The run of the weekend

Loose where it can be, firm where it counts. Times outside of the show are suggestions.

Thursday

October 1

2:30 pm
Land at ICTWichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport. One terminal, one baggage claim, rental counters straight ahead. You will be outside within twenty minutes of the jet bridge.
~3:15 pm
Pick up the rental carGas is cheap, parking is free everywhere, and nothing here is more than 30 minutes away. Get the bigger car.
~4:00 pm
Drive east to the ranchAbout half an hour across town to 1095 S 143rd St E. The buildings stop and the sky starts.
Evening
Fire pit, first nightNo plans. Bring something warm for after dark.

Friday

October 2

Daytime
Band rehearsalRun the set. The rest of us will stay out of the way.
~5:30 pm
Drive out to Pam & Wes's12799 SW 210th St, Douglas, KS. Roughly 30 minutes southeast on county roads. Cell service gets thin, so pin the address before you leave.
Golden hour
Sunset photos with the cattleSun goes down a little after 7. Boots or shoes you don't love, and no sudden movements around the herd.
After
Dinner at the ranchHosted by Pam and Wes. Come hungry.

Saturday

October 3

All day
YoursThe pond, a Gator ride around the property, a walk down the road, or drive into town. Ideas further down this page.
9:00 pm
Pop Night at Kirby's Beer Store3227 E 17th St N. Doors are the whole point. See below.
After
Old Town is ten minutes awayBars downtown run late if the night still has legs.

Sunday

October 4

Morning
Slow oneCoffee, last walk around the property, pack.
~1:30 pm
Leave the ranchReturn the rental with a full tank if that's the deal you signed.
2:30 pm
At ICT, latestSecurity here is quick, but this is the hard deadline for the weekend.

Saturday night at Kirby's

A cinderblock beer store by the university with a stage in the back, held together by stickers and good decisions. This is the one fixed point of the weekend.

Hunter Gromala
Bryce Bowyn
Shelley Star & The Galaxy

Oct 3 9 pm 21+ 3227 E 17th St N

Open Kirby's in Maps

Screenshot this one for the group chat.

Every address you need

Save these now. Once you're east of the city, the map app gets optimistic about roads that are really just gravel.

Those faint squares are the section grid, and every one of them is a mile across, which is how you can eyeball any distance here. Tap a point to open it in Maps. On a phone, drag the map sideways. Base map from Google Maps.

The same spot, closer in. Kellogg is the road you'll take in and out all weekend, and Andover is the next town east.

Langston Ranch

1095 S 143rd St E, Wichita, KS

Home base. East side, past where the subdivisions give up. About 30 minutes from the airport and 20 from Kirby's.

Open in Maps

Pam & Wes's ranch

12799 SW 210th St, Douglas, KS 67039

Friday's cattle and dinner. Roughly 30 minutes southeast of the house. Download the route before you go.

Open in Maps

Kirby's Beer Store

3227 E 17th St N, Wichita, KS 67208

Saturday's show, 9 pm, 21+. Street parking in the neighborhood around it.

Open in Maps

ICT airport

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National

West side of town. Land Thursday at 2:30 pm, back here by 2:30 pm Sunday at the very latest.

Open in Maps

What's yours at the ranch

No asking required. If it's here, use it.

The pond

There's a paddle board and a paddle boat, both yours whenever. Mornings are glass; the wind picks up by afternoon and the boat handles it better than the board.

Birds

The heron on the sign is not decorative — they work this water. Early October is fall migration, so the pond and the tree line are worth a slow hour at first light. Bring binoculars.

Gator rides

The fastest way to see the whole place. Good for hauling cameras, coffee or people who don't want to walk it.

A walk down the road

Flat, quiet and further than it looks. Best around sunset, when the light goes long and the whole horizon turns orange.

Fire pit

Thursday night's plan, and any night that wants one. Early October drops into the fifties after dark, so it earns its keep.

Queer Wichita, if you want a night of your own

Small scene, genuinely warm, all within a few minutes of each other downtown. These three are the ones worth your time.

XY Bar

235 N Mosley St, Old Town

The dance floor. Biggest one in the city, drag programming most weeks, DJs running house through Top 40. Usually no cover, 21+, and a younger crowd than anywhere else on this list.

Open in Maps

J's Lounge

513 E Central Ave

The dive, and proud of it. Pool table, darts, jukebox, heated patio, and karaoke that locals will argue is the best in town. Go here when you want to actually talk to someone.

Open in Maps

Rain Bistro & Lounge

518 E Douglas Ave

The one with a kitchen. LGBT-owned, downtown, full bar and a patio, with karaoke, drag and weekend dancing. You can have dinner and stay for the show without moving.

Open in Maps

Hours move around in a city this size. Check socials the day of before you drive in.

If you get a free afternoon

Wichita is flatter and stranger and better than it gets credit for.

Keeper of the PlainsA 44-foot steel sculpture where the two Arkansas rivers meet, ringed by fire pots that get lit for fifteen minutes at 9 pm, weather permitting. Walk the suspension bridges. It's the postcard, and it deserves to be.
Old TownBrick warehouse district downtown: bars, a movie theater, patios, and the easiest place to park once and wander.
The Douglas Design DistrictVintage stores, murals, coffee and tattoo shops strung along Douglas Avenue. The most walkable stretch in the city.
A crumbly burgerNuWay does loose-meat sandwiches and root beer. It is not for everyone and that is part of the fun. Doo-Dah Diner handles breakfast, and The Donut Whole handles everything after midnight thinking.
BotanicaGardens near the river, still in color in early October. Good for a slow hour before an evening out.

Things nobody tells you

Pack for two climatesEarly October afternoons can hit the mid-seventies and the nights drop into the fifties. Sunset photos and the fire pit both want a jacket.
The wind is a real thingIt's constant and it's loud on video. Shoot audio with your back to it.
Gates stay how you found themOpen means leave it open, closed means close it behind you. Only rule the ranch really has.
Watch for deer after darkCounty roads have no lights and the deer have no plan. Slow down between the ranch and Douglas.
Everything is 20 minutes awayWhich means you can say yes to more than you think.