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The Most Beautiful Small Town in Every State
Thanks to
HouseBeautiful magazine for selecting Abilene as the most beautiful town in Kansas!
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Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Replica on display
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Replica commemorating American service members who died and remains were never identified.
The Eisenhower Presidential Library will host the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier replica on Sunday and Monday, July 1-2, 2018.
This special temporary exhibit will be located inside the museum building lobby from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. There is no fee to view this temporary display; however, regular admission fees will apply to view the Eisenhower exhibits in the library building and tour the boyhood home.
The replica is exactly half the size of the original in Arlington National Cemetery and includes three crypt covers from World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans. Created by the Exchange Club of Rome, Ga., as a National Service project by the Americanism Committee, the replica was built with the assistance and permission of the Arlington National Cemetery. Members of the club travel cross-country with the replica to share and educate others about this memorial.
President Eisenhower is one of only three presidents to preside over a burial ceremony at the Tomb. That ceremony took place at Arlington National Cemetery Amphitheater on May 30, 1958. We are marking the 60th anniversary of Eisenhower's presiding over the burial of the WWII and Korean War unknowns.
The replica will travel to Greeley, Colo. for display July 3-5 at Veteran's Monument Bittersweet Park.
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Old Fashioned Fourth of July
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A bull catches some air at the 2017 Wild Bill Hickok
Rodeo in Abilene. This year's
rodeo, which is
August 1-4, is a gathering place for community members, family and friends. Photo by Fly Thomas.
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Abilene
rodeo
is gathering place for community, family, friends
When it's August in Abilene, it's fair and rodeo time!
For the 73rd year, the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo stampedes into Abilene, conjuring up memories of when cowboys invaded town, driving herds of longhorns.
This year's rodeo is August 1-4 and is held in conjunction with the Central Kansas Free Fair.
Abilenians and Dickinson Countians alike, plus fans from outside the area, gather in Abilene for four nights of rodeo.
It's a special time, said Julie Roller, director of the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau. "It's a wonderful place to see community members gather together, and it often serves as a family reunion," she said. "Everybody goes to the fair and the rodeo."
This year's fair features a trick rider from Oklahoma. Dusta Kimzey and Tricked Out Trick Riders will perform their beautiful and daring stunts on horseback during each night of the rodeo. Pro rodeo award winning clown Keith Isley, Goldston, N.C., will be on hand to provide the comedy. Announcer Mike Mathis, Lufkin, Texas, returns, as do the bullfighting duo of Ethan McDonald and Blake Miller. McDonald is a former Abilene resident; Miller is from Troy, Texas.
The bucking horses and bulls will come from Bagwell, Texas, from the ranch of Sammy and James Andrews. Andrews Rodeo Co. was the home to the legendary bull Bodacious; Sammy and his son James are the third and fourth generations to provide livestock for rodeos.
The rodeo "is what's right with the world," Roller said. "It's where old and new friends reconnect and families make memories," Roller said. Her favorite part is the mutton busting. "I love to watch the little kids ride." She is also impressed with the quality of competing cowboys and cowgirls, who often include regional and national champions. "The talent the rodeo attracts from across the country is remarkable. We're really fortunate to have the Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo."
Tickets go on sale July 1 and are available online at
www.CKFF.net
, at West's Country Mart, and various retailers. They are $10 in advance for adults and $13 at the gate. Children's tickets, ages four to ten, are $7. Ages three and under are free.
The rodeo starts at 7:30 pm each night.
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Saturday night headliner - Michael Martin Murphey
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Throwback Thursday
The Abilene Weekly Chronicle
September 22, 1899
Today, Abilene's Dickinson County Heritage Center is home to a 1901 C.W. Parker carousel. It is the oldest operational Parker carousel known to exist.
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5 Star Reviews - Great Plains Theatre
They have great talent and plays in the small town of Abilene. Don't think that because it is not New York City you shouldn't go. Tickets are reasonable and every play I have seen has been wonderful.
- Melodie S.
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"The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
June 22, 1945
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Abilene Municipal Band 2018 Concert Schedule
All performances are in Eisenhower Park at the Royer Band Shell.
- Thursday, June 28 @ 8 pm
- Wednesday, July 4 @ 8 pm
- Thursday, July 12 @ 8 pm
- Thursday, July 19 @ 8 pm
- Thursday, July 26 @ 8 pm
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Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
Steam Locomotive #3415
Wednesday, July 4
10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Adults - $30
Children (3-11) - $15
Children (2 and younger) - Free
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Regular Passenger Trains
Memorial Day - Labor Day
Wednesday - Saturday - departures @ 10 AM & 2 PM
Sunday - departure @ 2 PM
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Dickinson County Heritage Center
The Dickinson County Heritage Center is a unique collection of two in-door museums, that continues out-the-back-door where you will find actual buildings from around the county, all depicting life on the Great Plains.
Don't miss the 1901 C.W. Parker Carousel - the oldest operational C.W. Parker Carousel.
Summer Hours:
Monday-Friday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday
10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (note time change)
Sunday
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Special event - Bison Tales, Presented by Jim Mayhew
Saturday, June 30
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
*Note Location* Greyhound Hall of Fame
Jim Mayhew has been following trails and researching Kansas history for his entire life. As a contributor and guide at the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, Mayhew has become an expert on the American Bison. Mayhew will present the past and the present of the story of the American Bison. Free admission, all ages welcome.
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Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
Declaration of Independence Reading Ceremony
July 4, 2018
10 AM - 11 AM
Visitors Center Auditorium
(This video will be shown via National Archives YouTube Channel.)
- Greetings by master of ceremonies Allison Seymour, Fox 5 News Anchor
- Presentation of colors by the Continental Color Guard*
- Live performance of the National Anthem by vocalist Caleb Green
- Performance by the Fife and Drum Corps*
- Remarks by David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
- Dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by reenactors portraying historical characters, including Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abigail Adams, John Dunlap, John Hancock, and Ned Hector
- Live performance of "America the Beautiful" by The MusicianShip Washington Youth Choir
* Continental Color Guard and Fife and Drum Corps provided by U.S. 3rd Infantry, the Old Guard.
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Great Plains Theatre
What do you do when you have three sons but only one throne? Simple, release your estranged wife from prison and have a family Christmas! It's a battle royale of wits and intrigue in The Lion in Winter at Great Plains Theatre opening July 13th. Tickets are available online at
greatplainstheatre.com
or via phone at 785-263-4574. Feel the difference professional makes at GPT.
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Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum
Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum
Open daily 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Free admission
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Old Abilene Town
Wild Bill's Gunfighters
Saturdays
Noon, 1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Sundays
1:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
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Seelye Mansion
Abilene's Historic
Seelye Mansion
is a must-see! Furnished with items from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, remodeled by Frank Lloyd Wright and home to a wooden
bowling alley that's more than 120 years old, it's no "wonder" this beautiful mansion was named one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas - Architecture winners by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.
Tours Daily!
Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m
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Upcoming events:
- Bison Tales presented by Jim Mayhew @ Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum - June 30
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- Independence Day Celebration- July 4
- Governor Nehemia Green portrayed by Nolan Sump @ Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum - July 7
- Movie Screening - "Abilene Town" @ Eisenhower Presidential Library Visitors Center - July 8
- The Lion in Winter @ Great Plains Theatre - July 13-15, 17-22
- Central Kansas Free Fair - August 1-6
- Wild Bill Hickok Rodeo - August 2-4
- National Cowboy Poetry Rodeo - August 2-4
- Shrek the Musical @ Great Plains Theatre - August 10-12, 14-19
- Chisholm Trails Day @ Old Abilene Town - August 31 - September 1
- Not Another Christmas Letter @ Great Plains Theatre - November 30-December 2, 4-9
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[email protected].
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