Tuesday, June 28
Lawrence Arts Center announces new CEO
A Lawrence native and Kansas University alumna with experience in financial management and the arts has been named the next CEO of the Lawrence Arts Center.
Sunday, June 26
Behind the Lens: Pointy boots and point-and-shoots
The secret to good photography is comfortable shoes. I left my cowboy boots in my car and donned soft leather hikers to photograph the Flint Hills Rodeo earlier this June.
Public Enemy draws crowd of 7,500
Public Enemy “brought the noise” to Lawrence Saturday night in an outdoor concert, closing out this year’s Free State Festival.
Lawrence native Corinne Brinkerhoff helms CBS whodunnit 'American Gothic'
Corinne Brinkerhoff (Lawrence High School's class of 1998) recently chatted with her hometown newspaper about her new show, American's crime obsession and the '90s cult classic that first sparked her Hollywood dreams as a book-loving teen in the Sunflower State.
Style Scout: Casey Keel
What's your spirit animal? A raccoon. They're nocturnal, cute little burglars, and they love food.
Friday, June 24
Weekend Guide: Short film screenings; St. John's Mexican Fiesta; Summer Fest; family fun at the Free State Fest; radio field day
Naturally, the Free State Festival dominates this weekend's social scene. We've included a few festival highlights (good things come in small packages, film buffs) that you might've missed, plus arts and crafts in South Park, a "field day" for amateur radio enthusiasts and more.
Datebook: Water conservation, outdoor music, beer dinner and more events for June 24
Lawrence and area events for June 24.
Sunday, June 19
Lawrence Arts Center artist-in-residence hopes to create heightened viewing experience in new exhibition
Christy Wittmer isn’t interested in telling stories with her art, which at the moment is scattered in unfinished pieces — a pair of nesting Styrofoam packing inserts here, a giant “felt tomato” there — around her small but efficient Lawrence Arts Center studio.
Style Scout: Vicky Díaz-Camacho
Describe your style: Vintage, with a lot of inspiration from contemporary art and French cinema.
Style Scout: Paul DeGeorge
Describe your style: "Animaniacs" T-shirt and jeans. That's the bulk of my style.
Friday, June 17
Weekend Guide: 'Much Ado About Nothing;' Dinner and a Movie: 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off;' Queen Elizabeth's birthday bash; What Floats Your Boat
The hotly anticipated Free State Festival arrives this weekend (yay!) but won't kick off officially until Sunday (sad face). Fortunately, we've got a few ideas here to keep you entertained in the meantime, including but not limited to Shakespeare, dinner and a movie, and a birthday celebration fit for a queen.
Thursday, June 16
Best of Lawrence 2016 winners announced
As Lee Meisel and his wife, K, celebrate their 10th wedding anniversary next week, he says now they’ll “have an even better excuse to celebrate.”
Best Acupuncture | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
Bornstein says. Bornstein has spring boarded off of Rich’s model of instead of providing service to one client privately, driving up the cost, the business treats anywhere from a half dozen to a dozen clients simultaneously, lowering the cost.
Best BBQ | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
Biemer’s serves up a unique mix between Kansas City- and Memphis-style barbecue.
Best Interior Design | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
Bateman Interiors relocated last August, and the company has settled in nicely in its new home on West 27th Street.
Best Place to Buy a New or Used Car | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
Find descriptors like “phenomenal,” “friendly,” “fun” and “not pushy” when you peruse Crown Auto’s Facebook page.
Best Unsung Hero | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
Responding to dozens of daily calls and providing community education on fire safety, CPR and bike helmets is all in a day’s work for Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical.
Best Handy(wo)man | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
Linda Cottin, co-owner of Cottin’s Hardware, doesn’t consider herself a handywoman.
Best Law Firm | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
It was a good year for the downtown Lawrence law firm Stevens & Brand.
Best Painting Services | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
KB Painting prides itself on being a full-service company that takes on jobs both big and small.
Best Pet Care | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
It’s a great time to be a veterinarian at Clinton Parkway Animal Hospital. The technology to help animals is better than ever.
Best T-Shirt or Screen Printing | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
The T-shirts at Acme make people smile. And so do the people who work there.
Best Family Doctor | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
Launching two new programs in the last year has been a welcome challenge for Kathy Severa, practice administrator at Family Medicine Associates.
Best Gym & Personal Trainer | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
Exercise science energizes The Underground Lab. Whether it’s a fitness module, a personal training session or a transformation academy, all programs follow sound scientific principles.
Best Martial Arts | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
Jimmy Golden, co-owner of Prime Martial Arts, knows firsthand the health benefits martial arts provide because he experienced similar training growing up that he now offers to his youth clients.
Best Massage Therapy | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
The massage offerings at Salon Di Marco are plentiful—including Swedish, deep tissue, four hands, hot stone, prenatal, Reiki and reflexology.
Best Auto Service Repair | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
Richard Haig, owner of Westside 66 and Carwash, owns the last full-service station in Lawrence.
Best Nurse | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Health & Fitness
Karen Roberts has been a nurse practitioner for 27 years. All you have to do is speak with her for a couple of minutes to gauge just how much she loves her job.
Best Furniture | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
World Market is a treat for travelers and homebodies alike; customers can find international foods and décor that remind them of places they’ve been or places still on their bucket lists.
Best Gardening Store | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
Clinton Parkway Nursery goes above and beyond gardening to set itself apart from other gardening stores.
Best Wine List | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
The City Wine Market opened a second location this past year, bringing the successful West-side shop’s ambiance to the downtown area.
Best Gift Shop | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
“I never really considered anywhere else in Lawrence,” says Matt Richards, when asked why he situated his store on Massachusetts Street.
Best Jewelry Store | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
As enduring as the gems it creates, repairs and sells, Marks Jewelers sets itself apart with “one-on-one customer appeal,” says sales manager, Jaclyn Iden, who has worked at the store for nine years.
Best Place to Get a Cocktail | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
If you’re after a cocktail, the Eldridge Hotel’s Jayhawker bar is the place to go—especially if you love a martini.
Best Local Band | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
Truckstop Honeymoon, the bluegrass duo of Mike and Katie West, has been a popular fixture since they arrived in 2005 from New Orleans, post-Katrina.
Best Second-Hand Store | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
Jennifer McKnight says Lawrence is a great place for her store because of the diversity in style that we see here.
Best Happy Hour | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
Emily Peterson, co-owner of Merchants, knows that the restaurant’s happy hour is top-notch, especially given that, unlike most places, it happens twice a day.
Best Unique Store | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
There have been Chicagoans who stop by Mass Street Soda and are delighted to find and purchase their beloved local lime-flavored soft drink called Green River.
Best Date Spot | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
At 715, there aren’t any TVs to distract you from the sweetie sitting across the table.
Best Children’s Clothing Store | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Shopping
Lawanna Huslieg-Hanks, owner of Doodlebugs, speaks highly of her customers.
Best Hair Stylist | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Services
Now in his 13th year as a stylist, Kevin Shutts is as driven as ever.
Best Bar and Best Beer Selection | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Entertainment & Nightlife
While expecting everyone at Free State to know your name might be a little much, the chances of seeing someone you know at the downtown institution on a Monday night is nearly guaranteed.
Best Restaurant Dish | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
Limestone’s margherita pizza starts with great dough.
Best New Restaurant | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
Lee Meisel began training early to be a butcher. He grew up on a cattle ranch, and one of his early jobs was at an old-school butcher shop.
Best Family Fun | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
With lively story times, cozy book nooks and the chance to play with trains, puppets and more, the Lawrence Public Library hits the all rights notes for families looking for a fun daytime outing.
Best New Business | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
Finding healthy food in Lawrence has become even easier with the recent addition of Sprouts Farmers Market.
Best Mexican Food | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
While El Potro may appear to be a typical Mexican-American cantina, it has a little something special.
Best Place to take an Out-of-Towner | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
With its laid-back, friendly atmosphere and legion of local devotees, the beloved Free State Brewery is an ideal spot to take out-of-towners for a well-rounded taste of Lawrence life.
Best Fresh Produce | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
The oldest continuous farmers’ market in Kansas is marking its 40th year, and market go-ers can expect plenty of celebration.
Best Place to Work (small business) | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
It takes four sets of interviews, an intense orientation session and seven Sundays of training to become an employee at Pet World.
Best Radio Station | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
KJHK 90.7 FM, the student-run radio station at the University of Kansas, celebrated its 40th birthday in 2015.
Best University Teacher | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
Stephen Ilardi, associate professor of psychology at the University of Kansas, is known nationwide for his research on treating depression with lifestyle changes.
Best Dessert | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
Is it their homemade waffle cones with a malt ball surprise in the bottom?
Best Chinese Food | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
Encore Cafe serves Chinese food that’s more upscale than your average take-out.
Best Artist | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Community
Local artist Stan Herd—who was once called the “father of crop art” by Dan Rather on CBS Evening News—has spent more than 40 years creating large-scale images by planting, mowing and plowing pieces of land all over the world.
Best Breakfast Spot | Best of Lawrence 2016 | Food & Dining
The Roost knows how to make a good morning meal.
Tuesday, June 14
Justice Matters event to feature nationally known religious scholar
Justice Matters, a consortium of local religious organizations working to address justice issues, will host an "evening to dance, sing, reflect and support justice" Thursday at 7 p.m. at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St.
Sunday, June 12
Ephemeral art, 'Sound Shapes' among those on display in Downtown Outdoor Sculpture Exhibition
If you've been wondering what kind of business, exactly, that giant, orange taco with feet has in downtown Lawrence, we have some answers for you. The "taco," sadly, is not actually a taco, but rather one of seven pieces — plus one site-specific installation that gives a whole new meaning to the old "one man's trash is another man's treasure" adage — in this year's Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition.
Friday, June 10
Girls Rock! camp to host talent showcase Saturday at Liberty Hall
The second annual Girls Rock! Lawrence camp will host a talent showcase of young musicians Saturday at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St.
Weekend Guide: Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition opening reception and walking tour; Theatre Lawrence's 'Guys and Dolls;' Blues and Grass by the River; Fire in the Hole barbecue competition
Get your cultural fix this weekend in Lawrence with the opening of the Outdoor Downtown Sculpture Exhibition, Theatre Lawrence's "Guys and Dolls" and the Just Food benefit Blues and Grass by the River. And, because summer is here and because barbecue is always a good idea, all-you-can-eat deliciousness at the Eagles Lodge's annual Fire in the Hole Cookoff.
Wednesday, June 8
Winners of Best of Lawrence contest to be announced at upcoming event
Winners of the 2016 Best of Lawrence contest are set to be publicly announced at an event later this month, the Journal-World and other organizers of the contest have announced.
Sunday, June 5
Theatre Lawrence's 'Guys and Dolls' to open Friday
A slice of 1940s New York City — complete with brassy dames, smooth-talking con men, dodgy alleyways and legally dicey dice games — arrives in Kansas this week. In Theatre Lawrence’s production of “Guys and Dolls,” opening Friday, the city is almost a supporting character to the big personalities who inhabit it, says director Jason Smith.
Friday, June 3
Weekend Guide: Mouse Races; Hidden Valley Trails Day; yarn fun at the 'Jungle;' 'Breakfast and Birds'
Go wild this weekend in Lawrence. We've got a few nature-themed suggestions for you here, including mouse races (yes, with actual mice), a day on the trails, crafting at the "Jungle" and "Breakfast and Birds" with Audubon of Kansas.
Thursday, June 2
Red Dog's Dog Days to kick off summer season Saturday
Red Dog's Dog Days, the Lawrence-based community fitness program, kicks off its summer season Saturday at the Lied Center.
