Anticipation for the opening this week of the Kansas State Fair is at an all-time high, thanks in part to a multitude of enhancements on the fairgrounds, including the opening of the 1861 Club, a food and beverage venue adjacent to the Domestic Arts Building.
Every September makes this state fair junkie more than a little nostalgic. Growing up on a farm near New Cambria, attending the Kansas State Fair each September was the social event of the year that even ranked ahead of going to the neighbors to watch Kansas State and Kansas University play basketball on an old black and white Zenith television set. One of our first stops at the fair was the Channel 12 booth which remains to this day in the same spot, to visit with real live on-air personalities, a major big deal in the 1960s.
The 1861 Club was the brainchild of the now 20-year-old Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation (KFF). A tour of the club last week was reaffirmation that those who drew the blueprint to build this club did everything to the finest detail, first class and, in doing so, created an attraction that will serve fairgoers for generations to come. And, in the 355 non-fair days each year, the 1861 Club will be a popular spot for everything from wedding receptions to corporate meetings and church gatherings.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the small group of people who made the 1861 Club happen: Mary McCurry, KFF Board Chair; along with board members Steve Dillon, Brad Rayl, Ann Sankey, Abby Miller, Tawnya Roenbaugh and Jamie Rutledge along with James Fisher, KFF Executive Director and Tami Rife, 1861 Club manager; this group of visionaries worked hundreds of hours to make this all happen. And, it would not have happened without them.
Completion of the 1861 Club is one of many that have come to fruition during the past two decades including the Lair White House, House of Capper and Cooperative Park, the murals for the fair’s Informational Center, and improvements to the livestock Birthing Center.
In visiting with Bryan Schulz, General Manager of the Kansas State Fair, he spoke of a myriad of other improvements on the fairgrounds including new paving for streets, the installation of nearly 70 cameras to provide added safety for fairgoers to a state-of-the-art sound system.
Thanks to Bryan’s efforts, the American Legion donated 69 flags for display throughout the fairgrounds. So, when the national anthem is played at 10 a.m. each day during the fair, fairgoers should be near a flag.
In nearly 200 contacts with Hutchinson businesses this spring and summer seeking support for the annual Boots and Bling Auction, the locals expressed support for the current leadership of the Kansas State Fair and said this great Kansas event is in good hands and headed in the right direction.
So, let us all plan to meet at 11 a.m. Friday, September 6, in the Peoples Bank and Trust Arena to open the 111th Kansas State Fair. And, when that is completed, check out the chicken and noodles and meatloaf dinner in the southeast corner of the Cottonwood Food Court.
I cannot think of a better way to kick off another Kansas State Fair.
-Richard Shank