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New Flint Hills Discovery Center showcases tallgrass prairie

Slice of Heaven There is nothing more satisfying

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Lucas’ Garden of Eden spawns all kinds of art

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4 Around KansasFive years after Greensburg tornado, Big Well reopens Elvis sighted in exhibition of historic photos at Eisenhower Museum New Flint Hills Discovery Center educates about tallgrass prairie

8 A Slice of HeavenThere’s nothing like a made-from-scratch pie, and Kansas eateries keep the art alive

12 The Garden of Eden and BeyondLucas’ recently restored sculpture garden has spawned all kinds of art. The latest community art project, (Toilet) Bowl Plaza, opens with a First Flush on June 2.

16 Haunted Happenings The spirit moves communities to plan trolley tours, educational graveside conversations and other spooky events

18 Strolling in the GardensSeveral landscaped public gardens and aboretums offer opportunities for enjoyment and education

20 Wickedest Town in the West Turns 140Remnants of the Old West are not only alive and well but thriving in Dodge City

22 Cornucopia of FestivalsStarting after summer harvest, Kansans take to the streets for a variety of community celebrations

25 Calendar HighlightsExperience a lot of Kansas in one place at Sampler Festival

ON THE COVER The sunrise photo of mint-leaf beebalm was taken from one of the hiking trails at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County. A new Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan offers information about the last largest expanse of untouched tallgrass prairie. Photo by Harland J. Schuster

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Matrix Media Inc., a Kansas company. To have a copy of the magazine mailed, send $5 (includes postage) to The Wichita Times, 111 N. Mosley, Ste. 201, Wichita, KS 67202. To order multiple copies or for advertising information, please call 316-264-5850 or e-mail cmines@aol.com. © 2012 Matrix Media Inc.

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8 12 16 18 22

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Greensburg rebuilds, Big Well museum reopens

Greensburg will observe the fifth an-niversary of the devastating tornado

that leveled the community on May 4, 2007, with a commissioned play, kite festival, fun run and other activities. In late May, the historic Big Well will reopen with an expanded museum and observa-tion deck.

Like the rest of the community, the new museum was rebuilt to the strictest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design) standards, making Greensburg the “greenest” town in the nation. The city’s power is supplied by 10 wind turbines, and the new 5.4.7 Arts Center – which was named for the date of the tornado and was the first structure built -- was the first LEED platinum rated building in Kansas.

A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts has enabled the William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Com-munity College to record the stories of the worst tornado on record in a theatrical format. Collaborating on the project are playwright Marcia Cebulska of Topeka, Cornerstone Theatre Co. of Los Angeles and Greensburg’s 5.4.7 Arts Center.

Prior to the tornado, the southwest Kansas town’s claim to fame was being home to the world’s largest hand-dug

well. Work on the well began in 1887 to provide water for steam engines. It was used as the city’s water supply until 1932, and in 1939 it was opened as a tourist at-traction which allowed visitors to descend to the bottom of the 109-foot deep well.

The new museum is “completely different” than the old one, said Stacy Barnes, director of tourism and interim Big Well director. A Greensburg native, Barnes and her husband were living in Lawrence at the time of the tornado. She applied for a job with the city shortly after, and she and her husband moved back to what was left of their hometown so they could help with rebuilding efforts.

“The new museum has one gallery dedicated to the history of Greensburg, one to the tornado and one to rebuilding a green model community,” she said. An observation area on an upper level will give visitors a 360-degree view of the surrounding area. “They’ll be able to walk up there and see all the rebuilding.”

The museum won’t have as many arti-

facts as before since most were destroyed in the tornado, but it will be interactive, Barnes said. “We found some photos by going through old newspapers and people donated items.”

Not only can tourists visit the Big Well Museum, but the Kiowa County Histori-cal Museum reopened last fall, and there are about 10 retail shops (some in an incubator building) downtown. One- and two-hour Green Tours are available by appointment.

A concert performance of the play will be on Saturday, May 4, at 7:30 at the United Methodist Church. “We’re lacking facilities for a full-blown production but we are rebuilding the Twilight Theater and community auditorium,” Barnes said.

The community will celebrate Tragedy to Triumph Five. . . Years Later May 4-6.

For more information, call 620-723-4102 or visit bigwell.org, greensburgks.org or greensburggreentown.org. The Big Well museum and gift shop will be open daily except holidays.

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A journey on a historic two-lane highwayA journey on a historic two-lane highway

The new Big Well Museum includes an upper level with panoramic windows as well as galleries devoted to the history of Greensburg, the fatal tornado and rebuilding as a green community.

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Elvis sighting at Eisenhower Museum

A n Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibit, “Elvis at 21,” will be on

display at the Eisenhower Presidential Li-brary and Museum in Abilene from April 7 to July 1. Centered around photographs by Alfred Wertheimer, the exhibit shows the 1950s social context for the Eisen-hower presidency.

Wertheimer’s 40 large-scale pho-tographs capture the 21-year-old Elvis Presley in 1956 on the threshold of super stardom. The exhibition includes Elvis’ first TV appearances on the “Dorsey Stage Show” and the “Steve Allen Show” in New York. “With cinematic luminosity, the Wertheimer photographs document a re-markable time when Elvis could sit alone at a drugstore lunch counter,” said exhibit organizers.

A blog about the national exhibition can be found at shows2go.si.edu/elvis/. There is also a dedicated Facebook page and Twitter address.

Several related programs are planned while the exhibition is in Abilene. Elvis tribute artist Joseph Hall, who has ap-peared on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent,” will perform at 7 p.m. April 13 during an opening reception. The museum will also show the Elvis films “GI Blues” on April 24 and “Love Me Tender” on May 17 at 7 p.m. in the Visitors Center Auditorium.

Abilene’s Great Plains Theatre, the only professional theater between Kansas City and Denver, will perform the musi-cal “All Shook Up” June 1-17. The Great Plains Theatre will also provide the entertainment for the June 23 Fifties Fest at the Eisenhower Presidential Library presented by the Arts Council of Dickin-son County.

For information about the exhibition or the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home, call 877- RING-IKE or visit eisenhower.archives.gov. The museum is located at 200 SE 4th St. and is open daily except major holidays. For theater tickets, call 785-263-4574 or go to greatplainstheatre.com.

A Better Way to StayA Better Way to Stay

Kansas Bed & Breakfast AssociationGift Certificates Available | www.kbba.com | 888-572-2632Large-scale photographs, including “Going

Home” (above), are part of the “Elvis at 21” exhibition at the Eisenhower Museum.

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Flint Hills Discovery Center opens

A n new center designed to showcase the science and cultural history of the

Flint Hills of Kansas and the Osage Hills of Oklahoma – the last significant stand of tallgrass prairie – opens in Manhattan April 14.

The 35,000-square-foot facility, which cost $24.5 million, anchors the

second phase of Manhattan’s downtown development. “This project is stunning evidence of what can be accomplished when the public and private sectors work collaboratively,” said Ron Fehr, city manager. “(The center) will support all our efforts to preserve the Flint Hills and promote tourism within our state.”

Bob Workman, a fifth-generation

Kansan, returned to the state as founding director to lead the final development of the new facility in downtown Manhattan. Through interactive exhibits visitors will have an opportunity to explore the science and cultural history of North America’s last stand of tallgrass prairie, one of the world’s most endangered eco-systems.

“The experience is designed to cel-ebrate the history, heritage and natural surroundings of the Flint Hills and tall-grass prairie,” said Autumn Shoemaker, marketing coordinator for Manhattan. “We are a gateway to the last, largest ex-panse of untouched tallgrass prairie in the world. There will be outdoor patio space with beautiful views of Manhattan, as well as the glass tower featuring colored lights

that change color at night.” The Flint Hills Discovery Center also

features landscaped outdoor terraces, per-manent and temporary interactive exhibits, classrooms and meeting rooms. It will be open 363 days a year and serve as the visitor information center for Manhattan and the surrounding Flint Hills region. For more information, visit flinthills discovery.org or call 785-587-2726.

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“We are a gateway to the last, largest expanse of untouched tallgrass prairie in the world. There will be outdoor patio space with beautiful views of Manhattan, as well as the glass tower featuring colored lights . . .”

Grand opening for the Flint Hills Discovery Center in downtown Manhattan is April 14.

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K A n S A S C A F E S K E E p T h E A r T O F m A D E - F r O m - S C r A T C h B A K I n G A L I V E

Few sweet treats are as tempting as a homemade pie still warm from

the oven. The number of people who take the time to roll out the dough and make the filling from scratch is dwindling, but the good news is that several Kansas cafes still take pride in making good old-fashioned pies.

Mike Miller, owner of the Carriage Crossing restaurant in Yoder, thinks nostalgia may be one reason people are attracted to pie. “I think pie represents the cooking we did 50 years ago,” he said. “It’s the type of cooking we don’t do at home very much anymore.”

The volume at his restaurant attests to pie’s popularity: On a busy summer Sat-urday customers can go through as many as 140 pies, and Carriage Crossing offers as many as 20 kinds of pies.

Pie maker Cheryl Johnson at Otto’s res-taurant in Pittsburg agreed that nostalgia is part of the appeal but that fewer people make pies than they used to. “Pie reminds you of home and holidays,” she said.

Pie could be the ultimate comfort food, said Eva Peters, owner of Eva’s Kitchen in Montezuma. “I think people feel a comfort from eating pie, like at grandma’s,” she said, then recalled a re-cent customer taking a bite of a still-warm piece of coconut pie and saying, “Oh, it’s just like my grandma’s.”

“It’s always a grandma,” Peters said. “I guess grandma did a good job.”

Pie is such an important part of the meal at the Carolyn’s Essenhaus in Arlington that customers often pick out a piece of pie before they order. If the restaurant has run out of the kind the customer wants, the owner is so reluctant to disappoint that she’ll try to rectify the situation.

“If they’ve driven a long way and we don’t have the pie they want, and I’ve got the crust, I’ll go put one together if it’s a cream pie,” said Carolyn Bontrager. “People often have their heart set on something and I can’t stand to see that crestfallen look.”

The recipes used at the Essenhaus belong to Bontrager’s mother, who still makes the crusts, along with her grand-daughter. “Everything is from scratch,” Bontrager said, “and we roll them out by hand.” Her mom has been involved with the restaurant since Bontrager opened it 22 years ago.

Restaurants all handle crust differ-ent ways, but the bakers agree it’s a key ingredient.

At the Main Street Café in Durham, owner Wendell Wedel closely guards the pie crust recipe. “We combined two different recipes for our pie crust,” he said. “There wouldn’t be another restau-rant and probably not a home baker that would make our particular recipe.”

Most restaurants that still make pies onsite make a number of crusts at one

time for simplicity’s sake. At the Durham Café, crust making happens on Mon-days and then the crusts are frozen to be taken out and filled and baked fresh for the daily lunches and the popular Friday night German buffet, where dozens of homemade fruit and cream-filled pies are the main attraction. Pies have been baked in the restaurant’s ovens for about 70 years.

At Otto’s, Johnson mixes up the flour and shortening once a week, but rolls it out each day she’s baking so the crust is fresh. Peters at Eva’s Kitchen makes the crust in-house too. “We do it all by hand, with a rolling pin, the old-fashioned way, like grandma’s pie,” she said.

Because pie is so labor intensive, “most restaurants have gone to doing as little work on the premises as possible,” Miller said. “It’s also an issue of training and staffing. A lot of restaurants don’t want to deal with having a full bakery just for the desserts.” Carriage Crossing’s bakery also makes all of the restaurant’s bread.

“Anything that’s real good is either hard to make or takes a lot of work,” We-del of the Durham café said. “That’s one reason most restaurants sell extra pies for holidays.” The Main Street Café sells frozen pies people can bake at home for themselves. “You do all the work for them and they don’t have the mess at home,” he said. The café also makes peppernuts year-round and sells other bulk foods and local cheese.

At Carriage Crossing, 700 pies were

by paTsy TERREllpHOTOs by HaRlaNd sCHusTER

K A n S A S C A F E S K E E p T h E A r T O F m A D E - F r O m - S C r A T C h B A K I n G A L I V E

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picked up on the day before Thanksgiving last year, according to Miller. “We pull in everybody who knows what they’re doing (to bake) and the ovens go for 15 hours straight.”

Miller currently has six pie bakers, who come in between 3 and 4 a.m. to start the day’s baking. He joked that they are always a bit relieved when the pace slows down after the holidays.

Other restaurant owners are also thankful for their bakers. “You’ve got to find someone who cares and will stick with you,” Bontrager said. “Most people don’t cook. I have an advantage with the Mennonite heritage of the area.” Holde-man Mennonites are often a staple in the kitchens at other restaurants that serve homemade pies.

“A lot of it is just downright hard work,” Miller said. “Pies boil down to individual care. Recipes have to be exact. Employees have to care enough to follow recipes and they have to care enough to make things look good. I can’t give enough credit to staff. I can have a great recipe and if the pie baker doesn’t care, it doesn’t matter.”

As far as the most popular kind of pie,

Left to right: Pie is made the old-fashioned

way at Carolyn’s Essenhaus; a freshly baked

meringue pie at Main Street Cafe in Durham;

diners at Otto’s Cafe; and putting the

finishing touches on a coconut pie at Main

Street Cafe.

Continued on page 10.

10 l

many restaurant owners report it to be coconut. “A lot of people don’t like coco-nut, but we sure sell a lot of coconut pie,” Johnson said.

Sometimes Carriage Crossing branch-es out and tries other kinds of pies, and sales quickly tell whether they’re going to be as popular as the regular selection, according to Miller. Carriage Crossing Restaurant sells about 70 percent cream pies and 30 percent fruit pies.

Most kinds have their devoted fans. “The peanut butter pie at Carriage Cross-ing is the best pie I’ve ever had,” said Rob Mackey, a former Kansas resident who now lives in Virginia.

While the crust can be the most exacting part of making a pie, for Kansan consumer Ric Jung, a self-proclaimed pie lover, it’s more about the filling than the crust. “The pastry, if done right, frames the filling,” he said. “Done right the pastry melts in your mouth and never distracts.”

Carriage Crossing once tried to branch out to cakes but they just didn’t sell. So, it’s “pie, pie, pie – and we just keep mak-ing more,” Miller said.

Customers at Carolyn’s Essenhaus enjoy cakes, Bontrager said, “but in proportion, the pie way outsells. There’s something nostalgic about it.”

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Bread Basket219 N. Main St., Newton

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Carolyn’s Essenhaus104 E. Main St., Arlington

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Carriage Crossing Restaurant

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The Corner Pharmacy429 Delaware St.,

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The annual Mennonite Relief Sale and quilt auction at the Kansas Fairgrounds is an excellent place to sample a variety of pies made from scratch by Mennonite and Amish churches, plus it’s a good cause. This year’s event is April 13-14.

The Friday night buffet at Main Street Cafe in Durham features a dozen kinds of pies.

Kansas cafe piesCONTiNuEd fROm pagE 9.

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The Garden of Eden (top) laid the foundation for Lucas’ interest in unusual art. Shown here are pieces from the Grassroots Art Center, Deeble House and Flying Pig Studio.

aybe it’s the World’s Largest Souvenir Travel Plate that welcomes visitors to town or all the bright-colored

sculptures that dot the local landscape, but there is definitely a spirit flowing through the town of Lucas that is in turns rebel-lious, whimsical, haunting and totally grassroots.

Lucas, about 18 miles north of I-70 in Russell County, has dedicated itself to being the Grassroots Arts Capital of Kansas. The town of 400 residents has attracted the attention of the Lonely Planet-USA travel book – which promises that “nothing will surprise and amaze you as much as the oddball art com-munity of Lucas” – as well as Conan O’Brien, who hosted Lucas resident Erika Nelson and what she claimed was the world’s larg-est cow hairball.

“It’s the kind of art that draws people into the creative spirit,” said Rosslyn Schultz, director of the Grassroots Art Center in downtown Lucas. “It makes people not afraid of art.”

Grassroots art isn’t your grandma’s watercolors, but she could create something in the style with a little concrete, some spare car parts and a welding torch. Created by people who have had no formal art training, grassroots art uses ordinary everyday objects and materials in unique ways.

“It’s just that free spirit, that ‘I don’t care what the neighbors think attitude,’” said Schultz of the genre.

The innovator of that spirit and the grandfather of Lucas’ grassroots art movement was Samuel Perry Dinsmoor, the cre-ator of the town’s most famous grassroots art environment, The Garden of Eden.

A self-educated Union Civil War veteran and wildly progres-sive thinker, Dinsmoor started building the Garden of Eden in 1907 at the age of 62. For the next 20 years, he used 113 tons of concrete to create soaring sculptured trees and figures that in every detail conveyed a cryptic and humorous commentary on Populist politics, the Bible, women’s and human rights, as well as modern civilization. At the center of the garden is Dinsmoor’s Cabin Home, a structure made of large horizontally-cut limestone blocks dovetailed together much like wooden logs in a cabin.

“Dinsmoor saw all these things (issues) as important,” said John Hachmeister, president of the Friends of S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden and associate professor of sculpture at the University of Kansas. “By the end of his life, he wanted to build something.”

Many of the issues Dinsmoor immortalized in concrete, such as the octopus representing the greed of America’s corpora-tions, are still relevant today. The site attracts more than 7,000 visitors a year to Lucas, some of whom, according to Hachmeis-ter, come from France and Germany, where grassroots or “out-sider” art is prevalent.

“They really understand the political ramifications of the garden,” Hachmeister said.

While the garden is a testament to Dinsmoor’s beliefs and opinions, it’s also a testament to his sense of humor. Nowhere is that more evident than in the mausoleum Dinsmoor built for himself where visitors can view his mummified remains, as well as an image of the man in life. Dinsmoor once quipped that after his death he would wink at anyone who paid for the garden tour.

But keeping the garden open to the public over the years has been a challenge. Hachmeister bought the Garden of Eden more than 26 years ago with a group of shareholders in an attempt to preserve the site.

“We had seen sites like this be cut up,” said Hachmeister, who also convinced another Kansas donor to save the surviving works of another Lucas-area grassroots artist, Ed Root. “They (grassroot sculptures) have value on the East Coast. I was con-vinced that someone would come in and cut it up into pieces.”

Over the next quarter century, Hachmeister and Garden of Eden Inc. kept the garden open, but affording the major repairs the Garden of Eden required was impossible.

Then last summer, the Kohler Foundation, a Wisconsin-based foundation dedicated to the restoration and preservation of folk architecture and art environments, stepped in, bought the Garden of Eden and launched a major repair and restoration project at the site. Over the course of the summer, hundreds of hours were spent repairing and restoring the sites and its sculptures.

Earlier this year, the Kohler Foundation deeded the Gar-den of Eden back to a new community-based non-profit group, Friends of S.P. Dinsmoor’s Garden of Eden. Renovations con-tinue in the spring of 2012.

“I just can’t praise Kohler enough,” Hachmeister said, of the restoration and the return of the garden to local ownership. “I’ve always thought that it should be local.”

Keeping the Garden of Eden viable and in Lucas, which will celebrate its 125th anniversary Labor Day weekend, ensures that it will continue to inspire other grassroots artists locally, as well as around the world.

“It (the grassroots movement in Lucas) has been an ongoing thing for a century,” Schultz said. “I think the Garden of Eden spawned those sites.”

pened in 1995, The Grassroots Arts Center celebrates grassroots heritage in Lucas and across Kansas. It features

the work of 30 Kansas grassroots artists, including Ed Roots’ monuments. The center’s galleries take up three downtown CONTiNuEd ON pagE 14.

Grassroots art capital builds on Garden of Eden reputationBy SARA PETERSON-DAviS • PHOTOS By HARLAND SCHuSTER

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buildings, with a courtyard dedicated to the artistry of the region’s limestone post rock architecture.

After suffering a broken hip in a car crash in the 1930s, Ed Root started creat-ing concretget upe monuments on his farm south of Lucas. For 20 years, Root created an environment on his property filled with the concrete monuments stud-ded with colored glass and rocks. In the 1940s and 1950s on the edge of town, Roy and Clara Miller built a park and created a rock museum complete with miniature Rocky Mountain peaks from rocks they brought back from their trips to Colorado.

Later when Florence Deeble retired from teaching English, she built a rock garden in the backyard of her Lucas home that featured concrete “postcards” of holiday sites she had visited, including Mt. Rushmore. The Grassroots Art Center also includes the Florence Deeble Rock Garden and the Garden of Isis, an envi-ronment created by Lucas artist Mri-Pilar inside Deeble’s Lucas home. Both are a short walk from the center.

Like the Garden of Eden, the center sees thousands of visitors each year, most of whom are interested in the grassroots genre. Many visitors are surprised at the depth of the center’s collection and the enthusiasm of Lucas’ residents to pre-serve and celebrate grassroots art.

“Most people say they expected to see this in New York City not in Lucas, Kan-sas,” Schultz said.

Along with managing the museum, Schultz travels the state interviewing grassroots artists and photographing their work. She finds it difficult not to catch the grassroots spirit.

“If you’ve ever met a grassroots artist, you’ll notice that there’s always that ele-ment of having fun,” Schultz said. “They just love what they do. They are abso-lutely driven. They may get up at 2 a.m. and they’re 85.”

On the Grassroots Center’s website, grassrootsart.net, visitors to Lucas can take a walking tour of the town, includ-ing such grassroots art environments as American Fork Art, Kaufman’s Rock Gar-den, Sarah Rowden’s Hippie Hut and Er-icka Nelson’s house, parking spot of The World’s Largest Collection of the World’s

Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things, a traveling collection of miniature items such as Cawker City’s world’s larg-est ball of twine and the world’s largest bottle of ketchup in Collinsville, Ill.

The center has done its part over the

years to encourage local residents to ex-plore their inner artist with an art contest.

“We sponsored Alley Cats with an Attitude, and we were just amazed at what people came up with,” Schultz said. “There were cats made from old shop vacs and old computers converted into cats. These were all from people who claimed not to be creative at all.”

or the past year or so, the Lucas community’s artistic energy has

been focused on Bowl Plaza, the town’s new public toilet and newest grassroots art environment.

The rectangular building was built to resemble a toilet tank with the en-trance fashioned to look like an upturned toilet seat. The handicapped-accessible walkway leading up to the restrooms resembles rippling toilet paper and the center of the plaza is a swirling toilet bowl with various items being flushed. Along with the courtyard bowl, the restrooms will feature mosaic-covered walls and fixtures donated by Kohler. It should be completed this spring.

A community project, Schultz said, Bowl Plaza inspired local volunteers, as well as visitors who stopped to see the town’s other attractions, to help create and execute the vision. More than once, people passing through joined in to help with the project, others sent items and supplies for the project once they got home.

“That to me is just taking art and catching the spirit,” Schultz said. “It really gives you a shot in the arm.”

The Lucas community plans to open Bowl Plaza with a “First Flush” celebra-tion on Saturday, June 2, according to porcelain artist Eric Abraham, a local volunteer who gave his time and talent to create Bowl Plaza’s environment.

Abraham bought the downtown build-ing that once housed the town’s Chevrolet dealership nearly eight years ago and moved his Flying Pig Studio and Gallery there. The studio is named for Abraham’s signature airborne swine that populate many of his pieces.

A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute, Abraham was looking at moving his studio from Wabaunsee to Lindsborg. When a deal fell through for a building there, someone suggested that Abraham

CONTiNuEd fROm pagE 13.

Garden of Eden305 E. Second St. | 785-525-6395garden-of-eden-lucas-kansas.com

The Garden of Eden is open for tours: May-October daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; November-February weekends 1 to 4 p.m.; March-April daily 1 to 4 p.m.

Admission is $6 for adults, $1 for children 6-12, children 5 and under are free.

Call for special occasions or after hours tours.

Grassroots Art Center213 S Main | 785-525-6118 grassrootsart.net

Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 1-5 p.m. May-September; Thursday-Sunday 1-4 p.m. April and October; and Thursday-Saturday 1-4 p.m. November-March. Closed holidays.

Call for special occasions and after hours tours. Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children 6-12.

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look at Lucas. There he met Rosslyn Schultz and discovered the Grassroots Arts Center.

Now Abraham lives and works in the 3,600-square-foot dealership building, where he displays and sells his porcelain works, as well as his three-dimensional drawings. When he is away at art shows around the country, the Grassroots Center’s staff opens up his gallery to let visitors browse.

“They are really good to work with,” Abraham said.

The Lucas community and its focus on art has also afforded Abraham a bit more freedom than is available in other towns. In other communities, Abraham said he would have to go through the city’s zoning process to display his work outside his gallery. In Lucas, it’s just more outdoor art.

“Everybody likes it (the art displayed outside the building),” Abraham quipped, “and those that don’t, they don’t say anything.”

Abraham is convinced that Lucas’s commitment to grassroots art and artists is what has kept it on the map.

“The Garden of Eden and the Grass-roots Center bring people in,” he said. “This town is still here because of the art.”

‘Expect the Unexpected in Lucas’Grassroots Capital of Kansas

Discover 17 “Outsider Art” Environments

785-525-6288lucascoc@wtciweb.comwww.lucaskansas.com

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

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

$1 Off All Tours with Ad

For year-round screenings, show times and information:

www.tallgrassfilmfest.com

Oct 18-21, 2012 • Wichita, KS

CELEBRATING OUR 10TH YEAR!

STUBBORNLY INDEPENDENT SINCE 2003

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by CiNdy sNidER

aunted houses, hotels and cemeteries have cap-tured the imagination of Kansans who are eager to participate in a bit of “safe scary” fun. Chambers of

commerce and historical sites throughout the state have responded in kind, with a trend toward provid-

ing more haunting entertainment.Take Atchison, a town of nearly 11,000 living souls, tucked into

the hills and bluffs along the Missouri River in northeast Kansas. Most prominently known as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart, Atchison was dubbed “the most haunted town in Kansas” in the 1997 book “Haunted Kansas: Ghost Stories and Other Eerie Tales” by Lisa Hefner Heitz.

After the book was published, the Atchison Chamber of Commerce had no illusions that a haunted theme could be the start of some-thing big for their town. Atchison was al-ready full of history, with 20 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. All they needed to add was a little mystery to the history. And that, they did.

“The haunted theme just dropped into our laps, thank you very much,” said Jacque Pregont, president of the Atchison Chamber of Commerce. “We took the idea and ran with it.”

Haunted Atchison Tours grew so much in popularity they are now offered nearly year-round. Originally only during the week of Halloween, the haunted tours are now offered every night the week before Halloween, every weekend in September and October and the first Saturdays of may, June, July and August.

“The tours pretty much sell out by the time the trolley rolls out,” Pregont said. “We evaluate it every year and make changes or additions to meet the demand. We keep the tours fresh. It’s a new experience every year.”

The narrated tour of 20 haunted sites now includes motor coaches as well as trolleys. Most people want the trolley tour because it’s “more romantic,” Pregont said. “I’m not sure how romantic a haunted tour can be though,” she added, laughing.

As the spirit moved, Atchison added other events to comple-ment its narrated trolley and coach tours. There are history and mystery guided tours, private home visits (including the famous Sallie House), Slumber with the Spirits, ghostly dining experi-ences and a haunted cemetery walking tour. The book “Haunted Atchison: The Collected Stories,” was published by the chamber in September.

A new event in 2012, Haunted University, is for those who want to learn more about paranormal investigations. The

multi-day schedule of classes Sept. 25-29 will be led by psychic Christopher Moon.

South of Atchison some 88 miles, as the spirit flies, lies Osawatomie, a community with current living population of 4,600. Oakwood Cemetery is the burial home to some of the most prominent characters in Osawatomie history. The annual Talking Tombstones event at the cemetery is a favorite of history buffs and those who want a mild scare mixed with lively first-person narratives depicting the figures who molded Osawato-mie’s lore and legend.

Led by Grady Atwater, administrator for the John Brown Museum State Historic Site, the evening event in late

October begins with a short walking tour of the cemetery, featuring unique headstones and both

famous and infamous gravesites. Members of the Osawatomie Time Machine, a local troupe,

breathe new life into history with their reen-actments and portrayals of Kansas figures buried in the cemetery, Atwater said.

Westward ho across the state to Hays, more tombstones are talking. Graveside Conversations at Fort Hays State Historic Site is an educational event also sched-uled for late October.

“All the stories and first-person inter-pretations are based on facts that we have about the individuals who died here at the

fort,” said Bob Wilhelm, site administrator for the fort. “It’s educational, reflective and

melancholy, but not scary,” he said. The site of the oldest boot hill cemetery west

of the Mississippi, the city of Hays isn’t shy about welcoming the spirits of the deceased to tell their sto-

ries on halloween night. The first cemetery for hays City in 1867 was located on a hill just north of town. Staff members at the Ellis County Historical Society Museum sponsor the special halloween program held annually at the cemetery. Visitors can walk the site and listen to costumed narrators tell stories about the violence and misfortune that claimed the horse thieves and outlaws who were buried with their boots on.

Topeka also has tested the spirit waters and hosted such events as Tiptoe through the Tombstones, haunted tours of the Ward Mead Mansion in Old Prairie Town, and Haunted Trail to the Lost Lagoon at Lake Shawnee. In Baldwin City, brave souls can board the Midland Railway’s Night Trains of Terror.

He r e is a sam pling of spook y offe r ings for 2012 :

April 13 Wichita Ghost Tour, 8 to 10 p.m., 785-851-0856, ghosttoursofkansas.com

May-October Haunted Atchison Trolley Tours, 800-234-1854, atchisonkansas.net

T H e s p i r i T m o v e s k a n s a s c o m m u n i T i e s T o H a v e f u n w i T H

Graveside conversations at Historic Fort Hays

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Oct. 19-20, 26-27 Night Trains of Terror, Midland Railway, Baldwin City, midland-ry.org

Oct. 27 Talking Tombstones, Osawatomie, 7 p.m., 913-755-4384

Oct. 27 Graveside Conversations, Historic Fort Hays, 7 to 10 p.m., reserva-tions required, 785-625-6812, kshs.org

Oct. 31 Haunted Boot Hill, Hays, 18th & Fort Streets, 7 p.m., 785-623-2624, elliscountyhistoricalmuseum.org

Nov. 2 Lawrence Ghost Tour, 8 to 10 p.m., 785-851-0856

Hotels offer haunting experiences Beaumont Hotel B e au m o n T

According to sources, an enraged pro-prietor in the late 1800s or early 1900s shot and killed a young, local cowboy named Zeke, who had become a little too attached to the proprietor’s wife. The ghost of Zeke supposedly likes to pull pranks around the hotel now. 620-843-2422, hotelbeaumontks.com.

Drury Plaza Hotel Broadvieww i c H i Ta

The Broadview was the scene for the demise of some notorious gang members during the late 1920s, according to the book “Wichita Haunts” by Beth Cooper. 316-262-5000, druryhotels.com.

Eldridge Hotel l aw r e n c e

Built as the Free State Hotel in 1855, it has burned down twice. After reopen-ing in 1985, it was said to have a portal into the spirit world, particularly in room 506. Guests have reported doors opening and closing on their own, breath marks on clean mirrors, and lights switching on and off. Some guests have encountered apparitions on the fifth floor, where an “elevator ghost” reportedly likes to open and close the elevator door. 800-527-0909, eldridgehotel.com.

Midland Railroad Hotelw i l s o n

Beware Room 305, say the locals. That’s where Sheriff Bart hanged him-self – or was murdered, according to his ghost. Paranormal investigators said they picked up evidence of Sheriff Bart’s presence and they carried on a spirited conversation with him. 785-658-2284, midlandrailroadhotel.com.

Tioga Suites c H a n u T e

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, part of this hotel’s history includes reports of paranormal activity. Two teams of paranormal investigators have visited the hotel, and three rooms re-ported paranormal activity. Accounts from one hotel patron include seeing a lady and young girl dressed in vintage clothing, standing at the base of his bed. When he spoke to them, they disappeared. Among several other reports of ghostly sightings, there have been two instances of guest beds mysteriously being turned down. 866-698-4642, tiogasuites.com

Tuck U Inn at Glick MansionaTc H i s o n

The Glick Mansion was built in 1873 by George Washington Glick, who served

in the Kansas state legislature for 14 years beginning in 1862. He was elected gov-ernor of Kansas in 1882. Like Atchison, the “most haunted town in Kansas,” this inn reportedly has some ghosts who are generally benevolent. Strange sounds can be heard at night, doors open and close on their own and there is a sound of foot-steps when no one is there. One patron reported that she was forcibly pushed out of her bed in Lizzy’s Attic on the third floor. 913-367-9110, glickmansion.com

Ghostwriter Cindy Snider has braved not only Atchison’s haunted trolley tours but also lived to tell about staying in Lizzy’s Attic at the Tuck U Inn as well as the infamous Room 305 at the Midland Hotel. She had just been warned about that room by a local shopkeeper so was startled to find it assigned to her upon check-in.

The Atchison Trolley at Mcinteer villa, which is located at the corner of 13th and Kansas streets.

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Bartlett Arboretum, Belle Plaine

1 Started by Dr. W.E. Bartlett as a park on the Belle Plaine city dump in 1910, the Bartlett Arboretum evolved to encompass

15 acres of formal gardens, trees, bridges and thousands of tulips planted in honor of Maxine Bartlett, who died as a young girl in 1918. The gardens were a casualty of rationing during World War II and remained closed until 1961 when they were reopened by the Bartlett family.

The gates were closed and a sale sign had been posted when Dixie Chicks founding member Robin Macy took a wrong turn – she prefers to call it a “divine accident” – after leaving Winfield’s Walnut Valley music festival in 1997. She bought the grounds and with the help of a cadre of volunteers has restored the gardens, which are the first landscape in Kansas to be accepted by the National Register of Historic Places. “It’s a great study of what will survive in Kansas weather for a hundred years,” she said.

The gardens are open to the public for Art at the Arb April 14-15 ($5 donation), which features music, 35 artists and thousands of tulips. Treehouse concerts are planned for Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. The gardens are also open for groups by appointment. For information, visit bartlettarboretum.com.

Botanica, the Wichita Gardens

2 This urban oasis features 26 themed display gardens, water features, landscaped trails, sculptures and 4,000 species

of plants both native and new to the region. The latest addition is the Downing Children’s Garden which incorporates whimsi-

cal art by Kansas artists and a giant treehouse to invite children – and their parents – to explore nature. Other themed gardens include the Butterfly Garden, Woodland Bird Garden, Shake-spearean Garden, Sensory Garden and Wildflower meadow.

Hours are Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with extended hours April through Octo-ber (Sundays 1-5 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday evenings until 8 p.m.). For more information about special events and lectures, visit botanica.org or call 316-264-0448.

Dyck Arboretum, Hesston

3 A trip to the Bartlett Arboretum was the inspiration for Harold and Elva Mae Dyck

to begin planning an arboretum featuring Kansas plants and trees on 13 acres in their hometown of hesston. The first tree was planted in 1981, and the arboretum, which is operated by Hesston College, matured into one of the largest native plant gardens in the region with more than 600 varieties of native and adaptable trees, shrubs, wildflowers and grasses. Another 18 acres to the south is under development.

The arboretum also hosts lectures, special events, the Prairie Window Concert Series and FloraKansas: Great Plains Plant Bazaar. Kansas’ largest native plant sale takes place this year April 26-30. The grounds are open daily sunrise to sunset. The

Public gardens invite strolling among Kansas flora

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5pHOTOs by HaRlaNd sCHusTER

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Public gardens invite strolling among Kansas flora

visitors center and gift shop are open week-days year-round and weekend afternoons from May 1 to Oct. 15. For more information, visit dyckarboretum.com or call 620-327-8127 to arrange a guided tour.

Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens

4 On 300 acres in southern Overland Park, these botanical gardens are dedicated to

green – not only in the color of its gardens and open spaces but in its commitment to environmental and ecological issues.

Much of the facility is dedicated to preserving and restoring the region’s eight natural ecosystems, including the dry-mesic prairie, riparian woodland and the dry oak savanna. The arboretum’s gar-dens include the Erickson Water Garden, the Legacy Garden and Allie’s Glade, the Monet Garden, the Cohen Iris Garden, the Marder Woodland Garden, the Chil-dren’s Discovery and the water-efficient Xeriscape Garden. Future plans include adding a Train Garden, featuring a full-size caboose and boxcars, as well as a model

train that will wind through a replica of downtown Overland Park.

Visitors can stroll more than five miles of hiking trails, including two 75-foot bridges that span Wolf Creek, or take a challenging hike along the limestone bluff. Open daily

8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. from April 10 through Sept. 30, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Oct. 1 through April 9. Cafe open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free, 913-685-3604.

Ted Ensley Gardens, Topeka

5 Situated on the west side of Topeka’s Lake Shawnee, the

Ted Ensley Gardens offer panoramic views of the lake and the surround-

ing countryside. The gardens got their start in 1978 when Theodore “Ted” Ensley, Topeka’s director of parks and recreation, had the idea to start a rose garden. Today the gardens feature more than 1,500 rose bushes, a rose garden, meditation garden, water and rock gardens, and annual and perennial beds.

Visitors to the gardens, located at the intersec-tion of SE 37th and West Edge Road, can stroll through the gardens and visit the pergola and gazebo. The gardens are open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., 785-267-1156.

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ven after 140 years, Dodge City still personifies the Old West. Five flags have flown over the area south of the river that was part of Spanish

territory: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas and the United States. But the town that was founded in 1872 near Fort Dodge always retained its unique character – largely because of the characters who landed in Dodge City.

Many of those characters became known to the world through the longest running Western on television – “Gunsmoke,” which aired from 1955 to 1975 and made Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Doc Holliday and Miss Kitty, owner of the Long Branch Saloon, household names.

Dodge City ranked No. 8 on True West magazine’s Top True Western Towns of 2012.

“Dodge City is a Western legend – and more,” Bob Boze Bell, True West executive editor, said in making the announcement. “The townspeople’s concrete efforts to maintain and honor local history, and to tell that amazing story, keep a crown on this ‘Queen of the Cowtowns.’”

The January edition of the magazine lauded the town for its new and updated markers on the longest clearly identifiable section of the Santa Fe Trail.

Visitors can learn more about Dodge City’s wild past at the Boot Hill Museum, which is housed behind a replica of Front Street. Located on the site of the original Boot Hill Cemetery, the museum’s 25,000 artifacts chronicle the area’s history starting with Native Americans, the Santa Fe Trail, buffalo hunting and the 1870s-1880s Texas cattle drives, which made it the largest cattle market in the world.

Photographs capture the local excitement when 50,000 people gathered to meet the train bringing Hollywood actors, including Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart, into town for the world premiere of the 1939 movie “Dodge City,” which was said to be the first movie to debut outside Hollywood.

Visitors can settle into a 1950s living room, complete with naugahyde couch ended by horse heads, and watch a console TV play reruns of “Gunsmoke” to take a break from perusing the many artifacts from the show.

Exhibits also include the “Guns That Won the West” exhibit, which shows a 1770 French pistol and guns that belonged to Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp. Visitors will also see the 1865 Fort Dodge Jail as well as a general store, cigar shop, dry goods store, barbershop, blacksmith and wheelwright, bank and restored church.

Arguably the town’s most important buildings – the original 17 saloons – are represented, and in the summer a nightly variety is show is presented in a replica of the Long Branch Saloon. During the day gunfight re-enactments take place on Front Street.

The train played an important role in settling the community and in the shipping of buffalo hides and bones. City officials convinced the Santa Fe Trail to build a

The Long Branch Saloon (above) at Boot Hill Museum hosts nightly variety shows in the summer. The bronze

statue “El Capitan” commemorates the 1875-1885 Texas cattle drives to Dodge City.

The restored train depot houses dinner-theater productions. Museum exhibits include an 1877 Colt Lightning pistol.

pHoToS (ExCEpT DEpoT) By HArLAnD SCHuSTEr

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state-of-the-art depot and it opened in 1898, complete with a Fred Harvey Hotel and restaurant, known as El Vaquero. The depot closed in 1970, but efforts began in 1994 to restore the historic depot.

The local theater company, Boot Hill Repertory, spearheaded fund-raising for the $12.5 million project, and the restored depot reopened in 2004 with a 162-seat dinner-theater. renamed the Depot Theater Co., the group produces five major shows a year in addition to other performances and cabaret events.

A historic walking tour of Dodge City takes visitors past the bronze statue of the famous lawman Wyatt Earp and along the Trail of Fame, which has medallions for luminaries such as Doc Holliday, George Custer, Errol Flynn, Henry Fonda (who starred as Wyatt Earp in the 1946 movie “My Darling Clementine”) and Amanda Blake, who played Miss Kitty on “Gunsmoke.”

Dodge City Days was once again named a Top 100 Event in North America by the American Bus Association for 2012. This year’s event is July 27-Aug. 5. The 10-day event includes the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo Aug. 1-5, the 51st Dodge City Days Western Parade July 28, a two-day arts and crafts fair, parades, street dances, car show and fiesta.

For those wanting to get in on a modern-day poker game, Boot Hill Casino opened on the edge of town as the first state-run casino in 2009. Last year the United Wireless Arena and conference center opened adjacent to the casino, and this year a 108-room Hampton Inn will open on the property.

– CyNTHia miNEs

Boot Hill Museum and Front Street are open daily with gunfight re-enactments,

country-style dinners and the Long Branch Variety Show nightly from May 28-Aug. 15,

then weekends through Labor Day, 620-227-8188, boothill.org.

The Depot Theater Co., presents dinner-theater performances and other shows at

the historic depot year-round, 620-225-1001, depottheaterco.com.

For more information, call 800-oLD-WEST or visit dodgecity.org. Trolley tours depart

from the Information Center at 400 W. Wyatt Earp Blvd. May 30-Sept. 5.

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by Kim HaNKE

Nothing says autumn in Kansas like the changing leaves, crisp air, and an abundance of fall festivals celebrating successful harvests, community and family.

Early Kansas settlers planned late-summer festivals to celebrate the end of wheat harvest. One of the longest-running is Wellington’s annual celebration, which started in 1900 as the Sumner County Jubilee and Wheat Carnival to celebrate a record-breaking harvest. This year the 112th Wheat Festival will be July 11-15.

Harvest the Excitement is the theme for the 51st annual Western Parade that will take place during Dodge City Days’ 2012 celebration on July 28. The 10-day event also features a professional rodeo, arts and crafts fair, and numerous Old West activities.

And residents in every Kansas county still take a break in late July or early August for their local county fair. The highlight of the Decatur County Fair in Oberlin the first full week of August is the city owned and operated carnival with its reasonably priced rides. To experience a county fair of yesteryear, visit Old Cowtown Museum’s Harvest of Progress: A County Fair on Oct. 6 in Wichita.

While the Kansas State Fair has agricultural roots and is timed for a relatively slow time for farmers, it is at-tended by thousands of city dwellers as well. Kansas’ 100th state fair will take place in Hutchinson Sept. 7-16.

Apples form the core for festivals in Louisburg and Topeka, and most years in Lucas, though this year the Adam’s Apple Festival on Labor Day weekend will instead be a celebration of Lucas’ 125th anniversary.

Centered around the Louisburg Cider Mill, the annual Cider-fest offers a fun atmosphere and learning experience as visitors watch the centuries-old process of making apple cider, from the initial stages to the actual press.

Other activities include hay wagon rides, pumpkin patch, 10-acre corn maze, straw castle, farm animals, live music, craft booths and a variety of food and drink, including cider donuts,

hot or cold apple cider, and Lost Trail Root Beer, one of the sodas produced at Louisburg Cider Mill. This year’s dates are Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6-7.

Cider Days in Topeka offers a variety of exhib-its, demonstrations, food and entertainment. Take a step back in time with gunfighter and Civil War re-enactments, Native American chanting, pioneer demonstrations, Buffalo Soldier re-enactors, riding demonstrations and buck skinners. Other demon-strations have included cider making, basket weav-ing, rope making, candle dipping, fabric weaving,

egg decorating, lace making, chair caning, apple butter cooking and soap making.

The two-day event also offers pony rides, petting zoo, local entertainers, craft exhibitors, clowns, magicians, face painters, mimes, square dancers, cloggers and ballet artists. The 2012 event is Sept. 22-23 at the Kansas Expocentre.

Pioneer life in Topeka also is celebrated at the annual Apple Festival the first Sunday in October in Old prairie Town at Ward

Cornucopia of FestivalsHarvest celebrations evolved into an array of late summer and fall events

independence’s Neewollah celebration draws 70,000 people. The rest of the photos were taken by Harland Schuster at Wamego’s OZtoberFest.

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Whatever your taste, it’s in Hays!

www.haysusa.net 1-800-569-4505

First-Class Shopping, Eating and Adventure!

Meade Historic site. The festival includes demonstrations by blacksmiths, quil-ters, musicians, craftsmen, and culinary artists as well as live entertainment, arts and crafts, and food vendors. The Prairie Mansion, log cabin and other vintage buildings on the six-acre historic site are open for viewing during the festival.

One of the oldest and most famous fall celebrations in Kansas is Independence’s Neewollah (Halloween spelled back-wards), which native son William Inge used as the basis for a community festival in his play and movie, “Picnic.” Local lore claims Neewollah was started as a distrac-tion to keep local kids from turning over the outhouses on Halloween.

The eight-day celebration the last week of October attracts 70,000 visitors each year to the southeast Kansas town. Activities include three parades, arts and craft shows, musical and comedy acts, pumpkin contests, a chili cook-off, queen’s pageant, carnival, band competi-tion, fun run, medallion hunt and food vendors.

Abilene has planned the 34th annual Chisholm Trail Day Festival for Oct. 6. The celebration at Old Abilene Town will feature cowboys, living history, demon-strations and rides on the vintage carou-sel and historic steam-engine train.

In 2005, the community of Wamego started OZtoberFest to celebrate one of Kansas’ claims to fame and the newly opened Oz Museum. Since then it has grown into a community festival that celebrates what makes Wamego unique, according to Mercedes Michalowski, mu-seum director. The 2012 festival is Oct. 5-7.

The Baldwin Maple Leaf Festival is scheduled for the third weekend in Octo-ber, a peak time for the changing colors of the maple leaves. The two-day festival features a parade, 300 craft booths, carni-val, petting zoo and pony rides, storytell-ers, music, quilt show and rides on the historic Midland Railroad.

Other long-standing late-summer and fall festivals include Threshing Days in Goessel, Anderson County Corn Festival in Garnett, Downtown Fall Festival in Fort Scott, Arkalalah Fall Festival in Ar-kansas City, and Oktoberfests in Atchison, Dodge City, Garden City, Hays, Caldwell and other communities. For 2012 dates plus dozens of other events, see the calen-dar listings on pages 31-33. National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame

Kansas City Renaissance Festival

Moon Marble Company

BONNER SPRINGSKANSAS

Stay the night with us and explore Bonner Springs.■ Downtown Specialty Retail Shops ■ Moon Marble Company■ National Agricultural Center & Hall of Fame■ Kansas City Renaissance Festival■ Sandstone Amphitheatre■ Sunflower Hills Golf Course■ Wyandotte County Historical Museum

Downtown Shops:

Exit 224 on I-70, South on K-7 Hwy. to 32 Hwy. exit, Right on 32 (Front St.). Shops located on Front, Oak Street & 100 block of Nettleton Avenue.

I-70 Exit 224 www.bonnersprings.org

2012 Spend a day ad FINAL - Travel Kansas_Layout 1 2/7/2012 10:05 AM Page 1

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March

1-april 28 “Ledger Art of the Cheyennes and Kiowas,” Pawnee Indian Museum State Historic Site, Republic, 785-361-2255.

1-aug. 11 Abilene in the Fifties, exhibition, Jeffcoat Photography Studio

Museum, Abilene, 785-263-9882.

20-24 NJCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship, Bicentennial Center, Salina, 877-725-4625.

27-29 Mid-American Farm Expo, Saline County Expo Center & Bicentennial Center, Salina, 877-725-4625.

30-May 13 Pastel National 2012 Exhibition, Wichita Center for the Arts, 634-2787.

April

1-8 131st Messiah Festival of the Arts, exhibitions and performances of Handel’s “Messiah,” bethanylb.edu.

6-8 “Blue Man Group,” Theater League Broadway Series, 7:30 p.m., Century II, wichitatix.com, 219-4849.

6-23 “Cabaret,” Salina Community Theatre, 785-827-6126.

7 Easter Egg Hunt, 1 p.m., Eisenhower Park, Abilene, 800-569-5915.

11-13 Spring Longhorn Cattle Drive, Moore Ranch near Dodge City, 620- 826-3649.

13-15 Spring Fling, Ulysses, ulysseschamber.org.

14 Flint Hills Discovery Center Grand Opening, manhattan, flinthillsdiscovery.org.

12-15 Tulip Time, Belle Plaine, gosumner.com.

14-15 Civil War Encampment Weekend, Fort Scott National Historic Site, 620- 223-0310.

18-21 William Inge Theatre Festival, Independence, ingefestival.org.

20 Cowboy Junkies in Concert, 8 p.m., Stiefel Theatre, Salina, 785-827-1998.

21 Civil War Day, Old Cowtown Museum, oldcowtown.org, 219-1871.

21-22 Wichita Grand Opera presents Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale,” Mary Jane Teall Theater, wichitagrandopera.org, 268-4929.

22-23 Pioneer Days, Kiowa, 620- 825-4127.

24 Garrison Keillor, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, 785-827-1998.

27-28 Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Film Festival and Safari Days, Chanute, 877-431-3350.

27-28 Kansas Storytelling Festival, Downs, 785-454-3808.

Moveable feast lands in Liberal For the 23rd year, more than 100

Kansas communities will gather in one place for one weekend to celebrate all there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy and learn in Kansas.

Kansas musicians, artists, entrepre-neurs, food vendors, attractions and com-munities will converge in Liberal May 5-6 for the 2012 Kansas Sampler Festival.

New this year will be the use of “wear-able icons.” For example, someone from Liberal might walk the grounds dressed as a pancake to promote the annual Inter-national Pancake Day Race, according to Sally Fuller, local festival director. “This is something new that some towns will try,” she said. “It’ll add fun and color to the festival.”

Another addition this year will be pack goats and Mammoth donkeys from Paradise Ranch Adventures near Council Grove.

Started on the Penner Farm near In-man in 1990, the festival now moves to a different location every two years. The 2012 and 2013 festivals will be in Liberal. The annual festival is a project of the Kan-sas Sampler Foundation, whose mission is to preserve and sustain rural culture.

Fuller thinks Liberal’s location in far southwest Kansas will be good for the festival because it will also attract

attendees from Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. While the last two festivals had the advantage of being near the Kansas City metropolitan area, Fuller believes the rural location will be an advantage.

“When you live near a city there are a hundred things to choose from on a weekend,” she said. “That’s not the case here. When something like this comes to our area, people will go.”

The Liberal festival will be in Light Park at the corner of Kansas Avenue and 11th. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children 7-14. For more information go to kansassampler festival.com or call 620-626-0170.

This year’s Kansas Sampler Festival will be in Liberal May 5-6.

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27-29 Kansas Birding Festival, Wakefield, kansasbirdingfestival.org.

27-29 “Seussical,” Century II, mtypks.org, 262-6897.

27 Spring Gallery Walk and 42nd Annual Smoky Hill Art Exhibition opening, 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., Hays Arts Center Gallery, downtown locations, hasartsscouncil.org.

27 Trace Adkins in Concert, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, 785-827-1998.

28 Barnyard Babies, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

28 Camp Wildwomen, hunting/fishing workshop for women, Horse Thief Reservoir, Jetmore, campwildwomen.com.

28 Wichita Symphony Pops Concert: A Tribute to the Women of Motown Featuring Radiance, 8 p.m., Century II, wso.org, 267-7658.

May

1 “Tribute to Musical Theatre,” Salina Symphony, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, 785-827-1998.

2 “Giselle,” Wichita Grand Opera, Century II, wichitagrandopera.org, 268-4929.

4-5 Chisholm Trail Festival, Caldwell, caldwellks.com.

4-6 Tragedy to Triumph. . . Five Years Later, Greensburg, greensburgks.org.

5 Cinco de Mayo, Garden City, 800- 879-9803.

5 Marble Days Celebration, downtown Bonner Springs, bonnersprings.org,

913-667-1703.

5 Tractor Cruise, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghoalloffame.com.

5-6 Kansas Sampler Festival, Liberal, kansassamplerfestival.com

6 Art in the Park, Lawrence, 785- 979-7039.

6-12 Bear Awareness Week, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina, rollinghillswildlife.com.

8-12 “In the Heights,” Theater League Broadway Series, 7:30 p.m., Century II, wichitatix.com, 219-4849.

Continued on page 26.

Historic LecomptonTerritorial Capital of Kansas 1855

Pre-Civil War Sites Open Wednesday-Sunday:Territorial Capitol Museum and Constitution Hall

Territorial Days June 22-23Bald Eagle Rendezvous September 20-22

Christmas Vespers December 2 Tours: 785-887-6148

Lecompton Exit east of Topekawww.lecomptonkansas.com www.indkschamber.org 620.331.1890 tourism@indkschamber.org

785-472-4071 • ecofc@eaglecom.net

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11 99th annual McPherson County All-Schools Day, allschoolsday.com.

11-13 15th Sunflower Baloon Festival, Anthony, sunflowerballoonfest.com.

12 Barber County Wildflower Tour, Medicine Lodge, 620-886-3721.

12 Ira Glass, Stiefel Theatre, Salina, 785-827-1998.

13 Wild About Moms, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina, rollinghillswildlife.com.

18-19 Argonia Daze, Argonia, gosumner.com.

18-19 Abbyville Frontier Days Rodeo and BBQ, 620-727-4569.

19 Blue Sky Farm’s Special Day on the Farm: the Wonderful World of Miniature Horses, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hays, 785- 625-6725.

19 Frozen in Time, Old Cowtown museum, oldcowtown.org, 219-1871.

19 Red Green’s “Live” Wit & Wisdom Tour, 7 p.m., Orpheum, wichitaorpheum.com, 263-0884.

19 Wichita Grand Opera presents Opera on the Lake, 6:30 p.m., Bradley Fair, Wichita, wichitagrandopera.org.

20 run for the Wall, Veterans from all wars will stop in Junction City on their annual pilgrimage to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C., Junction City, junctioncity.org.

25 Vintage & Experimental Aircraft Fly-In, Amelia Earhart Airport, Atchison, atchisonkansas.net.

25-28 Little Britches Rodeo, Dodge City, visitdodgecity.org.

26 Burns Route 77 Classic Car and Bike Show and Festival, Main Street, burnks.com.

26-28 Fort Larned Living History Weekend, at best preserved Indian Wars fort on the Santa Fe Trail, 620-285-6911.

26-sept. 3 Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination-National Traveling Exhibit, Exploration Place, exploration.org, 316-660-0600.

28 Antique Tractor & Engine Show, Lehigh, 620-483-4176.

28 Fidelisfest at Cathedral of the Plains, Victoria, stfidelischurch.com.

Calendar continued from page 25.

1904 Pope HartfordSingle - 10 hp - 78” wb

WELLINGTON’S

Spring Mid-April thru May1-5 pm • Sat. & Sun.

Summer June thru October1-5 pm • Daily

Fall All of November1-5 pm • Sat. & Sun.

Chisholm Trail MuseuMHOURS:

502 N. WashingtonWellington, Kansas 67152

620 326-3820

“You need to preserve your heritage, ... or you lose your way.”

Across the street from the Sumner CountyCourthouse, the Chisholm Trail Museumcontains over 40 rooms filled with over20,000 artifacts and pictures, most collectedlocally, some dating back to the Civil Warand the early-day cattle trail that passed westof Wellington.

ADMISSION: Donations Graciously Accepted

(We are supported by donations.)

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Monday, March 01, 2010 12:05:05 AM

WellingtonLocated in Sumner County, Wheat Capital of the World

and only 14 miles from new Kansas Star Casino

112th Annual Kansas Wheat Festival July 11-15, 2012

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. The only admission is a $2 button.

Or visit us year-roundStroll 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 (opening soon). Sample some of the region’s best barbecue, steaks and Mexican food, or step back

in time at the old-fashioned Penny’s Diner.

Live Well, Live Wellington

Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce/ Convention & Visitors Bureau

wellingtonks.org | 620-326-7466

Wichita

Kansas Star Casino

WellingtonJust 14 mileson I-35 highway

Photo by SuSan treft

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

www.grannymaes.com

October 6

Flatland Car Show

Historical Water Tower

(877) 830-3737 • www.russellcoks.orgRussell Kansas

Russell County Economic Development & CVB

Spruce Street Inn, CoffeyvilleA circa 1906 Queen Anne Victorian

Home at 702 Spruce St., 620-251-4527. Visit Kansas Bed and Breakfast

Association website, www.kbba.org, for more information.

Travel Kansas and stay at these exclusive

hotels & motels managed by

Kansas-owned and locally operatedHigh Plains Management and Development, LLC

BurlingtonCountry Haven Inn | 1-800-942-8369

CoffeyvilleSleep Inn & Suites | 1-877-424-6423

HeringtonHerington Inn & Suites

1-800-597-4581

HesstonAmericInn Lodge & Suites

1-620-327-2053

HillsboroCountry Haven Inn | 1-877-404-2836

HoisingtonCheyenne Bottoms Inn & Suites

1-877-406-6022

GarnettGarnett Inn, Suites & RV Park

1-877-448-4200

LyonsCelebration Centre Inn & Suites

1-866-372-0882

ParsonsSleep Inn & Suites | 1-877-424-6423

Star Wars exhibit lands in Wichita

The national exhibition “Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination” will be at Exploration Place in

Wichita May 26-Sept. 3. The 8,000-square-foot interactive exhibition allows visitors to explore the real science behind the fantasy technologies used in the Star Wars films and

imagine how they could be used in real life. Highlights include Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder and robots C-3PO

and r2-D2. Visit exploration.org for details.

May 30- June 11 Beef Empire Days,

rodeo on June 7, parade and chuckwagon on June 9, Garden City,

800-879-9803.

31-June 2 Flint Hills Rodeo, Strong City, flinthillsrodeo.com.

June

1-9 Wichita River Festival, downtown locations, wichitariverfest.com.

1 ZooLaLA, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina, rollinghillswildlife.com.

1-2 31st Annual Good Ol’ Days Street Fair & Craft Show, downtown Fort Scott, fortscottgoodoldays.com.

2 Feast of the Fields and Wine in the Wild at the Sunset Zoo, Manhattan, 800-759-0134.

2 28th Phillipsburg Riverless Festival, 785-543-2321.

2 Chingawassa Days, Marion, chinga@eaglecom.net.

2 Great Planes on the Great Plains Fly In, hays regional Airport, flyhays.com.

2 National Biplane Fly-In, Freeman Field, Junction City, nationalbiplaneflyin.com.

2-3 Butterfield Trail ride, russell Springs, discoveroakley.com.

2-9 Grassland Heritage Festival, Elkhart, 620-697-2833.

3-17 “Fiddler on the Roof,” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, MTWichita.org, 265-3107.

4-20 “Man of la Mancha,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, greatplainstheatre.com.

Continued on page 29.

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When you find yourself in Marion County, you will find communities enriched with deep historical heritage dedicated to preserving the past and embracing the future.

Located in central Kansas, Marion County is a great place for shopping, driving the Santa Fe Trail, exploring museums, having a picnic at any of our beautiful parks, swimming at the County Park & Lake or boating at the Marion County Reservoir. End the day with a meal at any of the 25 restaurants and relax at one of the more than 10 bed & breakfasts or motels. But first take a moment to watch the dramatic sunset and see stars that appear brighter than they do in the city.

Come grow with us in Marion County

GrowMarionCounty.com Marion County Economic Development • 200 S. 3rd, Suite 4 • Marion, KS 66861 • 620-382-8830

Country Dreams B&B2309 Clover, Marion1-800-570-0540countrydreamsbedand breakfast.com Country Haven Inn804 Western Heights, Hillsboro1-877-404-2836countryhaveninn.com Doyle Creek Bunkhouse2704 110th, Florence620-382-4228doylecreek.com

NorthShore Guest House1475 240th, Marion1-877-826-8728northshore-guesthouse.com

The Old Goats Inn & Massage Garage911 Marion Street, Florence610-382-4191theoldgoatsinn.weebly.com The Outdoors Inn25 Jerome St., Marion620-382-3228bbonline.com

Doyle Creek Mercantile & CorralA unique shopping experience Thursday-Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. or call for appointment Florence, 620-878-4567 www.doylecreek.com

Eight buildings in a village- like setting tell the story of Mennonites who emigrated from the Ukraine in 1874

Open Tues.- Sun. May-September; Tues.-Sat. March-April, Oct.-Nov.Closed Dec.-Feb. except by appointment200 N. Poplar, Goessel • 620-367-8200

Enjoy special events, shopping, museums and history at each of Marion County’s 12 unique communities: Burns, Durham, Florence, Goessel, Hillsboro, Lehigh, Lincolnville, Lost Springs, Marion, Peabody, Ramona, and Tampa

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7-9 Echoes of the Trail Cowboy Gathering, Fort Scott, echoesofthetrail.com.

7-10 Smoky Hill River Festival, Oakdale Park, Salina, riverfestival.com.

8-10 Santa Fe Trail Days, Larned, larnedks.org.

9 Symphony in the Flint Hills, Strong City, symphonyintheflinthills.org.

9 Route 56 Classic Cruiser Car Show, Hillsboro Memorial Park, 947-2484.

9 Prairie Days Festival, Little House on the Prairie, Independence, 620-289-4238.

9-10 Buffalo Bill Days, Tri-County Cruise Car Show and Annual Quilt Show, Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

9-11 Flint Hills Folklife Festival, Cottonwood Falls, flinthillsfolklife festival.com.

10 5th Annual Antique & Classic Car Show, Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum, Goessel, 367-8200.

15-July 1 “Footloose-The Musical,” Salina Community Theatre, 785-827-6126.

15-16 International Forest of Friendship Celebration, Atchison, atchisonkansas.net.

16 Bluegrass on the Lake, 5 to 10 p.m., Marion County Lake, 382-3240.

21-23 Common Threads Quilt Show 2012, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Century II, wichitaquiltshow.com, 219-4849.

21-24 Country Stampede, Manhattan, 800-759-0134.

22-23 Territorial Days, Lecompton, lecomptonkansas.com.

27-July 1 “9 to 5” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, 265-3107.

29-July 15 “Oklahoma!,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, 785-263-4574.

30 Bonner Blast, downtown Bonner Springs, bonnersprings.org.

30 Celebrate America, Old-Fashioned Independence Day Celebration, Old Cowtown Museum, oldcowtown.org, 219-1871.

July

3-7 Sundown Salute – Largest Multi-day Independence Day Celebration in Kansas, Junction City, sundownsalute.org.

4 Freedom Safari!, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina rollinghillswildlife.com.

4 88th Annual 4th of July Celebration & Fireworks Extravaganza, largest ground fireworks display in Kansas, peabody, peabodyks.com, 983-2174.

4 Old-fashioned Fourth of July, Sterling, 620-278-2737.

4-7 Wild West Festival, Hays Municipal Park and Ellis County Historical Society Museum, wildwestfestival.com.

11-15 112th Annual Wheat Festival, Wellington, wellingtonks.org.

11-15 “Honk!” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, 265-3107.

13-14 Fort Harker Days and Frontier Living History, Kanopolis, 785-472-4071.

14 Tractor Daze and Mud Run, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

18-21 Pretty Prairie Rodeo, Kansas’ largest night rodeo, pprodeo.com.

Continued on page 30.

Calendar continued from page 27.

BirgerSandzén Memorial Gallery

Sharing the arts with the world through the life and vision of Birger Sandzén.401 N. First St. Lindsborg1 to 5 p.m. Tues.–Sun. | AdMiSSion Freewww.sandzen.org | 785-227-2220reopeninG April 1, 2012

one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art

September 22 & 23, 2012 Lakeside Park, McPherson

(Centrally located, between Wichita and Salina on I-135)

Year of the Highland Athlete National competitions in Caber, Sheaf Toss,

Stone, Hammer Throws & MoreCeltic singers & dancers • Kids’ crafts & games

Clan information • Massed pipe bands16 venues of family fun • Saturday evening concert

Children 12 and under admitted free

S p e c i a l t r av e l k a n S a S o f f e r

$1 off admission(you may photocopy)

1-800-324-8022www.macfestival.org

PHoTos © LauREnCE VEnTREssaD funDED in PaRT By MCPHERson CVB gRanT

The 19th Annual A Top 100 Event in North America

30 l

20-aug. 5 “Guys and Dolls,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, 785-263-4574.

20-21 Junction City Rodeo, Geary County Fairgrounds, Junction City, junctioncity.org.

20-22 Pickin’ on the Plains Bluegrass Festival, Thomas County Fairgrounds, Colby, 785-460-7643.

21 National Day of the Cowboy, Heritage Center, Abilene, 800-569-5915.

21 Sunflower State Games Adventure Race, Milford, adventureracekansas.com.

25-29 “Singin’ in the Rain,” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, 265-3107.

27-aug. 5 Dodge City Days, visitdodgecity.org.

27-29 Kustom Kemps of America (KKOA) Leadsled Spectacular Car Show, Oakdale Park, Salina dustomkempsofamerica.com.

August

1-4 65th Annual Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo, Abilene, 785-263-4570.

2-4 Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo, Phillipsburg,

Calendar continued from page 29.

Kansas Largest night

JuLy18-21Pretty Prairie

• Starts at 8 p.m. all 4 nights

• Get autographs before each performance

• Wednesday/Thursday are Family Nights (kids 12 and under FREE)

• FREE DANCE after rodeo all nights

www.pprodeo.com

Save on AdvancedTicket Purchases

Call1-800-638-2702after July 4

75th

foTo CowBoy

Twice life-size Buffalo Bill Bronze Sculpture

Fick Fossil & History Museum

Monument Rocks

Butterfield Trail Museum

Smoky Hill Trail

www.DiscoverOakley.com

785-671-1000 WesternVistasHistoricByway.com

102 miles of history is waiting. Why are you?

Salina’s Smoky Hill River Festival in early June features art, kids’ activities and music.

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kansasbiggestrodeo.com.

3-5 Goessel Country Threshing Days, 620-367-2229.

8-12 “Legally Blonde,” Music Theatre of Wichita, Century II, 265-3107.

8-11 Tri-Rivers Fair, Rodeo & Draft Horse Show, Saline County Livestock & Expo Center, Salina, 877-725-4625.

10-18 Coffeyville Interstate Fair and Rodeo, Coffeyville, fairandrodeo.com.

10-11 herzogfest, Victoria, herzogfest.com.

10-19 “The Nerd,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, 785-263-4574.

11 Vintage Baseball Game, 1 p.m., Eisenhower Grounds, Abilene, 785- 263-6700.

13-21 Civil War on the Western Frontier, Lawrence, 785-856-3040.

17 134th Emancipation Celebration/ Homecoming, Nicodemus, 785-839-4280.

17 Zoo Brew!, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina, rollinghillswildlife.com.

17-18 Cawker City Twine-a-thon, 785-781-4470.

17-19 Old Settlers Celebration, Conway Springs, gosumner.com.

18 Float Your Boat Cardboard Boat Races and Extreme Outdoor Water Festival, Milford Lake, junctioncity.org.

24-25 Annual Tiblow Days Festival, downtown Bonner Springs, lifeisbetter.com, 913-422-5044.

24-25 When Pigs Fly In & BBQ Contest, McPherson Airport, mcpherson chamber.org.

25-26 Alton Jubilee, Alton, 785-984-2364.

25-26 Tumbleweed Festival, Garden City, 800-879-9803.

31-sept. 3 Rocket Launch, Argonia, gosumner.com.

September

1-Oct. 14 Kansas City Renaissance Festival, Bonner Springs, weekends, Labor Day, Columbus Day, kcrenfest.com.

1-3 Labor Day Parade & Festival, Florence, 878-4296.

1-3 Lucas Celebrates 125th Anniversary, lucaskansas.com.

1-4 Watermelon Festival, Clyde, 785- 243-4303.

2 Old Settlers Day, Russell Springs, discoveroakley.com.

4-30 “Lion King,” Theatre League Broadway Series, Century II, wichitatix.com, 219-4849.

7-8 KAN-OKLA 100 Mile Highway Sale, Coffeyville, kan-okla-highwaysale.info.

7-16 Kansas State Fair, Hutchinson, kansasstatefair.com.

8 Mexican Fiesta, Garden City, 800- 879-9803.

9-Oct. 21 Smithsonian Institution Exhibition: “The Way We Worked,”

H e r i ngton

Fun for all ages

Sept. 22, 2012 For more info, call 785-258-2115

e-mail tricountyherington@sbcglobal.net or visit www.tricountycofc.com

The Oasis on the PlainsLocated at Exit 53 on I-70• Colby Visitor Center

• Prairie Museum of Art & History

• Kansas Biggest Barn

• Colby Aquatic Park

Free information, Colby Convention & Visitors Bureau 350 S. Range #10, Colby, KS 67701 785-460-7643 or 1-800-611-8835

. . .

BAKER ARTS CENTER H ROCK ISLAND DEPOT H CORONADO MUSEUM H PANCAKE DAY HALL OF FAME

DOROTHY’S HOUSE H LAND OF OZ H MID-AMERICA AIR MUSEUM

conservativelyspeaking

has it all . . .and then some

KANSAS SAMPLER FESTIVALMAY 5 & 6, 2012 — AND RETURNS MAY 4 & 5, 2013 —

Adults: $5 • Children 6-12: $3 • 5 and under: free // Weekend Saver Pass: $8 Adults / $5 Child

Discover what there isto see, do, hear, taste, buy & learn in Kansas.

A PROJECT OF THE KANSAS SAMPLER FOUNDATION

H O S T O F T H E 2 3 R D A N N U A L H O S T O F T H E 2 4 T H A N N U A L

1-800-LIBERAL • www.visitliberal.com • tourism@cityofliberal.org • www.kansassamplerfestival.com

in LIGHT PARK at the corner of 11th & Kansas

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Coronado Quivira Museum, Lyons, 620-257-3941.

12-16 41st Annual Walnut Valley Festival and National Flatpicking Championships, Winfield, wvfest.com.

15 Fall Fest/Oktober Fest, Garden City, 800-879-9803.

15 Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Fair, 620-947-3506.

15 32nd Annual Art in the Park and Craft Show, Marion, 620-382-3425.

20-22 9th Bald Eagle Rendezvous, fur trading living history encampment at Bald Eagle Park, Lecompton, 785-887-6148.

21 BBQ, Bikes & Blues Festival, Garden City, 800-879-9803.

21 Hot Air Balloon Event, Garden City, 800-879-9803.

22 Fair on the Square and Cars in the Park, Lyons, 620-257-2842

22 Rails n Trails Festival, Herington, tricountycofc.com.

22 Anderson County Corn Festival, Garnett, accornfest.com.

22 Caldwell Fall Festival, gosumner.com.

22 Fall Fest, downtown Concordia, concordiakansaschamber.com.

22 Salina Autumnfest, Smoky Hill Museum Street Fair, Marathon and German Car Show, Salina, 877-725-4625.

22 Fall Festival, Fort Scott, fortscott.com.

22-23 Scottish Festival, highland

dance, athletic competitions and bagpipe competition, McPherson, macfestival.org.

28 Oktoberfest Celebration, Frontier Park, Hays, 785-628-2624.

28-29 Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, Fort Scott, pioneerharvestfiesta.org.

28-30 Flatlander Fall Festival, Goodland, flatlanderfestival.com.

28-29 Jammin’ in JC Blues & BBQ Festival, Junction City, 785-238-8069.

29 Oktoberfest, Dodge City, 620-255-5834.

29 Old Settlers Day, Marion, Central Park, marionks.com, 620-382-3425.

29-30, Oct. 6-7 Louisburg Ciderfest, louisburgcidermill.com.

October

5-6 Dalton Defender Days, Coffeyville, 620-251-2550.

5-6 Gordon Parks Celebration, Fort Scott, gordonparkscenter.org.

5-7 Columbus Hot Air Balloon Regatta and Columbus Day Festival (Oct. 6), columbusdayballoons.com.

5-7 OZtoberFest, Wamego, oztober fest.com.

6 Oktoberfest Arts & Crafts Festival, Atchison, atchisonkansas.net.

6 34th Annual Chisholm Trail Day Festival, Abilene, 785-263-2681.

6 Harvest of Progress: A County Fair, Old Cowtown Museum, Wichita, oldcowtown.org.

6 Flatland Car Show and Sanctioned BBQ Contest, Russell, russellcoks.org.

6 Goessel Harvest Festival, 620-367-8111.

6 Lincolnville Octoberfest, 620-924-5208.

6 Nicodemus Pioneer Day, Nicodemus, 785-839-4280.

6 Fall Fest, Ulysses, ulysseschamber.org.

Calendar continued from page 31.

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The Abilene ironCutters will meet the Wichita Cowtown 9 in the fourth annual vintage base ball game to be played on the grounds of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene at 1 p.m. Aug. 11. Players wear uniforms from the 1860s and play according to rules of the period.

l 33

9 Taste of Downtown Hays, 6 to 8:30 p.m., chestnutstreetdistrict.com.

13-14 Antique Engine & Steam Show, Yesteryear Museum, Salina, 877-725-4625.

13 International Lineman’s Rodeo, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

13 Kansas State Cornhusking Contest, Oakley, discoveroakley.com.

13 Pumpkin PaZoola, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Salina, rollinghillswildlife.com.

18-21 Tallgrass Film Festival, Wichita, tallgrassfilmfest.com.

20 Belleville Autumn Festival, 866- 527-2355.

19-27 Neewollah, Kansas’ largest celebration, neewollah.com.

24-27 81st Arkalalah Fall Festival, Arkansas City, arkcity.org.

26-Nov. 4 “Dial M for Murder,” Great Plains Theatre, Abilene, 785-263-2681.

26-27 Halloween Haunted House, Smoky Hill Museum, Salina, 877-725-4625.

27 Trick or Treat on the Farm and Boooo Barn, National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs, aghalloffame.com.

31 Legends of Old Boot Hill Cemetery, 7 p.m., 18th & Fort, Hays, 785-628-2624.

November

3 Marion County Textile Trunk Show, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Marion Auditorium, 620-382-3206.

17 Parade of Lights & Christmas Festival, downtown Salina, 877-725-4625.

19-dec. 30 Christmas in Historic Lecompton, 785-887-6148.

21-Nov. 26 Christmas Traditions of Southwest Kansas, Stauth Memorial Museum, Montezuma, 620-846-2527.

23 Christmas Lights Parade, Oakley,

discoveroakley.com.

23 Christmas Parade, Junction City, 785-762-2632.

23 Mulvane Christmas in the Country, Mulvane, gosumner.com.

23-dec. 31 Seelye Mansion Christmas Tours, Abilene, 785-263-1084.

27-29 “Rock of Ages,” Theater League Broadway Series, Century II, wichitatix.com, 316-219-4849.

Continued on page 34.

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30 Christmas Past, 7 to 9 p.m., Historic Fort Hays, 785-625-6812.

December

1 Lighted Christmas Parade, Lyons, 620-257-2842.

1-29 Drive-through Christmas Light Show (weekends), Yesteryear Museum, Salina, 877-725-4625.

1-2 FrostFest, Hays, chestnutstreet district.com.

1 Night of Christmas Magic, with horse-drawn trolley rides and tree lighting, downtown Abilene, 785-263-2231.

2-31 “They Also Ran: The Presidential Hopefuls,” exhibition, Stauth Memorial Museum, Montezuma, 620-846-2527.

2 Arts & Music Stroll, 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., downtown Marion, 382-3206.

2 Christmas in the Cabin, Heritage Center, Abilene, 785-263-2681.

8-9 Candlelight Tours of Fort Scott National Historic Site, nps.gov.

10 Cathedral Christmas Concert, 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., St. Fidelis Church, Victoria, 785-628-4258.History Comes Alive in Ulysses & grant County

V isitors who take the Cimarron Cutoff from the Santa Fe Trail find themselves at the Lower Spring campsite nestled in the heart

of the Cimarron River valley, a site now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Stop and Stay Awhile Grant County offers superb hunting and shopping. 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 interpre-tive center for the Santa Fe Trail which includes the Hotel Edwards. 300 E. Oklahoma, (620) 356-3009. Open daily (except major holidays).

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 t o r d i s c o u n t s

8wonders ofKansas!H I S T O R Y

KANSAS SAMPLER FOUNDATION ©

Calendar continued from page 33.

Get your plaid on and enjoy the Celtic music, food, bagpipe bands, clan booths and High-land athletics at the 19th annual McPherson Scottish Festival Sept. 22-23.

PHO

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l 35

Abilene . . . . . . . . . . . . 2, 3, 5, 10, 23, 32

Arkansas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 23

Arlington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8, 10

Atchison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15, 16, 17, 23

Baldwin City. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17, 23

Beaumont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Belle Plaine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18, 19

Bonner Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Buhler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Caldwell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Chanute. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Coffeyville. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Colby . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Columbus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

Council Grove . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Dodge City . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 20-21, 22, 23, back cover

Dover. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Durham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9, 10, 28

Ellsworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Florence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28

Fort Scott . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 30

Garden City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 33

Garnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Girard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Goessel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, 28

Grant County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Greensburg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4, 27

Hays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17, 23

Herington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27, 31

Hesston. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18, 19, 27

Highway . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 4

Hillsboro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 35

Holton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Hutchinson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Independence . . . . . . . . . . 4, 22, 23, 25

Inman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Junction City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Kansas B&B Association. . . . . . . . . . . . 5

HillsboroArts & Crafts Fair

The Midwestern Creative Art Market

saturday, sept. 15, 2012 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Exhibitors from 16 states German Food Fest • Kaffeehaus

For more information,call 620-947-3506

Or write: Hillsboro Arts & Crafts Association

109 S. Main, Hillsboro, KS 67063

Topeka On the turnpike,

5 miles east of TopekaDaily : 9 am - 6 pm785.379.0200

Featuring 250 Kansas artists, craftsmen, authors and food producers at two locations:

Wilson1-70 Exit 206

Mon.-Sat. : 9 am - 6 pmSunday : 11 am - 6 pm

785.658.2602

We ship Kansas productsanywhere

www.kansasoriginals.com

State of the Art with the Art of the State!

Three Golf Courses Sterling Lake

www@ricecounty.us 620-257-5166

LYONS “Fair on the Square” September 22, 2012

STERLING Old Fashion 4th

July 4, 2012

RICE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

Indoor Horse Arena Unique Shopping

Listed by town or county, does not include calendar listings.

index continued on page 36.

36 l

Marion County is poised and ready for growth with two colleges, great schools, business parks and downtown areas where new businesses are constantly emerging and current businesses are expanding. Marion County is a Rural Opportunity Zone (ROZ) and a prime location for business development Key eCONOMIC DeveLOpMeNT INCeNTIveS:

• State income tax exemption for up to five years for individuals who move to a ROZ county from outside the state.

• Student loan forgiveness for up to $3,000 per year ($15,000 max benefit) for individuals who graudate from an accredited post-secondary institution and move to a ROZ county.

Come grow with us in Marion County

GrowMarionCounty.com Marion County Economic Development • 200 S. 3rd, Suite 4 • Marion, KS 66861 • 620-382-8830

Kansas Sampler Foundation . . . .24, 31

Kanopolis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Lawrence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Leavenworth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Lecompton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Liberal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24, 31

Lindsborg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

Louisburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 36

Lucas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-15, 22

Lyons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, 33, 35

Manhattan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 34

Marion County. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 36

McPherson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29, 34

Montezuma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8, 10

Mulvane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Newton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Oakley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Oberlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Osawatomie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16, 17

Overland Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Peabody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28, 36

Pittsburg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9, 10

Pretty Prairie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Rice County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Russell County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Salina. . . . . . . . . . Inside front cover, 30

Sterling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Sumner County . . . . . inside back cover

Topeka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16, 19, 22

Ulysses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Yoder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9, 10

Walton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Wamego . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6, 22, 23

Wellington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 26

Wichita . . . . 10, 11, 15, 16, 17, 18, 22, 27

Wilson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 35

index continued from page 35.

Manhattan

Park

Topeka

Kansas City

JoplinIndependence

Tulsa

70

35

40

sumnercounty

wichita

wellington

mulvane

hutchinson

oklahoma border

mis

sou

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ord

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{ kansas star casino - mulvane }

KSC_8915Feh_Travel Kansas Sumner County AD_8.375”W x 10.875”H_PRO_run 2/1/12

Check out all Sumner County has to offer at www.gosumner.com 620.326.8779

{ salter house museum - argonia }

{ spring house - conway springs }

{ kansas star casino - mulvane }

{ chisholm trail - caldwell }

sumneR countyjust close enough, just far enough away

{ old oxford mill - oxford }