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This Week in Sedgwick County - Sept. 13, 2023 

Board of County Commissioners

• The BoCC approved a proclamation declaring Sept. 17-23, 2023, as Constitution Week.
• Commissioners supported a proclamation celebrating the United Way of the Plains’ 100-year anniversary.
• The BoCC approved a proclamation declaring Sept. 15-Oct. 15, 2023, as Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Commissioners supported a proclamation declaring Sept. 10-16, 2023, as Suicide Prevention Week.
• The BoCC accepted the resignation of Andrew Le from the District Five Citizens Advisory Board.
• Commissioners voted for a resolution appointing Mara Thompson and Matthew Morris to the Grievance Board.
• The BoCC received and filed the 2022 Suicide Data Report from the Sedgwick County Suicide Prevention Coalition.
• Commissioners approved a six-month moratorium on solar energy zoning applications.
• The BoCC approved the recommendations from the Board of Bids and Contracts’ Sept. 7, 2023, regular meeting.

  Upcoming Events

•  Holler If You See Me: Black Appalachia is now on display at The Kansas African American Museum (TKAAM), 601 N. Water St., through Saturday, Sept. 30. For hours and admission prices, visit HOME | The Kansas African American Museum (tkaamuseum.org).
• The Mid-American All-Indian Center hosts ICT Bee Fest Saturday, Sept. 16 from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Collect Kansas wildflower seeds, build a bee hotel, and learn how to start a native garden to help protect these important insects in your own backyard, school, or work. Admission is free. Learn more at Bee City Wichita | Grassland Groupies.
• Get outside and enjoy food, music and fun with your neighbors at Open Streets ICT on Sunday, Sept. 17 from noon-5 p.m. Douglas Ave. will close to traffic from College Hill at Bluff Street to Glenn Street in the historic Delano District, allowing people to bike, walk, run and skateboard along the route! For a map and list of vendors, visit Open Streets ICT Upcoming Open Streets ICT Events (wichita.gov).
• Open Streets ICT will also extend the celebration inside for the first time on Sunday, Sept. 17 from noon – 5 p.m. Open House during Open Streets at Century II’s Exhibition Hall will feature local exhibitors and assorted musical performances, with interludes by the Wichita Wurlitzer Organ.
• Exploration Place’s Drone Light Festival will brighten the skies Sept. 21-23, 2023, from 6-10 p.m. with 300 synchronized drones (100 more than last year!), fully choreographed with music. People who saw last year’s show can look forward to exciting enhancements this year, including new custom drone formations, floating Chinese water lanterns, projections on the Exploration Place buildings and a concert lit by more than 2,000 candles. For parking and pricing information, visit Drone Light Festival at Exploration Place, Wichita, KS.
• The City of Haysville is hosting the Sedgwick County Household Hazardous Waste Remote Collection Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023, at Haysville City Hall, 200 W. Grand, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Residents, not businesses, are invited to drop off paint, batteries, motor oil, cleaners, pesticides and other chemicals for safe disposal. Tires, electronics, explosives, ammunition and biologically active substances are not allowed. For more information, visit org.
• Plan to attend the Annual Spring Great Plains Renaissance & Scottish Festival Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, 2023, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at Sedgwick County Park. Enjoy demonstrations by jousters and jests, knights and knaves, bagpipes and blacksmiths, fire breathers, pirates, fairies, and more! Discounted tickets are available online at Online Ticket Purchasing For The Great Plains Renaissance Festival – Great Plains Renaissance Festival (greatplainsrenfest.com).
• The Wichita Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cookoff has been a local tradition for 30 years and returns to Naftzger Park on Douglas Ave. at noon Saturday, Sept. 30! A $5 tasting kit allows you to sample the creations of 80 teams or more that come from all over Kansas and the U.S., vying for top chili cooking honors. More contests and details are available at Wichita Wagonmasters ★ Chili Cookoff.
• Sedgwick County Emergency Management encourages residents to sign up for Civic Ready Alerts, a free service that notifies residents in almost 20 cities of emergencies or important news in their community. Visit https://buff.ly/3XmNXya to learn more, opt-in and customize your alerts to be sent by phone or email.
• Recovery Connect is a Sedgwick County economic recovery program that connects individuals, businesses, and nonprofits with resources to help them recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Learn more about the program and how you can get support here: http://recovery-connect.org/.
  
  Watch the meeting at https://www.youtube.com/live/EllAiMvu3yg?si=eZYni7I12iDdOM34.