A subject of much conversation lately, albeit behind closed doors, concerns the Big Kansas Road Trip. But do you know what it is?
This event is the brainchild of Marci Penner, who along with her father, Mil Penner, founded the Kansas Sampler Foundation to promote growth and opportunities throughout the state.
The purpose, other than promoting and discovering Kansas counties, is to spur tourism in the areas highlighted for the year. Communities submit their local “attractions” whether a part of nature or man-made and the Kansas Sampler Foundation will create a route through the chosen areas, highlighting each attraction that had been submitted. The intention is not only to promote our rural communities, or to increase tourism, but to give fellow Kansans the opportunity to learn about our state.
Bigkansasroadtrip.com explains the event in terms of pie.
“You can tell people about a good piece of madefrom-scratch pie but there’s nothing like actually smelling the aroma of it and taking that first bite and making swirls with the filling that drips on the plate and mixing it with the little pieces of sugary crust. Eating a pie in the location it’s made is priceless. There is nothing like being there,” the website states.
Concisely, BKRT is designed to turn people on to exploring by doing in a way that will help sustain our communities. Kansas communities are bolstered by others who love to explore.
The idea is to get people onto the back roads and into Kansas towns to see places, to eat in local cafes and to talk to and get to know the locals.
This year, BKRT takes participants to Lincoln and Ellsworth counties have been selected as the counties to explore in 2024. The City of Lucas is included in the Lincoln County attractions due to our proximity.
An Information and Planning Meeting was held Tuesday, August 8 at 5:15 p.m. at the Finch Theatre. The Kansas Sampler Foundation will be visiting Lincoln, Ellsworth, and Lucas that day to introduce the event and help everyone get a better picture of what to expect.
“This is an excellent opportunity for increased business, visitors, and possibly even fundraising, especially if you gain a better understanding of what resonates with the people attending this event,” Penner said. “People that are following this event might come through early and check things out, book their motel rooms or Airbnb’s ahead of time, or use the color guidebook long after next May to come back and visit again.”
“Just be aware that this event is coming, and to pay special attention to the information we send out to help you prepare,” Penner said. “You can reach out to me at any time to talk more details about your specific business, organization, attraction, point of interest, or quirky/interesting individual thing to show off for that weekend.” Between now and May 2024, we will keep you informed as plans begin to take place to show the rest of the state what a great place Lincoln County has become.
