Journalist and Kansas historian Cindy Higgins will give a PowerPoint presentation about “Soda Fountains of Kansas” at 7 p.m. on July 27, at the Lyons State Bank Community Room. She will relive the glory days of the soda fountain where tonics and curatives evolved into refreshments like the Brown Cow, the Mudslide, and the Egg Cream. Government regulations, World War I luxury taxes, and bottled soda pop prompted Kansas pharmacists to make more ice cream concoctions and add food to keep their evolving fountain sideline business profitable.
This presentation also explores soda fountains in Kansas today and the revival of soda fountains throughout the nation.
The program is part of the Rice County Historical Society/Coronado Quivira quarterly lecture series and is underwritten by a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council. For more information, call the Coronado Quivira Museum at (620) 257-3941.