This is one of the weekend’s that no matter who you are, or what your interest is, chances are within 30 minutes of Pittsburg or Crawford County, you can find something fun to do.
For example, let’s say you’re interested in arts and crafts and want a large variety of vendors and selections:
• In this case, the 38th annual Sugar Mound Arts and Crafts Festival at the Linn County Fairgrounds in Mound City is the place for you. The festival starts Saturday at 9 a.m. and continues through 6 p.m., Sunday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and features over 500 arts and crafts vendors. Admission is free and parking is free also. For more information, call (913) 795-2448 or long onto http://www.linncountyks.com/html/SugarMound.html.
If you’re not interested in arts and crafts and you want to take the kids to something that will find awe inspiring, consider:
• The 40th annual Columbus Day Festival and Hot Air Balloon Regatta. Events begin today including a scarecrow contest, photo contest, bean feed, outhouse races, and a hot air balloon glow and gospel concert. Saturday’s events include a pancake breakfast, the hot air balloon regatta, 5K run, parade, car and motorcycle show, poker run, antique tractor show, children’s games, geocaching, sidewalk chalk drawing, inflatables, live music, arts and crafts vendors, trolley tours, Fall Classic clay shoot at Claythorne Lodge and food vendors. The clay shoot and regatta continue on Sunday. For more information, contact the Columbus Chamber of Commerce at (620) 429-1492.
And for those of you looking for a typical fall Saturday in Crawford County: The Football Capital of Kansas, there is always:
• Pittsburg State University football as the Gorillas take on Emporia State in a 2 p.m. kickoff. The game will be the 1,000th game in the history of PSU football. Pre-game activities include live music, food, tailgate parties and the President’s Chili Challenge. For more information, contact PSU (620) 231-7000.
8 Wonders of Kansas Customs
Four weeks into the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs and the votes tally has jumped some 3,000 votes to clear 7,100 including some 1,000 or more paper ballots.
Votes have been submitted from all 50 states and 27 countries. Voters have until midnight on Oct. 20 to submit ballots and can vote up to three times per e-mail address or can vote by paper ballot.
Paper ballots are available at the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce, 117 West Fourth Street, at the Franklin Community Center and Heritage Museum and various locations throughout Arma.
Crawford County has a finalist in the contest, the Kansas custom of walking to school, on the longest sidewalk in the United States to connect two towns between Franklin and Arma.
For more information on the 24 finalists in the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs contest or to vote, log onto www.8wonders.org. You must vote for eight of the 24 finalists in order for your ballot to count, please be sure to vote for the Franklin-Arma Sidewalk.
Upcoming events
The wet weather should not keep from a number of activities and events taking place in Crawford County this weekend and on into next week, get out and enjoy:
• Opening earlier this week, the artwork of Jennifer Anderson display “Little Slices of Quietus” is now on display at the Harry Krug Gallery located inside Porter Hall on the campus of Pittsburg State University. The display will be open now through Nov. 18. For more information, contact Pittsburg State University at (620) 231-7000.
• It began Thursday and continues today, the inaugural Midwest Trumpet Festival is underway at Pittsburg State University. The American Brass Quintet is scheduled to perform at 7:30 p.m. at McCray Recital Hall. For more information, contact the PSU Music Department, (620) 235-4466.
• Saturday, the American Bass Anglers Association (ABA) will kickoff its 2010 District 58 schedule at Bone Creek Reservoir north and east of Arma at Rocky Point Boat Ramp. In 2010, ABA has lowered its age limit to 14 to allow high school anglers to participate in district point tournaments. For more information, contact District 58 chair Becky Minor at (620) 421-3708 or e-mail at bbminor@centralmidwestbass.com. The ABA District 58 Web site is www.centralmidwestbass.com
• Saturday, Vicki Lawrence returns to Pittsburg’s Memorial Auditorium with her “A Two Woman Show” featuring Mama at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 for the main floor and $30 for all other seats. For more information, contact Memorial Auditorium at (620) 231-7827 or log onto www.memorialauditorium.org. Tickets are also on sale for the Oct. 26 performance of Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance” and the Nov. 13 Oak Ridge Boys Christmas Concert.
Craig Hull is the director of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau. It is the purpose of the Crawford County Convention and Visitors Bureau to promote travel and tourism in Crawford County, Southeast Kansas and the Midwest. He can be reached at chull@pittsburgareachamber.com or at 1-800-879-1112.
PITTSBURG —
