Category: 2022 Summer Series

Sat. July 30, 2022, 4-5:30 p.m.
Pioneer Bluffs, 695 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Matfield Green’s unofficial historian, Linda Ayala presents a fun and fragmented look back at Matfield Green’s earliest settlers, including her ancestors, and major events that shifted the town’s trajectory. The beautifully restored, well-ventilated loft of the historic barn at Pioneer Bluffs is a perfect gathering spot to hear an enchanting mix of truth, lore and unsolved mysteries.

Guests are invited to bring any and all Matfield memorabilia to be scanned and preserved in an online archive – letters, photographs, newspaper clippings or pamphlets. Three-dimensional objects can be photographed and then scanned. 

Guests are invited to come early or stay late to enjoy the shady banks of Crocker Creek and explore the Crocker Creek Nature Trail. Bring sun-protective clothing, bug spray and a refillable water bottle if you plan to hike.

Maximum guests: 50

Sat. July 30, 2022, 10-11:30 a.m.
Pioneer Bluffs, 695 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Come to the beautifully renovated, well-ventilated loft of the historic barn at Pioneer Bluffs for an informal “food fair” to meet local and area producers of humanely, sustainably raised food including honey, chicken, pork, beef, bison, lard, tallow, eggs, cheese, raw milk and vegetable seedlings. Some producers will have food items for sale, so bring a cooler! Goats from Restoration Grazing will be onsite eating invasive Johnson grass near the barn.

Journalist Cindy Hoedel will introduce her Eat Clean Kansas project, which is based on in-person farm visits to collect stories and information about practices to share on a website that can be a resource for eco-conscious consumers looking to eat healthier food and protect the earth.

Farmers and ranchers will be added to the list (and subtracted, because farming schedules are unpredictable) closer to the event, and a table for information from farmers not able to attend in person will be provided. Featured producers: Janzen Family Farms of Newton; Kelly’s Bees of Strong City; Circle 7 Farms of Severy; Restoration Grazing of Beaumont; Harmony Hill of Fredonia; Grazing Plains of Newton; Homestead Ranch of Matfield Green; Rommey Farms of Cassoday; Barnyard Weed Warriors of Longton; Flint Rock Creamery of Cedar Point; and Tate Gibb (eggs and chicks) of Strong City.

Guests are invited to come early or stay late and explore the Pioneer Bluffs’ Crocker Creek Nature Trail. There’s even a swimming hole open to the public if you want to take a swim. Bring sun-protective clothing, comfortable walking shoes and bug spray if you want to hike. Water is available for refilling reusable bottles.

Maximum guests: 50

Sat. July 23, 2022, 4-5:30 p.m.
McBride Studio, 640 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Matfield Green musician Kelly Werts returns to celebrate another year of musical life with his musical friends. Bring an instrument, or your voice, and we will all make music together in a shaded, well-ventilated atrium. Lyric sheets will be provided, but be prepared to go “off script” if inspiration hits!

A limited supply of cold beverages will be provided, feel free to bring your preferred libation. Guests are also invited to bring a picnic supper to enjoy afterwards on the grounds of PrairyArt Path, which has 4 miles of hiking trails.

Maximum guests: 25

Sat. July 16, 2022, 4-5:30 p.m.
McBride Studio, 640 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Founding member of the Chase County band Weda Skirts, Elexa writes songs influenced by her Potawatomi heritage, nature, family, love and loss. She also earned a certificate in sustainable farming practices from Johnson County Community College and practices indigenous gardening. Inside an air-conditioned studio with sweeping prairie views, Elexa will inspire us to form deeper relationships with plant relatives. She’ll also brew favorite teas for sampling.

Guests are invited to bring a picnic supper and linger to watch the sunset on the 4 miles of hiking trails on the adjacent PrairyArt Path. Water will be available for refilling reusable bottles.

Maximum guests: 25

Sat. July 16, 2022, 10-11:30 a.m.
McBride Studio, 640 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Brian Yazzie, known as Yazzie the Chef to his large followings on Instagram and Twitter, is a Diné (member of Navajo Nation) from Dennehotso, Arizona. Brian resides in St. Paul, where he is executive chef of Gatherings Café at Minneapolis American Indian Center. His food celebrates Indigenous, Native-sourced ingredients and ancestral techniques, such as outdoor butchering, steaming corn underground in husks beneath a blanket and smoking meat in a wigwam.

Brian has appeared on “Taste the Nation” with Padma Lakshmi and in “Alter-NATIVE,” a docu-series. Brian and his wife, Danielle Polk (Hoonmana Polk), are the founders of Intertribal Foodways, a culinary mission working to improve wellness in tribal communities. They travel internationally doing Indigenous catering, pop-up dinners, chef demos & cooking classes.

In an air-conditioned studio with prairie views, Brian will talk about how gathering and sharing knowledge about seeds, foods and crops local to a region or tribe ties the past and future together.

Guests are invited to bring a picnic lunch and linger after the presentation on the 4 miles of hiking trails on the adjacent PrairyArt Path. Please bring a refillable water bottle, plus sun protective clothing if you plan to explore the grounds.

Maximum guests: 25

Sat. July 9, 2022, 4-5:30 p.m.
McBride Studio, 640 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Professional photographer, 2022 Guggenheim Fellow and Matfield Green resident Philip Heying gives an artist talk about his career and his current project, exploring the ways photography documents the present, records the past and shapes our future in a time of worldwide transformation. The setting is an air-conditioned studio with sweeping views of the landscape that inspires Philip’s work.

Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic supper and cold beverages and linger afterwards on the 4 miles of hiking trails on PrairyArt Path, and perhaps take in the sunset. 

Maximum guests: 30

Sat. July 9, 2022, 10 a.m.-1p.m.
McBride Studio, 640 KS-177, Matfield Green, KS 66862

Executive coach, author and Matfield Green resident Julia Fabris McBride leads an interactive workshop in the natural world to renew and fuel your sense of purpose for life and leadership. We will begin indoors with coffee and tea.

Wear comfortable shoes and bring sun protection, bug spray and a refillable water bottle. Bring a mat to sit on if you have one; we have extra mats. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch and linger afterwards on the 4 miles of hiking trails on PrairyArt Path – chairs and blankets will be set up in a shady spot. Some walking is required on slightly uneven but not difficult terrain. 

Maximum guests: 12