Kansas

Can you guess the most Instagrammable site in Topeka? One company identified 10 in Kansas.

Published

1 year ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Can you guess the most Instagrammable site in Topeka? One company identified 10 in Kansas.

Strike a pose and snap a photo at Topeka’s most Instagrammable location.

An organization recently named the Topeka Zoo the eighth most Instagrammable place in Kansas.

Top 10 most Instagrammable places in Kansas

Bonus Finder, a media company based in Denmark, checked the social media hashtags of more than 2,700 landmarks across the United States.

These were found to be the most popular Kansas sites, according to the hashtags.

No. 1: Flint Hills has the most popular Kansas hashtag with 75,888 posts.
No. 2: Kansas Speedway has 22,275 posts under its hashtag.
No. 3: Allen Fieldhouse has 13,353 hash tagged posts.
No. 4: The Sedgwick County Zoo hashtag has 13,327 posts.
No. 5: Grinter Sunflower Farms has 10,795 hashtagged posts.
No. 6: INTRUST Bank Arena has 7,323 posts.
No. 7: Monuments Rocks Natural Landmark has 7,111 posts hashtagged.
No. 8: Topeka Zoo had 5,865 hashtagged posts.
No. 9: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve has 5,116 hashtagged posts.
No. 10: The Wichita Gardens have 3,371 posts hashtagged.

Topeka Zoo employees and other reaction to the ranking

The Topeka Zoo has nearly 30,000 followers on Instagram. The zoo also has a TikTok account with more than 35,000 followers and 1.3 million likes. On Facebook, the zoo has more than 55,000 followers and more than 44,000 likes.

“That’s very exciting,” guest engagement supervisor Brea Schmidt said. “I’m very happy to hear that. We definitely work hard every day to make sure we are sharing what we think guests want to see. So, to hear we were found eighth most Instagrammable is pretty exciting.”

Jen Goetz, creative and strategy director for the zoo, said the magic is in finding balance between what people want to see and following the zoo’s mission of conservation and education.

When asked what other Topeka sites they would have liked to see on the list, Schmidt and Goetz gave a shout-out to their neighbor, the Kansas Children’s Discovery Center.

“I’m not surprised our incredible, growing Topeka Zoo made the list! From special displays like Zoo Lights to the furry faces that greet you, the Topeka Zoo is a must-visit attraction here,” president of Visit Topeka Sean Dixon said in a written statement. “The zoo is located in our beautiful Gage Park, which is where you’ll find more photogenic fun like the carousel and mini train.”

Here are some more Instagrammable sites in Topeka

Dixon said while the list didn’t include them, there are plenty of Instagrammable places across the city.

“And there are several other Instagrammable spots across Topeka that would have made our list,” Dixon said. “Don’t miss the rainbow-painted Equality House, the stunning Kansas Capitol, NOTO and its many murals, the Governor’s Mansion trails, and more.

“There is no shortage of photo ops when you know where to look.”

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Kansas

Wisconsin loses defensive lineman Jibriel Conde 2 days after he committed

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2 hours ago

December 2, 2025

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Wisconsin loses defensive lineman Jibriel Conde 2 days after he committed

MADISON – Two days after he commited to Wisconsin, Jibriel Conde changed his mind.

On Dec. 1 his agent told On3 the 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive lineman from Division II Grand Valley State intends to play for Kansas instead.

The addition of Conde had the potential to be a major one for Wisconsin, which had its four top performers at the position complete their eligibility with the team’s 17-7 loss to Minnesota on Nov. 29.

On3 lists Conde as the No. 1 defensive linemen in the transfer portal.

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Kansas

Kansas City shelter at capacity still welcomes homeless with volunteers’ help

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1 day ago

December 1, 2025

Press Room

Kansas City shelter at capacity still welcomes homeless with volunteers’ help

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Every night, Luis Arellano opens doors for Kansas City’s homeless at Unity Southeast church.

“And when they say ‘Hey, Luis!’, they remember me for something good. ‘Remember me you gave me the jacket!’,” said Luis Arellano, who serves as shelter lead.

Two years ago, someone opened a door for him when he needed it most. In 2023, cancer took his wife. The grief that followed he said nearly took him as well.

“I lost people. I didn’t want to continue living. Drinking,” Arellano said.

Arellano said he spiraled into darkness, drowning his pain in alcohol. On the night he was planning on ending it all, someone saw him differently.

They brought him to the church, where he said he finally slept after days.

“Finally, I cried. I put everything out, and I felt more peace. He said sometimes we don’t understand why God takes away the people we love the most. I tried to get it more. And from there I started to help here,” Arellano said.

That person was Reverend Randy Fikki. Both Arellano and Fikki dedicate their time making sure others don’t face their darkest nights alone.

“If it was my brother or my sister or my mom or my dad, I wouldn’t want it to be a based on if somebody had room or not. The question is not if we have room in our sanctuaries. It’s if we have room in our hearts,” Fikki said.

Sunday night, Unity Southeast was at capacity, but Fikki said they’re not turning anyone away. He’s working to find space for everyone who needs shelter.

For Arellano, it’s more than a mission.

“I miss my wife, believe me. Of course I miss, that’s my baby. But I know the best can happen from her,” he said.

Fikki said their capacity is 70 people, but will not turn anyone away. He said they started the shelter in 2019.

Along with a place for rest, Fikki and Arellano said they give guests food, clothing, and entertainment as asked.

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What are Kansas State football’s recruiting needs for early signing day? What you need to know

Published

2 days ago

November 30, 2025

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What are Kansas State football’s recruiting needs for early signing day? What you need to know

MANHATTAN — Kansas State football has no time to rest after the regular season ended. The Wildcats will now transition into recruiting mode with the early National Signing Day period beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 3, and ending on Friday, Dec. 5.

Chris Klieman will enter his eighth season hoping to rebuild the Wildcats into a Big 12 championship contender and challenge for the program’s first appearance in the College Football Playoff.

There are a lot of holes that Kansas State will need to fill, but it’s landed a handful of commitments from promising recruits, who will put pen to paper this week.

Here are some recruiting needs for K-State and questions it will need to answer over the next few months.

K-State football 2026 recruiting tracker

Kansas State is going to need a starting running back

This is probably more for the transfer portal, but the Wildcats need to make sure they have the starting running back position covered and depth in case of an emergency. The Dylan Edwards injury hurt the offense for most of the season.

HD Davis, a three-star 6-foot running back out of Wolfe City (Texas), is currently the Wildcats’ lone commit to their backfield. He’s been highly productive this year, rushing for 2,429 yards and 30 touchdowns, bringing him to over 6,300 yards and 73 touchdowns for his career.

We’ll see if Joe Jackson can take a step next year after taking positive steps in the latter half of the season when he got comfortable in the leading role. He rushed for a school-record 293 yards on Nov. 22 against Utah, giving him something to build off. Barring transfers, the Wildcats are also set to return Devon Rice, JB Price, Antonio Martin Jr. and Monterrio Elston Jr.

Would Kansas State be ready for a life without Avery Johnson?

The Wildcats should be thinking about their future without Avery Johnson, whether or not he enters the transfer portal. If he stays in Manhattan, he’ll have one more season before graduation, turning eyes toward those on the roster and the Wildcats’ potential targets in the portal.

Thankfully, Johnson has been healthy since he became the full-time starter prior to the 2024 season, but those behind him have minimal experience. Jacob Knuth, Blake Barnett, Dillon Duff and Hudson Hutcheson follow him on the depth chart, and none have taken any meaningful snaps, outside of Barnett when he enters the game as somewhat of a power back in a Wildcat formation.

Miles Teodecki, a three-star out of Vandegrift (Texas), is expected to sign with the Wildcats. Entering the weekend, he had thrown for 1,729 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions this season.

Kansas State needs depth along the offensive line

The offensive line is taking the biggest hit with this year’s graduations. Contributors, including Sam Hecht, Andrew Leingang, Taylor Poitier, JB Nelson and Terrence Enos Jr., are all listed as seniors. The main returners include John Pastore, Devin Vass and Gus Hawkins. It’ll be difficult for K-State to go into the offseason banking on that George Fitzpatrick will be good to go after missing this year after an offseason medical emergency.

The offensive line has been a focus for the Wildcats’ early recruiting, with five commitments. The team’s highest-ranked commit is Justin Morales, an offensive tackle out of Franklin (Texas), who is listed as a four-star prospect and the No. 31 player at his position.

Can Kansas State hit on its wide receiver targets?

The Wildcats were thin at wide receiver this season, thanks in large part to injuries, but they need more development and depth at the position. They need to get into a spot where they can be comfortable with Linkon Cure lining up as a tight end rather than being split out wide. Having Jayce Brown and Jerand Bradley impacted by injury for at least half the season didn’t help matters. There is some promise in Jaron Tibbs and Adonis Moise.

K-State has two wide receiver commits. Derrick Salley Jr. committed on Nov. 25 as the No. 1 juco receiver in the country and should be an instant-impact player. Fellow commit Maxwell Lovett, a three-star out of Cherry Creek (Colorado), caught 34 passes for 700 yards and eight touchdowns his senior year.

K-State’s receivers need to produce more than they did during the 2025 season. Salley is a great get, and more will be needed, whether it’s via the high school route or by trying again in the transfer portal.

How deep is Kansas State at linebacker without Des Purnell?

K-State is set to lose Des Purnell to graduation after his standout season. There’s also the chance that Austin Romaine will declare for the NFL Draft. The Wildcats are typically strong within this group, but there will rightfully be some questions heading into 2026. Rex Van Wyhe and Asa Newsom could be pushed into larger roles.

The Wildcats have a pair of committed linebackers, including four-star Lawson McGraw out of Blue Valley West. The son of former K-Stater Jon McGraw is rated as the No. 22 athlete in the country and should be someone to be excited about. Dejon Ackerson, out of Putnam City (Oklahoma), climbed to the No. 53 linebacker in his class.

Wyatt D. Wheeler covers Kansas State athletics for the USA TODAY Network and Topeka Capital-Journal. You can follow him on X at @WyattWheeler_, contact him at 417-371-6987 or email him at wwheeler@usatodayco.com

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