Post #13 Video

This blog is all about cheap entertainment for college aged individuals in Topeka, Kansas. One of the best investments an individual can use their money on is to join a lifetime organization. For me, this was my fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon. Although I joined this organization while I was in college, Sigma Phi Epsilon has provided me with opportunities for life.

 
Sigma Phi Epsilon is not necessarily a cheap form of entertainment, rather the fraternity is a lifelong commitment to brotherhood. Sigma Phi Epsilon pushes its members to be active on campus, in the community, and within the chapter. They provide opportunities for leadership development, individual growth, and professional networking. 

Although members must pay the chapter during their time as undergraduate members, the experience is priceless. There will be irreplaceable memories with lifelong friends. The monetary price members pay initially may seem steep, but for what members receive in return the money is well spent.

Post #12 Fiesta Mexicana

Every July, the city of Topeka hosts the Fiesta Mexicana. Fiesta Mexicana is a celebration of the Mexican culture that features five night of authentic food, music, dancing, and competitions. The Fiesta is a Topeka tradition that has been continued for over 80 years.

One of the competitions for the Fiesta is the quest to become Fiesta Royalty. Each 

 year, one boy and one girl that are still in high school are crowned king and queen of the Fiesta.

Running for Royalty is an honor, and it requires a lot of work. Those running begin in late April and their quest ends in July during the celebration. The candidates raise money throughout that time that will eventually be pooled together and donated to the Parish.

The 2016 Fiesta saw Oscar Gomez crowned king. Oscar, a Topeka High graduate and current Washburn Student, spoke with me about his royalty experience.

Post #11 Topeka RoadRunners

Although Topeka does not have a large professional sports team, Topeka does have the RoadRunners hockey team. The Topeka RoadRunners are a hockey team that are members of the North American Hockey League, also referred to as the NAHL. Although the team is not a member of the National Hockey League, they are still a professional team. The RoadRunners play their games in the Kansas Expo Center.

The RoadRunner's season starts in September and extends all the way until April. Roughly half of their games will be played in Topeka. With 60 games per season, members of the Topeka community will have nearly 30 opportunities to cheer on their hometown team.

The 2016-2017 season has not been kind to the RoadRunners, they are currently 18-34 and sit in last place in the South Division.

Tickets start at $12.75 for regular seating. However, for only $19.75 fans are able to sit next to the ice by either the team benches or the penalty box.

Post #10 Old Prairie Town

Have you ever wanted to experience what life would be the 1800's? Topeka can provide you with this experience. No, Topeka is not that out of date, but Topeka does have a historical area in its midst. Topeka has an establishment called Old Prairie Town, which replicates life from the 1800’s. Old Prairie Town is hidden among a residential neighborhood in central Topeka. Northwest Fillmore Street is where guests will be able to find Old Prairie Town

Old Prairie Town features replica buildings from the 1800's. These buildings include a Log Cabin, Blacksmith Shop, School house, and Victorian Mansion. The area also includes 2.5 acres of Botanical Garden with unique features, including a 240-foot cascading rock rivulet.

Even if you're not someone who is interested in history, this is a great way to spend an afternoon. There are plenty of options for entertainment at Old Prairie Town. The staff will have different activities for guests to do, including a chance to churn butter.

Old Prairie Town also does re-enactments of events from the 1800's. These events range from a dinner to the firing of a replica cannon!

The total cost for an adult to explore Old Prairie Town is $5.

Post #9 Escape Rooms

A fun way to spend some time with friends in Topeka is at a business that is less than 10 years old. Keynundrum, which opened in 2008, is an escape room adventure. If you are not familiar with escape rooms, they are interactive rooms that you must escape. Pretty simple, right?

This photo was taken from
the Keynundrum website

Wrong. Each room features a different set of hidden objects that serve as clues, these clues help participants to solve puzzles that ultimately will allow the group to escape. The goal is to escape the room as quickly as possible, however there is a maximum time of 60 minutes. If your group gets stuck you can ask for a hint, but they will add five minutes to your time for each hint that you receive.

Keynundrum does allow for reservations to be made. This is the best way to ensure that you and your friends can get a chance escape the room of your choosing. Keynundrum has five different escape rooms to try to breakout from. This provides the chance to go back multiple times if you cannot solve a certain room, or would like to take a crack at a different room.

The cost is only $20 per person if the group is larger than three people. 

Post #8 Get Involved

One of the best ways to spend time in Topeka is by volunteering or getting involved with the Topeka community. An easy way for college students to get involved is through Big Brothers Big Sisters. This is a program that matches the older volunteer with a younger participant who need a positive role model. A lot of the kids who are looking for a “Big” come from single parent households. The unstableness of their home life causes them to need a positive mentor. The ages of the kids varying from elementary school all the way up to high school. Some of the kids in the program have been on a wait list for a “Big” for over a year.

The process of becoming a “Big” is extensive, but not difficult. There is an application that must be filled out. After that there will be a series of interviews and a background check. If the potential big meets all the requirements, then they will receive a match.

There are two types of matches, community and site. The community based matches allow for the big to take the little out into the community to do activities. The duo is supposed to hangout at least one hour each week. This is not an overwhelming commitment by any means, however it is still meaningful for the “Little.” A site based match is one that centers around what the “Little” at school. The “Big” will go eat lunch, go to recess, and even help in the class room. There are opportunities for outside activities, but are not required for site based matches.

To become a “Big” you can contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shawnee county at (785) 234-5524 or visit their office in Topeka at 2300 SW 29^th St. Suite 200.

Post #7 Local Diners

Dining local is a great way to get to know a community. Supporting Mom and Pop shops not only benefits the family that owns the diner, but you can also find some delicious food. While eating at large food chains one can expect generic recipes of food, however at local diners the food is hand made with a secret recipe. Local diners are decorated with objects that reflect the owners and their personalities, giving the diner a more welcoming feel.

I went ate breakfast at a café in south Topeka called Banjo’s Café. I have been to the café a few times, always for breakfast. Each time that I leave I am ready to go into a food educed coma. Their potions are huge and their food is delicious. I think that the full order of biscuits and gravy is physically impossible to eat in one sitting!

The diner itself has colorful walls and uses wooden tables and chairs for the guests seating. The large windows in the front of the diner allows the natural light to pour in, illuminating the café with a friendly glow.

The meals are reasonably priced, however with the portion sizes, the prices are extremely favorable. My average bill is around $10!

Post #6 The Topeka Zoo

A great way to spend a sunny day is by visiting the Topeka Zoo! The zoo is right next to Gage Park, and is centrally located in Topeka. Although the Topeka Zoo is smaller in comparison to other area zoos, it still offers a great variety of animals and is an excellent way to have fun for a day. The zoo has lions, tigers, and bears that like to climb trees (OH MY)! Visitors can also find elephants, giraffes, and hippopotamus enclosures at the Topeka Zoo.

The zoo is not hard to navigate, which makes walking the path multiple times easy. Visitors can easily spend several hours at the zoo by taking multiple trips around to see all the animals more than once. Educational programs are put on to help inform the public about a certain animal. Often these programs are interactive and they give the public a unique opportunity to get a close-up experience with an education animal.

The cost of admission is $5.75, much less than other nearby zoos. For less than six dollars’ guests can enjoy a full day of fun. Having Gage Park so close to the zoo is an added benefit for the guests. They can spend time in the park and maybe even have a picnic before entering the zoo. This helps to avoid the sometimes-costly food provided at the zoo’s dining area.

Post #5 Bowling

Kansas weather. What more can you say? You can never be certain what mother nature has in store for Kansas. This last week for example, on Thursday the temperature was in the mid 60’s and overall the weather was nice. On Saturday, Topeka experienced snow that lasted for almost 4 hours and left the ground covered in a coat of white.

Not being able to depend on the weather is a constant struggle in Kansas, which is why it is a good idea to always have a backup plan. Like Blue says in the video, you never know when it is going to be hot in Topeka.

When the weather is being unreliable, bowling is a great option for indoor fun! Topeka features two bowling alleys, Gage Bowls and West Ridge Lanes. As a college student, I am partial to West Ridge Lanes because they offer $2 games of bowling on Tuesday nights. Finding a deal better than $2 per game is hard to do. You along with your friends can spend around two hours bowling for $4 per person!

I will admit, I am terrible at bowling. However, with practice anyone can see vast improvements in their game. A fun competition is to play a game or two and the person with the lowest score hast to pay for everyone else’s games. If you’re the loser, then it may not end up being a cheap night for you.

Blog Post #4 The Great Outdoors

Kansas is by no means place that adventurers or thrill seekers got to hike. However, for college students, Kansas has just enough to offer. Topeka offers a few options for those who want to hike trails or ride bikes through the forest, none better than the Governor’s Mansion. Weather permitting, the Governor’s Mansion is the best option for those wanting to take a stroll outdoors.

As the name indicates, the Governor’s Mansion is home to the Governor of Kansas. On the property there are hiking trails that stretch for miles. These trails cover a hilly terrain and are engulfed by thick underbrush and trees. There are several ponds can be found alongside of the trails. If you take the right path, you can even find yourself at the banks of the Kansas river.

I suggest hiking with a friend or two, otherwise the trails can be a little spooky. Another suggestion I would make regarding hiking, make sure to have plenty of time before it gets dark when you set out on your hike. Hiking around the woods at night is not a fun experience so make sure to plan ahead!

Other areas in Topeka that are worth exploring include Lake Shawnee and Lake Sherwood. Both include hiking trails, and serve as a great place to spend time outdoors. For a small fee, you can purchase a fishing license. The license will allow you to legally fish for one year anywhere in Kansas.

All of these public hiking trails and lakes are free to any and all that want to utilize them! For a college student looking for something to do on a sunny afternoon, the trails are an opportunity that cannot be beat.

Post #3 Cheap Movie Theater

I grew up in Salina, Kansas, a place where movie tickets have always been under $10. Growing up, I usually spent $4 per movie ticket. The first time that I went to a movie in Topeka I spent nearly $12 on just one ticket! With the cost being nearly three times as much as I was accustom to spending, I did not plan on going to the movie theater often.

I maintained my self-enforced movie Topeka movie theater boycott until this Saturday night when I visited the Regal Cinemas West Ridge 8 Theater. This is commonly referred to as the “2-dollar theater." During the week the cost per ticket is $2, but on the weekends they raise the tickets to $3.50. Even with the inflated weekend price the cost per ticket is very reasonable. I did not buy any popcorn, doing so would have raised the price of my visit had I decided I needed a snack.

Regal Cinemas West Ridge 8 Theater does not play newly released movies, instead they play movies that are a few months old. They are able to provide such cheap tickets because the movies they play are not brand new, but are still new enough that they have not been released on DVD.

Post #2 Campus Sports

Being a college student, there are a multitude of on campus events available for students and few are more exciting than college athletics. Cheering on their University along-side their friends gives students an opportunity to express pride for their school. Supporting student athletes as a member of the student section allows the fans to participate in the game in a fun and lively atmosphere.

I attended the Washburn Men’s Basketball game on Saturday, February 18^th. The Ichabods won their game against Southwest Baptist by a score of 65-53. The total cost of attending the Washburn Basketball game was $0.00. That’s right, going to college sporting events at Washburn is FREE! Washburn allows for all of their students to attend University Athletic events free of charge.

While at the game I received a free T-shirt for supporting the Ichabods. This is not the first time I have benefited from attending a Basketball game. Earlier this semester I was selected to participate in a halftime competition where I won a $30 gas card!

Because I attended the free basketball game, I had a great time, won a T-shirt, and spent no money. Supporting college athletics is a cost effective way to have a fun night in Topeka, Kansas!

Post #1 Introduction to Topeka

I love Washburn University! The school has small classes, a beautiful campus, and many different ways to get involved. There is one thing that students do not like about Washburn, and that is the schools location. Topeka, Kansas is not what I would describe as a college town. Sure, there is Ichabod Spirit in the community, however Topeka does not have the atmosphere of a college town. One of the main reasons for this feeling is the lack of college student focused activities. Many of the things to do in Topeka are either too pricy or simply do not appeal to college students. This is the reason that I often overhear my peers complain that there is nothing to do in Topeka, or that Topeka is a boring place.

Although I understand my peer’s complaints, I believe that Topeka has more to offer than my peers would expect. Topeka has many local restaurants with cheap specials perfect for college students. Also in Topeka, there is a cheap movie theatre, an arts district, and local sports teams to cheer on! At first glance, it may appear that Topeka does not have a lot of options in terms of entertainment for college students. However, upon further examination and a little open mindedness Topeka has a lot to offer! This blog will reveal to all Washburn students that there are cheap, yet entertaining things to do in Topeka, Kansas.