On a recent sunny morning several Tallgrass Creek retirement community neighbors hit the road headed for St. Joseph, Mo., an hour north of Tallgrass Creek in Overland Park. The day’s lineup included unique destinations such as the training facility for the Kansas City Chiefs, the city’s professional football team, and the Walter Cronkite Museum.
First stop was the Chiefs’ training facility located on the campus of Missouri Western State University. The group marveled at the indoor and outdoor full-sized, football fields, film-viewing theater, and state-of-the-art locker, weight, and exercise rooms. They also popped into the Bushman Planetarium housed on campus.
Then onto the Cronkite Museum where these day trippers learned about the broadcast journalist once known as “the most trusted man in America.” They took photos sitting in Cronkite’s original chair behind a desk like the one used by the famous reporter during his 19-years anchoring the CBS Evening News.
“We had tremendous learning and wonderful guides at each place,” says Les Woerther.
Before heading back to Tallgrass Creek, the group enjoyed hearty, lunch fare at the Cabbage Roll, a family-owned, German restaurant in St. Joseph.
The trip to St Joseph is just one of the many day trips coordinated by the community’s trip committee. Committee members include Dee Berry, Darlyne Sheppeard, Linda Schur, Karin Winn, Norma Schonwetter, Phyllis Calvert, and Eva Angell who chairs the committee.
Some past “away” days include visits to the City Market and Steamship Arabia Museum in Kansas City, Mo.; limestone caves also in Kansas City where orchids are grown; Fort Leavenworth U.S. Army Installation; and a wild animal sanctuary in Louisburg, KS.
“Many of us have lived in the area all our lives and are seeing things we never knew were here,” says Eva Angell.
Future trips include visits to the Shatto Milk Company in Osborn, Mo.; the Natural History Museum in nearby Lawrence, Kan.; and a popular end-of-year trip to the holiday concert performed by the Kansas City Symphony at the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts.
Trips are posted on the community bulletin board in the lobby area. Interested residents register at the front desk and on the designated date, board Tallgrass Creek’s roomy motor coach headed for their destination. Trips cost a nominal fee, sometimes include lunch, and can last from three hours to all day.
“We have a great committee and it’s fun selecting where we want to visit,” says Eva. “We welcome anyone to our group who likes to have fun and visit interesting places.”
Pictured:
Heading out the door for St. Joseph, Mo., are Tallgrass Creek neighbors (first row, left – right) Les Woerther, Marilyn Woerther, Wanda Schwarz, Tippy McMorris, Karen Winn, and Eva Angell. Back row (left – right) are Joe McNellis, Bill Pitt, and Ken Angell. Photo by Mary Bush, who also wrote this story.
Editor’s note: This story was published from a recent press release from Tallgrass Creek Retirement Community in Overland Park.
