TopekaKidsRock.com Launch Party

For any of you with young kids, there is a great event going on Saturday! Here are the details & check out http://www.topekakidsrock.com/ for more info.

Saturday, May 2nd
10:00 – 1:00
Gage Park Amphitheater
Performers include the Topeka High Drumline, A kid-friendly blues band.. and Topeka’s own rock star for kids, KYLER!

If you get hungry Via’s Pizza and Jason’s Deli will be there.. you can also get free pictures taken from Portraits by Brandy.. and much more!

Local Business Spotlight: Safari Pets

As most of you know, Aaron and I lost our beloved dachsund, Droopy, on April 1, 2009 to cancer.  A lot of people told us that getting a new dog would help to ease our pain, so we decided to start looking for dogs.  The only thing we knew is that we wanted another dachsund because we were familiar with the breed and loved its quirks.  We also wanted to find a local breeder if possible.  Aaron was looking online for breeders and we looked at Petland, but didn’t find “the one” there.

On April 11, I remembered that there was another pet store in Topeka, but I wasn’t sure if it was still around.  We decided to drive over to Brookwood Shopping Center (just off 29th and Oakley) to find this pet store, but ended up driving around the entire shopping center without finding it.  We were getting ready to turn onto 29th Street from Oakley and head west to dinner and a movie, when I saw Safari Pets on the North Side of the intersection where a liquor store once was.  It was fate, we walked in to Safari Pets and the only dog they had was an 8 week old mini-dachsund.  They had just received her that morning from a local breeder (just north of Manhattan).  We started to play with her and ended up buying her within an hour.  Ruby is acclimating well in the Gooden household.  Our experience at Safari Pets was wonderful and we are so happy with Ruby.  I wanted to share a little about this locally owned pet store.

Safari Pets is owned and operated by Buster Brown.  It opened in 1991.  For the last seven years, he has used only one kennel (the local breeder near Manhattan, KS) to ensure that all of his dogs are healthy.  He relies solely on word of mouth advertising.  For the hobbyist, his fish room speaks for itself.  The store prides itself on its selection of fish, but holds its own with pet supplies.  Aaron and I had a wonderful experience at Safari Pets, and, of course, couldn’t be happier with our purchase.

A Thankless Job

I personally know 7 active duty police officers (5 of them are with the Topeka Police Department).  On a personal note, I wanted to be an Law Enforcement Officer for many years, but dreams changed through the years.  Following some of the recent negative press that the Topeka Police Department has received, I thought it would be a great opportunity to ride-a-long with an officer and talk about the positive.  I contacted my friend’s husband (an officer with TPD) and was told that anyone can do this, and to contact the shift commander to schedule one.

On Friday April 17, 2009, I had the opportunity to ride-a-long with an officer in the Topeka Police Department during the 2nd shift.  Our day began in the Shawnee County Courthouse.  Occasionally, officers are subpoenaed to testify in cases that they responded to.  The officers were there to testify in a domestic disturbance case, but were relieved of their duty when the victim didn’t show up.  We, then went to the station (3rd and Monroe) to get me signed in and start the shift.  During the 8 hour shift, we pulled over two speeders (and issued citations), responded to two domestic disputes, responded to a shoplifting call, filed a dog bite report, and set up a speed trap.  But there were three related calls that were most intriguing. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank You Kansas Festival

This past weekend there was a festival in the parking lots of Discovery Furniture and RoomMakers (just off Huntoon and Wanamaker) called Thank You Kansas.  It was Thursday and Friday evening (4/9/09 and 4/10/09) and all day Saturday (4/11/09).  The festival had two purposes: (1) Connect those who are willing to lend a helping hand to those that need a helping hand… whether you are an individual, group, business, or charity. (2) To Provide an opportunity for Kansans to say “Thank You Kansas!” in their own way.  No idea or contribution is too small or grand. Read the rest of this entry »

Another Ballot Question to be Aware of When you go to Vote on Tuesday

With all of the attention the sales tax issue and the mayor and city council races have gotten, and rightfully so, there is another ballot question that has not really been publicized, but I think it is important that everyone is aware of as well.  I did not know much about this  ballot question until this past Friday and wanted to be sure to share with everyone what I learned.

When we voted to change to a City Manager form of government it was drafted in the charter that we voted on that the mayor would still have veto power, and, at least the way it has been interpreted by a judge at this point, the City Council cannot override the veto. The ballot question is to vote on whether to allow a 2/3 majority vote of the City Council to override a mayoral veto.  If you vote “Yes”, you are voting that you want the 2/3 majority vote of the City Council to be able to override a mayoral veto.  If you vote “No”, you are voting that you do not want the City Council to be able to override a mayoral veto.  This is a very important issue on how much power we want the mayor to have.  Please give this some thought and most importantly GO VOTE!

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