The Hesston College Alumni Association invites alumni and friends to participate in the eighth annual Explore Kansas! , a venture to south central Kansas Friday, May 29.
Dallas Stutzman, vice president of Alumni Relations, says the purpose of the annual Explore Kansas! is twofold. “We want to enjoy the company of alumni, friends, and faculty and staff of Hesston College,” he said, “and to encourage new learnings and appreciation of Kansas.”
This year’s trip will explore sites in the Gypsum Hills, Belvidere, Greensburg, and Mullinville. The day begins at 7 a.m. with charter bus service from Hesston Mennonite Church, with a morning coffee, juice, and roll break after arriving in the beautiful Gypsum Hills (Eight Wonders of Kansas Finalist) area.
Tour activities include the Jantz Cattle Ranch to hear about their operation and the annual round up and branding. Participants will tour the Belvidere, Sun City, and Wilmore, Kansas, areas and the Trails End Junke Shoppe. The day’s history story involves this area and the infamous Bonnie and Clyde.
At Greensburg, you’ll hear a GreenTown Presentation and visit to the following downtown locations: Sun Chips Business Incubator facility and shops, the Big Well (One of the Eight Wonders of Kansas), Silo Home, and 547 Arts Center, a facility that achieved platinum status, the highest rating given by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
Pastor Jeff Blackburn of Greensburg Mennonite Church will share about the EF-5 tornado that devastated Greensburg just over two years ago, the experience of rebuilding a new church facility, and what the congregation of today is like after this experience.
A service project is included in this Explore Kansas! tour. The local Red Cross Blood Drive will be taking place at the church and tour participants will have the option of giving blood.
Cannon Ball Catering will provide a light lunch and also rustle up a Western-style BBQ meal for the evening.
The day concludes with a stop near Mullinville at the Fromme-Birney Historic Barn on the National Registry and Eight Architectural Wonders of Kansas. The tour group will hear a presentation by local Norval Ralston, enjoy a Western meal, and an entertainment program on the beautiful upper level dance floor of the barn.
Cost is $70 per person and is limited to the first 50 persons to register, with a deadline of no later than no later than Friday, May 22.
For more information, contact Dallas Stutzman, toll-free at 866-437-7866 (or 866-HESSTON), or alumni@hesston.edu. An event reminder will be sent to registrants prior to departure.