Rick Renfro didn’t originally think television in a bar sounded like a good idea. When he heard a television network was launching 24-hour sports coverage in 1979, he reluctantly installed a few televisions by the bar, afraid technology would kill conversation. Now, Johnny’s Tavern, 401 N. Second St., houses 15 flatscreen televisions. “John Wilson would [...]
Summertime can mean sunshine, hanging out at the pool, wandering around downtown and enjoying the freedom of no classes. But summer can also be a time to get in shape and explore ways to stay active in Lawrence. Various gyms and fitness centers offer workout classes during the summer. Aqua Zumba, offered at the Lawrence [...]
1145 Indiana Street is getting a makeover so it, too, can be listed among the other properties that are nationally recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Tim Keller and fellow investor Ernie Eck will soon be renovating the house to restore it to its former glory. “It was originally built as a boarding [...]
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. I sit in my chair and close my eyes behind my sunglasses. All around me I could hear the shuffle of hundreds of feet, the shutter of hundreds of cameras, yet all I feel is an inner calm. I slowly let go of every thought in my [...]
Sometimes when Brian Devine looks in his rearview mirror, he realizes, “Oh yeah, I’m driving my house.” He and Maria Scarpello, nomadic University alumni, have visited 288 craft breweries since ditching their townhouse, buying a recreational vehicle and heading west in August 2010. The first week of classes her freshman year, Scarpello, then a Delta [...]
The limestone of Lawrence has more significance than just “Rock Chalk.” “Rattlesnakes in the Rock Chalk” is Professor Chester Sullivan’s latest novel, the second in the Kaw Trilogy. It brings to life an epic story of history, mystery and romance — all happening in Lawrence. The Kaw Trilogy dives into the history of Kansas through [...]
Chas Strobel collects records not only for listening, but also for decoration. Strobel, a transfer student from Orono, Minn., grew up listening to his parents’ vinyls. From his mom’s Donny Osmond album to recordings of his dad’s teenage band, Strobel said the look and feel of a shiny black vinyl takes him back to his [...]
In the early hours of a recent Tuesday, Bailey Fee, a freshman from Kansas City, Kan., arrived at the Jubilee Café at the First United Methodist Church with a smile and a willing spirit to spend several hours serving breakfast to the homeless. For Fee, working with the homeless hits close to home. In October [...]
He had already been turned down once. As he asks one of her female friends to dance again, he doesn’t notice Alexa Roy make eye contact with her friend who casually but purposefully adjusts the collar of her blouse. “Oh, I really need to go to the bathroom,” Roy says before grabbing her friend’s arm [...]
From romance to graphic novels, students can choose from a selection of 50,000 to 60,000 books costing $2 or less beginning Thursday afternoon at the biannual Friends of the Lawrence Public Library book sale. The selection comprises 65 genres of books including many classics required in philosophy, history and English classes at the University, said [...]
Grandmothers, sisters, co-workers, uncles, mothers and complete strangers will be honored, entertained and aided at the University’s 10th annual Relay for Life Friday night through Saturday morning. “Nobody really understands the impact cancer has on so many people until you see it with your own eyes,” said Erin Frazier, a senior from Andover and Relay [...]
Robert Czyz, a senior from Chicago, didn’t look quite right for the part of emcee for Jayhawk Jhalak, the South Asian Student Association’s annual talent show. Czyz’s emcee counterpart, Viraj Amin, a recent graduate from Shawnee, even joked that Czyz was the first white emcee the talent show has had. Even though Czyz doesn’t have [...]
Ashley Martin celebrated the “holidaze” this weekend with friends by relaxing in a mellow atmosphere. The Shawnee sophomore has smoked marijuana since she was a sophomore in high school. She has celebrated 4/20 multiple times and said now it’s more of a chill thing for her to do with friends who enjoy the same pastime [...]
Reusable water bottles is Environs‘ next step to save the planet — or, at least, the campus. Environs, the student organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and activism, launches their Take Back the Tap initiative tomorrow night to move towards a disposable bottle-free campus. The initiative will provide infrastructure to sustainably provide safe, filtered water [...]
Considering the popularity of Final Fridays, locals can easily recognize the community support for the arts in Lawrence. The Lawrence Arts Center just has to prove it to ArtPlace, a collaboration of national and regional foundations and banks, to win a creative placemaking grant. “ArtPlace looks for ways they can help communities make the most [...]
Construction on the University’s portion of Rock Chalk Park officially commenced with the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday. The new facility will consist of a 1,500-seat softball stadium, a 2,500-seat soccer stadium, a 10,000-seat track and field complex and a 28,000-square-foot indoor training building. There will be parking for 700 cars and overflow space for 700 [...]
