When the announcement was made this past week that Kansas Department of Commerce was going to travel around the great state of Kansas to promote tourism by visiting notable events and places, it was disappointing to say the least that no Marion lakes or Marion’s Chingawassa Days were included on their stop.
The “Faces & Places Tour” is being promoted as a “driving billboard” to promote Kansas tourism.
The places included on their tour are the farmer’s market in Lawrence; Midland Railway and John Brown’s Battle of Black Jack in Baldwin City; Riverfest in Wichita; Smoky Hill River Festival and Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure in Salina; Midsummer’s Festival in Lindsborg; Kansas Motorcycle Museum in Marquette; Emma Chase Cafe in Cottonwood Falls; Cheyenne Bottoms in Great Bend; Fort Larned; Stauth Memorial Museum in Montezuma; Dalton Days Wild West Fest in Meade; the big well in Greensburg; T-Bones Game in Kansas City; TIC in Goodland; Pickin’ on the Plains in Colby; Blues, Barbecue & Bargains in Hays; Czech Festival in Wilson; Dodge City Days; Heartland Park in Topeka; Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg; Belleville Midge Nationals; Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene; Frontier Western Celebration in El Dorado; water ski and wakeboard championships in Garnett; U.S. 36 Treasure Hunt in Hiawatha, Seneca, and Marysville; Scottish Festival and Highland Games in McPherson; Indian Peace Treaty in Medicine Lodge; and Haunted Atchison Trolley Tour.
Now I’m not saying these other towns and events aren’t deserving of the recognition but I also believe that nearly half a million tourists at Marion Reservoir alone is an indication that Marion County has tourism going on.
With this being the 15th year for Chingawassa Days, it is obvious the organizers of the festival has tourism going on as well.
What a ride that has been for this community and county. When the festival began, it was to provide an annual event for those of us who aren’t Marion High School graduates.
Organized games soon developed into professional performers, nationally-known bands, and thousands of people coming to Marion for the festivities.
Connections have been made with some festival-goers visiting our community other times during the year besides just Chingawassa Days and some have moved here to live full time.
Such an impressive story and history this festival has had.
According to the state travel and tourism office, the criteria used to select the events was limited to 10 weekends; 2) Tried to cover as much of the state as possible; 3) Event had to be posted on TravelKs.com; and 4) Events had to be within a reasonable drive of each other on the same weekend.
It’s a shame Kansas tourism officials won’t be here in Marion the first weekend of June. They don’t know what they’ll be missing.
*****
Hats off to Marion County Commission for approving a conditional use permit to allow cabins to be constructed at the county lake.
I do have a concern about their decision to share office staff, as does the former elderly department director in this week’s Letters to the Editor. Money’s tight but we sure don’t want to see the county short-change a department to save a few bucks.