July 13, 2003
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Attendance
1. Have you ever attended a concert? If so, who; and how old were you when you attended your first concert?
I have attended many many concerts. All of them being Christian. When I wasn in High School we had our church youth gatherings nation and world wide. At these there were Christian artists. But... prior to that, I saw a brand new band for free one summer when I was in middle school. Now you have to realize that this was a town of 3000 people and they were performing in the highschool gym. I had no idea who they were and I don't think anyone really knew them. But hey... it was a free concert! Well.... it was Petra
Some of the other first concerts I saw were Amy Grant, Glad, and Sandy Patti. Then once I was out of college, I saw several concerts at the Wichita River Festival, which is a really big deal here. I saw Rich Mullins for the first time and several others. Then after I was married we did volunteer work for the Christian radio station in Wichita and we would work the concerts. We would sell merchandise, help set up and tear down, and do security and usher. This way we got to see the concert free, probably got some free merchandise for helping and got to meet and talk with the artist. Therefore I got to meet many artists I don't think I could name them all lol. Through this relationship with the radio station we got to know one of the DJ's who was best friends with Rich Mullins and in the process I actually got to *know* Rich. He is a wonderful person, and is really a true Christian. Nothing he did was an act. It was all very real. When he died, I cried, not for him, no... he was where he wanted to be. He was doing as one of his favorite songs, flying up to heaven. <pause in rememberance> I cried for all of us left here on earth without him to lead us in his wonderful music and praise. Another free concert I got to go to was Leslie Phillips and Randy Stonehill, that was in college... I have been to so many concerts it really is amazing, but I hardly ever paid for them. I did pay to go see Crystal Lewis. The secular concerts that I went to, and paid for 
was Kenny Rogers, and John Taylor. I think that is about it on secular concerts.
2. What is the biggest ride or rollercoaster that you've ever been on? Were you frightened to go on it?
The biggest rollercoaster was at World's of Fun in Kansas City. It was the very first one in the US (or so they said) that you stood up in and went in a circle upside down. Man did that thing go fast! You know though, a couple months after I went there with my family, they changed it and you had to sit down in it because they had too many accidents with people falling out of it when it was going upside down when they were standing... oh lovely! I thought it was fun, it was better than the ones that creep up the hill and my anxiety slowly climbs as the ride does and then my stomach goes up into my throat when we finally go flying down. There is a much smaller rollercoaster at Joyland in Wichita, and it scares me half to death. It is all wood, and it was built in the 40's I think, my mom rode it when she was a girl, and I highly doubt it has been painted since it was built lol... it creaks and growns, oh man, just the thought of that things scares me... I can't imagine that it is safe. But then my analytical brain kicks in and says, of course it is, they have those things inspected at least yearly, right???
3. Is there an annual 'festival' that you make sure you never miss? If so, please tell about it; if not, is there any annual event that you like to attend?
Growing up Mennonite, we had an annual Mennonite Relief Sale, there was good German Mennonite food and fun things to look at. There was the quilt auction, that I just simply loved. I didn't go to buy any thing like a quilt, I just liked to go and look at all the beautiful quilts. Then every year there was a man who did glass blowing and my parents would just leave me there to watch him. I just loved it, and it was always in the same area as the quilts. Then as I got older and was in college I would go there and we would see all of our old friends. It was like a great big reunion for Mennonites, everyone went
It grew over the years and they would sell plants, equipment and other things. When my boys were younger we would collect pennies all year long and then for 1 month before the sale, we would give them to the ushers at church so that they could be donated at the Sale. There would be cow troughs full of pennies and there would be electric counters going all 2 days of the sale there were so many pennies. I would always get Verenike, Borsht, Sausage, and Zwieback while I was there, because I could only get it about 1 time per year. I haven't gone in a couple years, and I am no longer Mennonite in my denomination, although it is still a major part of me. I need to go again. It is kind of like you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl.....
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