The Official 2019 White House Christmas Ornament

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The Official  2019 White House Christmas Ornament honors President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and symbolizes his commitment to innovation.

The ornament will be available at the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum's Museum Store. 

34 Facts About the 34th President

While states like Virginia, Ohio, and Texas have been home to multiple presidents, Kansas is the home of just one, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The hard-working farm boy from Abilene, Kansas, graduated from West Point and helped change the course of history by directing  the largest amphibious assault in history  on D-Day. Here are 34 facts I learned about the 34th president while visiting the Eisenhower Library, Museum, and Boyhood Home.

9 Cozy Bed & Breakfasts in Kansas that Serve the Best Meals to Wake Up to

Are you looking for somewhere to stay on your travels throughout this beautiful state? These cozy bed & breakfasts are the perfect locations for you to relax and take time off with some amazing breakfast meals awaiting you in the morning. When you're looking for somewhere great to stay, there's quite a few amazing options here for you. Come check them out yourself!.

12 Budget-Friendly Presidents' Day Getaways

February is an ideal time for a midwinter getaway. Whether it's to indulge in a little skiing and sledding or to  escape the cold altogether , there are plenty of opportunities around the country for a memorable and budget-friendly retreat.

Throwback Thursday - Seelye Sisters: Journey to the Mansion
 
A Series of Seelye Laboratories. First Lab (1893-1896).

In 1893, Alfred Barnes Seelye and Jennie Taylor were married in Chicago during the World's Fair. That same year, They moved to Abilene where Alfred's father had bought some land.
 
They moved to a home at 12th and Olive [pictured below] that is no longer standing today. On the home's property, there was a small building that served as the first Seelye Laboratory. 

When the Seelye's moved in 1896 to the property on 10th  and Buckeye, they lived in a Victorian home built in 1885. During this time, Dr. Seelye moved his 1st laboratory to the new property which stood behind the present day mansion to the east where the museum is today. 

When the Seelye's decided to build their mansion in 1905, they knocked down the Victorian home, and built the new house in its place. During that time, the Seelye's, now with two daughters, had no place to live, so they put some beds in the original laboratory and lived there for nine months. Because it was just a temporary home, Dr. Seelye was not interested in making the lab livable, so during the heavy rains of 1905, the girls had to live with buckets and pails catching the water from the worn out roof. 

Soon after they moved into the new mansion, their shanty home was knocked down and a chicken house went in its place. Terry Tietjens eventually built the museum building in that location in 1992 to house the remnants of the A.B. Seelye Medical Company.

Learn more about the Seelye family at the Seelye Mansion in Abilene . The Seelye Mansion is open daily for tours.

5 Star Reviews - Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum
 
2019 Calendar of Events

2019 marks 150 years since the City of Abilene's official incorporation. Community events make Abilene not only a great place to live, but also a great place to visit. Make plans now to visit Abilene, Kansas and enjoy these great events! 

Take the Abilene Event Challenge - how many can you attend? Snap a photo and tag us in your Facebook posts @VisitAbilene.


EVENT

WHEN

LOCATION
LEARN MORE
Moulin Rouge: A Party In Paris
GPT FUN-Raiser kicks off our 25th Anniversary Season in style!

Saturday, February 23 @ 6 pm Great Plains Theatre
Echoes of Grant with John C. McManus Thursday, February 28 Noon - 1pm Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium
Les Misérables performed by PGP
Thursday, February 28 @ 7 pm
Friday, March 1 @7 pm
Saturday, March 2 @7 pm
Sunday, March 3 @ 2 pm
Great Plains Theatre
30th Annual Ida Stover-Eisenhower Memorial Quilt Show
 March 11-24
 Dickinson County Heritage Center
Most Hallowed Ground with Tom Tudor Thursday, March 28, 
Noon - 1 pm		 Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium
Kansas State Geography Bee Friday, March 29 Eisenhower Presidential Library
KS Gift & Craft Show Sunday, March 31 @ 1pm Sterl Hall
Eisenhower Marathon
Saturday, April 6 @ 7 am
St. Andrews Parish Hall
Easter Bunny Train Saturday, April 13 @ 1 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
National Greyhound Association Spring Nationals April 15-20 National Greyhound Association
Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll Saturday, April 20 @ 1 pm Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
Eisenhower with Louis Galambos Thursday, April 25 @ Noon - 1 pm Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center
Reitz & Rust Vintage Market
Saturday, April 27 @ 10 am
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Arts & Ales Saturday, April 27 Downtown Abilene
Abilene Aviation Association Fly-In  Saturday, May 4 Abilene Municipal Airport
National Travel & Tourism Week May 5-11
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Antique Fest Saturday, May 11 Downtown Abilene
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, May 11 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Mother's Day Tea Saturday, May 11 Eisenhower Presidential Library
The Road to Abilene with Tim Rives and William Snyder Thursday, May 23 @ Noon - 1 pm Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center Auditorium
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, May 25 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides Saturday, May 25 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Sunday, May 26 @ 2 pm
Monday, May 27 @ 10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Symphony at Sunset
Saturday, June 1
Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
75th anniversary of D-Day Thursday, June 6 Eisenhower Presidential Library
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides Thursday, June 6 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Friday, June 7 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Saturday, June 8 @ 10 am & 2 pm


 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, June 8 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad 
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse Saturday, June 8 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Pirates of Penzance June 14-23 Great Plains Theatre
Heart of America Greyhound Gathering June 20-22 Sterl Hall
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, June 22 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Disaster! July 12-21 Great Plains Theatre
Old Fashioned 4th of July celebration July 4 Eisenhower Park
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Thursday, July 4 @10 am & 2 pm
Friday, July 5 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Saturday, July 6 @10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse Saturday, July 6 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, July 13 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Wild Bill Hickok PRCA Rodeo
Wednesday, July 31 - Saturday, August 3
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Central Kansas Free Fair
Wednesday, July 31 - Monday, August 5
Dickinson County Fairgrounds (Abilene)
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
 August 2-18 Great Plains Theatre
National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo August 2-3 Shockey & Landes Building
Vintage Base Ball Game Saturday, August 3 Eisenhower Presidential Library grounds
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, August 10 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, August 31 @ 6:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Steam Locomotive)
Chisholm Trail Days Saturday, August 31 - Sunday, September 1 Old Abilene Town
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Saturday, August 31 @ 10 am & 2 pm
Sunday, September 1 @ 2 pm
Monday, September 2 @ 10 am & 2 pm		 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, September 14 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Hitching Post Restaurant)
 Saturday, September 14 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, September 28 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Heritage Day Saturday, October 5 Dickinson County Heritage Center
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Saturday, October 5 @ 10 am - 3 pm (hourly departures)

 Dickinson County Heritage Center
Steam Locomotive #3415 train rides
 Sunday, October 6 @ 2 pm (last steam run of the year)
 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Historic Home & Barn Tour Saturday, October 12 @ 12:30 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Dinner Train (Prime Rib by Mr. K's Farmhouse Saturday, October 12 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Empires Fall October 18-27 Great Plains Theatre
Dinner Train (Fried Chicken by Brookville Hotel) Saturday, October 26 @ 6 pm Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad (Diesel Locomotive)
Tombstone Talks Saturday, October 26 Abilene Cemetery
Makin' Magic - 25 Years of Fun November 29 - December 15 Great Plains Theatre
Abilene's Victorian Inn Christmas Afternoon Tea Saturday, December 7 Abilene's Victorian Inn
Heritage Homes Association's Homes for the Holidays Tour Saturday, December 7
Sunday, December 8		 Varies each year
Night of Christmas Magic Saturday, December 7 Downtown Abilene
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ATTRACTION & EVENT UPDATES

ACDC Annual Winter Film Fest
 
Our annual Winter Film Fest will begin Sunday, February 3, 2019. The list of films will show each consecutive Sunday. The free admission films start at 2:00 p.m. at the Eisenhower Visitor Center, 200 SE 4th Street, Abilene. Popcorn will be available, also free of charge. The Visitor Center has drinks available for purchase and will also be open for shopping. Joann Hettenbach of Abilene, will host the films. A brief discussion will follow the films for those who would like to stay and participate. 

Each year we ask our patrons to bring an item to contribute to the Abilene Area Food & Clothing Bank. This year we ask our patrons to please contribute toiletry items, i.e. tissues, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, toilet paper. Thank you in advance for the aid we give to one another.

THE POST (PG-13) A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN (PG) Celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

ROMAN ISRAEL, ESQ. (PG-13) Roman J. Israel, Esq., a driven, idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Eisenhower Presidential Library
 
Echoes of Grant with John C. McManus
Thursday, February 28
Noon - 1 PM
Visitors Center Auditorium

"Echoes of Grant: The Second World War Leadership of Dwight D. Eisenhower" with John C. McManus

They led in different eras, but the parallels between Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower are striking - both successful army commanders in high-stakes conflicts and then president, with deep convictions about racial equity and determination to avoid war despite their military backgrounds. Ike greatly admired Grant, studying everything from his leadership style to his personality traits and scouring Grant's memoirs for lessons he could apply to the battlefield.

John McManus, a Curators' Distinguished Professor at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and one of the nation's top military historians, examines those connections, delving in particular into Eisenhower's World War II military campaigns. This program continues a series coinciding with the exhibit "Eisenhower's Middle Road" at Central Kansas City Public Library. All are made possible by a grant to the Eisenhower Foundation from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City.

The Lunch & Learn series is made possible courtesy of the Eisenhower Foundation and the generous support from the Jeffcoat Memorial Foundation.
Great Plains Theatre - Moulin Rouge: A Party in Paris
 
Moulin Rouge: A Party In Paris
GPT FUN-Raiser kicks off our 25th Anniversary Season in style!

February 23rd at 6:00pm
Join us for an evening of food, fun, and frolicking!

There will be cabaret style music, games, tastings, entertainment, heavy hors d'oeuvres, a silent and live auction, prizes and more!

Advance reservations are just $25 or $35 at the door, and are only available to those 21 years of age and older. 
About us
The Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau  is the marketing arm of the City of Abilene and provides services to tourists and groups convening in Abilene.
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