Carnegie Center presents art, art and more art

When a passenger train arrives in Dodge City, an intrepid band of volunteers is on hand to open the waiting room, dispense information and serve as the passengers' first contact in town.
    Anyone who traveled by rail to or from Dodge in the 1980s and '90s will remember the Sparrows, a couple who was contracted by the railroad to open and maintain the waiting room before each train's arrival — a service they continued to provide until the station was closed for renovations in 2000. Those same travelers will probably also recall the decaying state of the waiting room and the two ugliest restrooms in town.

Photos from the Associated Press
    The Stauth Memorial Museum's current exhibit, "Memories of World War II, Photographs from the archives of The Associated Press," which is scheduled to run through Aug. 30, features the work of World War II photographers assembled into a new exhibit to coincide with the dedication of the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

Central Station rocks again
    Country artist Wade Bowen kicks off his 2009 tour tonight at Central Station. It's the first stop in a tour schedule that takes the band to every corner of Texas and as far afield as California.
    The Jared Daniels Band, with a local connection in Kevin Henrichs, returns to Dodge City to open for Bowen.
    Tickets are $12 at the door. Call Central Station at (620) 225-1176 for information.

When out-of-towners arrive in Dodge City, they bring certain expectations with them. They may expect dusty streets lined with cowboys on horseback. They may expect rows of cheap souvenir stores. They may even expect the occasional gunfight to break out, maybe around high noon.
    They can achieve some of their expectations at Boot Hill Museum, thanks partly to the crew of daytime entertainers who bring the place to life.
    You can't really call it a museum unless there are artifacts on display, and Boot Hill certainly qualifies in that department.

A little evening music
    The Dodge City Cowboy Band, having been rained out twice already this summer and fresh from Tuesday's well-attended and climate-perfect concert, will bring another program of great traditional band fare to outdoor concert-goers at the bandshell in Wright Park next Tuesday.
    "Once again we'll give the crowd a couple of great marches: 'Washington Post' and 'Colonel Bogey,'" director Dan Brinkley said.
    The program also includes an armed forces salute, which features the march associated with each branch of the service.
    "Satchmo!" is a tribute to trumpet player Louis Armstrong, featuring local favorite Bob Salm as the trumpet soloist.

It's a whodunit of Biblical proportions.
    Or at least implications.
    A young nun coming from a troubled past stands accused of murdering her child of uncertain paternity. The pregnancy, Sister Agnes insists, was a virgin conception.

Weekend calendar for June 12.

Attendance at All 4 Fun is already almost double what it was last year.
    And that's good news for Dodge City Parks and Recreation officials, who realized before they opened this season that it was do-or-die time for the city-owned amusement center.

Another month's come and gone, and it's time to celebrate Final Friday at the Carnegie Center for the Arts.
    The event begins at 5 p.m. today with entertainment by Allen Steimel, a local high school student who will perform an original composition on the electric keyboard. Steimel is a member of the Dodge City High School orchestra and a student of Adam Keda.

Tuesday's opening concert by the Dodge City Cowboy Band at 7 p.m. in the bandshell in Wright Park will continue a long-standing local tradition.
    In the 1870s, a young man came to town to collect on a debt and ended up owning a part share in the Long Branch Saloon. The Long Branch, later made famous when the writers of the television series "Gunsmoke" pulled the name from the pages of Dodge City history, was one of many saloons in town, helping the young outpost earn its reputation for riotous and lawless behavior.

Founded in 1872, Dodge City teetered on the edge of civilization.
    The Santa Fe Trail and the Arkansas River, along with Fort Dodge, influenced the location of the settlement. According to some, an enterprising merchant stepped off the required distance from the fort's headquarters and, just outside the fort's western boundary, plopped a board across two barrels and opened up a saloon. From that first single business, the town grew in fits and starts.