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The tourist season
is fast approaching, so we have devoted most of this quarterly issue
of our newsletter to tourism.
Economic Development and Tourism The Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation has incorporated tourism marketing and development into our basic economic development strategy. We have also been working with a number of people from throughout the county on a strategic tourism plan for the future. A draft of the plan should be ready in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, we have been working with communities, organizations and groups to make people aware of emerging tourism opportunities and to promote what we already have. In June 2003, Kelly Pearl was hired to promote county tourism efforts. Since she began she has been learning the facets of group tour marketing, promoting the county through advertisements and promotions and representing the county at tourism shows. If anyone would like help with promoting a new or existing tourist attraction, please let Kelly know. She will be happy to assist anyone with marketing strategies. Agri Tourism Conference a Big Success! Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, Pottawatomie County Extension and Pottawatomie County Farm Bureau Association cooperated to organize and host our first agri tourism conference, Jan. 21, 2004, in Westmoreland. 90 people attended the conference from Pottawatomie and surrounding counties. A love of buffalo led Jack Beauchamp to create Beauchamp Buffalo Ranch outside of Ottawa, Kan., but little did Jack realize that there were more people who wanted to be close to live buffalo than those who wanted to buy their meat. Jack now has thousands of people visit his ranch for "hayrack" rides through the buffalo herd, so that they can get "up close and personal" with these shaggy beasts. This is just one of the many agri-tourism success stories that were told at the Pottawatomie County Agri Tourism Conference. Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, Pottawatomie County Extension and Pottawatomie County Farm Bureau cooperated in hosting an agri tourism conference, Jan. 21, 2004, in Westmoreland. 90 people participated in the conference from Pottawatomie and surrounding counties. Participants heard presentations from representatives from difference sectors of agri tourism, including: Beachamp Buffalo Ranch, Ottawa, Kan., Schaake's Family Pumpkin Patch, Lawrence, Kan., Red Rock Guest Ranch, Soldier, Kan., and Uhlik Hunting Service, Washington, Kan. Also giving presentations at the conference were: Keith Sexson, Director of Operations for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Scott Allegruci, Director of Kansas Travel and Tourism, Roger Mcoewen, a recreational liability expert and Tammy Birkbeck, a representative from Frontier Farm Credit. The lesson learned at the conference is that agricultural tourism is a viable and a growing business opportunity available to farmers and ranchers in our area. It is an untapped market, which many tourists are looking for. OZ Museum Grand Opening Wamego's OZ Museum celebrated its Grand Opening on April 3, 2004. Approximately 700 people from all over the nation joined in with local residents to partake in the festivities. Guests of Honor at the opening included: Roger Baum (the great grandson of L. Frank Baum, the author of the Wizard of Oz), two of the original munchkins that appeared in the movie, Margaret Pellegrini and Clarence Sewnson. Also at the Grand Opening were people posing as all of the Oz characters. After the ribbon cutting ceremony, guests participated in a balloon launch. The afternoon festivities were followed by an evening fundraiser dinner, which was highly successful. Our Best Rural Tourism Partner! Our best rural tourism partner is the Kansas Explorer's Club. The Club is composed of thousands of active members who make a point to tour all over rural Kansas. It is a wing of the Kansas Sampler Foundation - our foremost statewide rural advocacy organization. A private, non-profit corporation that receives no government money, the Foundation is headquartered near Inman, Kansas at the family farm of Marci Penner, its director, and her parents. We encourage you to join Kansas Explorer's Club, to take advantage of the opportunities to "See Kansas With New Eyes", to "Dare to Do Dirt" around the state with other members, to receive their newsletter, and to host other members at your town or attraction! Our goal is "5002 by 2005" - to see the Explorer's Club grow to 5002 members by 2005! See www.explorekansas.org for more information about this wonderful organization! Individual annual membership is only $18.61. Annual family memberships are $30.00. Tourism Projects that are underway
Black
Jack Hills Recreational Area, St. George
Ron and Joni Noe, recently became the owners of the Black Jack
Hills Recreational Area, near St. George. "The Best Little Party
Place in Kansas," features a banquet facility which seats 250
and can be used for parties, weddings, receptions, reunions, etc.
The facility features on-site catering and complete bar service.
The recreational area has a playground area, tetherball, two sand
volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, half-court basketball, a softball
diamond and a nature trail.
Recently Black Jack Hills hosted a music festival, which featured
the Southern Rock All-Stars and Crosswind. In addition, Black
Jack Hills has began "Restaurant Night" on Thursdays, which will
feature local entertainment. Customers at "Restaurant Night" will
be treated to weekly menus of smoked meats and the fixins'.
For more information about Black Jack Hills contact Ron or Joni
Noe at 785-494-2707.
Lazy
N Ranch, St. George
Lazy N Ranch, a secluded two-story limestone guest house is a great place for people to unwind and get needed peace and quiet. Dave and Mary Jo Nelson began restoring the home in 2002, and since the restoration the Nelson's have been renting the home for weekend getaways. The guest house sits on 900 acres, which includes 13 ponds
(one stocked trout pond), miles of trails, an abundance of wildlife
and best off - no phone! The guest house, which sleeps six comfortably,
has a rustic feel throughout, however it comes equipped with
a full kitchen and central heat and air. For more information
about the Lazy N Ranch, or for reservations, contact Dave or
Mary Jo Nelson at (785) 494-2100.
Fair Pavilion listed on National Register of Historic Places Congratulations
to The Friends of the Fair Pavilion in Onaga. The group, a local
non-profit corporation, is well on its way to redeveloping the
old Historic Sale Pavilion located on the county fairgrounds.
Over the past two years, "The Friends," have: acquired
ownership of the property, received their official non-profit
status from the IRS, received official recognition of the Sale
Pavilion as a National and State Historic Site, raised almost
$20,000 in private funds and completed a grant application to
the State Historic Trust for funds to rehabilitate the building!
The grant application is under consideration now and will be
decided on later this year. The fair pavilion was also recognized
by the Kansas Preservation Alliance as one of the most endangered
properties in Kansas. The Pottawatomie County Economic Development
Corporation provided initial support to Friends of the Sale
Pavilion to help get this project underway.
The Historic Sale Pavilion is one of only seven round barns left standing in the State of Kansas. When its rehabilitation is complete, it will not only be an important tourist attraction as a unique building, but will also include a county fair museum and shopping "mall" of home made crafts from area residents and crafts people. Kansas
Living History Day in Havensville
Havensville Community Center hosted the 20th
annual Kansas Living History Day, April 2, 2004. Children
and adults of all ages gathered to get a hands-on experience
at the way Kansans lived hundreds of years ago. Kansas
Living History Day invites students from all over the area
to participate in this look back in time. "We have had students
from 14 different schools here at a time," Terry
Jordan, a trustee with the Havensville Community Center said.
Demonstrations at History Day included:
Civil War reenactments by the 3rd Kansas Light Artillery Battery,
Ft. Riley Honor Guard and Encampment, Standing Bear Society
Indian Folk Song and Drums. Presentations were given by Ed
Dillinger "American Bison, Monarch of the Plains," Judy Coder
"Real Cowboys and Cowgirls," and Cynthia Falk "Pioneer Bread
Making." Participants learned about rope making, quilting,
model trains, basket making, custom knives, hair curling,
butter churning, loom weaving, Indian skull art, soap making
and wood carving. Also in attendance were mountain men and
trappers, pioneers complete with a covered wagon and
historical societies from Onaga and Havensville. Participants
also were given the chance to test their strength on a railroad
pump car.
A majority of presenters were volunteers from
around the area. "This is the 20th year that I have been demonstrating
with my dad's rope making machine." Jim Armstrong,
Havensville, said while showing a group of on-lookers
the techniques to rope making.
The Havensville Community Center,a non-profit organization, has sponsored the event for the last two years after the elementary school was closed. Many of the former Havensville Elementary students help with the event. The community center also hosts, musicals, reunions, 4th of July celebrations and other community based events. Caterpillar
Work Tools, Wamego, Kansas
Caterpillar
Work Tools in Wamego is building out an expansion of their
administrative area and of areas needed to house new equipment
and inventory. This expansion will mean the loss of the
old softball field on the south side of the company, but
is a welcome expansion of a core industry in the county.
EcoDevo
Corporation Offers 25 Light Industrial/Commercial Lots
for Sale. Green Valley Business Park - 7 light industrial/commercial lots - great location, all utilities installed. E 24 Highway and Green Valley Rd. Wamego Industrial Park , 8 light industrial/commercial lots - great location, all utilities installed. 24 Highway just east of Wamego. Contact Bob Cole at 785-456-9776 or see our web site for more information www.ecodevo.com
Onaga
and Westmoreland Acquire 21st Century Telecommunications!
The communities of Onaga and Westmoreland and the rural homes surrounding them will soon have "fiber optic to the home" telecommunications service courtesy of Blue Valley Telecommunications Cooperative. Installation of this capability will bring these two rural exchanges completely into 21 st century voice, text and data communications capability. Installation of fiber optic will mean that any enterprise, which relies on high-speed, reliable, information, will be able to do business in the affected areas of our county in the future. Check out the Blue Valley Telecommunications web site at www.bluevalley.net for more information about this exciting and welcome development! About 18 months ago, the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation hosted some beginning discussions about the future of telecommunications in Onaga and Westmoreland. Local people followed up by examining alternatives with different providers. Congratulations to the people and organizations in Onaga and Westmoreland whose persistence paid off! And a Big Thanks to Blue Valley Telecommunications for adding these two exchanges to their service area! Future
Highway 24 Improvements Considered
The Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation is a member organization of the Tri-County Economic Development Committee, which includes Geary, Riley and Pottawatomie County. Part of the joint effort agreed to between the three counties has been improvement of our regional transportation infrastructure. The Tri-county committee met in February with the Kansas Secretary of Transportation, initially to discuss improvements to Highway 18 from I-70 through Ogden to Manhattan. Commissioner Richard Carlson then began discussions with the Department of Transportation, Shawnee County Commissioners and the Greater Topeka Economic Development Committee on adding improvements to Highway 24 to our transportation future. Initial discussions have focused on making Hwy 24 a "super two" between Wamego and Topeka, to improve safety and convenience, as the traffic loads on this stretch of the highway have grown about 30 % in the past 10 years and will continue to grow in the future. Commissioner Carlson recently made a presentation to the St Marys Chamber of Commerce on this issue. During that meeting it was noted that a detailed plan reflecting the design preferences of affected communities needs to be completed over the next two years, in order for it to be ready to be nominated for inclusion in the State's next Comprehensive Transportation Plan. Additional meetings and discussions on Highway 24 improvements are planned for the future. In the meantime, the Department of Transportation is working with the county engineer on improved reverse access lanes along high traffic areas of Highway 24 just east of Manhattan. In addition, the Vermillion Bridge just west of Belvue will be widened, beginning this coming winter. Highway
99 Bridge Improvements Underway
The Kansas Department of Transportation continues to work on two new bridges on Highway 99 at Westmoreland. When completed, these bridges will have been widened and the highway straightened and also widened at the southern approach to Westmoreland and on the primary intersection leading to downtown. Hopefully, at some point in the future, Highway 99 itself can be widened and straightened to provide shoulders and view planes adequate to modern traffic!
Mark
your calendars for these events
185 years ago on August 8, 1819 A company of 13 persons left Fort Osage (Missouri) for an overland journey.Major Stephen H. Long, Mr. Thomas Say (a zoologist), and others .including five soldiers and Major Thomas Biddle.. Say and his companions had already coped with blowflies, rattlesnakes, high and coarse prairie grasses (which slowed their progress; wore out their clothing and moccasins), "excessive heat" and exposure, and fatigue. Dysentery, and shortage of food were other problems as they traveled up the (Kansas) river valley. After searching on both sides of the Kansas they eventually located a trail leading up the north side. On the 19th they came to the Vermillion (in present Pottawatomie County), where, no other game being available, they "dined on the flesh of a black wolf." Next day, they approached the 120 lodge Kansa village (two miles east of present Manhattan). The chiefs and warriors "came rushing out on horseback, painted and decorated, and followed by great numbers on foot." After being escorted to a lodge, Say and his companions took part in a pipe-smoking ceremony and a talk; then feasted (on jerked buffalo meat and boiled corn) as guests of Ka-he-ga-wa-ta-ning-ga (Fool or Little Chief), and other leaders. During their four-day visit in the town, Thomas Say collected valuable data about the Kansa - their way of life, dress, customs, beliefs, etc. Leaving on the 24th , the Say party traveled seven miles up the "Blue Earth" (Big Blue) river and camped beside a stream (McIntyre? Creek) in present Pottawatomie county. A short time later about 140 mounted Pawnee Republic Indians descended on them, drove off the pack-horses, plundered their baggage and provisions, then departed leaving the white men humiliated but unharmed. In the morning they retraced their way to the Kansa village. That evening the hospitable Indians performed a "dog dance" to entertain them, a scene that artist Samuel Seymour portrayed in a sketch.....(which was apparently... the first ever illustration printed relating to what is now Kansas). Abandoning their journey to the Platte, Say and his companions on August 26 set out .....northeasterlyward...to the mouth of Wolf river (in present Doniphan county), where, on September 1, they caught up with the steamboat Western Engineer. (The foregoing descriptions taken from The Beginning of the West, Annals of the Kansas Gateway to the American West, 1540-1854, by Louise Barry, Kansas State Historical Society, 1972)
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