Scott, best known for his Sugar Shane’s Cafe at 430 State St. Scott is partnering with the owners of Walnut River Brewing Company in El Dorado and Pour House in Wichita and with Augusta businessman and craft beer aficionado Jeff Brown.

That brewery will operate at 418 State St. in Augusta and will be called Red Bud Brewery. The two-story brick building it will take over is directly on the other side of Sugar Shane’s patio and will share its usage.

Walnut River’s brewers will make new beers specifically for Red Bud, Scott said. The owners hope to have it open by the first quarter of 2024.

Then, by summer of 2024, craft brewer Adam Kraft and his wife, Julie, plan to open their own brewery just two doors down from Red Bud — in the one-story historic building at 414 State Street. The Krafts will call their business Park Bench Brewing Company, and it will be a tap room specializing in old world European-style beers, especially German Pilsners, Hefeweizens and Oktoberfests.

Adam Kraft, a Greensburg native who has spent his adult life in Wichita as well as in Florida and Texas, decided to return to Kansas to be closer to family, and after a quarter century working in law enforcement, he said, he wanted to be his own boss.

I like what's been going on in downtown Augusta recently. I love towns like this having some sort of "main street" personality and Augusta really seems to be moving in that direction. I'm not a beer drinker at all, but this sounds like two breweries with very different products and could be cool for the city as well as beer drinkers in the area.

[SubGod22]

MSN - People moving to Wichita are coming from these places the most right now

Metros sending the most people to Wichita


Stacker compiled a list of metros that are sending the most people to Wichita, KS Metro Area using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Metros are ranked by the estimated number of people who moved to Wichita from the metro between 2015 and 2019. Ties were broken by gross migration.

It's a slide show and shows the number of people moving to and from these metros. It also tells you where each ranks as the most common destination to/from for each. It's kind of interesting.

50 - Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (43)
49 - Ogden-Clearfield, UT (90)
48 - Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR (72)
47 - Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI (28)
46 - Rochester, NY (95)
45 - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (51)
44 - Columbus, OH (96)
43 - Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (104)
42 - Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL (47)
41 - Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (65)
40 - Panama City, FL (106)
39 - Savannah, GA (775)
38 - Peoria, IL (111)
37 - Knoxville, TN (100)
36 - Wichita Falls, TX (61)
35 - San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX (15)
34 - San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (33)
33 - Joplin, MO (99)
32 - Logan, UT-ID (129)
31 - Fort Collins, CO (133)
30 - Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ (137)
29 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (34)
28 - Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (504)
27 - Boulder, CO (146)
26 - St. Louis, MO-IL (4)
25 - Jacksonville, NC (76)
24 - Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA (471)
23 - Columbia, MO (173)
22 - Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (40)
21 - Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA (59)
20 - St. Joseph, MO-KS (182)
19 - Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR (22)
18 - Corpus Christi, TX (191)
17 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL (295)
16 - New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (196)
15 - Baton Rouge, LA (328)
14 - Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (30)
13 - Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (453)
12 - Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (82)
11 - El Paso, TX (238)
10 - Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (331)
9 - Lawrence, KS (185)
8 - Oklahoma City, OK (184)
7 - Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (198)
6 - Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (381)
5 - Colorado Springs, CO (491)
4 - Topeka, KS (560)
3 - Tulsa, OK (389)
2 - Manhattan, KS (83)
1 - Kansas City, MO-KS (1,241)

Decided to do a quick visual update as well. The green cities are the ones that Wichita has more immigration in than out and the difference between those numbers. Obviously, that means the red ones are the cities that got more from Wichita than Wichita got from them. I find data like this interesting.

[SubGod22]

I'd call this a win for Intrust. Up and coming wrestling organization, All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is coming to Wichita on Saturday, November 4th for their newest TV show Collision.

Wrestling News - AEW Heading to Uncasville and Wichita for Collision Events

All Elite Wrestling announced new locations for upcoming live episodes of Collision.

AEW will hold the events on October 28th from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut and November 4th from the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas.

Tickets go on sale next Friday at 10 am Eastern time and start at $30.

Here is a list of the updated AEW touring schedule:

AEW All In PPV: Sunday, August 27 - London, England at the Wembley Stadium

This is the first time this company has come to Kansas in its short 4 years in business.

They're also set to have the largest wrestling event in history this weekend in England. They've already passed Wrestlemania 32 (The previous record) and are expected to end up with over 85K in attendance.

This isn't WWE and has a different vibe than the wrestling behemoth, but it does have a very passionate fan base and I've seen a lot of wrestling fans say that Collision is currently the best weekly wrestling show on TV. So I'd say Wichita is getting a good one and I hope people show up and enjoy it.

[shocktown]

MSN - People moving to Wichita are coming from these places the most right now



It's a slide show and shows the number of people moving to and from these metros. It also tells you where each ranks as the most common destination to/from for each. It's kind of interesting.

50 - Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI (43)
49 - Ogden-Clearfield, UT (90)
48 - Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR (72)
47 - Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI (28)
46 - Rochester, NY (95)
45 - Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV (51)
44 - Columbus, OH (96)
43 - Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA (104)
42 - Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL (47)
41 - Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL (65)
40 - Panama City, FL (106)
39 - Savannah, GA (775)
38 - Peoria, IL (111)
37 - Knoxville, TN (100)
36 - Wichita Falls, TX (61)
35 - San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX (15)
34 - San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (33)
33 - Joplin, MO (99)
32 - Logan, UT-ID (129)
31 - Fort Collins, CO (133)
30 - Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ (137)
29 - Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (34)
28 - Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX (504)
27 - Boulder, CO (146)
26 - St. Louis, MO-IL (4)
25 - Jacksonville, NC (76)
24 - Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA (471)
23 - Columbia, MO (173)
22 - Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX (40)
21 - Omaha-Council Bluffs, NE-IA (59)
20 - St. Joseph, MO-KS (182)
19 - Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR (22)
18 - Corpus Christi, TX (191)
17 - Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL (295)
16 - New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA (196)
15 - Baton Rouge, LA (328)
14 - Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI (30)
13 - Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (453)
12 - Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (82)
11 - El Paso, TX (238)
10 - Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (331)
9 - Lawrence, KS (185)
8 - Oklahoma City, OK (184)
7 - Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO (198)
6 - Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA (381)
5 - Colorado Springs, CO (491)
4 - Topeka, KS (560)
3 - Tulsa, OK (389)
2 - Manhattan, KS (83)
1 - Kansas City, MO-KS (1,241)

Decided to do a quick visual update as well. The green cities are the ones that Wichita has more immigration in than out and the difference between those numbers. Obviously, that means the red ones are the cities that got more from Wichita than Wichita got from them. I find data like this interesting.

These numbers are interesting, outbound to Savannah, Ga stands out. I assume that reflects the heavy recruiting Gulfstream did on our aerospace industry in that time frame.
Wichita had nice inflow from the Colorado front range as well as SoCal.

[SubGod22]

These numbers are interesting, outbound to Savannah, Ga stands out. I assume that reflects the heavy recruiting Gulfstream did on our aerospace industry in that time frame.
Wichita had nice inflow from the Colorado front range as well as SoCal.

The Georgia numbers surprised me, but I hadn't looked into what might have been leading that pull.

The Colorado and SoCal numbers also surprised me a bit. I wasn't overly shocked that we won those migration battles, but the numbers surprised me a bit.

[SubGod22]

More info on the hoped for growth and what Eisenhower is working towards.

WBJ - Valerie Wise talks Eisenhower Airport momentum, flight-route goals with Emerging Leaders

"There are a lot of things that go into air service development," she said. "Obviously, you have to show that there's enough demand to support the route, and a lot of it is sharing with the airlines what the economic ties are between Wichita and that region."

Wise pointed the Emerging Leaders to the I Fly Wichita website, which highlights the airport's current seasonal and year-round direct flights and shares its goal of adding nonstop routes to the New York City area, Charlotte, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Salt Lake City.

"We need better access to the hubs," she said. "Charlotte is a huge American Airlines hub that has tremendous connectivity up and down the East Coast. Of course, New York is an important business market, as well."

"Going west, we'd like to see Delta (Airlines) do Salt Lake City, because that is a big hub for them," Wise continued. "They don't do anything to the west from Wichita. United (Airlines) has a hub at San Francisco. Then, Los Angeles is a huge market — just not necessarily a connective market, but it's a huge destination market."

This year, we've had announcements of flights to and from Miami, DC, Vegas and Phoenix.

Valerie mentions how important it is for her to reach out and find out what businesses in Wichita need and what connections could help them grow and do business. She also mentioned that the announcements of the new Integra facility as well as the Biomedical Campus has people taking notice and that those could contribute to helping secure a few more direct routes.

[SubGod22]

New attendance record set at Intrust Bank Arena this weekend.

Eagle - Country star breaks Intrust Bank Arena attendance record previously held by Metallica

A 27-year-old singer who skyrocketed to fame with the help of his young fan base now holds a record in Wichita.

On Sunday, Zach Bryan — an Oklahoma native who amassed a following after his ballad “Something in the Orange” became a TikTok sensation — broke the Intrust Bank Arena attendance record, which had been held by metal band Metallica since March 2019. Metallica drew 15,690 fans to the 13-year-old venue, but Bryan’s crowd on Sunday was bigger, arena officials said. (They’ll share the final tally on Monday).

The only way to get crowds that big at Wichita’s arena is to play a show in-the-round, meaning that the stage is in the center of the floor and every seat is available. That’s what Metallica did, and the arena managed to squeeze even more fans in for Bryan, a Navy veteran and Nashville-outsider who’s distanced himself from that scene. (And no, he’s not related to Luke Bryan.)

[Ta Town Shocker]

New attendance record set at Intrust Bank Arena this weekend.

Eagle - Country star breaks Intrust Bank Arena attendance record previously held by Metallica

Incredible. There have been some big names to play in the arena and I've never even heard of this artist.

[SubGod22]

Incredible. There have been some big names to play in the arena and I've never even heard of this artist.

I'm not familiar with him either. He's apparently new and blew up on TikTok. Even then, pulling more than Metallica is pretty damn impressive.

[SubGod22]

KAKE - The Sedgwick County Zoo celebrates the birth a beautiful baby girl chimpanzee

The Sedgwick County Zoo has welcomed a new baby chimp into their family about eight months after they lost baby Kucheza.

Alizeti, meaning "sunflower" in Swahili, was born early in the morning on August 20th to mom Chuckie. After the birth, the animal care team noticed that Chuckie was not displaying maternal behavior towards Alizeti and so for the babies protection she was taken from her mother to be reared by the team before being introduced to her foster mother.

During the first couple months, Alizeti will be cared for round-the-clock by the team to give her the best chance of survival. Her care has been designed to mirror how a mother chimp would raise their baby in the wild.

Lets hope that Alizeti has a better fate than Kucheza did.

[SubGod22]

WBJ - Freddy's executive offices growing in Texas; company plans Wichita training and innovation center

Does that mean the fast-casual restaurant brand — founded locally in 2002 and one of the area's most well-known companies — is leaving its home city behind?

CEO Chris Dull says the opposite is true, as the company is planning a 23,000 square-foot national training and innovation center to be opened in 2024 at the Cypress Business Center in northeast Wichita.

"We will remain headquartered in Wichita," Dull told the WBJ, adding that he will split time between Texas and Wichita, while other executives will also remain in Kansas.

Alongside the news that it will be growing its executive presence in Fort Worth, the company announced it signed a long-term lease at the HJH Investments-owned Cypress Business Center just north of 29th Street near K-96 for a "state-of-the-art facility" that will enhance training and innovation programs for all Freddy's restaurants throughout the United States and Canada.

"When looking at the culture of Freddy's, so much of what makes Freddy's special, and the brand that it is, has to do with Wichita," Dull said. "And so, as we thought about where we wanted to put our training and innovation center, it was an easy decision for us to decide to stay, because it's really what makes us special and unique."

Dull said every franchisee for the company — which is expected to open its 500th restaurant in September — will come through Wichita for specialized training once the facility is operational around mid-2024. Local executive offices at the location are then set to be completed by the close of that year.

When I first saw the headline, I was a little worried we'd be losing another Wichita company, but that isn't the case. They do mention that Texas is their largest market and still growing which is why they feel it's important to have a strong presence there, but that the offices in Fort Worth will still be much smaller than the facility they're planning for Wichita.