As is the norm this time of year. I would like to look back at the top stories on icintheict. I can’t thank each of you that continues to check out my stories and share them with others. I also want to give a shout out to the amazing people that helped me out with the research and those that gave their time for interviews. And most importantly, my husband, Jeremy. He is my number one fan, and I would not be able to do this without his support.
Here now are the top ten stories of 2022.
#10. This Old House
This story was originally posted in August 2022. This was a fun one for me. I started with the stone marker on 9th and Waco and followed the trail of the Munger House. The first house in Wichita was moved several times over the years. The marker was the first location, there was another stop along the river. It was finally moved to Cowtown. Oh man, it was hot that day at Cowtown. Thank goodness most of the buildings are air conditioned. It was cool to walk through Wichita’s original residence.
#9. Railgrass
This was originally posted in October 2021. It continues to bring in visitors thanks to a live feed on YouTube. The feed shows the rail tracks in the area and provides a link to my story. It was one of the original stories I wanted to do on the website. I was lucky enough to interview the artist Kent Thomas Williams. It really made the story pop.
#8. An Usher and a Gentleman
Another story from June 2021. It was a love story to my parents. I reposted it on their anniversary and it got more views this year than it did in 2021! There was a second story that year, that featured Dad and I getting a tour of theater. What a treat. The building is beautiful, and it is a part of my family history. It is still my favorite story after 350+ written stories.
#7. Road Trip: St. John, Garden City, Dodge City, La Crosse, Hays, and Russell
If you haven’t noticed from many of the stories I write, I love roadside attractions! The cheesier the better. Now not all roadside attractions are cheesy, the case in point this particular road trip. Back in March the state sent two of my friends (also co-workers) and I across the state to meet the people that run the workforce centers. I took advantage of the free trip and plotted a few stops. It was educational and fun… but most importantly, it was fun.
#6. Fast Times at Planeview High
This was another one from April 2021. I stumbled across the story years ago and pitched it at the tv station I use to work at. They turned it down saying there was no interest in it. However, if you combine the views from 2021 and 2022, it is the top story of all time on icintheict. This one was a challenge as the original building is gone, and there were not many pictures of the old school. It still turned out to be a nice piece. And I always loved the title and the nod to the 1982 Sean Penn movie, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”
#5. With art and soul
This April 2022 story was a bit of a surprise. I didn’t expect it to be as popular as it was. A small fountain that created unique sounds was destroyed by arsonist. Once again, the talented Kent Thomas Williams gave me some great information and perhaps one of the best quotes on the website. When asked about the fire that destroyed the fountain Kent said, “I wish I could have seen it because that would have been cool as shit to see.” With new developers in the area, who knows, maybe I can do a follow up when the fountain is working again.
#4. Broken arts club
This story was from September 2022. It continued my trend of using movie titles or song titles and replacing “heart” with “art”. Since this statue had been vandalized several times, I thought broken arts club was cute. It seems kind of sad. The good news is she is protected now since the city closed the park off. The statue was made by a Kansas artist in 1976. He is best known for creating “Ad Astra” which is that statue that sits atop the dome at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka.
#3. Haunting of Theorosa’s bridge
I posted this story for Halloween in 2021. It is a true story, at least the part about my teenage years. The story of the actual haunting is up for debate. Before I posted the story, I called my friend to ask if I could use her name in the story. When she read it, she freaked out, “I can’t believe I did that… I can’t believe you let me do that!” She said she would be horrified if her kids read the story, so I changed her name to Jackie.
#2. Joy(land) to the world
I posted this story in January 2022. A motorcycle museum had a small display of relics from Joyland Park. A place that holds many childhood memories (good and bad) for many Wichitans. I got pictures of everything. It was like opening the door to my childhood. The good: Louie the Clown, was alive and well after he was stolen from the park years ago. The bad: The pig’s head that ate your trash, it scared me as a little kid, I was afraid it would suck my arm off.
#1. It’s Wayne’s World
And finally, this very recent story. I had planned on meeting Wayne when he was in Wichita for “The Drowsy Chaperone,” but a heart attack sent him to the hospital and then back to California. Wayne reached out and we set up an interview. I was so happy, he is one of my favorite local celebrities, and man that guy has a ton of cool stories. He’s one of those people that I would love to just have drinks with and listen to them talk all night.
So that’s 2022 in review. Looking forward to 2023… I’ve been working on some great stories, I hope you continue to follow the website. Thanks for stopping by….
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