K-96 June Jaunt 2012 Recap: Great Bend

As we begin our journey in planning the 2013 K-96 June Jaunt, we have taken the time to reflect about all the fun we had in 2012 with the first K-96 June Jaunt! If you missed any of the fun, be sure to follow our recap series!

The Great Bend June Jaunt has been deemed a great success! The weekend was highly anticipated, had great participation and created a buzz among citizens and outside communities. It was wonderful for Great Bend to collaborate and promote all the activities for the weekend which appealed to many different types of people. Instead of competing with the other events going on in the community embracing and promoting together made a stronger turnout for all the community events, including:

• Human (e) Motion at GB Regional (had 214 participants),
• Nextech Zoofest had 3,150 people,
• Hap Dumont Tournament had 42 teams,
• Sidewinders Poker Run Raised $1600 for Barton County Relay for Life,
• Barton Co. Historical Society had a packed house,
• Van Tours for the Kansas Wetlands Education Center were full on Fri & Sat.
• Straw Bale Building Tours at Heartland Farms had 34 participants.
• Flea Market had 200 different people enter the giveaway
• Traffic was up for the wood carving viewings at Waters True Value
• The Birdhouse Art Tour had numerous visitors to each site and the scavenger hunt had approximately 80 contestants for the prizes.
• The Summer Street Stroll had over 40 different vendors plus kids’ activities, live music all day, and art exhibits close by. The crowd during the day fluctuated but was busiest in the morning and evening with well over 250 observers to close out the last musical group. 

People were participating, stores reported having seen different shoppers and others like Perks reported double the normal sales on Saturday.  Many people commented on the excellent live musical performances, the entertainers like the magician and the walking puppet show. The overall success was exposing the stores through the different art displays and demonstrations, creating excitement for locals, and unifying efforts for the City all while showing the partnerships created in Great Bend and for the Region with the other communities. Be sure to mark your calendar for the 2^nd Annual June Jaunt, the 1^st weekend in June 2013.

K-96 June Jaunt 2012 Recap: Ellinwood

As we begin our journey in planning the 2013 K-96 June Jaunt, we have taken the time to reflect about all the fun we had in 2012 with the first K-96 June Jaunt! If you missed any of the fun, be sure to follow our recap series!

The Ellinwood Community was a buzz with visitors during the June Jaunt.  On Friday evening Wolf Park was full with spectators to enjoy a magic show by Adam Ranger and indulge in ice cream sundaes. After a very entertaining show the crowd made the move over to the lot besides Kimples for a showing of the Muppets for the outdoor movie. It was a great experience for the youngsters as many had never been to an outdoor movie. The chilly temperatures also kept the bugs away for a very enjoyable night. 

Saturday the weather was beautiful and the bricked line streets were full of parked cars from far and near. The Arts & Antique Outdoor Market was a huge success and held a big crowd throughout the day. Visitors to the market were able to enjoy live music and also have a wide variety of food options. For the young at heart, while at the Outdoor Market they could enjoy the free kids arts & crafts workshop along with the petting zoo. After visiting the Arts & Antique Outdoor Market people strolled up Main Street to view the large attendance of entries at the Car Show, shop the sidewalk sales and antique store specials, and then shop the Craft Show in Wolf Park. The group tours of the Historic Underground World were full every showing time during all three days of the June Jaunt. A record number of people toured the Underground World during the June Jaunt. The Ellinwood June Jaunt committee was thrilled with the results of the first year and hope that visitors and participants enjoyed their time while in Ellinwood.