TOPEKA — Democrat Patrick Schmidt brought old-fashioned door-to-door campaigning to east Topeka on a sizzling day ahead of the primary election, but the 97-degree temperature was eclipsed by scorched-earth opinions of some voters who stepped onto the porch to talk about the Kansas Senate primary.

Schmidt, who walked a neighborhood east of the Capitol wearing a long sleeved U.S. Navy shirt, reminded folks he was running in the newly formed District 19. He moved through those streets knowing Gov. Laura Kelly’s Middle of the Road PAC had his back. Schmidt’s chief rival was Kansas House Minority Leader Vic Miller, who had spent decades in public life in state and county government and as a Topeka municipal judge.

“Is there anything I could do for you?” Schmidt asked repeatedly. “Can I count on your vote?”

Most declined to share their personal political agenda. There were offers of verbal support for Schmidt. A registered Libertarian wished him well. Others weren’t certain they’d take part in the Aug. 6 primary election. Several who answered their door along Lime and Lake streets said they were exasperated by Miller’s style of politics and ready to see the names of a new generation of Democratic candidates on the ballot.

“We voted for you, dude,” an elderly man told Schmidt.

It was anecdotal evidence the Senate campaign wasn’t shaping up to be a cake walk for Miller, who possessed the most significant name recognition and the deepest reservoir of policy decisions to pick apart.

The Kelly nudge

On Tuesday, registered Democrats put an end to speculation. Schmidt carried 53% of the vote, drawing support of 2,554 Democrats. Miller trailed with 1,638 votes or 34% of the total. In third place was Topeka community activist ShaMecha King Simms, who captured 601 votes or 13%.

“I was just really humbled and grateful for the trust and support of everyone I met,” said Schmidt, who gained financial and voter traction through Kelly’s endorsement. “I knew Laura Kelly is highly respected and accomplished in this district.”

During the campaign, Miller told voters the gap between himself and the governor wasn’t wide. He said he would “be there to help Governor Kelly deliver a safe, secure and fiscally sound Kansas, lower residential property taxes and bring an expanded Medicaid program to 150,000 uninsured Kansans.”

In May, Miller created controversy at a candidate forum by telling Simms, who is Black, she ought to run for office “another day, another place.” The governor’s Middle of the Road PAC denounced Miller for supporting a Republican bill that would have created a single-rate, flat income tax in Kansas that was opposed by Kelly.

Schmidt, an officer in the Navy Reserve, said the 19 percentage point margin between himself and Miller in the primary was somewhat of a surprise.

“It’s hard to read the label from inside the bottle,” Schmidt said. “I kind of thought we were somewhere around that just by what I heard knocking at the doors.”

Schmidt, who was born in Johnson County and moved to Topeka, lost a campaign for the U.S. House by 35,000 votes against incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner in 2022. Schmidt filed for the state Senate race in late 2023.

The new Senate district up for grabs extends from central Topeka to northern Lawrence. It includes a swath of rural Shawnee and Douglas counties that takes in the cities of Lecompton and Tecumseh and parts of Kanwaka, Wakarusa and Soldier townships. Overall, the district leans Democrat.

‘Refuse to talk bad’

In the November general election, Schmidt will face Republican Party nominee Tyler Wible, a Topekan who defeated moderate Cynthia Smith in the primary by a comfortable 61% to 39% margin.

Wible said he was a constitutional conservative concerned about erosion of individual rights. He said he brought to the Senate campaign an appreciation for the region in which he ​attended school, faced poverty, bought his first ​home and built a construction business.

He said voters there lacked representation from someone committed to lowering taxes and minimizing the size of state government.

“We’ve got to keep government out of private industry,” Wible said. “The bigger that government is, the more interference with our rights.”

Wible said he wasn’t familiar with Schmidt’s positions on key issues, but had no interest in taking part in the style of campaigning illustrated by Miller and Schmidt.

“I refuse to talk bad about anybody,” Wible said, noting Schmidt could come after him during the fall campaign. “I’m ready for it. I’m not going to lose myself to run for politics.”

Miller and Schmidt engaged in back-and-forth assaults with a series of mailers sent to potential Democratic voters. Schmidt included on the postcards a mugshot of Miller’s 2019 DUI booking, while Miller placed an image of Schmidt’s face on the body of a woman spinning yarn on a wooden spindle.

A central element of their conflict was Miller’s vote for a 2017 bill that expanded state regulation of abortion clinics. The law was struck down by the Kansas Supreme Court. Schmidt referred to Miller’s vote as a “betrayal” of women and a vote that helped “extremist Republicans.”

In response, Miller sent out a colorful postcard that claimed “Schmidt and his dark money special interests are working overtime to spin yarn about Vic Miller.” Miller, who didn’t respond to a request for post-election comment, said in his mailers that he voted 16 times in support of abortion rights and reproductive freedom during the past two legislative sessions.

This story was first published in KCUR’s Adventure newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday.

Sweet and tart, lemonade refreshes and refuels during the hot, sticky summer months, but it’s a popular favorite all year long.

References to lemonade date back to the 12th century, yet this fresh-squeezed treat is frequently reimagined in modern flavors, offers a taste of different cultures, and reclaims the innocence of youth (you can still find new generations of kids hawking the homemade refreshment to their neighbors and friends with roadside stands).

We’ll take you on a lemonade tour of Kansas City, and introduce you to some of the best places around town to grab a refreshing drink.

The tangy treat that’s hard to beat

We think of lemonade as American as apple pie, but the drink originated across the world, where sugar cane and lemons grew native, first documented in the Middle East and then making its way to Europe by the 16th century.

A citrus flavored drink exists in many cultures, like the Vietnamese salty lemonade, called “chanh muoi,” the creamy Brazilian lemonade “limonada Suíça” (available at Fogo de Chão, which also serves a pineapple mint lemonade), or minty Turkish “limonata.”

Lemonade came to the United States by the 1700s (citrus fruits were standard fare for long ocean voyages to prevent scurvy), was advertised in the pre-Revolution colonies (it was also apparently a favorite drink of King George III) and, after the war, served by the Washingtons at the presidential residence.

The drink was available in Kansas City at least by the mid-19th century. In 1881, The Kansas City Times devoted an entire column extolling the virtues of lemonade — ”the summer beverage that everybody in Kansas City takes to” — as an option for prohibition laden Kansans. That article estimates that over 34,000 glasses were consumed a day in the city.

Kansas City still loves its lemonade — as seen in Lemonade Park, an outdoor music venue that has become a staple of the summer music scene in the last four years. It emerged from the turmoil of the global pandemic, when COVID-19 shut down businesses throughout the metro.

At first just a flatbed truck in an empty West Bottoms lot, it’s now a sought-after performance space, and has been a key location for the annual festival Make Music Kansas City. (And yes, lemonade is served at the bar, along with food prepared at next door Voltaire.)

Kansas City’s best lemonades

From a simple base — lemon juice, water, and sugar — there are hundreds of variations.

Switch out the lemon for lime: enjoy a piquant limeade. Squeeze lemon juice into icy sugar water, toss the juiced rinds in and shake it up: you’ve got the Lemon Shake-Up, a staple of the carnival and county fair. Infuse vodka with lemon peel and add simple syrup: limoncello has arrived at the party. (Kansas City’s own saxophonist supreme Bobby Watson was inspired to write this tune from his appreciation for the popular drink.)

Other popular varieties include pink (sometimes made with fruit juices like raspberry or strawberry, others just with coloring), carbonated (popular in other parts of the world, but also available in a variety of lemon-lime sodas), and mixed with iced tea, AKA the Arnold Palmer.

Many places around Kansas City have their own version of classic, fresh-squeezed lemonade, but if you thirst for a fancier option, local restaurants and bars introduce flavors from around the world. Here are a few:

Hospital Hill brunch spot Succotash is regularly mentioned by KCUR’s Up To Date. You can accompany your pork hash or pancakes with their seasonal lemonades, which are updated frequently. Coming up, they’ll offer heirloom tomato lemonade, watermelon limeade, and raspberry hibiscus lemonade.

Elixir, the soda fountain at the Kansas City Museum, serves up a sophisticated option with their “garden lemonade”: crushed ice, muddled mint, lemon juice, lavender syrup, a sweet and salty rim, and sparkling water.

Café Cà Phê, in Columbus Park, has “Summer Moments,” a line of citrus-infused drinks with innovative flavor combinations: dragon fruit and mango; chrysanthemum tea, longan, and ginger; ceylon tea, longan and limeade.

Blue Sushi Sake Grill, in Westwood, has three fancifully flavored options: Coco Hydration (coconut water and strawberry), Dragon fruit lemonade, and the Hibiscus squeeze.

Local favorite McLain’s Bakery + Markets offers homemade lemonade year round, as well as seasonal flavors. Each location crafts their own style of “special sips,” with options like Z’Green Lavender Lemonade, with matcha (Overland Park), and Berry Creamsicle Lemonade, with a blackberry sage cold foam (Waldo).

If you want to change things up every time you visit, Baba’s Pantry adds a twist to their “Lemonade of the Day,” featuring flavors like cucumber mint, tropical punch, guava, and more.

Jerusalem Café, with three locations (Westport, Independence, and Liberty), serves a minty fresh lemonade as well as a frozen version.

Dragonfly Tea Zone has three lemonade flavors and two limeades, plus you can add boba or flavored popping pearls for a customized order.

Aladdin Café, on 39th Street, has a rose lemonade, with rosewater and saffron, which pairs nicely with lamb dishes and their popular lentil soup.

At Q39, you can find a zero-proof “Berry G Basil Lemonade” with strawberry, basil, lemon juice, and simple syrup.

While lemonade is an inspiriting NA option (learn more about those with KCUR’s mocktails Adventure), hard lemonades are also popular, including Boulevard Brewing Company’s Vodka Lemonade from their line of canned craft cocktails and Hibiscus Lemonade from their Quirk hard seltzer line.

Lemonade is also a go-to cocktail ingredient, like with Jack Stack BBQ’s “KC Lemonade”: lemonade and blackberry syrup mixed with either J. Reiger’s KC Whiskey or Vodka.

Readymade ‘ade

If you aren’t in the mood to make your own lemonade, try some of the readily available options at local retailers.

James’ Lemonade, made in Kansas City, Kansas, was started in 1998 by James Anderson. The drink has a “hint of mint” and can be found around town at delis, bodegas, liquor stores, and area Quik Trips. (The product line includes James’ Fruit Punch and James’ Spiked Lemonade.)

Ruby Jean’s Juicery, on Troost Avenue and the 51st Street Whole Foods, serves RJ’s Lemonade. Ruby Jean’s mission is to serve healthy options, so their drink is sweetened with honey and flavored with mint.

Though known for their apple ciders, during spring and summer Louisburg Cider Mill makes lemonades in three flavors: old fashioned, strawberry, and blueberry, available at the Country Store and area retailers.

You can also buy lemonade to help a good cause each June during the annual Midwest Lemonade Days, a fundraiser for Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) for Childhood Cancer, a partnership with area Hy-Vee grocery stores.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – On Friday, the North Kansas City Police Department held its first National Night Out. National Night Out was started in 1984 as a community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie, according to the organization’s website.

“Really it’s just an opportunity for us to come out, showcase some of our officers, showcase some of the equipment that we use, and let the community come out and interact with us,” said Major Justin Holm, who helped put the event together.

NKCPD brought their K-9s for demonstrations, the SWAT team showcased equipment like the bomb disposal robot, and the police chief and officers sat in the dunk tank. Money raised by the dunk tank went to the Missouri Law Enforcement Funeral Assistance Team.

“I think it’s vital,” said North Kansas City Mayor Bryant DeLong. “Our police are the ones who are in here day in and day out helping protect and serve our community. When you’re doing that, you have to have a close relationship and I think this is vital in building that relationship.”

The sentiment is echoed by Holm.

“Anything the police department does, we can’t do without community support,” said Holm. “So any opportunity we have to strengthen that relationship we have with the community, built trust with the members of our community, whether that be the residents or the people that work in North Kansas City, we don’t want to miss that opportunity.”

The community was also able to meet members of the North Kansas City Fire and Public Works Departments, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and support area businesses.

NKCPD hopes to make this an annual event.

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