Kansas Sampler Foundation-GET KANSAS!

Post office observations

2011-11-11T09:39:00.008-06:00

No exit for post offices? We can only wish.

Rural America is a necessity to a healthy United States and world. It's easy to stereotype the small town (currently, 4% of the cities in Kansas are 15,000 or larger) but Kansas and other rural states would be empty without them. It's time to find some alternative solutions to the crisis facing rural Kansas. This blog overviews the issue but what it's really about is making a case for finding solutions. What idea will be our "internet"?

Great thinkers once solved issues for the good of the whole

The history below shows how great thinkers saw the need to connect people in the country with those in the cities in order to make a better America. New communication systems led to the need for advanced roads and transportation systems.

HISTORY OF RURAL FREE DELIVERY (RFD)
"John Wanamaker of Pennsylvania was the first Postmaster General to advocate rural free delivery (RFD). Although funds were appropriated a month before he left office in 1893, subsequent Postmasters General dragged their feet on inaugurating the new service so that it was 1896 before the first experimental rural delivery routes began.

A byproduct of rural free delivery was the stimulation it provided to the development of the great American system of roads and highways. A prerequisite for rural delivery was good roads.

The impact of RFD as a cultural and social agent for millions of Americans was even more striking, and, in this respect, rural delivery still is a vital link between industrial and rural America."

General observations about the closure study process

Inconsistencies. It's unclear why some communities are on this list and not others. Most of the offices on the list of possible closures are rural, smaller offices with annual revenues of about $27,000 or less. In fact, at one location one business does $50,000 worth of business a year at the post office and, still, the post office is on the block.

Fairness. In some cases the notice of the community meeting happened within a day or two of the meeting. In other cases, neighboring postmasters were asked to facilitate the meeting.

Delivery. In most cases, it sounds like residents will be asked to erect mail boxes at their homes for delivery but if a package doesn't fit in the box they'll have to travel to the closest town with a post office to retrieve the package -- in some cases this ranges from 10-30 miles. Does this really save money if a route carrier now has to deliver mail to each house instead of making a drop at one post office? Some towns have been told they'll have to drive to the next town to even pick up their regular mail. Again, this ranges from 10-30 miles for some.

Why rural?

Reasonable. We have to be reasonable. Volume of mail is down with the use of other means of communication. But it seems like rural is the fall guy for issues out of our control:

"Taken from "5 things you need to know about the U.S. Postal Service."
Operationally speaking, the USPS nets profits every year. The financial problem it faces now comes from a 2006 Congressional mandate that requires the agency to “pre-pay” into a fund that covers health care costs for future retired employees. Under the mandate, the USPS is required to make an annual $5.5 billion payment over ten years, through 2016. These “prepayments” are largely responsible for the USPS’s financial losses over the past four years and the threat of shutdown that looms ahead – take the retirement fund out of the equation, and the postal service would have actually netted $1 billion in profits over this period.

This doesn’t mean, however, that the USPS’s financial situation is good. Revenue has been declining for years, and even if the agency manages to get past this year’s $5.5 billion payment, it would again face insolvency next year."

Easy target. Rural communities are an easy target. Even if 75% or more of the population turns out for the required community meeting, these numbers, in the larger scheme of things, are small. Because rural communities aren't organized as a collective, it's hard to have a voice loud enough to be heard.

Does it matter? Legislators and United States Congressmen/women have been supportive to varying degrees (special thanks to Senator Moran) but is anyone stepping back and looking at the whole picture of what the loss of 150-400 post offices in the state will do to the strength of Kansas as a vital place to live and do business? This isn't just about losing the post office but this threat contributes to the devolving of rural communities.

It's not just the post office. The potential loss of the post office is another strike at the identity of a community. The school may already be gone, a source of identity. Now the post office. Though the zip code can be kept and the name of the town can still be put on letters, there is still the effect of losing your identity.

Making the argument

As we (rural) await the verdict, we are concerned about the change in essential service and what it will mean to each individual, but the worry is more about what this means for the community. The post office is a gathering place, a place to put notices, a place to do business, a place to receive prescriptions, a place for human interaction.

It's true that it is simply time for some post offices to close. Even the townspeople know when it's time. But in other cases, it just doesn't make any sense. Even with the acknowledgement that mailing a bill and sending a birthday greeting can be done exclusively via electronic means, there is still a lot of business being done through the mail. Furthermore, some communities still do not have high speed internet nor decent cell service to make other means of communication a good option.

But here's the thing. Like so many issues, this one is treated as if in a vacuum. Agencies are managing a single issue yet the community is affected by multiple issues and how each one rearranges the bigger picture.

What can we do now?

Many of the towns on this list of 152 are not ready to fold up and die no matter what happens with the post office issue. They may look pretty straggly to those looking in from the outside who aren't familiar with rural living but there is likely more sense of community and economic livelihood going on than can be seen with a windshield survey. In some cases, the farmers and ranchers drive that economic engine and they and their families rely on the community for many basics.

Instead of just fighting the post office closures, let's try to also look at this in a forward-looking manner. The primary loss of the physical post office would be the ease in sending anything bigger than a letter and the ability for an individual or business to receive items bigger than their mail box. The secondary loss is the post office as a social gathering spot.

Can both of these issues be solved with creative solutions? In simplest terms, what is needed is a generic gathering spot that results in these same interactions and a central and accessible location to handle the larger mail issues.

Though 152 communities are on the list, there are another 150 that will likely have service altered. With almost half of the towns in the state affected by a loss of or change in postal service, a common solution needs to be developed. Most communities are fighting the post office closure as well as they can within the rules. But if they had an adequate alternative, they could look at all of this with more optimism.

What is that alternative? It's out there. It's a matter of getting the right minds together to figure out the solution. We need the brightest minds of all ages who want to be part of the solution in transforming rural communities into a New Rural age with old-time community soul.

Signing off from Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Our post office journey on November 9, 2011

2011-11-10T09:41:00.022-06:00

1 day. 7 post offices. $381.56 worth of stamps. 440 miles.

There is nothing like experiencing an issue firsthand and looking in the eyes of the people who are living the issue.

I had been getting e-mails and phone calls from people concerned about losing their post offices. At some point, you can't just have these conversations and not do something about it.

Kansas Sampler Foundation assistant director WenDee LaPlant and I decided to pick a road and visit all the towns on that highway that had post offices that are on the list for possible closing. We chose K-99 and several miles on either side because it had seven post offices on the list between the Oklahoma and Nebraska borders. Our plan was to visit with the postmaster and people coming in the post office and buy $50 worth of stamps at each place.

Chautauqua, Chautauqua County
Peru, Chautauqua County
Elk Falls, Elk County
Hamilton, Greenwood County
Admire, Lyon County
Summerfield, Marshall County
Home, Marshall County

This blog is the more social overview of each stop. The more serious observations of the post office issue will follow in the next post.

The first stop was in Chatauqua (population 98) near the Oklahoma border.

After being greeted on the sidewalk by Rudy Taylor of the Montgomery County Chronicle, one cat and two dogs, we went in to meet Emma, the postmaster. She had just finished vacuuming and was ready to start the day. We had a wonderful visit and learned the building was originally a feed store.

We bid Emma farewell and with her encouragement we stopped at The Store to meet the Chautquaua mayor, Audrey. After a short but enjoyable visit we were on our way to the Peru post office.

We got to Peru (population 160) and I went in to visit with David, the postmaster. Little did I know that after I went inside, a truck pulled up beside us and called to WenDee. It was Emma's husband! He had tracked us down. We didn't know it but Emma had thought we asked for 50 stamps so that is what she had given us. When we left, she looked at our check and saw it was for $50.40. She called her husband to come get the rest of the stamps and find us. Only in a small town...

At every post office, the role of community gathering spot was obvious as people would come and go. We learned that more than one postmaster would watch for certain people and if they didn't come in to get their mail, they would call them to make sure they were OK. Only in a small town...

Jennifer Brummel, Elk County Economic Development Director and Youth Development Coordinator, met us at the Elk Falls (population 104) post office.

When asked if the post office was going to have an entry in next weekend's Outhouse Festival, postmaster Lecia's eyes lit up. She told us the extremely clever name for their entry but it can't be revealed yet. (The festival is Nov. 18-19). We bought our stamps and Jennifer ordered some for her upcoming wedding thank you cards!

An elderly local woman came in. She was very distraught about losing the post office. She said, "This is MY place. I've been coming her since I was nine. I don't want to lose it."

Before we left town, we tracked down Steve and Jane Fry. They were at their "secret garden" house. Talk about ingenious people. We got to see the new bunkhouse upstairs in the barn. As would be expected from Steve and Jane, they have created a cozy atmosphere with the most unique use of recycled materials, ceramics, and personal touch. The 1930s concrete elephants and sculptures in the "garden" were standing proud and visible. Good to see them shine again!

On to Admire, population 176. We received a warm welcome from friends Dee Reid, Ann Birney, and Joyce Thierer. They gave us a tour of the community center which is in the school that closed at the end of the 2010 school year. The locals are also developing a nice museum in the school. I'm sure it feels like a bittersweet development to be using the school that way.

It was great to meet, Mike, the postmaster, who also made our sandwiches-to-go at the Last Chance Cafe. By the way, this post office was also a feed store at one time.

The drive through Wabaunsee County was beautiful. We admired the stone fences along the winding roads. The hardest part of our trip was driving through towns like Sedan, Howard, Madison, Olpe, Emporia, Eskridge, Alma, Westmoreland and others and not being able to stop and see things and say hi to folks.

Hamilton, population 309. Katherine, the postmaster, knew we were coming. Word had traveled down the road. While visiting about Hamilton, a local business owner came in and talked about how they choose to do business through the post office to support it but they'll find other options when the post office closes. I had to wonder if the U.S.P.S. knows how much loyalty locals have had for their post office but will choose different options if the local post office closes.

Hamilton still has their school and it's led by a dynamo superintendent. They have two restaurants, a classic soda fountain, and lots of ranchers and oil and gas business in the area. People just driving through may not always see the behind-the-scenes thrive-ability in these towns, but it's there.

Down the road...

In Wamego, we did a quick drive by the city park to see the handsome building for the mini-train. It looks terrific! Bunny and Gary McCloud responded to our "Put your stamp on it" sponsorship notice so as we drove through Wamego, Bunny met us in the turn lane along side K-99 across from the Wamego Telecommunications building. She gave us her warm smile and handed us a $100 bill to help with the stamp purchases and gas!

On to Summerfield, population 199, in Marshall County. The streets were full of cars. It looks like the community-owned grocery store continues to do well, too. And, I'm anxious to come back to see the working blacksmith shop!

We met the postmaster and bought our stamps. A local business, allaroundthehouse.biz does a great business and everything is sent out through the post office. I don't see how it will be possible for this entrepreneur to continue shipping through the post office if the physical p.o. closes. This is another chunk of revenue the U.S.P.S. will likely lose.

Our last stop of the day was at Home. How appropriate. Home is one of the top two thriving unincorporated cities in the state (Healy is the other). We first went over to the Feed and Grain store across from the post office. It's located in an old bank and is just brimming with character. Kansas pride oozes out of owner's Jim and Pat, as does their affection for Home. They raved about the restaurant across the street opened by a young couple in town. We had a great discussion about the post office and issues of small towns.

We found Elaine and bought our stamps. It's so interesting to meet these very dedicated post office workers. Elaine also drives school bus. Joanne from the Marysville Advocate and Emily from Blue Valley Telecommunications were there, too.

This was a great prelude to our guidebook research journey that will take us to every town in the state in the next two years. From the Chautauqua springs to our last stop at Home, this was a day that reaffirms the fortitude and spirit of the Kansas people as well as the richness and multitude of explorer attractions in the state.

Chautauqua springs in Chautauqua is still flowing.
In this case, it flows into an oxidized tea pot.
Remnants of the old historic hotel can still be seen.
This is now a beautiful green space.
Look for the single arched stone bridge, too.

Get Kansas! by just picking a highway and a purpose for your trip and you'll learn alot about our state.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Put your stamp on November 9

2011-11-08T13:44:00.004-06:00

Below is a list of communities that have been notified that their post office may be closed. This list represents twenty-four percent of the communities in Kansas.

Tomorrow, November 9, WenDee and I will be traveling K-99 from the Oklahoma border to Nebraska to visit seven towns on this list (Chautauqua, Peru, Elk Falls, Hamilton, Admire, Home and Summerfield). We will spend $50 at each and try to interview some of the locals. We'll post on Facebook ("Like" the Kansas Sampler Foundation page or check out Marci Penner's page). Post what you're doing tomorrow to support these communities.

It's devastating to lose such a primary business.

What does this mean for Kansas?

Abbyville

Admire

Alden

Alexander

Alton

Arcadia

Athol

Atlanta

Aurora

Barnard

Barnes

Belpre

Bendena

Benedict

Bentley

Beverly

Bluff City

Bogue

Bremen

Brookville

Brownell

Burdett

Burdick

Cambridge

Cassoday

Catharine
Cedar

Cedar Point

Centerville

Chautauqua

Circleville

Collyer

Coolidge

Crestline

Cummings

Damar
Danville

Delia

Denison

Dennis

Dexter

Dover

Durham

Edson

Elk Falls

Elmdale

Emmett

Englewood

Ensign

Esbon

Falun

Florence

Fontana

Formoso
Freeport

Frontenac

Garfield

Gaylord
Geuda Springs

Grantville

Green

Haddam

Hamilton

Hardtner
Havana

Hepler

Herndon

Hollenberg

Home
Hudson

Hunter

Isabel

Kanorado

Argentine

Kendall

Kincaid

Kirwin

Latham
Lehigh

Long Island

Longford

Lorraine

Lost Springs

Mahaska

Mapleton

Marienthal

Mayfield

Milan

Morganville

Morrill

Morrowville

Munden

Murdock

Muscotah

Narka

Nashville
Neal

Neosho Falls

Neosho Rapids

Netawaka
New Cambria
Niotaze

Norcatur

Offerle

Oketo

Olmitz

Opolis

Palmer

Paradise

Park

Pawnee Rock

Peru
Piedmont

Piqua

Potwin

Powhattan

Prairie View

Ramona

Randall
Rantoul

Raymond

Republic

Richfield

Robinson

Rock

Rosalia

Roxbury

Sawyer

Sharon

Simpson

Soldier

Stark
Summerfield

Sun City
Sycamore

Sylvia

Talmage

Tyro

Viola

Virgil

Wakarusa

Waldo

Webber

Welda

West Mienral

Westphalia

White Cloud

Wilmore

Windom

Woodbine

Woodston

Zenda

Being concerned about this helps you "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

The PowerUp Movement

2011-11-07T19:10:00.005-06:00

Things are changing in rural Kansas communities.

Access to telecommunication, schools, health care, and basic business services, including the postal system, are being threatened in numerous ways. Retaining the wealth from one generation to the next is another issue. There is a great deal of talk about depopulation and youth leaving rural communities.

We could make a longer list about the concerns and bemoan our plight. Or, we could look at all of this as a call to action and an opportunity to hit the refresh button, find our strengths, and create a New Rural.

One myth to be busted is that more young people than realized are staying or moving back to rural communities -- and doing it by choice. You usually hear about young people moving out as fast as they can but the quiet truth is that there are lots of young people wanting to be in these communities.

It just makes sense that a thriving community would have a nice mix of ages, including young families that are excited about being in a particular community as well as older people who have lived there most of their lives and have contributed in numerous ways to community life. Just like it takes a blend of ingredients to make a delicious entree, it also takes a blend of positive and thoughtful energy from PowerUps (21-39s who are rural by choice) and PowerOns (40+ are passionate about rural living) to create a community that is desirable to all.

SOME THOUGHTS TO PowerOns
PowerOns (40+ who are passionate about rural living), many of you have given an incredible amount of energy to volunteer efforts for the good of your town. Now, we need to be aware that to keep these activities going and to continue to shape the town as a desirable place to live, we have to open our ears to the PowerUps (21-39s who are rural by choice). Maybe we're a little scared that they'll just want to take over and that they won't even notice what we've been doing or the successes we've had. Will they want to just change everything? Put your fears aside and move forward with PowerUps!

I know many of you already are great role models and supports to young people. Do you know what that makes you? A reason why they should choose to live in your town.

SOME THOUGHTS TO PowerUps
PowerUps, it's likely that you have dreams for your self and your family and that you also see possibilities for the community, or things you'd like to see changed or added. We want you to love living in the rural community you've chosen and to be a positive force.

Maybe you'll come upon some older folks who don't know how to listen and it might seem like they want everything done their way. Treat them with respect and ask them questions about their lives, especially about when they were PowerUp age. Get to know each other. And, know this. Most PowerOns want to help you succeed. They realize that the community needs your ideas and efforts.

WE'RE IN IT TOGETHER
A community is like a family. And, that's what we are in a small community. The first thing we need to do is acknowledge that we need both PowerUps and PowerOns to willingly work together and support each other. And, then there are those Sparks nipping at our heels to get involved, too. The communities that will survive and thrive are those that will blend PowerUps and PowerOns together for a beneficial mix.

OK. WHAT SHOULD WE DO?
We've scheduled six meetings around the state in November so that PowerUps can come together and get used to talking about what they want out of their lives and what they need and would like to see in the community.

RSVP to info@ruralbychoice.com would be appreciated.

NOVEMBER 14, 5:30 p.m.
St. Joe Store, 2801 Noble Road, downtown St. Joseph in Cloud County

NOVEMBER 14, 5:30 p.m.
City Hall, 616 S. Main, LaHarpe in Allen County

NOVEMBER 22, 5:30 p.m.
Community Center, 403 S. Main, Hudson (Stafford County)

NOVEMBER 29, 6 p.m. CT; 5 p.m. MT
City Hall, Elm Street and Wheeler, Coolidge (Hamilton County)

NOVEMBER 29, 5:30 p.m.
Prairie Junction Restaurant, 516 W. Main, Morland (Graham County)

NOVEMBER 30, 5:30 p.m.
Community Center, 901 Commercial, Havensville (Pottawatomie County)

PowerUp Liaisons, Liz Sosa from Garden City and Erika Nelson from Lucas, will be leading these conversations.

If you want Liz or Erika to help arrange a meeting in your town, let us know.

Every town has their own story of how the PowerUps and PowerOns get along. Some of you have probably figured it all out already so send your success stories and advice!

Thanks for listening. I’ll be writing more on this subject and would love to hear your thoughts.

Ask a PowerUp how they like living in your community and you'll “Get Kansas”!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Sharing newsy downtown news, Burlington style.

2011-06-22T16:15:00.005-05:00

Gene Merry, current mayor of Burlington, writes a regular column in the Coffey County Republican. Known as the Downtown Guy, Gene does a fabulous job of sharing newsy tidbits of information that people want to know. The column is all about what is happening downtown or in the community and who is doing it. It's all about progress and is of a positive nature.

I share this with you as a fabulous model of how to share the "goings on" in your hometown. It's just newsy enough that people will gobble it up. People also like to see their name in print or see who is involved in the action.

It isn't easy to collect all this information. It takes a person genuinely interested in the town and someone that likes to talk to people and is trusted.

Hats off to you, Gene. You provide a great service to the community by doing this. If I were a potential resident or business owner, I'd be encouraged by your articles to move to Burlington. You really help people see what is going on behind the scenes.

Here's the latest column:

Resellers Edge at 106 N. 3^rd have rented additional space to expand their operations in the old Crow Moddie Ford building at 614 S. 4^th. The business is owned by Mike & Tammy Baumann. They will be looking for more employees and you can fill out an application at 106 N. 3^rd. The Baumann’s make koozies, shirts and numerous advertising items to sell all over the country.

Bahr Storage is putting the final touches on a new mini storage building in Industrial Park #1. The new building is accepting tenants now. The second building is also taking shape.

City of Burlington Park Department is installing additional playground equipment at Kelley Park. Kevin Boyce, Park Superintendent will have the new area open by the 4^th of July.

The city dam has taken on a new look with the clearing of numerous trees and brush along the campsite area. The following were involved in the cleanup; Kevin Boyce, Gene Merry, Richard Freeman, Stephen Freeman, Martin Bennett, Jim Hutchinson, Travis Straten, Mike Griffith, Aaron Bowman, Ron Clark, Kent Hoyt, Larry Gales, Dan Allen, Mark Griffith, Billy DeWitt, Jada DeWitt, Zary DeWitt, Blaze Riley, Kendra DeWitt, Kayla DeWitt, Corey Webber, Jossie Sharon, Dan Turner, Austin Freeman, Jurad Hobbs, Rhenda Jones, Doug Jones, Mike Turner, Darren Freeman and Jordan Freeman. Many thanks to Stephen and Tiffany Freeman for providing a skid loader and equipment, Mike & Tammy Baumann for providing doughnuts, Coffey County Jail, providing three trustees, Ron Hoover at Hoover’s Thriftway providing water and City Councilman Kent Hoyt for providing pizza and tools. Kevin Boyce managed the job and lined up city equipment including a large loader to move the tree branches to the city burn pile.

City Hall at 301 and the annex at 303 Neosho are taking on a new look. City Hall is receiving new ceiling tile, lights, windows and trim. The annex next door is receiving a face lift compliments of labor by Burlington Police officers, Riley Morgan, Randy Stuart, Jessica Stice, Chief Doug Jones and his wife Rhenda Jones, Coffey County Sheriff officers, Ken Roney, Tom Johnson, Michael Roney, Jeremy Lind, William Warkentine and Carl Lee from Coffey County Emergency Management. The Burlington Electric Department, Alan Schneider, Superintendent, Jim Cole, J.J. Jasper and Andy Lawrence worked on the electrical issues. Materials were donated by Coffey County Attorney, Doug Witteman, Sheriff Randy Rogers, Burlington City Hall, Police Department and Burlington Building Materials. The remodeled annex will be home to the The Child Advocacy Center directed by Kathleen A. Inwood, Emporia. The front area will be an over-flow area for meetings, a break room and possibly planning and zoning.

City Hall will be receiving a new mural in the front at 301 Neosho showing off the city’s logo and a stained glass wall design at 303 Neosho in the meeting room, both designed by Jim Stukey.

Red Door Apartments has a new treated wood deck and back steps at 316-318 Neosho. James and Valorie Higgins plan to have two of the four apartments ready in July, one in the fall and one in December 2011. Observing the project from a distance, this has been a real family project.

Burlington United Methodist trustees are working to remodel the 2^nd floor at Garst Hall. New carpet, and paint upstairs and sound proofing materials in basement will be happening soon.

Kent and Lori Hoyt are remodeling the stone and block on their building west of Burlington Tax. Bob Salazar of Superior Masonry is doing the tuck-point work. Maybe the metal front will come off in the future and expose the brick structure behind. Thanks Hoyt’s for improving downtown.

Burlington First Baptist Church has a new roof on their addition, even with months of wind and weather interruptions. Work inside is in full swing, can’t wait for the open house.

Mike and Jo Skillman have purchased Morris Service and two lots from Central National Bank for additional space. The Skillman’s will be adding a mower and power equipment showroom across the front with numerous mower display areas, parts department and areas for rental tools at 1010 N. 4^th. More details later on manager, employees and brands.

Danny Hawkins, acting Superintendent of Water & Sewer Department, has been busy along with his staff cleaning up the area along the Neosho River and the new water plant. Their parts building has been remodeled, organized, painted and will be re-roofed along with the old brick water plant soon. The galvanized metal shed sitting on the rivers edge has been razed. The large storage building for equipment will soon be painted. City crews from Street and Electric have also shared labor to make improvements. Trees have been trimmed and later grass areas will be reseeded and trees planted.

Burlington has hosted Bike Across Kansas, Relay for Life, Cornet Chop Suey, car show for scholarships, wedding after wedding, golf tournaments at Rock Creek and night golf, fishing at Wolf Creek and limb lines in the Neosho River, snagging Paddlefish at City Dam, softball, baseball, barbeques and garages sales. So many activities, so little time.

Please welcome back to life the outage workers at Wolf Creek Generating Station after a long and tough outage.

If you have news, give us a call at (620) 364-3051 or email us at downtownguy@embarqmail.com.

###

Wasn't that great? Every time I read the column I'm amazed at the amount of action in Burlington and that somehow Gene tracks down this information.

People like Gene help the world "Get Kansas!" or at least "Get Burlington!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Kansas road work expected for summer of 2011

2011-05-01T12:06:00.005-05:00

Kansas road work?

Yes, as in driving Kansas backroads. Road work. The fun kind.

The kind that takes you to local cafes that bake their own bread and use real mashed potatoes for their hot roast beef sandwiches. The kind that take you to unstaffed historic sites where you can feel spirits. The kind that show you stone arched bridges (if you look under the road) and wooden barns and varied fence posts and all sorts of nuances that explorers appreciate.

The best way to start your summer of road work is to head to the Kansas Sampler Festival held May 7-8 in Leavenworth at Ray Miller Park. Saturday, May 7 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, May 8 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

You'll find so many day trip ideas at the festival that your road work might linger deep into the fall. More than 150 communities will be there to tell you about multiple attractions in each of their towns. The festival will also lead you to musical venues, places to buy Kansas products and art, and you can start sampling Kansas foods right at the festival.

You might feel overwhelmed at the festival with all the information and all the possibilities so you might start a conversation that you want to have at each booth. If all you want to do is eat your way across the state, ask at each booth for the best made-from-scratch restaurant. Or, if you have a quest to find the oldest brick building in each town, ask that question. In other words, make the festival work for you.

If I were going from booth to booth, I'd get a state map and take it with me and circle every city that intrigues me.

One thing the festival does is surprise people about all there is to see and do in Kansas. One geographically-based tent after another is filled with people braggin' and explainin' about what their corner of the state has to offer. It's mind-boggling to have all this information in one place on one weekend. Mind-boggling in an inspiring way.

Your road work might turn up a shoe tree down a remote dirt road or a depot museum miles off the main road. You might find a beautiful church, a cemetery on a hill, or some public art in a place that you just didn't expect it.

Kansas road work turns up the unexpected. Hope to see you at a roadside stand somewhere.

Get out and Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

A book with a purpose

2011-04-18T11:55:00.018-05:00

The mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture. Everything we did with the 8 Wonders of Kansas Guidebook was designed to meet that mission.

PRODUCTION DECISIONS

Kansas photographer: Harland Schuster, Morrill

Kansas editor: Bobbie Pray, Lawrence

Kansas-at-heart-graphic designer: Liz King, California (but she's my sister)

Kansas printer: Mennonite Press, Newton

Kansas hardback book binder: Koerperich Bookbinders, Selden

DISTRIBUTION DECISIONS
Of the 71 book stores that have contacted us to carry the book, all are locally-owned. Each retail outlet keeps 40% of the sale. Twelve dollars from each book goes to that store and helps keep it alive and thriving. If Barnes and Nobles, Borders or Hastings calls, we will fulfill those orders as we want to support the notion of bookstores, even though those are national franchise.

The remaining 60% goes to the Kansas Sampler Foundation to help pay for this project (payment to those Kansas names mentioned above -- except for my sister who donated her time and expertise) and beyond that the monies help make it possible for the Foundation to keep two employees, have modern equipment, and do many uncompensated projects for rural Kansas.

When we published our 2005 Kansas Guidebook for Explorers, a store enlightened me that nothing hurt their sales more than Amazon. We chose then and now to not put our book on Amazon in order to support independent book stores as best we can.

Our shipping department is Mom, with an occasional assist from WenDee, Dad, and the rural route carrier. We send all of our books through our local Inman post office in order to help with their revenue and the consequences of that.

When you choose to purchase this book, you're helping set off a positive snowball effect on the Kansas economy.

THERE'S MORE
The best outcome of all will be if the 216 places in the book get extra traffic and attention. We also hope that the many explorery places in between the 216 will get more visits!

If the explorers or visitors, or even the armchair travelers, fall just a bit more in love with Kansas that would be mighty good, too.

If those that do visit could drop an extra dollar in the donation jar or feel good about making a purchase or just pat a volunteer on the back or thank an owner for choosing a Kansas community in which to do business, that also would be terrific. All those things make a bigger difference than you might imagine.

WE HAD A GOOD START
On April 16, the guidebook made it's debut at the Eisenhower Presidential Library. That was pretty special. An appreciative audience of over 300 came to see the 8 Wonders of Kansas exhibit on two floors of the library, to hear the program, and to peruse and buy the 8 Wonders of Kansas Guidebook. The Eisenhower staff put an exhibit together on the 8 Wonders in each of the nine categories (overall, architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, and people) and it will be on display until September 5.

Karl Weissenbach, director, of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum and Linda Smith were gracious hosts along with the Kansas Sampler Foundation board and assistant director WenDee LaPlant.

Cookies and an orange cake in the shape of an 8 and Kansas symbol cookies that came from Amanda's Bakery and Bistro in Abilene provided some great snacks. Marci and Karl made the first cut of the cake.

Author Marci and photographer Harland had a good time signing books.

Let's all get ready for a great travel and explorer season in Kansas. Nothing like being out on the Kansas road to "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

105 places in 105 counties. Happy Kansas Day!

2011-01-28T17:14:00.013-06:00

Congratulations, ol' gal!

Kansas, all 150 years of her, has led a colorful life. One of the best ways to "get her" is to go out and visit every county. If, today, I could be at one place in each county, here's where I would choose:

(random order)

Greenwood County: Teter Rock at Teterville

Riley County: Bala Stone Bridge and park

Clark County: St. Jacob's Well in Big Basin Prairie Preserve

Morton County: Point of Rocks

Barton County: Pawnee Rock lookout

McPherson County: Observation tower at Maxwell Wildlife Refuge

Pottawatomie County: Overlook at the Vermillion Creek Tributary stone arch bridge

Jefferson County: On top of the rock in the middle of the road in McLouth

Wallace County: Mount Sunflower

Smith County: Statue of Liberty replica between Gaylord and Harlan

Osborne County: The B-24 Bomber Memorial many miles southwest of Osborne

Cowley County: Inspiration Point at Camp Horizon near Arkansas City

Seward County: Mighty Samson of the Cimarron between Liberal and Kismet

Leavenworth: Steps Abraham Lincoln spoke from (now in front of the Carroll Mansion,
Leavenworth

Meade County: Widest main street in the U.S. in Plains

Hodgeman County: Markers for Duncan's Crossing at the Hodgeman-Ness County line

Wabaunsee County: Mount Mitchell

Linn County: Marais des Cygne Massacre site

Harper County: Harper County Courthouse in Anthony

Rawlins County: Beaver Creek scenic drive past the Dewey Ranch

Doniphan County: Civil War monument in Bellemont Cemetery north of Wathena

Kearny County: Santa Fe Trail displays inside the Kearny County Museum in Lakin

Nemaha County: Inside St. Mary's Church at St. Benedict

Rooks County: Rock benches at a park in Plainville at Mill and Broadway

Elk County: 1893 iron trestle bridge at Elk Falls

Dickinson County: Eisenhower statue

Russell County: Paradise watertower

Scott County: Hilltop Steele Monument across the the Steele Homestead in Lake Scott
State Park

Finney County: Anywhere inside the Lee Richardson Zoo in Garden City

Lincoln County: Denmark

Republic County: K-148 drive from Scandia to Norway

Ottawa County: Pike's Monument southwest of Delphos

Rice County: Ralph's Ruts near Chase

Sheridan County: Largest cottonwood in the state near Studley

Montgomery County: Frank Bellamy's gravestone at Cherryvale (he wrote the words to the Pledge of Allegiance)

Stanton County: WPA Manter Dam near Manter

Barber County: Flower Pot Mound on Gyp Hills scenic drive

Anderson County: Prairie Spirit Trail

Douglas County: Arch at Haskell Indian Nations University

Ford County: Santa Fe Trail lookout near Howell

Gray County: Wind farm kiosk near Montezuma

Wilson County: South Mound lookout

Chautauqua County: Historic Chautauqua Springs in Chautauqua

Gove County: Sitting on top of one of the Monument Rocks at sunset

Kingman County: Kingman County State Fishing Lake or the banks of the Ninnescah

Grant: Wagon Bed Springs

Hamilton County: A seat in the livestock sale barn

Labette County: Antietam Circle in the Historic Oakwood Cemetery in Parsons

Bourbon County: Fort Scott National Cemetery

Ellsworth County: On top of one of the Mushroom Rocks

Jewell County: White Rock Creek drive north from Formoso

Stevens County: Stevens County Gas and Historical Museum in Hugoton

Trego: Along the bluffs of Cedar Bluff State Park

Shawnee County: State capitol in front of a John Steuart Curry mural

Coffey County: At the top of the observational silo at Wolf Creek Environmental Education Area

Allen County: Walter Johnson's birth site marker in a field

Harvey County: Swinging bridge at Harvey County Park West

Rush County: Near the sunflower sculptures beside the museum in McCracken

Phillips County: Kirwin town square

Clay County: Stone buffalo close to Longford

Mitchell County: Tipton

Graham County: Green rock quarry

Haskell County: In the flattest county in the state, I'd search for aa backroad sandwiched
between farmland that goes on forever and ever.

Marshall County: Pony Express Rider and Horse statue in Marysville

Norton County: Gallery of Also Rans in Norton

Washington County: 1856 Surveyor's Monument near Mahaska

Miami County: Gazebo in the Paola Park Square

Lyon County: By the bust of William Allen White at the south edge of the lake in Peter Pan Park,
Emporia

Cloud County: Stone bridge at Rice

Pratt County: B-29 All Veterans Memorial 3 miles north of Pratt

Ellis County: Pfeifer's Holy Cross Shrine church

Franklin County: Franklin County Courthouse in Ottawa

Lane County: Frigid Creme

Reno County: 650 feet under in the Kansas Underground Salt Museum in Hutchinson

Stafford County: Triple-decker Victorian fountain in the St. John square

Jackson County: Roller coaster hill south of Soldier

Ness County: George Washington Carver's homestead at Beeler

Osage County: Oak Hill Cemetery, just north of Quenemo

Cheyenne County: Arikaree Breaks, 12 miles north of downtown St. Francis

Kiowa County: Hayloft of the Fromme-Birney Round Barn near Mullinville

Crawford County: St. Aloysius Historic Site at Greenbush

Marion County: Santa Fe Trail marker west of Lost Springs

Johnson County: Blue Sky sculpture at Olathe city hall

Chase County: Lost on some Flint Hills backroad

Edwards County: At the Civil War statue in the Hillside Cemetery near Kinsley

Sedgwick County: Keeper of the Plains

Greeley County: G.A.R. Cemetery mostly west and north of Tribune

Wyandotte County: Rosedale Memorial Arch in Kansas City

Cherokee County: Standing in Shoal Creek at Schermerhorn Park

Pawnee County: Exploring the "cliffs" across from Sibley's Camp in Larned

Decatur County: Pete Felten sculpture of the pioneer family in Oberlin

Wichita County: Beside the hand-dug well at Selkirk

Comanche County: Scenic drive across the southern portion of the county

Saline County: Outdoor pulpit at Salemsborg church

Sumner County: Bartlett Arboretum, Belle Plaine

Thomas County: Statue in front of the Thomas County Courthouse

Atchison County: International Forest of Friendship in Atchison

Geary County: Civil War Horse statue in front of the U.S. Cavalry Museum on Fort Riley

Logan County: Chalk formations scenic drive including Little Jerusalem formations

Morris County: Allegawaho Heritage Memorial Park near Council Grove

Neosho County: Black Kettle Memorial in Erie

Sherman County: Van Gogh painting at Goodland

Woodson County: Castle at Kalida

Brown County: Robinson Cemetery

Butler County: Latham's "100 Cow" Road

There you go. 105 places in 105 counties.

May you find the place that brings out your inner Kansan!

Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Go post office hopping!

2011-01-13T20:09:00.008-06:00

During the Great Depression, Post Office Section Art was created by the government to put Americans back to work. Today, this artwork still appears in 21 active post offices. See a list of all 21 at 8 Wonders of Kansas.

Farm Life, 1940, artist Robert Larter. Oswego Post Office

Unlike WPA art, Section Art was funded by the Section of Fine Arts in the U.S. Treasury Department. The “Section” selected high quality art to decorate public buildings thereby making it accessible to all people. The subject of each usually was based on the history or economy of the local community. Originally, 29 Section Art works adorned Kansas public buildings.

Cattlemen's Picnic, 1942, artist Jessie Wilbur, Kingman Post Office

Cowboys Driving Cattle, 1941, artist Kenneth Evett, Caldwell Post Office

Cattle Round Up, 1938, artist Vance Kirkland, Eureka Post Office

Section Art remains in the following 21 Kansas post offices: Anthony, Augusta, Belleville, Burlington, Caldwell, Council Grove, Eureka, Fredonia, Goodland, Halstead, Herington, Hoisington, Horton, Hutchinson, Kingman, Lindsborg, Neodesha, Oswego, Russell, Sabetha, and Seneca.

Many of these post offices are older so it's like a trip to another era.

We hope this little tidbit about post office art helps you Get Kansas!

From the road, KE #2 Marci Penner

Exploring Tip #1. Subject: Otis

2011-01-07T07:09:00.013-06:00

Kansas is 150 this year! One way to celebrate our state's sesquicentennial is by getting out to see and know the state. It's always good to head out with explorer tips in mind.

People ask where they should go. With 90% of the 627 cities in Kansas having less than a 5,000 population, my answer is to turn into every town you come to and at least cruise main and a couple of side streets. In some cases, that would be canvassing the whole town! But, if exploring properly, you'll see more than expected.

Last summer WenDee and I stopped in Otis, a Rush County town of 320 people.

I know at least one Kansas Explorers Club member who has a quest to visit every band shell. The Peter Brack Memorial band shell is unique to any other. A plaque on the back wall tells that Brack was a Russian immigrant. See the steps and green roof?

I wish I knew the name of that roof style. Do you?

Keep cruising. If you get to 3rd and Eagle you'll come across the 1931 school. Get your explorer eyes out and you'll see an interesting style to the school's exterior.

Make sure to take your curiosity hat with you. The point isn't always to know the answers but to ask the questions, to find those interesting details and nuances.

Have fun exploring. It will help you Get Kansas!

Happy birthday Kansas. KE #2 Marci

P.S. Find many places to explore at www.getruralkansas.org.

What if...we looked at rural this way?

2010-11-15T08:45:00.003-06:00

I'm on a search. A search to find progressive thinkers for rural Kansas. I don't care if you're 8 or 98 or somewhere in between. Actually, you might be from another state and just have some ideas for rural communities anywhere. That's good, too.

I'd like it if you'd send me a summary of your thoughts or ideas. It can be a "what if..." type of response. Your idea might be small, it might be complex. It might be something you've put into practice or something that is just incubating.

What if...we looked at rural this way. Or that way? How could we take things to the next level? What if we mixed ideas through a collective mind meld?

What if...the message was sent loud and clear that rural communities are of value and should be looked at as sources for potential and opportunity?

What if every citizen and every school kid in a small town felt like anything could be accomplished if they worked together? What if the bar was raised for expectations in rural communities?

I'm not looking for traditional thinkers. I'm looking for people who have a personal grasp of rural common issues that can morph technology with common sense resulting in functional grassroots solutions. Are you open minded, positive, a good listener?

I'd like to put a Dream Think Thank together sooner than later. I'd like people from the media, from small business, entrepreneurs, farmers, teachers, preachers, volunteers, angel investors, college students, laborers to be involved. Share your thoughts with me. How would you help create a New Rural? Send your thoughts to marci@kansassampler.org.

Get Kansas! And Power Up.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Fun and creativity attracts all ages

2010-10-18T07:35:00.024-05:00

Lots of people ask how to get kids and young people involved in local community events. Partridge made it happen without thinking about it. Because the organizers are creative, fun at heart, and have a lot of kid in them, the young people turned out in abundance.

Partridge, a town of 250 in western Reno County, is a tight knit community. They even still have their own grade school. And, they also have lots of people that care about the notion of community.

A few years ago they added a bicycle twist to their annual event. It was so fun and added such a new dimension that it the whole thing is now called the Partridge Pedal Party!

In brief, anything that has to do with bicycles, it's done here. Home-adjusted bicycles are seen in the parade, pieces and parts are sculpted together and used in the home creation of the trophies. Bicycles are raffled away. There is unicycle hockey and bicycle jousting. There are crafts, poem reading, music, food, games, and a worthy parade with horses, floats, old cars and tractors, and more. It's such a fun day.

But it's hard to not notice how much fun the kids are having. They are engaged, they are part of it. So are teenagers and "kids" in their 40s and 50s. The spirit of the day is catchy and it's something we should all catch.

Sometime small towns have the most creative events. Be part of it and you'll Get Kansas.

Lucky to have been there, KE #2 Marci Penner

Garnett knows how to roll out the red carpet

2010-09-21T14:00:00.025-05:00

The Kansas Sampler Foundation put out the call around Kansas for itineraries that would show the world a new way to look at Kansas. The result would be put on e-bay as an auction item. The proceeds would go to the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the itinerary would get promoted, and a lucky winner would, no doubt, have a great time.

The Garnett Giveaway package was chosen to be our first attempt at this multi-purpose approach.

The high bid was made by Gary and Bunny McCloud of Wamego.

This past weekend, the McClouds, joined by friends, enjoyed their getaway package in Garnett. This blog has a two-fold purpose.

One is to rave about the way Garnett rolled out the red carpet.

The other is to commend Gary and Bunny.

GARNETT
Garnett, population 3,390, provided a fabulous time. The accommodations were offered by owners Mike and Eileen Burns of the The Kirk House Bed & Breakfast, a George Washburn designed home, built in 1913.

The main event on their first evening was the dinner theatre production "Leading Ladies" at the Thelma Moore Community Playhouse, located in a former Presbyterian Church. The Garnett folks raved about the whole evening and said they've never laughed so hard.

They had breakfast at The Coffee Loft, 130 E. 5th. The limestone walls make it highly attractive. They serve coffees during the day, Kansas beers and wine in the evenings. Check out their website for entertainment and more information.

A flight board MidWest Missionair for an aerial tour of Anderson County was the next treat, thanks to Gordon Blackie.

Bellini's Italian Cafe was the location for a pasta lunch followed by a downtown shopping spree, arranged by the Garnett Chamber.

Saturday night was the highlight for 24 of us who were invited to share an evening of entertainment, h'ors doeuvres, and drinks in the backyard of The Kirk House.

Chuck Cowan and Platinum Vine provided the entertainment that inspired dancing, a good time, and was the perfect backdrop for a marvelous evening that was put together by event planner Kimberly Hart-Spencer.

Caterers for the evening were A Cut Above Catering, The Galey Girls, Maloan's Bar & Grille, Mr. D's Bar & Grill, Rhonda Holsinger, Rick Felt and Two Sister's Cafe. The Scipio Supper Club serviced the bar and provided Kansas beers and wines!

Every guest had their own special wine glass with their name written in decorative fashion on the glass, a keepsake!

We can't say enough to Eileen, Scott Rogers, Kim, Garnett Tourism, and all involved for an unforgettable set of memories in Garnett.

GARY & BUNNY

And here's to Gary and Bunny McCloud. Bunny, I wish I had got you with your eyes open but you deserved that drink. Thanks to you and Gary for not only being the high bid but for being a classy couple that treats your friends so well. You two, plus your Wamego area friends, were a perfect fit with the fine people of Garnett.

Here's a toast to you all.

P.S. Some of us got to stay at the Shelly Tipton Bed and Breakfast!

Get Kansas! by staying in a rural community. Thank you Garnett and the McClouds.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Behind the scenes thoughts about 8 Wonders

2010-09-16T20:20:00.004-05:00

The Kansas Sampler Foundation has loved getting to know Kansas better through our role in the 8 Wonders of Kansas contest. When the last contest is wrapped up, I'll do a summary on some of the results. But for now, I want to acknowledge the cities and counties that didn't have an entry in any of the contests.

It doesn't feel good to be left off a list like this. I appreciate it when people share those thoughts, even if you're upset. I like it that people stick up for their place and their people. Don't keep this inside. Send me an e-mail, marci@kansassampler.org. Vent! I'll hear you. I'll listen. I'll let you know what the selection committee was thinking. We'll discuss it.

On the other hand, there may be some instructive things for communities to learn. And, it could be, too, that the selection committee didn't have enough information or knowledge to always make the best decisions.

The first thing is to acknowledge that contest criteria dictated some of the decisions. One of the criteria was that there always had to be something to see, something a visitor could see or do to learn more about the finalist. One goal of the contest was to encourage travel within Kansas.

Countless fantastic people and events in history were left off the list, simply because there wasn't something to see. It doesn't mean they weren't significant people or events. The circumstances just didn't meet the criteria.

Secondly, some places that are home to incredible events were left off the list because the sites weren't in good shape or weren't interpreted well. The criteria for every contest asked that there be a "wow" factor. There are some incredibly dedicated people who want to make their historical site a "wow" factor but lack of funding or available volunteers make it difficult. We were also appreciative of subtle "wows."

If you were one of those places that didn't make the list even though you feel like you have a significant site, let's work together. Maybe we can use this result to jointly speak to your city or county commissioners to do some upgrading. I'm thinking about one person in particular. This person is uncommonly dedicated to her county and has put in an incredible amount of effort to tell the story of her county. Yet, her county wasn't represented in any of the contests. It sure wasn't by lack of effort form this person.

There were some places we put on the list who never once acknowledged being on the list. They didn't care. It might have even been a hassle to them. I'd much rather hear from the people who were hurt and upset about not being on the list. They care. They care a great deal. I won't forget how much they care and down the line, we'll make sure other people know about their places. There are many ways to tell the Kansas story beyond the 8 Wonders contest.

Some of my favorite places didn't make the list, but they'll always be my favorite places...

In the end, I hope the contest did more good than harm. Please consider this an invitation to share your thoughts. We're in this together. Let's make it work.

Thoughts from KE #2

How KE #54 Sees Kansas

2010-09-16T08:36:00.003-05:00

Gene Merry, KE #54, from Burlington, sent in this extensive Explorer Trackings. I enjoyed reading it so much and thought you might, too.

Written by Gene...

I started keeping track in 1997 of all the Kansas highways and byways I traveled. Recently, I completed the over 10,000-mile quest of traveling all state, U.S. and Interstate highways in Kansas, as well as many miles of dirt and gravel.

The highlights of 13 years of seeing every nook and cranny of Kansas are many. I visited all of the 8 Wonders of Kansas, a project of Kansas Sampler Foundation. The 8 Wonders include the Big Well, Greensburg; Cheyenne Bottoms/Quivira Natural Wildlife Reserve, Barton and Stafford Counties. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, Abilene; Kansas Cosmosphere, Hutchinson; Kansas Underground Salt Museum, Hutchinson; Monument Rock/Castle Rock, Gove County; St. Fidelis Church, Victoria; and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Chase County. I also viewed the 16 finalists in the contest.

I stayed at 20 different bed and breakfasts, all members of the Kansas Bed & Breakfast Association, my favorite overnight arrangement.

I explored Kansas using a Kansas state map, the DeLorme Gazetteer and Kansas Sampler Foundation’s Kansas Guidebook for Explorers written by Marci Penner. Using the eight elements of exploring and following the Kansas Guidebook, you find that many of the cities have following 8 elements--art, architecture, commerce, customs, cuisine, geography, history and people.

Breaking out my favorites by element class is as follows:

ART

My favorite art across Kansas is mural art. Many communities tell their story by painting a canvas displaying what they are proud of and what reflects favorably on their community. There are so many great murals across the state, it’s hard to pick a favorite, if you haven’t discovered murals in Kansas, start today.

ARCHITECTURE

My favorite is the Kansas Statehouse, its structure, art, and history. Many Kansas towns have great downtown buildings and great historical documentation including Coffeyville, Caldwell, Ness City, Atchison, Marysville and Council Grove.

The Catholic churches across Kansas are also my favorites. St. Fidelis Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Plains), has neat double towers and magnificent marble, at Victoria.

St. Bede Catholic Church in Kelly has the most unique lector stand or soloist stand, great leaded glass and its location on a hill makes it look a mile high and visible for miles.

St. Ann Catholic Church in Olmitz has four clocks for each direction and has an unbelievable view. St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar has a unique Romanesque design with incredible blues in their leaded glass.

Kansas has very unique courthouses some of my favorites Yates Center, Ness City, Anthony, Lyons, Ottawa, Paola, Osborne (mystery symbols), Lincoln, Marion, Cottonwood Falls and Manhattan.

If you haven’t noticed, architecture is my favorite element.

COMMERCE

A great revenue producer Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation production facility near Burlington is the cleanest and greenest power production facility in the state. W.C.N.O.C. also sports a great 5,000 acre fishing lake with all species, hosts a great environmental center with overview silo, so cool.

Other favorites in Commerce are small town grocery stores from McDonald to Riverton. They are usually my stop for mints, crackers/cheese and soft drinks. Caldwell has a neat grocery store with daily barbeque. We ate in the gazebo in a downtown park. Small town grocery stores are the heartbeat of the community.

CUSTOMS

My favorite custom involves attending the Kansas State Fair and seeing the fruits of Kansas producers. Another favorite is custom combining, especially wheat. What it does to the soul to see five combines in a field, wiping out another successful Kansas wheat crop. Growing up in the Flint Hills, the annual custom of turning cattle out to grass and returning them to a collection point or taking cattle from grass to the feedlots.

CUISINE

I really enjoy all types of food, but in Kansas you have so many choices that are truly great homemade meals. Favorites in chicken are the Olpe Chicken House, Chicken Mary’s and Chicken Annie’s in Crawford County. My favorite in the most unusual category, the menu changes daily at Teller Room Restaurant in Oberlin. They also have the best fruit (located in the first floor of the historic Bank of Oberlin). Tex-Mex favorite is Across the Borders in Burlington. El Salvadorian chef has the best cheese sauce and numerous tasty Mexican food entrees. The restaurant has the only Explorer dining room showcasing the 8 Elements of Coffey County.

My favorite travel food comes from Brants Meat Market in Lucas--love the sausage, crackers and root beer.

Chicken fried steak fixed the Explorer Way is a highlight along with prime rib at Trappers Bar and Grill in Simpson, Pinky’s Bar and Grill in Courtland, and on the widest street in America, Plains Tavern in Plains.

Just great down home food at Don’s Place in Protection, Hometown Café in Barnes, pan fried chicken Whiting Café, (tell Rosa hi), and Neighbors Cafe in McPherson. Chili, snack cheese, and hot pickles at C.W. Porubsky Grocery and meals, in the Little Russia neighborhood in Topeka. My favorite steak house is Jim’s Steak House and Lounge, Pittsburg.

My parents and I like pie so anytime passing through Emporia, I always bring back pie. My dads favorite is strawberry rhubarb from Galva’s Kountry Kafe (620.564.3500) and good food, too. I’ve been to the pie plant in Washington known as Marcon Pies. They sell in southern Nebraska and Kansas, wide variety, always great consistency and my favorite is blueberry. Rosa at Whiting Café makes great cream pies, candy and serves the largest ice cream sandwiches around.

Whiting Café has a special place in my heart as over 100 volunteers remodeled the cafe in 2009 in association with the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

GEOGRAPHY

My favorite geography areas are “The Breaks” near St. Francis, the Kansas Grand Canyon, Cimarron Grassland near Elkhart, especially in wet years, wildflowers are great. I grew up in the Flint Hills near Olpe, so my favorite of favorites would have to be the beauty of the Flint Hills, and the world class grass.

HISTORY

Kansas has so much history in trails, people, communities, agriculture and many more, take your pick, so much history so little time, to get all the stories.

PEOPLE

My second favorite element is the people of Kansas, from the store owners at small grocery stores to the bed and breakfast owners across the state, to volunteers in museums, attractions and parks. We have the most friendly, informed (if they don’t know they’ll call a friend) and dedicated to their individual communities. People make Kansas the superior attraction it is. Take some time to sit down with the locals at their coffee shop and get to know what’s going on there and taste Kansas.

My plan for doing all the traveling was to prove to myself and others that vacationing in Kansas can be just as exciting as any other destination, because you do the same things. When you travel you eat, stay in hotels, motels or bed and breakfast establishments and you see the sights. The big difference is the midwest business persons are some of the most helpful people on earth. They are very proud and accommodating. They love to tell their story.

My wife Barb has traveled with me on numerous trips in Kansas and enjoys shopping at all kinds of quilting shops, gift shops and markets. She likes to make an economic impact.

To enjoy Kansas you have to be engaged in the history of Kansas communities.

Before you plan an expensive trip out of state, take some time to explore Kansas, enjoy a slower pace, try some great food, take advantage of bargain prices, and get to know the state and its people, like we have.

Thanks Gene. Certainly, one way to "Get Kansas" is to know Kansas!

Add post offices to your adventure stops

2010-08-30T11:27:00.005-05:00

Above, post offices in Lost Springs and Fort Dodge.

A post office is a big deal in a small town. A couple of years ago the New Albany post office was detroyed by wind. The federal post office decided they didn't do enough business in town to warrant a replacement office, so they "took away" their post office status. This means that when you write a letter to a citizen of New Albany, you no longer address it to New Albany but to Fredonia. Essentially, this one piece of evidence that they still exist as a city, is gone.

Other towns are losing their post offices because they don't have enough revenue for the feds to justify their existence any longer. It's a business deal for the "deciders" in Washington D.C. In other words, it's extremely important that we buy as many stamps in small town post offices as possible!

The Norway, Kansas post office stayed open until Belva retired. She felt the pressure and stayed on until she was 90-something. Then, Norway no longer had a post office.

The last post office that doubled as a residence closed about two years ago in Pfeifer. And, when Carol retired, that was it for the Pfeifer post office, too.

You know how some post offices have really screwy hours? It's because revenue determines the hours. Don't blame the clerk. Revenue also determines the salary of the employees, the number of employees, and the quality of equipment. If you go into some small post offices, they still have the manual scales. Most now have the digital scales but if you see a clerk going back and forth with that thing that slides to determine the exact weight, you'll know it's because they don't have enough revenue to earn the fancy scale.

Revenue and "points." A post office gets points for things like the number of box holders, the number of bulk rate permits purchased from that post office, and the amount of mail sent out through that office.

We have our Explorer newsletters printed in McPherson but then we go pick them up and mail them through our local Inman post office so they can have that bulk rate permit.

One year we had a BYOLC (Bring your own Lawn Chair) event in Stark, population 105. We asked the post office clerk what their best revenue day had been. The answer was $250. So, we asked Explorers to get in there and beat the record. We did! In the end, we purchased almost $500 worth of stamps. The clerk was more than thrilled.

I try to buy stamps in quantity. Awhile back we stopped in Hardtner and bought over $100 worth of stamps. The clerk just beamed and said that made her whole week look great.

Lots of times these clerks are a great source of community information. You can ask for directions, recommendations, hours at the local cafe, or maybe you're looking for a long lost relative. Be aware that these are busy people but they'll probably get a little friendlier if you make a nice purchase. Whether you just buy ten stamps or a hundred stamps, the extra sales mean alot to this small post office.

Norwich, population 540 in Kingman County, has a community-run post office. It's the first one like it in the state. The post office is located in the hardware store, which also doubles as the grocery store. The hardware store clerk might sell you paint as easily as sell you stamps.

Some of these small post offices have great nostalgic value. Some have the old-fashioned gold-plated boxes. Some have the old teller cage with a wooden frame. Twenty post offices have Section Art murals. Some are in tiny buildings. Where are your old-fashioned favorites?

People ask 500 or less, absolutely need your business. The smaller the city, the more they need you. A city of 1,000 needs your business, too, but even a few extra stamps can make a huge difference in a small town. I went to one very small post office one day and asked how her day had gone. She had only sold a two cent stamp that day (and had to lend the guy the two pennies).

Some of my favorites post offices to shop in are Denton, Lost Springs, Crestline, Effingham, Rock, Bison, Palmer, but the list is truly endless. Get out there and find adventure at small post offices!

Helping out with the revenue is one way to Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci

Harland on the move

2010-08-27T10:21:00.005-05:00

Harland Schuster, a farmer/stockman from Morrill, Kansas is on one dandy adventure. The Kansas Sampler Foundation tabbed him to take pictures of the 216 entries that were involved in the nine 8 Wonders of Kansas contests. No small task.

Many of the photos will be in the 8 Wonders of Kansas book, a 288-page 9"x12" book that will debut April 16, 2010 at a reception for an 8 Wonders of Kansas exhibit at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene.

Want to see behind the scenes on this process? It's pretty interesting.

Harland will send his pictures to Liz King, my sister, who will pick which pictures should be in the book, as she is the designer. She has been commiserating about how hard it is to just pick a few of his excellent pictures. I think she'd like the book to be 600 pages so she could use more.

I made a spread sheet for Harland of all 216 places. I listed the city, county, region, address, hours, and then we talked about what kind of shots we wanted. He then sorted all this by county or region so he could make a schedule. He sends me his schedule maybe 2-5 days before he goes out and I make the photo arrangements with each place.

Harland's goal is to take pictures that not everyone else has already taken. Here are some examples of the kind of arrangements that need to be made, per Harland's requests.

Horse and rider at Castle Rock, Gove County and at Cimarron National Grassland, Elkhart.
70' bucket truck lift for a different angle on Cooper Barn, Colby.
Airplane for aerial photographs of Mined Land Areas and Big Brutus, Cherokee County.
Fire department ladder to be over diver at Big Pool, Garden City.
Have maintenance man go on top of Chase County Courthouse to put up the flag.
Veteran and young boy to be at Eisenhower statue, Abilene.
Reenactors at Fort Larned and a lift to put him above the flag pole.
Bucket truck on a Sunday night in Lucas.
Access to the Masonic Center roof in Salina.
Train schedule and conductor's phone number to get train crossing Samson of the Cimarron bridge in Seward County.
A "Dorothy" at Dorothy's House in Liberal.
The three artists that worked on the Blue Sky Sculpture to be at the sculpture.
Kite flyers at Coronado Heights at 6:30 a.m. on a Sunday.
Man to climb to the top of the Harper watertower for perspective. City had to bring out a bucket truck to get him to the first step.
Access to M.T. Liggett in his shop.
5:30 a.m. access at Brookover Feedyard, Garden City.
Hunter in gear at 7 a.m. at Ringneck Ranch near Tipton.
All six chicken restaurants together in Crawford County (we got 5 anyway).
83 kids and adults to stretch across Plains' widest main street in the U.S.
Access to Traditions Night at KU football stadium to capture the Rock Chalk cheer.
A teenage couple dressed in 1950s clothing sipping a soda together at the Clark soda fountain in Cimarron.
Kids hopscotching and blowing bubbles on the sidewalk at Franklin.
Bikers on the Prairie Spirit Trail near Richmond.
Hikers on the Elk River Hiking Trail.
Kids with pinwheels having fun on the rocks at Rock City near Minneapolis.
Kids looking at the exhibits at Sternberg and someone working on a fossil.
Gunfighters shooting right at him at Dodge City's Boot Hill.
Kids looking at outdoor sculptures at National Orphan Train Museum, Concordia.
A group of citizens at Nicodemus.

He didn't ask for the deer that magically arrived at Monument Rocks, the raccoon that came out at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge sign or the sailboats that were on Lake Scott. We had it lined up for him to be in the pace car at High Banks track in Belleville but he got bumped by the blonde that gives out the trophies. He asked for an ultralight aircraft to fly beside Coronado Heights and an airplane for him to be in. In the end, the thermals weren't right and the ultralight cancelled but we had it arranged!

Arrangements to be made yet are antique cars at Pillsbury Crossing, a helicopter over Blue Rapids round square, and just about anything else he can think of.

I can't even tell you about the 8 Wonders of Kansas People shots yet because we won't announce those finalists until September 9.

What makes it all possible is the people on the other end of the phone. Almost every call I've made, the person on the other end says they can make it happen. I know that it's been a hassle at times, other times kind of exciting. Newspapers have come to take pictures of Harland taking pictures. In the end, everyone will be darn proud.

These pictures will be used in the book and some of them will be used for the 8 Wonders exhibit at the Eisenhower Library (from January 29, 2011 through the summer). The collection of all 216 places, depicting different aspects of Kansas, shown in quality fashion is going to be pretty special. What a great way to help celebrate Kansas' sesquicentennial birthday.

Now, not every photographer could do this. It takes stamina, real interest, creativity, persistence, and ambition. Harland is often up at dawn and still has the camera in his hands at sunset. It helps that he is a Kansas Explorer, number 1261 in fact. He gets what we're looking for. His wife, Suzanne, keeps the home fires burning and makes the motel arrangements. Sometime, probably after corn harvest, he has to group all of these photos together and send them to Liz so she can continue to design the book.

We're about 75% done with photographing the 216 places so I have more arrangements to make. Harland has about 4-6 weeks to go yet on this project. He has to get done before the fall calves and hopefully before its time to combine the beans.

If you've been on the other end of my phone calls for these arrangements, I thank you. You've made these great shots possible. From Craig Hull in Pittsburg to Sue Taylor in Colby and Vienna Lee in Elkhart to the sexton at the Hiawatha Cemetery and every one in between, you're part of the team that will make this portrayal of Kansas simply magnificent.

I'm excited to help debut Harland's skills. I remember when he just started this "hobby." I could tell early on that he had what it took to become a super photographer. His work has appeared in Kansas! magazine and other places already but we'll be so proud to showcase his work in this book.

It takes a special kind of person to meet this kind of challenge. It takes cooperative efforts to get the bucket trucks, the models, and all the other necessary ingredients for the kind of pictures that will make every Kansan proud of their state.

The hard part in all this? Waiting until April 16, 2011 to share this book with you.

Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Rural Kansas: Come and Get It!

2010-06-02T11:16:00.007-05:00

I want to go to the rhubarb festival in Glasco and the meatloaf festival in Paxico.

I want to see the drinking fountain in Cawker City that the daughter of Harrison Cawker gave to the city in 1914. I don't really know if Harrison Cawker was a great man but I know he won a poker game and therefore got to name the city after himself!

I want to stay at the Silver Bell Motel in Longton because the website entry says that it has the reputation of being the cleanest and most inexpensive motel in existence. Wow. In existence! I've got to see that and I want to spend money to stay there.

I want to take my Dad to Piqua (Woodson County) on Tuesday and get him a haircut. That's the day the barber shop is open in the back of the Piqua Co-op.

Now you can find out about these kind of things and more on a website that makes its debut today! The website is getruralkansas.org.

Representatives from 80 rural communities took two-day classes last summer to earn a page on this website and to learn tools needed to produce and populate a community page on this site. For now, you'll only see 40 communities in the drop down list. The others are still working on it. It takes a lot of time and many of these folks are volunteers or are overworked in their community capacity.

Go to this site. Play with it. Have fun learning about Kansas and make a list of places to go! Let us know if something isn't working or if there are any problems in navigating.

Also, when you click on a community, you'll find that many offer Facebook, Twitter, or blog connections. Become a Follower of your favorite towns. The idea is that these social networking devices will be used by the community to help the world "get" why and how we are who we are.

The website is just a start in a collective promotion called "Rural Kansas: Come and Get It." More to come down the line but for now, it's great fun to share this website!

I also want to give a big shout out to WenDee for helping in a zillion ways but mostly for helping with all the pictures, and to LogicMaze for creating this site and being so willingly helpful. Also, thanks to Patsy Terrell, Kathy Kajinami, and Cort Anderson for helping with the classes. And thanks to Regina, Becky and the state travel office for the grant that made this possible. It's been a great team effort.

Mostly, hats off to the rural community folks for making time to do this. Because of you, we can say, rural Kansas, it's a wonderful place to live and visit. Come and Get It!

KE #2 Marci Penner

The Festival from the Inside

2010-04-25T16:55:00.004-05:00

THE BASICS

The Kansas Sampler Festival will take place Saturday, May 1 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Sunday, May 2 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Venue is Ray Miller Park, 4201 S. 4th Street, Leavenworth. A neat opening ceremony will take place on Saturday at 9 a.m.

I like to call it the kick-off event for the 2010 exploring season. More than 300 exhibitors will be there to inspire you to explore Kansas! You'll be swimming in day trip ideas when you leave and you'll be happily filled to the brim with Kansas pride. You'll hear Kansas music, eat Kansas foods, buy Kansas products, and talk to lots of Kansans about their favorite nooks and crannies in the state.

BUT, THERE'S MORE TO THE PICTURE

Bob Topping of Leavenworth started laying the groundwork for Leavenworth County to host this festival many years ago. By the time the Kansas Sampler Foundation held the informational meeting for potential hosts in January 2008, Bob had already been setting forth plans. Keyta Kelly was tapped as the director. She orchestrated the effort to complete the preliminary application and the rigorous final app. The KSF board went to Leavenworth for a site visit and interview before officially granting the festival to Leavenworth County in the fall of 2008. By the time the 2009 festival rolled around in Concordia, Bob, Keyta, and her two daughters, Kaitlyn and Rachel, came early during prep week to pitch in and learn the ropes.

Since then, there have been some unexpected twists and turns but everything is looking great for a strong 2010 Kansas showcase. The public will view the many tents and exhibitors as if they had been magically planted there. They'll miss seeing the craziness of set-up when volunteers unload 325 exhibitors and help transport booth materials to their designated areas.

The public won't see the months and months of long hours and endless details of getting everyone registered, marketing, finding sponsors, producing the festival guide, and answering a thousand different questions. Parking and parkers, security and fencing, tent ordering and layout are just a few of the details. Straw bales, picnic tables, electricity and water have to be brought in to the park. It seems that every one of the 325 exhibitors has a different set of needs and all must be attended to. Who will staff the admission gate, the information booth, and who will pick up trash? How many port-o-pots are needed, how many food vendors, and how do we convey the message to buy all supplies from locally-owned businesses?

Volunteers have to be trained, signs need to be made, fence posts need to be pounded in for the community flag lane. Plans must be coordinated with sound technicians, electricians, and EMTs.

That's just the life of the host.

AND THE EXHIBITORS

Exhibitors all over the state have been planning their booths, performances, food, or products for months, too. Authors must make sure to have enough books on hand. Artists are creating. Entrepreneurs, wineries, and Kansas breweries are producing extra inventory. Promoters are making brochures and figuring out a display that will get the public's attention. After all, there will be competition for getting noticed...

BUT COME MAY 1 and 2 adrenalin will kick in and we'll all be excited to be a collective force in sharing what's great about Kansas.

By now, our Leavenworth County hosts might be wondering if it's all worth it, but once the music begins at the opening ceremony and the communities come marching up the lane with their flags, goosebumps will serve notice that all the work, all the sleepless nights, and all the persistence and endurance was worth it.

Due to Leavenworth County and the hundreds of local people and statewide enthusaists involved, thousands will see Kansas with new eyes -- and will make plans to go out and around Kansas. New professional relationships will be started, networks strengthened. Products, art, and books will be happily sold. Musicians and historic performers will get bookings, sell CDs, and find appreciation for their talents. Food vendors will serve us well.

And maybe best of all, rural and urban will seamlessly come together. Under these tents will be one Kansas. If you aren't able to come, just step out your door and look towards northeast Kansas. You're likely to catch a glimpse of some mighty good energy filling the Kansas sky.

May 1-2, Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Capitals of Kansas list helps us know towns!

2010-02-21T17:05:00.007-06:00

What good is a list? Let's find out. Let's see if this list of "Capitals of Kansas" helps you learn something about Kansas or makes you curious enough to want to go visit the place!

Here's the list as compiled by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The designations have either gone through a legislative process or through a Kansas Sampler Foundation process.

Air Capital, Wichita

Allis Chalmers Capital, Washington

Art Treasures Capital, Oswego

Barbed Wire Capital, LaCrosse

Bass Fishing Capital, WaKeeney

Bean Feed Capital, Erie

Black Squirrel Capital, Marysville

Bluebird Capital, Johnson County

Brome Grass Capital, Holton

Carnival Heritage Capital, Kinsley

Catfish Capital, Chetopa and Coffey County

Comic Book Capital, Morland

Covered Dish Capital, Windom

Cow Chip Capital, Russell Springs

Cowboy Boot Capital, Olathe

Cowboy Capital, Dodge City

Cutting Horse Capital, Garden City

Czech Capital, Wilson

Drovers Capital, Ellsworth County

Earthquake Capital, Palco

Fishing Capital, Geary County

Fossil Capital, Geary County

Fossil Capital, Oakley

Fried Chicken Capital, Pittsburg

German Capital, Ellis County

Goose Capital, Kirwin

Grassroots Art Capital, Lucas

Greyhound Capital, Abilene

Halloween Capital, Hiawatha

Hamburger Capital, Phillips County

Historic Barn Capital, Doniphan County

Homestead Literature Capital, Osborne County

Horse Racing Capital, Eureka

Light Capital, McPherson

Lustron Home Capital, Great Bend

Milo Capital, Beattie

Mural Capital, Winfield

Museum Capital, Abilene

Natural Gas Capital, Hugoton

Original Jayhawker Capital, Mound City

Ornate Box Turtle Capital, Caldwell

Outhouse Capital, Elk Falls

Pancake Capital, Liberal

Peach Capital, Haysville

Pecan Capital, Chetopa

Pheasant Capital, Norton

Pie Capital, Washington

Pinto Bean Capital, Leoti

Plow Capital, Kingman

Post Rock Capital, Lincoln County

Prairie Chicken Capital, Cassoday

Prairie Hay Capital, Yates Center

Printing Capital, Girard

Purple Martin Capital, Parsons

Rocking Chair Capital, Cuba

Spinach Capital, Lenexa

Stained Glass Capital, Cloud County

Stock Trailer Capital, Waterville

Stone Bridge Capital, Cowley County

Storytelling Capital, Downs

Sunflower Capital, Goodland

Sunshine Capital, WaKeeney

Terra Cotta Capital, Salina

The Capital, Topeka

Threshing Show Capital, Jefferson County

Trails Capital, Marshall County

Water Sports Capital, Osage County

Watermelon Capital, Clyde & Thayer

Wheat Capital, Sumner County

White Tail Deer Capital, Longton

Wind Farm Capital, Montezuma

Wiper Fish Capital, Norton County

The newest capital of Kansas is Marshall County - the Trails Capital of Kansas! They went through the Kansas Sampler Foundation process which consists of sending facts in bullet points to prove that the nominee deserves the designation. The news appeared on the front page of the latest We Kan! newsletter and a news release will be sent out in the next few days. To read those bullet points, click here.

Now, the big question. Did the list help you "Get Kansas" or help you learn something? Designations are great at helping identify special characteristics in Kansas cities. Which "capital" made you most curious?

KE #2 Marci Penner

It's Kansas Day!

2010-01-29T14:08:00.007-06:00

I love this day. Love concentrating on the great state we live in.

To me, it's the little things that make it great. Things like...

...putting my foot on the brass rail at Brant's Meat Market and chatting with Doug before I buy some sausage

...shouting my name at Echo Cliff (near Dover) and hear it come bouncing back

...sticking my toes in the clear waters at Shoal Creek at Schermerhorn Park and closing my eyes to imagine early-day Route 66 travelers stopping here to do the same

...climbing to the crest of Point of Rocks at Cimarron National Grassland and imagining Santa Fe Trail wagons coming in to view

...standing beside the Brewster Higley cabin north of Athol and running my fingers over the words to his poem (now state song) etched on the side of the cabin

...tracing the outline of home plate at Walter Johnson's country birth site near Humboldt

...climbing the steep path to the top of the bluff on the Kansas/Nebraska line near White Cloud to find the survey marker

...staring in awe at the Father Kapaun memorial near the church at Pilsen and thinking of the love and compassion he gave his fellow POW's

...walking inside the St. Mary's Church at St. Benedict for the predictable jaw-dropping view

...having a picnic at the base of the Monument Rocks

...swinging on the tree swings at the Hays city cemetery

...taking the trail below the iron truss bridge at Elk Falls to splash around on the big flat stones

...going in to any small town and just talking to the people.

I adore what this state offers in its architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, and people. It's the total package. It's won my heart a million times and I look forward to enjoy every step of the journey yet to come.

Where do you want explore this year?

To explore the state is to "get" her, is to love her.

Happy Kansas Day.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Symbols of Kansas

2010-01-27T19:12:00.002-06:00

Feel free to cut and paste this and use it as you wish
to help celebrate Kansas Day, January 29

KANSAS BECAME A STATE JANUARY 29, 1861
On January 29, 186, President James Buchanan signed the bill that admitted Kansas as the 34th state. This was one of the precipitating events that led to the Civil War. Three months after Kansas became a state, the first shots of the Civil War broke out at Fort Sumter, South Carolina.

It was a painstaking process for Kansas to become a state. In 1858, James Buchanan recommended that the Lecompton Constitution be adopted for Kansas, which would have allowed slavery in the state. Congress voted it down. Battles, massacres, deception, angst, fiery speeches, arson, and passionate pleas are just a few of the events that occurred to gain statehood as a free state. Kansas state seal, adopted 1861. On May 25, 1861, the Kansas State Legislature adopted the state's seal.

Kansas state flower: Wild Native Sunflower, adopted 1903.
Nearly 3,000 years ago, the sunflower was domesticated for food production by the Native Americans.

Kansas state bird: Western Meadowlark, adopted Kansas Day 1925.
The Western Meadowlark was selected the state bird after a vote by over 121,000 school children. Western Meadowlarks are ground nesters and ground feeders.

Kansas state flag, adopted 1927.
First flown at Fort Riley by Governor Ben Paulin for the troops at Fort Riley and for the Kansas National Guard and officially adopted by the Kansas State Legislature on May 21, 1927.

Kansas state march: The Kansas March, adopted 1935 and Here’s Kansas, adopted 1992.
Duff Middleton wrote the music for “The Kansas March” and it was adopted by the legislature in 1935. Bill Post of Geuda Springs wrote the words and music for “Here’s Kansas” which was adopted as a second Kansas state March in 1992.

Kansas state tree: Eastern Cottonwood, adopted 1937.
Cottonwoods can be either male or female. It is the fluffy white seeds produced by the females during early summer that give the tree its name.

Kansas state song: Home on the Range, adopted 1947.
Dr. Brewster M. Higley originally wrote the words in a poem called "My Western Home" in the early 1870s in Smith County. The music was written by a friend of Higley's named Daniel E. Kelley.

Kansas state animal: American Bison, adopted 1955.
A single herd of bison in 1871 located southwest of what is now Dodge City was carefully estimated to have over 4 million members! Bison bulls may weigh a ton, cows top out around 1,100 pounds. They can run 35 MPH for long distances.
Source: gpnc.org/kansas1.htm

Kansas state insect: Honeybee, adopted 1976.
There is only one queen in a hive and her main purpose in life is to make more bees.

Kansas state reptile: Ornate Box Turtle, adopted 1986.
The word "ornate" means elaborately decorated. The 1985-86 6th grade class in Caldwell, Kansas did a massive campaign to get the ornate box turtle named state reptile.

Kansas state soil: Harney Silt Loam, adopted 1990.
Harney soils are recognized as prime farmland and have excellent properties for producing food and fiber crops. These soils occur on about 4 million acres in west-central Kansas.

Kansas state amphibian: Barred Tiger Salamander, adopted 1994.
The Barred Tiger Salamander are the largest terrestrial salamanders in the world – up to 14 inches in length.

Knowing our Kansas symbols help us "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Do you know all the words to "Home on the Range"?

2010-01-26T18:13:00.010-06:00

Happy Kansas Day Week!

In 1947 the state legislature adopted "Home on the Range" as our state song. The words were written by Brewster Higley in his cabin in 1871 or 1872 and the music was composed by Dan Kelly, who lived in southern Smith County for awhile.

If you are looking for a perfect way to commemorate Kansas Day you might travel to Smith County to Mr. Higley's cabin on Beaver Creek. The cabin is located on private property but we all have permission to walk around the (deteriorating) cabin and read the words to the song on the side of the building. Hopefully you can pick up a brochure which tells the whole fascinating story about how the song came to be. The cabin is located 8 miles north of Athol on K-8, then 1 mile west. Follow the mile-long, narrow driveway to the 1872 cabin and former home of Brewster Higley.

When you stand by his cabin you'll understand why he wrote the words.

He didn't know he was writing words to "Home on the Range" but rather a poem called "My Western Home."

  VERSE 1
   Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
   where the deer and the antelope play,
   Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
   And the sky is not clouded all day.

  CHORUS
   A home, a home where the deer and the antelope play,
   Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
   And the sky is not clouded all day.

  VERSE 2
   Oh, give me the gale of the Solomon vale,
   Where life streams with buoyancy flow,
   On the banks of the Beaver, where seldom if ever
   Any poisonous herbage doth grow.

  VERSE 3
   Oh, give me the land where the bright diamond sand
   Throws its light from the glittering stream
   Where glideth along the graceful white swan,
   Like a maid in a heavenly dream.

  VERSE 4
   I love the wild flowers in this bright land of ours;
   I love too the wild curley's scream,
   The bluffs and white rocks and antelope flocks
   That graze on the hillsides so green.

  VERSE 5
   How often at night, when the heavens are bright
   With the light of the glittering stars,
   Have I stood here amazed and asked as I gazed
   If their glory exceeds this of ours.

  VERSE 6
   The air is so pure, the breezes so free,
   The zephyrs so balmy and light,
   I would not exchange my home here to range
   Forever in azure so bright.

To stand here and softly sing the song to yourself is to "Get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

The 24 Geography finalists according to physiographic region

2010-01-11T11:20:00.012-06:00

Greetings to the World!

Today I am going to share with you 24 of the most unique geographical sites in Kansas -- in fact, they are the 24 finalists for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography! And, indeed, they are a fine representation of the diversity of Kansas.

In fact, raise your hand if you've heard of the eleven physiographic regions of Kansas. Ah, I don't see many hands up. The Sci-Tec online dictionary defines a physiographic region as "a landform considered with regard to its origin, cause, or history."

So, here's your geography lesson for today. I'll list the 24 finalists under descriptions of the physiographic regions. Note that some finalists fit into more than one region. Region descriptions come from information on the Kansas State (KDOT) map and the hyperlink takes you to more detailed information at the Kansas Geological Survey site.

ARKANSAS RIVER LOWLANDS: The river that produced the Royal Gorge 240 miles to the west cuts the High Plains of southwest Kansas, leaving sand and gravel deposits, irregular hills, and sand dunes over a wide area.

*Bartlett Arboretum, Belle Plaine
Brenham Meteorites (the meteorites happened to fall hear), near Haviland

CHAUTAUQUA HILLS: A sandstone-capped rolling upland that extends into the Osage Cuestas from the southern Kansas border. Approximately 10 miles wide.

Cross Timbers State Park, near Toronto

CHEROKEE LOWLANDS: Bituminous coal veins are near the surface in this region where thousands of acres have been strip-mined.

Mined Land Wildlife Area, Cherokee, Crawford & Labette counties

FLINT HILLS: Stretching north and south across the state, this is an area of beautiful scenery and unexcelled pasture land. Elevation differences vary from 100-400 feet. The area is named for the chert or flint rock that covers the bluestem slopes.

Konza Prairie, Manhattan
Native Stone Scenic Byway, Wabaunsee & Shawnee counties
*Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area, near Manhattan

HIGH PLAINS: This region comprises almost all of the western one-third of the state. It is an area of vast flatlands and gently rolling hills, with topographic relief largely restricted to streams and river valleys.

Arikaree Breaks, Cheyenne County
*Big Basin Prairie Preserve, Clark County
Cimarron National Grassland, Morton County
Lake Scott State Park, Scott County
Mount Sunflower, Wallace County

GLACIATED REGION: This area is bounded by the Kansas and Blue rivers. There are rounded hills and broad valleys with glacial deposits of quartzite on some of the hills.

Alcove Spring, near Blue Rapids
Four-State Lookout, White Cloud
Kaw Point Park, Kansas City

OSAGE QUESTAS: This is a hill-plain or broad-terrace panorama with the eastern slopes of the hills steeper than the western slopes. These is a plentiful limestone supply here.

Elk River Hiking Trail, western Montgomery County
Native Stone Scenic Byway, Wabaunsee & Shawnee counties
*Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area, near Manhattan

OZARK PLATEAU: The Ozark region begins in the extreme southeast corner of Kansas. Crinoids, trilobites, and other fossils may be found in this area.

Schermerhorn Park, near Galena

RED HILLS: Located along the state's south central boundary, this province has sandstone and shale stained red. Also included are areas of rugged hills, buttes, and mesas.

*Big Basin Prairie Preserve Preserve, Clark County
Gyp Hills Scenic Drive & Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway, Barber & Comanche counties

SMOKY HILLS: There are three hill ranges. Dakota sandstone makes up the first hill range. Greenhorn limestone makes up the middle hill range, an area known as Post Rock Country. The third range, chalk bluffs in the Smoky Hill River valley, produced some astonishing rock formations in Logan and Gove counties. A large sea once covered the area. Fossils found in the rock made the area famous for paleontology studies.

Coronado Heights, near Lindsborg
Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States, Lebanon
Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, near Canton
Mushroom Rock, Ellsworth County and Rock City, Minneapolis
Post Rock Scenic Byway, Ellsworth, Lincoln & Russell counties
Sternberg Natural History Museum, Hays

WELLINGTON-MCPHERSON LOWLANDS: Permeable sand and gravel and a large quantity of high-quality water in the Equus beds underlie some of this area. Salt mines and marshes are nearby.

*Bartlett Arboretum, Belle Plaine

*on the cusp of a region

I'm not sure about Kaw Point Park. Should it be in the Glacial Hills region or Osage Cuestas?

If you're lucky enough to have a 2003-2004 Kansas State (KDOT) map, the whole state will be color coded showing the regions. In more recent years, there is a small section on the map that shows these color coded regions.

Have fun getting to know the diversity of Kansas geography!

And, make sure to vote for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography.

The contests are designed to help you "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Make it a Kansas Christmas!

2009-12-14T08:14:00.005-06:00

A friend had the question. What to give the son-in-law? He lives in another state and will be back from Afghanistan by the time he gets the holiday goods.

Here was her great solution which was prompted by an article Crawford County Convention & Visitors Bureau director Craig Hull wrote in his Pittsburg Morning Sun column.

So far her gift basket of Kansas products includes:
Grannie's Homemade Mustard, Hillsboro grannieshomemademustard.com
Knackie's Bear-B-Cue, Inman bear-b-cue.com
Art & Mary's Potato Chips, Cheney artsandmarys.com
Voran-Goertzen Peppernuts, Goessel peppernuts.net
Circle's Pecans, McCune circlespecans.com
Helmuth Bakery Homemade Noodles, Hutchinson helmuthfoods.com
Blacksmith Roastery Coffee, Lindsborg blacksmithcoffee.com

He'll just love this!

She could add:
A Caramel Apple MarCon pie or any other delicious flavor, Washington marconpies.com
A bottle of Kansas wine winesofkansas.com
Schlaegel's Homegrown Popcorn, Whiting popcorngifts.net
Buffalo meat, Smoky Hill Bison, Assaria bisonfarm.com
Muffin mixes, dried soup mixes, Louisburg rabbitcreekgourmet.com

ONE-STOP SHOPPING!
You could go to one-stop shopping and order most of these from Kansas Originals Market near Wilson! Click here, then under the catalog, click food products. Or, go visit them at the Wilson exit, just north of I-70.

THERE'S MORE!
Add Kansas art or photographs!
Add Kansas music! Ann Zimmerman, Kelly Hunt, Diamond W Wranglers, and so, so many more!
Add Kansas books!

For more ideas, here's an online Christmas shopping guide!

Giving Kansas is a meaningful gift. So instead of "Get Kansas" we're suggesting "Give Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

What I loved about the Outhouse Festival in Elk Falls

2009-11-23T09:03:00.013-06:00

I love EVERYTHING about the Elk Falls Outhouse Festival.

It's a highly clever event that involves the community and is very fun for the public. That it happens in a small town of 112 is just a super bonus.

Aside from the main feature, there is an arts-and-crafts fair in the auditorium, rummage sales around town, 4-H sells goodies, there are activities for kids, and the senior citizen center, the cafe, and the the Mills' from Moline sell food. A quilt show is located in a small wooden church -- near the apple dumplings!

I felt good about buying $157 worth of stamps at the small post office and was glad for the post master's response that that would make her monthly report look good.

We got to help Dorothy -- sort of. She has run the "front desk" for so many years that you don't really want to mess up her system. It's a dollar for a button and a judging ballot. Then she checks to see if the number on the back of your button gives you a shot at the door prize table. Or, you can buy a jar of gravel from the front desk and then deposit it in the pot hole of your choice.

This is the outhouse at the headquarters and where you come later to turn in your ballot -- either at the drive through window or inside.

People come dressed for the theme.

I think there were 11 outhouses this year. The public votes for their favorites. Here are just a few:

The Greenhouse where you can get a view from the loo. The energy efficient system has the fish do the recycling.

The post office used some items laying around.

Gilligan's Island got in on the act, too.

This was the "Social Movement" venue.

And, the Dog Pound stop.

Part of the requirement is that the outhouse designers write a story to go along with their theme. The possibilities for a play on words with this subject is endless and, you can be sure, they are all used.

How such a crappy topic can provide so much relief from the hum drum world is a testament to the citizens of Elk Falls. Attendance was well over 1,000 people. Not bad for this town of just over 100.

If you want to be privvy to where small towns get their will to succeed come to next year's Elk Falls Outhouse Festival. It's held the Friday and Saturday before Thanksgiving each year.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Explorery things help you "Get Wetmore!"

2009-11-12T07:54:00.021-06:00

This blog serves as an example of what exploring is all about. Warning: If you prefer obvious commercial attractions, this isn't for you.

Explorers need to keep their eyes open and look for nuances that might be about architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history or people. Interacting with the locals will help you find Explorery places or get your questions answered. Remember, don't judge a small town! If you do, you'll miss out on outstanding things behind the facade.

#1 What is this?
This 1925 service station is a clue.

The answer is that it was an outdoor oil pan! Drive your vehicle into the wheel troughs (my words) and the mechanic can drain the oil from there. (By the way, Robert Carson has a restored 1940s, 1950s mechanic garage available for tour. Many spit-and-polished antique autos and trucks are also on the showroom floor of the former car dealership that houses it all. It's located next to this restored filling station).

#2 This garage door is on main street in Wetmore. An Explorer would notice the door and would ask questions until they found out that Katie is a nurse in the clinic. She must be pretty important. Some people get their names written on the curb or a sign. Katie gets a whole garage door!

#3 Have you ever sign an 18-box hopscotch board? This one is permanently-etched onto the middle school sidewalk!

Look closely at this bar and grill. Notice the two doors? Above one it says "Dining" and above the other it says "Bar". Go in, have a beer, and ask the owner of Retingers why they did this. By the way, the food is great!

The last "big" nuance to notice near Wetmore is the Shoe Tree. Click here for directions and more information. The Shoe Tree was a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs.

Well, those are just a few Explorery things to see and do in Wetmore. There are more, like the calaboose, the Pony Express rider's grave, and the giant stone art northeast of town.

The point of this blog is that almost every town has something unusual to see if you open your eyes and your mind. Do that and you'll Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Veterans Day and the Emporia connection

2009-11-11T14:36:00.013-06:00

THE BEGINNING OF VETERANS DAY

Emporia shoe repairman, Alvin J. (Al) King, and his wife Gertrude, helped raise a nephew, John E. Cooper, who was serving as part of the Third U.S. Army in Germany when he was killed in action on December 20, 1944.

Grief over the young man's death started King looking for a way to honor not only his nephew but all veterans who fight during wars and serve during peace.

King began his campaign to change an existing national holiday, Armistice Day, to Veterans Day. He gained support from U.S. Representative Ed Rees of Emporia who agreed to take King's idea to Washington, D.C. The bill passed the House and Senate and President Eisenhower signed the bill to establish Veterans Day as a national holiday.

The nation held its first Veterans Day on November 11, 1954.

EMPORIA: THE FOUNDING CITY

Fifty years later, the city was declared the Official Founding City of Veterans Day by Congress on October 31, 2003. Former Convention & Visitors Bureau director Liz Martell and the All Veterans Tribute committee did the bulk of the work to gain Emporia this designation.

In October, "Emporia, The Founding City of Veterans Day" was voted one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs.

Just a little information that helps you "get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

Our Kansas History Museums Tell the Story!

2009-11-07T15:25:00.006-06:00

Some have asked for this so here it is!

Speech given to Kansas Museum Association

Nov. 6, 2009

By Marci Penner, Kansas Sampler Foundation

I’ve been doing a little research. Listen to this as those you’ve never been to Kansas.

WHERE YOU’LL FIND US

We have history museums in opera houses, jails, hospitals, Carnegie Libraries, newspaper buildings, old mercantiles, courthouses, auditoriums, schools, churches, banks, depot, houses, fire stations, city halls, an American Legion hall, a city shop, a county shop, a home for nurses, a grain elevator, a livery stable, and a water office.

HOUSES

You can enjoy the building or the stories they tell in places like the Strawberry Hill Mansion, the Brown Mansion, the Seelye House, and the Carroll Mansion.

Ah yes, the matter of the Carroll Mansion... In 1964 Ella Carroll, the last Carroll to live in this Leavenworth home, announced at church that she was leaving the mansion and people could come get anything from the house they wanted. After the last item was removed, Ella gave the key and the house deed to the Leavenworth County Historical Society.

BARNS AND MORE

The largest barn in the state, the Cooper Barn, once housed Hereford Show cattle and can now be viewed by all. Another museum documents the sad story of the largest horse barn in the state that met its fate from a lightning-induced fire. You can walk through a spectacular 1898 restored roller mill and a clay-brick Mennonite immigrant house or learn about pueblo Indian ruins that date back to the 1600s that you can still see! You can tour a Lustron and a Hartford House, too.

You’ll find a museum within an active high school and they give an awesome tour – even while school is in session. Or, you can tour and eat in the first Harvey House to have a restaurant!

Step inside Constitution Hall where the walls are still shaking from vigorous free-state and pro-slavery debates during our territorial days.

HOUSES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE

You can visit the homes that famous people lived in: Walter Chrysler, Dwight Eisenhower, Amelia Earhart, John Steuart Curry, Carrie Nation, Fred Harvey, General Fred Funston, Bernard Warkentin, Susanna Salter, and even the mayor of Munchkinland.

OUR COLORFUL PEOPLE

Our museums tell about colorful people. John Brown, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, Buffalo Bill Cody, Wild Bill Hickok, George Custer, Martin and Osa Johnson, and even John R. Brinckley (the goat gland doctor).

The list goes on. A few more of our people include George Washington Carver, Gordon Parks, William Allen White, Clyde Cessna, Cyrus Holliday, Arthur Hertzler, Mother Bickerdyke, and there are so many more.

Satanta was held prisoner at Fort Harkner and you can still see the stretched bars in an upstairs window that were his escape route.

We tell about some real characters, too – Vivian Vance, Buster Keaton, Emmett Kelly, and Whizzo the Clown.

Athletes shine, too. From Olympians Thane Baker, Glenn Cunningham, and Billy Mills to Walter Johnson and Jackie Stiles, coaches Dean Smith and Eddie Sutton and the inventor of basketball himself James Naismith.

Do you know these people that you can learn about in our museums?

Merle Evans (Ringling Brothers band leader)

Ron Evans (astornaut)
Harold Krier (aerobatic flyer)

Wayne Dunafon (Marlboro Man)
Grace Bedell Billings (letter to Lincoln)

Grandma Layton (artist of social causes)

Earl Sutherland (Nobel Peace Prize winner)

Lorenzo Fuller (African American musician, Broadway performer, and early television pioneer)

---and we also have a Gallery of Also Rans...

We cover some really big and fascinating topics

Lewis & Clark

The Plains Indians

Santa Fe Trail

Oregon Trail and other overland wagon trails

Cattle Towns and cattle trails

Forts

Bleeding Kansas

Pony Express

Railroad expansion

Cherokee Strip Land Rush

Aviation industry

Oil industry

Lead, zinc, and coal mining

Exodusters

Immigration (Mennonites, Eastern Europeans, Hispanics, Asians, Scandinavian, more)

Pioneers

The evolution of agriculture and ranching

And we’re a hotbed for fossils

You can go underground to see where businesses were once housed, you can traverse through a tunnel once used as a getaway for bad guys, or you can take an elevator 650 feet down to hop a tram into a dark ride for a salty adventure.

On the flip side, we have another museum that will give you all the space you need and rocket you upward and onward.

THE LARGEST, BIGGEST, ONLY AND MORE

We have the largest electric coal shovel in the world and our museums also tell about the largest hailstone on record, the largest hairball, the largest swimming pool, the largest cattle pool in the state, the largest gas field in the world, the oil field that was the largest producer/supplier of oil in the U.S. during WWI, the first 1950s all-electric house in the U.S. open to the public, the first MGM lion*, the first patented helicopter, the airplane of the first Kansan who built an aircraft that flew successfully, and the longest hand-carved wooden chain! We have displays about the only nuclear plant in the state, the first post office in Kansas, the first state mental hospital, the first Kansas radio station, the first feedlot, the first night baseball game to be played under lights, the first chimpanzee to go into space and survive!

Did you know that the first greyhound race was in Kansas, that a Kansan won the first NASCAR event, that we have the fastest half-mile dirt track in the world, and that the world’s first synthetic diamond was made in Kansas? One museum tells about a nearby Glebe, the only one left in the United States! And, Comanche, the only living being of Custer’s U.S. Seventh Cavalry found on the battlefield following the 1876 Battle fo the Little Big Horn, now stands proudly draped in his army blanket in a natural history museum.

ART (art museums are not included in this summary of history museums -- but we have great ones)

JJ Pennell left us great photos of early Junction City and the Everhard photos of African American life in early Leavenworth will leave you breathless. Vi Fick’s shark’s teeth art is just unbelievable -- in fact, was listed in Ripley’s Believe it or Not. See a display about the humorous trick larger-than-life photos of Dad Martin. Rudolph Wendelin painted a marvelous mural of Rawlins County but was better known as the illustrator for Smokey Bear. The Combat Air Museum and National Ag Hall of Fame are just two museums that feature incredible paintings that help tell the story.

LEARN

Mickey Mantle was a member of the Baxter Springs Whiz Kids. In 1953, Ed Fouts put some shoes on and got on a train with the second largest ball of twine in Kansas went on I’ve Got a Secret.

We have whole museums for Girl Scouts, pharmacy artifacts, motorcycles, telephones, carousels, Bibles, and barbed wire.

FEATURED IN OTHER MUSEUMS ARE prison escapes, the start of suburbia, truck farming, auto-camping, deaf culture, jackrabbit hunts, chautauquas, rodoes, a round square, and Knute Rockne’s 1931 plane crash.

Find out about communities being lost under reservoirs, oil boom towns and gas camps that are now left for the ghosts, Asa Soule’s legendary effort to bulid an irrigation canal uphill. Learn the story of German POW prisoners in Kansas camps, orphan trains, the gripping account of those who attended Haskell Indian University in its early days, and the story of sister Rose Philippine Duchesne and how she ministered to the Potawatomi Indian children after their forced march along the trail of death.

NATURAL DISASTERS

Displays tell about the dust bowl, drought, floods (especially the 1951), tornadoes, including the 1955 tornado in Udall that killed 83 people, 270 injured, and erased 192 buildings.

IT’S NOT ALL NICE STUFF
Threshing Machine Canyon Massacre

Marais des Cygnes Massacre and the days of Bleeding Kansas

German Family Massacre

Kidder Massacre

And both sides of the Indian story

MILITARY HISTORY

Find the Frontier Army Museum, U.S. Cavalry Museum, and the very interesting Fort Riley Regimental Museum that has exhibits that focus on training and combat operations of today’s Fort Riley units. Museums tell about combat from the air and training fields for B24s and B29s. Did you know we have a museum about the Kansas National Guard?

YOU CAN SEE

a fish within a fish fossil, a full-scale model of the Liberty Bell made out of Kansas wheat straw, printing presses, a chair made from cattle horns, 42 windmills in one row, a mini-scene built with 8,557 hand-carved pices of a wagon train attack or you can watch episode after episode of Gunsmoke. Admire collections of WPA dolls, brooches, fishing lures, and all things Wizard of Oz!

Visit our museums to "get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

*now known to be the second MGM Lion but maybe the most famous.

A great idea in a tough time

2009-11-02T11:39:00.002-06:00

During the Great Depression customers of the Clay Center city-owned power plant who couldn't pay their utility bills were given the opportunity to work off their debt.

Their work resulted in Utility Park. In 1934 Better Homes and Gardens awarded the park its highest community honor with a More Beautiful America Achievement Award.

A bronze plaque commemorating the award is found on a large red glacial rock in the park located at 4th and Pomeroy.

A zoo was added in the early 1950s.

A win-win.

Just a tidbit to help "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Spirit of the Prairie

2009-10-31T14:52:00.009-05:00

I bet you have some favorite stops around the state. One of mine is the Thomas County Courthouse in Colby. Built in 1906, the architect for this red-brick Romanesque Revival structure with limestone trim was J.C. Holland and Squires. What a grand courthouse he designed for this prairie town.

Then in 1986 this Charlie Norton bronze of a prairie woman and her baby was placed in front of the courthouse. Charlie, a native of Leoti, did a fabulous job designing the statue and placing it in a way that adds to the majesty of the building--and of the plains. It's called, "Spirit of the Prairie." I have to think the woman is either waving goodbye to her husband who is headed off across the prairie for days. Alone on the prairie with her baby, what strength those women must have had.

I hope you can stop and see the statue sometime.

KE #2 Marci Penner

It's Catastrophic

2009-10-30T09:03:00.003-05:00

I left it on my desk for a day. The big 9 x 11" envelope with the familiar Blue Cross Blue Shield logo in the return address corner. I knew what was in it. I've been waiting for it with trepidation, wondering how they'd punish me for having shoulder surgery this past year (and they don't even know that I'm going to have a second one in the same year).

The news. $110 more per employee per month. $220 per month just to cover the increase. Over $1,000 a month in total. One small example of the castrophic nature of insurance problems.

So many of you have insurance stories that should make our nation shudder in unison. Instead, we have divided ourselves because of reasons that have nothing to do with insurance. And so we continue to be a nation that cannot help itself.

This is not intended to be a political message. It is no longer a Democrat or Republican problem. It's about how we've devolved in handling difficult challenges.

Now, for me, this edited rant is useless unless we come up with solutions. It is no longer OK to just say we're disgusted. What are the action steps we can take to be part of the solution, even if small?

Each one of us needs to cut out the partisan rhetoric and start talking about steps that solve, rather than divide. If we used our energy to reframe the situation instead of blaming someone we'd have a lot more time to figure things out.

We have one zillion problems now created because we are more comfortable dividing than uniting.

My corner of the world is to find positive and creative grassroots solutions for rural communities, especially volunteer-led communities. I ask for your help by leaving your partisan stripe in the closet when you come to this problem-solving table. I ask for you to let go of any negative rants about your neighbor or fellow businessman or city commissioner at home. Take up the mantle for positive voices for change.

How can you alter the next meeting you go to today, tomorrow, next week? How can you have a solution-minded voice on Facebook, at your dinner table, at coffee in the cafe?

Find a way. It's our only chance to save us from ourselves.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Reframe of a prank

2009-10-29T16:24:00.004-05:00

Can you name the only two cities in the state that have Hot and Cold watertowers?

If you said Canton and Pratt, you're correct!

Pratt was first. It started as a joke in 1956. No one seems to remember who it was, but someone labeled two abandoned water towers "Hot" and "Cold."

In Canton, it was another teenage prank that can be traced to the early 1960s. Maybe they had heard about Pratt's watertowers. In any case, some kids crawled to the top of one water tower and painted the word "Hot."

Rather than get all upset, the city decided to embrace the idea so they painted "Cold" on the other one!

Now, both towns claim their "Hot" and "Cold" watertowers as tourist attractions!

Just a tidbit to help you "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Make your actions count

2009-10-28T16:32:00.004-05:00

Are you a business owner or leader in your home town?

I just have one question. Do you shop local when you can?

I remember going in to a grocery store once in a small town. The owner was an 80-year-old woman. I was asking her questions. It didn't take long before she was in tears.

What hurt her most was that neither the mayor nor city council members ever shopped in her small but fine grocery store.

Our actions matter. Make them count.

KE #2 Marci Penner

The Power of Supporting Local

2009-10-26T10:25:00.009-05:00

The power is in each of us to start a trend that will be a renewing resource every time we make the choice.

The choice is to buy from locally-owned businesses, not just our own local businesses, but any locally-owned business. It is the way to constantly renew our commitment to helping communities stay viable. Every purchase is like a pat on the back, an affirmation that we appreciate those who set up shop in Kansas towns.

EXAMPLES

Von Rothenberger, Kansas Explorer #8, stopped by last Friday with a gift basket of sausage and smoked cheese from Wilson Family Foods, the grocery store on E Street in Wilson. The sausage is made on the premises, I believe. Put the sausage and cheese on a Ritz cracker and you have a very tasty snack. My Dad would have eaten all the cheese if Mom wasn't monitoring...

The Kansas Barn Alliance has put a private label on Mark Galloway's Blacksmith Roastery Coffee and is selling as a fundraiser -- and supporting Mark's good artisan-roastery work.

Mary Arlington also sells Mark's coffee at her High Plains RV Campground at Oakley. A number of grocery stores are starting to carry this Kansas roasted coffee, including the one in Inman.

One thing everyone could do is at least buy the coffee to serve at your annual banquets. Lead by example. Use Kansas products when you can and then explain to your audience what you're doing.

Simply Kansas! is a Kansas Department of Commerce program. They set up an appetizer buffet at the recent Kansas State Tourism conference. It was great to see and taste all the Kansas foods -- and wines and beers. It was impressive. Great job, Simply Kansas!.

If you're interested in selling Kansas food items in your retail store or want to serve them at your banquet, contact Simply Kansas!.

Give Kansas foods or certificates for Christmas presents. When you're out traveling around, stop and buy something to share with someone. Whether it's food, crafts, art, or some other unique product, like P. Michael Eravi's sundials, share the spirit of buying Kansas and help kick the trend into full motion. Actually, even if you buy non-Kansas products but make your purchases at locally-owned businesses, that is good, too!

Mustard, salsa, barbecue sauce, potato chips, bottled water, bison meat, venison, turkey jerky, noodles, and pies are just a few of Kansas food items available. Stop at Krehbiel's Specialty Meats in McPherson; Brant's Meat Market in Lucas, Scott's Thriftway, Lindsborg; Hilltop Grocery, St. Francis; Marcon Pies, Washington; and, actually, more and more stores everywhere.

It requires a team effort for rural viability work -- and the win is so possible. Let's keep working together. Get Kansas!

KE #2 Marci Penner

It's about what we have but, moreso, what we do with it.

2009-10-24T15:08:00.013-05:00

What the public sees are the vote totals, the list of the top 8. We hope they read the information pages by clicking on the thumbnail pictures of each of the 24 finalists to really find the cool stuff.

What we often hear about at the Kansas Sampler Foundation, is what the contest is doing within the cities.

Franklin-Arma (Crawford Co.) sidewalk entry: The folks in Franklin are planning to restore the history sidewalk so one benefit of the contest exposure has been some new leads for financial support! Also, Phyllis Bitner spoke at the local nursing home about the contest and many of the residents had a marvelous time sharing stories about walking the path to school. The local newspaper also interviewed sidewalk-users of the past and did a great story about walking to school in the good ol' days.

Widest main street in Kansas entry, Plains: Click here to see the picture that shows how many school kids it takes to span the widest Main Street west of the Mississippi. Students weren't told why they were doing this until the news came out that the extra wide main street had been selected as a contest participant. Then, city advocates went back to the school with contest postcards and bookmarks (sponsored by the local bank and CPA) to tell about the contest. Voting became a class project and the kids all went to the computer lab to vote.

Ellinwood Underground Tunnels entry: Local support was fantastic and a host of group tours are in the date book!

Oz attractions: Because of the contest, Wamego and Liberal are now working together to promote their Wizard of Oz attractions.

The Shoe Tree entry, Wetmore: The notebook in the newly-erected mail box at the tree has a lot of new names since the start of the contest, including two from South Africa!

Red Fish entry, Harper: Maybe the greatest thing is the new awareness by locals about the Red Fish on top of the watertower. Some didn't even know that the nine-and-a-half foot fish was up there -- and it's been there since 1886!

Dala horses, Lindsborg: There is new buzz around town for Dala-related events and serious new ideas for horses!

The contest is exciting to the masses because of the competition, the process to pick the top 8. But perhaps the best attribute of the contest is the launching-pad effect that it creates locally for elevated pride, new ideas, and for helping communities see themselves with new eyes.

When locals seize the opportunity, the value can't be measured.

Visit the 8 Wonders sites and you'll definitely "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Interesting tidbit: If you go to Google search, you'll see over 1.5 million entries for the 8 Wonders of Kansas.

A room full of chicken restauranteers -- and don't forget the bread!

2009-10-17T15:53:00.010-05:00

We got to take part in a pretty neat presentation on Friday morning in the Crawford County Courthouse, located in Girard. The series of events was planned by Craig Hull, Crawford County Convention & Visitor's Bureau director.

As a group entry, the six fried-chicken establishments in Crawford County were one of 24 finalists for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine. The top 8 were chosen by a public vote in a 7-week long contest and announced the end of June. Votes came from several hundred cities in Kansas, every state in the union, and some foreign countries.

Craig thought it would be fitting to have representatives from all 6 of the Crawford County chicken restaurants come together at a county commission meeting to receive their posters from the Kansas Sampler Foundation. WenDee LaPlant of the KSF designed the posters. After a few words from Marci, each restaurant was called up to receive their posters.

Representatives from Original Chicken Annies, Chicken Annie's at Girard, Pichler Chicken Annie's, Barto's Idle Hour, Gephardt's Chicken and Dinners, and Chicken Mary's.

It doesn't happen often that all six restaurants come together so it was a high impact moment and very special for us to be a part of it. These restaurants represent the source of much county history, pride -- and sales tax, too.

(For the story on each of the restaurants, click here.)

The county commission also made a proclamation to honor the award-winning restaurants by naming it Crawford County Fried Chicken Day. Commissioner McGeorge presented the proclamations.

PLEASE PASS THE BREAD!

But not just any bread! Make it Frontenac Bakery bread. Not only do most of the chicken restaurants serve Brian and JoLynn Hite's famous bread but the legions of satisfied customers are many.

The bakery was one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce as determined by a contest that ended at the end of February. The county commissioners also proclaimed a day to be Frontenac Bakery Day.

The Pittsburg Morning Sun and the local TV station were there to cover the event.

Craig Hull did a great job promoting the contests and giving his local entries a boost. It's great to have such an advocate. Sometime we forget that it's important to remind the locals about what they have in their backyard. The contest was a great opportunity to do that and Craig seized the chance to help folks "Get Crawford County."

Great job, Craig!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Class is in session!

2009-10-13T10:03:00.008-05:00

WenDee and I and Patsy Terrell are on a five-week roll of teaching "Rural Kansas: Come and Get It" classes. It's been so much fun!

This week we'll be in Fredonia and Greenbush for the seventh of seven first-round classes.

Community leaders learn the Explorer concept on the first day and go on a three-hour adventure. On Day Two, web-site maintenance and Social Networking skills are taught.

The whole plan is to collectively promote what there is to see and do in rural Kansas and use the free tools of social networking to help the world "get" rural culture!

When the website is populated and thriving we'll let the public know where the site is. In the meantime, we appreciate all the efforts of community folk who have taken the time out of their busy schedules to be part of this.

These people are literally putting their towns on the map:

Ulysses class: Satanta, Johnson City, Elkhart, Meade, Lakin, Ulysses, Hugoton, Syracuse, and Liberal!

Norton/Phillipsburg class: Downs, Oberlin, Stockton, Logan, Leoti, Alton, Clyde, Palco, Beloit, Bird City, Morland, Phillipsburg, and Glasco. Plainville not pictured.

Winfield class: Cambridge, Lyons, Atlanta, Sedan, McPherson, Clearwater, Winfield, Elk Falls, Greensburg, Claflin, St. John, and Oxford.

Lincoln/Salina class: Gypsum, Marquette, Jamestown, Great Bend, Lindsborg, WaKeeney, Concordia, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Dexter, Oakley, Tribune, Barnes, Cawker City, Coldwater, Ellinwood, Herington, Marysville, and Oak Hill.

Wetmore/Topeka class: White City, Wetmore, Leavenworth, Garnett, Tonganoxie, Lecompton, and Baldwin City.

We didn't get a group picture of the Great Bend class. Cities activated in that session included Lyons, Great Bend, Harper, Hoisington, Bison, LaCrosse, Ellis, Kinsley, Jetmore, Wilson, and Stafford.

One more class this week!

Way to go rural Kansas! This website will really help people "get rural Kansas!"

What I want the public to know...

2009-09-11T15:42:00.013-05:00

We announced the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs last week. It was lots of fun to have 60 representatives of the 24 finalists at the Kansas Sampler Center for the announcement.

But what I really want the public to know is the story behind the finalists. All you have to do is click on the thumbnail picture for each of the 24 and read the information page. If you do that, you'll fall more in love with Kansas. Just to see the custom action phrase and the accompanying location doesn't to justice. The story is in the next click...

That's where you'll find out that the Red Fish above the Harper 125-foot stand-pipe watertower was placed there originally on 1887. Five years later (1892) a tornado wrecked the fish and they had to take it down, smooth out all the dents and put it up there again. The ol' Red Fish has been there ever since. Even Harper citizens will find this interesting. You know how it is when something is so familiar you can no longer see it...?

The Kissel Shoe Tree. I know...it just looks bizarre! The story isn't long but you can read it by clicking here.

Another great story is the weekly Friday night jam sessions in Cottonwood Falls. Sue and Monty Smith of the Emma Chase Cafe make it all happen. The music is out on the street when the weather cooperates or in Prairie Pastimes, a neat ol' WPA Armory building. For a decade people with varying degrees of talent have been bringing their instruments and playing together to an appreciative audience. It's one of those Americana scenes. Read more here.

Twenty-one additional stories are found by clicking the thumbnail pictures on the contest opening page. Why would a sidewalk be a finalist, or Veterans Day or coming in second? Aren't those ordinary things? Not when you're in Kansas...

Do yourself a favor, click on the thumbnail pictures and get to know Kansas.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Teter Rock

2009-09-01T09:48:00.005-05:00

Teter Rock is in Greenwood County nestled in the heart of the Flint Hills.

Around the late 1870s James Teter piled rocks as a marker to guide pioneers searching for the Cottonwood River. Eventually the rocks were removed and used for construction materials. In 1954 a 16-foot-tall slab of rock was erected on this hilltop in honor of Mr. Teter.

Though this jagged monolith that slices the clean Flint Hills air is marked up with grafitti, it's still an excellent Kansas landmark.

Teter Rock is 11 1/2 miles east of Cassoday and then about 1 mile south into a private pasture. Or, go 8 1/2 miles west of Burkett Corner which is several miles east of Hamilton. There is a little rustic sign at the turn into the pasture where you cross a cattle guard. The driveway is pretty rutted so drive slowly but it's well worth it once you reach The Rock. At times, you'll see more than a hundred horses in the pasture below (maybe wild mustangs?). Thanks to the landowners for letting us drive up to Teter Rock.

The view is vintage remote Flint Hills.

Teter Rock also marks the approximate vicinity of Teterville, an oil boom town of the 1920s. At one point there were more than 600 people in Teterville along with two general stores, a school, a post office, and shotgun houses for oil workers and their families. By the 1960s everyone and nearly everything was gone. Today, you really have to use your imagination to envision such a town. A few foundations are the only remnants. You can learn more about the town at the Greenwood County Historical Museum in Eureka, 120 W. 4th. 620.583.8177.

To "get" Kansas you sometime have to go out of your way to be in the realm of what was. Nice to have a big stone to give us a great reason to go there.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Stone benches worth a stop

2009-08-31T07:51:00.007-05:00

One block east of Mill and Section Line in Plainville you'll find these unusual rock benches that look like a huge lip resting on top of stone.

These benches were placed in the city park after World War II.

The idea originated from similar structures in a private pocket park just west of Mill and Broadway that were built during the 1930s to provide travelers a place to rest.

A close-up view shows the use of white stone to make the words stand out.

If you explore the back streets of most towns, you'll find something unusual, something that will help you "get" the town!

KE #2 Marci Penner

Goosebumps in Damar

2009-08-30T10:15:00.016-05:00

On Saturday, August 29, the Kansas Sampler Foundation had a "Bring your own Lawn Chair" event in Damar, population 144. Damar, a French Canadian settlement, is in Rooks County and has to be the cleanest town I've ever been in.

If anyone is reading this that takes leadership groups around the state, this is the town to stop in to learn that small doesn't mean dying. In fact, if you could bundle it up, this town has as much gumption, desire to thrive, and ambition for the future -- and ability to make it happen -- as any in the state.

The lawn chair meetings are designed to give the public a chance to hear from locals about projects they undertake to keep their town viable and to explain how they do it. At this meeting, it was the "how they do it" part that produced an overwhelming amount of goosebumps and tears in the audience of 90 people.

Mayor Brian Newell gave a wonderful overview of the town and talked about the city infrastructure. Jana Sutton talked about moving here from Florida and taking the lead to build a park and playground. Lisa Gehering, the principal of the elementary school told about school enrollment that has increased for five years. Jeanie Roberts and Paula Desbien described how a group of ladies were the impetus behind all the French-motif buildings and opening Fleur de Lis. Sandy Benoit told about selling shares to keep the cafe open. Steve Hanson talked about writing grants to match local money to make possible numerous projects including restoring the church and building a community building. Kaylon Roberts told about moving back to Damar and how he got involved in numerous projects. He also gave his wish list for Damar.

Roger Hrabe, the invaluable Rooks County Economic Development director, summed it all up by saying that any town can recognize the clues to community survival but doing it is another story. He eloquently made the point that Damar is a city that doesn't just talk but makes things happen.

The audience was made up of Kansas Explorers from Colby, Ulysses, Wichita, Burlington, Inman, Salina, Morland, Osborne, Lawrence, Hutchinson, and more as well as folks from Damar and other cities in Rooks County.

After the meeting, the crowd took pictures of the many French-motif buildings, toured St. Joseph's Church, shopped at Fleur de Lis, and ate at the Damar Cafe.

Below are a few pictures of the buildings painted with a French motif. Some are not occupied but various families purchased the buildings and took charge of dressing them up in the theme.

To "get" why small towns have value, just stop in Damar and strike up a conversation with the locals.

Inspired, KE #2 Marci Penner

Some museums we need in Kansas

2009-08-14T07:41:00.002-05:00

I don't know if museums is the right word. Maybe interpretive centers.

I was thinking ahead to the "8 Wonders of Kansas People" contest and was wishing we had a Hispanic museum. Then I thought that maybe we need a Kansas Immigration Museum even more. It would show that Swedes, Germans, Welsh, Hispanics, Eastern Europeans, French Canadians, and more share common threads. Maybe timing has been different but we're all part of some immigration movement.

We also need some kind of interpretation of our crops. We've all heard how city folks have come to Kansas in March or April and wondered where the wheat is. They don't understand that it doesn't just pop up golden. What is the evolution of a wheat, corn, or soybean crop? What use do all the different field implements offer? Why are certain crops grown in Kansas? Combines are run by computers and satellite? I might get to see the exhibit at the Smoky Hill Museum in Salina this weekend and hear that they do a good job interpreting the wheat story.

In working on the "customs" contest we've learned that we have some great stories in the state but they aren't interpreted in a way that would give a visitor a cause to go "see" something. If you have "hot and cold" water towers put a sign up to tell that story. If you park cars in the middle of your street, explain why. Burning the prairie and stubble fields is a Kansas custom but we don't interpret it anywhere? Or do we?

Are there other museums that we need to help people "Get Kansas"?

KE #2 Marci Penner

"You must be a Kansas Explorer..."

2009-08-12T21:36:00.003-05:00

I received a great e-mail from an Explorer today. I'll leave out the names in case they don't want to be identified, though I bet they would.

We'll call the guy that wrote the note Roger and the woman Margaret.

As told by "Roger..."

I was in our little Wilson post office yesterday and the lady in front of me in line asked for stamps. She told the clerk she wasn't from around here but was enjoying seeing things in the area including Wilson Lake and that she was having fun making some purchases.

I piped up from behind and said, "You must be a Kansas Explorer."

Margaret turned, smiled, and said, "Why yes, how did you know?"

I smiled back and said, "You're buying stamps as you see the area, and that's what Kansas Explorers do!"

She laughed. The postmaster was completely surprised by our conversation.

Thanks to "Roger" for sending in the note. I love that Explorers are out there walking the walk. Explorers, I hear about your positive presence all the time from shopkeepers, museums, restaurants, and others. Keep up the great work!

To "Get Kansas" it sure helps to be an Explorer! Join today at www.explorekansas.org.

KE #2 Marci Penner

You gotta love mud!

2009-08-05T21:45:00.011-05:00

My nieces from California are visiting. Every morning we do some kind of mud pie challenge. I'm the food channel announcer. They are the contestants. Today it was a Dessert Challenge.

Sofi made a beautiful quadruple layer cake laced with evergreen berries, smashed stones, cucumbers, and topped off with a beautiful garden flower. (Their descriptions are more realistic but I can't remember the fancy names they use). The middle dessert was chocolate caramel cupcakes with candles on a bed of leaves. The lollipops were the third entry and were topped with rotten tree stump powder (also known as cinnamon), I think.

Here is Pauli with her three entries.

The bark held five different toppings for the chocolate ice cream seen on the left.

The multi-layer cake had rings of berries, flowers, some nice sawdust, and a feather on top. Again, they use real names but I can't remember their culinary descriptions.

This is Sofi's multi-layer cake up close.

I thought her candles were especially fun.

We have much fun going around the farm to collect all the "decorates." On Saturday, 40 Penners are going to make mud pies as part of our annual Crepe Paper Festival.

Why not do mud pie contests at your next community festival? It's loads of fun!

Mix it up with mud and you'll "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

The things you'll see far from the interstate

2009-08-04T18:33:00.010-05:00

St. John, population 1,188, is the county seat of Stafford County and is located in the Arkansas River Lowland region.

The Stafford County Courthouse has an unusual triangular shape, the trademark of this 1929 Modern Eclecticism structure.

And, this triple-decker Victorian fountain is the focal point of this beautiful park square. You'll also find old-fashioned street lamps and a Statue of Liberty replica here.

For a most intriguing time, visit the St. John Science Museum and let Jim Hood wow you by demonstrating how every day tools and appliances translate into applied science. An 1989 inductee into the Kansas Teachers' Hall of Fame, Jim can show how electricity can travel through the air, how the telegraph developed and how magnetic force fields work. Young and old will love this! (620.549.3818)

There's no science museum in the state that will compete with this one. Get off the interstate and let the magnetic forces pull you to St. John!

To "Get Kansas" it helps to know Jim Hood and things that come in three's in St. John.

KE #2 Marci Penner

An Exploring Example in Palmer

2009-07-29T06:48:00.007-05:00

Have you ever been to Palmer, Kansas? It's a town of 105 in Washington County. If you have Explorer blood in your veins you'll get a rush just driving into a town you've not been to or heard of before. The only expectation should be to see what it will give you.

Most of the Washington County towns I've been to lately have a sign that gives a brief history about the town. Some simple information helps set the stage. This sign says Palmer was founded in 1882 mostly due to the existence of the railroad.

A town of 105, it has a cafe and a grocery store (not pictured). That's impressive. I'm pretty sure that the grocery store owner shares an order with another town down the road. In fact, he probably owns both stores and does so just to make the $10,000 weekly minimum required by the grocery wholesaler. For a couple of small towns to meet that minimum means there are a good number of loyal shoppers.

What can a small town like this hold for an Explorer? In this case, you can start by buying a few stamps in the post office just so you can visit with the clerk. Do the same in the grocery store and cafe. Hec, maybe get a haircut just so you can visit with the barber! Sometime a conversation will turn up nothing special. Other times you'll learn about a most interesting tidbit or be led to see something that you would have never noticed.

Ask questions about the historic jail. When was the last prisoner released? Who was the most notorious over nighter?

This church is a beauty on the outside but what does it look like inside? Check to see if it's open and go on in. Stained glass windows and the shape of the pews are a few things to look for.

"Do" a town and then repeat the process in another town. After awhile the comparison and contrasts start to become the intrigue. You'll notice that some towns are cohesive, others have internal controversy. Some are hopeful, others negative. Some have cool stuff, others don't know they have anything of worth to see.

You'll also start to learn the meaning of the population. For a town of 105 to have as much going for it as Palmer tells me a whole lot about the town right there.

"Get Kansas" by exploring! See what you will see.

KE #2 Marci Penner

The Pump House Plan

2009-07-28T08:46:00.005-05:00

Aren't these old-fashioned filling stations a wonderful nostalgic reminder of the early auto days? You can still see these vestiges in a majority of rural communities in the state. A few are used for some kind of active business but most are abandoned or used for storage.

They're so cute and charming. Don't you think?

For now, let's give them the name of Pump House. In the old days there were gas pumps out in front of these buildings. Now days? Well, we need a place to pump up the community and visitors.

Look at the two pictures again and imagine paint, landscaping, benches, fix up, and an attractive and consistent Pump House and Welcome sign. Each one would look like mission control inside with computers, maps, printers, GPS units, binoculars, and all sorts of technical doo dads and visual aids. This is where Explorer visitors would come to get the skinny on a town and where locals would come to get all sorts of community-wide communication.

Instead of a chamber office, you have the Pump House.

A quick side note. An alternative to a volunteer-led chamber model is the 8-98 Plan. Imagine that every able-bodied person in a small town between the ages of 8-98 would take some kind of "class" to learn how to become a positive contributor to the community. Every body has skills and personality that can lend themselves to a healthy community. Elsie could hem pants for a young man going off to an interview. Elmer could fix Christy's mower that has a minor problem. Heather and Jonesy could plan the parade. Amanda and the other cheerleaders could help Mackenzie and Zach and other young kids decorate their bikes for the parade. George's civic group could help paint Susie's house. The result of the 8-98 plan is the whole community working together to help itself be the best it can be.

Back to the Pump House. Though there should be community-wide electronic communication, the Pump House would be the physical location for all sorts of 8-98 interactions, deal making, and visitor hospitality.

I don't have a name yet for the person in charge of the Pump House but this could be a relatively high-paying job for a 20-30 something young person. All sorts of help would be needed at the community and visitor Pump House. It would pump up the town and the visitors!

Visitors would just know to look for that cute little ol' filling station.

Corporations, alumni, and citizens would make contributions to the development of the Pump House through a designated fund in the community foundation. Locals would take it from there. There would be statewide criteria and standards so visitors and community folks could expect excellence and function.

Rural communities aren't getting ready to die. They're getting ready to live and be viable.

What do you think? Can we make this happen? Who wants to be first?

The two filling stations above are located in Palmer in Washington County.

Get involved to "Get Rural Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

P.S. All we need to start making this and other Transformational Ideas get kicked into high gear, is some financial backing. Interested and able? Contact marci@kansassampler.org.

2009-07-27T15:39:00.004-05:00

Pinky's Bar and Grill. You gotta try it!

Pinky's is in Courtland. You know, between Formoso and Scandia. Located just south of U.S. 36 in Republic County, the beer is cold but here's why it's worth going out of the way for:

Meals are served Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-midnight but come for lunch because if the food is gone you won't get these specials in the evening!

Monday: Chef's surprise.
Tuesday: Pan-fried chicken day with homemade gravy!
Wednesday: Award-winning Explorer Way chicken fried steak.
Thursday: Mexican menu.
Friday: Roast beef.

The meat is purchased at Kier's in Mankato. 785.374.4200. Downtown Courtland.

Eating at Pinky's is a great way to "Get Kansas!"

KE #2, a fan of Pinky's, Marci Penner

Big Basin -- more than a big hole in the ground

2009-07-26T10:27:00.009-05:00

Rolling green slopes, wildflowers. Look familiar? It's not the Flint Hills. It's Big Basin, a sinkhole that is one mile in diameter and 100 feet deep. This geological feature was formed thousands of years ago by naturally dissolving salt and gypsum formations.

Big Bisn Prairie Preserve is located in Clark County 11 miles west of Ashland, then 1 3/4 miles north on U.S. 283 from the U.S. 160 and U.S. 283 junction. This sweeping mixed-grass prairie of the High Plains is where buffalo roam, too.

You'll enter the preserve on the east side of the road by crossing a cattle guard and following a driveway. The first fork to the left takes you to a scenic overlook where you can see a corral below.

Return to the main driveway and continue. The next fork to the right takes you to a hilltop stone marker. You can see that a plaque is missing from this pillar of stones, known as the Indian Living Water Marker. In 1958 the plaque, which included the John 4:10 scripture and a description of the Plains Indians and St. Jacob's Well, was placed here. Vandals felt they needed the plaque more than the pillar.

The most famous landmark in the preserve is St. Jacob's Well. It's at the end of the main driveway by the windmill, a mile and a half from the main entrance. Be careful on the rickety steps but the trek down is worth it. You can't really see the legendary funnel-shaped pond until you're upon it. It's 84-foot in diameter and has never been known to go dry. Legend has it that the well has no bottom, but others say it is 58 feet deep.

Note: You never know where you'll find the buffalo! Try to locate them before you get out of your car.

The southern half of the county is dominated by the Red Hills but as you go further north you'll feel yourself cusping into the High Plains. A rugged site featuring Ogallala mortar bedsis Clark State Fishing Lake in the northern Clark County.

Do you have that Kansas Guidebook for Explorers? It gives directions to the lake and to the Monte Casino Marker 3 miles north of Ashland on N. Dodge off U.S. 160 on the way to the lake.

To "Get Kansas" you've really got to get off the main roads. What a scenic state Kansas is! Get to know all of it.

KE #2 Marci Penner

What Wallace has to offer

2009-07-25T09:37:00.009-05:00

The Fort Wallace Museum is a very attractive limestone building with a blue roof. It's open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (MT) and Sunday 1-5 p.m. (MT). It's located east of Wallace on U.S. 40. There are several outbuildings including the 1865 Pond Creek Stagecoach Station, the Weskan depot, and a pioneer and agricultural equipment shed.

A buffalo made out of wire stands on a limestone pedestal in front of the museum. It's mind-boggling to think someone could manipulate wire into such a work of art. Ernie Poe is the sculptor and is a museum volunteer so you might get lucky enough to meet him. There are several other Poe wire sculptures around the complex.

The museum displays are a great testament to the era when the fort was in operation from 1865-1888. Though there is nothing left of the fort, displays show the layout of all the outbuildings. It's a must to go to the museum first and then out to the cemetery. Across from the cemetery one can look south and imagine the fort.

The cemetery is found 1/4 mile east of the museum, then 1 mile southeast. A marker beside the first flagpole provides the Fort Wallace time line and layout.

Numerous Jerry Thomas photos further depict the story of the fort. (He is so good!)

The Section House is located on the southwest side of town north of the grain elevators. Described once as the finest superintendent's residence on the railroad, this stone 1879 building is now one of only two remaining original Kansas Pacific Railroad structures.

The Clark-Robidoux House (featured in an earlier blog) is another feature in Wallace, a town of 66. Don't underestimate these small towns. The history is rich and the desire to convey the story is powerful.

KE #2 Marci Penner

First graduates

2009-07-24T09:15:00.007-05:00

Rural Kansas: Come and Get It has had its first round of graduates!

Representatives from the following towns went through a two-day training to gain their community a page on the Rural Kansas: Come and Get It website.

The towns are: Bison, Ellis, Great Bend, Hoisington, Hudson, Jetmore, Kinsley, LaCrosse, Lyons, Stafford, and Wilson.

The first two to get graduation certificates were Judith Reynolds and Mary Swisher of LaCrosse!

The first day of training was held at the new Kansas Wetlands Education Center northeast of Great Bend. After a morning of learning the Explorer mindset, teams went out on a three-hour exploration of area towns.

The group reunited at The Store in Odin to share trip highlights and Explorer moments.

The two-women team from LaCrosse took a driving tour in Ellinwood and as they were passing through the circle drive at one house on the tour the owner invited them inside for a tour!

Another group spent time visiting with the employee at the Hitschmann co-op, the only business in this unincorporated town.

Explorer teams visited with locals, got tours of jails and wineries, made purchases, looked inside churches and around cemeteries and ate in local cafes.

Day 2 was the day to learn website maintenance, camera skills, and social networking. Expert instructors were Patsy Terrell, Hutchinson and Cort Anderson, Belle Plaine.

As the first group, participants provided valuable feedback to the Kansas Sampler Foundation for future classes.

The end goal is to have several hundred rural communities posting their Explorer assets and events on this collective site and help the world "get" rural culture in a way that will keep rural communities viable.

What a great class to start with in efforts to help the world "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Home-owned carnivals at county fairs

2009-07-20T08:47:00.016-05:00

It's county fair time in Kansas -- a big week for rural Kansas. It's when pies and breads, cattle and sheep, quilts and fashions, and much more are studied and judged. It's a reunion week for families and friends and for those that share common bonds in the livestock barns or in the food booths. It's a rite of passage for some and just a great time for others.

Fourteen counties have gone a step further and have purchased, cleaned up, and re-tooled amusement rides. Then volunteers erect them and run them during fair week. Pictures below are of the early days of set-up for the Wallace County Fair. The seats aren't on the rides yet, that comes later. But when the rides come out of storage and start going up, it's the signal that it's almost fair time.

The fourteen counties with home-owned carnivals are Wichita, Decatur, Scott, Wallace, Norton, Logan, Sheridan, Ness, Rush, Thomas, Sherman, Lane, Cheyenne, and Greeley. Are there others? Kingman has just started "collecting" rides so their goal is also to have a home-owned carnival.

In Wichita County, tickets to all their home-owned rides are 25 cents and it's only one ticket per ride. Annually they sell about 110,000 tickets, bringing in $27,500. That means 110,000 riders! What a great value!

Go to a county fair and "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Sunday, July 18th -- the last day

2009-07-19T06:54:00.013-05:00

Anthony Downs. The Centennial was in 2004 --horse races for 100 years; dog races for 60. Add five more years --and that's probably the end of the line for these races.

If so, we're about to lose one of the most interesting customs in the state. And, obviously, it's a big economic boom for Anthony. Sunday, July 18 is the last day. Go if you can. Races start at 2 p.m. Horse and dog usually rotate. After the sixth race will be the Derby Hat Parade and judging.

The beauty of this is that it's a classic, like something you see in a movie. In these times of slick and fancy, Anthony Downs is the opposite and that makes it about as charming as can be. The little white stand is the admission gate with a number of reminders and two friendly women behind the screen taking your $4 admission fee.

It's the wooden stands that are most classic of all. Deep and sturdy though sometime a little splintery and creaky. Like the old, wooden baseball stadiums that are long gone this massive structure has survived, complete with poles that obstruct view. There is usually enough room to maneuver to the best view.

The seats are broad and roomy.

Everyone has their own betting plan -- or not. I didn't really know what I was doing but in one race I placed $2 bets on the 3 horse to win, place, or show. My rider fell off right out of the gate and though the riderless horse finished second, the bet is only good if the rider finishes with his horse.

On my second race the 7 horse got second and I won $9.40!

Dogs and horses alternate races.

The shorter greyhound track is in the middle of the horse oval. It's the neatest thing to watch both kinds of races and the duo events keep the action moving.

Today is supposedly the last day for this rich tradition. Beside the story of how the funding has dried up for Eureka and Anthony is the story of how this culture affects everyone from the jockeys to the organizations that sell food at these races to the people who have been coming to watch for years. Young kids run around and oldsters just camp in the stands. Staffers behind the betting window tell you good luck and it's clear that everyone has a good time.

Go to the races today, if you can, and "Get Kansas" in a way that will no longer be available.

KE #2 Marci Penner

What would you do?

2009-07-18T21:38:00.005-05:00

What would you do if you owned this 1880 Gothic Revival style house? It was built in 1880 by early and influential Wallace businessman Peter Robidoux.

If you were Buddy and Glenda Allama you'd buy it and renovate it one room at a time.

Twelve of us that ventured to Wallace for The Happening met here for snacks and a tour. It was amazing.

This is just a view of the staircase but you get the idea that they've done a magnificent job in restoring the signature historic home left in Wallace, population 66, in Wallace County.

They have a commercial kitchen and love to host groups or give tours.

After two more rooms are done, they'll start on the outside.

People like Buddy and Glenda are an inspiration. To understand why people would make this kind of an investment and effort in a small town will help you "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Stay at the top of Kansas!

2009-07-17T10:59:00.008-05:00

After you climb to the top of Mount Sunflower about 30 miles from Sharon Springs, you'll want and need a very relaxing overnight stay. That place would be an 8-room, nice as they come, bed-and-breakfast found within a converted 1922 Methodist Church.

Firm but comfortable mattresses, very soft towels, soap that you don't see in chain motels, and a delicious breakfast is part of the basic package. All rooms have private baths, high-speed internet access, and individual heat and air units, as well as cable TV. Two handicapped-accessible rooms are exceptional and an elevator makes it easy to get around the three-level church.

Breakfast is served in the basement in a room that can convert into a conference room for 100!

We were there for The Happening. Later that day they were hosting a tea. They even topped their sugar cubes with personally crafted frosting flowers!

The local Wesleyan church owns the bed-and-breakfast now and the church ladies volunteer their time to run it.

A block off of the main street, it's easy to walk around town from the bed and breakfast.

To learn more, go to www.mtsunflowerbandb.com.

Stay at "the top of Kansas" at the Mount Sunflower Bed and Breakfast and "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

The picture we didn't take...

2009-07-16T20:58:00.017-05:00

We turned west off of U.S. 83 about 27 miles north of the K-4 intersection in Logan County and headed cross country to Russell Springs.

One generally expects this area to look dry and barren. With plenty of rain this year, the High Plains vegetation had a lot of pep to it. The dry land crops looked lush.

But the most amazing part was the view. The picture we didn't take. At a certain point it seems that from a stance in the middle of the road, a person could have turned a 360 and seen little of civilization save the crops and road. Our guess was that we could see about 6-8 miles in every direction.

We does a farmer think about when he plows these colossal fields? What thoughts must he have? Likely a great affection for the isolation or it would have driven him mad by now and far, far away.

The wide open view was so awesome it was almost scary. A remote part of Kansas that most people likely can't imagine.

In fact, that is what our Explorer event, The Happening, is for. To encourage people to come to an area they aren't familiar with and learn about it, experience it.

By the time we got to Russell Springs, it was almost a shock to see a homestead. And what a great site it was to see the former courthouse. Civilization!
We saw many hitching posts as we approached this former county seat. A reminder of the annual Butterfield Trail Ride. We saw deer, pheasant, and flocks of turkey.

I was mostly reminded of how every county in Kansas is so different, has its own special characteristics. To the people that live here, this is the norm. Most years it's dry but that just makes the years with more moisture all the more special. If we just all understood and appreciated these differences, we could all pull together for one strong Kansas.

If I got on my soap box I'd say not everyone was made to live in Johnson County and I doubt that most natives of JoCo would be very comfortable in the expansive lands of Logan County. We ought to be glad we have people that can handle these extremes and be a little more respectful and supportive.

In any case, it was a great pleasure to have a reason to make this drive. We sure have a beautiful state.

The backroads of every county help us "Get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

How did that giant rooster get there?

2009-07-14T13:38:00.006-05:00

Two things drew us into this store. A grocery store called "Ma and Pa's" AND the giant rooster. WenDee took the lead on this and when we went inside the fabulous grocery store in Ransom, population 326, she found out that a guy in Ness City "makes" these giant roosters and he put one here to showcase it.

If you have an extra $1550 you might want to buy this for traffic-stopping yard art.

Seeing it wasn't hard. Finding out the story is the extra step that Explorers take.

One comment on the grocery store. It was clean, well-stocked, and had friendly staff -- in a town of 300+. That right there tells me a whole lot about the community of Ransom. Way to go!

To "Get Kansas" you have to ask the right questions -- like what is that giant rooster doing in your front yard?

KE #2 Marci Penner

Buying stamps in Bison

2009-07-13T18:15:00.008-05:00

The Kansas Explorers Club Happening took place in Wallace this past weekend. Part of the plan is to encourage people to enjoy the journey on the way to the Happening.

We had terrific Exploring stops in Lyons, Otis, Bison, LaCrosse, Ransom, Utica, and Russell Springs before getting to Sharon Springs. For now, let's just talk about Bison, population 229, and Otis, population 316, in Rush County.

I love it when the Kansas Sampler Foundation needs stamps at the same time that we're headed out on a road trip. We get to choose a small town post office to make a usually substantial purchase. Bison got the business this time. Maureen was a very friendly and engaging post master who was grateful for the business -- which makes it feel even better.

$108 later, we left the post office. Amount of revenue decides salary, hours, and even whether or not a post office gets a digital scale or the antique version. When the revenue declines too much, the post office is in danger of closing.

Post offices are often a hub in a small town and you sometime see signs like this.

The red-brick corner bank is next to the post office. They have historic pictures of Bison inside.

Look closely here against the leaves but you'll see iron cut-out street signs shaped like bison.

When have you last seen a First ME Church -- I mean, First Methodist Episcopal Church. This one was built in 1921. It was locked so we couldn't see the inside. Beautiful exterior.

The cool looking Peter Brack Memorial band shell is found in the Otis park. It was named after a Russian immigrant. At 3rd and Eagle is a decorative entrance found above the doors of the 1931 school. Could that be Carthalite?

Exploring Kansas is all about the journey. There is so much to see, so much to "get" about Kansas if we just open our eyes.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Cleverness in small towns

2009-07-03T08:48:00.003-05:00

I saw this promotion for a Fish Fry in Reading when we were there for our Power Up meeting. Obviously, I should have posted this sooner but the point of the post is to show how a little time being creative can go a long way in grabbing attention.

Frying pans, fish, white picket fence. Good job Reading! I bet it was a big success!

Little things help the public "Get Kansas."

KE #2 Marci Penner

A Very Good Road Trip

2009-07-02T10:30:00.020-05:00

All it takes is an impetus -- a reason to get out on Kansas roads. Explorers choose quests for such a reason. Sometime the reason can be a meeting.

In the case of our "Very Good Road Trip" yesterday, it came about because we went to the Kansas Sampler Festival volunteer luncheon in Concordia hosted by local festival directors Susie Haver (see her in the picture and in real life) and Tammy Britt. They served a great meal that came from a combination of locally-owned businesses in the area. It's always good to see them.

We really hadn't planned a route in advance except we knew that we wanted to end up at Fat Boyz in Little River for their chicken-fried steak night. The journey just unfolded.

First stop was the stone arch bridge at Rice, a tiny unincorporated spot in the road between Concordia and Clyde on K-9. There are stone steps around the big ol' cottonwood at the base of the 1911 bridge. Since the creek was dry it was easy to get some good shots.

We were anxious to go to Clyde to see all the flower pots. They had won one of the $1,000 Grand Idea prizes at the We Kan! Conference for their plan to put out 125 pots or hanging planters to celebrate their 125th Watermelon Festival. People are even putting out flower pots on their home porches. All the flowers makes Clyde look very friendly.

We were out in the street taking pictures when a car stopped just in front of us, in the middle of the street. She got out of her car and left the car door wide open, came over to us, and pointed to the mortuary to make sure we saw the flowers on the second floor windows. She was the friendly owner of the mortuary. There wasn't lots of traffic so our middle of main street visit was very pleasant.

Many windows were painted with a watermelon theme. Great job Clyde!

Next stop was the unincorporated town of St. Joseph. We later found out from the men's coffee table at the Kountry Kafe in Miltonvale that the St. Joseph Church is slated soon for demolition. What a shame...you could easily imagine it in its glory years.

The cemetery behind the church is a reminder that this was a French settlement. Almost all the names on the stones sound like French names and some of the words are even written in French.

Miltonvale was founded by Milton Tootle. Tootlepark has a tremendous playground for kids, a swimming pool, a stone walking bridge, and a bandshell built by the WPA in 1936. Miltonvale's population is just over 500. We also found some buildings from the former Milton College.

I've long wanted to visit Tricia Remley's Grassland Gardens located between Miltonvale and U.S. 81, out in the country. It's so impressive! We'll try to let you know about her Fall Open House and urge you to go. She has a variety of areas on this showcase farm. Ornamental grasses are grown in one lot, flowers and plants in another, and a regular garden in the ruins of an old building. That's just the very short of it. She has paths through the prairie, a greenhouse, and a shop for cut flowers and a drying room.

We even ate some blueberries off the vine!

The last stop of the day was Fat Boyz in Little River. It was chicken-fried steak night. They buy their meat from the next door Garden of Eden grocery story and hand-bread it before they deep-fry it. It was so very good. Fat Boyz Steaks are featured every night. If you go on the weekend call for reservations. They do a very brisk business. 620.897.5216. Though they still allow smoking here, the room is big with a tall ceiling so it's not too noticeable.

Can you read this sign on a Little River storefront? Barber Shop. Painless dentistry and blood letting. You gotta love the fun.

All it takes to have "A Very Good Road Trip" is an explorer mindset and the desire to enjoy the journey. Once you have these valuable tools you'll "Get Kansas" by stopping in towns of every size.

KE #2 Marci Penner

The beauty of the Whiting Cafe Makeover

2009-06-30T15:00:00.029-05:00

Click on the photo above to view slide show.

A simple sign. That's about as formal as we got. We had no kick-off meeting or big hurrah. As people arrived they somehow slipped into jobs and everything fell into place. Imagine 100 people that didn't know each other, all with different skills and aptitude, working on and in a tiny cafe that seats only 25. Locals and folks from Colorado, everyone got along great. The common denominator was working hard for the good of Rosa's cafe but also for this small town.

The mural kind of became the symbol of the makeover. Fresh paint, new look. The white and black concrete wall now had a splash of color and pizazz. The black-lettered sign now was red. The front door painted red, too.

This wall symbolized the entire cafe. Newly-painted, new mural, new windows, and new shutters.

When meal time rolled around, we'd all walk about 4 blocks to the former-school-turned community center for meals. Rosa and the community ladies always fed us well and greeted us with warm smiles. Usually a number of locals would join us and sometime we'd have entertainment! For lunch one day we had a folk singing duo. For supper we had a country-western band!

Everyone that worked, about 100 people, got an "I Kan Help!" shirt in black or white. This is Michael Eravi, our Window Guy from Lawrence. People wore the shirts with pride. Volunteers worked about 1,300 hours during the weekend.

WenDee's job all weekend was to document, to Facebook, to Twitter, and to take pictures and videos. You'll get a better feel of everything if you go to these links.

A few pictures before we started. (Get to the pictures and then click on slideshow)

Alot of pics during the effort.

A few after. (If anyone goes to the cafe, send pictures!)

The grassy lot beside the cafe was filled with tools, supplies, and power saws and wash stations were located under tents. Inside, the place was completely torn apart. I bet Rosa shuddered every time she checked on us. At one point all of the windows were out making it look like we were creating windows for drive-through service. Not having windows did make it easy to pass supplies from outside to in.

There was plenty of water, pop, and Gatorade in big coolers under the trees. People would take breaks as they needed them. The local grocery store comped the bags of ice.

The beauty of the makeover was how everybody coordinated their movements and efforts and got along flawlessly.

The beauty was how the community and the volunteers came together, trusted each other, and worked for the same goal. Everyone was so selfless. This effort was for a business yet no one seemed to be jealous or question what we were doing. People sent on errands returned with the supplies and just said they'd donate the cost.

Rosa was a good catalyst. She's a character but has a big heart. Everyone knows she'd help them and everyone knows that a small town needs a cafe to be viable.

The cafe. The workers. The community.

You'd have to say it was all just beautiful.

Gene Merry, Burlington, is a Kansas Sampler Foundation board member. He was in charge of the project. Next is Rosa, then somehow I got in the picture. Bob Topping, Leavenworth, was the project foreman. The volunteers were the story though -- and most can be seen in these picture and video links.

Another good place to see a story and pictures of the project is at Flyover People.

It would be satisfying to know that just reading about this project helped people "Get Kansas!" You gotta love our rural towns.

KE #2 Marci Penner

We're almost done

2009-06-28T07:49:00.002-05:00

"Food so great you'll scrape your plate" are the words in Jim Stukey's mural that graces one side of the cafe.

But the slogan is also stenciled around the ceiling of the dining room thanks to Keyta, Rachel, and Katyln -- and Eli.

The air conditioner is working -- thanks to Kelly and his crew.

Our window guy Michael and assistant Eric built frames and have all the windows in.

Sue put contact paper on all the shelves within the horseshoe. Von and Katy helped.

Jerry got all the tile laid where new ones were needed.

Jeanette, Ellen, Susie, Diane all doing odd jobs.

Stacy & Diana were the Degreaser Queens and have that grill looking shiny and new!

Doug is working hard on the bathrooms -- sink, paneling.

Electric saws and hammers sing out -- Jeff, CJ, Jim, and others in charge of that.

Mary, Elizabeth, Janet, and Gene painting everywhere.

Gerald and Stacy are hanging lights.

These are just a few of the names of the many people that helped. Even Rosa's Mom was down on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor.

Pots and pans, dishes, appliances are getting a clean-up.

Rains came twice and we covered everything up but we kept going.

Bob and Gene are capably in charge keeping everything in forward motion. WenDee doubles as documentarian and then goes to work.

Locals and Rosa's relatives are all helping.

People were driving by to see the progress -- or walking through the cafe.

We walk about three blocks to the community center for our meals made by Rosa and community women. We're joined by dozens of locals and treated to plenty of great food. At noon today the Baptist preacher and his wife sang folks songs in the echoey gym where we eat. At supper, a country-western band, including Rosa's uncle, performed. It was awesome!

It felt like a big old community party and everyone had their role.

But when Rosa comes to check on things, she's the main focus and we all want to know what she thinks. Sometime she'll just be the character that she is, so she won't cry. It's overwhelming for all of us -- and today we're going to wrap it up.

Hope you'll all find a time to come eat at the new Whiting Cafe!!!

Gotta go to work. KE #2 Marci Penner

Ready to go!

2009-06-27T06:52:00.002-05:00

I'm ready for day 2! A little sleep is great for recovery.

Today we should see some little projects getting finished. The outside of the building is painted a fresh coat of white. Barb re-did the Whiting Cafe sign in red. The mural "Food so great you'll scrape your plate" looks fabulous. Windows will go in today. Duct work. Ceiling is cleaned and will be painted today. Some floor tiles will be replaced today.

I have to say that we had the most phenomenal workers yesterday. Phenomenal. Everyone was focused, helpful, friendly, and dedicated to the task at hand.

Fresh workers are coming in today, too. It's all good.

Rosa and relatives are watching with a careful eye. They are starting to realize we're doing this for the love of Rosa and small towns -- relentless for rural we are.

Live near by? Just come on over to see the action and "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci

Whiting Cafe Makeover - Day One

2009-06-26T21:57:00.003-05:00

This will be short.

We're all exhausted.

But what a great day it was. We turned the Whiting Cafe upside down. Rosa was great to let us do it, too.

Probably 45 different people helped today. It was the perfect mix of skilled people and hard workers -- and lots of locals cheering us on.

Before we knew it the windows were all out, the mural started to take form, the exterior was painted, and, inside, people were working diligently on more than a dozen different projects.

People came from Netawaka, Muscotah but also Wichita and Colorado, Concordia, Burlington, Holton, Salina, Leavenworth, Kansas City, and more.

Rosa, her family, and the locals were fabulous to us and fed us lunch and supper in the community building.

Rosa was gracious to let us take apart her place. The workers felt rewarded. Many media outlets were there this morning. It was a win win win for everyone.

Now, how can we create a system that makes it easy to match many rural community needs with many people who want to help.... To be pondered on a less-tired brain.

This was a great day. Thanks, Whiting, for being our experiment. Your story will be told time and time again and it will help people "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

Whiting Cafe - the pre-makeover visit

2009-06-25T21:46:00.005-05:00

We got to Whiting about 2:45 p.m. Rosa closed at 2 p.m. and was already in full motion cleaning out the back room and moving things to the community center in order to feed us tomorrow. Her family and relatives were helping.

WenDee went around taking pictures of the "before." It definitely looks like a restaurant that has been in business for 25 years. This weekend's "makeover" is going to make it into a new place, one that Rosa and customers will love.

We went back to Holton to do a number of errands. While WenDee printed off a volunteer chart at the chamber with help from Pam Halladay, I visited the folks at the Holton Recorder and went to say hi to thousand dollar donor Tom Bishop at Homestead Affordable Housing. From there we went shopping for supplies before meeting Gene Merry and his son Bobby for supper.

Gene and Bobby had been working at the cafe for awhile prepping things for tomorrow. Guys were there installing the exhaust fan and Lower's brought the new air conditioning and heating unit. John had brought over the new windows. The new freezer was delivered by Jayhawk TV & Appliance of Holton.

It'll be like directing an orchestra tomorrow but Gene Merry and Bob Topping will keep everyone moving. We just have to keep hydrated... it's going to be hot.

I'm ready to get started. I know Rosa will sleep better when this is all over. She's such a hard working, good person. It's going to be lots of hard work but a joy to do this for someone like Rosa and for a town like Whiting.

"Get Kansas" by helping or following the action on WenDee LaPlant's Facebook or her Twitter account or on this blog. It should be pretty special.

KE #2 Marci Penner

Marshmellow Cups are what to get!

2009-06-24T08:49:00.010-05:00

The Lo-Mar is an institution in Eureka. Loy and Mary Browning opened this Valentine Diner back in the early 1960s and it's been making people happy ever since. Now, Robert Inge, a friend of Kami, the youngest of seven Browning kids, owns the place.

The current owner and constant presence behind the window is Robbie Inge.

I'm not sure how an old-fashioned hot dog tastes different than a new-fangled one but the sign makes me want to find out -- if I can pull myself away from ordering a hamburger where the crinkled and uneven sides, that prove it's made from fresh meat, hang way outside the bun... And then there is the fresh squeezed limemade... I should stop.

Today the glory goes to the Marshmellow Nut Cup.

Having ordered one of the classic selections at the Lo-Mar, this customer is mighty happy with the nut cup. A generous portion of warm, marshmellow topping cascades over a mound of soft serve chocolate ice cream, with salty nuts adding the perfect complement. If you prefer, you can order vanilla ice cream or a swirl combo.

We went to the Lo-Mar after the horse races and bumped into the Galen & Linda Craghead family, with sons Luke and Levi, and Linda's sister Sheila. After they all got a taste of WenDee's Marshmellow Nut Cup, they, too, went to the order window.

Next time you drive through Eureka, stop at the Lo-Mar. The only thing that might be better than all this is Robbie's fresh peach milk shake.

Lo-Mar's, it's a magnet! You'll find yourself there soon, especially if you want to "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

It's a sure bet you'll have a good time at Eureka Downs

2009-06-23T11:59:00.008-05:00

Did you know that Eureka Downs is older than the Kentucky Derby? The Horse Racing Capital of Kansas got its start in 1872 and has been going strong ever since.

What a good time we had at this ol' track.

But you won't see any horse pictures here. I hadn't got that far.

In the third race, a horse took a bad tumble past the finish line on a muddy, wet, messy track. Three more horses and jockeys tumbled over the first horse and that was it for the day. A good call to end it there.

I was already sold on the place. You could get (relatively) close to everything. You could walk up to the fence in front of the stables and take a look at the horses before they left their numbered stall for the starting gate.

Or, you could stand right beside the track railing for a bird's eye view.

Everything was simple and comfortable. Nothing fancy. There was an enclosed area above the bleachers but we didn't go there. There was too much culture to absorb!

Early on we ran into Heather Fuesz and her son Cash. At one point she sent him to get a sno cone, his second of the hour. No worries. Then he found a comfortable place to eat it.

Though I had no idea what all the odds and numbers meant, I boldly chose a horse called "Neewolah," another one called "Racing Wonder" and another one that had a Kansas name. I placed a trifecta bet asking for a $2 bet on each. Somehow that cost me $18. I didn't bet after that. It was easy to realize I needed an upgrade in strategy.

There are a few races left. June 27, 28 and July 4. General admission is $3. Gates open at 11:45 and the first post is at 12:30. There are usually seven races on any one racing day.

Then, on July 10-12 parimutuel races take place at Anthony Downs, just outside of Anthony. Horse races. Greyhound races. Same track. The wooden stands are classic. For more information go to www.anthonydownsraces.com.

With Heather, we discussed the idea of having an Explorers Day at the track next year. We'd devote a whole day to learning every aspect of the horse racing business from raising and shoeing horses to talking to a jockey and getting a lesson on betting. From pasture to race track, we'd learn all about it. Wouldn't that be fun?

If going to the race track isn't something you normally do, that's even more of a reason to catch one of the races left this year. It's a culture all into itself and it's just as much fun to people watch as it is to horse watch.

Learning about various aspects of rural culture helps a person "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner

8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine Announced

2009-06-19T07:55:00.006-05:00

The result of 7 1/2 weeks of voting and 13,861 votes has determined the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine! In alphabetical order, they are:

Bobo's Drive In, Topeka: The hamburgers, homemade onion rings, and apple pie have made this place famous since 1953.

Brookville Hotel, Abilene: Moved from the historic hotel in Brookville to Abilene in 2000, the famous family-style chicken menu has been served since 1915.

Cozy Inn, Salina: Since 1922 this 6-stool diner has been serving their famous sliders.

Crawford County Fried Chicken: Chicken Annie's, Chicken Mary's, Chicken Annie's Pichler's, Gebhardt's Chicken and Dinners, Barto's Idle Hour and Chicken Annie's Girard have made Crawford County legendary for fried chicken.

Free State Brewing Company, Lawrence. The state's first legal brewery after the days of prohibition also serves a variety of ethnic recipes.

Guy & Mae's Tavern, Williamsburg. Family-owned since 1973, tender ribs are served in foil and newspapers.

Hays House 1857 Restaurant & Tavern, Council Grove. Located on the Santa Fe Trail, this is the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River.

Wheatfield's Bakery Cafe, Lawrence. This nationally-ranked bakery serves healthy meals featuring artisan breads.

Congratulations to the 8!

But that's just the "list" part of it.

If you really get to know the finalist by either reading their story or, better yet, going to each of the 24 finalists, you'll learn about our state's history, people, customs, architecture, and more. Go and ask questions and explore the town of the finalist and you'll get much more than a meal.

Here are a few facts to help you look beyond the "list." There's much more to notice.

FACTS

Smallest city with a finalist was Simpson, pop. 101, with Trapper's Bar and Grill.

Cities under 1,500 with a finalist were Arlington, Leoti, Cottonwood Falls, Williamsburg, Scammon, Altoona, and Simpson.

Six finalists were located west of Salina and Wichita -- Anchor Inn, Hutchinson; Carolyn’s Essenhaus, Arlington; Charlie’s Mexican Restaurant, Leoti; Crazy R’s, Goodland; Pho Hoa, Garden City; and Trapper's Bar & Grill, Simpson.

Two were located in old residential neighborhoods in big cities: C.W. Porubsky's is in the "Little Russia" area of Topeka. The original Fritz's is in an old Kansas City, Kansas neighborhood.

The origins of six finalists date back prior to 1934 (Hays House, 1857; Brookville, 1915; Cozy Inn, 1922; Nuway, 1930; Homer's, 1931; Chicken Annie's, 1934).

Paolucci’s Restaurant opened in 1983 in Atchison but the recipes came to America with Grandma Paolucci in 1894. Josie's in Scammon uses recipes that date back to 1904 when Grandma Josie immigrated from Italy.

Types of food featured:
Ethnic (Italian - 2; Vietnamese - 1; Mexican - 2; Amish Mennonite - 1; Cajun/creole - 1; Russia - 1;
Mediterranean - 1).
Chicken - 2
Fine dining - 2
Barbecue - 1
Steak - 3
Americana burger - 4
Artisan bakery - 1
Mountain oysters - 1
Microbrewery - 1

From a list to facts -- but we need stories.

STARTER STORIES

The Hibachi Hut, located within the confines of Aggieville in Manhattan, actually started out in 1953 cooking on a hibachi!

Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's both started out because their miner husbands had injuries that prevented them from going back to the mines. The women did what they knew best to provide income for the family and that was cook. They both started serving customers in their homes and the Crawford County fried chicken legacy was born.

Each place has a story about the place, the owner, the change in ownership, or the food. Many stories are found by clicking on the pictures.

One of my favorite stories in the whole contest was what happened to Pho Hoa in Garden City. In a way, it has changed how the family sees itself even to the extent that the comment was made, "Now we belong." It's a beautiful immigrant story, as Andy Mahoney says, and the impact of how this contest boosted their business and esteem is without a doubt, the biggest contest achievement of all. They have been continually busy since the contest started. To read their whole amazing immigrant story, click here.

To call this whole effort merely a contest trivializes the impact that educating Kansans about their own state can make. It's really a launching pad for each person's own journey in learning about Kansas.

Take that journey and it'll help you "Get Kansas!"

Kansas Explorer #2 Marci Penner

Click here to get a "Guide to the 8 Wonders of Kansas Cuisine 24 Finalists"

The start of something great

2009-06-17T13:16:00.004-05:00

I'll keep this picture in my head for a long time. Meet the brainstorm team of Ashley Bogle (blue shirt), Greenwood Co. Economic Development; Julie Roller (black shirt), Development Associate of Pottawatomie Co. Economic Development; Abby Dechant (behind Julie), Wabaunsee Co. Economic Development and her intern Kayla.

We met at The Miracle Cafe in Reading, a town of 246 in Lyon County. It was an appropriate place to launch a big discussion.

Here was the question to ponder: What would happen if young people, ages 17-35ish, across rural Kansas united to address a number of issues including: jobs, technology, housing, social opportunities, and, mostly, making rural Kansas a desirable place for young people to live and work?

What would happen if those same young people figured out how to build their own network, organize their own agenda, and lead the way. What's different is that no one would be telling them how to make it work -- it would happen in their time, their way, and once the snowball got rolling they would be a force to deal with. I'm certain Rural Kansas will never look the same.

I had identified these three women as people who loved living in rural Kansas and were invested in rural communities being viable. They are women with intelligence, vision, creativity, and commitment to rural. I've been watching them for awhile and have been very impressed. There are others but these three already knew each other and got along well and it was easy to meet for lunch.

Within 24 hours, the ideas have been flying back and forth. I'm watching them become well aware of the potential for a statewide group (anchored by lots of smaller regional groups) and what they could accomplish. They clearly understand the work that needs to be done and in the course of these 24 hours they've easily mastered the notion that a gathering of young minds driven to make rural Kansas better can do exactly that.

I will do my best to guide when they ask for assistance or when they need a sounding board but my greatest role will be to stay out of their way and just observe and record what is about to happen. It is going to be great.

GATHERING NAMES

For awhile I've been asking for a "Power Up" contact and e-mail address from every rural town. If you know someone, or more than one, between the ages of 17-35, that wants to be associated with this young rural movement, send the information to me at marci@kansassampler.org. I'll get these names to Abby, Ashley, Julie, and Kayla.

Today, I started a group page on Facebook called "Powering Up Rural Kansas." That will serve as the group name until another is chosen.

Young people, we're looking for you. If you love rural Kansas, send your name and e-mail address. Let's get going on this. There is much work to be done, much fun to be had, a New Rural to be formed.

These young people will help show us how to "Get Kansas!"

KE #2 Marci Penner