Butler Life Enrichment to Host Documentary Producer, Author

EL DORADO, Kansas – Butler Community College’s Life Enrichment will host Sara Harmon and KelLee Parr on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at 9 a.m. Harmon will show her documentary at 9 a.m. and Parr will present on “Adoption Hub of America” at 10 a.m. Both presentations will be held in the Hubbard Welcome Center at Butler’s El Dorado campus.

Harmon wrote and produced “For Your Amusement: The Wonderland Park on Ackerman Island.” This short documentary tells the short-lived story of the first amusement park in Wichita, located on an island in the middle of the Arkansas River. The attraction brought in thousands of tourists and was a staple form of entertainment before automobiles, strict Sunday laws, and World War I led to its demise. The film won “Best Kansas Documentary” at the 2019 Doc Sunback Film Festival. Following the success of “For Your Amusement,” more information has emerged about this seemingly obscure attraction. Harmon has been in contact with living family members of relatives associated with the park. She also discovered the park had a second life in El Dorado.

Parr will present “Adoption Hub of America.” Parr was raised on a farm in Northeast Kansas and loves his rural roots. He has worked as an ag missionary in Guatemala, county extension ag and 4-H agent in Kansas, third grade teacher for many years, educational consultant, and adjunct professor. He currently helps write science curriculum for elementary students. His first book “My Little Valentine,” is about his mother’s adoption and the search for her birth mother after 66 years of separation. Parr’s second book “Mansion on a Hill” is about The Willows Maternity Sanitarium in Kansas City where his mother was born. In his quest to learn more about his mother’s adoption, he became fascinated with the history behind The Willows and Kansas City being known as the “Adoption Hub of America.”

Life Enrichment meets on the first Tuesday morning of the month during the school year. Area adults enjoy high-quality speakers and performers, along with a light breakfast and coffee during each regular meeting. Meetings take place in the Clifford/Stone Community Room at the Hubbard Welcome Center on the El Dorado campus. Meetings are open to everyone and there is no charge to attend. Those who attend regularly are encouraged to register so they receive monthly newsletters announcing the programs. New members are always welcome.

For more information about Life Enrichment or the November 5 program, please contact Trisha Walls at 316-218-6355 or [email protected].