Travel Kansas 2018

Page 1

TM

Motorcycle museums gain popularity

Take the Plunge

Recreation options abound at Kansas lakes

Historic homes: From cabins to mansions $5


Public art, museums, art center and cinema, theatre, music and festivals; family fun at the zoo, golf course and parks; local and regional dining experiences and warm hospitality...

Call Toll Free 1.877.725.4625 Download the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce App!

Wild Side

Discover YOUR at Rolling Hills Zoo

Thursday - Sunday June 7-10, 2018

KKOA

Come explore the fascinating world of arachnids with 100 live species.

• • • • • • •

July 26-29

Salina’s Oakdale Park • www.kustomkempsofamerica.com

Wildlife Museum Special Events Exhibit Gallery Tram Rides Restaurant Gift Shops And so much more! rollinghillszoo.org

AFRICAN WHITE RHINO | ROLLING HILLS ZOO

Looking for someplace wild? We’re kind of a big deal.


Welcome to Travel Kansas As we approach the 25th anniversary of publishing the Wichita Times and Travel Kansas magazines, we’ve been reflecting on how grateful we are to have had the opportunity to share what Kansas has to offer, whether it’s a well-known destination or an out-of-the-way gem. This edition shares hundreds of locales and events for you to visit and experience. While we hope you enjoy reading the magazine, we also encourage you to get out and explore. For starters, Kansas’ dozens of lakes in all parts of the state offer 200,000 acres of surface area on which to fish, boat, ski or kayak. For a more laid-back lake experience, laze on the shores or take a leisurely hike on nearby trails.

2

Around Kansas

Top U.S. Old West towns include two in Kansas Inge festival pays homage to hometown writer Downs Storytelling Festival reaches 25th year Peace Treaty Pageant returns to Medicine Lodge Black Squirrels on Parade in Marysville Fort Scott center salutes ‘Unsung Heroes’

7

Take the Plunge

Abundant recreational options can be found at Kansas lakes and reservoirs.

Or expand your cultural horizons by visiting one of the many ethnic festivals which keep alive and share traditions brought to Kansas by immigrant settlers. The 17 historic homes we profiled – which range from log cabins to mansions to a work of art designed by Frank Lloyd Wright – offer glimpses into the lives of the famous and the infamous, from President Eisenhower and Amelia Earhart to Carrie Nation and the Dalton Gang.

12

If you forget your magazine at home, you can find it at wichitatimesonline.com. Thank you for joining us on this journey. Keep traveling Kansas, Cynthia Mines, Publisher|Editor

BROWN MANSION

2018 Travel Kansas

A Wichita Times Publication

Celebrating 25 Years Cynthia Mines ART DIRECTOR Susan Burdick PUBLISHER/EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

MeLinda Schnyder and Marci Penner

COVER PHOTO

The photograph of this field of sunflowers in the Perry Wildlife Area in northeast Kansas was taken by Harland Schuster. PUBLISHED BY

The Wichita Times®

A locally owned publication since 1993. Magazine accessible online at wichitatimesonline.com. 111 N. Mosley Ste. 201, Wichita, KS 67202 316-264-5850 | cmines@aol.com © 2018 Matrix Media Inc.

A Look Inside Past Lives

Historic houses preserve the stories of not just President Eisenhower, Amelia Earhart and William Allen White but also a Marysville banker, Coffeyville businessman and an Abilene patent medicine pioneer.

15 Motorcycle

Museums Multiply

New museums showcase historic bikes as well as career of Evel Knievel.

20 Ethnic

Festivals

Gala annual events offer opportunities to experience traditions brought to Kansas by immigrants.

24 In

Search of Chicken-Fried Steak

The Kansas Sampler Foundation shares its top ten places to find the gold standard of this Kansas favorite.

26 Event

Highlights

New Big Kansas Road Trip plus rodeos, festivals, parades, concerts and more. PHOTO BY JIM TURNER


2018 top Western towns include two in Kansas True West magazine’s annual ranking of the country’s top ten Wild West towns for 2018 puts Abilene at No. 1 and Dodge City at No. 4. Abilene’s wild west ways reached a pinnacle between 1867 and 1871 when Texas cowboys drove longhorn cattle up the Chisholm Trail from Texas to Abilene. Events in 2017 commemorating the 150th anniversary of the blazing of the Chisholm Trail helped push Abilene to the top position. “Modern Abilene has done a firstrate job of preserving those wild times, especially in its celebration last year of the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail,” according to the magazine’s announcement. “For that reason, we name Abilene our top Western Town for 2018.” In addition to Old Abilene Town and the annual Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, Abilene is home to the Eisenhower Presidential Museum and Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad. “This designation celebrates Abilene’s western heritage on a national scale,” said Julie Roller, Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau director. True West Executive Editor Bob Boze Bell called Abilene, which was established

2l

as a stage coach stop in 1857, the “first and greatest of the Kansas cowtowns, one that helped establish the legend of the Old West.” For information on visiting, go to AbileneKansas.org. Dodge City, which was named No. 1 in 2014 and No. 2 in 2016, came in at No. 4 this year. Magazine editors also noted Dodge City’s past as a cattle town for making it famous. The town’s wild and wooly early days were also immortalized in the longrunning TV show “Gunsmoke.” Modern visitors can relive those days at Boot Hill Museum, home to a replica of Front Street and the Long Branch Saloon. The annual Dodge City Days, this year

July 26-Aug. 5, salutes that Old West heritage with 10 days of events. Founded in 1960 when two local events merged, Dodge City Days offers more than 50 events, including a PRCA championship rodeo, street dances, sanctioned barbecue cook-off, longhorn cattle drive, Western Parade, chuckwagon breakfast, concerts, bike ride, carnival, art show, the crowning of Miss Rodeo Kansas and a High Noon gunfight. For more info, go to visitdodgecity.org. ABOVE: Several events in Abilene celebrated

last year’s 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail. BELOW: The High Noon Gunfight at Boot Hill during Dodge City Days will take place this year on Aug. 4.


Inge hometown honors writer at annual festival For 36 years, the hometown of Pulitzer Prize and Oscar winning writer William Inge has attracted the country’s top playwrights as well as other theater professionals to Kansas for an annual festival. The 37th annual William Inge Theatre Festival at Independence Community College May 9-12 will offer plays, tours and workshops as well as present the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theater Award to Carlyle Brown, playwright, actor and artistic director known for his historical works about African Americans. In receiving the award, Brown joins a select roster of world-renowned playwrights – including Arthur Miller, Neil Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Edward Albee, Wendy Wasserstein and August Wilson – who have traveled to Kansas to participate in the festival. Inge, who was born in Independence and attended college there, is best known for “Picnic,” which won the Pulitzer Prize in 1953; the movie version won two Academy Awards. He won an Academy Award for “Splendor in the Grass” in 1961, and his play “Bus Stop” was adapted for a movie starring Marilyn Monroe. Tickets may be purchased to individual events or as a package at ingecenter.org/ festival.

Storytelling Festival in Downs turns 25 Five nationally known tellers are traveling to Kansas to headline Downs’ 25th annual Kansas Storytelling Festival April 27-28. Pippa White and Dino O’Dell will join the Uncalled for Trio of Andy Offutt Irwin, Bill Lepp and Kim Weitkamp for several performances during the two-day event, which opens Friday afternoon and includes evening concerts. Separate sessions will focus on puppets, homespun tales, historical portrayals and music. Friday evening Continued on page 4.

EXPERIENCE

ATCHISON HISTORY. MYSTERY. ENTERTAINMENT.

Located approximately 45 minutes north of Kansas City, Atchison offers you an exciting variety of year-round events, museums, tours, shopping, dining, arts and entertainment options that provide exciting, affordable, and unique experiences for the whole family!

Birthplace of Amelia Earhart • Lewis & Clark Historic Site Muchnic Art Gallery • Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Cray Historical Home Museum • Haunted Atchison Tours Shopping • Amelia Earhart Festival • Historic Trolley Tours

ANNUAL EVENTS JANUARY-MARCH Atchison Chocolate Tasting Theatre Atchison Stage Play Atchison Area Bridal Show St. Patrick's Parade Children’s Art Show APRIL-MAY Funky Junk Flea Market Railroad Festival Kiwanis Club Flea Market Theatre Atchison Stage Play Farmers' Market (through Oct.) Citywide Garage Sale

JUNE-AUGUST Summer Sounds Concert Series Juneteenth Celebration LakeFest Outdoor Concert Amelia Earhart Festival Atchison County Fair SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER Haunted Atchison Season Kiwanis Club Fall Flea Market Theatre Atchison Fall Musical Muddy River Music Festival Forest of Friendship Celebration Taste of Atchison Catfish Chasers Tournament Oktoberfest Witches Night Out

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER Muchnic Art Show Small Business Saturday Christmas Stroll Cash for Christmas Contest Santa House on the Mall Theatre Atchison Holiday Play Sights & Sounds of Christmas PLUS SO MUCH MORE! For a complete list of events and things to do in Atchison, visit the "Events Guide" on our website. Also, be sure to sign-up for our weekly eNews to stay in the know!

Call us today and let us help you plan your trip! WWW.VISITATCHISON.COM ‫( ׀‬800) 234-1854

l3


Continued from page 3.

features supper with storytellers. Started in April 1994 as an event of the newly organized Downs Arts Council, Downs became known as “The Town of Many Stories” and is recognized as the Storytelling Capital of Kansas. Tickets can be purchased for day or evening sessions or for both days. Tickets range from a youth evening ticket for $3 to an all weekend adult pass for $21. To order tickets and more information, visit Kansasstorytelling.com.

Medicine Lodge’s Peace Treaty Pageant returns in September The Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant retells the story of the 1867 Peace Council and the signing 150 years ago of the peace treaty between the U.S. government and the Plains Indian nations of Apache, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche and Kiowa. The state’s largest re-enactment, which chronicles 300 years of southwest Kansas history, will be performed this year Sept. 28-30. The outdoor pageant has been per-

It takes hundreds of men, women, children, cattle and horses to stage Medicine Lodge’s Peace Treaty Pageant in an outdoor amphitheater.

formed in a natural amphitheater at mostly three-year intervals since 1927. Set against the panoramic backdrop of the Red Hills, the pageant depicts NativeAmerican settlement; exploration by Coronado, Zebulon Pike, and Lewis and Clark; pioneer settlement by stage coach and wagon train; and Lincoln and the Civil War. The pageant is staged near the actual

site of the council where the Medicine River (named by the Kiowa for its medicinal waters) and Elm Creek flow together. The three-day event also includes an Intertribal Pow Wow, the 30th annual Kansas Championship Ranch Rodeo, parades, street dance, re-enactments and music. For more information, visit peacetreaty.org.

Thriving arts scene Nationally recognized breweries Travel-worthy festivals

Let us surprise you in Hays. visithays.com 4l


#Nuts4Marysville

Black squirrels draw visitors to Marysville

A

s local folklore tells it, Marysville is home to black squirrels because an ornery youth opened the cage door of some black squirrels that were part of a visiting carnival in 1912. The squirrels became the mascot for the town of 3,500 in northeast Kansas. At a tourism meeting a few years ago, a board member jokingly suggested they get a black squirrel statue for the city park. After the laughter died down, the group realized that in the day of selfies that might not be a bad promotion idea. “Then someone said, “What if we got ten statues?” recalled Michelle Whitesell, a member of the tourism board who is now the town’s first director of convention and tourism. Support from local businesses to underwrite a squirrel was so great, the proposed 10 turned into 21. And another eight will be added later this year. The tourism group found a company that could manufacture the five-foot fiberglass sculptures and then put out a call for artist proposals. Both local and regional artists responded, and 18 were selected to turn the black squirrels into unique works of art. Selected proposals ranged from Dewey, who was installed at the public library, to Sudsy at the car wash and Sam at Wal-Mart. Designs include one that memorializes the traveling carnival escapees

as well as a Day of the Dead motif on a squirrel named Frida. The 21 whimsically painted black squirrels made their debut at the town’s annual Black Squirrel Night Halloween event in October 2016. “We paraded the 21 downtown along Main Street and had the largest turnout since the event started 30 years ago,” Whitesell said. Last summer two interpretive panels were installed in Marysville’s City Park explaining the science behind Marysville’s black squirrels, the folklore and legend associated with the town’s mascot as well as the local laws protecting the black squirrels. As predicted, the painted black squirrels have proven to be popular photographic backdrops for locals and visitors. Many have been posted using the hashtag #Nuts4Marysville. “Not a day goes past that we don’t see someone photographing the squirrels,” Whitesell said. “I’ll stop and offer to take a photo for them.” The sculptures are located throughout town. For a map that includes the name, description, artist and sponsor, visit the Black Squirrels on Parade Facebook page. – Cynthia Mines

l5


National center celebrates ‘Unsung Heroes’

I

n the fall of 1999, three students at Uniontown High School in eastern Kansas unearthed the untold story of Irena Sendler, a Polish Catholic who saved 2,500 Jewish children during the Holocaust. They created a play, “Life in a Jar,” about Sendler’s life which spread her story worldwide. The students were astounded to learn Sendler was still alive and living in obscurity in Warsaw. A businessman who saw “Life in a Jar” offered to raise the funds needed for the students and their teacher to travel to Warsaw and meet Sendler. Their telling of Sendler’s story led to her being recognized in her home country as well as being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007. The students’ teacher, Norm Conrad, had met international businessman and philanthropist Lowell Milken in 1992 when he received the $25,000 Milken Educator Award for his work in engaging thousands of students in history projects that incorporated performing arts, multimedia and video production. After Milken sponsored performances of “Life in a Jar” in Los Angeles and created an educational DVD based on the project, he and Conrad began to discuss how they could further promote such educational projects in other schools. Conrad and his high school students collaborated on a proposal for an interna-

The Milken Center for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott includes exhibits on a Polish woman who saved 2,500 children from the Holocaust and two white children who befriended the Little Rock Nine.

tional nonprofit organization devoted to developing projects that would teach respect and understanding. The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes was formally established as an initiative of the Lowell Milken Family Foundation in 2007 in Fort Scott, which is 17 miles from Uniontown. Conrad serves as executive director and Megan Felt, who was a freshman when she led her peers on the project and portrayed Sendler in the play, is the program director. The center moved into a building in downtown Fort Scott in 2016. “We work with students and teachers around the world to help them develop

projects to discover unsung heroes, who are people who have made a profound impact on the lives of others yet are unknown,” said Jessica Schenkel, administrative specialist. In its first decade, the center reached more than 1 million students in 10,000 schools in all 50 states and has attracted visitors from every state and 86 countries. A new initiative for the center is publishing a 12-book series for elementary grades that tell stories of unsung heroes. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is open Monday-Friday and Saturday by appointment. Admission is free but donations are welcome. For info, visit lowellmilkencenter.org.

100 95 75

25 5 0

6 7.375 l X 3.3 Friday, February 09, 2018 6:00:19 PM


Take the Plunge E X PLOR E K A N S A S L A K E S By MeLinda Schnyder

K

ansas’ 24 federal reservoirs and 54 state-owned fishing lakes and waters give visitors more than 200,000 surface acres of water to enjoy, whether it’s for boating, skiing, fishing, camping, lounging on the banks, or hiking and biking surrounding trails. In addition, the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism manages the fishing for 240 community lakes across the state. The newest public reservoir in Kansas is HorseThief Reservoir near Jetmore, about 22 miles north of Dodge City. Work on the 450-acre lake began in 2008 and it was filled in 2016.The reservoir is owned by four western Kansas counties which voted for a sales tax increase to pay for the project. “For being a new lake, our fishing has been phenomenal because we’ve been stocking the lake for eight years,” said Joshua Hobbs, manager of the reservoir. “We have a very clean, family-oriented lake

and people are very proud to have this in the community. We even have people who drive up from Texas, Oklahoma or come in from Colorado because their lakes are too cold and crowded. “ Because the reservoir is the only recreational lake in that part of the state, Hobbs said they were able to experiment with some new things, including offering two

TOP: Sailboat at Cheney Lake. PHOTO BY ROBIN LORENSON

ABOVE: Milford Reservoir, the state’s largest

lake, is known for its fishing. PHOTO BY RICK DYKSTRA

yurts in addition to two cabins, 60 campsites with utilities and primitive campsites. One of the yurts is a 30-foot modern structure with a bathroom, kitchen, air-conditioning and heating, and room to sleep up to six people. The 1,600-acre park that surrounds the reservoir has beaches, a playground, a disc golf course, an archery range and about seven miles of hike/bike trails in addition to bird watching and hunting (in season). When Mike Harris, the former manager of Milford State Park, in 2007 opened Acorns Resort on the shores of Milford Reservoir, the largest lake in Kansas, it wasn’t a surprise that most of his visitors were there to fish since the 16,000-acre lake had a reputation for being the fishing capital of Kansas. Harris though saw the potential to attract vacationers who weren’t anglers and expanded his original three cabins to 20 CONTINUED ON PAGE 8.

l7


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7.

cabins that are popular with families yearround. The cabins are on land leased from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls Milford Reservoir. He also added a conference center, lakeside restaurant and lodge. Four more modern cabins will open in summer 2018. “People still come here for the fishing but what’s changed in the past 10 to 15 years is that plenty of people come to Milford who don’t fish,” Harris said. At the only full-service resort at one of Kansas’ U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lakes, anglers come to Acorns to reel in walleye, crappie, large-mouth bass, white bass, catfish and small-mouth bass while other family members have access to a hiking trail, two small beaches and rental canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards and pontoon boats. Milford State Park also offers s 19,000 acres of public access, including a multipurpose trails system, interpretive exhibits at a nature center, hatchery, wildlife viewing and hunting. The state park also has added 10 modern cabins to its camping accommodations. ABOVE: Skiing is popular at El Dorado Lake. RIGHT: Cabins are available to rent in some state parks, including this one at Fall River Reservoir. PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

8l

Which Kansas lake is best for you? Archeological exploration National Geographic named Lake Scott State Park, a 1,020-acre park surrounding the 100-acre, spring-fed Scott State Fishing Lake, one of the country’s 50 must-see state parks. More than 26 archeological sites have been documented in and adjacent to the park, including El Quartelejo, the remains of the northernmost known

Native American pueblo; the Steele Homestead Museum, the home of the area’s original settlers; and Battle Canyon, the location of the last Native American battle in Kansas. Located north of Scott City in western Kansas.

Bird watching Many Kansas lakes are birding hotspots, and Clinton Lake near Lawrence


in the eastern part of the state ranks high among birders for variety and lookout points. The reservoir attracts waterfowl, loons, grebes and gulls, while the 1,425acre Clinton State Park and 9,200-acre wildlife area provide habitat for an array of land birds. According to the National Audubon Society, the Clinton Lake area has a bird list topping 250. White pelican and bald eagle are present much of the year.

Boating Shady Creek Marina on El Dorado Lake is an on-the-water boat dealer that sells and rents ski boats, pontoon boats and fishing boats to get you around the 8,000-acre south-central Kansas lake with 98 miles of shoreline. The surrounding 4,000-acre El Dorado State Park is the state’s largest state park. The reservoir is also home to the Walnut Valley Sailing Club.

Canoeing/Kayaking Tuttle Creek Reservoir near Manhattan is the second largest body of water in Kansas with 12,500 acres of water and about 100 miles of wooded shoreline. The surrounding Tuttle Creek State Park is one of the few state park facilities where the public can rent canoes and kayaks. Rentals are available at the River Pond area.

Camping Council Grove Lake is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers federal lake and recreation area in east-central Kansas with an abundance of campsites that are all lakeside with plenty of shade. The lake’s Canning Creek Cove Park & Campground has earned a spot in Reserve America’s “Top 100 Family Campgrounds” for its amenities and location in the Flint Hills, one of the last remaining tallgrass prairies

Cabins available at 19 of 26 state parks Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has more than 115 cabins for rent across the state at 19 state parks and five wildlife areas or fishing lakes. About half are ADA-accessible. All have beds (bring your own linens), heat/air conditioning and electricity; most are deluxe cabins with more amenities: running water; bathroom with toilet, shower and sink; kitchen with stove, microwave oven, coffee pot and refrigerator. Cabin size ranges from sleeping four to 10 people, and rates vary. Visit ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/ Reservations for more information.

in the country. Visitors enjoy boating, watersports, fishing and a swimming beach on the 3,310-acre lake, as well as land activities like hiking and ATV trails below the dam.

Equestrian trails The trail system in the Kanopolis State Park surrounding Kanopolis Lake in north-central Kansas is nationally recognized. More than 27 miles of trails through canyons and water crossings are open to horseback riders.

Fishing We asked Ryan Gnagy, a fishing guide who operates Prime Time Catfishing from Milford Lake, for his recommendations on where anglers should head. He named Milford Reservoir for wipers and blue CONTINUED ON PAGE 10.

Convention and Visitors Bureau

www.junctioncity.org

l9


CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9.

catfish; Perry Reservoir for crappie and channel catfish; John Redmond Reservoir as a below-the-radar fishing lake with excellent channel catfish; and Wilson Lake for its striped bass. He also noted that the world-record 123-pound flathead catfish was taken from Elk City Reservoir.

Hiking There are scenic shoreline trails and diverse hiking trails adjacent to many of the state’s lakes, but for a true backpacking experience try out the 15-mile Elk River Trail on the north side of the 4,500-acre Elk City Reservoir in southeastern Kansas. Those who have completed it say the payoff is worth the effort. Even if you’re not up for the entire trek, you’ll get a sampling of the rock formations, ravines and panoramic lake views. Nearby Elk City State Park offers shorter hikes through the woodlands, limestone bluffs and open prairies.

Mountain biking While Kansas doesn’t have epic mountains it does have an epic mountain bike trail in the north-central part of the state. Switchgrass Mountain Bike Trail made

ABOVE: Kayaking at Wilson Lake. PHOTO BY DOUG STREMEL

the list of International Mountain Bike Association-rated “Epics,” technically and physically challenging single-track adventures in a natural setting that are at least 20 miles long. Switchgrass is on the southeastern edge of Wilson Lake in Wilson State Park, about 25 miles east of Russell and not far off I-70. The trail winds through bluffs overlooking the lake and some riders say the terrain along its 22 miles reminds them of Utah. There’s a highly technical area called Rock Gardens as well as a 5-mile loop for beginners.

FESTIVAL CITY Capital Events

If you love adventure, family fun or a sophisticated getaway, Topeka has a festival for you. Plan your visit around what you love and see for yourself why we call it Top City. VisitTopeka.com/events

10 l

Sailing & Windsurfing As the windiest lake in the continental U.S., Cheney Reservoir is a magnet for windsurfing and sailing enthusiasts. The 9,500-acre lake is 20 miles west of Wichita and is bordered by Cheney State Park’s 1,900 acres. The resident Ninnescah Sailing Association hosts learn-to-sail programs and events.

Waterfalls To see beautiful waterfalls in the spring, explore behind the dam at Chase State Fishing Lake near Cottonwood Falls or Geary State Fishing Lake south of Junction City.


www.visitmarysvilleks.org

@visitmarysville @visitmvilleks

MARYSVILLE CREATIVIT Y. CULTURE. COMMUNIT Y.

he Home ofutirrels Black Saqrade on P

One of the

“ as s n a K in s n “Best Small Tow KANSAS! Magazine

-

Marshall County Courthouse

Blue River Rail Trail

11.5 miles, connects to Chief Standing Bear Trail, blueriverrailtrail.org Marshall County Arts Cooperative

Music, shows, exhibits, workshops marshallcountyarts.org

Museum & research library 21 display rooms, open year-round

Pony Express Home Station

Original barn & museum Open April-Oct & by appointment

Wagon Wheel Cafe

Best burgers & steaks around Open 6 am - 9 pm Monday-Saturday

press Heritage Inn Ex

service Clean rooms & friendly .com marysvilleheritageinn

Landoll Lanes

Koester La Hou se nd ollMus Laeum

nes

Food, Fun, Bowling, Sports Bar & Conference Center, landolllanes.com

Experience life in 1800s Open April-Oct & by appointment

Farmer’s Market

Buy Fresh, Eat Fresh, Shop Local Downtown Saturdays 8-11, May-Oct


Historic homes range from ru ew states have as diverse a panoply of historic homes as Kansas. How many other states can boast not only a presidential childhood home but one that was visited by five U.S. presidents? Or one designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright? The choices range from splendid Victorian mansions to rustic log cabins with occupants as diverse as President Eisenhower, Amelia Earhart, William Allen White, Carrie Nation, the Dalton Gang and John Brown.

Adair-Brown Cabin

Built around 1854, the structure was sold in 1855 to John Brown’s brother-in-law Samuel Lyle Adair. The Adair family lived in the cabin but it was frequently used by Brown for abolitionist activities. The Adair cabin also was a station on the Underground Railroad. The cabin was moved into Osawatomie and a pavilion was erected around it to create the John Brown Museum. The park where it is located was the site of the Battle of Osawatomie, where free-state and pro-slavery men fought. Open Tuesday through Saturday, adaircabin.kshs.org.

feyville has been a local landmark since construction was completed in 1906. Built for W.P. Brown and his wife Nancy, the home features first- and second-story verandas as well as Tiffany glass accents on the main doorway and a Tiffany chandelier inside. Much of the furniture was purchased in Europe. The house includes several fireplaces and a third-floor ballroom, which was also used as a gymnasium for the Brown’s son, Donald, who died at the age of 11. The mansion is open for tours March-November with special dates in December for candlelit tours when the house is decorated for the holidays, including 40 decorated trees. For more information, visit brownmansion.com.

Walter P. Chrysler Home The boyhood home of the automotive industry executive Walter P. Chrysler was built in 1889 and his family lived there until 1908. The museum collection includes a 1938 edition of The Saturday Evening Post which features Chrysler on the cover as well as a green 1925 Chrysler automobile. For information, chryslerboyhoodhome.com.

Evah C. Cray House The three-story, 25-room Evah C. Cray HOME ON THE RANGE CABIN home in Atchison epitomizes the opulence of the Victorian era. Built in 1882, this mansion is distinguished by a three-story castle-like tower, ornate fireplaces, carved woodwork and original chandeliers. The carriage house includes a small gift shop and film showing. Located at 805 N. 5th, 913-367-3046.

Dalton Gang Hideout ALLEN-LANMBE HOUSE

Allen-Lambe House Wichita is home to the last of Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style houses and one he considered to be some of his best work. Wright designed the brick house for Henry J. and Elsie Allen in 1915, and it was completed in 1918, the year Henry Allen was elected governor of Kansas. At the time Wright was working on the Imperial Hotel in Japan and those influences can be seen intermingled with the distinctive prairie style. As was typical of Wright structures, the house has strong horizontal lines, a low-pitched roof, open interior spaces and a specific relationship with its surroundings. Windows in the L-shaped house frame the trees outside as well as the koi and tea house. The house also contains 30 pieces of furniture designed by Wright for the house and all of the original art glass. Guided tours available with advance reservations, 255 N. Roosevelt, flwrightwichita.org.

Brown Mansion BROWN MANSION

12 l

This majestic three-story, 15-room mansion at the southern edge of Cof-

An underground tunnel was discovered at this home where the sister of the Dalton brothers gang lived after her marriage to a Meade merchant in 1887. The notorious group of outlaws is said to have lived here from 1890 to 1892. Visitors can see the 95-foot-long escape tunnel, which originally was only four feet tall and three feet wide. It has been rebuilt and lined with a concrete floor. Located at 502 S. Pearlette St., Meade, open daily, oldmeadecounty.com/hideout.

Amelia Earhart Birthplace

Amelia Earhart was born in an upstairs bedroom of this Atchison house on the banks of the Missouri River in 1897. The 1861 house belonged to her grandparents, and Amelia and her sister spent a lot of time there because their father traveled extensively for his job. Though the famous aviatrix lived many places she considered this her home. An international women’s pilot organization Earhart helped found in 1929 purchased the home in 1984. A museum opened in 1985 but restoration did not begin until 1996. AMELIA EARHART BIRTHPLACE


stic to opulent Located at 223 N. Terrace, the house is open year-round with seasonal hours, ameliaearhartmuseum.org.

Eisenhower Boyhood Home Visitors are able to take guided tours of the house where Dwight D. Eisenhower, who became a five-star general and the 34th president, lived from the age of 8 to 20 when he left for West Point. His family moved to the house in 1898, and his mother Ida lived there until she died in 1946. Located on the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum grounds in Abilene, the original house was added onto in 1900 to accommodate nine residents. It was added onto again in 1915. Open daily; for info, call 877-RING-IKE.

The house was built by German stonemason William Hessman, who quarried limestone from nearby Sawlog Creek. A German carpenter, MUELLER-SCHMIDT HOUSE William Strubel, used walnut to craft a spiral staircase for the interior. The house was owned by John Mueller, who sold it to Adam Schmidt in 1890. Open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and in the winter by appointment, visitdodgecity.org.

Carrie Nation Home The temperance leader lived in this small brick house in Medicine Lodge from 1889 to 1902. In 1900 she received a “divine call” to go to nearby Kiowa, where she wrecked three saloons. She sold the house in 1902 to buy a house in Kansas City for the wives of drunkards. Entrance to the home is through the Stockade Museum. Call 620-886-3553 for information.

Home on the Range Cabin

The 1872 cabin on the site in Smith County where Dr. Brewster M Higley wrote the poem that was turned into “Home on the Range” was restored in 2013. The cabin is open for visitors daily from daylight to dark, thehomeontherange.com.

Koester House Museum Built by Charles Koester in downtown Marysville as a wedding present to his bride Sylvia in 1876, the house shows how a banker and his family lived prior to the turn of the century. The house is still luxuriously furnished in Victorian style with the family’s belongings. Surrounded by a brick wall and with cast iron lions and dogs guarding its gates, the grounds include restored white metal statues, a summer kitchen, ice house and KOESTER HOUSE carriage house. A Kansas PHOTO BY TOM PARKER City newspaper called it the most beautiful yard in the country in 1878, and many of the flowers and trees are still in place from their original plantings. Open daily April through October, by appointment rest of year; marysvillemuseumsks.org.

Little House on the Prairie Museum While this house is a replica, it is on the original site and gives a good idea of how Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family lived in 1869 when they occupied a one-room log cabin in southeast Kansas. The Ingalls family settled south of Independence in 1869 and Carrie was born there. Funds are currently being raised to rebuild the log cabin by hand and construct a visitors center. Open April through October; a Prairie Days Festival is planned each June, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com.

Mueller-Schmidt House Known as the Home of Stone, the Mueller-Schmidt House is the only limestone dwelling in Dodge City as well as the oldest on its original site. Visitors see the house as it was in 1881.

SEELYE MANSION PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

Seelye Mansion Abilene’s elegant 25-room Seelye mansion was designed by a New York architect in the Georgian style and completed in 1905 for Dr. A.B. Seelye, who made his fortune as a patent medicine entrepreneur. Dr. Seelye spent $55,000 to construct the house, and his wife spent even more than that on furnishings and art from the 1904 Continued on page 14.

l 13


Continued from page 13. St. Louis World’s Fair, according to Terry Tietjens, who purchased the house in 1982. Features of the house include a Tiffanydesigned fireplace, a third-floor ballroom and wooden bowling lane in the basement. A special treat is seeing the house decorated for the holidays in December. Located at 1105 N. Buckeye, daily tours available, seelyemansion.org.

Spring Hill Ranch House Standing on a prominent hill in the Flint Hills where it can be seen for miles, this grand four-level house was built of native limestone by Stephen F. Jones and his wife Louisa who came to Kansas in 1878 to start a cattle ranch. The French Second Empire style home was completed in 1881. The house took 20 men to construct. Jones eventually acquired 7,000 acres of land and built more than 30 miles of limestone fences to enclose the ranch. The house has a formal entry, two parlors and an ornate hand-carved walnut staircase. Perishable food was stored on the bottom level in a room cooled by spring water. Located at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 620-273-8494.

Warkentin House This 16-room Victorian house was built in 1887 in Newton by Bernhard Warkentin, a Russian immigrant of Mennonite heritage who is credited with bringing Turkey Red winter wheat to Kansas. The Victorian house features Italian tiled fireplaces, Czechoslovakian crystal chandeliers, fine woodwork and many original furnishings. Located at 211 E. First St., the house museum is open April to December, 316-283-3113, Newtonkansas.com.

WILLIAM ALLEN WHITE HOUSE

WARKENTIN HOUSE

William Allen White Home William Allen White’s fiery editorials made him not only a trusted adviser to

several U.S. presidents, but five of them took the train to Emporia to stay at his home, which was known as Red Rocks. Other guests of the two-time Pulitzer Prize winner included Albert Einstein. White was born 150 years ago in 1868 in Emporia. Soon after he bought the Emporia Gazette in 1895, his editorials began gaining national attention. The Whites moved into the house in 1899, and he wrote many of his editorials in the second-story study. Furnishings include artifacts from his world travels as well as gifts from visiting dignitaries and ambassadors. A fireplace mantle of carved grapes created by a local artist was a signal to visiting guests during Prohibition that it was not a dry household. Located at 927 N. Exchange St., the house is open Thursday-Saturday from April through October (rest of year with advance appointment), 620-342-2800. – Cynthia Mines

IGNITE YOUR CURIOSITY MANHATTAN, KS | FLINTHILLSDISCOVERY.ORG

Historic Brown Mansion Coffeyville, Kansas 2018 Tours: March-November www.brownmansion.com www.visitcoffeyville.com 14 l


Motorcycle museums rev up in Kansas By MeLinda Schnyder

Suggested rides in Kansas

K

ansas has 12 byways, nine scenic and three historic, that make excellent rides ranging from 13 miles to 168 miles. Two of them – Flint Hills and Wetlands and Wildlife – are National Scenic Byways.

I

n the past three years, a flurry of development has more than doubled the state’s number of motorcycle museums, making priceless private collections accessible to the public and giving road trippers – whether traveling on two or four wheels – new destinations. Kansas Motorcycle Museum has been in Marquette since 2003 and Historic HarleyDavidson in Topeka has displayed its collection of vintage bikes and memorabilia for years. Then in the spring of 2016, Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum opened in Augusta, and the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum opened in far western Kansas. In spring 2017, Historic Harley-Davidson expanded to make room for a two-story Evel Knievel Museum, a partnership between the Knievel family, a determined and enthusiast collector, and the long-time Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum PHOTO BY MELINDA SCHNYDER Topeka dealership. “Our little cluster of museums make a good reason for enthusiasts to come to Kansas,” said Kelly Modlin, who welcomed more than 20,000 visitors from 18 countries to Augusta’s Twisted Oz in the museum’s first 18 months. Each collection is unique and has several one-of-a-kind gems. And because they are spread out across the state, the museums make ideal day-trip destinations for riders and are never too far away for motorists driving through the state. Want to visit them on a Harley? The Topeka dealership is preparing to roll out the Eagle Rider rental program this summer which will offer rentals for a few hours or a few days.

Evel Knievel Museum, Topeka Motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, known as much for his 19 crashes as his 149 sucEvel Knievel Museum PHOTO COURTESY OF VISIT TOPEKA cessful landings in the 1960s and 1970s, always wanted his life’s memorabilia preserved in a museum. He even had blueprints drawn up but never followed through on the plans before he died in 2007 at age 69. When a serious Knievel collector asked Historic Harley-Davidson for help with a restoration project, a relationship was formed that led to a 13,000-square-foot expansion and opening of the Evel Knievel Museum in May 2017. “There’s not been a place until now where you could see such a large collection of Evel Continued on page 16.

PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

Here are the byways that will take you closest to the state’s motorcycle museums: Native Stone Scenic Byway This byway begins or ends 12 miles west of the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka. The 75-mile route takes you along highways K-177, K-18, K-4 and K-99 in the Mission Creek and Mill Creek valleys, as well as through the Flint Hills. Prairie Trail Scenic Byway This 80-mile byway leads you to the Kansas Motorcycle Museum in Marquette as well as the sandstone cliffs and outcrops at Kanopolis Lake. Flint Hills National Scenic Byway This byway begins or ends about 50 miles east of Twisted Oz Museum in Augusta. The 47.2-mile route takes you through the heart of one of the largest remaining preserved stands of tallgrass prairie. Land & Sky Scenic Byway This 88-mile byway takes you by the St. Francis Motorcycle Museum in St. Francis as it follows Highway 27 between Sharon Springs and the Kansas-Nebraska state line. The state’s newest byway showcases agriculture on the high plains as well as several unique features: the route is near Mount Sunflower, the highest point in the state, and the deep ravines of the Arikaree Breaks.

l 15


Continued from page 15. memorabilia and see the story of his life and career,” said Jeff Handley, tour guide. “We’ve got the largest collection of Evel’s leathers, the fully restored 1974 Mack Truck and trailer that Evel used to haul his ramps and as his dressing room, and maybe the highlight is the actual Bell Star helmet he wore for the Caesar’s Palace jump, known as the crash that made Evel famous.” Most of the memorabilia had been in private collections, unavailable to the public until now. Exhibits cover 20 of his record-setting and most infamous jumps, with historic video clips, photos, motorcycles and artifacts. There are also exhibits on Knievel merchandising, the equipment he used and a theater with clips of Knievel movies. Interactive displays include a 4-D virtual reality jump experience and “Plan Your Jump,” which challenges visitors to change speed, ramp angle and obstacles to execute a successful jump. Check evelknievelmuseum.com for hours and admission options.

Virtual reality motorcycle jumping at Evel Knievel Museum

16 l

Kansas Motorcycle Museum

Kansas Motorcycle Museum, Marquette Kansas’ original motorcycle museum opened in 2003 as a tribute to Marquette’s “Stan the Man” Engdahl who was a fivetime national racing champion during a six-decade career that started in the 1940s. Engdahl and his wife were active in the formation of the museum but are both now deceased. Displays include the more than 600 trophies he won and the custom-built 1957 Harley-Davidson KR he raced. The museum’s two historic buildings house about 150 vintage motorcycles, scooters and bicycles along with racing memorabilia, photos and posters. The oldest motorcycle is the 1906 Thor single-cylinder racer and the rarest is a 1909 Thiem.

“The Thiem was manufactured in St. Paul, Minnesota, and if you look in the guides there are no known surviving examples of this motorcycle,” said Dixon Johnson, a volunteer and board member. “We have a lot of unique vintage Harleys, Indians and Hendersons, though sometimes it’s not the type of motorcycle, it’s the story behind the motorcycle and its rider that makes it special.” Part of the collection is on loan from Mike Bahnmaier, a Kansan who once owned Harley dealerships in Wichita and Salina and is an avid collector as well as a professional drag bike rider. Admission is free (donations welcome); check ksmotorcyclemuseum.org for hours. The museum hosts the Thunder on the Smoky rally on the third weekend in May every year, drawing from 4,000 to 6,000 riders.


St. Francis Motorcycle Museum, St. Francis The St. Francis Motorcycle Museum is also a beneficiary of Mike Bahnmaier, the collector who has loaned vintage bikes to the Kansas Motorcycle Museum. More than half of the 115 motorcycles on display in St. Francis are from Bahnmaier’s collection, and Bahnmeier’s son, who lives in the area, helped raise money for the new 10,000-square-foot building. “We have an exceptional display of real early American-made bikes,” said J.R. Landenberger, a volunteer who also is city manager for St. Francis and helped establish the museum. He said big names like Indian and Harley-Davidson are well represented at the museum – which includes motorcycles from several collections – as well as lesser-known manufacturers such as Flanders, Excelsior, Feilbach Limited, Ace and many others. The rarest display is one of only two known 1902 Orient motorcycles. The Orient is considered by historians to be the first USA production motorcycle. Thirty motorcycles in the collection are older than 1929, including several with fewer than four known to exist in the world. Admission is free (donations welcome); visit stfrancismotorcyclemuseum.org for hours. The museum held its first event in 2017 and planned a second annual TriState Thunder Motorcycle Rally for 2018.

Dodge City hosts National Trike-In The Brothers of the Third Wheel will host its National Trike-In in Dodge City for the second time. The July 1215 event in Wright Park will include a three-wheel show, parade, vendors and destination rides.

Modlin said. “We became friends and the Herb and Jerry Ottaway collection is what really makes this museum so great. Jerry and his dad Herb collected together and it is one of the nicest collections in the world.” Modlin, Ottaway and Belt like to provide guided tours to tell the background on many of the bikes. There’s the Indian Six motorcycle that Herb Ottaway built by sawing two cylinders off a stock Indian 4-cylinder engine and adding them to another engine and the one-of-a-kind motorcycle built in 1914 by J.J. Wood with a tandem seat for his wife. Admission is free (donations welcome);

visit twistedoz.com for hours.

Yesterdays Motorcycle Museum, Topeka While visiting the Evel Knievel Museum, make sure to tour this free museum also housed at Historic Harley-Davidson. There are about 50 vintage Harleys, most of which have been restored by the dealership’s Yesterdays division. There are civilian bikes, military bikes and racing machines ranging in age from the 1920s to the 1980s. Several display cases contain hundreds of old parts, tools and riding gear.

V I SI T M I A M I COU N T Y

95 75

Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum, Augusta On most visits to the Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum just off Highway 54/400 in Augusta, you’ll find Kelly Modlin, Jerry Ottaway and Paul Belt tinkering with a few of the 120 motorcycles on display. The three men and a slew of volunteers renovated an old body shop into this vintage and eclectic motorcycle museum that opened in 2016. In 2017, they built a brick building next door and called it Twisted Too Moto Art Studio. The new building houses more motorcycles, a few rare vehicles, bicycles and tricycles along with art – from murals painted on the walls to steel cutouts. Both buildings feature repurposed materials and structures, including bank teller windows from 1879 and a weathered Valentine Diner. “I had this idea for a museum and I was fortunate to meet Jerry Ottaway in 2010,”

100

25 5 0

100 95 75

25 5

2018 Ciderfest Weekends: Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7

0

8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

l 17


Explore South Central Kansas

Rice County www.ricecounty.us 620-257-5166

www.visitsouthcentralks.com

LookingKANSAS for something new this weekend?

Come see us on streets of golden wheat!

See the city under the city on Underground Tunnel Tours Restaurants & Shopping Lodging at The Historic Wolf Hotel

Located in Central Kansas, in the flyways of Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Refuge

Looking for something new this weekend?

316-321-9100 ELDOKS.COM EL DORADO CONVENTION & VISITORS' BUREAU

EXPERIENCE EL DORADO Once is not enough!

#ELDOKS

Explore Newton! Just minutes from Wichita, Newton offers art, attractions, restaurants and exciting family events.

2018 event highlights

ellinwoodchamber.com

Explore Newton! Newton offers art, attractions, restaurants and exciting family events. Learn more and plan your next visit at:

ToNewton.com

to

Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau

Inside Newton City Hall (316) 284-3642 • ToNewton.com facebook.com/VisitNewtonKS 18 l

• May 6: Downtown Car Show • August 17-19: Sand Creek Summer Daze Festival September 29: Red Hot Chili Pepper 5K and Harvey County Chili Cookoff • October 4: Taste of Newton • October 6: Blues, Brews & Barbecue and Bethel Fall Festival Learn more about these and many other events on our calendar and plan your next visit.

ToNewton.com

to

Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau

Inside Newton City Hall (316) 284-3642 • ToNewton.com facebook.com/VisitNewtonKS


100 95

Stay & Play in Rice County

75

25 5 0

www.ricecountytourism.com

          

• •

l 19


Ethnic festivals o of cultures aroun By MeLinda Schnyder

F

or a state in the middle of the country, Kansas has a surprising number of festivals celebrating the heritage of immigrants. From Garden City in the southwest to Kansas City in the northeast, communities keep alive the traditions brought by immigrants dating from the 19th century to recent decades. Volunteers passionate about keeping their ancestors’ culture alive organize most of the ethnic festivals. While some communities have a unique heritage – such as Swedish in Lindsborg and Czech in Wilson – Mexican fiestas are celebrated in several communities along Kansas railroads, which brought Mexican labor to the state in the early 20th century to help build and repair tracks. Garden City has hosted a fiesta for 92 years, making it the second-longest running community celebration in the state. The town of 27,000 annually attracts 5,000 attendees to the fiesta. “This event was started by some of the first Mexican families that came to Garden City because they wanted to bring their roots and culture and history to their new home,” said lead volunteer Angelica Chappel, who has been involved with planning Mexican Fiesta for 15 of the 20 years since her family moved from Mexico to Garden City. “I now have two daughters of my own who were born here, and I understand that it’s important to teach them about the culture,” she said. “We also see Fiesta as a way to celebrate Garden City’s diversity and what that brings to the community. We are a minority majority in this town. The number of languages spoken in our schools is up to 50.” For 85 years, Topeka’s Oakland neighborhood near Our Lady of Guadalupe Church has celebrated Fiesta Mexicana with a parade, coronation ball, traditional Mexican food, music, art show and dancing on two stages. This year’s parade on July 7 kicks off the July 10-14 fiesta.


offer taste nd the world Topeka’s annual Mariachi Festival has been rebranded Tacos y Tequila and this year on Sept. 15 will feature Flor de Toloache, the all-female New York-based mariachi group which won the 2017 Grammy for Latin music. Organizers stress that ethnic festivals are open and inviting to all ethnicities. Kathy Ewing, president of the Wichita Asian Association, sees diversity in the nearly 12,000 people who attend the Asian festival in the state’s largest city. “Most people would think this is a festival for Asian people but if you go, you’ll find that more than half of the people who attend don’t look Asian,” she said. “There are a lot of different races who come out to do exactly what the founders of the festival wanted: enjoy Asian culture.” To sample a bit of Swedish, German, Asian, Mexican, Polish, Czech, British, Irish or the Balkans food and customs, check out these festivals:

Asian June 16-17 Fiesta Filipina, Overland

Park, filipino-association.org/fiesta. Authentic Filipino food, cultural dances, live music, exhibits and games to commemorate Philippine Independence. Oct. 27 38th annual Wichita Asian Fes-

tival, Wichita, wichitaasianassociation. org. More than 50 booths sell artwork and crafts as well as food prepared by restaurant owners, food truck operators, student groups and accomplished home chefs representing nearly a dozen countries. Stage

OPPOSITE: Topeka residents began annual fiestas 85 years ago. PHOTO FROM VISIT TOPEKA ABOVE: Korean dancers take the stage at Wichita Asian Festival. PHOTO BY TIM ZIEGELBEIN LEFT: Swedish dancers perform at Lindsborg event. PHOTO BY DOUG STREMEL

performances, kids corner with hands-on activities, scholarship pageant. Oct. 6 21st annual Kansas City Japan Festival, Overland Park, kcjapanfestival. org. Performers, presentations and vendors presented by volunteers from the Heart of America Japan-America Society.

Balkans Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Little Balkans Days Fes-

tival, Pittsburg, littlebalkansfestival.com. Celebrating the heritage of the immigrants who came from the region of southeastern Europe known as the Balkans to southeast Kansas in the early 1900s to work in the coal industry. Arts, crafts and food fair plus music, quilt show, cake show, car show, train rides, bike ride and more.

British

craft and food vendors, kolache eating contest, Czech dancers, music, Czech egg painting, talent show, sports tournaments and more.

German June 2-3 Germanfest, Topeka, sacred-

heartstjosephcatholic.org. German food line, beer garden, bazaar, polka music, dancing, games, kids activities and more. Sept. 28 46th annual Oktoberfest, Hays,

Facebook.com/pg/OktoberfestHays. The Volga German Society joins forces with Fort Hays State University’s homecoming festivities for this annual celebration of the Germans from Russia who settled in western Kansas. Traditional German food, beer, crafts, music, dancing and familyfriendly events.

Nov. 3 33rd annual British Faire and Tea,

Greek

Shawnee, dbekansas.org. Enjoy the great British tradition of tea service featuring finger sandwiches, pastries and live music, then explore vendor booths, performers, roaming royalty and children’s activities.

June 8-10 Greek Festival, Overland Park, stdionysios.org/festival. Authentic food, music, dancing, culture and shopping for Greek and Greek-inspired items at St. Dionysios Greek Orthodox Christian Church.

Czech

Hispanic/Latino

July 27 58th annual Wilson After Harvest

July 10-14 85th annual Fiesta Mexicana,

Czech Festival, Wilson, wilsonczechfest. com. The small rural community of Wilson, population of 800, celebrates the European immigrants who came to Wilson via the railroad and helped settle the area. Parade,

Topeka, olgfiestamexicana.org. Held in the Oakland neighborhood near Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, traditional Mexican food, music and dancing on two stages, Continued on page 23.

l 21


VÄLKOMMEN LITTLE SWEDEN USA

Visit Lindsborg

Saturday, June 16, 2018 www.midsummersfestival.com

201 CENTER ASSARIA 210 N.N.Center St.ST., Assaria, KS

FINE ITALIAN CUISINE

Fine Italian cuisine THURSDAY-SATURDAY 5-9 P.M. OPENTABLE.COM OR (785)822-6750 RENAISSANCECAFEASSARIA.COM

Open Thur-Sat 5:00pm-9:00pm www.opentable.com or call 785-822-6750


Continued from page 21. jalapeño eating contest, art show and more. Parade is on July 7. Sept. 7- 8 92nd annual Mexican Fiesta,

Garden City, gcfiesta.org. Parade, music, dancing, family-friendly activities, scholarship pageant and more held in September near Mexico’s Independence Day. Authentic food from Mexico and Central American countries. Sept. 15 Tacos y Tequila, Topeka, visitto-

peka.com. This festival began as the annual Kansas Mariachi Festival, held in September to commemorate Mexican independence. This year the event is evolving into Tacos y Tequila, a street fair and tasting event where you explore five of the seven culinary regions of Mexico. The featured mariachi band will be Flor de Toloache, an all-female Grammy-winning group from New York City. Sept. 22 Latino Arts Festival, Kansas City,

Kansas, latinoartsfestival.com. Celebrating Kansas City’s Latino community by featuring the work of local Latino artists who represent visual art, music, lowrider builders, artists and youth art.

India August 16th annual India Fest,

Topeka, facebook.com/IndiaFestTopeka. Purchase homemade delicacies from different regions of India, dress in traditional Indian clothes and pose for photos in front of a Taj Mahal backdrop, shop for handcrafted items and clothing, get henna hand art and more.

Irish 401 N. First Street, Lindsborg

(785) 227-2220

www.sandzen.org

Tues. - Sat. 10 to 5 & Sun. 1 to 5 Admission free, donations appreciated

March 17 7th annual Mater Dei Irish Fest,

Topeka, materdeiirishfest.com. Parade, breakfast, run/walk event, beer garden, whiskey tasting, homemade Irish and American food, kids carnival, live Irish music, DJs and more.

Italy Sept. 29 20th annual Festa Italiana, Frontenac, frontenacedfoundation.org. A small Italian food and heritage festival has grown to now include food and music from about a dozen nationalities represented in this community, including Mediterranean, French, Mexican, American, Greek, Slovenian, Italian-Cajun, Bohemian and German. Also features a parade, music, kids activities, cannoli-eating contest, 5K run and live and silent auctions.

Mexican immigrants began fiestas in Garden City 92 years ago.

Polish May 5 33rd annual Polski Day, Kansas

City, Kansas, polskiday.com. Parade, kids activities, polka mass along with traditional Polish food, music and entertainment.

Serb Nov. 17 48th annual Serbian Food Festival & Bazaar, Lenexa, st-george-church.org. Experience Serbian heritage and culture through homemade cuisine, music, entertainment, marketplace and tours of St. George Serbian Orthodox Church. The church also hosts a smaller, food-only Serb Fest June 1-2.

Swedish June 16 Midsummer’s Festival, Lindsborg,

visitlindsborg.com. This national Swedish holiday to celebrate the coming of summer is feted in Lindsborg with Swedish food, music, Scandinavian dancing, art, games and the raising of the Midsommarstång (Midsummer Pole). Dec. 8 St. Lucia Festival, Lindsborg, vis-

itlindsborg.com. This holiday festival celebrates the figure who became the emblem of light on the longest night of the year during a famine in Sweden. Folk dancers, live music and St. Lucia, wearing a crown of candles, passes out ginger cookies. October 2019 Svensk Hyllningsfest is the biennial celebration in Lindsborg honoring the Swedish immigrants who settled in the Smoky Valley in 1869. Started in 1941, the festival features art, crafts, special foods, ethnic music, folk dancing, a parade, smorgasbord and special entertainment.

l 23


-

Where to find the gold standard of Kansas’ chicken fried steak By Marci Penner

W

hen the Kansas Explorers Club was founded in 1994, criteria were established to distinguish the best chicken-fried steak and the race was on to find the cafes that served it. It was determined the gold standard would include: fresh meat, hand-battering and – most important – be skillet or grill fried. Many restaurants meet the first two criteria but only a few go all out and finish the order without dipping the beef into the deep-fat fryer. A certificate was created to recognize those places that prepared chicken-fried steak the “Explorer Way.” My favorite is usually the one I’m eating at the moment but if I could only eat one it would be the cube-steak pounded, crackerbreaded, skillet-fried (in lard) one at the Midway Motel Cafe in Selden (pictured right). Here’s our (alphabetical) round-up of the ten best places to score this delectable dish: Bradley’s Corner Cafe, Topeka. End your meal in this art district with a slice of one of 20 homemade pies, each one a masterpiece. Sunday-Monday, lunch, Tuesday-Saturday lunch and supper, 844 N. Kansas, 785-235-0086. Circle Inn Restaurant, Osborne. The waitresses swoon just talking about the chicken-fried steak here. Tuesday-Saturday lunch and supper, Sunday lunch, 1106 W. U.S. 24, 785-346-9444. Country Cafe, Mullinville. The real mashed potatoes and homemade pies are a nice addition to the meal. Monday-Saturday lunch and supper, Sunday lunch, 401 S. Main, 620-548-2568. Don’s Place, Protection. You may be stuffed after the meal but end it with a famous homemade cream pie. Tuesday-Saturday lunch and supper, Sunday lunch, 230 N. Broadway , 620-622-4365. Hays House, Council Grove. The flat grill is where the chickenfried steak ends up here. In season, you have to leave room for the fresh strawberry or peach pie. Monday-Saturday lunch and supper, Sunday lunch, 112 W. Main, hayshouse.com, 620-767-5911. Jim and Lila’s Café, Piedmont. Jim is gone and Lila is over 80, but she still cooks the chicken-fried steak, and everything else, the same way she’d do it at home. Monday-Friday lunch, Saturday lunch and supper, 100 Main, 620-864-2250. Made from Scratch, Wilson. Everything is made from scratch here, from jellies to the ice cream. Daily lunch and supper, 523 27th, 785-658-3300. Midway Cafe, Selden. Some say it’s the best chicken-fried steak in the state. Monday-Friday lunch and supper, Saturday lunch. 202 Nebraska, 785-386-4545.

24 l

Prairie Nut Hut, Altoona. The Hopping Nut Plate (a combo of frog legs and mountain oysters) is what makes this 1940 eatery famous but it’s the chicken-fried steak that people can’t resist. Tuesday-Saturday lunch and supper, 1306 Quincy, 620-568-2900. Sunshine Café, Nickerson. Homemade apple pie with a crumbly topping finishes off your chickenfried steak meal here. Tuesday-Friday lunch and supper, Saturday-Sunday lunch, 3 N. Nickerson, 620-422-5153. Cafes in Alta Vista, Andale, Anthony, Aurora, Belleville, Canton, Chase, Coolidge, Courtland, Elkhart, Ellinwood, Goodland, Hunter, Longford, Miltonvale, Oberlin, Solomon, Tipton and Wilson also have Explorer Way chicken-fried steak. Always best to call ahead to verify hours. Find more details for all these places in the Kansas Guidebook for Explorers 2 (see below). Marci Penner is director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

New guidebook shares everything you need to know about Kansas

A

fter spending four years traveling to all 626 incorporated cities in Kansas, Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe compiled their exhaustive findings in the 480page Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers. Published by the Kansas Sampler Foundation in 2017, the book includes 4,500 entries and 1,600 color photos. Just over 500 cities are included in the book. Among the individual entries are 843 for Kansas restaurants, cafes, drive-ins and soda fountains. The book is designed to help achieve the Kansas Sampler Foundation’s mission to preserve and sustain rural culture, according to Penner. “Though the book reads like a travel guide, it’s intended to help people get to know the state and learn about towns of every size,” she said. Entries range from historic bridges, statues and specialty shops to quirky sites, scenic drives and cemetery finds. “There really is something for everyone whether you are looking for outdoor sites or ways to get to know a town,” Rowe said. The book sells for $29.95 and is available at more than 200 locally owned stores or online at kansassampler.org.


Nature • Science • Heritage • History • Art

ONE DOLLAR OFF ADMISSION

Offer good at

Botanica Exploration Place Mid-America All-Indian Center Old Cowtown Museum Wichita Art Museum (Limit 4 admissions per coupon) Not valid for special events and cannot be combined with any other offer.No cash value. Travel Kansas 2018

Wichita, Kansas • Visit all the Museums on the River today! l 25


Smoky Hill River Festival, Salina

March March 1-31 18th Annual Parade of Quilts,

Yoder, hand-stitched creations at merchants from Amish and Mennonite communities across the country, YoderKansas.com.

Garden Show, National Guard Armory, Newton, harveycountyhomeand gardenshow.com. March 11 Classical Expressions, Salina

Symphony, salinasymphony.org.

March 1- April 22 112th annual Midwest

Art Exhibition, Sandzen Gallery, Lindsborg, 785-227-2220.

March 12-25 Ida Stover-Eisenhower Memorial Quilt Show, Dickinson County Heritage Center, Abilene, heritagecenterdk.com.

March 1- May 30 “Chisholm Trail and

March 16-18 Home & Better Living

the Cowtown that Raised a President” and “Eisenhower and the Great War” exhibits at the Eisenhower Presidential Museum, Abilene, eisenhower.archives.gov. March 1-Aug. 11 “In the Trenches with

Show, Colby Community Building, oasisontheplains.com.

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Parade,

Leavenworth, lvirish.com.

March 17 St. Paddy’s Pub Crawl,

Company M,” Smoky Hill Museum, Salina, smokyhillmuseum.org.

Independence, 620-331-2300.

March 2-3 Marble Crazy, Moon Marble Co.,

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Parade,

Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org. March 23-April 1 Messiah Festival of the Arts, art, music and theatrical events, including performance of Handel’s “Messiah” on April 1, Lindsborg, messiahfestival.org. March 24 Taste of Leavenworth,

firstcitymuseums.org.

March 24 Våffeldagen, Swedish celebration

dedicated to waffles and the arrival of spring, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

March 24 Championship Bull Riding

Showdown, Salina, salina.com.

March 24 ZOOrific EGGstravaganza,

Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

March 25 Blackwood Quartet, The Gospel

Side of Elvis, McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

Bonner Springs, marblecrazy.com.

Atchison, 913-426-3421.

March 3, 17, 24, April 14, 21, May 12

Spring in Scott City Barrel Race Series, VisitScottCity.com.

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day Parade/ Road Races, Aggieville, Manhattan, VisitManhattanKS.org.

March 27-29 Mid America Farm Expo, Salina, salina.com.

May 5 Flatland Big Band, Scott City,

March 17 St. Paddy’s Day Pub Crawl,

West Mineral, 620-827-6177.

VisitScottCity.com.

downtown Salina, salina.com.

March 10-11 Harvey County Home &

March 17-July 15 Look, Don’t Touch,

26 l

March 30 Easter Egg Hunt, Big Brutus, March 30 Dust Bowl Marathon, Ulysses,

mainlymarathons.com.


March 31 Easter Bunny Games, Atchison,

April 7 El Dorado Half Marathon, eldoradohalf.com.

March 31 Easter Egg Hunt, Lyons, 620March 31 Easter Egg Hunt, 10 a.m., City

April 7 Wild Goose Chase Fun Run, Kansas Wetlands Education Center, Great Bend, wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.

March 31 Easter Egg Hunt, Glen Elder,

April 7 Kegs ‘N Eggs, KC Renaissance Festival, Bonner Spring, kcrenfest.com.

visitatchison.com. 257-5166.

Park, Columbus, 620-429-1492. hwy24.org.

April 7 Brews on the Bricks, Hays, visithays.com.

April

April 7 Spring Fling, Lyons, 620-257-5166.

April 1- Oct. 31 Little House on the

Prairie Museum, official homesite of Laura Ingalls Wilder, open south of Independence, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com. April 2-3 Artstream Nomadic Gallery,

April 7 Marysville Museum Day, opening day of museum season, free admission, visitmarysvilleks.org. April 7, 14, 21 Tulips, Fairies & Forts,

Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

unique traveling exhibition housed in a restored 1967 Airstream trailer, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich. wichita.edu or art-stream.com.

April 7-23 Weirdy Mail Exhibit, Grassroots Art Center, Lucas, lucaskansas.com.

April 4-6 Great Bend Farm & Ranch Expo,

April 8 Tallgrass Film Festival Road Show,

Junction City, jcoperahouse.org.

Liberal will host its 70th International Pancake Day race against Olney, England, on March 5, 2019.

April 6-8, 13-15, 20-22 “Tuck

April 8 The Latin Connection with Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony Orchestra, Bethel College, North Newton, nmkso.org.

Colby Community College, 3 p.m., oasisontheplains.com.

Great Bend, one of the largest ag shows in the country, greatbendfarmandranchexpo.net.

Everlasting,” Salina Community Theatre, salinatheatre.com. April 7 Eisenhower Marathon, Abilene,

abilenekansas.org.

April 9 Mutts Gone Nuts, McPherson Opera

House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

April 9-11 Air Force Academy Band,

April 13-14 50th Kansas Mennonite Relief

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

Continued on page 28.

www.VisitDodgeCity.org 1-800-OLD-West

Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau

l 27


Continued from page 27.

April 13-15 Belle Plaine Tulip Festival,

carnival, belleplainechamber.com.

April 13-15 Spring Fling, Grant County

Civic Center, Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

April 14 Little Cowtown on the Prairie,

Cowtown, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

April 14-15 The Planets, Wichita

Symphony, Century II, Wichitasymphony.org.

April 14-15 Steam Engine School at

Kurt Kocher Farm, south of Concordia, preregister at 785-243-4303.

April 14-15 Little Britches Rodeo, Fort

Scott, fortscott.com.

April 15 Tied Up in Knotts, McPherson Opera House, 620-241-1952. April 19 The Monarch Watch Program, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org. April 19-22, 26-29 “Nunset Boulevard,” Depot Theater, Dodge City, 620-225-1001. April 20-22 Fort Hays State University

NIRA Rodeo, Hays, visithays.com.

April 20-22, 27-29 “The Wizard of Oz,”

Junction City, jcoperahouse.org.

April 21 Royal Tea, McPherson Opera House, 620-241-1952. April 21 Historical Russell County

Limestone Tour, lucaskansas.com.

New event:

T

he Big Kansas Road Trip, a project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, will make its debut May 3-6 in Barber, Comanche and Kiowa counties in the southwest quadrant of the state. The goal for the event, which replaces the long-running Sampler Festival, is to “get people onto back roads and into Kansas towns to actually see places, to eat in local cafes and to talk to and get to know the locals,” said Marci Penner, director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. “We’ll move it around to different showcase counties each year, hoping to get people hooked on exploring our state.” Scenic drives in the tri-county area include the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway as well the highway that goes past M.T. Liggett’s eccentric metal sculptures. Visitors will be invited to ride the carousel in Wilmore, partake of homemade cherry pie at Don’s Place in Protection and take a break at Buster’s Saloon in Sun City. In Medicine Lodge, there will be live music at the Stockade Museum and Carry Nation will be serving cookies in her house. Movies will be shown at the historic Chief Theatre in Coldwater and at the new Twilight Theatre in Greensburg, where visitors can also visit the Big Well Museum and a soda fountain. The Fromme-Birney Round Barn near Mullinville will entice visitors with live music, exhibits, and biscuits and gravy. A field trip is being organized to a meteorite field in Haviland. Information will be available in each county seat. For more information, visit bigkansasroadtrip.com. The 1912 Fromme-Birney Round Barn will host activities – including music, food and an exhibit by the Kansas Barn Alliance – during the Big Kansas Road Trip May 3-6.

April 21 Barnyard Babies, entertainment, storytelling, National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

April 21Wheat State Antique Truck Show,

April 21 Spring Crank Up! Tractor Show,

April 21-22 World Series Team Roping,

parade, cruise, barn quilt, Ag Heritage Park, Alta Vista, AgHeritagePark.com.

V I S I T

K A N S A S

Newell’s Travel Plaza, Newton.

Dodge City, 620-338-8284.

A R T

April 21-22 Civil War Encampment, Fort

Scott National Historic Site, fortscott.com.

April 21-Sept. 3 The Art & Science

of Arachnids, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

G A L L E R I E S

100 95 75

25 5 0

28 l


April 22 Cool Hand Luke Gravel Grinder, Leavenworth, santafebikes.com. April 22 Tour of homes in the McKinley Historic District, Newton, begin at Warkentin House Museum, ToNewton.com.

Festival, Downs, kansasstorytelling.com. April 27-28 Festival of Arts & Ideas, Beaux

Arts Centre, Fort Scott, fortscott.com.

April 27-28 Kansas Birding Festival, Milford

April 28 3rd Annual Train Festival,

Atchison, visitatchison.com.

April 28 Girl’s Day Out (Spring Craft Show),

Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

April 22 Queen’s 5K Romp, Leavenworth,

April 28 Reitz & Rust Vintage Market,

candlequeencandles.com.

Lake, guided birding trips to wetlands, grasslands, wooded areas, prairie and timber habitats, kansasbirdingfestival.org.

April 24-Aug. 12 EN MAS: Carnival and

April 28 Glow in the Park 5K & 1 mile runs,

visitcoffeyville.com.

Performance Art of the Caribbean, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich. wichita.edu.

April 27 Apple Blossom Festival, Newton Presbyterian Manor, ToNewton.com. April 27-28 25th Kansas Storytelling

Salina, salina.com.

April 28-29 SC Showdown Livestock Show,

Scott City, VisitScottCity.com.

April 28-May 5 Verdigris Valley Young Artist Exhibit, Independence Historical Museum & Art Center, 620-331-3515.

Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

April 28 Coffeyville Street Drags, April 28 Lindsborg in Bloom, flower

power and 1960s nostalgia, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

April 29 Butterfly Release Party, Flint

Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan,

Continued on page 30.

l 29


Continued from page 29.

flinthillsdiscovery.org. April 29 Historic Homes Tour, Fort

Leavenworth, ffam.us.

April 29 Great Migration Rally event,

Kansas Wetlands Education Center, Great Bend, wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.

May May-October Abilene & Smoky Valley

Railroad Train runs, Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, asvrr.org.

May 3-6 Big Kansas Road Trip,

Barber, Comanche and Kiowa counties, bigkansasroadtrip.com.

May 4 Art & Wine Walk, Great Bend,

visitgreatbend.com.

For the eighth year, Hays Regional Airport in June will host Great Planes of the Great Plains Fly-In.

to Louis Armstrong, Wichita Symphony, Century II, Wichitasymphony.org.

parade, food, dancing, Great Bend, visitgreatbend.com.

May 5 Marble Day, marbles and other oldfashioned outdoor games, wacky parade, running of the pinkys, Bonner Springs, marbleday.com.

May 5 Abilene Annual Fly-In, Abilene Municipal Airport, abilenekansas.org.

May 5 Main Street Sterling Pots ‘N Pedals, Sterling, 620-257-5166.

May 5 Blessing of the Bikes, Dorrance,

May 5 Chisholm Trail Bike Ride,

May 5 Newton Downtown Car Show, newtondowntowncarshow.com.

May 5 What a Wonderful World: A Tribute

May 5 Kansas White Way Car Run, Concordia to Frankfort or Atchison to Frankfort, kswhiteway.wordpress.com.

May 5 Cinco de Mayo in the Square,

russellcoks.org.

May 5 Cinco de Mayo, Dodge City, 620-

225-0240.

1 8 5 4

begins at Athletic Park, Newton. chisholmtrailbikeride.com.

L E A V E N W O R T H

May 5 Buffalo Bill Stampede Half Marathon, 10 K, 5 K, Leavenworth, leavenworthhistory.org.

U S A

Experience "The First City of Kansas"

100 95 75

25

Contact us for all your lodging, shopping, meeting, dining, events and tour information at VisitLeavenworthKS.com

30 l

5 0


May 5 SculptureTour Salina UNwrap Party, Salina, salina.com.

items, food, Marysville City Park, visitmarysvilleks.org.

May 5-6 Millfest, Old Mill, 1898 mill in operation, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

May 12 Antique Fest, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

May 5-6 Great Oasis Cookoff, Whistle Stop Camp Ground, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

May 12 Mother’s Day Tea, Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, eisenhower. archives.gov.

May 6 Discover Salina Naturally, Lakewood

Park, Salina, salina.com.

May 6 Timeless Opera, Salina Symphony,

salinasymphony.org.

May 6 I-70 Spring Livestock Show/Craft

Fair, Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

May 9-12 37th Annual William Inge Theater Festival, Independence, ingecenter. org/festival. May 11 Paragon Ragtime Orchestra, with

silent films, Junction City, jcoperahouse.org.

May 11 All Schools Day Parade, McPherson,

620-241-3340.

May 11, 18, 25 RiverFlix, classic movie

outdoors, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

May 11-12 Yellow Brick Road Car Show,

Liberal, visitliberal.com.

May 11-13 43rd Annual Mother’s Day

Market, antiques, crafts, handmade

May 12-13 Art and Book Fair, Wichita Art

Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

May 12-13 Miami County Spring Farm

Tour, louisburgcidermill.com.

May 13 Wild About Moms, moms get in free, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org. May 13 Mother’s Day, free admission for mothers, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org. May 18-20 Menards NHRA Heartland

Nationals, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

May 19 Mud Bogg, Junction City,

sundownsalute.org.

May 19 Flint Hills Festival, Flint Hills

Discovery Center and Blue Earth Plaza, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

May 19 Bill Snyder Highway Half 5k/ Half Marathon, Manhattan, VisitManhattanKS.org. Continued on page 32.

Russell County “Alive with History, Culture, & Commerce”

Wilson Lake

Russell Golf Course Switchgrass Moutain Bike Trail

...with attractions and festivals for all

Bowl Plaza

Russell County Economic Development & CVB (877) 830-3737 • www.russellcoks.org

Russell County Kansas

• • • • • • •

Little House on the Prairie Elk City Reservoir Riverside Park & Ralph Mitchell Zoo William Inge Theater Festival Riverside Beach Family Aquatic Center Independence Historical Museum & Art Center Neewollah Festival

‘Expect the Unexpected in Lucas’

Travel Ks Ad 2018.indd 1

2/7/2018 2:18:32 PM

Grassroots Arts Capital of Kansas Discover 25 “Outsider Art” Environments

For more information visit www.indkschamber.org

785-525-6288

lucascoc@wtciweb.com www.lucaskansas.com

Garden of Eden • 785-525-6395 www.garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com

Grassroots Art Center • 785-525-6118 www.grassrootsart.net

Visit our Bowl Plaza public restrooms and Miller’s Park

$1 Off All Tours with Ad

l 31


Continued from page 31.

May 19 Lost Trail Days, tours of soda production and tasting, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com. May 19-20 Peony Festival, Stockton,

hwy24.org.

May 20 Run for the Wall, veterans stop on way to Washington, D.C., for ceremony honoring those killed or injured in war, Junction City, rftw.org. May 20 Run for the Wall, Oakley, discoveroakley.com. May 25-28 Memorial Weekend celebration,

rodeo, arts and crafts, Greensburg, visitgreensburgks.com.

May 26 Carp Derby at Lake Scott State

Park, chamber.scottcityks.org.

May 26-Sept. 3 Planet Shark: Predator or Prey, national traveling exhibition, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org. May 26 Little River Suicide Hill Run, Little

River, 620-257-5166.

May 26-28 Little Britches Rodeo, Dodge

City, 620-225-2244.

May 26-28 Highlights in History, Fort Scott National Historic Site, fortscott.com. May 28 Memorial Day ceremonies,

Bonner Springs, home of Moon Marble Co., will host its 12th annual Marble Day on May 5. The event features old-fashioned games and outdoor activities.

May 31-June 2 Good Ol’ Days Festival,

downtown Fort Scott, fortscott.com.

May 31-June 2 Carnival, downtown

Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

June

bigbluebbqmarysville.com. June 1-3 Chingawassa Days, Marion,

chingawassadays.com.

June 1-3 Annual Highway 24 Garage Sale,

hwy24.org.

June 1-3 June Jaunt, Main Street Cruise,

June 1 Rhubarb Festival & Tasting Tea,

outdoor movie, vendors, live music, beer garden, Great Bend, visitgreatbend.com.

May 28 Memorial Day Concert &

June 1 The Raleigh Ringers Hand Bell Choir, Junction City, jcoperahouse.org.

June 1-9 Wichita Riverfest, parade, food

Celebration, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

May 28-Sept. 3 Historic Trolley Tours,

June 1-2 National Orphan Train Celebration,

May 29-Dec. 31 Voices from Within:

June 1-2 Big Blue River Days, Auto-Fest

National Cemetery, Fort Leavenworth, and Leavenworth National Cemetery.

Dodge City, 620-225-8186.

The American Prisoner of War Experience, Coronado Quivira Museum, Lyons, cqmuseum.org.

Glasco, hwy24.org.

Concordia, orphantraindepot.org.

Car Show & Big Blue BBQ, 300+ cars, food trucks, live music, beer garden, 5k/10k Rib Run, downtown Marysville,

court, music, family activities, symphony concert, fireworks, wichitariverfest.com.

June 1-11 Beef Empire Days, celebrates

southwest Kansas’ cattle industry through parades, contests, progressive dinner, Garden City, beefempiredays.com.

June 2 Annual Glen Elder Reservoir Youth Fishing Tournament, hwy24.org. June 2 Symphony at Sunset, Salina Symphony, Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, eisenhower.archives.gov. June 2 I Heart Kansas!, a showcase of what there is to do in Kansas and products made in the state, Celebration Centre, Lyons, iheartkansas.com. June 2 Dedication of one of the largest collections of barbed wire in Kansas, Territorial Capital Museum, Lecompton, 785-887-6148. June 2 Miner Day Reunion, Big Brutus, West Mineral, 620-827-6177. June 2 Capital City Family & Food Truck Festival, downtown Topeka, visittopeka.com.

32 l


June 2 Spring into Kechi, vintage market,

June 9-10 Juneteenth Celebration,

June 2 National Biplane Fly-In, antique,

June 9-10 Newton Flower and Garden

316-253-4119.

vintage and modern biplanes, Junction City, nationalbiplaneflyin.com.

Atchison, 913-426-6304. Tour, newtonplks.org.

June 9-Sept. 9 Cameo Glass in

June 2-3 Summer in Scott Barrel Race, Scott City, VisitScottCity.com.

Context, Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

June 3 Take Flight: Butterfly House Grand

June 13-17 “Sister Act,” Music Theatre

Opening, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

June 3 Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony

Orchestra concert, Trinity Heights United Methodist Church, Newton.

Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

June 15 Tunes + Tallgrass, outdoor live music and film screening, Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

June 7-10 Smoky Hill River Festival, Oakdale Park, Salina, fine art, crafts, music, food, children’s activities, riverfestival.com.

June 15-16 Swing into Summer Festival

June 8 “Chicken Little,” performed by

McPherson Opera House, 620-241-1952.

Wichita Children’s Theatre, McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

June 8-10, 15-17, 22-24, 29-July 1

“Mamma Mia!” Salina Community Theatre, salinatheatre.com. June 8-17 “Camelot,” Great Plains Theatre,

Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

June 9 Great Planes on the Great Plains Fly

In, Hays, visithays.com.

June 9 Symphony in the Flint Hills, Butler

County, symphonyintheflinthills.org.

June 9 Tri-County Cruisers Car Show and Quilt Round-Up, Oakley, discoveroakley.com. June 9 Prairie Days Festival, Little House

on the Prairie Museum, Independence, littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com.

and Car Show, Stockton, hwy24.org.

June 15-17 “The Addams Family,”

June 16 Midsummer’s Festival, traditional

Swedish celebration, food, music, dancers, games, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

June 16 4th Annual TaTa Benefit Ride, Fort

Scott, fortscott.com.

June 16 LavenderFest, Fort Scott, fortscott.com. June 16 Father’s Day Car Show, Rolling

time Lecompton was the official capital of Kansas from 1855 to 1861, Lecompton, 785887-6148. June 16 11th Annual Lavender Harvest

Festival, Bennington, demonstrations, artists, music, lavender-related vendors, prairielavenderfarm.com.

June 17 Father’s Day at the Zoo, dads

get in free, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

June 21-23 Kicker Country Stampede,

Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, VisitManhattanKS.org.

June 21-24, 29-July 1 “West Side Story,” Depot Theater, Dodge City, 620-225-1001. June 22-July 12 Verdigris Valley Art Exhibit, Independence Historical Museum & Art Center, 620-331-3515. June 23 150th City Celebration, Columbus, 620-429-1492. June 23 51st Art in the Park, Garden City, music, food, arts and crafts, 620-260-9700. June 23 Tap That Topeka, visittopeka.com. Continued on page 34.

Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

June 16 Territorial Day celebration of the

No matter the season, get away for the weekend

June 9 Arkalon Assault, Liberal,

visitliberal.com.

June 9 Juneteenth Celebration, Junction

City, 785-375-4715.

RELAX in a field of lavender

RENEW your passion for America’s past-time

RECONNECT on a bike ride down a wooded path

RELIVE history by candlelight

www.visitfortscott.com

l 33


Continued from page 33.

July 4 Play Day in the Park/Old-Fashioned

June 27-July 1 “Guys and Dolls,” Music Theatre Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

July 4 Fireworks & Salute to the Union, Fort

June 28 Broadway Plaza Free Concert

Series: King Midas, downtown Concordia, broadwayplazaconcordia.com.

Fourth of July, fireworks, Salina, salina.com. Leavenworth, leavenworth.armymwr.com.

July 4 Fireworks, Great Bend, 620-793-4111.

July 6-8 Astra Arts Festival, celebrating the arts of Kansas and the Midwest, Independence, astrafest.org. July 7 Coffeyville Summer Celebration with fireworks, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

July 4 July Fourth Extravaganza, Lyons,

July 7-8 Marmaton Massacre Mountain Bike Race, Fort Scott, fortscott.com.

July 4 Fourth of July Celebration, 5K run,

July 8 Independence Day barbecue, ballgames, fireworks, Alton, hwy24.org.

crafts, car show, fireworks, music, Junction City, sundownsalute.org.

July 4 Independence Day Celebration with

July 8 Cider Mill Century Bike Ride, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

June 30 Pony Express Re-Ride, Pony

July 4 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, Boot

June 29 Wild West Night, Leavenworth County Historical Society, leavenworthhistory.org. June 29-July 4 Sundown Salute, carnival,

Express Station & Museum, Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org. June 30 Spencer Family Walk.Run.Roll

at Lake Scott State Park, walkrunrollscottcity.com.

June 30 Main Street Festival, Dodge City,

620-227-9501.

July July 3-4 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July,

620-257-5166.

fireworks, games, Columbus, 620-429-2678. fireworks, Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

Hill Museum, and fireworks at Memorial Stadium, Dodge City, 620-227-8188.

July 4 Independence Day Fireworks,

Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

July 4 Highlights in History, Fort Scott

National Historic Site, fortscott.com.

July 4 Coors Freedom Run, 5K, 10K, 1-mile

runs, Sundown Salute Parade follows, Junction City, sundownsalute.org.

July 4-7 Wild West Festival and Fireworks

Sterling, 620-257-5166.

Show, Hays, visithays.com.

July 4 Freedom Fest Celebration, Russell,

July 6 Midland Theater Foundation’s Vaude

russellcoks.org. TravelKS.qxp_Layout 1 2/15/18 4:55 PM Page 1 in the Ville, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

hello Foodie FUN TOWN

July 8-15 Brothers of the Third Wheel

National Trike-In, Dodge City, 520-789-7265.

July 10-14 Fiesta Mexicana, Topeka, visittopeka.com. July 11-15 “Freaky Friday,” Music Theatre

of Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

July 13-15 IPRA-ICRA Rodeo, Saddle Club

Arena, Columbus, 620-674-8820.

July 13-22 “Lion in Winter,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org. July 14 9th Flea Market, Garden City, 620272-3664. July 15 Fun Day in the Park, Glen Elder,

hwy24.org.

July 16 Drums Across Kansas, El Dorado,

drumsacrosskansas.com.

July 16 Lost Trail Days, tours of soda

production and tasting, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

July 18-21 Pretty Prairie Rodeo, Kansas’

largest night rodeo, dance, pprodeo.com.

July 19-21 Annual After Harvest Festival, Ellinwood, ellinwoodchamber.com. July 20 LakeFest at Warnock Lake, country

music concert kicks off Amelia Earhart Festival, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

July 20-21 Junction City Rodeo, 785-

210-6536.

A weekend getaway to Manhattan will leave your taste buds wanting more. Manhattan’s ultra-satisfying dining joints deliver on a level that will exceed all standards.

Call for a free Visitors Guide 800-759-0134

VisitManhattanKS.org

34 l

July 20-21, 27-28 Broadway RFD, “Annie,” Swensson Park bandshell, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg. July 20-23 Pickin’ on the Plains Blue Grass Festival, Colby Fairgrounds, oasisontheplains.com. July 21 Splash and Dash, Liberal, visitliberal.com. July 21 Lost Trail Days, tours of soda production and tasting, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com. July 21 22nd Annual Amelia Earhart Festival, Atchison, visitatchison.com. July 21-22 Wichita Mini Maker Faire,


Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org. July 25-29 “Pippin,” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org. July 26 Kaw Valley Rodeo, PRCA

sanctioned, Riley County Fairgrounds, VisitManhattan.org. July 26-29 KKOA Leadsled Spectacular

Car Show, Oakdale Park, Salina, kustomkempsofamerica.com.

July 26-29 140th Emancipation Celebration & Homecoming, Nicodemus, festival, parade, music, hwy24.org. July 26-Aug. 5 Dodge City Days,

parade, rodeos, gunfights, BBQ contest, longhorn cattle drive, Kidfest, music, dodgecitydays.com.

July 27-28 DAM Music Fest, El Dorado

Lake, dammusicfest.com.

July 28 Christmas in July Craft Fair,

Celebration Centre, Lyons, 620-257-5166. July 28 Rock & Food Trucks, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Aug. 10-19 “Shrek the Musical,” Great

Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Aug. 11 Crusin the Capitol car show, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Aug. 17-19 Sand Creek Summer Daze Festival, concerts, home brew and barbecue competitions, family activities, Athletic Park, Newton, sandcreeksummerdaze.com.

Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

Aug. 11 Street Dance, Gorham, russellcoks.org.

Aug. 18-19 Lake Scott Rod Run, Scott City

Aug. 11 Party in the Park, mud run, car show, fireworks, Explore Great Bend Facebook page.

Aug. 19 Squirrel Jam Music Festival,

Aug. 11 Float Your Boat Cardboard Boat

Springs, bsedwchamber.org.

Aug. 11 Leavenworth Cruisers Car Show,

Aug. 24-26 Tumbleweed Festival, celebrate the arts with live music and children’s activities, Garden City, 620-290-1011.

Park, VisitScottCity.com.

Races, Junction City, junctioncity.org. leavcruisers@gmail.com.

Aug. 11 Run for the Hills, Rolling Hills Zoo,

Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 14 -18 Coffeyville Inter-State Fair &

Rodeo, visitcoffeyville.com.

Aug. 17 Twine-a-thon, Cawker City, hwy24.org. Aug. 17-18 Seward County PRCA Rodeo,

July 28 National Day of the Cowboy, cowboy-themed activities, poetry and storytelling, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

Aug. 3-5 Goessel Threshing Days, ethnic food, live demos, parade with featured tractor Minneapolis Moline, wheatco.org. Aug. 4 Smoky Valley Classic Car Show, Swensson Park, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg. Aug. 7 National Night Out, Liberal,

visitliberal.com.

Aug. 8-12 Tri Rivers Fair, Rodeo & Draft

Horse Pull, Salina, salina.com.

For use on a lightDisney’s color background, on Aug. 8-18 “The Little Mermaid,” uncoated materials. Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

FIND US ON

9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Exhibitors from 16 states | German Food Fest 620.947.3506 | hillsboroartsandcraftsfair.org

Lake, russellcoks.org. NO BACKGROUND, on uncoated materials.

Aug. 25 Street Dance, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg, 888-227-2227. Continued on page 36.

& CRAFT SHOW 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Shady, relaxed atmosphere F O O D CO U RT • F R E E S H U T T L E 620.382.3425 • marionparksandrec.com

1 D AT E 2 F A I R S I N M A R I O N C O U N T Y ALWAYS OPEN, ALWAYS FREE

Take a self guided tour of the 76-piece Martin H. Bush Outdoor Sculpture Collection or call ahead and plan a free group tour. Maps available inside the Ulrich. Joan Miró, Personnages Oiseaux (Bird People), 1977–78.

Museum Hours: Tuesday–Friday: 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday–Sunday: 1–5 p.m.

Aug. 10 Perseid Meteor Shower viewing For use on a dark color background, on party, Kansas uncoated materials. Wetlands Education Center, Great Bend, wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu. Aug. 10-12 Lovegrass Festival, Wilson

Aug. 25 Adam’s Apple Festival, Lucas, lucaskansas.com.

Marion’s 40th annual

August

225-2244.

Aug. 24-26 Summer Jubilee, games, barbecue, Bull City Opry, street dance, Alton, hwy24.org.

49th ANNUAL

Rodeo & Fair, Hill City, hwy24.org.

Aug. 1-5 PRCA Rodeo, Dodge City, 620-

Aug. 23-25 Tiblow Days Festival, Bonner

S A T U R D A Y, S E P T E M B E R 15

July 30-Aug. 1 Jayhawker’s Roundup

Aug. 1-5 Southwest Kansas Pro-Am Golf Tournament, Garden City, 100 professionals and 300 amateurs, Buffalo Dunes Municipal Golf Course and The Golf Club at Southwind, 620- 272-2376.

Marysville, marshallcountyarts.org.

@ulrichmuseum | ulrich.wichita.edu | Free Admission | 316.978.3664 | 1845 Fairmount <--THERE IS A WHITE ONE

l 35


Continued from page 35.

Marysville, marysvillekansaschamber.org.

Aug. 25 Big Brutus Polka Fest, West

Mineral, 620-827-6177.

Sept. 8 Pontiac Uprising Races, car show, Great Bend, 316-655-1408.

Aug. 25 Zoo Brew Craft Fest, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Sept. 8 Together as a Community We

September Sept. 1-3 Chisholm Trail Days, Old Abilene

Town, abilenekansas.org.

Sept. 1-3 Highlights in History, Fort Scott

National Historic Site, fortscott.com.

Sept. 1- Oct. 14 Renaissance Festival, 16th

century village, entertainment, jousting, Bonner Springs, kcrenfest.com.

Sept. 1-Nov. 3 Haunted Season, narrated

trolley, cemetery tours and other activities, Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Sept. 2 Russell Springs Old Settler’s Day,

discoveroakley.com.

Sept. 4-9 Garden City Charity Classic,

LPGA tour with 144 pro women golfers, 620-276-1210.

Sept. 7-8 Women’s Ranch Rodeo

Association Finals, Dodge City, 620338-8284. Sept. 7-9 24th annual Power of the Past

Antique Engine & Tractor Show, antique tractor parade, demos, food, crafts, Forest Park, Ottawa, powerofthepast.net. Sept. 7-16 Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, kansasstatefair.com. Sept. 8 Sunflower Piecemakers Quilt

Stand United Parade, Great Bend, visitgreatbend.com.

Sept. 8-Dec. 9 “Burnt Generation,” exhibition of contemporary Iranian photography, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich.wichita.edu. Sept. 13-14 Antique Engine & Steam Show, Yesteryear Museum, Salina, salina.com. Sept. 14-15 Hog Wild BBQ Event,

Leavenworth, leavenworthmainstreet.com.

Sept. 14-15 Oz-somesauce Ultra 50K, Fort

Mutton busting is a popular event at the annual Pretty Prairie Rodeo in July.

Sept. 14-16 Ol’Marais River Run Car

PHOTO BY FOTO COWBOY

Scott, fortscott.com.

Show, 2,000 antique cars, cruise down historic Main Street, Ottawa, olmarais.com.

Sept. 14-16 Highway 36 Treasure Hunt,

400 Miles of antiques and garage sales, ushwy36.com.

Sept. 14-Oct. 31 Corn Maze and

Sept. 15-16 TopCon, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Sept. 15 Butterfly Festival, Kansas Wetlands Education Center, Great Bend, wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.

Sept. 18 56th Annual Grant County Home

Sept. 15 Art Gone Wild Plein Air Event,

Events Center, Salina, salina.com.

Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org. Sept. 15 Warrior Fest, Sterling, 620-

257-5166.

Sept. 15 49th Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair,

hillsboroartsandcraftsfair.org.

Sept. 8 Air Show, Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Sept. 15 40th Art in the Park, Marion, marionparksandrec.com.

Sept. 8 Pony Express 120 Gravel Dash,

Sept. 15 Tacos y Tequila, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Pumpkin Patch, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Show, more than 100 quilts, Ottawa, sunflowerpiecemakers.wix.com.

Sept. 8 Boss Nationals, national gathering of Boss-powered cars, Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Sept. 15 Annual Muddy River Music Festival, Atchison riverfront, visitatchison.com.

Sept. 15 Ride for the Dogs poker run and party, Caring Hands Humane Society, Newton, caringhandshs.org/ride-for-thedogs.html.

Products Dinner, Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

Sept. 18 Sunflower Fair, Tony’s Pizza Sept. 20-23 Frontier Western Celebration, El Dorado, frontierwesterncelebration.com. Sept. 21-22 International Forest of Friendship Celebration, Atchison, 913367-1419. Sept. 21-22 Jammin’ in JC Blues & BBQ Festival, Junction City, jammininjc.com. Sept. 21-23 The Land Institute’s Prairie Festival, The Land Institute, Salina, salina.com. Sept. 22 Catfish Chasers Tournament, tournament, Atchison, catfishchasers.com. 100 Sept. 22 Smoky Hill Museum Street 95 Fair, celebrate the history and heritage of the Smoky Hills region with a 75 downtown parade, historic demonstrators, entertainment, food and activities, Salina, smokyhillmuseum.org. 25 Sept. 22 Concordia Fall Fest, parade, car show, games, entertainment, 785-243-4290. 5

Sept. 22 Fair on the Square/Car Show,

0 Lyons, 620-257-5166.

Sept. 22 Fall in Love with Kechi, kite festival and vintage market, 316-253-4119.

36 l


Sept. 22-Dec. 31 Toytopia, national

traveling exhibit, investigate the origins of toys, see the world’s largest Etch-A-Sketch and play vintage video arcade games, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

Sept. 26-27 Blues Masters at the Crossroads, Blue Heaven Studios and Stiefel Theatre, Salina, salina.com. Sept. 27 Annual Taste of Atchison,

Sept. 29 Kansas Chocolate Festival, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Oct. 3 Annual Fall Festival, Rooks County

Sept. 29 Red Hot Chili Pepper 5K and Little Pepper Fun Run, Chili Cook-off, Newton, ToNewton.com.

Oct. 4 Taste of Newton downtown street

Sept. 29 Historical Trolley Tour, Bonner

visitcoffeyville.com.

Springs, 913-422-7242.

Sept. 29 Coffeyville Street Drags,

Museum, Stockton, hwy24.org. festival, ToNewton.com.

Oct. 4 Dalton Defenders Days, Coffeyville, Oct. 4-31 3rd Street Asylum, haunted

visitatchison.com.

Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

1918 school building in Bonner Springs, 3rdstreetasylum.com.

Sept. 27-29 Lucas Oil SRCA Races, Great Bend, srcadragstrip.com.

Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7 Ciderfest,

Oct. 5 Rush the Rails: Flint Hills Nature

Sept. 28 Oktoberfest, Hays, visithays.com.

Sept. 29-Jan. 6 The Art Gone Wild

Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Sept. 28-30 Airfest, Great Bend Municipal Airport, 620-793-4111.

Gallery Show, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Sept. 28-30 Hahn Brothers’ Motocross Shootout, Great Bend, visitgreatbend.com.

Sept. 29-January 2019 The Kansas Farm Now: Photographs from D. Byron Darby and Larry Schwarm, Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

Sept. 28-30 Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty

Pageant and ranch rodeo, peacetreaty.org.

Sept. 29 Bob Bethel Memorial Car Show,

Alden, 620-257-5166.

Sept. 29 Bluestem Festival, Fort Scott, fortscott.com. Sept. 29 Whimmydiddle Arts & Craft Fair, Scott City Park, whimmydiddle.org.

Sept. 30 100 Thousand Poets for Peace &

Justice, Glasco, hwy24.org.

October Oct. 3 Fun Day, Family Festival & Car

Show, Glasco, hwy24.org.

Trail Run/Ride, ride through six counties, facebook.com/rushtherails.

Oct. 5-7 Hot Air Balloon Regatta, balloon glow at dusk on Friday, three races (weather permitting), columbusdayballoons.com. Oct. 5-31 Exiled: Trail of Terror, weekends, Bonner Springs, exiledkc.com. Oct. 6 Columbus Day Festival & Hot Air Balloon Regatta, balloon races, car show, craft fair, entertainment, Columbus, columbusdayballoons.com. Oct. 6 Flatland Car Show/Bricks Broncs BBQ, Russell, russellcoks.org. Continued on page 38.

History Comes Alive in Ulysses & Grant County

V

isitors who take the Cimarron Cutoff from the Santa Fe Trail find themselves at the Lower Spring campsite nestled in the heart of the Cimarron River valley, a site now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stop and Stay Awhile Frazier Park features hiking & wildlife viewing. Dining options include Kansas-fed beef, a wide variety of the BEST Mexican food and catering for visiting groups. ABOVE: Jeff Trotman portrays early settler Jedediah Smith

along the Santa Fe Trail.

Historic Adobe Museum An interpretive center for the Santa Fe Trail which includes the Hotel Edwards. 300 E. Oklahoma, (620) 356-3009. Open daily (except major holidays).

8

wonders of Kansas! H I S T O RY

For information on planning your visit call (620) 356-4700; or visit us on the web at www.ulysseschamber.org

KANSAS SAMPLER FOUNDATION ©

M E N T I O N T H I S A D F O R V I S I TO R D I S C O U N T S

l 37


Continued from page 37.

Oct. 6 Kansas Barn Sale, Lakeside Park in

McPherson, Kansas Barn Sale on Facebook. Oct. 6 Fall Fest, downtown Ulysses, car

show, games, 620-356-4700.

Oct. 6 Heritage Day Festival, Dickinson County Heritage Center, Abilene, heritagecenterdk.com. Oct. 6 Bethel College Fall Festival, food, activities, music and booths, North Newton, bethelks.edu. Oct. 6 Blues, Brews and Barbecue concert,

craft beer and food trucks, Athletic Park, Newton, harveycountynow.com/bbb. Oct. 6 Bar K Bar Bonanza Horse Fair,

Celebration Centre, Lyons, 620-257-5166. Oct. 6-7 Ciderfest, Louisburg Cider Mill,

Oct. 6-28 Fall Blast @ Bellwether Barn,

weekends, Scott City, bellwetherbarn.com.

Oct. 6-31 Long Pumpkin Patch, Great

Bend, 620-792-3503.

Oct. 7 Fall Family Timber Challenge,

Bonner Springs, kctimberchallenge.com.

Oct. 13 Tri-Yak-A-Thon Race (kayak, run, bike), Fort Scott, fortscott.com. Oct. 13 Monster Myths by Moonlight,

hayrack rides, Junction City, ksoutdoors.com.

Oct. 13 Bootanica, Botanica, Wichita,

botanica.org.

Oct. 13 Pumpkin PaZOOla, Rolling Hills

Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

compete in pole-climbing contests, National Agriculture Center & Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com. Oct. 14 Coronado Heights Run, Lindsborg,

visitlindsborg.

Oct. 15 Falun Classic 32-mile Bicycle Ride, begins at Swensson Park, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg. Oct. 18 Witches Night Out, downtown

Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Oct. 19-21 Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, Fort

Scott, fortscott.com.

Oct. 19-27 Neewollah, Kansas’ largest

annual celebration, Independence, neewollah.com.

Oct. 20 Brown Mansion Spook Trail,

louisburgcidermill.com.

Oct. 13 Oz Fest, Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Oct. 6-7, 13-14 Renaissance Festival,

Oct. 13 International Lineman’s Rodeo,

Oct. 20-28 Fort Leavenworth Haunted

Bonner Springs, kcrenfest.com.

5,000 linemen from around the world

Houses walking tour, weekends, ffam.us.

Oct. 23 Great Pumpkin & Costume Contest, Liberal, visitliberal.com. Oct. 25 Black Squirrel Night, unveiling of new Black Squirrels on Parade, trick or treating, costume contest, dancers, Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org. Oct. 27 Zoo Boo, Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo, 620-793-4226. Oct. 27 Little River Fall Festival, 620257-5166. Oct. 27-28 Peddlers Market, antique and craft show with over 120 vendors, Finney County Fairgrounds, Garden City, 620260-5864. Oct. 31 Trick or Treat on the Trails,

Celebration Centre, Lyons, 620-257-5166.

November Nov. 1-Jan. 1 Largest Midwest display of

150 Christmas trees in antique and Victorian themes at the Territorial Capital Museum, Lecompton, lecomptonkansas.org.

Nov. 3 Cael Evans Memorial Youth Hunt Russell, russellcoks.org. Nov. 3-4 French Market, Liberal,

visitliberal.com.

Nov. 10-Dec. 9 “Not Another Christmas

Letter The Musical,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

Nov. 10 Veteran’s Day Parade, Lyons, 620-257-5166. Nov. 10 Taste of Adventure, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

38 l


Nov. 10-11 Gingerbread Village, make your own gingerbread house, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org. Nov. 10-11 Young Guns Rodeo, Dodge City,

620-338-8284.

Nov. 11 Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame

induction, Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, 620-227-8188.

Nov. 12 Veterans Day Parade, downtown

Leavenworth, lvvetsparade.com.

Nov. 15 Christmas Tree/Mall Lighting,

Nov. 26 Christmas Parade of Lights and Chili Fest, Dodge City, 620-225-8186.

Dec. 1 Breakfast with Santa, Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, 620-227-8188.

Nov. 26 Santa’s Arrival and Tree Lighting, Sterling, 620-257-5166.

Dec. 1 Candy Cane Lane & Mayor’s Christmas Tree Lighting, Bonner Springs, bonnersprings.org.

Nov. 28 Christmas Celebration, Columbus, parade, children’s activities, food, 620429-1492. Nov. 29 Christmas Light Parade, Main Street, Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

Dec. 1 Artists’ Studio Open House and Snowflake Parade, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg, 888-227-2227. Dec. 1 Kechi Holiday Open House, ornament glass blowing, vendors, 316253-4119.

December Dec. 1 Night of Christmas Magic, Abilene

Dec. 1-2 Folk Art Festival, Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Lights, downtown Salina, salina.com.

Dec. 1 WinterFest, Topeka, visittopeka.com.

Dec. 1-2 Young Guns Rodeo, Dodge City, 620-338-8284.

Nov. 17 Frosty 5K & Snow Glow Fun Runs,

Dec. 1 Santa Saturday, Scott City, chamber. scottcityks.org.

Nov. 17 Raymond Market, 620-257-5166.

Dec. 1 Sights and Sounds of Christmas, downtown Atchison, lighted parade, visitatchison.com.

downtown Atchison, visitatchison.com.

Nov. 17 Christmas Festival & Parade of

Salina, salina.com.

Nov. 17 Night of Lights, Liberal,

visitliberal.com.

Nov. 17-18 Tumbleweed Bazaar, craft fair,

Grant County Civic Center, Ulysses, 620356-1808.

Nov. 21-Dec. 31 Chautauqua Isle of

Lights, Beloit, hwy24.org.

Nov. 23 Christmas Light Parade & Supper

Civic Center, abilenekansas.org.

Dec. 1, 8 Breakfast with Santa, games,

activities, photos, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

Dec. 1-25 Light Up Marysville Lighting

Contest, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Dec. 1 Annual Christkindlmarket

Dec. 7 Christmas Parade, downtown Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Dec. 1 Five Places of Christmas, Carriage

Dec. 7-8 Candlelight Tour, Fort Scott National Historic Site, fortscott.com.

Ellinwood, ellinwoodchamber.com. Factory Art Gallery, Kauffman Museum, Harvey County Historical Museum, Warkentin House and Bethel College, ToNewton.com.

Dec. 8 St. Lucia Festival, Lindsborg,

visitlindsborg.

Continued on page 40.

with Santa, Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

Nov. 23 Christmas Parade, Santa Claus

arrives to turn on the lights in Heritage Park, Junction City, jcacc.org.

Nov. 23-Dec. 31 Illuminations, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org. Nov. 24 3rd Annual Christmas Stroll, Atchison, visitatchison.com. Nov. 24 A Very “Merry”sville Christmas,

Santa’s Christmas parade, live nativity, Jingle Run, downtown Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Nov. 24 Festival of Lights, Blue Earth Plaza,

Manhattan, VisitManhattanKS.org.

Nov. 24 Home for the Holidays Festival & Parade, opening of Trail of Lights, Great Bend, ice skating, Santas Around the World (until Dec. 21), wagon rides, 620-796-2242.

B onner S prin g s Kansas

Downtown Specialty Shops, Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Moon Marble Company, National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame, Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, Sunflower Hills Golf Course, Wyandotte County Museum & Zip KC

I-70 Exit 224 A-B www.bonnersprings.org

Nov. 24 Lighted Christmas Parade, Russell, russellcoks.org. Nov. 24 Miracle on Kansas Avenue Parade, Topeka, visittopeka.com. Nov. 24-Jan. 1 Trail of Lights, Great Bend,

animated lights, Twelve Days of Christmas, for map, call 620-793-4111.

l 39


Continued from page 39.

Dec. 1-2 Holiday Homes Tour, Abilene

Visitors Center, abilenekansas.org.

Dec. 1 Little River Ole Hometown

Christmas, 620-257-5166.

Dec. 1 Main Street Mall and Kids’

Workshops, Sterling, 620-257-5166. Dec. 6 Parade of Lights, Newton’s Main Street, ToNewton.com. Dec. 8 Old-Fashioned Christmas, Old Mill Museum, Old Mill Museum, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg. Dec. 8 Christmas Blast Party, Liberal, visitliberal.com. Dec. 8-9 Santa Express 5K, National

Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

Dec. 8-9 17th & 18th Century Living

History Fair, Kenwood Park, Salina, salina.com.

Dec. 9 Leavenworth County Historic Society Vintage Homes Tour, leavenworthhistory.org. Dec. 10-13 Supper with Santa, Botanica,

Wichita, botanica.org.

Dec. 13 Main Street Blaze, downtown Ulysses, live entertainment, bonfire, 620356-4700. Dec. 15 National Wreaths Across America Day, Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, wreathsacrossamerica.org. Dec. 15 Horse Drawn Carriage Rides, downtown Fort Scott, fortscott.com. Dec. 31 Family New Year’s Eve, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org. Dec. 31 Little Apple Ball Drop, Aggieville, Manhattan, VisitManhattanKS.org.

40 l

The index includes locations and advertisers, but not events or calendar listings. Abilene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 13, 14, back cover Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad . . . . back cover Atchison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 12 Augusta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 17 Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 23 Blacksmith Coffee Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Bonner Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 39 Botanica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Brookville Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover Carriage Factory Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chase State Fishing Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cheney Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 10 Chisholm Trail Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Choice Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside back cover Clinton Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Cloud County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Coffeyville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 12, 14 Colby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Concordia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Coronado Quivira Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Council Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Council Grove Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Courtyard Gallery & Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Cowtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Dodge City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 13, 17, 27 Downs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 El Dorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 El Dorado Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9 Elk City Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Ellinwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Ellis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Emporia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Exploration Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fall River Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Finney County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Flint Hills Discovery Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Fort Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 33 Franklin County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Frontenac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Gallery XII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Garden City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 23, 29 Geary County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Grant County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Great Bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Greensburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Greyhound Hall of Fame . . . . . . . . . . . back cover Hays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 21, 30 Hemslojd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Heritage Center & Museum . . . . . . . . . back cover

Highway 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Hoot Owl Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Horsethief Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 13, 31 Jeffcoat Photography . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover Junction City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10 Kanopolis Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Kansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Kansas Originals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Kansas Sampler Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 28 Lake Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Leavenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Lecompton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Liberal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 27 Lindsborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 20, 22-23 Little House on the Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Louisburg Cider Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Lucas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Lyons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 14, 34 Marion Art in the Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Marquette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16 Marysville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 5, 11, 13 McPherson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Meade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Medicine Lodge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 9, 13, 28 Miami County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Mid-America All-Indian Center . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Middle Creek Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Midsummer’s Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Milford Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 9 Mullinville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 28 Music Theatre Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 New Lancaster General Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 18, 28 Oakley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Osawatomie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Osborne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Ottawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Overland Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Perry Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Perry Wildlife Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover Pittsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Pretty Prairie Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 29 Red Barn Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Renaissance Café . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Rice County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Rolling Hills Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover Russell County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Salina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover, 26 Salina Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover Scott City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Scott’s Hometown Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Seelye Mansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-14, back cover Selden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Small World Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Smoky Hill Museum . . . . . . . . inside front cover Smoky Hill River Festival . inside front cover, 26 Smoky Hill Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Solomon Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 South-Central Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-19 St. Francis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 17 Swedish Country Inn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Swedish Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve . . . . . . . . . . 14 Topeka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 15-17, 20, 21, 23, 24 Trollslanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tuttle Creek State Reservoir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Ulrich Museum of Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Ulysses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Wellington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 21, 28, 35 Wichita Art Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 21, 24 Wilson Lake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10


Connect With Your People In Kansas Book early and SAVE UP TO 20% Visit ChoiceHotels.com/Kansas-hotels or call 1.877.424.4777 and get our Best Available rate.

Advance reservations required. Advance Purchase rate offer only available online and cannot be combined with any other discount or offer. Subject to availability at participating hotels throughout Kansas. ©2017 Choice Hotels International. All rights reserved.



Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.