Kansas – Postponed twice because of the pandemic, the Big Kansas Road Trip will happen May 6-9 according to Kansas Sampler Foundation officials and county event leaders.
Organized to help the public get to know rural communities and see what they have to offer, the annual event will take place in Brown, Doniphan and Nemaha counties.
The Hiawatha Chamber and Visitors Bureau is partnering with the Kansas Sampler Foundation to make this a successful event and will be on hand to help provide information during the weekend.
“No matter what the circumstances are, we feel this is an event that can be flexible in terms of providing a safety net for visitors and local participants,” said Marci Penner, Foundation director. “We will hope that many people will have received the vaccine by that time and that wearing a mask and social distancing will be put into practice as needed. In an extreme case, people can still drive the backroads and pack a picnic lunch.”
The Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) is like a giant open house with communities of every size and businesses ready to receive visitors. Communities are asked to simply be good at being themselves.
“This is a way for the public to get to know our people and our story,” said Kylee Bergstrom, Seneca Area Chamber and Downtown Impact director. This exploring audience is interested in supporting local businesses and interacting with the locals. We’re excited for this to finally happen!”
A 51-page program that was printed a year ago is available now at area chambers of commerce and can also be viewed online at bigkansasroadtrip.com. Most of the listed events will still happen but a day program that will be available during the BKRT will have updates as will the bigkansasroadtrip.com web site and the Facebook page.
Local organizers are Connie Werner, Linda Duesing, and Sarah Kleopfer in Brown County; Leah Johnson in Doniphan County; and Kylee Bergstrom and Gina Murchison in Nemaha County.
“If you have any questions about how to participate, contact one of these people,” Penner said.
The BKRT was held in Barber, Comanche and Kiowa Counties in 2018 and in Cheyenne, Sherman and Wallace counties in 2019. The 2022 counties will be announced at the Kansas Explorers Club meeting in Powhattan on May 9 at 10 a.m.
The mission of the Inman-based non-profit Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture.
