Evergy Plaza | From Dad Rock to Friday Night Flicks
By INDIA YARBOROUGH, SAMANTHA MARSHALL and LAUREN JURGENSEN | Photos by BRIAN PETERS
Evergy Plaza may be one of Topeka’s newer destinations for music and entertainment, but this young venue has already secured a reputation as a trusted go-to spot for exciting community events.
When it opened in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Evergy Plaza team had no choice but to start small, hosting low-key events limited to small crowds and strict social distancing guidelines.
Dylan Tyler, the manager of Evergy Plaza, said the venue has since come a long way.
“In the beginning, we had a DJ on stage and 50 people would come. Now we’re doing full-on live concerts,” she said. “I always point out to people that ‘community connects.’ It’s kind of our mission. We try to intermingle as many people as we can in many different ways.”
HOMEGROWN TALENT
Dylan said it took time to reach a place where they could host large-scale events for even larger groups of attendees. As of 2024, Evergy Plaza — located downtown at 630 S. Kansas Ave. — is hosting everything from intimate gatherings to concerts and festivals that attract as many as 5,000 attendees.
Among their most popular events was the recent “Fight Night,” when the plaza transformed into a boxing ring for an evening. Fighters like John “Iron Man” Cantrell, who hosted the event, faced off against veteran fighters and new faces in a bid to win American Boxing Organization and Kansas/Missouri Heavyweight titles.
Then there are the rock ‘n’ roll concerts, often featuring local bands playing covers of hits from the 1980s and earlier — a genre that Dylan said she’s overheard people affectionately refer to as “Dad Rock.”
“People here love it,” she said, adding that the 40-to-60 age group has become one of the plaza’s most loyal demographics.
Despite its success, Evergy Plaza is still operating with a lean team of only two full-time staff members. Dylan and her colleague Josh Sturm handle everything from event management and operations to sales and marketing. Together, they strive to add spectacular must-see events to the plaza’s calendar.
“It’s taken a little bit to try and figure out our identity,” he said, adding that some of their efforts include partnerships with several community-based and nonprofit groups.
They’ve also had to consider sustainability.
“We’d love to just say, ‘Hey everybody, just come whenever you want and do whatever you want.’ But that’s not how it works,” Dylan said.
PAST AND UPCOMING ATTRACTIONS
Finding a balance between operating sustainably and taking risks on new opportunities remains an ongoing challenge, but Evergy Plaza’s plans for the future are anything but modest.
Perhaps the most ambitious project underway is the potential for a permanent ice skating rink to replace the temporary ice rink structure they’ve offered in the past. Dylan said it’s still in the planning stages, but hopes that building a skating rink will expand Evergy Plaza’s appeal with younger demographics in their teens, twenties and thirties.
“I would love to see more consistent programming,” Dylan said, when asked about what else she and Josh are planning. That includes bringing more major concerts and festivals to Topeka.
Special events like the recently debuted Mimosa Mile Matinee, which the Evergy Plaza website describes as a “morning of movies and brunch,” are likely to become an annual fixture. This year’s Mimosa Mile Matinee featured a screening of the film “Mamma Mia!” with crepes and mimosas served by vendors La Creperie Co. and Axe & Ale.
They also host a monthly family movie night called “Friday Flicks,” presented by Communication Federal Credit Union, on the second Friday of each month.
This October, the plaza hosted a free kickoff party and pilot meet-and-greet to celebrate the opening day of the Thunder Over the Heartland Air Show presented by CoreFirst Bank & Trust at Topeka Regional Airport’s Forbes Field.
“Doing a meet-and-greet may not be as conducive all the way out at Forbes,” Dylan said. “Being downtown, we’re right in the middle of Topeka where everybody from different angles can come and be in the middle.”
Dylan said Evergy Plaza’s local impact goes well beyond providing shows and entertainment.
“The value we bring to Topeka is seen in the connections and relationships we build,” she said. “We’re a centerpiece where people can connect. Not only can people see what other people are doing, but they can actually meet other people to brainstorm ideas about what else the community needs,” she said.
She hopes that by creating a friendly space where locals can come together to discuss experiences and new ideas, the plaza will inspire Topeka’s residents to keep investing in arts and entertainment.
“Nobody should ever be where they want to be,” she said, when talking about the plaza’s goals for the future. “You always want to strive for better and better each year.”
