Join Team Abilene!
The Abilene CVB and Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce partnered as "Team Abilene" to promote Abilene, its attractions and businesses.
 
We participated in another great event! Fort Riley's Fall  Apple Day Festival was an opportunity for us to connect and share Abilene with thousands of servicemembers and their families. Many of those we spoke with were new to the area (within the last two months) and have not yet visited Abilene. The Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce and Greyhound Hall of Fame Museum both joined us as "Team Abilene". We had a very strong presence!

Abilene was also recently featured in the Right and Up blog, which "strives to show all of the undiscovered treasures in military towns". Check it out here.

This week I also had the opportunity to share my "job" with 80+ Abilene kindergartners on their first field trip. How would you describe the Abilene CVB with one object? My choice: pom poms. The Abilene CVB is the cheerleader for Abilene. Organizations like the Abilene
Photo courtesy of Mrs. Willey.
 CVB are scattered in tourism communities across the country. We are the cheerleaders f or  our communities. We discussed cheerleaders, favorite Abilene attractions (don't forget the park!), where we take our grandparents when they visit, where we go on vacation and ended with a huddle and "Go Abilene"! My hope is that these 80+ children grow up with an incredible sense of community pride. Abilene is a wonderful community to live, work, do business and visit.

Speaking of visitors... the Kansas Department of Revenue reported August's Transient Guest Tax Collection in Abilene is 24.42% higher than this time one year ago. We appreciate all of those who choose to overnight in our community and all of our lodging establishments for providing visitors with great places to stay.

Lastly, please join us on Saturday, September 30 at the fall Reitz & Rust Vintage Market. This event is the perfect example of tourism. The Reitz & Rust Vintage Market coordinates an event, it brings thousands of visitors to Abilene, they shop at the market, dine in Abilene restaurants and take to the streets to then shop in Abilene businesses. After the market, make sure to stay for Oktoberfest at Old Abilene Town complete with live music and German food! 

Julie Roller, Abilene CVB Director

#AbileneProud #TeamAbilene

Savor the Sunflower State: What to Eat in Kansas

Are you a foodie? If so, this list by the Food Network is for you! 





Throwback Thursday

Abilene's Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum has a new exhibit titled, "Influential Past and Present People in Abilene". The exhibit celebrates the pioneers that held the first significant positions in Abilene and the present-day individuals that continue to embrace change while providing the best opportunities for progress in our town.

Come in to view the FREE exhibit and get to know the Bank President and Chief of Police along with others that influence Abilene.

The exhibit will run until Janu ary 26, 2018.

An OPEN HOUSE for this event will be from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Friday, September 29th at the Jeffcoat Museum. Everyone is invited!
Trip Advisor - Greyhound 
Hall of Fame

Have you visited an Abilene business or attraction? Make sure to share your experience by leaving reviews.
39th Annual Chisholm Trail Day Festival

Visit the Dickinson County Heritage Center on Saturday, October 7 for a classic car show, antique tractor show, live entertainment, history demos and more!

Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home

Cokie Roberts will moderate a discussion with directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick about their PBS documentary series, The Vietnam War PBS, in conjunction with the November 10 opening of the US National Archives exhibit, Remembering Vietnam. 

Presented in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of L3 Technologies.


The Chisholm Trail: Driving the American West
August 24 - October 12 | Library Lobby

This traveling exhibit, a collaboration between Symphony in the Flint Hills and Flint Hills Design in partnership with Lost Trail Soda, invites visitors of all ages to explore the Chisholm Trail from its inception in the 1860s to today. The Chisholm Trail revitalized the cattle industry following the Civil War, and gave rise to the iconic American cowboy. Exhibit highlights include an interactive musical exploration of the scores of verses to the cowboy song, "The Old Chisholm Trail," video and audio clips of movies and songs that reference the Chisholm Trail. Younger visitors can create their own brands with the "Brand Your Beeves" interactive station.

Chisholm Trail and the Cowtown that Raised a President
Exhibit in the Museum Temporary Gallery until May 2018

Celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail, which brought nearly two million cattle from Texas to the railhead in Abilene, Kansas, between 1867 and 1871. See rare artifacts and historic photographs. Learn about the square meal, the real McCoy, origins of the cowboy boot, and "the wickedest town in the West." Discover stories behind the legends of T.C. McInerney, Bear River Smith, and Wild Bill Hickok among others. Find out why Dwight Eisenhower developed a love for all things western in the Cowtown that raised a President!

Eisenhower and the Great War
Exhibit in the Upstairs Library Gallery until May 2018

War erupted in Europe in 1914 and soon involved nations around the globe. The Great War, as it became known, shocked the world with its massive scope and the industrial-like slaughter created by advances in military technology. The United States reluctantly joined the conflict in 1917 and began to build a large professional army from the ground up. One of the young officers who helped in this endeavor was a lieutenant by the name of Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower showed remarkable talent for organization and leadership during the years of American involvement in the war. Tasked with training thousands of inexperienced troops in the new and untested art of armored warfare, Eisenhower quickly built a strong and motivated group of soldiers while overcoming severe obstacles and setbacks. This exhibit tells the story of the Great War and its influence on Eisenhower's leadership abilities. World War I, as it would become known later in the century, proved critical to the making of this American Icon.

Great Plains Theatre 

The Wonderful Wizard of OZ




Reitz & Rust Vintage Market and Old Abilene Town Oktoberfest



Visit Abilene, Kansas for the 4th Annual Reitz & Rust Fall & Holiday  Market!

Saturday, September 30 

Enjoy, shopping, live music, food trucks and more!

Stay after the Market to attend Old Abilene Town's Oktoberfest celebration complete with food vendors, music and beer garden.

Calendar of Events

DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
DETAILS
9/30/17 Reitz & Rust Fall & Holiday Vintage Market & Vintage Camper Show Central Kansas Free Fair fairgrounds 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
9/30/17 Oktoberfest Old Abilene Town 4 p.m. - Close
Concert @ 8:00 p.m.
10/7/2017 Impact the Cure Downtown Abilene 7:00 a.m.
10/7/2017 Chisholm Trail Day Dickinson County Heritage Center All day
10/7/2017 Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad Steam Engine Rides (short runs, half price) Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
10/7/2017 Bonebrake Concert Series "Ann Zimmerman" Great Plains Theatre 7:00 p.m.
   
Stay in Abilene
Abilene Lodging Establishments

Abilene  is home to more than 200 rooms. Whether you're in town to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library & Museum, enjoy a show at the Great Plains Theatre, attend the Central Kansas Free Fair, meet with greyhound industry leaders or take a ride on the  Abilene  & Smoky Valley Railroad, we invite you to extend your visit, spend the night and enjoy all  Abilene  has to offer.
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