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It’s Cinco de Mayo, and several parties and celebrations will be happening around Wichita, including at the Sedgwick County Zoo on Sunday.

But the entertainment calendar also includes an Open Streets event, concerts, a powwow and even a pre-dawn coronation party for King Charles III.

Here’s a look at some of the best entertainment options in Wichita coming up this weekend and into next week:

Public at the Brickyard on Friday, Sedgwick County Zoo on Sunday

Bars and venues and bars around Wichita are celebrating Cinco de Mayo this weekend with parties that include tacos, margaritas and more. Among them is Public at the Brickyard, the Old Town bar at 129 N. Rock Island that has a huge open-air patio for partying. Its event starts at 6 p.m. Friday and will include tacos from the venue’s on-site food truck, drink specials including cocktails served in fresh coconuts, and music from the band Tumbao. Then on Sunday, the Sedgwick County Zoo at 5555 W. Zoo Blvd. will throw a belated Cinco de Mayo party filled with Mexican food vendors, exhibitors and live music on the main stage. The fiesta lasts from noon to 6 p.m., and admission is free with regular zoo admission. Zoo members get in free. Check with your favorite bars and restaurants for information about other local Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

7:30 p.m. Friday, The Cotillion, 11120 W. Kellogg

The Old Friends Acoustic Tour starring indie superstar Ben Rector arrives at The Cotillion in Wichita on Friday. The opening acts are Jordy Searcy and Stephen Day, who will also perform with Rector during his set. Rector, who grew up in Tulsa but is now based in Nashville, is best known for his hit “Brand New.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the show is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35-$79 at thecotillion.com

Friday-Sunday, Old Cowtown Museum, Empire House Theater, 1865 Museum Blvd.

The Empire House Players have started their 2023 season at Old Cowtown Museum with a production called “Treasure of Shiver River.” The show, which opened last weekend, concludes its runs with performances Friday through Sunday at Old Cowtown’s Empire House Theater. The melodrama follows the adventures of the “nasty scoundrel” Rod Enreel and his book-loving partner-in-crime Paige Turner on their quest to take over the treasure-filled Shiver River Ranch. Shows are from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $15 for ages 13 and up, $7 for children 12 and under. They’re available at buytickets.at/empirehouseplayers or by calling 316-350-3323. More melodramas will be performed at the theater in August, October and December.

4-8 a.m. Saturday, Exploration Place, 300 N. McLean Blvd.

Perhaps you can’t hop across the pond to see King Charles III’s coronation. But you can go to Exploration Place’s cleverly titled coronation watch party — Charles in Charge. The event is scheduled for 4 a.m. to 8 a.m. (sorry, it’s London time) on Saturday in Exploration Place’s Kemper Theater. Tickets are $18 for members, $20 for non-members, and the event will include a catered breakfast that includes quiche, fruit, pastries, coffee and juice. Attendees 21 and over also can get mimosas. They also can make fascinator hats to wear as the coronation progresses. Tickets are available at exploration.org/event/charles-in-charge-coronation-watch-party/

2-10 p.m. Saturday, Calvary United Methodist Church, 2525 N. Rock Road

The Wichita All-Nations Community is putting on a benefit powwow from 2 to 10 p.m. on Saturday that will include gourd, two step and potato dances, and the day will include face painting, vendors and raffles. The powwow, which will be staged at Calvary United Methodist Church, is a fundraiser organized by a small group hoping to put on a Wichita All-Nations Powwow in the fall. Admission is free.

Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, 21st Street from NoMar Plaza to Woodland Park, 841 W. 21st St.

Open Streets ICT just keeps moving its block parties to different areas of town, and on Sunday, it lands on the North End for Open Streets NoMar. The event will shut down 21st Street from NoMar Plaza at 21st and Broadway to Woodland Park from noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. It’s a community-building event that will include biking, live music, dancing and food. Along the one-mile stretch of city streets, organizers will have activities for participants, and vendors will be selling food, art and more. Admission is free.

9 p.m. Wednesday, Crown Uptown Theatre, 3207 E. Douglas

Crown Uptown’s new series called Uptown Soul Night, which features some of the city’s most talented soul and jazz musicians, returns for a second installment from 9 p.m. to 11:55 p.m. on Wednesday. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. for general admission seating. Drinks will be for sale, and dancing will be encouraged. Tickets are $15 at www.showpass.com/uptown-soul-night-2/

Wichita’s many music venues have been busy booking shows lately. Here’s a look at the recent additions made to Wichita’s concert calendar:

Tab Benoit, May 30, Wave, tickets on sale at waveict.com

Ann Wilson, July 21, Stiefel Theatre, tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at stiefeltheatre.org

St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Sept. 10, Wave, tickets on sale at waveict.com

Bert Kreischer, Sept. 22, Intrust Bank Arena, tickets on sale at selectaseat.com

Ancient Aliens LIVE, Sept. 22, Cotillion, tickets on sale at www.thecotillion.com

The Gaslight Anthem, Sept. 27, Cotillion, tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at www.thecotillion.com

A manager at the Hardee’s at 2101 N. Rock Road in Derby said that employees were blindsided when the restaurant suddenly closed on Monday.

Samantha Blair, a shift manager who has worked at the restaurant since October, said she got a call before her shift on Monday informing her she didn’t need to come in. She went in at 9 a.m. today and was told that the store was closed permanently along with all the restaurants in Wichita.

She’s still not sure why.

“They didn’t tell us much,” she said, adding that her store had 27 employees.

The Derby Hardee’s plus three in Wichita — at 1320 N. Tyler Road, 2053 N. Amidon and 3216 E. Harry — are all owned by Capstone Restaurant Group, a Denver-based company that has 270 franchised restaurants in 16 states. Besides Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s, it also owns Taco Bell, Dunkin’ and Pizza Hut Express franchises.

No one from Capstone Restaurant Group immediately returned calls or emails on Tuesday morning.

Wichita had been a Hardee’s-free zone for 20 years when, in January 2016, the chain returned to the market, starting with the restaurant at 21st and Amidon. That restaurant was followed by the Hardee’s at Harry and Hillside, which opened in February 2017, and the one at 13th and Tyler, which opened in August 2018.

The group owns a Topeka Hardee’s at 2300 N. Topeka Blvd. that also abruptly closed on Monday, Topeka media reported, although the city’s two other Hardee’s are still operating.

Capstone also appears to have operated the Hardee’s and Dunkin’ restaurants at three of Kansas Turnpike service stations — Topeka, Matfield Green and Towanda. All Hardee’s and Dunkin’ restaurants at those stations are closing and being replaced with other fast-food options, the Eagle recently reported.

Someone identifying himself as a local Hardee’s manager posted on the Wichita subreddit on Monday that he got a call from his general manager saying all stores were closing immediately and that all employees were out of jobs.

“Nobody was given a reason why,” the poster wrote. “...We were open all this morning and closed around 2 p.m. today to never open again. There was no warning or notice to anyone at all. 100+ people are out of jobs.”

Blair said she was preparing to move away from Wichita in a couple of months anyway, but now she has to look for a job to tide her over until she goes.

“I have a toddler I need to support,” she said.

This story was originally published April 18, 2023, 12:50 PM.

The second event for Open Streets ICT takes place Sunday, May 7 from noon to 4 p.m. The free neighborhood community-building event will be in the NoMar District at Broadway to Woodland Park. One mile of 21st Street will be closed off for food trucks, live music, dancing, vendors, biking, walking, running and all the fun things outside.

Bring your family, friends, and pets and cruise along the one-mile stretch and stop at the activity hubs, participating businesses, food, and street vendors.

There are four major hub areas: Woodland Park and NoMar Plaza.

As someone who loves food, I received a run down of many of the food vendors and trucks you can expect. Take a look at this loaded list:

Seriously, no shortage of food to be had at Open Streets this weekend!

While visiting Overland Park, there was one restaurant I knew I had to try, Buck Tui BBQ. It combines two of my loves, BBQ and Thai food. The restaurant, which has been open for about a year, has quickly become one of the Kansas City area’s most popular BBQ joints. This, along with rave reviews from people I know, made it a no-brainer.

I made reservations on their website because I heard they can get really busy, and stopped by with two other BBQ lovers to check it out.

=========== 6737 W 75th St, Overland Park, KS 66204 913-283-8255

Monday – Thursday: 11am – 2:30pm; 4:30pm – 9pm Friday – Saturday: 11am – 2:30pm; 4:30pm – 9:30pm

Website | Facebook Cash/Card Accepted ===========

The biggest draw of Buck Tui is the blending of KC barbecue with Thai flavors and cooking techniques. When fusion type dishes are done right, it’s a beautiful thing.

That was noticeable from the moments our appetizers arrived. We began with the miniature garlic pork ribs, brisket rangoon, and Thai sausage dumplings. It took us less time to devour them than the time it took for our server to deliver the apps to our table. They were insanely delicious. Truth be told, I’m not a huge crab rangoon fan, but fried wontons with marinated cream cheese and brisket were hard to pass up. Each rangoon had a smokiness that tickled my senses. Easily, the best rangoon I’ve ever had.

The garlic pork ribs came with a Thai sriracha that brought up the heat levels, while the dumplings came in a sweet ginger hoisin glaze that was a roller coaster of emotion. Eating them brought us to these new highs of happiness and then when we saw our plate was empty, the ride down was sadness with a mixture of yelling for more food. (Note: there was no yelling that took place that evening).

We all went back and forth on what we wanted. They had a smoked meat menu along with a Thai inspired entrees section. It was tough.

I knew I had to try a Thai inspired entree. So, I went with the red curry brisket burnt end and we added an order of Tiger Cry Beef because we didn’t want the appetizers to end.

The brisket burnt ends came swimming in a bowl of coconut red curry that was sweet but followed by a swift kick of heat. Delicious, though? 100%!

The Tiger Cry Beef dish was grilled marinated flank steak that came with a side of tiger cry sauce that would make any tiger cry along with everybody at our table. Buck Tui performed some magic in the kitchen and made some of the most tender flank steak we’ve ever had. The tiger cry sauce was no joke and brought tears. It’s probably best described as a toxic relationship: plenty of tears, a bad decision made only for instant gratification, and you knew the end result would be pain… physical and mental.

Did the dinner end there? No way.

The three of us decided to go YOLO (do people still use that term?) and order the $159 Big Buckin’ Platter. It came with brisket, heavenly pork, Thai sausage, pork belly, Thai-KC burnt ends, baby back pork rib (half slab), and Amish Gerber chicken (half). This was all served with BBQ sauce, tiger cry sauce, pickles, and big bowls of seasoned jasmine rice, phad Thai, Issan style papaya salad, and mac & cheese.

This picture doesn’t do the size of the meal justice. The platter could have doubled as a bed for my daughter.

There was SO MUCH FOOD to go around for the three of us.

At first, we were polite and well-mannered, using the tongs to grab our food. But after the first plate, the gloves were off and we ate like cavemen. It was hard to choose a favorite, as it was all delicious. The Thai-KC burnt ends, pork belly, ribs, everything was perfection for our taste buds; even the sides were delicious. The mac & cheese was probably the favorite for most of the group, but I almost single-handedly finished the papaya salad. While much of it was classic BBQ, you could get occasional hints of Thai flavor in some of the meats.

Could the three of us have finished all the food? Who knows, but with hungry people at home, we made the ultimate gentlemanly sacrifice to bring home leftovers. Our significant others were curious about food later that night and because of this order, we arrived home late that evening like three wise men bearing delicious leftover gifts.

And while we spent a pretty penny that evening, the quality of the service matched the quality of the food. It was an excellent dining experience from start to finish. One that I hope many of you get a chance to try sometime.

Here’s their menu.

Happy Dining, Eddy

To nominate your restaurant or event to be considered for a review, please email us with your restaurant information.

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With the smell of carne asada tacos and aguas frescas filling the air, crowds gathered in north Wichita on Sunday afternoon for the third Open Streets ICT Nomar.

The event, which launched in 2019 but skipped 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, stretched along 21st Street from Broadway to Woodland Park.

Attendees perused the largest turnout of vendors since its inception, said Ariel Rodriguez, executive director of Empower, a nonprofit that helps the North End small-business community with knowledge and resources to help their businesses grow. All together, about 140 vendors were present and selling food, drinks, art and other cultural products, he said.

“It’s exciting to take a step back and look at the diversity, both seeing the Hispanic and non-Hispanic community,” Rodriguez said. “If we’re going to help our community grow, we need to the two to come together.”

One vendor echoed Rodriguez in that it brings the community together and showcases Hispanic culture.

Erika Galindo was brought from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, when she was 3 and has lived here ever since. Originally raised in south Wichita, she had lived in north Wichita for the past 30 years.

“We get to invite the entire community and have a little walk and get to know what we offer,” Galindo said. “There’s tons of self employed business down this street and the food is pretty good.”

Thirty-eight years ago, Galindo’s father opened Galindo’s Fashion, which sells Hispanic-inspired artwork, apparel, hats, jewelry and accessories.

This marks Galindo’s second time participating in Open Streets ICT Nomar. Her first run was in 2022.

“This event really helps us because even though we’ve been in the community for 38 years, there’s a lot of people that don’t know about us,” Galindo said. “We get to meet new people.”

Fidel Serrano, who co-founded Alma Negra Collective, a tequila lifestyle brand that sells apparel, hats and accessories, said Open Streets ICT Nomar helps not only bring awareness of the North End, but helps startup businesses get their name out there.

Serrano was born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, and moved with his family to Garden City then ended up studying and staying in Wichita. Alma Negra Collective started out as a class project while Serrano was earning his MBA at Friends University.

The company is currently in the process of creating a tequila that will one hopefully be imported into the U.S.

Open Streets ICT Nomar “just brings people from different areas in the community — and the small businesses are able to showcase what they do,” Serrano said. “The north side is very diverse in the business aspect.

A hub located at Nomar Plaza saw returning vendors such as Las Delicias, Neza tires and well-known food trucks. A hub at Woodland Park hosted community partners and nonprofit organizations.

“It’s a very beautiful moment to see families out here enjoying the culture and learning about something they may know nothing about,” Rodriguez said.

This story was originally published May 7, 2023, 3:05 PM.

VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (KAKE) - The NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship is underway in Gulf Shores, Alabama and two former Wichita area volleyball standouts are going for gold.

Ellie Shank and Ella Larkin, both LSU Tigers, helped the team take down FAU today to advance to the quarterfinals.

A Valley Center graduate, Shank is a junior on the squad while former Bishop Carroll standout Ella Larkin is a sophomore.

In the first round today, Shank and Kylie DeBerg brought the effort on Court 1, winning 21-17 and 21-12.

With the duel tied at 2-2, Larkin and Lara Boos clinched the match for the Tigers on Court Four. No. 5-seeded LSU beat No. 12-seeded FAU 3-2 to survive and advance.

"It was super exciting, especially getting to watch Ella's court clinch the duel for us. FAU was a really good team that we knew was going to put up a fight, and last year they went on a run at nationals. So they're pretty good in the postseason so it was exciting to advance to tomorrow," Shank said.

Lara Boos and Ella Larkin were also awarded AVCA Top Flight for their ongoing performance on Court 4 today.

This is the first Top Flight honor that Boos and Larkin have earned. In order to be earn Top Flight recognition a pair must play together in 15 matches or more on the same court and also win at least 75-percent of those matches.

Meanwhile, DeBerg and Shank earned the honor of AVCA First Team All-American yesterday.

The pair have been dominant this year with an overall record of 22-11 with wins over Top 20 opponents including; South Carolina, FSU, Washington UCLA, FAU, and GCU.

Shank said, "I was not expecting that, but it's really exciting."

Both Tigers said they love representing their home state on the big stage.

"The volleyball community in Wichita is huge, and they're always good about reaching out wishing us luck congratulating us so we really appreciate it. And also, it's just fun to say we're from Kansas. It's so out of the ordinary and I love being like, 'Yeah, I'm from Kansas,'" Shank said.

"I mean even today like my dad was getting calls from parents that we've played with or played against in Wichita just saying like, we're watching and we're cheering for you on from Wichita," Larkin said. "It's just so awesome to know that there's just such a good fan base and it's it's fun playing for for Kansas."

The Tigers face No. 4 FSU Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. CT in the quarterfinal round.

"We actually just beat Florida State at our conference tournament and so I think when it comes to two teams that are pretty similar, it's hard to beat a team twice," Shank said. "But also, it's really good to have that win under our belt, knowing that we can do it. So there's a little bit of pressure on it, but also a lot of confidence going into that match."