Manhaan PUBLISHED BY THE MANHATTAN CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU
March 2018
TOURISM TOPICS
Live music and more featured at Flint Hills Festival Flint Hills grasses revive from dormancy each spring, and the Flint Hills Festival is a celebration of spring’s renaissance and Flint Hills Discovery Center’s anniversary. May 19 at Blue Earth Plaza, enjoy live music with food vendors circling the park for a day filled with fun and abundance of children’s activities. More details to follow.
Run the Bill Snyder Highway Half and then unwind with a day of fun at Flint Hills Discovery Center and Blue Earth Plaza.
Go for the gold! Go green!
Special festivities lined up for Saint Patty’s Day in Aggieville 2018 marks four decades of Saint Patty’s celebrations centered in Aggieville, the state’s very first entertainment and shopping district. The tradition continues March 17. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day! Yes, that rare calendar alignment for March 17 to fall on Saturday promises greater enthusiasm for Manhattan’s wearin’ o’ the green festivities. Events include the 40th annual road races sporting distances of 3.22 kilometers and 10K. Manhattan Running Company has inherited the planning portion for road races from Ballard’s Sporting Goods, which was an original sponsor of the 1979 event along with Kite’s, Pizza Hut,Varney’s, Kansas State Bank and more. Back on March 17, 1979, Rick Mann (KS StateBank), Sonny Ballard (Ballard’s), Bernie Butler (Pizza Hut), Jon Levine (Varney’s) and Terry Ray (Kite’s) were among the Aggieville Business Association members who helped plan the inaugural event.
1980 featured the first parade and the event gained momentum from there, attracting 1,200 runners in ’80 to 2,000-plus in 1981. The ’81 races were famous for finishing just in time for crowds to fill the ’Ville and watch K-State knock off No. 2-ranked Oregon State in the NCAA Tournament (Rolando Blackman’s shot is part of the Wildcats’ pregame video and KSU lore). It all started on March 17, 1979, and continues today. Details on the parade and road races can be found at VisitManhattanKS.org. Celebrate Saint Patty’s Day all along Moro Street in Manhattan!