Rancher addresses Wichita Union Stockyards delays and shares likely opening

UPDATED — Just over a year ago as the first building began to go up at Wichita Union Stockyards, ranchers Mike and Tina Andra said they hoped to then open their event and music venue in October.

That didn’t happen, but the two are inching closer to a fall opening this year on their 40 acres at 6425 W. MacArthur in Sedgwick County.

“The main part of the delay was some . . . construction issues,” Mike Andra says.

He says the issue wasn’t the main building but some mechanical systems that weren’t installed as they should have been.

“It takes way more time to have to do things over, and we just absolutely wanted to make sure everything was right and correct so when we were done, we’d have a first-class building,” he says.

“It looks like we’ve got everything in line now and all the issues addressed.”

The Andras also plan a steakhouse for the second phase of development.

“For the time being, we’ve got a couple of local caterers we’ve made arrangements with,” Mike Andra says.

He says they’ll likely break ground on the steakhouse in late summer 2020.

Andra says construction of the first building has been “a real learning experience.”

“This is like taking on anything the first time,” he says. “It just involves so many things. . . . If we were building a second one of these, we’d probably do it in half the time.”

Andra says there are lots of stories going around that maybe some of the wait has been on city and county approvals.

He says the Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department has been especially helpful.

“They want to make sure everything’s right so there’s no kind of problems (that) sneak up on you in the future.”

Without the department, he says, “You might not know what you’d end up with.”

The Andras — and Have You Heard? — have been getting lots of questions about when the opening is.

“We’ve got thousands and thousands of people just waiting for this place to open,” Mike Andra says.

It looks like the opening will be the middle of November.

In addition to renting their building for events, the Andras also plan to use it for music shows that they’ll simulcast on their KWLS, 107.9-FM.

“It absolutely ties in so well with owning a country music radio station,” Mike Andra says.

“We’d like it to be the Grand Ole Opry of our area.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.