These History-Making Artifacts Can Only be Found at Presidential Libraries

From coconut shells to boat cloaks, these mementos tell fascinating tales from American presidential history.

Abilene is home to one of only 13 Presidential Libraries scattered across the country. 


These 10 Kansas Restaurants Serve Fried Chicken Worthy of a Food Coma

brookville hotel
For Kansans, there's not a lot that beats a plate of fresh fried chicken. No matter the time of day, this simple but amazing meal is served all over the state and continues to be one of our favorites. For this reason, we're always on the lookout for everyone's favorite restaurants that serve it, as well as new places that we've never heard of before. Have you been to all 10 of these restaurants to have some chicken? .


Brown Memorial Park

With temperatures warming, it's the perfect time to visit Brown Memorial Park. 

The park is open to the public throughout the year.  Picnics, family events, weddings, frisbee golf, fishing, hiking and walking are just part of what  visitors enjoy doing at the Park.  Facilities include five shelter houses and two restrooms.
 
This beautiful 200 acre park is for all to enjoy; with shelter houses, restrooms, Frisbee disc golf, Turkey Creek for fishing, a duck pond, and the Easter sunrise service facility.  Camp Mary Dell is available for weekend retreats, family gatherings, camping etc., must call for reservations. The Boy Scout Camp is operated by the Coronado Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. 

KANSAS! Magazine's Weekend Getaways Finalists

Abilene named one of the 20 finalists for KANSAS! Magazine's Favorite Weekend Getaway contest.

Sometimes you just have to get away. Maybe as a couple, family or just some friends needing to unplug and reconnect. What's your favorite destination in Kansas to take a weekend getaway?

Voting has begun, you can vote daily through March 16 and May 31. Winning "Weekend Getaways" will be announced in the winter 2018 issue.
Readers' Choice Guidelines
  • Vote daily between now and May 31st.
  • Winners will be determined by the total number of votes received.
  • Winners will be revealed in the winter 2018 edition of the KANSAS!.
Please vote daily for Abilene using:

National Geographic Bee
The Kansas State Bee will take place at Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene on April 6, 2018

11:45 a.m. - On-site registration begins
12:45 p.m. - Official Program and Competition

Eisenhower Marathon

Join runners from around the country for the annual Eisenhower Marathon!

Saturday, April 7, 2018
Marathon/Half start @ 7:00 a.m.
10k/5k start @ 7:30 a.m.

 
Skydive K-State - 3K Day

Come watch the K-State skydivers attempt to make 300 jumps in a single day.

The K-State Parachute Club invites you to watch  3K Day on  April 14th.  Low-altitude jumps from 3,000 ft will be clearly visible from the ground, and the airplane will be dropping jumpers every 10 minutes.  During the event, the club will hold an accuracy landing contest, and spectators will be welcome to gather around the target.  Additionally, some jumpers will be training in the exciting discipline of high performance canopy piloting, flying just feet above the ground in excess of 70 mph.

When arriving for spectating, please seek out a staff member for a briefing of landing area safety and what to expect.  Lawn chairs will be allowed for watching the accuracy contest, but please be aware that jumper experience levels vary, and it will be the spectator's responsibility to avoid incoming competitors who may be slightly off-target.

Jumping will begin at approximately  7am and continue all day.  Hope to see you there!

Saturday, April 14, 2018
Abilene Municipal Airport 
7:00 a.m.
Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills

Click image to learn more
If you  love  the  Flint Hills , you won't want to miss  Prairie Hollow Productions ' screening of "Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills", a feature-length film profiling notable women promoting, preserving & protecting the Flint Hills, April 15 at  Great Plains Theatre .


There is no charge for admission, but attendees are encouraged to register online.

Note: Those who love Sunflower Journeys will remember Prairie Hollow Productions' co-founder, Dave Kendall as its host for nearly 30 years. Kendall also has ties to Dickinson County. We are pleased he chose Abilene's Great Plains Theatre as one of the theatres to screen "Prairie Women: Engaging Women of the Flint Hills."
Reitz & Rust Vintage Market and Camper Show

As featured in SouthernLiving and back by popular demand, the Reitz & Rust Vintage Market's Camper Show!

Saturday, April 28, 2018
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$4 admission

 
Arts & Ales

Save the date! Join the Arts Council of Dickinson County for their inaugural Arts & Ales fundraiser featuring craft beer samples from Kansas breweries, live music and silent auction. 

Saturday, April 28, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Little Ike Park / Parking Lot
Downtown Abilene

Tickets:
Pre-sale - $30
At the gate - $35

Vendors Wanted

Abilene will be the scene of its first ever outdoor antique festival in the downtown area on May 12.  Five blocks will be closed to traffic and filled with vendors selling vintage, retro, antique furniture and decor, repurposed items, and food.  The event is being presented by two downtown antique malls, Mud Creek and Abilene Downtown Antique Mall and is being organized by volunteers who plan to make this an annual event.
 
Anyone interested in being a vendor can email  [email protected] .    
Throwback Thursday: C.W. Parker, The Amusement King.

From the Abilene Weekly Reflector, April 21 1904:

To rise from a position of janitor to that of the leading amusement king of half a continent in less than a dozen years, is a record which any man should be proud.


5 Star Reviews - Seelye Mansion

Owner gave an outstanding tour and
 provided detailed information on the history and the details of the home. If you enjoy both history and neat older houses, you cannot pass this one up.

-John Benson

"The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
June 22, 1945

train
Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad

The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad's 2018 schedule is now available online. Book early to reserve prime dates!

Dickinson County Heritage Center Fundraising Auction

Join the Dickinson County Heritage Center on Saturday, April 14 for a fundraising consignment auction. 


Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home


Saturday, April 14
Remembering Vietnam Symposium
Visitors Center Auditorium

Remembering Vietnam. Join us at the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum to remember and honor Vietnam veterans and their families. "Remembering Vietnam" will feature keynote speaker Chris Lovett, Vietnam veteran and professor at Emporia State University, two panels, and a presentation.

Panel discussions: 
- Policy at 11:15am 
- Vietnam Veterans at 2:00pm

Presentation: 
"Vietnam: Then and Now"
Come share your experience with others who understand.



New merchandise available in Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum
Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum

Greyhound fans from around the country will soon flock to Abilene for the  National Greyhound Association 's spring meet. 

The  Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum 's updated model racetrack is definitely a "must-see". Thanks to the  Abilene Reflector Chronicle  for this great story! 

Great Plains Theatre

Dan Kamin
Comedy In Motion
April 7, 7:00 p.m.
Tickets: Adults $20  Students $15

Dan Kamin trained Robert Downey Jr. for his Oscar-nominated performance in Chaplin and created Johnny Depp's comedy moves for Benny and Joon. In Comedy in Motion he lampoons smarmy magicians, pompous divas, texting drivers and "other annoying people who try my patience and risk my life." Come find out why Dan's been called "demented, charming and brilliant."  Scroll down to watch a video of what Dan does!




Live Literature
Dust off your cowboy hat and dig out your spurs,  Great  Plains  Theatre's Live Literature returns this April with Happy Trails, a tale of mischief, magic and mayhem on the old Chisholm Trail. 

Students this year will follow a brother and sister as they move from Texas to Abilene, with a brief stop in the Old West! How did they end up in the back of a chuck wagon instead of their family pickup? How will they ever find their way home back to the present? Young viewers will learn fun and interesting facts about the history of the Chisholm Trail, the story of which still impacts our area today!

Happy Trails was written incorporating stories and poems from our statewide Creative Writing contest that encouraged elementary students to think and write about the history of our Land, especially Kansas. Winners of the contest include: Zaylah Wray of Hesston, who took first place, Tori Breen of Holton, who tied for second with a group of students from Abilene's McKinley Elementary, Elissa Sweat, Kenlie Delay, Carstyn Smith, and Maddy Keller.

Happy Trails begins its performance week on  Great  Plains  Theatre's stage on  Monday, April 9, which will be followed by a week of touring  Monday, April 16. Both touring and in-house performances still have tickets and spots available, for only $3 a ticket. For information on how your students can experience Live Literature you can email  [email protected], call the office at 785-263-4574, or stop by  401 Cottage Ave, Abilene.


Coming soon:
  • K-State Skydivers at Abilene Municipal Airport - April 14
  • Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills - April 15
  • National Greyhound Association's Spring Meet - April 16-21
  • Reitz & Rust Spring Vintage Market - April 28
  • Arts & Ales - April 28
  • Antique Fest - May 12
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Have an upcoming event? Help us, help you. We do our best to stay up-to-date, but please make sure to include us in your event and special promotions. Please send announcements to: [email protected].