Travel Kansas 2019 by Susan Burdick

Rocks for the Ages

Western Kansas defies flat reputation

Interest rises in national river trail African American Trail links historic sites $5

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Welcome to Travel Kansas For a quarter century, we’ve been privileged to share what Kansas has to offer through this annual magazine. When I declared this edition to be my favorite and the best ever, our long-time art director tactfully pointed out that I say that every year. But this year it really is true, thanks to the writing and photographs of some of the state’s best as well as the always-superb design skills of longtime collaborator Susan Burdick.

Around Kansas

Eisenhower Museum salutes 75th anniversary of D-Day Raisers of the Lost Ark (City) unearth fabled 16th century city Blue River Rail Trail named one of country’s best Laura Ingalls Wilder’s newest little house

8 Beccy

Tanner’s Favorite Kansas Things

The author of more than 8,000 articles about Kansas and its history shares her favorite things to do in the state

This issue is packed with things to do and explore, from a renovation at Eisenhower Museum and an excavation of an ancient civilization to a remarkable new state park, a national river trail, and a trail linking Kansas’ many important sites in African American – and national – history.

12 Breaking Ground

And if you’ve ever wondered where intrepid traveler and veteran Kansas journalist Beccy Tanner likes to visit most, you’ll find out.

Dodge City distillery owners use Kansas grains to make spirits

Newly established Kansas African American History Trail links significant sites

Spirits of Boot Hill

PHOTO BY GREGORY ZOLNEROWICH

I’m also grateful to the 85 advertising partners who supported this edition, and thankful for the thousands of travelers who pick it up at airports and tourist information centers. Thank you all for joining us on this journey. Cynthia Mines, Publisher|Editor

2019 Travel Kansas™

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Locally owned since 1993

Cynthia Mines ART DIRECTOR Susan Burdick

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The Wichita Times®

Magazine accessible online at wichitatimesonline.com/ travel-kansas.

MONUMENT ROCKS FROM KANSAS DEPT. WILDLIFE, PARKS & TOURISM

COVER PHOTO

LEFT: Cindy Griggs captures Jim Griggs shooting the cover image at Monument Rocks. See more of their work from around the world at selectivefocus.com.

the River

Plans roll on for more ramps, improvements along the nationally recognized Kansas River

PUBLISHER/EDITOR

Kansas Road Trip

This year’s expedition focuses on the northwest counties of Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace

Rocks for the Ages

The much-anticipated opening of Little Jerusalem adds another site along the Western Vistas Historic Byway

26 2019

Events

What could be a more authentic experience than a pancake race, rodeo or local festival? Kansas has it all.

The light patterns on Atchison’s Amelia Earhart Memorial Bridge are changed for holidays as well as other occasions, including school homecomings. PHOTO BY MARK McDANIEL

After being closed for a year-long renovation, the Eisenhower Presidential Museum in Ike’s hometown of Abilene is scheduled to reopen in June in time for events saluting the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The structure had been added to three times over the past six decades, and this is the first time the complete 25,000 square feet is being reimagined as one comprehensive space. The museum first opened not as a presidential museum but as a way to honor Abilene’s most famous son and the nation’s first five-star general, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was supreme allied commander during the invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. “(Eisenhower) did not see action during World War I and I like to imagine that perhaps he was held back and given all of these other educational opportunities to get familiar with European battlefields because the world needed him in World War II,” said The Eisenhower Center campus in Abilene includes five buildings on 22 acres.

Dawn Hammatt, director of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Eisenhower was elected president in 1953, and the museum dedication took place on Nov. 11, 1954. It was the first Veterans Day, as Eisenhower officially changed the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day to honor all veterans. Eisenhower served as president until 1961,

and the Eisenhower Presidential Library opened in 1962. The current Eisenhower Center complex includes five buildings on 22 acres. In addition to the library, museum and home, there is a visitors center and the Place of Meditation, where Ike and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower are buried. Everything remains open during the

PHOTO COURTESY OF EISENHOWER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM

Eisenhower Museum renovates, salutes 75th D-Day anniversary

Raisers of the Lost Ark (City) A literally ground-breaking discovery near Arkansas City has uncovered a lost civilization of about 20,000 inhabitants who lived along five miles of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers between 1450 and 1700. The discovery – thought to uncover one of the largest prehistoric Native American cities in the country – has attracted worldwide attention. The fabled ancient city was long suspected by locals who have found thousands of artifacts but doubted by many historians and scholars. The location of an area called “Etzanoa” by Spanish conquistadors was discovered by Wichita State University archeology professor Donald Blakeslee and his team of students and other archaeologists.

PHOTO BY FOSS FARRAR

renovation except the museum. Some exhibits from the museum are on display in the library. Hammatt said the museum’s reimagined storyline follows both the Eisenhowers from their childhood through military posts and the presidency. World War II exhibits include artifacts such as the D-Day planning table where the world’s top leaders discussed strategy and a mulberry harbor model given to the Eisenhowers by Winston Churchill. Twice as much space is being devoted to the presidential years, and the refreshed exhibits will incorporate new research and multimedia features as well as speeches, manuscripts, automobiles and artifacts, according to Hammatt. “His presidency was incredibly important to the nation at a moment when we were really trying to figure out what our future was,” Hammatt said. “Everything that he helped shape is still relevant: civil rights, the interstate system, education, space exploration.” Events commemorating the 75th anniversary of D-Day begin Saturday, June 1, with a Symphony at Sunset concert featuring the Salina Symphony and continue until the D-Day anniversary on June 6 with films, lectures, family activities and a remembrance ceremony. Check dwightdeisenhower.com/ or Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum on Facebook for more information.

Retranslations of documents, such as this 1601 map (left), led to the discovery of Etzanoa. Donald Blakeslee (above center) continues the excavation with archeology students each summer.

The discovery of a city with 20,000 inhabitants who lived in thatched beehiveshaped houses rewrites history, Blakeslee said. “The Great Plains were originally thought to be sparsely populated.” Blakeslee’s research was aided by a 2013 retranslation of 400-year-old documents by the University of California-Berkeley which clarified previous transcripts. Blakeslee began work at the site in 2015 and was able to match descriptions from the documents with the landscape. A breakthrough came when he was able to confirm iron shot at the suspected site of a 1601 battle. Eyewitness accounts exist from five soldiers of Juan de Oñate, Spanish explorer and founder of New Mexico, who were interviewed in Mexico City in 1602. As the pieces began to match up, Blakeslee contacted the Wichita tribe, thought to be descendants of Etzanoa inhabitants, for approval. Blakeslee, who takes students to the site

for excavations each summer, doesn’t foresee his quest coming to an end. “It’s a reminder that history is fluid; every answer we uncover just leads to more questions.” Cherokee Strip Land Rush Museum in Ark City will open a permanent exhibition in June about the history of Etzanoa and its inhabitants as well as Spanish conquistadors and the battlefield, according to Sandy Randel, Etzanoa interim project director. The museum also shows a documentary and offers tours to the site each Saturday at 10 a.m. Tours are $10 and advance registration is needed by calling 620-442-6750.

Makeover revitalizes Salina’s downtown Building on the momentum of business renovations, Salina 2020 is spearheading development efforts to bring a five-story hotel, entertainment center, new restaurants, streetscape enhancements and a classic auto museum to the downtown area. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6.

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One of the first pieces in the $160 million public-private renovation, the 68,000-square-foot Salina Fieldhouse indoor sports facility, opened in 2017. Other components, including The Alley family entertainment center, are scheduled to be completed next year. Enhanced streetscape improvements include outdoor seating, plazas, landscaping and infrastructure. A group of local car enthusiasts is building a $5 million American Classics Auto Museum and the Stiefel Theatre has plans to re-create a tower and spire that were part of the original theater when it was built in 1931. For updates, visit Salina2020.com.

Blue River Rail Trail ranks as one of the country’s Top 10 “CBS This Morning” confirmed what many already knew when the TV program recognized the Blue River Rail Trail as one of the Top 10 Rail Trails in the Country. Volunteers are working to connect the 12-mile trail in northeast Kansas to Marysville’s historic depot this summer for use as a trailhead and then continue it a few more blocks to downtown. Fundraising and construction of the trail has been entirely by volunteers, said Michelle Whitesell, director of Marysville Convention & Tourism. She said the downtown area is preparing for the arrival by installing modern bike racks and planting

The Marshall County Connection volunteer group is extending the trail into downtown Marysville. PHOTO FROM MARSHALL COUNTY CONNECTION

shade trees to encourage visitors to linger. “It’s a beautiful trail used for hiking and biking that attracts people from all over the country,” she said, adding that the crushed limestone on the trail provides a smooth surface for walking, jogging, biking and even cross-country skiing. Those using the trail, which runs near the Big Blue River, can see limestone outcroppings, grass-covered bluffs and an abundance of wildlife and birds. The trail continues north into Nebraska, passing through Beatrice to Lincoln where it joins

the extensive Great Plains Trail network. For a map and more information, visit blueriverrailtrail.org. Marysville is also home to the Pony Express Home Station and statue as well as the Black Squirrels on Parade and the LifeTiles Murals, which show history in motion, using optically animated art created by Rufus Butler Seder to highlight the Pony Express and railroad. For more information, go to visitmarysvilleks.org.

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s newest little house BY BECCY TANNER

PHOTOS BY BECCY TANNER

aura Ingalls Wilder would surely recognize the new cabin that marks the spot where her family homesteaded near Independence in 1869. The wind still blows lonely through the wildflowers and prairie grass. Coyotes howl at night. But the cabin stands firm. This year marks the 150th anniversary of when Ma, Pa, Laura, Mary and Baby Carrie homesteaded in Kansas. In preparation for the anniversary, the Little House on the Prairie cabin was rebuilt last year. The original cabin which the Wilder family built disappeared from the prairie long ago. The former cabin was built in 1977 during the height of popularity for the TV series of the same name. Local volunteers from the Rotary club had helped assemble it as a tourist draw for southeast Kansas but it was rotting and listing severely. The site is 13 miles southwest of Independence and draws more than 20,000 visitors annually. The new cabin was built using a few 21st-century techniques to help it withstand the test of time and the Kansas winds. It is 13 by 17 feet, with 6-foot-high walls and the peak is 9 feet. All three cabins have sat on what is now the Kurtis family farm. Jean Schodorf, the president of the Little House on the Prairie

site board, is a former state senator. Her brother, Bill Kurtis, is a popular national TV journalist, producer, narrator and news anchor. The well that Charles dug by hand helped a historian pinpoint the location of the Ingalls cabin in 1969. Last year, when the cabin was rebuilt, Osage orange logs from the farm and nearby land were used. The 2018 version took more than 100 trees and three men using a chain saw and drills. Pa Ingalls had himself, two horses, an

axe, a hand auger and used wood pegs to piece the cabin together. On the second Saturday of June, the legacy of the cabin is celebrated in a Prairie Days Festival. This year’s festival will be June 8. The festival includes living history re-enactors, music, food, arts and crafts, and a children’s costume contest. The cabin and grounds are open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 1 through Sept. 1. Check the website, littlehouseonthe prairie museum.com, for winter hours and directions.

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Beccy Tanner’s Favorite Things to Do in Kansas A fourth-generation Kansan, Beccy Tanner worked for five newspapers over four decades. She spent 34 years at the Wichita Eagle where she wrote more than 8,000 articles, many of them about Kansas’ hidden gems. She now teachers Kansas history classes at Wichita State University and leads guided bus tours around the state. We asked what her favorite places to visit in Kansas were and she enthusiastically agreed to share. She’s pictured on opposite page at Pretty Boy Floyd’s speakeasy-inspired underground restaurant in Ellsworth. BY BECCY TANNER

Though Kansans don’t always take time to see their home state, Kansas offers so many things to see and experience. There is much to take in and marvel at among the distinct regions, cultures and landmarks. Talk with most Kansans and they may have visited only a third of the 105 counties in the state. For vacation, why not explore Kansas’ backyard? The state offers roughly 83,000 miles to see something that is memorable, if not extraordinary. It’s all about the experience. Here are ten of my favorites.

nation’s foremost Indian War-era forts. Walk into the period buildings, look at the soldiers’ mess hall, barracks and officers’ quarters. Imagine their daily routines and those of the Native Americans – the Kiowa, the Pawnee, Cherokee and other tribes – who walked there before you. At Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City and Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita, the boardwalks lead the way to experiencing Kansas’ late 19th century history, both rowdy and refined, through storefronts, artifacts, homes and other buildings.

2 Walk the planks.

Walk the planks. One of the things I love to do is to take time to walk the boardwalks at places such as Fort Larned National Historic Site or Old Cowtown Museum in Wichita. A sort of modernday time travel, the experience allows you to use all your senses – sight, smell, touch, hearing and taste – as your footsteps echo the past. At Fort Larned you are walking in the footsteps of Civil War-era soldiers. Used from 1859 to 1878, it is considered one of the

Watch the sunset. We may not have towering mountains or ocean beaches, but we do have glorious uninterrupted sunsets. Sunset viewing is magnificent about anywhere in the state. The word was spread to the world in 2014 when the website Green Landscapes rated the Flint Hills as one of the seven best places in the world to view a sunset. Our home state was right up there with Finland, Cambodia and Greece. I’m personally partial to the sunsets at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. If it’s during fall or spring migration, it can be a spiritual experience watching waves of sandhill cranes, geese and ducks fly over and land on a marsh accompanied by a cacophony of sound. Sometimes, you may be the only human

QUIVIRA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE PHOTO BY DOUG STREMEL

Watch the sunset.

there witnessing this marvel of creation. Other times, you might be joined by carloads of birders from across the nation for this congregation of light and sound. I’m going to suggest you be more like Susie Haver, Cloud County tourism director, who in 2017 invited Kansans for a potluck and to join her in watching the sun set from Oil Well Hill on her land near Concordia. Fifty people showed up for the sunset show.

kansasnativeplantsociety.org to look for upcoming wildflower tour events and see where you can expect to find various flowers.

Dare to go underground. With the opening of a couple of underground speakeasies, you can not only relive Kansas’ Prohibition past but sip some Go where the deer (now legal) booze. and the antelope play. Kansas was the first state to amend its Go where the deer and the anteconstitution to prohibit lope (and elk and bison) play. the manufacture and sale For folks who don’t get outdoors Look for wildof intoxicating liquors. much, Kansas offers great places to just Look for flowers. Spring and Kansas was also home to observe wildlife. The backroads, particularly wildflowers. fall are the best times the most notorious temwith the changing seasons, offer chances to to take in Mother Nature’s perance crusader – Carry glimpse deer, turkey and other wildlife along paintbrush. Kansas’ pastures, ditches and Nation – who become known worldwide for shelterbelts and creeks. using her hatchet to bust up saloons. farmland are filled with native wildflowers. The best places to view bison can be You don’t have to travel far – but if you Pretty Boy Floyd’s Steak and Shine at Maxwell Wildlife Area near McPherson choose to do so, I suggest the Arikaree Breaks restaurant in Ellsworth and Wolf Hotel in (above), Big Basin and St. Jacobs Well near in the far northwest corner of Kansas in Ellinwood both offer underground drinkAshland, and the Tallgrass Prairie National Cheyenne County. ing options. Pretty Boy Floyd’s bills itself Preserve near Cottonwood Falls. You can Kansas’ version of a mini-Grand Canyon as “premium dining, six feet under.” While also see herds of elk at Maxwell and at the definitely defies the notion that Kansas is Ellsworth is historically known as a notoriCimarron National Grasslands. Some of the flat. They are only two to three miles wide ous cowtown, when owners Mark and Josie best places to see antelope are at the Cimarron but stretch miles from Rawlins County into Grasslands and Monument Rocks, Little JeruRoehrman opened their underground Cheyenne County and on into Colorado and salem and near Fort restaurant seven Nebraska. It’s a rugged landscape of canyons, Wallace. Bald eagles years ago, they Add more twine. caves, valleys, creeks and mesas – and it is can be seen at many didn’t want the paradise after a rainy spring or fall when the lakes across the state usual cowboy décor. wildflowers are bursting with color. in the winter months. They chose instead Look up the names of the wildflowers and a gangster-themed you’ll discover how lyrical they are and how Add more restaurant going with they evoke images of an untamed prairie: twine. Don’t Mark’s middle name buffalo gourd, Indian blanket flower, prairie just go to of Floyd. Although wild rose and purple poppy mallow. Visit the Ball of Twine in Mark has since died, Cawker City – add the Roaring 20’s some sisal twine Dare to go restaurant continues to the 20,000-pound ball that has gained underground. to churn out delicious steaks and out-of-this worldwide notoriety. The massive ball of world cakes Thursday through Saturday. twine is unashamedly one of the quirkier A portion of Ellinwood’s underground tourist sites in Kansas. It has been featured in tunnels which housed 19th-century shops the Chevy Chase movie, “Vacation,” and on have been open to tours for several decades the TV quiz show, “Jeopardy.” to see where a harness shop, barber shop, The ball of twine was originally created laundry, bath house and other businesses with a farmer’s make-do-save-it-if-you-canwere once located. use-it-mentality. Linda Clover, the matriarch About five years ago, Christopher McCord of the ball of twine, said people are always bought the historic Wolf Hotel atop the tunencouraged to add to the ball’s girth – for nels and turned the town’s landmark back free. She carries twine in her car and truck into an operating hotel with period decor. An to offer those who stop to see the giant ball. underground speakeasy reached by tunnel is To make sure you catch her, give her a call at open on weekend nights. On Sundays he offers fried chicken dinners and pie in the hotel 785-781-4470 and she’ll meet you there. dining room. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10.

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Sing the song.

Sing the song. It’s become a thing to sing the “Home on the Range” song at the Home on the Range cabin near Smith Center. Musicians, celebrities and regular folk make pilgrimages to the cabin and video themselves singing the song. Dr. Brewster Higley wrote a poem in 1871 titled “My Western Home” about the beauty of the land where he homesteaded. The next year he and friends constructed a cabin on

Climb the steps. the land. His friend Dan Kelly set the poem to music and the song “Home on the Range” began to spread in popularity, especially after the advent of the radio. A National Historic Register site, the cabin was restored in 2013 and is open to visitors from daylight to dark.

Channel Osa and Martin. During the first half of the 20th century, some of the most famous Kansans in the world were Osa and Martin Johnson. The couple explored and traveled the world, photographing wild animals and exotic cultures in east and central Africa, the South Pacific Islands and British North Borneo. Their films and still-life photos were some of the first quality images of wildlife that Americans would see. And their museum, the Osa and Martin Johnson Safari Museum

in Chanute, is world-class. It is housed in a renovated rail depot and is legal heir to the Johnson’s 150,000 photographs, 140 miles of film, 18 books, 100 articles, Channel journals, letters Osa and and artifacts. Martin. Why go? First of all, it is a safari museum – in Kansas. You won’t see anything else like it – anywhere. And it’s fun.

Eat the fried chicken and pie. Kansans make the best fried chicken and pie. People get adamant when they talk about their favorite places – Chicken Mary’s and Chicken Annie’s in Pittsburg, Brookville in Abilene, Al’s Chickenette in Hays, the Wheatland in Hudson and the Wolf Hotel in Ellinwood. So many choices – where would you pick? There are also many choices for homemade pie. Is the best pie at the Carriage 100 Crossing in Yoder? Carolyn’s Essenhaus in Arlington? Spear’s Restaurant and Pie Shop 95 in Wichita? Don’s Place in Protection? Rest assured, there are no wrong answers. 75

Eat the fried chicken 25and pie. 5 0

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PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

Climb the steps. It is 296 steps to the top of the Kansas State capitol dome. If you haven’t been to the capitol since the renovation was completed a few years ago, it’s definitely worth a visit. The building features not only opulence and grandeur but 17 types of marble and historic murals. Kansas’ story is portrayed through key artifacts, paintings and documents showcasing now nearly 16 decades of statehood. When you climb up a metal stairway that hugs the dome’s interior there is nothing between the railing and the rotunda floor below. When you reach the top, you will be at the highest point in Topeka. On a clear day, you can see 10 to 12 miles. It is worth the shaky knees and wheezing to make the climb.

Nature • Science • Heritage • History • Art

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Wichita, Kansas • Visit all the Museums on the River today! l 11

BY MELINDA SCHNYDER

ansas’ newly established African American History Trail links important events, places and people who shaped and defined not only the state’s history but that of the country. “African American history is American history,” said Ted Ayres, who is serving as program coordinator to complete the trail, a project funded by a grant The Kansas African American Museum in Wichita received from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. “I think visitors will be amazed and better informed about the role Kansas played in the formation of our state, our region and our country.” Started in 2016, the trail connects already established sites. While there are no fewer than a dozen additional points of interest related to the African American experience in Kansas, these eight sites represent a geographical and historical mix, and all are staffed and operate regular hours year-round. Ayres hopes that visitors will use the trail as a starting point to explore each community. For example, the eastern Kansas town of Fort Scott is on the trail for its Gordon Parks Museum, though visitors also can visit the fort and will find information on the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry that became the first regiment of black men from a northern state to fight for the U.S. Army. A map, upcoming events and more information can be found at tkaahistorytrail.org. Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site, Topeka nps.gov/brvb, 785-354-4273 Go inside the former Monroe Elementary, about four blocks from the Kansas State Capitol, to see video and exhibits about the ground-breaking 1954 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that racial segregation was unconstitutional. The school was one of four segregated elementary schools in Topeka and although Brown v. Board of Education consolidated five cases from across the nation, student Linda Brown and Topeka became the face of this pivotal moment.

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Settled in northwest Kansas after the Civil War, Nicodemus is the oldest and only remaining black settlement west of the Mississippi River. A self-guided tour will take you to five historic buildings remaining at the site, which was established in 1877 when 300 formerly enslaved African Americans made the trek westward from Kentucky to experience freedom in Kansas. The buildings include a residence, a school, two churches and a township hall that now serves as the visitor center. Direct Nicodemus descendants work as community interpreters through the National Park Service. The Kansas African American Museum, Wichita tkaamuseum.org/, 316-262-7651 The museum is housed in the former Calvary Baptist Church, once the cornerstone of Wichita’s vibrant black community. In addition to large local and state archives, the museum owns 3,000 cultural artifacts and works of art, a collection valued at more than $1 million. Visitors can explore two floors of exhibits showcasing selected pieces from the collection. The main gallery exhibit rotates

ALL PHOTOS BY TED AYRES

Nicodemus National Historic Site, Nicodemus nps.gov/nico, 785-839-4233

The 1856 Ritchie House, Topeka, (opposite page) was a stop on the underground railroad. Clockwise on this page: John Brown Museum exhibit and exterior, Osawatomie; exhibit at Brown v. Board of Education Museum, Topeka; and Nicodemus National Historic Site.

every three to four months, while an upstairs gallery highlights famous African Americans with ties to Kansas, from inventor George Washington Carver to actor Hattie McDaniel to President Barack Obama’s mother and maternal grandfather. Historic Ritchie House, Topeka historicritchiehouse.wixsite.com/ historicritchiehouse, 785-234-6097 Step inside this 1856 home that was an Underground Railroad station. It was built by early settlers John and Mary Jane Ritchie,

whose advocacy for freedom shaped the area’s development. The exterior has been restored to its original condition and the interior includes limited interpretation. Next door, in an 1887 house built by the Ritchie’s son, you’ll find displays on Shawnee County and Topeka in the Cox Communication Heritage Education Center. Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area at Carnegie Library building, Lawrence freedomsfrontier.org, 785-865-4499 Lawrence’s 1904 Carnegie Library Building is a stop on the trail for several reasons. As one of the few unsegregated public facilities in Lawrence, it was the library where a young Langston Hughes began his life-long love of poetry, literature and writing. Hughes would go on to be an important voice in the cultural movement among African American communities in the 1920s and 1930s. The Continued on page 14.

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Continued from page 13. building now has several upstairs display rooms where you’ll learn about the struggle for freedom by the region’s early pioneers and settlers, including African Americans. The exhibits are affiliated with the Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area. Richard Allen Cultural Center and Museum, Leavenworth visitleavenworthks.com/ richard-allen-ctr.html, 913-682-8722 PHOTO BY MELINDA SCHNYDER

This museum is named for Richard Allen, who founded the first African Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States, and includes a newer building and a historic home of a Buffalo Solider. Exhibits feature

Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area, Lawrence, (left) and Gordon Parks Museum, Fort Scott (above).

PHOTO BY TED AYRES

John Brown Museum State Historic Site, Osawatomie kshs.org/p/john-brown-museum/ 19574, 913-755-4384 Stand in the footsteps of fiery abolitionist John Brown inside a park named in his honor at the site of the largest battle during the settling of the Kansas territory. Inside the park is Adair Cabin, Brown’s original headquarters that was relocated here and now sits

Convention and Visitors Bureau

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PORTRAIT BY GARY PALMER

African Americans who served at Fort Leavenworth, from Buffalo solider Capt. William Bly to Gen. Colin Powell. In addition to military artifacts, you’ll see freedom papers, photographs and items from an Underground Railroad stop across the street.

inside a stone pergola. You’ll find exhibits in two rooms and a loft area of the cabin, including furniture and belongings from the family along with Civil War artifacts. Gordon Parks Museum, Fort Scott gordonparkscenter.org, 620-223-2700, ext. 5850 Internationally known photographer, filmmaker, writer and musician Gordon Parks was born in Fort Scott and this small but significant museum captures his ground-breaking career. Parks himself gifted the museum 30 of his photographs, including many iconic images from his time as the first African American staff photographer for Life magazine. There also are many personal items on display that were donated by Parks before he died in 2006 and then by his family, from cameras to the desk where he wrote most of his books to his National Medal of Arts.

Spirits of Boot Hill live on in distillery I BY MELINDA SCHNYDER

t should be no surprise that in a state known as the breadbasket of the world because of its grain production that there are a number of microdistilleries cropping up. There is even one soil-to-sip distillery, meaning its owners produce every grain used to make their spirits. “What sets us apart is that we are farmer owned,” said Lee Griffith, director of sales for Boot Hill Distillery in Dodge City. “We grow all the grain that goes into our spirits (and) the entire process is 100 percent under our control, from the moment we plant the crop to the first sip out of the bottle.” Boot Hill Distillery opened in 2016 in Dodge City, which makes an annual appearance among the Top 10 of True West Magazine’s list of “Top Western Towns” in the country. The owners -- father-son Roger and Hayes Kelman and Chris Holovach -- have farming operations in Sublette and Scott City. Their spirits currently are created mostly from hard red winter wheat and corn, though they have plans for using rye and barley as well. The distillery has a tasting room open to the public Thursday through Saturday yearround, with additional hours during the summer and special events. They offer expanded hours, themed cocktails and live entertainment at least twice monthly, during Second Saturday and Final Friday celebrations. In addition to tastings, visitors can tour the facility or take an educational workshop to learn more about the process. The tour, offered three times a day on Fridays and Saturdays, is equal parts agriculture lesson, spirit-making tutorial and history/legend sharing. For $10 per person, you get a tasting glass that serves as your ticket to the tour. You’ll hear the legend of Boot Hill, learn about the two-year process of restoring the historic building that is home to the distillery, then walk through the distilling process with tastings along the way of gin, vodka, whiskey, Prickly Ash bitters and, starting in spring 2019, bourbon. Boot Hill plays a central role in the history of Dodge City, known to many as the quintessential western frontier town through its portrayal on the television show “Gun-

ABOVE: It took two years to renovate the historic building where Boot Hill Distillery now

operates. PHOTO BY ANDREA LaRAYNE ETZEL BELOW: The tasting room and co-owner Hayes Kelman. PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOOT HILL DISTILLERY

smoke.” The Santa Fe Trail opened in 1821 and brought thousands through western Kansas. The Fort Dodge military reservation was created in 1865 to protect wagon trains and mail service, and to serve as a supply base for troops engaged in the Indian wars. In 1872, Dodge City formed about 5 miles west of the fort, at the foot of a hill along the trail where a ranger had built a house to

oversee his cattle ranch. The spot became a trade center for travelers and buffalo hunters. With no local law enforcement and the military without jurisdiction, Dodge City quickly earned its reputation for lawlessness and gun-slinging. “If you met your demise here, from a gunfight or an illness, it was likely that nobody Continued on page 16.

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INTERIOR PHOTOS BY ANDREA LaRAYNE ETZEL

Continued from page 15. knew who you were or who to contact,” Griffth said. “The locals decided to bury these folks on this high, grassy, out-of-the-way hill that was north and west of where the town was forming. Legend has it that many died with their boots on and were buried in shallow graves, so it became known as Boot Hill Cemetery.” About six years after the town formed, development was growing toward this

makeshift cemetery. In 1878, the bodies were moved to the newly formed municipal cemetery, and Dodge City’s first multi-room schoolhouse was erected on the hill. That building was later razed and a city administration building went up in 1929. Distillery owners saved the historic building from demolition and spent two years renovating it. The centerpiece is the tasting room, where you can sample the spirits milled,

THE PERFECT

Playcation

mashed, fermented, distilled, aged and bottled on-site. It’s become a cocktail bar where you’ll find locals as well as visitors selecting from a large menu of specialty cocktails as well as classic concoctions featuring Boot Hill spirits. There’s indoor space with seating at the bar or cozy seating arrangements as well as a lively back patio. While each of the spirits has won industry awards in the distllery’s short history, the owners are most proud of their work to recreate a historic tonic once sold as a snake oil. Dr. Sherman’s Prickly Ash Bitters was a cure-all hawked in the early 1900s until the government shut it down for unsafe ingredients and false claims. Boot Hill’s team used government reports, published recipes and druggist manuals to develop a formula using safe ingredients that tastes like the original, with the added benefit of being fully approved by the government. It is described on the company’s website as a uniquely sweet and bitter American amaro. “Our Prickly Ash Bitters is unique to Kansas, so make sure you take the chance to try it on the tour or in the tasting room,” Griffith said.

Kansas has a handful of distilleries across the state and several offer tours or tasting rooms: Boot Hill Distillery, Dodge City | boothilldistillery.com

Oh Manhaan ! VISITMANHATTANKS.ORG

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Wheat State Distilling, Wichita | wheatstate distilling.com Buck-U Distillery, Ottawa | buck-u.com Union Horse Distilling Co., Lenexa | unionhorse.com

Kansas River was second to be designated a National Water Trail

BY CYNTHIA MINES

PHOTO BY GREGORY ZOLNEROWICH

rowing up on a farm near DeSoto, Dawn Buehler knew she was lucky to have access to the Kansas River but she didn’t realize how rare that opportunity was. As an adult she’s nurtured a passion to protect water and, in addition to serving on various advisory boards, since 2015 she has had the official title of Kansas Riverkeeper. She also is executive director of Friends of the Kaw, a nonprofit organization created in 1991 to preserve the Kansas River, which

meanders 173 miles through Kansas, flowing through 10 counties from Geary to Wyandotte, producing electricity and providing drinking water in addition to recreation. In 2012, the year the National Water Trails System was created, Georgia’s Chattahoochee River received the first designation, followed by the Kansas River. The Interior Department created the water trails system to promote healthy, accessible rivers, increase access to waterbased recreation and encourage community stewardship of local waterways. “It changes the river’s status to a level where we can better protect it,” Buehler said. The Arkansas River, from Great Bend to the southern border, received the designation a few years ago, making Kansas one of few states with two national river trails. There currently are 21 designated waterways across the country. Buehler has no doubt that the designation has increased interest in the Kansas River. “There’s absolutely more usage by anglers and paddlers,” she said. Participation in educational paddle trips organized by Friends of the Kaw has increased from 15-20 the first summer to 120 last year, according to Buehler. “We guide them and show them how to read the river,” said Buehler, who as Riverkeeper leads the group. “There’s a sweep behind and Kaw River guides in the middle to help everyone. We Continued on page 18.

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Continued from page 17. stop halfway on a sandbar for lunch or snacks such as watermelon or roasted strawberries.” The 5- or 10-mile trips take from four to six hours. She said the trip is appropriate for almost any age, though children 5-12 have to go along as a passenger. Participants can bring own boat or rent a canoe or kayak as long as they are available. “The theory is, if they love it, they’ll help us protect it,” Buehler said. Participation in Manhattan’s Little Apple Paddle on the Kansas River has nearly quadrupled since the first year, according to Marcia Rozell, sports and leisure sales manager at Visit Manhattan. Starting with 101 paddlers the first year in 2015, the number doubled the second year and grew to 368 last year, she said. “We hope to break the world record for number of kayaks in a parade this year,” she said. This year’s event is July 13. It starts in Manhattan and goes 10 miles downstream. Registration is at mhkprd.com. Manhattan’s event was such a success that Topeka is planning a Capital Paddle, Buehler said. PHOTOS BY GREGORY ZOLNEROWICH

The theory is, if they love it, they’ll help us protect it. – Dawn Buehler, Kansas Riverkeeper

LAKE SHAWNEE

STATEHOUSE

KANSAS CHILDREN’S DISCOVERY CENTER

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EXPERIENCE

ATCHISON HISTORY. MYSTERY. ENTERTAINMENT.

Working with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism as well as local communities and businesses, the Friends of the Kaw has worked to build ramps and more access points along the river. Starting with Belvue, the group has built 19 boat ramps along the river. “So far ramps are every 10 miles though there is still a 30-mile section without a ramp,” Buehler said. Having ramps closer together will encourage more users, she said. “It takes an hour to paddle three miles. If they’re closer together people could go out after work.” The group hopes to open the river’s first storage lockers this year so people can store or lock up a boat and explore the local community, Buehler said. “We want to put in communities where it’s walkable to downtown. Lawrence has agreed to be a test site.” The group has helped add lighting, picnic tables and trash cans as well as creating An Adopt a Boat Ramp program to keep the riverfront cleaned up. Members would also like a kiosk at each ramp with a map of the Kansas River and the local community in addition to safety information. Another goal is to provide life jackets which can be left at a point downstream. When the Friends of the Kaw joined an international Waterkeeper protection organization operating in 34 countries, the membership mandated that they hire a public advocate so the position of Kansas Riverkeeper was created. The group’s efforts earned the Friends of the Kaw the Governor’s Tourism Award for 2018. For maps, more information and upcoming events, visit Kansasriver.org or the Friends of the Kaw page on Facebook. For information on other U.S. water trails, go to nps.gov/watertrails/.

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

Birthplace of Amelia Earhart • Haunted Atchison Lewis & Clark Historic Site • Historic Trolley Tours Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad • Shopping ANNUAL EVENTS • Atchison Chocolate Tasting • Productions from Theatre Atchison • Atchison Bridal Show • St. Patrick's Day Parade • Railroad Festival • Farmers' Market • Amelia Earhart Festival • Lakefest Outdoor Concert • Muddy River Music Festival • Haunted Atchison • Taste of Atchison • Sights & Sounds of Christmas • And so much more!

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

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Established almost 150 years ago by Swedish immigrants, today’s Lindsborg is among livability.com’s 100 best American small towns. Bike our trails, picnic at the castle, peruse speciality shops, and enjoy a heritage founded in the fine arts.

Visit Lindsborg

888.227.2227 • www.visitlindsborg.com

Saturday

June 15

2019

Visit Lindsborg

www.MidsummersFestival.com

Lindsborg Vacation Rentals 855-872-3487 135 N. Main • trollslandatoystore.com 785-212-1492 • Trollslandatoys@gmail.com Open 10-5:30 Mon.- Sat. • Closed Sun.

As Seen On ‘Sense of Place’ Season 2

Svensk 2019 Hyllningsfest October 18 & 19

Visit Lindsborg

www.SvenskHyllningsfest.org

www.sweetdreamsinn.com 1-800-231-0266 • 112 W Lincoln St. OPEN LATE MARCH 2019 2_375x2_375(ol).indd 1

2/14/19 8:58 AM

Big Kansas Road Trip heads to northwest corner of state

401 N. First Street, Lindsborg

(785) 227-2220

www.sandzen.org

PHOTO FROM KANSAS SAMPLER FOUNDATION

he second Big Kansas Road Trip will visit the counties of Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace in the far northwest part of the state May 2-5. A project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the four-day road trip was created to replace the long-running Sampler Festival as a way to showcase Kansas communities. The event was designed for day trippers who want to spend a few days at a slower pace and step inside small-town life, said Marci Penner, director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, publisher of the 480-page Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers. “Our hope is that these three counties on the Land and Sky Scenic Byway will act as a magnet to attract people from every part of the state,” Penner said. In addition to the Arikaree Breaks in Cheyenne County (below), the giant Van Gogh painting in Goodland (right), and Mount Sunflower and Fort Wallace in Wallace County, there’s much more to see, she said. “There’s everything from a giant green grasshopper, a motorcycle museum and a thousand wild horses to giant steaks and avocado toast in this intriguing area.” Planned events include: watching the sunset from Mount Sunflower, the highest point in Kansas; several pump organs playing “Home on the Range”; visiting the state’s only bastille; and open houses at the U.S. Weather Service and Wright Farm’s Sunflower Oil. In addition, Sunflower Sate Tours will be offering historical tours of each county and a sunrise visit to Airakaree Breaks.

Visitors will also be able to take part in a Car Hunt Board Game, Explorer Auto Bingo and a BKRT Scavenger Hunt. The Cruisin’ on the Land & Sky Byway Benefit Poker Run will start at 10 a.m. MT Saturday at the Wallace County Cruisers Car Show at Sharon Springs. An interesting twist this year is that visitors will need to navigate two time zones: Cheyenne is on central time while Sherman and Wallace counties are on mountain time. For more information, visit bigkansasroadtrip.com. – Cynthia Mines

PHOTO BY HARLAND SCHUSTER

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

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LITTLE JERUSALEM BY ANDREA LaRAYNE ETZEL/KDWPT

The 2019 opening of Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park is a spectacular addition to the state’s first historic byway – and a remarkable reminder that Kansas is anything but flat.

BY CYNTHIA MINES

eft behind after an inland ocean receded millions of years ago, the dramatic rock formations south of I-70 in western Kansas look a little like Stonehenge rising from the shortgrass prairie. Previously visible only from half a mile away, the state’s largest Niobrara chalk formations will open to the public for the first time this year. The opening has been eagerly anticipated since it was announced in late 2016 that The Nature Conservancy (TNC) of Kansas had purchased the land from the family that had owned it for five generations. “We knew the owners and knew their interest in preserving and protecting it,” said Laura Rose Clawson, TNC director of marketing and outreach. TNC purchased the 330 acres between Oakley and Scott City to preserve the mile-long valley of towering spires, cliffs and canyons. The area was part of the Western Interior Seaway that stretched to the Arctic Circle 85 million years ago. Glacial periods and wind erosion further shaped the unique formations, which are encrusted with fossils of prehistoric sea creatures. Last year the Kansas legislature voted to create Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park with plans to open after hiking trails, signage, parking and other safeguards were in place to protect the land. Little Jerusalem will make six preserves open to public under the auspices of The Nature Conservancy of Kansas, but it’s the only one that is a state park, Clawson said. While no one knows the exact origin of the name, it’s speculated that the natural landmark reminded European explorers of the stone walls surrounding Jerusalem. Not far away is Monument Rocks, which was designated the state’s first National Natural Landmark in 1968. While on private land, owners allow MONUMENT ROCKS BY MICKEY SHANNON visitors during daylight hours. Monument Rocks has long been a pilgrimage for photographers, who also extol the scenic virtues of nearby Lake Scott State Park with its surrounding buttes, canyons, trees and creek. Professional photographer Mickey Shannon said the area is his favorite shooting spot in Kansas (see his Monument Rocks photo above). “From the east, you literally drop straight out of flat fields into a canyon-like oasis of the plains,” he said. “From the north, rock formations like the Little Pyramids and Little Jerusalem dot the landscape before coming up upon the lake, which is itself gorgeous.” He also appreciates the history of the area: “Battle Canyon is right near the southern park entrance and is possibly the most scenic historical location in all of Kansas. El Quartelejo ruins add another really interesting historical aspect to the area.” Battle Canyon, site of the last conflict between American Indians and U.S. troops, was formed by erosion from Ladder Creek, which attracted early settlers Herbert and Eliza Steele. They built a house on the west bank in 1894 and used the natural springs to cool their milk and eggs. Continued on page 24.

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Continued from page 23. A mound north of their stone house piqued their curiosity and they invited University of Kansas paleontologists to excavate it. In 1898 they unearthed the remains of a seven-room pueblo, believed to be the location of El Quartelejo, thought to be the only pueblo in Kansas and the one farthest north in the country, where Taos and Picuris Pueblo Indians lived after escaping Spanish rule in New Mexico. Three centuries later, in 1964, the archeological district was named a National Historic Landmark. El Quartelejo Museum in Scott City displays a replica of the pueblo, which had seven rooms with six rooftop entries via ladders, according to Dennie Siegrist, museum facility manager. He said the pueblo was built about 1650. The Steeles in 1928 agreed to sell 640 acres of their homestead for $18 per acre to create a park if they could live there the rest of their lives. A dam was built to contain the spring and the Steele house still stands near the lake. The lake’s “no wake” rule means it remains a tranquil place to idle away the day exploring the pueblo ruins and the Steele homestead. There’s a swimming beach, fishing, campsites, plenty of shade trees, trails to explore, wildlife, two cabins to rent, and The Beach House, which rents boats and sells bait, supplies and food. Jennifer Turner, Scott City tourism coordinator, points out the park really is like a “hidden oasis” since it’s invisible to passersby on the nearby highway. “They’re always surprised when they turn in here,” she said. More history of the area is showcased at the Fort Wallace Museum, which was opened in 1961 to “preserve the memory of the fort and interpret the early war period,” according to Jayne Humphrey Pearce, museum president. Built to provide protection for stage coaches, wagon trains and settlers, Fort Wallace was active from 1865 to 1883 with as Battle Canyon is the site of the 1878 battle between many as 500 soldiers stationed the Northern Cheyenne and U.S. troops, the last such there. It was also the first post conflict in Kansas. PHOTO BY MICHAEL PEARCE/KDWPT of Custer’s 7th Calvary.

Explore the ruins of the country’s northernmost pueblo, El Quartelejo (above), located at Lake Scott (right). PHOTOS BY DOUG STREMEL/KDWPT

“From the north, rock formations . . . dot the landscape before coming up upon the lake, which is itself gorgeous.” – Mickey Shannon, photographer “Wallace was on the shortest, but most dangerous, route between Leavenworth and the gold fields out West,” Pearce said. A museum addition in 2017 made room for storefronts depicting Wallace during the boom railroad years when the population reached 3,500 (it’s now 50) and stores carried fashions from Paris. “Here were the biggest outfitters west of the Mississippi,” she said. Wallace was also where Fred Harvey opened his first eating house, in 1875 on the Kansas Pacific Railway, a subsidiary of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe, along whose lines he would become famous for his restaurants and hotels. The mission of the museum is to interpret the story of the original people of the High Plains – the Cheyenne, Apache, Pawnee, Comanche, Sioux, Kiowa and Arapahoe – as well as the “clash of cultures,” according to Pearce. One exhibit tells of the 1874 massacre of a German family. The museum also chronicles the end of the stage coach era and the coming of the railroad 150 years ago, which is the subject of two symposia planned by the museum this year. Buildings on the grounds include the recently restored 1865 Pond Creek Stage Station. Wallace County now has 1,500 residents, making it the second least populated county in Kansas, but it’s home to wild horses, Kansas’ oldest rodeo, the highest point in the state, Mt. Sunflower, as well as a home-owned carnival and theater in the county seat of Sharon Springs.

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The Fort Wallace Museum (above and right) includes restored buildings, storefront replicas and thousands of artifacts. PHOTOS BY PEGGY FISCHER

Lake Scott State Park includes the 1894 Steele house (left). PHOTO FROM SCOTT CITY TOURISM

Planning a Visit to the Western Vistas Historic Byway

I-70

COLORADO

Buffalo Bill Cultural Center

Oakley

Wallace County Fort Wallace Museum

Sharon Springs

Butterfield Trail Museum Logan County

KANSAS

Little Jerusalem

Fick Fossil Museum Gove County

Keystone Gallery

Monument Rocks

Lake Scott State Park

The 102-mile historic byway, the first dedicated in Kansas, goes past seven National Historic Sites and six museums between Scott City and Sharon Springs. More info is at Westernvistashistoricbyway.com

Scott City Scott County

Duff’s Buffalo Ranch Tours are available with reservations on this working ranch with a herd of 300-400 buffalo on 3,600 acres north of Scott City. Duffsbufaloranch.com, 620-874-5120. Keystone Gallery Located near the turn-off to Monument Rocks, the gallery features art by Chuck Bonner, who was filmed leading an expedition to western Kansas chalk beds in search of fossils for the 2015 PBS series “NOVA: Making North America.” The gallery also displays fossils and sells gifts, such as t-shirts with Ray Troll’s “Prairie Ocean: Long Time No Sea” logo (above), keystonegallery.com. Little Jerusalem Opening is anticipated for summer 2019 but no date had been set at presstime. For updates, visit nature.org/littlejerusalem. Visitors will be restricted to two hiking trails and will need a state park pass or can pay a day rate per vehicle at the park or online. Oakley The Buffalo Bill Cultural Center at the Oakley exit from I-70 is a great place to get information and guidance. See the Buffalo Bill Statue (left) at the site where in 1868 Buffalo Bill Cody earned his nickname in a buffalo-hunting contest. Artifacts at the Fick Fossil and History Museum include a 15-foot-long prehistoric fish fossil. More info at DiscoverOakley.com

Monument Rocks (above) is a favorite subject for Mickey Shannon. See more of his shots at mickeyshannon.com.

Scott City El Quartelejo Museum is a good introduction to the area and can coordinate tours. Built in 2000, the museum includes a sandbox where visitors can dig for fossils. The adjacent Jerry Thomas Gallery displays works by the nationally recognized wildlife and Western artist. For more info: VisitScottCity.com, elquartelejomuseum.org. Scott Lake State Park The 1,120-acre park comprises a 100-acre lake, pueblo ruins, the Steele homestead and nearby Battle Canyon. Big Springs, which feeds the lake, produces more than 300 gallons of water per minute. Wallace County Bordering Colorado, this is the home of Fort Wallace Museum and Cemetery as well as Mt. Sunflower. The county is one of three designated for the Big Kansas Road Trip May 2-5 and activities include the museum’s pipe organs (there are 53 dating to 1848) playing “Home on the Range.” Mt. Sunflower Bed & Breakfast, created from a 1922 church, is in Sharon Springs. For info: travelwallacecounty.com.

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th Walnut 48 Rice County KANSAS Valley Festival

Explore South Central Kansas

Come see us on streets of golden wheat! www.ricecounty.us

See the city under the city on 620-257-5166

Underground Tunnel Tours Restaurants & Shopping Lodging at The Historic Wolf Hotel

www.visitsouthcentralks.com

Looking for something new this weekend?

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

ellinwoodchamber.com

Sept 18-22, 2019 Winfield, KS

Over 200 Hours of Acoustic Music on 4 Official Stages

TICKETS ON SALE NOW (620) 221-3250 or wvfest.com

100 95 75

25 5 0

Explore Newton!

119th Annual Kansas Wheat Festival July 9-14, 2019

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

This century-old tradition dates to 1900 when residents gathered to celebrate a record-breaking wheat crop. Join us to salute the area’s rich agricultural history with days of activities.

ToNewton.com

Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau

Inside Newton City Hall (316) 284-3642 • ToNewton.com facebook.com/VisitNewtonKS 26 l

Or visit us year-round Stroll through our historic downtown, see a first-run movie at the Regent Theater or visit the Chisholm Trail Museum, Panhandle Railroad Museum or National Glass Museum. Sample some of the region’s best barbecue, steaks and Mexican food, or step back in time at the old-fashioned Penny’s Diner.

PHOTO BY SUSAN’S PORTRAIT DESIGNS

Wichita Kansas Star Casino Wellington

Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce/ Convention & Visitors Bureau Just 14 miles on I-35 highway

wellingtonks.org | 620-326-7466

Looking for something this weekend?

new

Explore Newton!

An easy drive from anywhere in Kansas, Newton offers art, attractions, restaurants and exciting family events.

2019 event highlights • May 4: Downtown Car Show • August 16-17: Sand Creek Summer Daze Festival September 28: Red Hot Chili Pepper 5K and Harvey County Chili Cookoff & Blues, Brews & Barbecue concert • October 3: Taste of Newton • October 5: Bethel Fall Festival

ToNewton.com Learn more about these and many other events on our calendar and plan your next visit.

Newton Convention & Visitors Bureau

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

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March March 1-2 Marble Crazy, Bonner Springs,

moonmarble.com.

March 1-30 Parade of Quilts, displays at merchants, Yoder, yoderkansas.com.

March 1-May 12 Framed: Step into Art and Storyland: A Trip through Childhood Favorites, bilingual traveling exhibitions focusing on art and literature, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org. March 2-3 Civil War Re-enactment at

the Historic Brown Mansion, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

March 2-Aug. 18 “Dignity & Despair:

Dorothea Lange and Depression-Era Photographers, 1933–1941,” Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org. March 5 70th International Pancake Day

and Race, Liberal, visitliberal.com.

March 9 Break Up Adventure Race, Acorns

Resort, Milford Lake, junctioncity.org.

March 9-17 Spring Break: Go Wild, Rolling

Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

March 11-24 30th Annual Ida Stover-

PHOTO FROM VISIT LIBERAL

March 1-31 Sunflower Biennial: Through Their Eyes, Contemporary Art from Emerging Young Kansas Artists, Salina Art Center, salinaartcenter.org.

Flipping fun Young runners also compete in Liberal’s International Pancake Day Race. The annual competition that pits pancake-flipping runners in Liberal, Kansas, against runners in Olney, England, celebrates its 70th anniversary on March 5. The Shrove Tuesday event is Feb. 25 in 2020.

Eisenhower Memorial Quilt Show, Abilene, heritagecenterdk.com.

March 16 The Hunts, McPherson Opera

March 14-24 “Into the Woods,” Depot

March 16 IrishFest & Parade, Topeka,

Theater, Dodge City, 620-225-1001.

VisitTopeka.com.

March 16 Trails to Rails Symposium about

March 16 St. Patrick’s Day Parade,

150th anniversary of arrival of the Kansas Pacific Railway and the end of Butterfield’s Overland Despatch, Fort Wallace Museum, ftwallacemuseum.com.

House, visitmcpherson.com.

Atchison, VisitAtchison.com.

March 16-Oct. 12 “The Creative

Spirit,” Smoky Hill Museum, Salina, smokyhillmuseum.org.

100 95 75

25 5 0

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March 21 Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Stiefel

Theatre, Salina, stiefeltheatre.org.

March 21-23 3i Show, Western State Bank

Expo, Dodge City, 620-227-8082.

March 23 Våffeldagen, waffle festival,

Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

April 5-22 Tulip Time at Lake Shawnee,

Old Prairie Town and Gage Park, Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

April 6 Season launch, Old Cowtown Museum, free admission, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

March 23 Dust Bowl Marathon, Ulysses,

April 6 El Dorado Half Marathon, eldoradohalf.com.

March 26-28 Mid-America Farm

April 6 Spring Craft Fair, Heartland School, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

mainlymarathons.com.

Expo, Tony’s Pizza Event Center, Salina, tonyspizzaeventscenter.com.

April 6, 13, 20 Tulips, Fairies and Forts,

March 30 2019 Cabela’s King Kat

Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

March 30 Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony

April 6 Marshall County Museum Day, opening day, free admission, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Tournament Trail, Geary County, junctioncity.org.

Happybirthday

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, Rolling Hills Zoo has planned several special events and activities, including roll-back to 1999 admission prices for the celebration on Oct. 26.

Orchestra spring pops concert, Bethel College, North Newton, nmkso.org.

April 6 Car Cruise on State Street,

Phillipsburg, 785-543-2321.

Retrospective,” Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich.wichita.edu.

March 30-June 23 “Georgia O’Keeffe:

April 7 Whistle Stop 150th Celebration of the

April 12-13 Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale, Hutchinson, kansas.mccsale.org.

Art, Image, Style,” Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

Central Branch Railroad, Marshall County Railroad Historical Society, Waterville.

March 31 Beethoven & Brahms, Stiefel

April 7 Tulip Time Day at the Lake, Topeka,

Theatre, Salina, stiefeltheatre.org.

VisitTopeka.com.

March 31-May 26 121st annual Midwest

April 10-12 Great Bend Farm

Art Exhibition, Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery, Lindsborg, sandzen.org.

April

& Ranch Expo, 700 exhibitors, greatbendfarmandranchexpo.net. April 11 Party for the Planet, Sedgwick

County Zoo, Wichita, scz.org.

April 1-Oct. 31 Little House on the

April 11 Heartland: An Evening with Sarah

April 2 Sculpture Dedication: Randy Regier,

April 11-21 138th Messiah Festival of

Prairie Museum open, near Independence, LittleHouseonthePrairieMuseum.com. “The Celestial Mechanic,” Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich.wichita.edu. April 5-7 52nd Intercollegiate Rodeo,

Garden City Community College, 620275-3205.

April 5-20 “Sunday in the Park with

George,” Salina Community Theatre, salinatheatre.com.

Smarsh, Brown Grand Theatre, Concordia. 785-243-1435. the Arts, Lindsborg. Art exhibitions and music culminating with the performance of Handel’s “Messiah” on April 21, messiahfestival.org.

April 13 Wheat State Antique Truck Show,

Newton, ToNewton.com.

April 13 Easter Bunny Train, Abilene &

Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, asvrr.org.

April 13 ZOOrific EGGstravaganza, Rolling

Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

April 13-14 Spring Fling, Ulysses, 620-

356-4700.

April 15-20 National Greyhound

Association Spring Nationals, Abilene, greyhoundhalloffame.com.

April 17 Church Ladies - “Rise up, O Men,” McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org. April 17-18 Kansas Governor’s One-Shot Turkey Hunt, El Dorado, ksoneshot.com.

April 12-28 Tulips at Twilight, Topeka,

April 19 Mini Makers: Time to Tinker, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

April 12-Aug. 11 “Kevin Mullins: Fire in the Paint Locker, A Thirty-Year

Continued on page 30.

VisitTopeka.com.

Life connects in Franklin County. learn more at

www.frankl incountyks.com

l 29

Continued from page 29.

April 19 Easter Egg Hunt, Big Brutus, West Mineral, 620-827-6177. April 19-20 Fort Hays State University NIRA Rodeo, visithays.com. April 20 Once Upon a Time, Old Cowtown

Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

April 20 Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll,

Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

April 20 Spring Crank Up! tractor show,

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

April 20 Easter Egg Hunt, Phillips County

Courthouse Square, 785-543-2321.

April 20 Easter Egg Hunt, Louisburg Cider

Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

April 22 Earth Doctor, celebrate Earth Day,

Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

April 26-27 Kansas Storytelling Festival, Downs, kansasstorytelling.com. April 27 Open Range Gravel Race, Pratt, prattkansas.org. April 27 Lindsborg in Bloom, 1960s

celebration, visitlindsborg.com.

April 27 Ellinwood City Wide Garage Sale and Vendor Show, ellinwoodchamber.com.

April 23 Sculpture Dedication: Elyn

April 27 Barnyard Babies, National Agriculture Center, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

April 25-28, May 2-5 “The Education

April 27 Reitz & Rust Vintage Market, Dickinson County fairgrounds, and Arts & Ales, downtown, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Zimmerman, “Font,” Wichita State University, ulrich.wichita.edu.

of Angels,” Depot Theater, Dodge City, 620225-1001. April 26 Hays Spring Gallery Walk,

April 27 Coffeyville Street Drags, visitcoffeyville.com.

April 26 Jimmy Webb - The Glen

April 27 Civil War, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

haysartscouncil.org.

Campbell Years, McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

April 26 Apple Blossom Festival, Newton

Presbyterian Manor, tonewton.com.

April 26-27 Wings and Wildlife Festival, Cheyenne Bottoms, wetlandcenter.fhsu.edu.

April 27 4th Annual Train Festival, Atchison, VisitAtchison.com. April 27 Heartland Spring Extravaganza, Concordia Armory and Airport Park. 785614-3498. Continued on page 33.

App now available in App Store and Google Play Free Admission | Open to Public Tues-Fri: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sat-Sun: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. 1845 Fairmount | Wichita, KS | 67260-0046

V I S I T

K A N S A S

A R T

G A L L E R I E S

100 95 75

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30 l

l 31

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Continued from page 30.

April 27 Victory Day at POW Camp Concordia with WWII re-enactors, exhibits, tours, entertainment, cloudcountytourism.com. April 27-28 Tulip Festival with Kansas

tourism tent, vendors, Wamego City Park, VisitWamego.com. April 27-28 SC Showdown Livestock Show, Scott City, VisitScottCity.com. April 27- Oct. 27 Celebrating 20 Years in the Making exhibition, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

May May 1-July 28 Art by Julia Goodman,

Krista Franklin and Sahar Khoury, Salina Art Center, salinaartcenter.org.

National Wildlife Refuge, during peak spring migration, nature.org/wingsandwetlands. May 3-5 McPherson Gem & Mineral Club

Rock Sale, visitmcpherson.com.

May 4 Hutchinson Art Fair, Kansas State Fairgrounds, Hutchinsonartcenter.net. May 4 Cinco de Mayo, Wright Park, Dodge City, 620-225-0240. May 4 Abilene Aviation Association Fly-In, Abilene, abilenekansas.org. May 4 Cinco de Mayo in the Square, Great Bend, greatbendks.net. May 4 Newton Downtown Car Show, newtondowntowncarshow.com. May 4 Chisholm Trail Bike Ride, Newton, chisholmtrailbikeride.com. May 4 Blessing of the Bikes, Dorrance, russellcoks.org.

May 2 Art & Wine Walk, Great Bend, greatbendks.net.

May 4 McPherson College C.A.R.S. Club Show, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

May 2-5 Big Kansas Road Trip to Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace counties, bigkansasroadtrip.com.

May 4-5 Millfest, 1898 Smoky Valley Roller Mills operate, Old Mill Museum, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

May 3 The Beach Boys, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, stiefeltheatre.org.

May 4-5 Comic Con Episode III, Tony’s Pizza Event Center, Salina, tonyspizzaeventscenter.com.

May 3-4 Wings and Wetlands Birding

Festival, Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira

Continued on page 34.

Busker bash The 12th Lawrence Busker Festival will feature 20 female acts at five locations in downtown Lawrence May 24-26.

Dodge City, Kansas VISITDODGECITY.ORG

1-800-OLD-WEST l 33

Continued from page 33.

May 4 Flatland Big Band, Scott City,

VisitScottCity.com.

May 10-11 Yellow Brick Road Car Show,

Liberal, visitliberal.com.

May 10-12 44th Annual Mother’s Day

May 5 Salina Symphony Classical

Masterwords, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, salinasymphony.org.

Market, antiques, crafts, food, Marysville City Park, visitmarysvilleks.org.

May 10-19 The 65th Anniversary of Brown

May 5 Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Sedgwick

v. Board: An Unfinished Agenda, Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

May 10, 17, 24 RiverFlix, films begin at

May 10-Sept. 19 Sean Kenney’s Nature Connects: Art with Lego Bricks, 18 sculptures comprising 46,000 Legos in the gardens, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org.

County Zoo, Wichita, scz.org.

dusk, free, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

May 10 All School’s Day, parade, carnival, street dance, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

May 11 Flint Hills Festival, Flint

Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

May 11 A Night in Old Delano, Cowtown,

Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

May 11 Mother’s Day Tea, Eisenhower

May 17-18 Abbyville Frontier Days Rodeo

May 11 Paddle Battle canoe & kayak race,

May 18 Chautauqua-style living history

May 11 Antique Fest, downtown, Abilene,

abilenekansas.org.

May 11 Country & Food Truck Festival,

Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

May 11-12 60th Art & Book Fair, Wichita

Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

34 l

in summer), Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

May 18 Baby Bison Spectacular, tram tour,

May 11, 18, June 1 Summer in Scott Barrel Race, Scott City, VisitScottCity.com. May 12 Sculpture Dedication: Tom

May 18 Keeper of the Plains’ 45th birthday

celebration, Indian Center, Wichita, theindiancenter.org.

May 18-19 Peony Festival, Stockton,

admission, Botanica, botanica.org.

hwy24.org.

May 17-18 SCACC Carp Derby at Lake

May 19 “Noah’s Flood,” by Wichita Grand Opera at McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org.

Scott State Park, Scott City, chamber. scottcityks.org.

May 18 Lost Trail Days (once a month

May 18-Sept. 2 Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Scientific discoveries shed light on the unexplainable, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

May 12 Mother’s Day, moms free with paid

205 F ST., Phillipsburg, Ks 785-543-2321 www.PhillipsCountyKansas.com

performance and Old West dinner on the Finney County Museum patio, Garden City, 620-272-3664.

Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, 620-6284455.

Otterness, “Shockers,” Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich.wichita.edu.

KANSAS

& BBQ, 620-727-4569.

May 11-12 Miami County Spring Farm

Tour, Louisburg Cider Mill, New Lancaster General Store and other sites.

PHILLIPS COUNTY Convention & Visitors Bureau

Salina’s Smoky Hill River Festival, this year June 13-16, attracts 60,000 attendees for fine art and craft shows, four stages of entertainment, kids’ art activities and Food Row.

Presidential Library, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Sand Creek, Newton, ToNewton.com.

Let us help you get away from it all

Festival fun

May 19 Run for the Wall, Junction City, junctioncity.org.

May 30-June 1 Carnival, downtown

June 1 Main Street Festival, downtown Dodge City, 620-227-9501.

May 22-25 William Inge Theater Festival,

May 30 Downtown Arts Celebration,

Independence Community College, 620332-5491.

Carriage Factory Gallery, Newton, ToNewton.com.

June 1 Party Like It’s 1869, Coffeyville celebrates its 150th birthday with a street party, visitcoffeyville.com.

May 23-25 Beef Empire Days PRCA Rodeo, Garden City, beefempiredaysrodeo.com.

May 31-June 1 Big Blue River Days, car show, BBQ, music, beer garden, downtown Marysville, bigbluebbqmarysville.com.

June 1 Miner Day Reunion, Big Brutus, West Mineral, 620-620-827-6177.

May 24-26 Lawrence Busker Festival, downtown, lawrencebuskerfest.com. May 24-Sept. 8 Dream with DaVinci,

interactive exhibition, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

May 31-June 1 National Orphan Train

Celebration, Concordia, orphantrain depot.org.

June 1 Brew at the Zoo, Topeka, VisitTopeka.com. June 1 Storm the Dam Trail Marathon, El Dorado Lake, eldoks.com.

botanica.org.

May 31-June 2 June Jaunt, Get Your Fix on K-96, art, antiques, entertainment along the highway with special festivities in Great Bend and Scott City, k96junejaunt.com.

May 25 Greensburg Memorial Weekend

May 31-June 2 Highway 24 Garage Sale,

June 1 BMW Motorcycle Show, Atchison, 913-367-2427.

May 31-June 9 Theatre Atchison’s “The

June 1 National Biplane Fly-In, Junction City, junctioncity.org.

May 25 Take Flight, Botanica, Wichita,

Celebration, arts and crafts, rodeo, parade, BBQ, street dance, visitgreensburgks.com.

hwy24.org.

May 25 Steam train rides and dinner train,

Beverly Hillbillies,” TheatreAtchison.org.

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

May 25 Chautauqua, Nicodemus, nps.gov/

nico.

May 25-26 Steampunk Day, Old Cowtown

Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

May 25-27 Little Britches Rodeo, Dodge City Roundup Arena, 620-225-2244.

May 31-June 9 Beef Empire Days, 30

events celebrating cattle industry in southwest Kansas, Garden City, beefempiredays.com.

June June 1 Symphony at Sunset with Salina

Symphony, Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds, Abilene, eisenhower.archives.gov.

June 1 Hays Summer Gallery Walk, haysartscouncil.org.

June 1 Riverless Festival, crafts, food, turtle races, Phillips County Courthouse Square, 785-543-2321. June 1-2 Mulvane Art Fair, 80 artists, juried show, Washburn University, Topeka, 785-670-1124. June 5-8 Miss Kansas Pageant, Pratt,

prattkansas.org.

Continued on page 36.

DISCOVER

315 S. 3rd St. | MANHATTAN, KS 66502 FLINTHILLSDISCOVERY.ORG

THE FLINT HILLS

Start your journey through the Flint Hills with our interactive science & history learning center.

Ellsworth County . . . where our past becomes your future.

100

VISIT GOELLSWORTH.COM FOR A CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS 95 75

25 5 0

l 35

Continued from page 35.

June 6 75th Anniversary of D-Day,

Eisenhower Presidential Library, Abilene, eisenhower.archives.gov. June 6-8 Steam locomotive train rides;

dinner train on June 8, Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, asvrr.org.

June 7 Rhubarb Festival and Tasting Tea, Glasco, hwy24.org. June 7-30 Disney’s “Newsies: The Musical,”

Salina Community Theatre, salinatheatre.com.

June 8 Kansas Shrine Bowl game and

parade, Dodge City, 813-281-0300.

June 8 Lecompton Territorial Days, parade, carnival, games, concert, lecomptonkansas.com.

June 15 Midsummer’s Festival, traditional

June 8 Juneteenth Celebration, Junction City, junctioncity.org.

June 15 Downtown Market, Russell,

June 8 Prairie Days, Little House on the Prairie Museum, near Independence, LittleHouseonthePrairieMuseum.com

June 15 Symphony in the Flint Hills, Chase

June 8 Indian Art Day: A celebration to open Micah Wesley’s exhibit and Indian Art Market, Indian Center, Wichita, theindiancenter.org. June 8 National Festival of Breads, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org. June 8 Arkalon Assault obstacle run, Liberal, visitliberal.com. June 8 On the Air: A Tribute to Bob

Hope in honor of the 75th anniversary of D- Day, Brown Grand Theatre, Concordia, browngrand.org.

County, symphonyintheflinthills.org.

June 15, 22 Spring wildflower tours, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, 620628-4455. June 20-22 Kicker Country Stampede,

Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, visitmanhattanks.org.

June 20-30 McPherson Community Theatre presents “Peter Pan,” McPherson Opera House, mcphersonoperahouse.org. June 20-July 11 66th Annual Verdigris

Valley Art Exhibit, Independence Historical Museum & Art Center, ihmac.com.

June 8-9 Newton Flower and Garden Tour, June 9 Newton Mid-Kansas Symphony

June 21-22 Washunga Days, Council Grove, washungadays.com.

Orchestra summer concert, Dyck Arboretum of the Plains, Hesston, ToNewton.com. June 11 Pony Express Re-Ride, Pony

Express Station & Museum, downtown Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org. June 12-16 “Sound of Music,” Music

Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey, three-time Pro Rodeo Entertainer of the Year, will make a special appearance at this year’s Pretty Prairie Rodeo July 17-20 with his Border collie mount, Boogie.

russellcoks.org.

June 21 Tunes + Tallgrass, music and films, Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

various locations, newtonplks.org.

Giddy up

Swedish games, music, dancing, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

June 21-29 Sunflower Music Festival,

Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

June 22 Dinner train, Abilene & Smoky

Valley Railroad, Abilene, asvrr.org.

June 22 Bald Eagle Car Show,

Theatre Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

vintage autos, trucks and hot rods, lecomptonkansas.com.

June 13-16 Smoky Hill River Festival,

June 22 Marvin Schwilling Memorial

fine art, crafts, music, food, Oakdale Park, Salina, riverfestival.com.

June 14-15 Swing into Summer Festival

and Cruise Night & Car Show, Stockton, hwy24.org. June 14-23 “Pirates of Penzance,”

Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

Butterfly Count in the Flint Hills, nature.org.

June 22 Artist Studio Tour, Newton, 316-

284-2749.

June 22 52nd Art in the Park, Garden City,

finneycountycvb.com.

June 22 2019 Hot & Cold Classic Disc Golf

Tournament, Pratt, prattkansas.org.

June 22-23 Kansas Walleye Tournament, Glen Elder Reservoir, hwy24.org. June 26-30 “An American in Paris,” Music

Theatre Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

June 28-29 Ape Awareness, Sedgwick County Zoo, scz.org. June 29 Spencer Family Walk.Run. Roll at Lake Scott State Park, Scott City, walkrunrollscottcity.com June 29 Celebrate America, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org. June 30 Cider Mill Century Bike Ride, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com. June 30 Star Spangled Splash & Blast, Ellsworth, goellsworth.com. June 30 A SculpTour Affair, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State, ulrich.wichita.edu.

36 l

July July 3 Independence Day fireworks, Great

Bend, greatbendks.net.

July 3-4 Rodeo and Independence Day

Celebration, Hepler.

July 3-4 Sterling Old-Fashioned Fourth of

July, ricecountytourism.com.

July 3-7 Sundown Salute, Junction City,

junctioncity.org.

Pedaling in the dark

July 4 Old-Fashioned 4th of July

celebration, Eisenhower Park, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

July 4 Old-Fashioned Fourth of July, Boot

The Tour de Salt bicycle ride takes place far underground in the salt mines at Strataca, Hutchinson, underkansas.org. This year’s event is Oct. 12.

July 4 5K run, games, fireworks, Columbus,

July 13 Summerfest 2019, outdoor concert and Hap Dumont Baseball Tournament, Pratt, prattkansas.org.

July 20 Moonwalk 50th Anniversary

July 13 Coffeyville Summer Celebration, visitcoffeyville.com.

July 24-28 “Chicago,” Music Theatre

McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

July 13 Trails to Rails – the 150th Anniversary of the Arrival of the Kansas Pacific Railway, Fort Wallace Museum grounds, ftwallace.com.

July 25-28 KKOA Leadsled Spectacular Car Show, Oakdale Park, Salina, kustomkempsofamerica.com.

July 4 Old-Fashioned 4th of July and

July 15 Drums Across Kansas, BG Products

Hill Museum, and fireworks, Roundup Arena, Dodge City, 620-227-8188. 620-429-1492.

July 4 Four by Four Performance at the

Marysville Municipal Airport, music by the Beatles, Beach Boys, Bee Gees and Motown, marshallcountyarts.org.

July 4 Fourth of July celebration, Wall Park,

sesquicentennial celebration, Lindsborg, ABBA tribute band, fireworks, Lindsborg150th.com.

Veterans Sports Complex, El Dorado, eldoks. com.

July 4 Independence Day fireworks,

Rodeo, Kansas’ largest night rodeo, pprodeo.com.

Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

July 4 Spirit of Kansas Blues Fest, Topeka,

VisitTopeka.com.

July 4-6 Steam locomotive rides, dinner

train July 6, Abilene, asvrr.org.

July 6 American Legion Riders Post 86

July 17-20 82nd Annual Pretty Prairie

July 25-28 141st Emancipation Celebration and Homecoming, Nicodemus, nicodemushomecoming.org. July 25-Aug. 4 Dodge City Days, PRCA

rodeo, parades, concerts, BBQ, gunfights, dodgecitydays.com.

July 26-27 Dam Music Festival, El Dorado Lake, eldoks.com.

July 19-20 Junction City Rodeo,

July 27 National Day of the Cowboy, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

July 19-20 Amelia Earhart Festival with

July 27 Rock & Food Truck Festival, Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

Ellinwood, ellinwoodchamber.com. junctioncity.org.

Lakefest Outdoor Concert, Atchison, VisitAtchison.com.

July 6 Fiesta Parade, Topeka,

July 19-27 Broadway RFD presents “Into

July 9-13 Fiesta Mexicana, Topeka,

Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

July 18-20 After Harvest Festival,

Fireworks Display, Pratt, prattkansas.org. VisitTopeka.com.

Celebration, activities and programs, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

the Woods,” Swensson Park, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

July 27 National Day of the Cowboy, Flint Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org. Continued on page 38.

VisitTopeka.com.

July 9-14 119th Annual Kanas Wheat

Festival, carnival, parade, food, live music, games, arts and crafts, Jason Boland and the Stragglers concert July 13, Wellington, wellingtonkschamber.com.

July 10-14 “A Chorus Line,” Music Theatre

Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

July 12-21 “Disaster!” Great Plains

Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

July 13 Fort Harker Days, Kanopolis, goellsworth.com. July 13 Little Apple Paddle on Kansas River, Manhattan, mhkprd.com.

l 37

Continued from page 37.

July 31-Aug. 3 Wild Bill Hickok PRCA Rodeo and Central Kansas Free Fair, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Celebrating 150 years

August Aug. 1-3 Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo, Phillips County Fairgrounds; rodeo parade Aug. 3, 785-543-2448. Aug. 2-3 National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo, Abilene, abilenekansas.org. Aug. 2-18 “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org. Aug. 3 Vintage Base Ball Game, Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds, Abilene, eisenhower.archives.gov. Aug. 3 Smoky Valley Classic Car Show, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com. Aug. 3-4 Herzogfest, polka Mass, German music and food, Victoria, herzogfest.com. Aug. 3-Jan. 5 Light and Shadow,

Lindsborg has planned art projects and events in 2019 to commemorate the town’s founding by Swedish immigrants 150 years ago. In addition to the traditional festivals of Midsummer’s, Svensk Hyllningsfest and St. Lucia, events over the Fourth of July will also salute the sesquicentennial. For info, visit Lindsborg150th.com.

ethereal sculptures by Alyson Shotz and Kumi Yamashita, Wichita Art Museum, wichitaartmuseum.org.

Aug. 10 Back to School Blast, Rolling Hills

Aug. 17 Dane G Hansen Arts & Crafts Fair, Logan, hansenmuseum.org.

Aug. 7-11 “In the Heights,” Music Theatre

Aug. 10 Float Your Boat, Milford Lake,

Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org.

Junction City, junctioncity.org.

Aug. 8-11 Southwest Kansas Pro-Am,

Aug. 12-17 Inter-State Fair & Rodeo, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Aug. 17-18 Blacksmith & Pioneer Days, demonstrations, stagecoach rides, Summerfield, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Kansas’ longest running professional golf tournament, Garden City, finneycountycvb.com.

Aug. 8-11 Holly Frontier Western

Celebration, downtown El Dorado, eldoks.com.

Aug. 10 Party in the Park, Veterans

Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org.

Aug. 16-17 Sand Creek Summer Daze, floating parade, live music, family activities, Athletic Park, Newton, sandcreeksummerdaze.com.

Aug. 18 Squirrel Jam Music Festival,

Marysville City Park, marshallcountyarts.org.

Aug. 16-17 Seward County PRCA Rodeo,

Aug. 22-24 Fall Open Houses, downtown McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

Aug. 16-17 Twine-a-thon, Cawker City,

Aug. 22-24 Tiblow Days, Bonner Springs, bsedwchamber.org.

Liberal, visitliberal.com.

Memorial Park, Great Bend, greatbendks.net.

hwy24.org.

Aug. 10 Crusin’ the Capitol, Topeka,

Aug. 16-18 150th celebration, Belleville

VisitTopeka.com.

Aug. 17-18 Lake Scott Rod Run, Scott City Park, VisitScottCity.com.

city park, concerts, street dance, parade.

1 SATURDAY 2 FAIRS SEPTEMBER 21 IN MARION COUNTY 50th ANNUAL

Marion’s 41st annual

Aug. 23 Hays Fall Gallery Walk, downtown,

haysartscouncil.org.

Aug. 23-24 Cowtown Days and Rodeo, Ellsworth, goellsworth.com. Aug. 23-25 Tumbleweed Festival, two

stages of live music, children’s activities, Lee Richardson Zoo, Garden City, tumbleweedfestival.com.

Aug. 24 Adam’s Apple Festival, Lucas, lucaskansas.com Aug. 24 Sunflower Festival All Town Celebration, Colby, oasisontheplains.com.

FIND US ON

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

& 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

Aug. 24 Big Brutus Polka Fest, West Mineral, 620-827-6177. Aug. 24 Zoo Brew Craft Fest, Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, rollinghillszoo.org. Aug. 24, 31 Fall wildflower tours, Maxwell

Wildlife Refuge, Canton, 620-628-4455.

38 l

Aug. 24-25 Summer Jubilee, Bull City Opry, Alton, hwy24.org. Aug. 30 Wellsville Car Show,

1 8 5 4

wellsvillechamber.com.

L E A V E N W O R T H

U S A

Experience "The First City of Kansas"

Aug. 30-Sept. 1 Little Balkans Days

Festival, Pittsburg, LittleBalkans Festival.com.

Aug. 31 Dinner train, Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad, Abilene, asvrr.org. Aug. 31-Sept. 1 Chisholm Trail Days, Old Abilene Days, Abilene, abilenekansas.org. Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Steam locomotive train rides, Abilene, asvrr.org. Aug. 31 People of the Plains, Old Cowtown

Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

Aug. 31-Oct. 14 KC Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, kcrenfest.com.

September Sept. 4-8 Garden City Charity Classic, 144 pro-women golfers, finneycountycvb.com. Sept. 6-8 Huff n Puff Balloon Rally,

Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

Sept. 6-15 Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, kansasstatefair.com. Sept. 7 Steampunk Day, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

Make

HISTORY

With your next vacation!

Explore our history at the Carroll Mansion, the Buffalo Soldier Monument on Fort Leavenworth, the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum, our 28-block historic downtown shopping district and so much more...

call (913) 758-2948 or

VisitLeavenworthKS.com

Sept. 7-Nov. 2 Haunted Atchison, Atchison, VisitAtchison.com. Sept. 7 Pony Express 120 Gravel Dash, Marysville, marysvillekansaschamber.org. Sept. 9 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour, hosted by Lindsborg’s Rendezvous Adventure Outfitters at the McPherson Opera House, 785-227-9810. Sept. 13-14 Mexican Fiesta, Kansas’

longest-running festival, parade, festival, food, dancing, music, Garden City, 620290-6264.

Sept. 13-14 Thunder on the Plains

Car, Truck and Cycle Show, Hays, thunderontheplainsks.com.

Sept. 13-15 Kan-Okla 100 Mile Sale,

Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Sept. 13-15 Power of the Past Antique

Engine & Tractor Show, Ottawa, powerofthepast.net.

Sept. 13-15 Sunflower Futurity Barrel

Racing, Scott City, VisitScottCity.com.

Sept. 13-Oct. 31 Family Farm, Louisburg

Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Sept. 14 Lantern Festival, El Dorado Lake,

eldoks.com.

Continued on page 40.

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Continued from page 39.

Sept. 14 Sunflower Piecemakers Quilt

Show, displays, auction, vendors, Ottawa, sunflowerpiecemakers.com.

Sept. 14 Muddy River Music Festival,

Atchison, VisitAtchison.com.

Sept. 19-22 Highway 36 Treasure Hunt, 400 Miles of antiques and garage sales across Kansas, ushwy36.com. Sept. 20 Roaring 20s Party, Old Cowtown

Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

Sept. 20-21 Aviation Weekend, Atchison,

Sept. 14, 28 Dinner Train, Abilene,

abilenekansas.org.

Sept. 29 Fort Bissell Museum Chili

Sept. 17 57th Annual Grant County Home

Sept. 21 Fueled by Fire, 9-mile or 2-mile

‘Expect the Unexpected in Lucas’ Grassroots Arts Capital of Kansas Discover 25 “Outsider Art” Environments

785-525-6288

lucascoc@wtciweb.com www.lucaskansas.com

Garden of Eden • 785-525-6395 www.gardenofedenlucas.org

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

Russell County

“Alive with History, Culture, & Commerce”

Wilson Lake

run, Newton, fueledbyfirenewton.net.

Sept. 21 50th annual Hillsboro Arts &

Crafts Fair, hillsboroartsandcraftsfair.org.

Sept. 21 41st Art in the Park, Marion,

marionparksandrec.com.

Sept. 21-22 Catfish Tournament, Lake

Scott State Park, visitscottcity.com.

Sept. 21-22 Catfish Tournament, Lake Scott

State Park, chamber.scottcityks.org.

Sept. 22 Fe for a Cure 5K Race/Walk,

downtown Salina, visitsalinaks.org.

Sept. 23 Concordia Fall Fest, parade, car

show, games, entertainment and vendors, music by King Midas, 785-243-4290.

Sept. 26 Taste of Atchison, VisitAtchison.com. Sept. 27-29 Age of the Gunfighter, Old

Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

Sept. 27-29 Kansas Championship Ranch Rodeo, Peace Treaty Pow Wow, Indian Summer Days at the Museums (Stockade and Carry Nation Home), Medicine Lodge. Sept. 28 Tap That Topeka, VisitTopeka.com. Sept. 28 Lyons Fair on the Square/Car Show, ricecountytourism.com. Sept. 28-Oct. 27 Long Pumpkin Patch, Great Bend, greatbendks.net. Sept. 28-Jan. 5 Wild Weather, national traveling exhibit, Exploration Place, Wichita, exploration.org.

Concerts at Fairport Knight

Sept. 28 Oktoberfest, Pratt, prattkansas.org. Sept. 28 50th Chanute’s Artist Alley, chanutemainstreet.com.

Blessing of the Bikes

Sept. 28 Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair, Salina, smokyhillmuseum.org. Sept. 28 Red Hot Chili Pepper 5K & Little Pepper Run; Chili Cook-off; and Blues, Brews & Barbecue concert, Newton, ToNewton.com. Russell County Eco Devo & CVB (877)830-3737 * www.russellcoks.org Contact cvb2@russellks.org for our Visitor Guide or a list of events happening!

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Travel KS 2019.indd 1

2/11/2019 10:44:12 AM

Sept. 29 Indian Artifact & Arrowhead

Sept. 20-22 Ol’ Marais River Run Car

VisitTopeka.com.

national and international contests on eight instruments; live music on four stages, crafts, food, Winfield fairgrounds, wvfest.com.

Sept. 28-29, Oct. 4-5 Ciderfest, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com.

Show, Appanoose Museum, Pomona, Franklin County, 785-665-7576.

Show, 2000 cars, music, Main Street Cruise, Ottawa, olmarais.com.

Sept. 18-22 Walnut Valley music festival,

Scott City Park, whimmydiddle.org.

VisitAtchison.com.

Sept. 14 Kansas Taco Festival, Topeka,

Products Dinner, locally produced food and entertainment, Ulysses, 620-356-4700.

Sept. 28 Whimmydiddle Arts & Craft Fair,

Sept. 28 Coffeyville Street Drags,

visitcoffeyville.com.

Sept. 28 Car Cruise on State Street,

Phillipsburg, 785-543-2321.

Cook-Off, Phillips County Fairgrounds, fortbissellmuseum.org.

Sept. 29, Oct. 13, 20 Scott City Mini Series, VisitScottCity.com.

October Oct. 3 Taste of Newton street festival, 5-9 p.m. downtown Newton, ToNewton.com. Oct. 4-5 Dalton Defenders Days, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com. Oct. 4-5 Bricks, Broncs & BBQ; Brew Me Craft Beer, Wine and Spirits Festival, Oct. 5; Russell, russellcoks.org. Oct. 4-5 Ciderfest, Louisburg Cider Mill, louisburgcidermill.com. Oct. 4-5 Big Rig Truck Show, Pratt, prattkansas.org. Oct. 4-6 Ribs & Bibs Music Festival, Topeka, VisitTopeka.com. Oct. 4-6 26th annual Mountain Man Rendezvous, Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Canton, 620-628-4455. Oct. 5 Pioneer Days, Nicodemus, nps.gov/nico. Oct. 5 Old Settlers Day, Kirwin, and Take a Ride on the Wild Side, bike ride through Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge, phillipscountykansas.com. Oct. 5 Fall Festival, chili cook-off, craft show, live music, games, Wellington, wellingtonkschamber.com. Oct. 5 Burnin Down Main, McPherson, visitmcpherson.com. Oct. 5 Heritage Day, Dickinson County Heritage Center, Abilene, abilenekansas.org. Oct. 5 OZtoberfest, Wamego, VisitWamego.com. Oct. 5 Ol’ Marais Chili Cook-off, Franklin County, pleasantridge.com. Oct. 5 County Fair, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org. Oct. 5 Fall Fest, downtown Ulysses, car show, vendors, games, food, concert, 620356-4700. Oct. 5 Bethel Fall Festival, North Newton, bethelks.edu.

Oct. 5-6 Kansas Barn Sale, Lakeside Park,

McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

Oct. 5-6, 12, 26 Train rides (dinner train Oct. 26), Abilene, asvrr.org. Oct. 5-6 Apple Festival at Old Prairie Town,

Topeka, VisitTopeka.com.

Oct. 9, 10, 11 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular, Botanica, Wichita, botanica.org. Oct. 11 Volga German Society Oktoberfest,

Hays, haysoktoberfest.com.

Oct. 11-13 ROAR Art Show, Russell, russellcoks.org. Oct. 11-13 50th Columbus Day Festival/ Hot Air Balloon Regatta, Columbus; balloon glow at dusk Friday; Columbus Day Festival Oct. 12, columbusdayballoons.com. Oct. 12 Oz Fest, Liberal, visitliberal.com. Oct. 12 BOOtanica, Botanica, Wichita,

botanica.org.

Oct. 12 Trail of Tears Memorial Event,

Indian Center, Wichita, theindiancenter.org.

Oct. 13 Falun Classic 32-Mile Bicycle Ride,

Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

Oct. 18-19 Svensk Hyllningsfest,

biennial Swedish festival, Lindsborg, svenskhyllningsfest.org.

Oct. 18-20 Smoky Hill Trail Association Annual Conference, Fort Wallace Museum, smokyhilltrail.com. Oct. 18-26 Neewollah, downtown Independence, neewollah.com. Oct. 18-27 “Empires Fall,” by Abilene native Marlin Fitzwater, Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org. Oct. 19 International Lineman Rodeo,

National Agriculture Center, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

Oct. 19 Pome on the Range Fall Festival,

pumpkin picking, hayrides, food, Franklin County, pomeontherange.com.

Oct. 19 Zombie Pub Crawl, downtown

Salina, visitsalinaks.org.

Columbus sails Columbus’ Hot Air Balloon Regatta celebrates 50 years during the annual Columbus Day Festival Oct. 11-13.

Oct. 26 Zoo Boo, Great Bend, greatbendks.net. Oct. 26 Rolling Hills Zoo 20th anniversary celebration, rollinghillszoo.org. Oct. 26-27 Hay, Hooves and Halloween,

Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

Oct. 31 Kids Halloween Parade, Ellinwood,

ellinwoodchamber.com.

November Nov. 1-3 Holiday Open Houses, downtown

McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

Nov. 1-Jan. 1 Annual Christmas Tree display, Territorial Capital Museum, 170 trees decorated in antique, vintage and themed ornaments, Lecompton, lecomptonkansas.com. Nov. 2-3 French Market, Liberal,

visitliberal.com.

Nov. 9 Holiday Open House, Lindsborg,

visitlindsborg.com.

Nov. 9 Veterans Appreciation Day, New Lancaster General Store, Paola, newlancastergeneralstore.com. Nov. 9 Celebration of Freedom, downtown Continued on page 42.

Oct. 19 Coronado Heights Run, Lindsborg,

100

visitlindsborg.com.

Oct. 19-20 Fall Farm Tour, visit Miami

County agritourism sites.

Oct. 19 3rd annual Luray Craftique, Food

Pantry benefit, antiques, crafts, food, Facebook/Luray Craftique.

Oct. 24 Black Squirrel Night, downtown

Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Oct. 25-26 Haunted House, McPherson

Museum, visitmcpherson.com.

Oct. 26 Tombstone Talks, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

l 41

Nov. 29 Olde Tyme Christmas, Stockton, hwy24.org.

Dec. 6 Hays Winter Gallery Walk, downtown, haysartscouncil.org.

Nov. 29-Dec. 15 “Makin’ Magic – 25 Years of Fun,” Great Plains Theatre 25th anniversary production, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.org.

Dec. 6-7, 13-14 Victorian Christmas, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

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

Dec. 7 Old-Fashioned Christmas, downtown El Dorado, eldoks.com.

Nov. 30 Lighted Christmas Parade, Russell,

Dec. 7 Night of Christmas Magic, downtown, Abilene, abilenekansas.org.

Nov. 16 Night of Lights, Liberal,

Nov. 30 Home for the Holidays Festival &

Dec. 7 Sights & Sounds of Christmas, Atchison, VisitAtchison.com.

Nov. 16 Atchison Holiday Boutique, Atchison, VisitAtchison.com.

greatbendks.net.

Nov. 30-Jan. 1 Trail of Lights, Great Bend,

Dec. 7 A Very “Merry”sville Christmas, downtown Marysville, visitmarysvilleks.org.

Continued from page 41.

El Dorado, eldoks.com. Nov. 10 Holiday Open House, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com. Nov. 10 Holiday Open House, downtown Scott City, chamber.scottcityks.org. Nov. 15-May 15, 2020 Harvey Wenger exhibit “Metal and More, Grassroots Art Center, Lucas, 785-525-6288.

visitliberal.com.

Nov. 16 Holiday Gift Show, Lucas, lucaskansas.com. Nov. 16-17 Holiday Tables, Santa Fe Depot,

Dodge City, 620-225-1001.

Nov. 23 Christmas Festival, downtown

Salina, visitsalinaks.org.

Nov. 23-24 Tumbleweed Bazaar craft fair,

Ulysses, 620-356-1808.

Nov. 23-Jan. 1 Lemon Park Lights, Pratt,

prattkansas.org.

Nov. 25 Christmas Parade of Lights and

Chili Cook-Off, Dodge City, 620-225-8186. Nov. 27-Dec. 31 Chautauqua Isle of Lights,

Beloit, hwy24.org.

Nov. 29 Celebration of Lights, Phillipsburg,

phillipsburgchambermainstreet.com.

russellcoks.org.

Parade, Great Bend, greatbendks.net.

Dec. 7 Artists’ Studio Christmas Open House, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

December Dec. 1 Christkindlmarket, Ellinwood,

Dec. 7 Cookies & Cocoa with Santa, Boot Hill Museum, Dodge City, 620-227-8188.

Dec. 1, 7-8 Folk Art Festival, Liberal,

Dec. 7 Santa Saturday, Scott City, chamber. scottcityks.org.

Dec. 5 Christmas Light Parade, Ulysses,

Dec. 7 Snowflake Parade, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com.

Dec. 5 Newton Parade of Lights,

Dec. 7 Free Gingerbread House Making, McPherson Museum, visitmcpherson.com.

ellinwoodchamber.com. visitliberal.com.

620-356-4700.

ToNewton.com.

Dec. 7, 14 Breakfast with Santa, Old

Dec. 6 Christmas Parade, Coffeyville,

Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

visitcoffeyville.com.

Dec. 7 Five Places of Christmas featuring free admission and activities at Bethel College, Kauffman Museum, Carriage Factory Gallery, Harvey County Historical Museum and Warkentin House Museum, Newton, ToNewton.com.

Dec. 6 Christmas Parade and Evening

Candlelit Tours at the Historic Brown Mansion, Coffeyville, visitcoffeyville.com.

Dec. 8 Jultide at Bethany, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com. Dec. 9-12 Supper with Santa, Botanica,

Wichita, botanica.org.

Dec. 12-18 Holiday Light Trolley Tours,

McPherson, visitmcpherson.com.

Dec. 14 St. Lucia Festival and OldFashioned Christmas at Old Mill Museum in the evening, Lindsborg, visitlindsborg.com. Dec. 14 FrostFest Illuminated Parade, downtown Hays, downtownhays.com.

Holiday lights The annual Illuminations at Botanica in Wichita ranked No. 6 on USA Today’s Top 10 Best Botanical Holiday Light Displays. Started in 2001, the festival has grown to incorporate 2 million lights and attendance by 83,000 visitors.

42 l

PHOTO BY RICK McPHERSON

Dec. 19 Main Street Blaze, bonfire with live entertainment, downtown Ulysses, 620356-4700. Dec. 20-21 C&R Railroad Christmas

Train Show, Huck Boyd Community Center, Phillipsburg, 785-543-5535.

Dec. 31 Family New Year’s Eve, Flint

Hills Discovery Center, Manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

History Comes Alive in Ulysses & Grant County

V Gotta go:

Elk Falls Outhouse Festival

The Elk Falls Outhouse Festival, planned annually for the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving, is without a doubt one of the quirkier festivals in Kansas. The 2019 festival is Nov. 15-16. Elk Fall’s 92 residents practically flush with excitement that their town is known as the “outhouse capital of Kansas.” Between 10 and 15 outhouses are elaborately decorated for the annual festival. Festival-goers are invited to wander the streets of Elk Falls, share potty jokes and vote on their favorite outhouses. Food booths and musicians also line the streets. A popular stop is Steve and Jane Fry’s Elk Falls Pottery shop. Since 1976 they have made pottery in Elk Falls. In 2004 they became the owners of a 22-acre overgrown ranch homestead where they unearthed an enchanting garden. The winners of the decorated houses receive cash prizes and a custom-made stoneware trophy chamber pot. Past winners have sported such names as Crappy Meal; Starry, Starry Night; and Bath and Potty Works. The festival was created in 1996 when residents at a town meeting were discussing ways to draw visitors to the area. Someone mentioned they had lots of outhouses and after discussing other ideas that one floated to the top. For more information on entering the competition or attending, visit elkfalls outhousetour.com. – Beccy Tanner

PHOTO BY BECCY TANNER

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).

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

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

SHOPPING • DINING • ARTS • HISTORY Download a FREE Visitors Guide at VisitHays.com!

785-628-8202

l 43

The index includes locations and advertisers, but not events or calendar listings. Abilene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5, back cover African American History Trail . . . . . . . . . . 13-14 Arikaree Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 21 Arkansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Atchison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4, 19 Belvue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Blue River Rail Trail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Blacksmith Coffee Shop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Bonner Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Boot Hill Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Botanica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 42 Carriage Factory Art Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Cawker City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Chanute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Cheyenne County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 21 Chisholm Trail Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Choice Hotels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Cloud County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 9 Coffeyville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Colby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 41 Concordia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 9 Cowtown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 11 Dodge City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 15, 16, 33 Dodge City Distillery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-16 Duff’s Buffalo Ranch . . . . . . 24, inside back cover Eisenhower Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5 El Dorado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Elk Falls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 El Quartelejo Museum . . 24-25, inside back cover Ellinwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 10, 26 Ellsworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9, 35 Exploration Place . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Fick Fossil and History Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Finney County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Flint Hills Discovery Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Fort Larned National Historic Site . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Fort Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 14 Fort Wallace Museum . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 23-25, inside back cover Franklin County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Gallery XII . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Garden City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Geary County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Goodland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Grant County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Great Bend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 Hands of Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Hays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 43 Hemslojd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Highway 24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Hutchinson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Independence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 44 Junction City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Kansas Originals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Kansas River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-19 Kansas Sampler Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Kansas Wetlands Education Center . . . . . . . . . 31 Keystone Gallery . . . . . . . . . . 25, inside back cover Lake Scott State Park . . . 23-25, inside back cover Land & Sky Scenic Byway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

...with attractions and festivals for all • Riverside Park & Ralph Mitchell Zoo • William Inge Theater Festival • Riverside Beach Family Aquatic Center

• Independence Historical Museum & Art Center • Neewollah Festival • Elk City Reservoir • Little House on the Prairie

For more information visit www.indkschamber.org

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Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 19, 33 Leavenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 39 Lecompton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Liberal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 28 Lindsborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20, 38 Lindsborg Vacation Rentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Little House on the Prairie Museum . . . . . . . . . . 7 Little Jerusalem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-25 Louisburg Cider Mill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Lucas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 18, 35 Marion Art in the Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Marysville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 6 McPherson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 McPherson Opera House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Miami County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Mid-America All-Indian Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Midsummer’s Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Monument Rocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cover, 3, 23-25 Museums on the River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Music Theatre Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 New Lancaster General Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Nicodemus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Oakley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-25, inside back cover Osa and Martin Johnson Safari Museum . . . . . 10 Osawatomie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 14 Ottawa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 29 Phillips County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Pittsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Pratt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Pretty Prairie Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36, 41 Quivira National Wildlife Refuge . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Red Barn Studio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Rolling Hills Zoo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 29 Rosewood Winery & Wine Cellar . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Russell County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Salina . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover, 1, 5, 29, 34 Salina Art Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Salina Downtown . . . . . . . . . . . . inside front cover Scott City . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-25, inside back cover Scott’s Hometown Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Sharon Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 24 Sherman County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Small World Gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Smith Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Smoky Hill Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Smoky Hill River Festival . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 34 Smoky Hill Winery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Solomon Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 South-Central Kansas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27 Svensk Hyllningsfest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Swedish Crafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tony’s Pizza Events Center . . . . inside front cover Topeka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 12, 18 Trollslanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Ulrich Museum of Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Ulysses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Wallace County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, 23-25 Walnut Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Wellington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Western Vista Historic Byway . . . . . . . . . . . 23-25 Wetlands & Wildlife National Scenic Byway . . 31 Wichita . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 11, 13, 30, 42 Wichita Art Museum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Winfield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

WE LIKE IKE ... AND MAMIE TOO! Visit the all-new exhibits unveiling in 2019 at the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day while learning Ike and Mamie’s story in their own words.

Stay a few days and celebrate Abilene’s 150th anniversary!

Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Old Abilene Town Great Plains Theatre Dickinson County Heritage Center Greyhound Hall of Fame Seelye Mansion Unique specialty shops & restaurants

Smithsonian Magazine’s Best Small Town to Visit | AbileneKansas.org