Kansas Championship Wrestling

SALINA GETS NASTY

Brought To You By KCW and The Nastyville School of Professional Wrestling

The Factory Music Outlet

Salina, KS

© Lydia Lowe 8/18/2012

Brian Knobs introduces Lance Chafin

     Brain Knobs of WWE's Nasty Boys made a guest appearance at a Kansas Championship Wrestling event at The Factory Music Outlet in Salina, Kansas on Saturday evening.  Knobs signed autographs throughout the evening and posed for pictures in the ring with fans during intermission. He introduced Lance Chafin, who wrestles for KCW.   Chafin has been signed to a wrestling developmental deal with Florida Championship Wrestling, after he tried out earlier this year.

Big Dogg attempts an overhead throw with Angel



KCW Wrestler, Angel and a fan exchange words

     The night consisted of 5 matches featuring a variety of KCW all stars.  All the matches were exciting, full of non-stop action and lots of fun to watch.  The main event featured Angel & Big Dogg.   A rough and tumble match full of power and precision wrestling moves.  During the match, one of the fans sitting at the bar began to heckle Angel, who came out of the ring, got in the guy's face and a shouting match took place between the two of them, much to the delight of the fans.  Angel heckled and harassed fans, camera people, the ring announcer, and anyone else who crossed his path.

Chaos places a choke hole on a member of the Interplanatery Alliance

    The highlight of the evening was a triple tag team event which featured the Midwest Marvels, The Interplanetary Alliance and the team of Chaos & Lunatic Lennie.   Chaos and Lunatic Lennie stole the show.  Both guys are big, tall and muscular.  There was a little boy of about three or four years of age on the front row who had been yelling, screaming, and throwing his hands in the air throughout the evening.  When Chaos came out of the ring he towered over the tot, who just sat up straighter, looked him in the eye and didn't back down.  It was a great moment. 

Luke Langley gets KC Kyng locked into a tie up

    The ring announcer for the evening was Salina native, JD Rudd from KSN News.   After the event was over for the evening, the wrestlers came out and milled around talking to the fans, signing autographs and taking pictures.  Several fans got into the ring to check it out and take additional pictures.  This event was very hands on and fan friendly.

Ring Announcer, JD Rudd

     The KCW show on Saturday night was part of an extended event that began on Thursday afternoon with an autograph signing at Hooters in Wichita.  A wrestling seminar was held over the course of three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, where Knobs taught wrestling moves to those who had signed up for the seminar.  Then on Sunday afternoon everyone; fans and wrestlers alike, were invited to Twin Peaks in Wichita to view WWE's Summer Slam, spend time with the KCW wrestlers and with Knobs.

Eric Fantabulous locks in an overhead arm stretch on Cowboy Troy

    More KCW events are being planned.  Check out KCW's Facebook page for more information.

    

    

Moon Over Manifest-a book discussion

Monday Night Book Discussions

"MOON OVER MANIFEST"
(written by Clare Vanderpool)

Salina Public Library

Salina, KS

© Lydia Lowe  8/13/2012

Moon Over Manifest . . . I just finished reading this book and it is one of the best that I've read this year.  This is the first book that the author, Clare Vanderpool, has written and published.  It won a John Newberry Medal and is a Kansas Notable book.  Quite an achievement for a first novel.

The book has many different depths.  The reader wades in and gets pulled along into the deep water very quickly.  The twists and turns, the unexpected revelations over the course of the book are compelling.  At the center of it all, a compass.  

This is marketed and cataloged as a young adult novel, but any age will enjoy this.  It covers a lot of adult topics and historical information.  It's very easily read.  The authors notes at the end of the book were a delight.  I am so glad that she included all of the additional information.

Read this book.  You'll be thinking of it long after you finish reading it.

Enchanting Art Dolls & Soft Sculptures

Enchanting Art Dolls & Soft Sculptures

Marina Druker

© Lydia Lowe  8/01/2012

If you're interested in making that first cloth doll or going deeper and giving your cloth dolls more polish, this is the book for you.  Marina covers everything from the essential tools and materials needed, the basics of doll making, costuming your dolls, and creating soft sculptures.

At the beginning, Marina explains that doll making is a very liberating activity and it allows for flexibility as you work with the materials, so that all dimensions are approximate and not exact.  Much of what Marina does relies on crazy quilting and embroidery techniques, and this was something I was very interested in, but the use of heavy embellishments can be used as little or as much as you desire.

There are plenty of patterns that cover free standing dolls, dolls framed in still life scenes, dolls as brooches, plus fancy fish, teddy bears, and even a country cottage.  A gallery at the end of the book I found to be particularly inspiring.  A template section is included as well for those of us who really need a starting point.

This book has everything that you need to get started making dolls and soft sculptures.  You're only limited by what you can imagine.