Testifying for Tourism

I had the opportunity yesterday to testify at two legislative committee meetings for the Travel Industry Association of Kansas (TIAK). TIAK is leading the charge to support a change in structure for the state tourism office. If the state tourism office was a quasi-independent organization it would have more flexibility and stability, potentially more funding, and the ability to partner better with all those that have a stake in tourism. The new structure, if adopted, would still require legislative oversight and it would receive funding from the state. There is much work to do for this to get through both the Senate and House.

My role is to represent rural communities in these hearings -- and what a pleasure that is! I describe what various towns have to offer and elaborate that we'd sure like more people to know about these places. Now, don't worry. We don't want the essence of these towns to change but believe that a few more visitors a day would sure help the sustainability of rural communities. I'm confident the state tourism office would be more able to market rural communities if the flexibility and funding was available. Currently, Kansas is 46th (I think) in the ranking of state tourism marketing budgets.

Budget Committee Chair Dwayne Umbarger (from Thayer) asked what we did in Stark recently. He said "everybody's talking about it." His comment allowed me to briefly explain the "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" events and specifically the success in Stark.

For everyone that visits small towns, writes about them, or sees their value, just know that this is appreciated and helping making a shift. Gradually, that cogwheel is turning and with legislative approval we are hoping to change the structure of tourism in this state and be able to work with the state tourism office to better market the explorer type places in Kansas.

MUD RUNS, BADLANDS, PIE & PANCAKES

What an exciting few days it's been doing our "Explorer" thing. I've been hardly able to catch my breath! M. has done most of the catching up on our adventures so I'll add just a few of my personal activities - mostly eating of course! But I must tell you, this job definitely has some perks and one of them is sampling the cuisine. There are some talented cooks out there in the prairie hamlets.

One highlight that stands out occured following the B.Y.O.L.C. in Morland this past Saturday at the Prairie Junction where I enjoyed scrumptious and moist fried chicken (cooking MOIST fried chicken is an art by the way); the pasta salad and ewww, I almost get quivery inside remembering it...the homemade pumpkin pie accompanied by a side of homemade Black Walnut ice cream.

The other happened in Manhattan thanks to our cat Phoebe who was being treated at K-State Vet School and was scheduled to be picked up on Sunday. We timed our trip so we could try out a place downtown referred to us by Angie Fryer, KE#2048, called "The Chef Cafe." They serve up an amazing array of breakfast items including Smoked Salmon Benedict enjoyed by Explorer #2 and I drooled over the Pancakes Bananas Foster served with pecan dark rum syrup. I've never had such succulent pancakes! In fact, I could have eaten just the pancakes without all the other yummy stuff. Even tried to talk the chef out of his recipe but he's keeping it a secret! Darn! Log onto their website to find out more info: http://thechefcafe.com/menu.html

M has already updated you earlier on our experiences at Collyer and Castle Rock so I'll just supply the photos. You know what they say about pictures - it's worth a thousand words! Enjoy!

Great Time in Lincoln!

Last night the Lincoln County Historical Society had their annual meeting in the Kyne House Museum in Lincoln. It was so fun to set up our "Go Kansas!" game show and be the game show host. My Mom and her sisters made a quilt with 40 question pockets to be our game show board. Dad devised a PVC pipe frame that can be disassembled and hauled in my car. We have chaser lights, buzzers, scoring, and 40 questions about what there is to see and do in Kansas. This was a really fun group and we had a rowdy good time learning about Kansas.

I stopped in to visit with Marilyn Helmer at Village Lines before I went to the museum. We had a quick but excellent talk about a really great core of people in Lincoln working together to make things happen. Marilyn has spent many years working in and for Lincoln. She's been a stalwart and is one of those community folks that, to me, is a Kansas hero.

The drive up to Lincoln from Inman was so beautiful -- especially K-14 between I-70 and Lincoln. Stunning beauty. The rolling hills and the roadside grasses were exquisite. It was a sunny day and Kansas just shone, all the way to Lincoln.

Go Kansas! game show

I'm looking forward to doing my "Go Kansas" game show in Lincoln tonight for their annual historical society meeting. The game show is a fun way to help people learn about Kansas. Adding fun to the learning equation sure makes a difference.

I'm still glowing about the great Saturday in Morland and can't wait to see what our final "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" event of the year will bring in Dexter on October 18.

There is no end to adventures one can have in this state. One fun thing to do is just stop in any town you come to and drag main and drive the residential areas. There is always something to learn. I like to start in the post office, cafe, grocery store or library as a place to have an initial conversation.

It's beautiful today. If you can, take a drive! Yours, KE #2 Marci

Morland, St. Peter, Collyer, Castle Rock

Saturday was a great day.

MORLAND
One of the Foundation's "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" events to increase rural community awareness took place in Morland, a town of 155 in Graham County. Two legislators, Ralph Ostmeyer and Jim Morrison were among the 40-45 that sat in lawn chairs on the sidewalk in front of the bank's bas relief mural.

We heard about what it takes to keep a restaurant open in a small town, about the efforts to re-open the grocery store, and the announcement of a new small mill that will likely move to town.

To simply say that Faye, Charley, Kirk, Artie, Terry, Chris, Billie Jo, Sam, and so many others have gone above and beyond to keep this town alive just doesn't tell the story. To have any chance of understanding why people work so hard to keep a town of 155 alive, you'd have to feel the buzz in the restaurant (and taste the delicious food), see the building restoration projects, you'd need to sit on the sidewalk and watch the friendly and small town rituals that take place -- like a mother going by pushing a stroller or little boys walking down the street unattended. But mostly you'd need to look deep into the eyes and hearts of the committed ones to "get it" and believe. These folks come in all shapes, sizes, dress, and talk but put them together and you have the basis for community sustainability.

Morland is in a beautiful part of the state and is on the cusp of the High Plains and Smoky Hill regions. As you approach the turn to Morland on U.S. 24 you see a grain elevator about 1/2 mile to the south and you know the town is down there in the valley. It's such a picturesque sight and you can understand why people choose to live there.

We certainly recommend going to the Prairie Junction in Morland! Get hours by calling the bank at 785.627.3165.

Thanks to the Explorers, townspeople, and legislators that came out with lawn chairs!

ST. PETER
WenDee had never seen Castle Rock so we took a back road south of Morland to get to Castle Rock. On our way we came to the town of St. Peter. We took pictures of the four street signs. Street names were St. Ann, St. Mary, and two other saints. The two main action centers were the catholic church in the town and the oil company out on the highway.

COLLYER
The route took us by Collyer so we stopped, knowing they were having a festival. With a population 129, this town was hopping! At the east end of town they were having the Mud Run. We had never seen one. The crowd was large and the noise drew us in. We hopped onto a flatbed trailer and watched one truck after another rev their engine and try to make it through the mud pit. We saw one truck make it after much effort. The next one worked so hard at making it up the slope that it literally blew up the engine. Fire and everything!

We moved on a few blocks to the craft booths, food booths, and music. Little kids were riding these big-tire tricycles on the cement basketball court. The big tires allowed them to tip to the side and keep riding on two wheels. One little kid said to this next, "This is so fun!" Parents were at the nearby food booths. It was vintage small town at its best.

I'm so proud of the Collyer Alliance made up of a group of incredible women that just do anything to keep their little town going. Others help out and the enthusiasm is contagious. One guy who stood by us on the flatbed said that he grew up there and had come back today to help.

Small towns can just make you real proud.

CASTLE ROCK
"Wow!" That's what WenDee said when she saw Castle Rock. She took lots of pictures. But then we kept driving to the "badlands" and even more enthusiastic "wow's" were elicited. A person could stay all day to crawl around on these chalky rocks. If you haven't ever seen them I hope you can go sometime. After all, they are one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas!

Outdoor Events and Rain

I'm thinking about tomorrow, Saturday. We will have our "Bring Your Own Lawn Chair" event in Morland (Graham Co.) rain or shine. It looks like it should actually be OK in the Morland area. The BYOLC is a rural community awareness event and the point is to help the interested public learn about issues and opportunities in small towns. This town of 155 has a lot more going on than meets the eye -- and we want to help folks understand and really see this town. Highlights will be eating at the restuarant, seeing the comic book collection on the walls of the bank, admiring the bas relief mural on the bank exterior, touring the grocery store building that is being renovated, and more. The biggest highlight though will be meeting the people of Morland. The lawn chair meeting in the street will start at 10 a.m., but breakfast will be served at the cafe starting at 9 and the post office will close by 10. No matter what the weather is, it'll be a great day to be in Morland. Oh, did I say homemade ice cream will be part of the lunch menu?

But my thoughts are about all the towns having events tomorrow, including Kansas Originals outdoor event at their store and the state fair. You work so hard and then the thing you can't control, the weather, comes along to make itself known. Luckily, there are many sturdy Kansans who don't let the weather stop them. The fact is that rain creates a different environment for the event and sometime it can be even more special. Fewer people attend so you get to know each other better. Expectations are out the window so all you can do is relax and enjoy. Event participants are appreciative of folks that come out in the rain so they treat you really well.

If you had plans to go somewhere tomorrow, I hope you'll still go. I know I'll be in Morland with my lawn chair sitting in the middle of the street.

Yours, KE #2 Marci Penner

It's Always a Wonder

"Campaign for Volts" Guitar Exhibit

Every day I wake up and wonder what this new day in Kansas will bring. I know I'll be trekking alongside Kansas' biggest cheerleader and finding out more than I could have ever imagined what the state has to offer.

Yesterday morning I finished up the Power Point program we finally decided on that Marci would present to the Wichita City Library Wednesday group. I've been trying to wean M. away from her trusty slide programs but it's taken awhile! Well, I can't just blame M., it's taken me awhile to get enough slides scanned and digital photos taken to put together a suitable program to present using Power Point. We've had all the equipment needed for quite some time and have actually done a few here at the Sampler Center for other actitvities but this was a first for an "on the road" program. It was an exciting day for both of us!

The program we prepared was actually the combination of three we had put together for the announcments of the last 8 Wonders of Kansas contests - the original Big 8, Architecture and the current one, Art. Needless to say with 24 finalists in each category it made for a rather looooong presentation on M's part but delighted the large crowd present at the library.

It was fun to hear all the comments and enthusiasm from the crowd. There was even 15-20 Kansas Explorers in the group that had come just for the occasion. It's always great to educate fellow Kansans about what all there is to see and do in the state and also to have their interest in becoming Explorers.

It was also a perk to look up at the end of the program to see my old museum buddy, Jami Frazier Tracy, the Curator of Collections for Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, standing there grinning at me. She and I go way back from the days I worked as an Exhibits Curator at the Finney County Historical Museum in Garden City. There's just something special about those "museum people!"

I had heard about their special guitar exhibit at the museum so we jumped at the chance to take a quick peek with our personal guide before we had to scurry to our next errand. The museum is right across from the Wichita Library. Every time I go to the WSCHM I am always entranced by it's beauty and exquisite exhibits. What a top notch group of staff and volunteers they have there. It was also a treat to meet the new director, Eric Cale. Congrats on your first year Eric!

If you have a few minutes the next time you're in Wichita stop by and see the guitar exhibit. It's called Campaign for Volts! and is a special exhibit celebrating the first electric guitars from the 1930s and the 75th Anniversary of its world debut from the Club Shadowland in Wichita, Kansas. Here's what I copied from their news release about the exhibit:

"Enterprising Wichita Guitarist, Orchestra Leader and Music Educator, Gage Brewer made a trip to California in the late summer of 1932 and acquired the first electric guitars from their inventor and whisked them to Wichita for a triumphal introduction through a series of Halloween performances locally. It would take several years for the instrument to catch on but Brewer proceeded through a career spanning five decades prominently featuring the instrument."

It's a temporary exhibit and you'll be out of luck after the end of October so run, don't walk, to see it and all of the rest of the fine displays they have created.

Here's their visitor info:

Hours/Admissions: Tuesday – Friday 11:00am to 4:00pm Saturday – Sunday 1:00pm to 5:00pm Closed Mondays and Holidays Check Calendar
$4.00 for Adults $2.00 for Children (Ages 6-12) Under Age 6 are Free

Website for more info: http://wichitahistory.org/

The museum is located in the coolest building in downtown Wichita at 204 S. Main. It's the old City Building across from the Library at the southeast corner of Main Street and William. Parking is generally pretty easy to find too.

Today brought a visit to the State Fair. More to ponder on - I mean "wonder on" that later.

Enjoy the wonders of Kansas!