Other Kansas News From Outside The Metro

[WuDrWu]

One of the early Fantsea managers was also brilliant and ran that thing meticulously. I'm not saying that was the only reason it was successful, but it matters. That guy was a unicorn. And yeah, mostly the land became too valuable to be essentially shuttered 9 months a year.

Joyland is interesting on a variety of levels. I think it's somewhat remarkable that it stayed open as long as it did. That area (28th S on Hillside) has always been mostly residential, but in the early days was much more of a starter home/military family/first time home buyers who, culturally, were more dedicated (and capable) towards upward mobility. The area hasn't changed much, except all those people have basically either moved up and out or died and the area was slowly taken over by a more culturally diverse population which, slowly but most assuredly, devolved into a much less desirable population. Once a location where you and I likely were at least occasionally were dropped off by our parents to enjoy an afternoon of fun became an area where you didn't even drive through with the "windows down". If you were my age, you probably also spent some time "around" the area at the big Sear's store that wasn't too far away. There were just a lot more reasons to be in the area, and to be comfortable in the area. And I'm not saying it was all reality....I'm certain there were biases, real and imagined, that kept people away. There were also more alternatives for your entertainment dollar (as there always are) and as suburbia grew, it became less and less attractive to go to that area of town.

It became an uphill battle, and it was a battle being fought by basically one family. Not a corporation or even a small business. But 2 (aging) people that were trying to grind out a love of what they were offering. Taxes pounded them. Insurance pounded them. The threat and cost of liability pounded them.....all things in the name of progress. And, of course, the things that people loved in the early years slowly saw their appeal fade away with very few replacements and upgrades. If you've owned or operated a small business, you've probably seen some or all of that life cycle from shiny new toy to eventually run down has been. And it can be painfully easy to see or it can evade detection because it happens so slowly over time. All of a sudden you wake up and you're old, outdated and all but impossible to fix/change/update.

Father time is undefeated.

If it's been awhile, or you just never saw it, watch the many specials on Joyland, especially the PBS one.

https://www.pbs.org/video/joyland-reliving-the-memories-mr2fz5/

The guy that did the drone footage more recently (last 10 years or so?) was really good as well.


I might spend more time later looking this up, but the first one I found was by our own John Wise of WSU track. I don't remember the one I saw being done by him, BUT I could be wrong. I'm sure there were others (at least I think there were). But I've known John for a long time and he does fantastic work so here's one of his:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3hQP2oAAG0

[ShockBand]

Joyland park... snuggled between the facility where Wichita sends all its ****, the poorest, most dangerous neighborhood in the state, and THE best place to get a blowjob from a man (I hear).

Another example of sterling Wichita foresight.

Keep in mind when Joyland was first built that area wasn't like it is now. In the 1950s it would have been more out in the "country" save for the houses across the street built as wartime worker housing (which were only intended for wartime use as I understand it). Maybe things would have been different if Joyland would have been put in at 21st and Rock or Kellogg and Rock back in 1949. Placement of things is always interesting. My understanding is the landfill up just off the river on the north end of Wichita was very nearly placed near the current intersection of 29th and Rock. How differently would NE Wichita have developed if a big ass landfill was sitting in that spot?

EDIT: Sorry Doc, I didn't see your much more elaborate post on basically the same thing I wrote about.

[C0|dB|00ded]

grind out a love, pounded, pounded, pounded them.....

Pretty accurate description of what's been going on around south Hillside for quite some time now (until fairly recently).

I did a little digging and the solid waste plant was allowed to go in around 1979. What's interesting is Midwest's gayest gay bar opened up a year later in 1980. Was it the wastewater aroma that attracted them to that specific location? One can only wonder..... Meanwhile, Joyland was THE middle-class attraction in the early 80's.

It can only be described as prescient immanence out of the Wichita leadership to approve a shitwater recycling plant 1/4 mile to the west of the amusement park, while approving the zoning of the alternative (anal) amusement park 1/2 mile to the south.

As far as Plainview goes... that was WW2 TEMPORARY housing for all the aircraft workers who were building bombers at the time. It was supposed to come down after the war. But in keeping with Wichita's historical brilliance, they sold the housing to a local investor and the development has been a slum ever since. Asbestos is everywhere in the construction, so the unfortunate families who have lived there over the years likely enjoyed a probability spike in related cancers.

As a kid I always wondered what that stench was when walking over the bridge or riding the train. I had no idea it was the "fertile" waters flowing from the city's primary crapper into the canal which encircled the park. Eat your heart out San Antonio Riverwalk!!!

GO WICHITA!!!

[WuDrWu]

How do you know so much about gay bar history in Wichita?

Seriously....my knowledge of "old" drinking establishments starts and ends with Lettuce I think. There were regionally popular gay bars here in the 80s?

[C0|dB|00ded]

How do you know so much about gay bar history in Wichita?

Seriously....my knowledge of "old" drinking establishments starts and ends with Lettuce I think. There were regionally popular gay bars here in the 80s?

Would you accept strong gaydar?

https://www.facebook.com/p/Our-Fantasy-Complex-100063517302637/

I never visited "Our fantasy", but knew straight people that had back in the 90's. "They've got the best dance music" was a popular refrain. I was far too unaccepting at that point in my life. I would have been more likely to set fire to the place. It was a freakshow.

You're free to visit south Hillside again, the gay community has moved out of the closet and into Old Town.


A quick Google presents:

https://wichita.gaycities.com/bars

https://www.visitwichita.com/blog/post/the-queer-travel-guide-to-wichita/

[shocktown]

One of the early Fantsea managers was also brilliant and ran that thing meticulously. I'm not saying that was the only reason it was successful, but it matters. That guy was a unicorn. And yeah, mostly the land became too valuable to be essentially shuttered 9 months a year.

Joyland is interesting on a variety of levels. I think it's somewhat remarkable that it stayed open as long as it did. That area (28th S on Hillside) has always been mostly residential, but in the early days was much more of a starter home/military family/first time home buyers who, culturally, were more dedicated (and capable) towards upward mobility. The area hasn't changed much, except all those people have basically either moved up and out or died and the area was slowly taken over by a more culturally diverse population which, slowly but most assuredly, devolved into a much less desirable population. Once a location where you and I likely were at least occasionally were dropped off by our parents to enjoy an afternoon of fun became an area where you didn't even drive through with the "windows down". If you were my age, you probably also spent some time "around" the area at the big Sear's store that wasn't too far away. There were just a lot more reasons to be in the area, and to be comfortable in the area. And I'm not saying it was all reality....I'm certain there were biases, real and imagined, that kept people away. There were also more alternatives for your entertainment dollar (as there always are) and as suburbia grew, it became less and less attractive to go to that area of town.

It became an uphill battle, and it was a battle being fought by basically one family. Not a corporation or even a small business. But 2 (aging) people that were trying to grind out a love of what they were offering. Taxes pounded them. Insurance pounded them. The threat and cost of liability pounded them.....all things in the name of progress. And, of course, the things that people loved in the early years slowly saw their appeal fade away with very few replacements and upgrades. If you've owned or operated a small business, you've probably seen some or all of that life cycle from shiny new toy to eventually run down has been. And it can be painfully easy to see or it can evade detection because it happens so slowly over time. All of a sudden you wake up and you're old, outdated and all but impossible to fix/change/update.

Father time is undefeated.

If it's been awhile, or you just never saw it, watch the many specials on Joyland, especially the PBS one.

https://www.pbs.org/video/joyland-reliving-the-memories-mr2fz5/

The guy that did the drone footage more recently (last 10 years or so?) was really good as well.


I might spend more time later looking this up, but the first one I found was by our own John Wise of WSU track. I don't remember the one I saw being done by him, BUT I could be wrong. I'm sure there were others (at least I think there were). But I've known John for a long time and he does fantastic work so here's one of his:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3hQP2oAAG0

When I was a kid Joyland had Easter egg hunts and gave away live baby chicks. There were 7 of us kids in my family so we made a haul! Both my parents grew up on the farm and we lived on the west side outskirts so the hens and a couple roosters became egg producers for the house. Later on one of the roosters became chicken noodle soup when it became a little too aggressive chasing my little brother around the yard. Us kids thought it was hilarious but mom not so much. See summoned dad he cornered that bird snapped its head off put it in pot of hot water which made it easier to pluck. Soup was on the menu the next night!

Good times, kids don’t get that now days!

[shocktown]

Would you accept strong gaydar?

https://www.facebook.com/p/Our-Fantasy-Complex-100063517302637/

I never visited "Our fantasy", but knew straight people that had back in the 90's. "They've got the best dance music" was a popular refrain. I was far too unaccepting at that point in my life. I would have been more likely to set fire to the place. It was a freakshow.

You're free to visit south Hillside again, the gay community has moved out of the closet and into Old Town.


A quick Google presents:

https://wichita.gaycities.com/bars

https://www.visitwichita.com/blog/post/the-queer-travel-guide-to-wichita/

I was in high school in the early 70’s that place at 31st and Hillside was an 18 and over beer bar with live bands called ‘The Casino’. Inside it was a dark maze of rooms leading to a big room with a stage and dance floor. It was a den of teen hetero raging hormones back then so I could see it converted to a similar use later.

Also, Kansas liquor laws were in flux around this timeframe as in ‘79 the beginning of liquor by the drink became a thing and bars like the aforementioned mentioned Lettuce Club became a happening place downtown.

[ShockTalk]

I was in high school in the early 70’s that place at 31st and Hillside was an 18 and over beer bar with live bands called ‘The Casino’. Inside it was a dark maze of rooms leading to a big room with a stage and dance floor. It was a den of teen hetero raging hormones back then so I could see it converted to a similar use later.

Also, Kansas liquor laws were in flux around this timeframe as in ‘79 the beginning of liquor by the drink became a thing and bars like the aforementioned mentioned Lettuce Club became a happening place downtown.

Ah yes, The Casino with the band Legion. Before that, they were the Board of Regents at the Stage Door Inn. One of their band members sat next to me and another, now long-time friend, in my very first class at WSU.

[C0|dB|00ded]

I was in high school in the early 70’s that place at 31st and Hillside was an 18 and over beer bar with live bands called ‘The Casino’. Inside it was a dark maze of rooms leading to a big room with a stage and dance floor. It was a den of teen hetero raging hormones back then so I could see it converted to a similar use later.

Also, Kansas liquor laws were in flux around this timeframe as in ‘79 the beginning of liquor by the drink became a thing and bars like the aforementioned mentioned Lettuce Club became a happening place downtown.

That's interesting and what an odd place to have a popular bar. Big military presence?

"Inside it was a dark maze of rooms..."

That would be daunting after 1980 (if same) to say the least...

[C0|dB|00ded]

When I was a kid Joyland had Easter egg hunts and gave away live baby chicks. There were 7 of us kids in my family so we made a haul! Both my parents grew up on the farm and we lived on the west side outskirts so the hens and a couple roosters became egg producers for the house. Later on one of the roosters became chicken noodle soup when it became a little too aggressive chasing my little brother around the yard. Us kids thought it was hilarious but mom not so much. See summoned dad he cornered that bird snapped its head off put it in pot of hot water which made it easier to pluck. Soup was on the menu the next night!

Good times, kids don’t get that now days!

Wow! Good story!

Naw, the children would call protective services after seeing Foghorn Leghorn get his neck snapped. Different times for sure.