History Lunch and Learn Series: Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills
Thursday, May 1, 2025 | noon–1:15 p.m.
Thompson Barn, 11184 Lackman Rd., Lenexa KS 66219
Too often Kansas history seems to start with the Coronados’ trip through the state in 1541. For centuries before European arrival, Native people lived on the plains, and some left behind rock carvings on soft sandstone in the middle of the state. Based on the book Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills, this presentation focuses on these carvings, the people who made them, and what the carvings tell us about those people and their relationship to the land.
Rex Buchanan is the former director of the Kansas Geological Survey and the author of books about Kansas geology and water.
“Petroglyphs of the Kansas Smoky Hills” is part of Humanities Kansas' Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.
History Happy Hour Series: Voices of Japanese “War Brides” in Postwar Kansas
Friday, Oct. 3, 2025 | 5–6 p.m.
Lenexa City Hall, 17101 W. 87th St. Pkwy., Lenexa, KS 66219
Hear stories that will inspire and spark conversation as you learn new insights and strengthen your community. Lenexa’s History Happy Hour series will help you become an informed citizen and learn about the unique topics and current events that impact our state. Stop by the Public Market for snacks and drinks before the presentation.
Japanese women fled the devastation of a war-torn Japan after World War II to find challenges in a strange, new world. After marrying U.S. military men and moving to the United States, these young women often faced challenges and hardship while others found opportunity and success. How do they adjust to a Western world and a military culture? How did they maintain connection to their homes and families back in Japan? This talk will share the voices of Japanese women who triumphed amidst great struggle to find community, connection, and culture identity in the place they viewed as the last destination of their lives — the Kansas prairie.
Ayako Mizumura is the academic director of the University of Kansas’s Center for East Asian Studies, a role she’s held since 2013.
The series is a partnership with Humanities Kansas, a nonprofit organization encouraging Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures and cultures to create connections with one another and strengthen Kansas communities and democracy. Ages 18+.