LIBERAL FIRST
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Summer is officially winding down and like many, I spent quite a chunk of my summer reading. With that in mind, I thought it would be neat to share just some of the books I came across this summer and if anyone has any suggestions, I’ll totally welcome them. Read on!
Those looking for high-caliber live entertainment right in Liberal will soon have just that opportunity thanks to Community Concerts of Liberal.
The 2025-26 Community Concerts of Liberal season will start with The Sidekicks, who will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 8, followed by Dan Miller's AmeriCoustic show, which will be at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31. The season will then continue with Aria Nouveau, which will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 26, 2026, followed by David Burnham's Broadway and Beyond show, which will be at 3 p.m. March 29, 2026. The season will conclude with The Suits, who will be performing at 7:30 p.m. April 18, 2026, and all the concerts will take place in Maskus Auditorium at Liberal High School.
As I’ve mentioned before, one of my favorite things to do here at the office is discover new musical artists to listen to while I work and recently, I made yet another one of those with indie artist Patty Griffin and her newest album, “Crown of Roses.”
For those who are unaware, Griffin is a U.S. vocalist, guitarist and pianist, and she is most known for her work in the folk music genre. Since that isn’t typically the music I go to when I’m looking for something to listen to, it makes sense I haven’t discovered her until now, and I was left kind of wondering how I haven’t come across her music before.
This year’s Five State Fair will be full of good entertainment, and one of those concerts will be from former “The Voice” contestant Hannah Kay.
Kay said music has been a big part of her life for many years, and she is looking forward to bringing that to Liberal.
Many people like a good love story and earlier this year, author Michael Weiss added to that genre with his new book “A Thousand Gates of Prayer.”
The book takes place in the village of Hakone, Japan, where a forbidden love blooms between Miyuki, a young woman deeply rooted in her village’s traditions, and Masahiro, heir to a prestigious Kyoto family. As they grow closer, they find themselves caught between loyalty and longing, tradition and change. When a construction project threatens to erase Miyuki’s village, their romance becomes a public stand, and with the help of an investigative journalist, they uncover a trail of corruption far more dangerous than either imagined.
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