Keeper of the Plains

There's a great old Rich Mullins song that starts with a haunting dulcimer line. The first words are "Well, the moon moved past Nebraska..." Those reasons alone are enough for me to love the song "Calling Out Your Name."

Later in the song, another line says "Where the sacred rivers meet beneath the shadow of the Keeper of the Plains." I confess - I never knew what that was all about.

Until last weekend.

While in Wichita, I had some time and decided to see if I could find some of Rich's favorite spots from the time he lived there. Several people suggested I see the Keeper of the Plains. I had no clue what they were talking about. Then Dayna gets a t-shirt with an interesting logo.

Turns out it's a nearby statue called the Keeper of the Plains. A short drive/long walk from the rehearsal venue is a park filled with Native American art and culture. Walking through the park, you hear piped in music on drums and flutes. This park is at the convergence of the Arkansas (pronounced ar-KAN-zuhs) and Little Arkansas Rivers. Right at the point you'll find the statue of the Keeper of the Plains.

In the evenings, the cauldrons around the base of the statue are lit for an impressive show.

An interesting addition to the weekend was discovering that Dayna's conductor attended Friends University and studied Music Education at the same time as Rich. When I asked if she knew him, she responded that she dated him in college - and the would often walk along this same river.

I'll never be able to hear that song without remembering this really neat park and statue.