Kansas Travel Blog

Chronicling changes to KansasTravel.org and Keith's exploration & photographing Kansas restaurants, attractions, museums, festivals and art. Contact him.
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KC Winter Wonderland at KC Wine Co.
Thursday - December 1, 2022: Much of the day was spent checking on homes which were in last year's Johnson County Christmas Light Tour. Almost every place checked is up again or still going up for 2022. 

 

 
 
Friday - December 2, 2022: My first trip to check on Topeka Christmas Light Displays and Lawrence Christmas Displays was made to day. It was all checking on the status of displays from the 2021 tour and 6 of those displays from Topeka have not returned or are no longer large enough to be included in this year's tour. I was particularly disappointed that Vincent Cook's Christmas Display at Walker and 12th was gone, but the long running construction on 12th makes this house very hard to get to and I bet the display will be back next year.

William & Elaine Powell's Christmas display on Leo Avenue repeatedly won prizes in the 1990s and 2000s. It has been smaller in recent years, but still very nice and remained on the tour, but while still attractive this year the display is just too small to justify going out of your way to see.

I paid another visit to the grave of Carrie Frances Kiene at Mount Hope Cemetery. Various sources have reported the statue of the little girl at the grave is dressed for the various seasons of the year and that no one knows who does it. This is the third time I've checked and it has never been decorated.

 


 
 
 
 
 
 

Carrie Frances Kiene grave - Topeka, Kansas Carrie Frances Kiene grave

Monday - December 5, 2022: We continue to check on Christmas displays in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. So far almost everything checked is back, but it takes several trips to check on all of them, not to mention checking on new leads.

 

 
Tuesday - December 6, 2022: I checked on Gardner Christmas Displays in far south Johnson County tonight, including a new one at Lewis Farms (which has already been on our public sunflower fields list) in Edgerton, They added a new Holiday Lights display in 2021, but we did not learn about it until this year. It consists of 100,000 lights 20 inflatables and 40 lighted figures. You are invited to drive into the large yard and drive past the side of the home before turning around to drive back. They request donations to benefit Sleep In Heavenly Peace, which builds and provides bunk beds to children and families in need.

 

Lewis Farms Holiday Lights - Edgerton, Kansas Lewis Farms Holiday Lights
Friday - December 9, 2022: We returned to south Johnson County to revisit KC Winter Wonderland at KC Wine Co. This year was a special treat as we got to take my one year old granddaughter. Although I think she will enjoy it even more in 2 or 3 years, she enjoyed the lights and we enjoyed taking photos with her. With Covid in many people's rear view mirrors, the walk through had many visitors, who appeared to be having good times.

Many places have been stage to provide photo opportunities and photos were being taken everywhere.

 

 
Monday - December 12, 2022: We drove east to check on new Topeka Christmas Light Displays and Lawrence Christmas Displays. We found two new displays to add to the tour in northwest Topeka. On on Dondee Lane and another called The North Pole, nearby on NW 43rd Terrace.

 

The North Pole - Topeka, Kansas The North Pole
Thursday - December 15, 2022: We checked on several new new Christmas displays in southern Overland Park.

 

 
Saturday - December 17, 2022: We checked several new Christmas displays in central Overland Park and Leawood.

 

 
Wednesday - December 21, 2022: I had supper at Blind Box BBQ in Shawnee. It was the first time I had been there in almost a year. Although there were only 2 or 3 other tables of customers they put me in a tiny table in what I thought was a poor location. Tonight I had 1/2 chicken with BBQ street corn and house fries. The chicken was fairly good, with a smoky flavor. the street corn and fries were both quite good.  
Monday - December 26, 2022: Recommendations continue to come in for more places to include in the three Christmas Light Tour pages. At this point, for the most part I am just marking them down to check in November 2023, but one was only a couple of miles away in Lenexa, so we checked it out tonight. The home is at the corner of Tomashaw and 90th Street and that an animated light show with music broadcasting on 106.1FM. Several cars of people were watching the show. Lenexa, Kansas Christmas Light Show Lenexa Light Show
 
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