‘Grumpy Old Men’ pool their money to bring performers to Wichita

Charley Stark and some friends were sitting around the Candle Club one night in late 2007 when the idea took form. Legendary cabaret singer Marilyn Maye was on stage and a few beverages were flowing at the private club, a still-thriving bastion of old Wichita.

“Somebody said this is so much fun – why don’t we do this more often?” Stark remembers. “Being the ham I am, I said I’ll do it.”

By do it, Stark meant organize a group whose members would pool their money to bring entertainers to town who might not otherwise appear here. | Wichita Eagle