Community Calendar

Join KFDI, Classic Rock 104.5, and T95 for the Orpheum Theatre’s annual holiday screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation at Century II Mary Jane Teall Theater. The party starts at 5:30 p.m. with food specials, themed drinks, games, and prizes. Costumes encouraged!

As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen, and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie, and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.

Please note: ticket price increases day of show.

Get ready for this year’s Jingle Bell Run, the original festive race for charity brought to you by the Arthritis Foundation. Wear your favorite holiday gear, and let's jingle all the way toward a cure!

Whether you're running, walking, or strolling, bring your friends, family, and coworkers along for the ride. Together, we're spreading joy and making strides towards a brighter future — saying "YES" to life, despite arthritis.

Don't miss out on this special occasion to make a real difference while celebrating four decades of impact with the Jingle Bell Run. Let's lace up, hit the pavement, and jingle our way toward victory over arthritis!

Join us for the annual Candy Cane Course 5k/12k! A fun, Christmas-themed event that is perfect for the whole family.

The fun includes -

Great Swag - designer shirt & custom medal
Chip-timing with live results and awards
Free photos
Delicious Treats waiting at the finish line
Plenty of fun!

Grab your friends and family, you are not going to want to miss this one!

Can't make the race? No problem! We offer a virtual race option where you can run anywhere, at any time, and still earn the fun swag!

*Youth-based pricing for the 5k/12k, 12 & Under are only $22!

5k/12k registration includes a custom bib, designer shirt, and an awesome finisher medal!

1 Mile registration is untimed and includes a custom bib, designer shirt, and an awesome finisher medal!

The kid's dash is a fun, untimed dash for our kiddos ages 10 and under. Registration includes a mini bib, youth-sized shirt, and a specifically crafted medal for our kids' dash event! (If your child wants to run the kid's dash, and doesn't want the SWAG, they are welcome to run with us on race day for free!)

*Register by midnight on Thursday, two Thursdays before race day, to guarantee your shirt!

Use a free 3D modeling program, Tinkercad, to create digital objects in three dimensions. Call (316) 261-8500 or visit wichitalibrary.org/events to register.

In the lobby of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, from the Wreath Festival through the New Year, visitors will find the Moore Family Santa Dolls on display. As a yearly tradition that's continued for the last 17 years, the Museum has exhibited a small selection of the Moores' collection -- which is about 150 in total -- for the public to admire. These antique Santas come in various sizes, colors, and expressions. It's hard to pick a favorite!

Santa Claus has long served as a Christmas icon. By the 20th century, Santa Claus had become so popular that many diverse toy manufacturers interpreted his likeness for a variety of uses. Most of the plush toy Santa figures featured in this exhibit date from the 1950s and 60s. Some figures are made of molded plastic, cast metal, rubber, or papier-mache and date earlier in the 20th century.

This exhibit is part of the Museum’s “Windows on Collections,” – A frequently changing exhibit of artifacts from the Museum’s growing collection. Depending upon any given theme, this exhibit ranges from the topical to the bizarre.

November - December 2025

Tues-Friday 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1pm-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 N Main

Starting with the Wreath Festival and lasting through to the New Year, the Museum maintains its holiday decorating tradition with garlands and ornaments strewn over the stairs and through the second floor. There, in the West Gallery, visitors will find an exhibit of miniature Christmas trees, created by Wichita artist Sylvia Jackson. With incredible detail and creativity, these trees may serve as inspiration for any Christmas enthusiast.

This private collection of hand-decorated trees has been loaned to the Museum for the holiday season by the artist herself, Sylvia Jackson. Beginning in the 1970s, with the creation of two Victorian-style trees for her sons, the collection has grown as new trees have been designed and displayed during the annual Trees of Christmas event at the First Church of the Nazarene. May the many joys of the season be yours as you share the charm of this very personal collection.

November 2025 – December 2025

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum – 204 S Main

In honor of Jane Austen's 250th birthday on December 13th, we are hosting a regency-themed party in honor of the celebrated author. There will be Jane Austen-themed trivia, games, prizes and more!

North America's largest interactive comedy murder mystery dinner theatre show is now playing in Wichita, KS! Solve a hilarious true crime murder mystery while you feast on a fantastic dinner. Just beware! The culprit is hiding in plain sight somewhere in the room, and you may find yourself as a Prime Suspect before you know it!

Join us for an event that is very different from a traditional mystery dinner show. Our actors are not dressed in costume and are hidden in the audience! This results in a fun, social and interactive evening suitable for all adults.

Each ticket includes our signature award-winning mystery dinner theatre show, along with a full plated dinner, waitstaff gratuity, and plenty of surprises during the show.

In the lobby of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, from the Wreath Festival through the New Year, visitors will find the Moore Family Santa Dolls on display. As a yearly tradition that's continued for the last 17 years, the Museum has exhibited a small selection of the Moores' collection -- which is about 150 in total -- for the public to admire. These antique Santas come in various sizes, colors, and expressions. It's hard to pick a favorite!

Santa Claus has long served as a Christmas icon. By the 20th century, Santa Claus had become so popular that many diverse toy manufacturers interpreted his likeness for a variety of uses. Most of the plush toy Santa figures featured in this exhibit date from the 1950s and 60s. Some figures are made of molded plastic, cast metal, rubber, or papier-mache and date earlier in the 20th century.

This exhibit is part of the Museum’s “Windows on Collections,” – A frequently changing exhibit of artifacts from the Museum’s growing collection. Depending upon any given theme, this exhibit ranges from the topical to the bizarre.

November - December 2025

Tues-Friday 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1pm-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 N Main

Starting with the Wreath Festival and lasting through to the New Year, the Museum maintains its holiday decorating tradition with garlands and ornaments strewn over the stairs and through the second floor. There, in the West Gallery, visitors will find an exhibit of miniature Christmas trees, created by Wichita artist Sylvia Jackson. With incredible detail and creativity, these trees may serve as inspiration for any Christmas enthusiast.

This private collection of hand-decorated trees has been loaned to the Museum for the holiday season by the artist herself, Sylvia Jackson. Beginning in the 1970s, with the creation of two Victorian-style trees for her sons, the collection has grown as new trees have been designed and displayed during the annual Trees of Christmas event at the First Church of the Nazarene. May the many joys of the season be yours as you share the charm of this very personal collection.

November 2025 – December 2025

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum – 204 S Main

Wichitans desired to be modern since the City’s beginning in 1870. The Modern era had been evolving for a century at that time and it would take another 100 years before Wichita achieved a “modern” look. World War II (1939-1945) greatly disrupted development in design.

Over the next two decades, postwar prosperity propelled design of the modern era to its zenith. By that time, Wichita’s modernization was most apparent in its new urban 1969 skyline, which remains in place today.

In the 1950s and 1960s, modern design from architecture to fashions and furnishings became familiar as people followed popular trends replacing old with new. Visual art and advertising led the way for the modern look - which by the 1960s, people referred to as “Mod.” This new look coincided with changes as society became more pluralistic and increasingly aware of its diversity. The post-war baby boom gave rise to a prominent youth culture creating new markets. New technology improving the ability to travel and share information led to wide acceptance of modern style.

This modern sensibility cast a popular and unifying mindset. This era featured non-representational abstract design to create engaging effects rather than portray objects or scenes. The effects were both dazzling and confusing, challenging everyone’s perception of reality. Our visual world was forever changed.

(This exhibition follows (and is directly patterned after) the Museum’s previous exhibit Art Deco on the Plains. It takes the timeline forward to explore modern design experienced locally in the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition is a feature of the Lois Kay Walls Local Visual Art History Series.)

On view through 2025 in the Slawson Gallery, 4th floor.

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main

The urge to create or possess a visual representation of a specific person – a portrait – is present throughout history. Portraits are created for many reasons: from sentimental to celebratory, for public or private viewing, as memorials, and as icons. .

Until the introduction of photography in the 1840s, portraits were rendered by artists in both two and three-dimensional mediums such as paintings and sculptures.

The Museum’s collection includes a variety of portraits, most of which depict local people. In this exhibition, we learn of portraiture and the people portrayed.

On view during regular Museum hours

March 2025 - March 2026

Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main

Located in the Musem's Lois Kay Walls Gallery - 3rd Floor

A featured exhibit of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum includes “A Wichita Cottage.” This exhibit authentically recreates a typical middle-class Wichita home of the late 19th century, complete with Victorian adornment and the emerging technology that would soon change domestic life and society in general. Seven individual rooms compose this environmental exhibit. Visit and pay a social call on the residents of a Wichita cottage, this 1890 Victorian house is authentically decorated throughout, from the wooden icebox on the back porch to the combination gas–and–electric ceiling light fixture hanging in the parlor.

Located on the third floor, starting during our annual Wreath Festival and going through to the New Year, the immersive Victorian Cottage exhibit has been decked out for Christmas jubilation. Visitors will get a glimpse of how people celebrated the season over 100 years ago. All that's missing is a roaring fire and a cup of hot cocoa!

November 2025 - December 2025
Tues-Fri 11am-4pm, Sat & Sun 1-5pm
Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum - 204 S Main

North America's largest interactive comedy murder mystery dinner theatre show is now playing in Wichita, KS! Solve a hilarious true crime murder mystery while you feast on a fantastic dinner. Just beware! The culprit is hiding in plain sight somewhere in the room, and you may find yourself as a Prime Suspect before you know it!

Join us for an event that is very different from a traditional mystery dinner show. Our actors are not dressed in costume and are hidden in the audience! This results in a fun, social and interactive evening suitable for all adults.

Each ticket includes our signature award-winning mystery dinner theatre show, along with a full plated dinner, waitstaff gratuity, and plenty of surprises during the show.