Weekend features air show, Taylor Swift tribute concert, more
The Blue Angels will be flying over Wichita this weekend as part of McConnell Air Force Base’s air show, Frontiers in Flight. But the weekend entertainment calendar also includes a Taylor Swift tribute act at The Orpheum, a celebration of Indian culture in Andover, a home remodeling show at Century II and more.
Here are some of the fun events happening in and around Wichita this weekend:
AIR SHOW WEEKEND
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, McConnell Air Force Base, 52802 Kansas St.
Frontiers in Flight is the name for McConnell Air Force Base’s air show and open house, which happens this weekend and will include crowd favorites like Doc the B-29 Bomber and a performance by the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, a.k.a the Blue Angels. It happens from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday at McConnell Air Force Base, and the bill also will include more than two dozen static displays and a dozen aerial acts. Admission to the show is free but anyone 18 and older must have a state or federal government-issued ID to enter. Attendees also are encouraged to bring their own water in a non-glass container. For more information and a schedule, visit frontiersinflight.com
TAYLORVILLE
7:30 p.m. Saturday, Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway
Couldn’t get your hands on tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras tour? Console yourself at an event called Taylorville: A Tribute to Taylor Swift, which happens at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at The Orpheum. A tribute band will perform many of Swift’s chart-topping hits as well as “cherished deep cuts” in front of a big video wall. Tickets to the show are $35 to $50 and available at www.selectaseat.com, by phone at 316-755-7328 or at the Select-a-Seat box office inside Intrust Bank Arena.
RUTHIE FOSTER AT BARTLETT ARBORETUM
4 p.m. Sunday, Bartlett Arboretum, 301 N. Line St, Belle Plaine
Singer/songwriter and Texas native Ruthie Foster, whose specialty is blues music, will appear on Sunday at the Bartlett Arboretum in Belle Plaine. The singer, who is stopping at the arboretum as part of an extended national tour, is a three-time Grammy nominee who comes from a family of gospel singers. The show starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday, and gates open at 3 p.m. People are free to bring picnics, or they can purchase food from Lyon’s Den BBQ at the concert. Tickets are $20 at the gate. Children get in free.
READY TO REMODEL
Friday-Sunday, Century II Exhibition Hall
Those who attend the Wichita Remodeling Expo 2024 this weekend at Century II will be able to connect with many of Wichita’s most experienced remodeling and building experts and get tips from professionals who can help with bathrooms, kitchens, flooring, insulation, windows, solar panels, gutters, security systems, heating and air conditioning, decks, roofing and more. The event happens in the Exhibition Hall from noon to 6 p.m. on Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Free tickets to the event are available at www.homeshowcenter. com/overview/wichita
INDIAFEST
1-4 p.m. Saturday, Andover Community Center, 1008 E. 13th St., Andover
The Cultural Association of India-Wichita is putting on IndiaFest this weekend at the Andover Community Center. The event, intended to celebrate India’s 78th year of Independence, happens from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and will feature Indian food, crafts and games. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/wichitacai
FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE
8 p.m. Friday, TempleLive, 332 E. First St.
Felipe Esparza is a comedian who was born in Mexico but raised in Los Angeles and whose comedy career was kick-started when he won “Last Comic Standing” in 2010. He’s bringing his “At My Leisure World Tour” to Wichita’s TempleLive venue on Friday. His performance starts at 8 p.m., and doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $26-$49 at www.templelive.com/wichita/
Someone asked me once, “What is your favorite comfort movie? Something that will make you feel better every time.”
And I didn’t have a ready answer. No, it was going to take much more thinking than that.
But what a decidedly tough but fun question to answer! Sure, I have favorite movies, but those aren’t necessarily my “comfort” movies.
So I took to Facebook and posted the question there. I got 210-ish replies, some serious (”Empire Records,” “Mary Poppins”), some not so much (”The Exorcist” — really?). It was, obviously, just a social experiment. But, still, it was entertaining to scroll through and see the responses.
Here are the not-scientific-atall results:
Clear winner:
“The Princess Bride” (1987)
This received the most mentions, basically a live-action fairy tale that includes “true love,” “Rodents of Unusual Size,” a man with six fingers and a dude named Inigo Montoya. Who wants you to “Prepare to die!” This is also one of the most quotable movies of all time (with a script written by William Goldman that, sadly, didn’t get an Oscar nomination).
Runners up: “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”/Any “Indiana Jones” movies Aw, Indy. People love ya. But I had to lump this all together because in some cases people weren’t specific or included them all together. Half-Pint wins again!
“The Dead Can’t Dance” (2010) Well, this is embarrassing! Ha. But since this was on Facebook, several of my friends nicely chimed in naming my own zombie comedy/drama feature film that I wrote and directed as one of their comfort go-to’s. (Aw!) My film follows three Comanche men who discover they are somehow immune to a virus that’s turning everyone else into zombies.
“Raising Arizona” (1987)
Almost a live-action cartoon is Joel and Ethan Coen’s tale of a childless couple whose childbearing troubles prompt them to take one of a family’s newborn quintuplets. This is also one of the most quotable movies of all time. A couple of my favorite
lines: “Son, you got a panty on your head,” and (after a character just bought some balloons from a grocer) “These blow up into funny shapes and all?” Grocer replies, “Well no ... unless round is funny.”
Other films with multiple mentions:
“Pride and Prejudice” (2005) The Keira Knightley version is indeed sublime.
“The Shawshank Redemption” (1994) Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins, you make us weep like a baby every time.
“The Breakfast Club” (1985) John Hughes’ teen comedy classic is truly that.
“Jaws” (1975) Someone said “This is the best fishing movie ever!” I’m never going to the lake with you.
“Labyrinth” (1986) David Bowie’s most memorable movie performance.
“The Notebook” (2004) There’s no better way to keep me from seeing a movie than by saying, “Based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks,” but, hey, people love him. “Tombstone” (1993) We were huckleberries for this fresh take on a Western, a funny, modern update of the Wyatt Earp legend that hit all the right notes and features Val Kilmer’s career-high performance as Doc Holliday.
Some films mentioned at least twice:
“Alien”
“The Big Lebowski” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” “Cool Hand Luke” “Die Hard” “Drop Dead Fred” “The Devil Wears Prada”
“Elf”
“Empire Records” “Forrest Gump” “Fried Green
Tomatoes” “Galaxy Quest” “The Hateful Eight” “Moonstruck” “Never Ending Story”
“Orange County” “School of Rock” “The Wizard of Oz”
My votes: (I included them in the final tally)
“The Princess Bride” “Raising Arizona” “Shaun of the Dead”
Reach Rod Pocowatchit at rodrick@rawdzilla.com.