Douglass & Winfield
Cheryl Unruh
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
In last week’s column, I left you on the outskirts of Smileyberg.
After the brief tour of that Butler County burg, Dave and I headed west on a county road with Douglass in our sights.
And in Douglass, we stumbled across plenty of sights, many of which were on guns — a gun and knife auction was in progress at the town’s community building.
Now on this day trip, Dave and I were basically aiming toward Winfield, but had no set route.
In El Dorado, we had checked the map for towns to visit along the way. Douglass was nearby and because there’s a Douglass woman who frequently leaves comments on my Flyover People blog, we thought it would be fun to visit her town.
Located in southern Butler County, Douglass has 1,799 residents.
It makes left turns difficult, but smack dab in the center of Douglass’s main intersection is a flagpole flying the American flag.
Downtown Douglass was active that Saturday morning with a crowd at the auction. A restaurant, the Triangle, was busy, and several cars were in front of the Jack and Jill grocery store. Had we stayed around, we could’ve enjoyed karaoke that evening at a town tavern.
From Douglass, we headed south to Winfield. Winfield is home to Southwestern College, founded in 1885 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church.
Winfield (pop. 11,861) is also well known for the Walnut Valley Festival coming up Sept. 17-21.
This acoustic music event at Winfield has thousands of devoted fans who gather each September for the annual string blowout featuring musicians with dulcimers, banjos, mandolins, guitars and more.
When Dave and I arrived in Winfield, my first goal was to find a restaurant. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I like to be fed regularly.
We chose Biederman’s Bistro, a nicely painted blue and white building on a corner in downtown Winfield. Inside, Biederman’s is a long restaurant, artsy and sleek. I ordered a hamburger and sweet potato fries.
These sweet potato fries came with a secret sauce, which of course, makes one wonder what’s in it, so I tried to guess… yogurt, nutmeg? No, the waitress said (apparently it’s not really a secret): sour cream, cinnamon and brown sugar.
After the meal, Dave and I walked around the business district. The cityscape of downtown Winfield is softened by trees along the street and splashy flowers at the intersections.
Downtown is solid with plenty of sturdy stone and brick buildings holding Main Street in place. Many structures date to the late 1800s.
Liermann’s Saddle and Boot Shop (in business since 1881) has a sign over the sidewalk which states, “Your grandpa traded here.”
A few blocks east of Main Street stands an impressive 1886 limestone firehouse.
The 1962 Cowley County Courthouse has a flat, windowless front made of stone. But that otherwise ordinary stone front doubles as a county map. It has an outline of the townships, the cities are marked, and rivers are painted blue.
Just east of the courthouse is Memorial Park, a grassy square. In 1932, the Daughters of the American Revolution planted a tree there in honor of George Washington. And there’s an obelisk, which pays tribute to veterans of various conflicts including the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War, and the War of the Rebellion.
Another monument lists names of Kansans who died in Vietnam. The V-shaped black stone is cut into the earth, similar to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
In Winfield, you’ll also find Island Park with a community-built playground, a two-story brick Santa Fe Depot (now a Gambino’s Restaurant), and the campus of the former St. John’s College.
We didn’t come close to seeing everything there was in Winfield, but it was time to start meandering our way back home.
“Flyover People” is online at www.flyoverpeople.net.
• Cheryl Unruh can be reached at cheryl@flyoverpeople.net.
Comments
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Posted by madpoet (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 3:39 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm from Winfield orginally. It sounds like you hit all the main spots. I'm glad you mentioned the courthouse. I always thought it was neat and was glad they didn't tear it down and build a new one. The voters said no, find office space elsewhere if you need it. The IGA across the street came vacant and Voila! new offices. Next time down try the Mexican place on the corner of 9th and Main. Very nice!
Posted by sandyestabrook (anonymous) on September 2, 2008 at 8:32 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Glad you mentioned the Walnut Valley Festival. It's a wonderful family outing for a day or weekend. You can spend the entire day until midnight hanging out in your lawn chair at various stages listening to a variety of music from bluegrass to country to Irish to children's songs.
There is great atmosphere and food including an arts and crafts show.
The best family friendly festival in our area. The down side: be prepared for all kinds of weather and long bathroom lines. The weather can be very hot as it was several yr ago when it was 105 or cool and rainy. To get out of the rain you can go inside and listen to the various music contests. Many famous musicians have preformed there. To check it out go to: www.wvfest.com. One of my favorite events! Motels will be booked for 40 miles in all directions.
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