Lincoln County was a booming place over the weekend when several visitors converged on Lincoln, Sylvan Grove, Beverly and Barnard! Marci Penner with the Kansas Sampler Foundation chose Lincoln County as one of the hosts of the 2024 Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) which brought visitors from throughout the state, Oklahoma and Nebraska to experience life in Post Rock country. Ellsworth County and the city of Lucas in Russell County were also spotlighted for this annual event.
Crowd sizes varied from event to event and things slowed down in town from time to time as other major events were taking place, and everyone we talked with told us they were very friendly, having a wonderful time and had no idea there were so many neat things to see in this part of the state.
Events in the area included a scavenger hunt beginning at Patterson Health Mart, a Sip and Shop event at Seirers Clothing including a fun photo booth, a look at Post Rock Fitness, Lincoln Art Center, Crispin Drug Store Museum and the Post Rock Scout Museum. Pie on the Porch, a Thursday evening event at the Marshall Yohe House co-sponsored by the Lincoln County Historical Society and MarCon Pies brought a standing room only crowd, inside and out. The Vonada Stone Quarry offered demonstrations both Friday and Saturday that brough large groups each day to see how the county’s native limestone was mined, cut and used when the county was young. Barb Rathbun’s Cookbook House in Barnard, Fly Boy’s and the Union Pacific Railroad Depot in Sylvan Grove, the Nielsen homestead and Denmark Lutheran Church in Denmark, the mural at Vesper’s Community Center, the Connie Achterberg Wildlife Friendly
As an added treat, the East Central Kansas Model T club members brought their prized Model T’s to the area and visited each of the events. (Photo by Jyll Phillips) Demonstration Farm and other historic sites throughout the county were highlighted in the colorful guide book, along with several opportunities in Ellsworth County and Lucas.
Saturday, Penner announced a new event from the Kansas Sampler Foundation in one-day pop-up Road Trips. The first of these is scheduled for August 24 in Blue Rapids. One community will be highlighted, but it would be easy to make it a weekend if desired.
Thanks goes to Kelly Gourley, Lincoln County Economic Development Foundation and Kris Heinze, Marketing Director, for their hard work in promoting this event to bring people into our county.
