by Marketing | Apr 2, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past month, I had occasion to attend a check presentation recognizing a $99,000 Attraction Development Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce to support preservation of the Ye Old Mill, one of the Fair’s most iconic and historic attractions. The grant...
by Marketing | Mar 5, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past week, I had occasion to attend the February breakfast meeting of the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce at the 1861 Club. As 100 of Hutchinson’s business leaders gathered, Chamber President Debra Teufel spoke briefly about business expansions...
by Marketing | Feb 5, 2026 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
This past month, I participated in a meeting of the Kansas Fairgrounds Foundation (KFF) Board of Directors. As a member of this board for the past 10-years, I am always impressed that our leadership team takes whatever time is needed to cover all topics under...
by Marketing | Dec 31, 2025 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
Thursday, we officially said goodbye to 2025 and launched a new year. Many achievements affecting the Kansas State Fair were realized in 2025, and January 1 gives us a fresh start to continue the upward progression of positivity. For many, it is a...
by Marketing | Dec 5, 2025 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
In 26 days the curtain will descend on 2025, and we will awaken to the start of a new year. During our youth it seemed time passed ever so slowly. With age comes times when it passes too quickly. Months become years and years become decades. Writer Hal...
by Marketing | Nov 7, 2025 | Shank's Take: Newsletter Column
Twenty days from today, America’s families and loved ones will be seated together for a Thanksgiving feast, an American tradition that saw its origin 400 years in 1621. The first Thanksgiving dinner was held near Plymouth Rock where English settlers stepped off the...
