Travel Kansas 2025 by travelkansas

Mural Mania

Artists from around the globe leave their mark on downtown Salina

Kansas Route 66 Gears Up For Mother Road Centennial

Gunsmoke Trail leads to Old West experience

Two of the Kansas towns on the recently formed Kansas Gunsmoke Trail were named a Top 10 True West Town for 2025 by True West magazine. Abilene placed seventh and Dodge City ninth in the national ranking chosen by editors.

“This award celebrates not only Abilene’s storied history as the original Cowtown but also our ongoing efforts to create new experiences, like the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail, that honor our Western roots,” said Julie Roller Weeks, director of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Launched last year, the Kansas Gunsmoke Trail – named for the long-running

television show – connects visitors to the Wild West through experiences in the iconic Western towns of Abilene, Dodge City, Hays and Wichita.

A digital passport program provides information on dozens of attractions and allows smart-phone users to check in at different stops to earn discounts and points for prizes. The passport functions like a mobile app but requires no app download.

“Gunsmoke,” which was set in Dodge City but mentioned several other Kansas frontier towns, was a primetime favorite from 1955 to 1975, making it the longestrunning TV Western. The 635 episodes followed the life of U.S. Marshal Matt

2025 Travel Kansas™A Wichita Times® Publication

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Cynthia Mines

ART DIRECTOR Susan Burdick ON THE COVER

Curtis Hylton, a resident of the United Kingdom who has painted murals around the world, completed his first one in the United States last fall in downtown Salina.

Photo by Tanner Colvin/BOOM! Salina.

Dillon as he tried to uphold law and order on the Kansas frontier.

Examples of the dozens of Wild Westthemed locations on the Gunsmoke Trail include: Dodge City’s Boot Hill Museum, Wichita’s Old Cowtown Museum, Abilene’s historic railroad and Old Abilene Town, and Hays’ historic fort and walking tour.

For more information or to sign up for the passport, visit KansasGunsmoke Trail.com.

Old Abilene Town (ABOVE) and Boot Hill Museum (BELOW) are two stops on the Gunsmoke Trail.

Region prepares to host 2026 World Cup

When billions of people around the world tune in to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, they’ll catch glimpses of Kansas City, the smallest host city.

Plans to host the World Cup kicked into high gear in Kansas City in 2024 with

Continued on page 4.

plans for team base camps and lodging extending into Kansas from Arrowhead Stadium where the matches will be played.

Matches in Kansas City have been scheduled for June 16, 20, 25, 27, and July 3 and 11, 2026. The July 3 date will be a best of 32 match-up, and the July 11 game will be a quarterfinal.

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest ever staged with 48 teams playing 104 matches in 16 host cities in three countries

(United States, Canada and Mexico). Eight of the host cities are in the United States.

Kansas sites under consideration for base camps at presstime included Sporting KC’s facility and the University of Kansas. Teams will not know where they are playing until December and are expected to arrive two weeks before competition begins. The Fan Festival will take place on the lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial in the metro area.

Fans are expected to seek lodging in a 2.5-hour driving radius from Kansas City and to explore the area while here, Kramer said. Kansas City is the only host city in the middle of the country.

“Nobody does Americana better than our region,” Kramer said.

For updates, visit Kansascityfwc26.com.

National Park Service adds Kansas historic site

The Kansas City area is preparing to host 650,000 visitors from around the world for a total of 2.1 million visitor days, according to Pam Kramer, who was named CEO of KC2026, the nonprofit entity organizing Kansas City’s role, in July 2024. She told a group of Kansas tourism professionals at a conference in October 2024 to expect international visitors to stay about nine days and bring an economic impact of $653 million.

The National Park Service last fall added 14 new sites in 11 states, including Kansas, to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. The network recognizes more than 800 places with connections to the Underground Railroad.

Fort Montgomery, a replica of James and Clarinda Montgomery’s cabin in Linn County, is the state’s newest addition to the network, which includes more than 20 other sites in eastern Kansas. The Montgomerys were abolitionists who resisted attempts by pro-slavery settlers to force free state settlers from their claims.

After southerners burned his cabin, James Montgomery constructed a new fortress home of logs in 1855 west of Mound City. The new cabin had many features, including rifle ports, to protect occupants as well as a clear view to the south. An officer in the U.S. Army, Montgomery was often away on military duty.

Created by Congress in 1998, the Network to Freedom recognizes the experiences of freedom seekers who escaped slavery and those who assisted them. For more information, visit nps.com.

Emerald aura spreads at Oz Museum redo

The first phase of renovations at the Oz Museum in Wamego includes not only Continued from page 3.

The Ritchie House, an underground railroad station in Topeka, is another Kansas site on the Network to Freedom.

modernizing and making the building more accessible, but a new look for the restrooms so they are “almost a part of the immersive Oz experience,” said Katlyn Dawson, operations coordinator for the Oz Museum and The Columbian Foundation. “We’re planning to Emerald City-esque them. The inspiration is how L. Frank Baum described the Emerald City in his books.”

The Oz Museum closed after New Year’s Day for the first round of renovations, with plans to reopen by spring break. During the closure, visitors are able to see museum artifacts on display at the nearby Columbian Theatre.

Changes to the exhibit space include more emphasis on the original artifacts in the collection, some of which had become obscured by the 2,000 items on display, according to Dawson. “It will be rearranged to put more focus on the original pieces and make it more visually aesthetic.”

The Columbian Theatre is open daily

“People love visiting quirky attractions, and Kansas does quirky really, really well,” said Bridgette Jobe, Kansas tourism director, in announcing the grant. “This Ruby Red Slipper Slide will just add to all of that, and it’s one more wonderful stop people can make.”

Ruby Red Slipper Slide

Kansas Tourism announced in December that Liberal would receive an attraction grant for construction of a Ruby Red Slipper Slide suitable for children and adults.

Liberal is home to Dorothy’s House, a 1907 farmhouse restored to resemble the one on the Kansas prairie in the “Wizard of Oz” movie. A yellow brick path leads to the Land of Oz, which recreates scenes from the movie.

Plans are for the 10-foot-tall slide to be installed on the grounds of the Liberal Tourist Information center near Highway 54 prior to the summer travel season, according to Sally Fuller, Liberal tourism and convention director.

Exploration Place plans new outdoor playscape

Exploration Place’s commitment to build a $27 million world-class playscape is taking shape along the Arkansas River near downtown Wichita.

Ground was broken in June 2024 and plans are to open the 6.5-acre site later this year.

Ten individual playgrounds incorporate Kansas themes such as an aviation area anchored by a red Beechcraft Staggerwing rising 60 feet into the air with several slides. Another nod to Kansas’ role in aviation history will be a Cessna business jet replica and a control tower where kids can talk on radios.

Visitors will be able to explore a replica of Monument Rocks as well as the Flint Hills where fog will be created by water vapor. Other areas showcase the life cycle of the sunflower, a prairie area with a zipline, and a pivot irrigation system with swings extending over the river.

“We are highlighting the heritage and natural history of our area,” said Adam Smith, president and CEO. “We adopted the idea of a playground that was so big in scale and scope you could spend all weekend there and still not have time to

Exploration Place’s new playscape will include Kansas themes such as aviation, the Flint Hills and agriculture.

explore every corner.”

It’s well-documented, according to Smith, that children learn skills and teamwork through play. “Play is very, very important to the development of our children,” he said

The area will incorporate 270 newly planted native trees and prairie grasses as well as Kansas limestone.

“The vision is to be not just a very high play experience but a beautiful place as well,” he said.

The new playscape will be included with admission at Exploration Place, which celebrates its 25th anniversary April 1. For updates, check exploration.org.

Kansas Museum of History reopens

The Kansas Museum of History will reopen this year after being closed since September 2022 for a major renovation. The museum opened on 80 acres in west Topeka in 1984.

The official history museum of Kansas is home to 121,000 artifacts. About 3,000 of them – including the popular 1914 Longren biplane — will be on display in the renovated 30,000 square feet of gallery space, according to Sarah Bell, museum and education division director.

New exhibits will introduce a 1950s wheat truck, dugout and a C.W. Parker carousel horse. For information on reopening, visit kshs.org.

New exhibits include a C.W. Parker carousel horse carved and painted in Leavenworth.

Abilene railway on track for growth

The historic Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad has been picking up steam with ridership doubling in two years, the result of added train cars, themed events, more dinner train excursions and the popular Sunflower Summer pass program.

The A&SV — which was recognized last year by the Kansas Legislature as the state’s official heritage railroad — was on track in late November for another recordbreaking year.

Ross Boelling, who took over as general manager in 2022 after a career as a dispatcher with the BNSF Railway, credits the nonprofit’s growth to an active board and volunteers as well as affiliation with American Heritage Railways of Durango, Colo., which provides operations support such as online reservations.

More than 20,000 passengers departed Abilene’s 1887 Rock Island Depot last year for a rail trip on track laid in 1886. Most of the excursions include a stop at Enterprise’s Hoffman Grist Mill, a 5.5-mile trip.

“In two hours you can experience the entire farm to table cycle,” Boelling said. “You see crops growing along the way and in Enterprise you see where grain is turned into flour and other products. You can purchase something in the general store and bring it back by rail to Abilene.”

En route, an on-board narrator talks about the history of Abilene and how railroads helped build the state into an agricultural center.

“Railroads and agriculture are vital to each other,” he said. “After cattle reached the northern end of the Chisholm Trail at Abilene they were transported by rail. We

Riding the Rails

get a lot of first-time riders who’ve never been on a train and many who’ve had no connection to agriculture.”

Four passenger cars and two power cars from the former Kansas Belle train in Baldwin City, which ceased operations five years ago, were transported by truck to Abilene last year.

One of the new cars was named Eveland Creek in honor of long-time operator Bruce Eveland and made its debut the first night of the Santa Express train, Boelling said.

The added car enabled each Santa Express train to carry more passengers, allowing more than 5,000 passengers to make the holiday trip during its third year of operation in 2024. A Great Pumpkin Patch Peanuts-themed excursion was added in 2023 and attracted 2,200 passengers over three weekends last year.

Boelling, who grew up in Herington, has always liked trains. He was living in Kansas City when he retired from BNSF in 2018. Three years later, he was a volunteer conductor for the Abilene railroad when he was named general manager.

It takes about 80 volunteers to operate the railway, he said. “We have to balance the number of trains

with wearing out volunteers.”

New volunteers are welcome. “For those wanting to operate the train, the first level usually is brakeman,” he said. “Engineer takes the most training and learning about how a locomotive works.”

Volunteers are doing much of the work for the mandatory 15-year maintenance required on the century-old Santa Fe steam locomotive, which is currently out of commission. “We essentially have to rebuild the boiler. We hope to have it back on the track by the end of 2025 or soon after,” Boelling said.

Volunteers are also working on another cab locomotive that will be named #34 Ike in honor of Eisenhower. “It was in operation during the years Eisenhower was in the military and was president,” Boelling said.

Manufactured in 1940, the cab locomotive started in Wichita before being used by the U.S. Military in California. It was retired in 1972 and ended up in Nebraska.

“We hope to inaugurate it in spring 2025,” Boelling said. “We didn’t think it was fixable, but turned out it was.”

Plans for 2025 also include major work on the tracks, which will be paid for by a $472,000 Kansas Department of Transportation grant. Funds are being raised for rebuilding the steam locomotive, a project Boelling estimates will cost $600,000 to complete.

A&SV runs regularly scheduled trips from April through Labor Day with themed events and dinner excursions planned throughout the year.

Recent themed dinners by five regional caterers, including Brookville, have recreated train menus from bygone days. The train can also be booked for school groups and private parties, For a schedule, prices and volunteer opportunities, visit asvrr.org.

— By Cynthia Mines

Ross Boelling (ABOVE) became general manager after a railroad career. Families (RIGHT) enjoy many options. PHOTOS BY ABILENE CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU. The train departs (BELOW) from a historic depot. PHOTO BY CYNTHIA MINES

Get Your Kicks on Kansas Route 66

nly a tiny portion of the 2,500-mile highway that fueled generations of imaginations cuts through the southeast edge of Kansas, but those 13.2 miles have become a popular tourist destination.

The romance of driving west to Califor nia on one of the country’s first numbered highways was burned into the national consciousness by the 1946 song, “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66.” The road’s reputation was sealed after two young men in a Chevrolet Corvette convertible captivated TV viewers from 1960-1964 in the popular show “Route 66.”

BY CYNTHIA MINES

The highway winding through eight states is not just an American obsession: It’s fairly common to hear other languages as visitors cruise along the Kansas route to pay homage to what John Steinbeck called the Mother Road. They come from all over the world in all manner of motor vehicle: Volkswagen Beetles and vans, vintage Chevys and Mustangs, modern convertibles and motorcycles.

Route 66 crosses from Missouri into Kansas near Galena, passes by Riverton and the Rainbow Bridge before turning south and going through Baxter Springs to Oklahoma. The 1923 bridge is the last of its kind on the highway: It was designed by James Barney Marsh, who patented its rainbow arched concept. Refurbishing the Marsh arch bridge is just one project the area is tackling to gear up for the 2026 centennial celebration of Route 66.

From top: Cars on the Route is home to the inspiration for a character in “Cars.” The Riverton Bridge is the last of its kind on Route 66. A mural in Galena highlights the area’s history.

Galena gears up for Mother Road milestone

The Route 66 Visitors Center in Baxter Springs is located in a gas station built in 1930. The Baxter Springs Historical Society purchased the property in 2005 and restored it to the way it looked in the 1940s. The center at 940 Military Ave. is open March to November. More info can be found at baxterspringsmuseum.org.

Since Aaron Perry opened Gearhead Curios a few years ago, the former budget analyst from Topeka has yet to shift into low gear.

As he tells the story, the abandoned filling station in Galena “found me in August 2018” when he was driving his 1958 Chevy to Springfield, Mo., for a Route 66 conference.

He stopped to take a photo, saw the “For Sale” sign, and ended up buying “a lot of imagination.”

Road trips on Route 66 were in his DNA, Perry said, because

Continued on page 10.

THE connection to Pixar’s ‘CARS’

hen Pixar movie producers were scouring Route 66 for ideas for their new animated film about forgotten towns bypassed by interstates, they happened onto a rusted boom truck, a lonely remnant of Galena’s mining days.

It wasn’t until after the film’s release in 2006 that local residents found out by accident that the inspiration for the character Tow Mater had literally been found in their own backyard.

To verify the story, Renee Charles, who retired as city clerk last year, tracked down Michael Wallis, a Route 66 historian and author who had accompanied the film makers on their mission.

Charles relayed his response after sending him photos: “Yup, that’s Mater,” he confirmed, “And you can tell ’em the Sheriff said so.” (Wallis voiced the part of the Sheriff car in the movie.)

The inspirational truck, a 1951 International Harvester, sits next to Cars on the Route, a souvenir shop and diner operated by Charles and her family. It opened in 2007 in a 1934 service station which had gone out of business when I-44 bypassed the town.

Renee and her daughter, Stephanie Charles, have relayed the story to countless curious visitors, sometimes several times a day, flipping through the pages of a book Wallis wrote titled “The Art of Cars.”

In the book, Wallis wrote: “In Galena, Kansas, we found a lonely old tow truck that most folks would pass by without a second glance. Our Head of Story Joe Ranft, however, saw beyond the rust and broken-down parts – he saw the inspiration for the character Mater.”

In addition to the rusty inspiration for Tow Mater, Cars on the Route displays a vintage fire engine similar to Red. Nearby a donated sheriff’s car (signed by Wallis) is elevated on top of a pole. A replica of Luigi’s Pit Stop is nearby and down the street at Gearhead Curios, a blue Hudson resembling Doc Hudson from the movie is on display.

After the connection was made and it was decided to reopen the abandoned gas station, Renee Charles and her sister began attending Route 66 conferences only to discover that Kansas was considered so insignificant it was left off some early maps. They wanted to sell Kansas Route 66 souvenirs at the roadside attraction but found them hard to come by.

Renee Charles’ son, an engineer, pieced together the vintage Kan-O-Tex gas pumps outside Cars on the Route, and he and his dad, the town’s retired fire chief, designed a giant Route 66 shield that’s taking shape on the north edge of town to become a drive-through photo op.

“There’s so much to see now compared to five years ago,” said Stephanie Charles on a Sunday in September after greeting

a group of motorcyclists from France and visitors from Brazil.

That month alone, the Cars on the Route guestbook showed sign-ins from Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, France, Ireland, Switzerland and Portugal.

Traffic to the town, which resembles Radiator Springs in the movie, is expected to pick up even more in 2026 when Route 66 celebrates its centennial and the movie turns 20.

Cars on the Route, 119 N. Main, is open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday-Sunday. Check Facebook page for updates.

The movie is dedicated to Ranft, who died in a car crash before it was completed. Ranft, who co-wrote the script with director John Lasseter and others, was to be the voice of Red, the fire engine, which is why Red doesn’t speak in the movie, according to Stephanie Charles.

Above: Stephanie Charles tells visitors to Cars on the Route the story of how a local boom truck was the inspiration for the character Tow Mater. It’s shown (above left) where it was found and where it now sits. Left: a car resembling Doc Hudson from the movie is on display at Gearhead Curios.

Continued from page 8.

of long cross-country car trips from Southern California his family would take to visit relatives.

“I’d had my eyes open for a property along Route 66,” he said. “I always wanted a place to share stories and be part of a roadside attraction.”

Renovating the 1939 Texaco gas station from floor to roof took him five years, but “it has exceeded my expectations,” he said.

Outside the garage doors, a Betty Boop statue on roller skates wears a green Texaco uniform and balances cans of motor oil on her waitress tray.

Nearby is a Bob’s Big Boy statue, only this one is holding tires – specifically the ones on Perry’s vintage Chevy when he found the station – rather than a giant hamburger.

And last year the piece de resistance arrived in Galena on a flatbed truck: a 1,200-pound statue Perry commissioned based on the Texaco Big Friend, an ad campaign in the mid-1960s. Named Big A after the owner, the 22-foot statue sports a goatee similar to Perry’s. The green-uniformed giant is reminiscent of the Texaco Muffler Man, holding a wrench in one hand and waving at visitors with the other from behind Gearhead Curios.

Though the shop (and bathroom) are already crammed to the rafters with license plates, car memorabilia and souvenirs for sale, Perry continues to add to the eclectic décor. “It’s never really done,” he said. “I went down a rabbit hole with the bathroom.”

And now, rather than idling in neutral, Perry is breaking ground this year on a retro motor court comprising small, individual cabins, each with a gas station theme. Called Petrol Motor Quart, it will be on the town’s main drag (which happens to be Route 66) and he hopes that one or two of the cabins will be ready for the 2026 centennial. He expects the theme of the first cabin to be Phillips 66.

“Each one will be themed like an old-fashioned gas station with branding and signage,” he said. “There’s nothing else like it on Route 66.”

Gearhead Curios is located at 520 S. Main in Galena and open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Bookended by Gearhead Curios and Cars on the Route, Galena’s Main Street offers numerous photo ops with murals, parks and a giant Route 66 sign.

The population of Galena (named for the ore mined nearby) is now 3,000 residents, a fraction of what it was during the area’s mining heyday and before the interstate bypassed the town. More about the area’s history can be found at the Galena Mining & Historical Museum, housed in the Missouri-KanasTexas train depot.

Left: Versions of the Texaco Man, Betty Boop and Bob’s Big Boy welcome visitors to Gearhead Curios, a Route 66 souvenir shop. Across the street is a park with mural and Route 66 photo op sign.

Big Brutus testament to mining history

ig Brutus, a 16-story testament to southeast Kanas’ mining history, can be seen for miles. After operating 24 hours a day for more than a decade, the world’s second largest electric shovel was retired in 1974, left to sit at the site of its last job.

When Big Hog was decommissioned and buried, Big Brutus took the title of world’s largest surviving electric shovel. Size is measured by how much the bucket can hold: Big Brutus could hold 90 cubic yards. When the bucket was full, it would exceed 120 tons. The bucket is large enough to hold bands that perform during special events.

machinists, engineers and others to operate and maintain.

The parts for Big Brutus were manufactured at BucyrusErie Co. in Milwaukee and shipped on 150 rail cars to the Pittsburg and Midway (P&M) Coal Co. Mine #19 where assembly began in 1962. When Big Brutus was shut down, the shovel had dug its way 11 miles, from Hallowell to West Mineral, where it sits today.

Big Brutus’ shovel could hold 120 tons, the equivalent of 18 elephants. Visitors can take a self-guided tour through the shovel and climb into the operators’ cabin.

Visitors can climb to the operators’ cabin and explore throughout the mammoth machine, which took three men to operate during each eight-hour shift, according to Cindy Morris, executive director. It also took welders, electricians,

Crawford County reigns as Chicken Capital

hough fried-chicken dinners had been a staple in Crawford County since mining days, it was a 1982 article about a feud between Chicken Annie’s and Chicken Mary’s written by Calvin Trillin and published in the New Yorker that catapulted Pittsburg’s chicken story into the national spotlight.

And now the Hallmark Channel is airing a new television series based on the 2020 book “Chicken Sisters,” which is loosely based on the story of the Kansas rivalry. While the book is set in Kansas and involves competing chicken houses, it is mostly fiction.

The truth is that Crawford County is home to six historic, family-owned chicken houses, each founded more than 50 years ago. They’re located within a 30-minute drive north of Route 66.

The first, Chicken Annie’s Original, was established in 1934 when Annie Pichler’s husband became disabled working in

the coal mines and she began cooking dinners for other miners. Her reputation spread and additional rooms were added to their house to accommodate customers. The third generation is continuing the tradition.

A museum, open daily except major holidays, and outdoor exhibits chronicle how important mining was to southeast Kansas. There’s also a gift shop and RV camping.

Big Brutus and Museum is about 12 miles west of the north-south highway (69/160/400) that connects Riverton and Pittsburg. Find more info at bigbrutus.org.

Chicken Mary’s also came about when her miner husband’s poor health prompted Mary Zerngast to start serving fried chicken and German potato salad in 1942 to support her family.

Then came Gebhardt’s Chicken Dinners in 1946; Barto’s Idle Hour in 1951;

Pichler’s Chicken Annie’s in 1970; and Chicken Annie’s in Girard, 1971.

Many of the menus still reflect the immigrant roots of southeast Kansas with sides such as German potato salad, German coleslaw and spaghetti. Meals are started off with a basket of Italian bread from the Frontenac Bakery, which was founded in 1904 by a baker from northern Italy who migrated to southeast Kansas to work in the coal mine but went back to baking after he was injured.

More information is at explorecrawford county.com/friedchicken.

Above: Chicken Annie’s Original PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

Explore

• 200 Bison

• 70 Elk

• 40 Species of Wildflowers

• Picnic Area

• Visitors Center

Tram Tours Tuesday and Saturday

10 a.m. (weather permitting)

Private group tours available

Adults $15

Children $7.50

Reserve online

Private and photo tours available. Located

PHOTO BY JEFF HEIDEL PHOTOGRAPHY

BY CYNTHIA MINES

Visitors strolling through the recently opened Museum of Art + Light in Manhattan find themselves completely immersed in the 19th-century Parisian world of the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Modern technology has allowed the French characters Renoir captured in his paintings to be released from their canvases, creating an ever-changing milieu of boats gliding across a lake and dancers swaying to music. Leaves fall, birds fly past, the sun fades, and tiny raindrops splash on opened umbrellas. The sound of falling rain is sprinkled through the classical soundtrack and puddles begin to appear on the cobblestone walkway underfoot.

Given that light is essential to Impressionist paintings, “Renoir: A Luminous Evolution” is the perfect inaugural exhibition for the new Museum of Art + Light, which opened in November. The immersive Renoir experience will run until Aug. 31 when another show will take its place.

The multi-sensory Renoir experience starts in a room where wallpaper appears and framed Renoir paintings emerge on the walls much like they would in a traditional museum. But then they fade and

morph into other paintings. Two life-size figures, shown only in silhouette, walk past the paintings. Renoir’s writings begin scrawling across the walls and floor.

More than 300 digital images of Renoir’s paintings, writings, family photos and archival footage were combined with a musical score to create the original experience in the first-floor Mezmereyz Gallery.

It takes about 45 minutes to walk through the artistic labyrinth, though guests can linger longer, making use of the occasional bench or rock-shaped beanbag chair. Context about Renoir’s life is added through explanatory panels.

The exhibition, which was created exclusively for the Manhattan museum, uses state-of-the-art technology and 108 Epson projectors to cover 36,000 square feet of projection space.

“It’s our original content from our own creative team so it’s unique and distinctive,” said Kristy Peterson, vice president of learning engagement and visitor experiences. “We’re one of the first in the

world to have a rotating immersive experience, and one of the first to have works by contemporary digital artists since our inception.”

Some of the inspiration for the Kansas museum came from visits to the Atelier des Lumières, a digital art museum in Paris, according to Peterson.

The four founders of the Manhattan museum had the initial idea to connect various disciplines through traditional and contemporary digital art.

“Art paired with sound really has emotional impact,” Peterson said.

Visitors are greeted on each of the three floors of the museum by a digital representation of Renoir explaining what is on that level. The newly built modern structure in downtown Manhattan includes four gallery spaces, which will host rotating exhibitions.

The museum also includes a gift shop on the first floor and Café Azul, a European-modeled coffeehouse with outdoor dining and views of the Kaw River Valley, on the third floor.

“MoA+L is more than just a museum; it’s a gathering place where art becomes

“MoA+L is more than just a museum; it’s a gathering place where art becomes a language that everyone can speak and understand.”

– Executive Director Erin Dragotto

a language that everyone can speak and understand,” said Executive Director Erin Dragotto. “This space is designed to inspire and challenge, to ask questions and imagine answers.”

Other inaugural exhibits include “Code & Canvas: Defining Digital in the Age of Block Chain” (on display until Aug. 1), which shows works by five globally recognized digital artists, and “Mads Christensen Solo Exhibition,” which displays pulsating two- and three-dimensional works using the artist’s unique software (until June 30).

“Lasting Impressions: Shaping a Personal Collection” (showing until Nov. 1) is a curated selection of works from the founders’ personal collections of 19th- and 20thcentury American and European works on paper, sculpture, tapestry, and painting. Co-founders of the museum are Robert L. and Tracey H. DeBruyn, Ronald Bowman and Stanley E. Zukowfsky.

This exhibit provides visitors with an understanding of the museum’s beginnings and how fine art intersects with the contemporary world, according to Dragotto.

The museum is open Wednesday to Monday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday noon to 5 p.m., and closed on Tuesday. (Check website for seasonal hours.) Tickets may be purchased as a combo for the Mez Gallery and museum ($25 for adults) or individually. There are discounts for seniors, youth and groups. Advance timed tickets for the Renoir immersive experience are advised.

The museum is located at 316 Pierre St. in downtown Manhattan near the Flint Hills Discovery Center. Find more information, new exhibitions, and tickets at artlightmuseum.org.

Things To Do

2 0 2 5 E V E N T S

May - PorchFest

June - Taste of Haunted Atchison

July - Amelia Earhart Festival

September - Muddy River Music Festival

September through October - Haunted Trolley Tours

December - Spirit of Christmas

Downtown Atchison

ABOVE: Curtis Hylton, a UK muralist known for using flora and fauna of the area he’s painting in, created a sunflower and meadowlark design for the facade of Martinelli’s restaurant.

BELOW AND RIGHT: Leon Keer from the Netherlands has done murals and had exhibitions in several countries. His 3D image of a Slinky used leftover paint from the year before.

PHOTOS BY TANNER COLVIN

Artists from around the globe leave their mark on Salina

here some would see decrepit buildings or unsightly expanses of concrete, the organizers of the Salina Kanvas Project see blank slates of possibility. Never mind that the blank slates are often made out of bricks.

“There had been a lot of investment downtown with STAR bonds plus public and private contributions,” said Travis Young, a Salina businessman, who co-founded the Kanvas Project with Eric Montoya in 2020. “That was great but we wanted something that would differentiate us from other downtowns. We knew public art was something people gravitated toward.”

Funds were raised and the first project was a mural of children holding hands encircling the city’s skyscraping mill completed by Australian artist Guido Van Helton in 2021.

Enthusiasm for the project confirmed there was an interest in murals. “With the reception we knew there were more opportunities,” Young said.

Organizers thought big, just like the first massive mural. “How cool would it be for a city of 50,000 to have the same caliber art as some of the world’s largest and most cosmopolitan cities?” Young wondered.

They began compiling a list of national and international artists from a wide range of places: Los Angeles, New York, Tokyo, Paris. Then the idea for a festival was born.

ABOVE RIGHT: Spanish artist Lydia Cao signed her mural “To Salina from Valencia” on her first trip to the United States.

ABOVE LEFT: Sandro Figueroa Garcia, who paints under the name SEN2, is known for his urban graffiti style.

LEFT: David Zinn of Ann Arbor, Mich., created ephermal chalk art during the 2024 festival.

The first Boom! Salina Festival (named for the conveyances artists use to paint murals) in 2022 brought together muralists whose mediums and interests were matched with appropriate spaces in downtown Salina. Spectators watched as the creations unfolded.

None of the invited artists had been to Kansas before and a few had never been to the United States, according to Young.

“Our goal is when they come they have a very good experience,” he said. “This year (2024) we had two artists who’d never been to the U.S. before. We asked what they’d like to do and they chose shopping for cowboy boots and shooting clay targets.”

Artists so far have come from Australia, Finland, France, England, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Canada, New York, New Jersey, Detroit and Los Angeles.

The subject matter for the 30 murals varies widely: from Amelia Earhart to Portuguese tile to colorful abstract designs. Some are massive and hard to miss; others are unexpectedly tucked away under an overpass or in alleys.

“The goal is to create an open air street and art museum accessible to anyone who comes to Salina,” Young said.

Salina will host five to six artists during the fourth annual Boom! Salina Street Art & Mural Oct. 3-5. The festival also includes music, a beer garden, and artist discussions.

Details about the festival as well as a map of the murals can be found at boomsalina.art. A printed guide to the locations is also available at the Salina Chamber office.

Visitors can now glimpse what life was like at Kansas’ infamous state penitentiary at Lansing as well as POW Camp Concordia, which housed German prisoners during World War II.

BY CYNTHIA MINES

Established in 1859, Lansing’s limestone penitentiary found itself in the national limelight after the publication of Truman Capote’s 1966 bestselling book “In Cold Blood.” The book and subsequent movie tell the story of the Kansas murders of the Clutter family, and Capote made many trips to death row to interview the killers and witnessed their execution by hanging in 1965.

The prison was renamed the Lansing Correctional Facility in 1990 and closed its doors in 2020 after a new facility was built. Rather than tear down the structure, the keys were turned over to the Lansing Historical Society and Museum, which began conducting tours last fall.

POW Camp Concordia was only in existence for two years during World War II but had a lasting impact on the area. The camp – composed of 308 hastily constructed buildings on farmland – housed 4,000 German prisoners who filled jobs in the community left vacant when local soldiers departed for the war. Many became close to the farmers and business owners they helped. Descendents of the prisoners occasionally visit the site and have donated diaries, letters and artwork done while their relative was incarcerated.

In 2025 Camp Concordia recognizes the 80th anniversary of V-E Day, the end of the war and the closing of the camp as well as the tenth anniversary of the opening of a museum on the former site.

Lansing prison opens for tours

The demand to see inside the Lansing Correctional Facility, which was created as the Kansas State Penitentiary by the 1859 legislature, has been even greater than anticipated when the doors first opened for tours last fall.

“We had an overwhelming response” after the New York Times published an article about the new tours, said Debra Bates-Lamborn, president of the Lansing Historical Society and Museum, which began tours in September. Visitors from several states toured the facility in the six weekends it was open before closing for the winter.

The idea for tours was broached after the cost to demolish the historic limestone facility came in at $10 million. The Kansas legislature allocated $500,000 to stabilize the structure and found a willing preservation partner in the Lansing Historical Society and Museum.

“The prison and museum tell the story of our area,” said Bates-Lamborn. “Our goal in ten years is to be the top tourist attraction in the state of Kansas.”

Led by former wardens and guards, tours of the Civil War-era prison depart from the museum, which is housed near the prison in a restored Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe train depot.

“It was a city within a city with a population of 2,500 with its own police force, hospital, court system and dining facility,”

Left: The former Kansas State Penitentiary opened for tours last fall. Above: Murals by inmate Ernie Aspenwall can be seen in the auditorium. Right: The exterior of the Lansing prison buildings.

LANSING PHOTOS BY DEBRA BATES-LAMBORN

Bates-Lamborn said. “There was even a wagon manufacturer inside the walls.”

When the legislature decided to build a prison in 1859 there was no nearby settlement. Prisoners lived in stockades while they built the prison out of native limestone.

“They had to build houses for guards and their families since were nothing there,” she said. “Lansing grew up around the prison.”

During its 160-year history, the prison housed inmates in three different facilities on 23 acres. It was renamed Lansing Correctional Facility in 1990 and closed in 2020 after a new prison was constructed next to the original one.

“We share a wall, a big stone wall,” Bates-Lamborn said. “On the other side is an active prison.”

While leading tours, guides tell stories ranging from the prison’s depiction in “In Cold Blood” and Kansas’ last executions (by hanging) in 1965 to Johnny Cash performing there in 1970. Tours visit a cell house built in 1864 and see murals depicting pioneer life painted by Ernie Aspenwall, who was serving two life sentences for being a habitual criminal.

Bates-Lamborn also had a hand in helping save the Santa Fe Depot where the museum is housed when she worked for a local newspaper.

“There aren’t many Atchison Topeka &

Vestiges of Kansas POW camp linger

When U.S. Army officials realized there were not enough resources and space in Europe to house prisoners during World War II, they decided to ship their captives to the United States.

Military scouts arrived in northcentral Kansas in the fall of 1942 to look for land. They found a suitable site on 152 acres owned by four farmers northeast of Concordia. The farmers were paid a fair price for the land, and plans for POW Camp Concordia were announced in early 1943.

“Because they didn’t have to use eminent domain to acquire the land, the camp got off to a more positive start than some,”

Santa Fe depots left in Kansas,” she said. “This one was built in 1867 and saved in 1992 from becoming a parking lot.”

Funds were raised to move the depot to the front yard of the prison, and five years later it opened as a historical museum.

How to Book Tours

Kansas State Penitentiary

Tours depart from the Lansing Historical Society and Museum, 115 E. Kansas, at 9 a.m., noon and 3 p.m. Friday-Sunday from March to November. The two-hour regular tour is $30 and the three-hour photographers tour is $40 (it follows the same route but allows time for photos). Tours are limited to 25 and no one under 12 is permitted. Reservations are advised and can be made at lansingkansashistory.com.

POW Camp Concordia

Tours of the museum, located at 1557 Union Rd., are available by appointment from April to November. Suggested donation of $5/person. Call 785-243-4303 or email tours@cloudcountytourism. com to schedule. More info at cloudcountytourism.com

said Barbara Shunn, tour guide. Hundreds of camps were built across the country, eventually housing 400,000 prisoners.

Camp Concordia’s 308 buildings were constructed in just 90 days in a wheat field with no electricity or water. The first prisoners arrived via train on July 15.

While many in Cloud County aren’t aware of the area’s history as a prison camp, Shunn has known about it her whole life since she grew up near the site and a prisoner worked on her grandfather’s farm during the war. She still lives nearby and began volunteering as a tour guide five years ago.

Only a few buildings, plus a guard tower, remain of the original camp. A museum housing artifacts and memorabilia opened in a former food warehouse in 2015.

Camp Concordia reached a peak of

Continued on page 24.

Barbara Shunn, Camp Concordia tour guide, shows a historic photo and ID badges worn by civilian workers.

PHOTO BY CYNTHIA MINES

4,107 prisoners in June 1944, according to Shunn. Feeding that many prisoners three meals a day – plus nearly a thousand more civilian employees, U.S. military and other personnel – meant that nearly 15,000 meals were prepared every day, she said.

The officers had their own mess hall as well as larger living quarters than the enlisted men, who were housed in barracks.

“The 5,000 population of the POW camp matched that of the nearby community of Concordia,” Shunn said. “The hospital at the camp had three times more beds than the one in Concordia.” The hospital had a surgeon, psychiatrist and dentist as well as German- and Englishspeaking nurses.

Because most of the young men in Cloud County were away serving in the military, the prisoners filled the void at local farms, railroads, hardware stores and road construction crews.

They were good workers, Shunn said, and many became close to their employers, even giving them handmade thank you or Christmas gifts. These included drawings of the camp as well as paintings of their homeland. Several pieces of their art have been donated to the museum.

One prisoner, Eduard Merlet, wrote a letter expressing how grateful he was to have had time to paint and sketch while interned because once he returned home to Germany he was overwhelmed with rebuilding his family’s life there.

Another prisoner later said that as a “poor potato farmer” he would not have been able to finish a pharmacology degree if it hadn’t been for the college classes he was able to take at the POW camp and transfer to a German university.

Above: A German battalion captured in North Africa included instruments which were used in a POW camp band. Right: A guard tower is one of few remaining signs of the POW camp.

An accreditation arrangement with the University of Kansas allowed prisoners to receive college credit for classes taught by German officers, who tended to be well-educated and bilingual. Nine hundred prisoners took advantage of the classes, choosing from 85 offerings in subjects such as American history and geography, English, French, theology, physics, chemistry and advanced math.

In addition to church services and movies, a theater on the grounds hosted dances which were so well-chaperoned that townspeople allowed their daughters to attend. A camp band was possible because a battalion with a conductor and instruments had been captured in an oil field in North Africa.

Concessions such as these – plus allowing prisoners access to the camp kitchen to bake rye bread when they could not grow accustomed to soft American bread –made some think they were being too soft on the prisoners, Shunn said.

Other items donated by family members include a sketch book and diary kept

by a German lieutenant and a pair of black knee-high boots purchased in Berlin in 1942 and worn by a German soldier when he was captured.

In addition to several drawings and paintings, other handmade items on display include a toy German car made from C-ration tuna cans which a prisoner made for the son of a farmer he worked for. The military vehicle’s doors and trunk are hinged so they open and close, and the wheels were made from overcoat buttons.

After the war ended, some prisoners actually wanted to stay in Kansas, Shunn said, “but the Geneva Convention said that we had to return them home.”

When Camp Concordia closed, the landowners were given the option of buying back their property. Some barracks were moved to college campuses to house GIs using benefits to attend school.

This year the museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary in addition to the 80th anniversary of V-E Day and the closing of Camp Concordia. The free event on May 3 includes World War II reenactors, exhibits and tours.

January

Jan. 1-March 31 Cars of Germany, in association with the McPherson College Automotive Restoration Program, McPherson Museum, mcphersonmuseum.com.

Jan. 1-Feb. 1 Jan Jensen, guest artist, with Phyll Klima, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Jan. 23 Ulrich Exhibition Opening Celebration & 50th Birthday Party, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Ulrich.Wichita.edu.

Jan. 25-March 14 Kansas Through the Eyes of an Artist exhibition, Carriage Factory Art Gallery, Newton, carriagefactoryartgallery.com.

Jan. 25-April 20 Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven exhibition, Wichita, Wichita Art Museum, wam.org.

Jan. 26 Taste of Hays, visithays.com.

Jan. 26-April 20 127th Annual Midwest Art Exhibition, Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, sandzen.org.

Jan. 28 “Home on the Range” tour, half-price tickets in honor of Kansas Day, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, maxwellwildliferefuge.com.

February

Feb. 7-March 1 12 Squared Open Exhibition, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Feb. 7-May 4 Sharks exhibit, augmented reality interactives combined with touchable specimens and life-size models, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

Feb. 13 Artrageous, troupe of artists, singers, dancers and musicians, McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

Feb. 15 Elk Day and chili feed following tour, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, maxwellwildliferefuge.com.

Feb. 28 Garrison Keillor at 80, Fox Theatre, Hutchinson, hutchinsonfox.com.

March

March 1-31 Yoder Parade of Quilts, pick up route at Yoder Furniture, closed Sundays, yoderkansas.com.

March 4 76th Anniversary International Pancake Day Race, Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Sampler Foundation hosts pop-up in Elkhart

AiBig Kansas Road Trip Pop-Up event May 3 in Elkhart invites visitors to explore far southwest Kansas, home of the Cimarron National Grasslands and 23 miles of the Santa Fe Trail.

Exploration options include taking in the expansive views at Point of Rocks in Morton County, a landmark along the Santa Fe Trail, and visiting the Tri-State marker where Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado come together. Elkhart is also home to a historic movie theater and the Morton County Historical Museum as well as shopping and dining options. The event is organized by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. For lodging and more opportunities to explore, visit bigkansasroadtrip.com.

March 4 Opening day of 2025 tour season for the Brown Mansion, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

March 7-29 Susan Fellows, featured artist, with Troy Becker, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

March 14-21 Little House on the Prairie Museum spring break, Independence, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com.

March 15 St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Celebration, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

March 15-23 Take a Walk on the Wild Side: Spring Break at Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

March 21-23 Equifest of Kansas, Tony’s Pizza Events Center, Salina, visitsalina.org.

March 22 Våffeldagen, celebrate all things waffle and the coming of spring Swedish style, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

March 26-28 60th Annual Mid America Farm Expo, Tony’s Pizza Events Center and

Saline Country Livestock and Expo Center, Salina, visitsalina.org.

April

April 4-26 Aida Bell, featured artist, with David Long, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

April 5 Little House on the Prairie Museum opens for season, Independence, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com.

April 5, 12, 19 Tulip Festival, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

April 11, 13 144th Messiah Festival of the Arts, Bethany Oratorio Society presents Handel’s “Messiah,” the longest-running rendition in North America, on Palm Sunday and Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” on April 11, Lindsborg, messiahfestival.org.

April 11-12 Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale,

Continued on page 27.

Continued from page 25.

quilt auction, food, Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, Kansas.mccsale.org.

April 12 Riverside Park & Ralph Mitchell Zoo Opening Day, Independence, independenceks.gov.

April 12 ZOOrific EGGstravaganza, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

April 13 Open Streets ICT: Ulrich Art Market, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Ulrich.Wichita.edu.

April 17-19 Eggstravaganza, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

April 17-19 59th Annual Fort Hays State University NIRA Rodeo, Hays, visithays.com.

April 17-19 42nd Annual William Inge Theater Festival, Independence, ingecenter.org.

April 17-20 “A Piece of My Heart,” Stage 9, Hutchinson, stage9hutch.com.

April 19 Eisenhower Marathon, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

April 25 The Everly Set: Sean Altman & Jack Skuller Celebrate The Everly Brothers, McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

April 25 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

April 25-26 31st Annual Kansas Storytelling Festival, Downs, kansasstorytellingfestival.com.

April 26 Opening of Glass in Flight 2 exhibition of steel and glass sculptures, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

April 26 Lindsborg in Bloom, celebrate peace, love and all things 1960s, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

April 26-27 High School Rodeo, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

May

May 2 Downtown Art & Wine Walk, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

May 2-11 “Steel Magnolias,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

May 2-31 Christine Emond, featured artist, with Terry Corbett, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

May 3 The Association and The Cowsills, Fox Theatre, Hutchinson, hutchinsonfox.com.

May 3 McPherson College C.A.R.S. Show, mcpherson.edu/autorestoration.

May 3 Flint Hills Festival, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org.

May 3 Cinco De Mayo Festival, parade, authentic Mexican cuisine, El Sol Dancers,

music, entertainment, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

May 3 Millfest, Lindsborg Old Mill and Swedish Heritage Museum, see 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills in operation, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

May 3 Kansas Sampler Foundation’s Pop-Up Big Kansas Road Trip, Morton County in Southwest Kansas, bigkansasroadtrip.com.

May 3 Safari Breakfast in the Zoo, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

May 3 Bonner Springs Farmers’ Market Season Opening and Makers’ Fair, downtown, BonnerSprings.org.

May 3 Country Legends Concert with The Frontmen, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

May 3 Salina Symphony performs Mozart’s “Requiem,” Stiefel Theatre, salinasymphony.org.

May 3 Victory Day at POW Camp Concordia, cloudcountytourism.com.

May 9 All Schools Day Parade, carnival, food booths, street dance, fireworks, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

May 9-11 Mingo Madness, celebrate the 25th anniversary of America’s oldest geocache, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

May 10 Downtown Antique Fest, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

May 10 Hutchinson Art Fair, Kansas State Fairgrounds, hutchinsonartcenter.net.

May 10 5th Annual Coronado Heights Kite Fly, Coronado Heights, visitlindsborg.com.

May 10 Junque n’ Donuts, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

May 10, 17 Baby Bison Tours, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, maxwellwildliferefuge.com.

May 11 Wild About Moms, spring craft show and free admission for mom plus free professional family photo with her family, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

May 16 Symphony in the Gardens evening of food, drink and music, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

May 16-17 Triangle Rodeo Club Rodeo, Greensburg, visitgreensburgks.com.

May 16-17 Abbyville Rodeo, abbyvillerodeo.weebly.com.

May 17 Lost Trail Days, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

May 23-24 Historic trolley tours begin, Boot Hill Museum season opens, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

Continued on page 28.

May 23-Sept. 14 Barbie You Can Be Anything, exhibit focused on career exploration and the stories of real, barrierbreaking women, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

May 24 Suicide Trail Run, Little River, littleriverks.com.

May 24-Oct. 18 Downtown Hays Market, Saturdays, visithays.com.

May 28 Ryan Adams Heartbreaker ’25 World Tour, Fox Theatre, Hutchinson, hutchinsonfox.com.

May 30-June 1 Pickin’ on the Plains Bluegrass Festival, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

May 30 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

May 30-June 7 Wichita Riverfest, nine days of concerts, contests, a parade, fireworks, food court, riverfront activities, wichitariverfest.com.

June

June 5-8 Sunflower Cluster Dog Show, Kansas State Fairgrounds, hutchinsonkennelclub.com.

June 6-8 Highway 24 Garage Sale, rookscounty.net.

June 6-8 June Jaunt Festival, food, music, games, crafts and more, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

June 6, 13, 20, 27 Movie Mania free activity, special treat and movie for all ages, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

June 6-28 Melinda J. Weis, featured artist, with Gary Lincoln, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

June 7 Symphony at Sunset, Salina Symphony at Eisenhower Museum grounds, commemorating D-Day, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

June 7 Main Street Festival, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

June 7 Safari Breakfast in the Zoo, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

June 7 Prairie Barn Market, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

June 12-14 22nd annual Celebration of Orphan Train Riders, National Orphan Train Museum, Concordia, orphantraindepot.org.

June 13 Paradise Creek Festival and Rodeo, Plainville, rookscounty.net.

June 13-15 Founders Weekend Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

June 13-16 Smoky Hill River Festival, Oakdale Park, Salina, riverfestival.com.

June 13-26 Verdigris Valley Art Exhibit, Independence Historical Museum and Art Center, independencehistoricalmuseum.org.

June 14 20th Anniversary Symphony in the Flint Hills, symphonyintheflinthills.org.

June 14 Juneteenth Festival & Parade, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

June 14 Junque n’ Donuts, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

June 14 Thunder on the Plains Car, Truck & Cycle Show, Hays, visithays.com.

June 14 Midsummer’s Festival, traditional Swedish festival includes free swim, games, dancers, Kubb tournament, crafts, demonstrators, food vendors, Lindsborg, midsummersfestival.com.

June 15 Father’s Day Car Show & Cruise, free admission for dads, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

June 18-22 “Waitress” presented by Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall, Wichita, mtwichita.org.

June 20-21 Washunga Days music and community festival, Council Grove, councilgrove.com.

June 20-21 Taste of Haunted Atchison, visitatchison.com.

KANSAS’ LARGEST NIGHT RODEO

The Little House on the Prairie Museum site southwest of Independence is on ground where the Ingalls family lived from 18691871 and where daughter Carrie was born. The site includes a replica of their cabin as well as a one-room school and post office from the era. The museum opens for the season April 5 and a celebration of Carrie’s birthday is planned for Aug. 2. Check Facebook page for updates.

June 21 Hutch Comic Con, Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, kansasstatefair.com.

June 21 Lost Trail Days, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

June 26-28 Country Stampede three-day music festival, Azura Amphitheater, Bonner Springs, BonnerSprings.org.

June 27 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

June 28 Makers and Masterpieces: Pattern and Printmaking, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Ulrich.Wichita.edu.

July

July 2-5 Wild West Festival, nightly concerts, parade, fireworks, Hays, visithays.com.

July 4 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, Sterling Lake, sterlingkschamber.com.

July 4 BoomFest, Lyons, facebook.com/ LyonsJuly4thBoomFest.

July 4 Fourth of July Celebration at Wall Park, live music, fireworks, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

July 4 Patriot’s Day Parade and Jubilee, downtown Hutchinson, visithutch.com.

July 4 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, Swensson Park, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

July 4-26 Invitational Exhibition, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

July 5 Saucers and Aliens: UFO Day in Dimension G, Geneseo, geneseomuseum.com.

July 8-12 125th Kansas Wheat Festival, carnival, parade, live music, art & craft show, car show, Wellington, wellingtonkschamber.com.

July 9-13 “Crazy For You” presented by Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall, Wichita, mtwichita.org.

July 11 Pie & Ice Cream Social, Red Barn Studio Museum, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

July 12 Tour die Kapellen (Tour of the Chapels) bicycle ride and bus tour, Hays, visithays.com.

July 12 Junque n’ Donuts, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

July 12 Summer Celebration, Sunset Zoo, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org.

July 12 Coffeyville Summer Celebration, visitcoffeyville.com.

July 12-13 Kansas Airstrip Attack, halfmile racing series, Independence Municipal Airport, airstripattack.com.

July 16-19 Pretty Prairie Rodeo, Kansas’ largest night rodeo, dance nightly, pprodeo.com.

July 18-19, 25-26 Broadway RFD presents “The Music Man” under the stars at the bandshell in Swensson Park, a summer tradition since 1959, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

July 18-20 Amelia Earhart Festival, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

July 19 Lost Trail Days, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

July 24-27 Kustom Kemps of America (KKOA) Leadsled Spectacular Car Show, Oakdale Park, Salina, kustomkempsofamerica.com.

July 25 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

July 25-27 147th Annual Nicodemus Homecoming Emancipation Celebration, nicodemushomecoming.org.

July 25-Aug. 3 Dodge City Days, Western parade, BBQ contest, concerts, bull riding, PRCA rodeo, longhorn cattle drive, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

July 29-Aug. 1 Wild Bill Hickock PRCA Rodeo, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

July 30-Aug. 3 Disney’s “Newsies,” Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall, Wichita, mtwichita.org.

August

Aug. 1-30 John Morrison, featured artist, with Scott Garrelts, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Aug. 2 Carrie’s Annual Birthday Celebration, Little House on the Prairie Museum, Independence, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com. Continued on page 32.

Aug. 2 Safari Breakfast in the Zoo, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 2 Smoky Valley Classic Car Show, Swensson Park, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

Aug. 8-9 42nd Annual Herzogfest, Victoria, visithays.com.

Aug. 9 Run for the Hills 5K & One Mile Fun Run, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 9 Party in the Park, end-of-summer bash, concert, fireworks, Veterans Memorial Park, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com

Aug. 9 Back to School Blast, half-price admission, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 9 Junque n’ Donuts, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Aug. 10-16 118th Interstate Fair and Rodeo, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Aug. 16 Lost Trail Days, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Aug. 20-24 “Something Rotten!” presented by Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall, Wichita, mtwichita.org.

Aug. 21-23 Tiblow Days heritage festival, music, car show, parade, carnival, Bonner Springs, BonnerSprings.org

Aug. 22 Zoo Brew Craft Fest, beer tasting, food buffet, live entertainment, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 23 Sunflower Festival & Battle of the Bullhands, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

Aug. 29 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Aug. 29-Sept. 1 Clyde Watermelon Festival, clydekansas.org.

Aug. 30 Haunted Rooms America

Paranormal Tour at Brown Grand Theatre, Concordia, browngrand.org.

September

Sept. 3-7 “A Grand Night for Singing” exploration of the Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook presented by Music Theatre Wichita, Century II Concert Hall, Wichita, mtwichita.org.

Sept. 5-14 Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, kansasstatefair.com.

Sept. 5-27 Martha Wherry, featured artist, with Denise Irwin, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Sept. 7 International Festival, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

Sept. 11-13 18th Annual KAN-OKLA 100-Mile Highway Sale, Independence, indkschamber.org.

Sept. 12-Nov. 2 Family Farm, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Sept. 13 Muddy River Music Festival, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Sept. 13-14 Armed Forces & Public Safety Appreciation Days, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Sept. 17-21 53rd Walnut Valley Festival, National Flat-Picking Championships, five stages of live music, food, craft and music vendors, Winfield, wvfest.com.

Sept. 19-21 Mountain Man Rendezvous, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, maxwellwildliferefuge.com.

Sept. 20 56th Annual Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair, hillsboroartsandcraftsfair.org.

Sept. 20-21 Marion’s 47th Annual Art in the Park & Craft Show, marionks.net.

Sept. 20-22 Kansas Pro Rodeo Association Finals, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

Sept. 26 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Sept. 26 Brew at the Zoo, Sunset Zoo, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org.

Sept. 26-27 Last Run Car Show, Paris Park, Arkansas City, visitarkcity.org.

Sept. 26-27 52nd Annual Volga German Society Oktoberfest, Hays, visithays.com.

Sept. 27 Smoky Hill Street Fair, Smoky Hill Museum, Salina, visitsalina.org.

Sept. 27 Fair on the Square, car and truck show, arts and crafts, food trucks, Lyons, facebook.com/lyons.chamber.

Sept. 27 Concordia Fall Fest featuring parade, Kids” Corner, entertainment, food, 785-243-4290.

Sept. 27-28, Oct. 4-5 47th Annual Ciderfest, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

October

Oct. 1-31 Haunted Season, trolley tours and more, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Oct. 2-4 Rolling Plains Motor Speedway Fall Nationals, Hays, visithays.com.

Oct. 3 Wellington Fall Festival, wellingtonkschamber.com.

“Best Historic Small Town”

THURSDAY-SUNDAY

Continued from page 32.

Oct. 3-4 Dalton Defender Days, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Oct. 3-4 Hutch Fest, downtown Hutchinson, hutchrec.com.

Oct. 3-5 Kansas Junior Livestock Show, Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinson, kjls.net.

Oct. 3-5 Boom! Street Art & Mural Festival, Salina, boomsalina.art.

Oct. 3-5 Central Plains Rodeo Association Finals and Pageant, Bar K Bar Arena, Lyons, facebook.com/celebrationcentreks.

Oct. 3-Nov. 1 Bob Benson, featured artist, with Robin Lies, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Oct. 3-Jan. 4, 2026 Ice Dinosaurs: The Lost World of the Alaskan Artic exhibit explores newly discovered arctic dinosaurs, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

Oct. 4 Oktoberfest, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Oct. 4 Heritage Day, Dickinson County Historical Center, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Oct. 4-5 47th Annual Ciderfest, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Oct. 10-12 Hot Air Balloon Regatta including Oct. 11 Columbus Day Festival featuring car show, craft fair, tractor show, entertainment, columbusdayballoons.com.

Oct. 11 Zoolloween, Ralph Mitchell Zoo, Independence, independenceks.gov.

Oct. 11 Burnin’ Down Main Cook-Off and Fall Festival, downtown McPherson, mcphersonmainst.org.

Oct. 11 Pumpkin PaZOOla, half-price admission for kids, fall festival activities and games, treat stations, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Oct. 11 Oz Fest, Liberal, dorothyshouse.com.

Oct. 16-19 23rd annual Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita, tallgrassfilm.org.

Oct. 17 Fridays on Forest, live music, food, drinks, vendors, downtown Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Oct. 17-18 Svensk Hyllningsfest, Lindsborg, biennial festival to celebrate Swedish pioneers who settled the area, dancing, food, crafts, music, traditional smorgasbord, svenskhyllningsfest.org.

Oct. 17-18 Haunted History Tours, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Oct. 17-25 Neewollah Festival (Halloween spelled backward), a local tradition since 1919, Independence, neewollah.com.

Oct. 22-25 Arkalalah, fall festival featuring parades, food, games, band contests, crafts, beer garden, downtown Arkansas City, visitarkcity.org.

Oct. 24 Boo at the Zoo, Sunset Zoo, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org.

Oct. 25 Little River Fall Festival, littleriverks.com.

November

Nov. 1-Dec. 31 Christmas Through the Ages, 250 trees in historic setting decorated with vintage ornaments, Kansas Territorial Capital Museum, Lecompton, lecomptonkansas.com.

Nov. 7-29 Shari Bevan, featured artist, with Brandon Smith, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Nov. 8 Candlelight Charm holiday event, downtown Council Grove, councilgrove.com.

Nov. 20-Dec. 27 Christmas at Creek Side: holiday light tour, Thursday to Saturday, Hays, visithays.com.

Nov. 27-Jan. 1, 2026 Lights from the Heartland, Lakeside Park, McPherson, mcpcity.com.

Nov. 28 Olde Tyme Christmas, Stockton, rookscounty.net.

Nov. 28-Dec. 20 Holiday Lights in the Museum, all-indoor light display, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Nov. 29 Home for the Holidays Festival & Parade, tree lighting, free train, horse drawn wagon and carriage rides, Trail of Lights, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Nov. 29-Dec. 21 Santas Around the World exhibit, 25 life-size international Santas, Thursday-Sunday, Great Bend, santasaroundtheworld.com.

Nov. 29-Dec. 31 Trail of Lights, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Nov. 29-Dec. 31 Illuminations holiday light display, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

December

Dec. 1 Parade of Lights, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

Dec. 1-21 Free ice skating, Jack Kilby Square, Great Bend, exploregreatbend.com.

Dec. 5-6 Christmas Past at Historic Fort Hays: Experience Christmas in the 1870s, Hays, visithays.com.

Dec. 5-10 Holiday Light Trolley Tours, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

Dec. 5-20 Candlelit Tours, weekends,1906 Brown Mansion, Coffeyville, coffeyvillehistory.com.

Dec. 5-Jan. 31, 2026 Charles Baughman, guest artist, Enamel Alchemy artists, Gallery 12, Wichita, wichitagallery12.com.

Dec. 6 Christmas Artists’ Studio Open

House and Snowflake Parade, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

Dec. 6 Spirit of Christmas horse drawn carriage rides, lighted Christmas parade, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Dec. 6 Five Places of Christmas, Carriage Factory Art Gallery, Kauffman Museum, Warkentin House, Newton, carriagefactoryartgallery.com.

Dec. 6-7 Cowboy Christmas at Old Abilene Town and Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Dickinson County Historical Society, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Dec. 7 Ole Hometown Christmas, Little River, littleriverks.com.

Dec. 7 25th Annual FrostFest Illuminated Parade, Hays, visithays.com.

Dec. 7 Cookies with Santa, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Dec. 13 St. Lucia Festival during the day downtown and Heritage Christmas in the evening at the Lindsborg Old Mill & Swedish Heritage Museum, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

Dec. 13 Wellington Christmas Celebration, wellingtonkschamber.com.

Dec. 13, 20 Old-Fashioned Christmas on the Prairie, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, maxwellwildliferefuge.com.

Dec. 14 Christmas in the Park, Riverside Park, Independence, indkschamber.org.

EXPLORE a Wild West frontier town with German roots that has transformed into a college town full of arts and entertainment. Enjoy annual events like Brews on the Bricks and Oktoberfest, or catch a concert at the FOX Theatre. Enjoy the shopping and dining district known as The Bricks in Downtown Hays where historic markers tell the stories of famed outlaws and lawmen like Sheriff “Wild Bill” Hickok. You’ll love what you find #HereInHays.