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Kansas

April 2005 .............

Hutchinson: The early days of Hutch (as we Kansas people call it) were quiet compared to most of the frontier towns. One of the reasons was CC Hutchinson, a Baptist preacher that had definite beliefs concerning liquor. As he sold lots in the new town, he made stipulations banning the sale of consumption of alcoholic beverages on the property. If the landowner broke the rule, the land reverted back to Hutchinson. Hutch was served by several major railroads and the access to rail traffic allowed Hutch to succeed as a center of trade. In 1887 a large deposit of salt was found, a boom occurred with 20 companies extracting salt. Since it's beginning agricultural fairs were held in the county. By the 1930's the local event had moved to it's present location in Hutch and is known as "The Kansas State Fair". Dillon grocery stores, now a division of Kroger were started in Hutch and still maintain a distribution center and headquarters in town. The town is about 34 miles W. of Newton off I-135.

Each April for over 30 years the Kansas Mennonite Relief Sale is held at the State Fairgrounds in Hutch. The event sponsored by the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a relief organization formed in 1920. Over 70 Mennonite, Brethren in Christ and Amish congregations in Kansas, and their friends donate their gifts and services for this festival and benefit auction. All proceeds from the sale are used to provide for material needs and community development in N America and across the world. The sale features household items( many hand crafted), handmade quilts, woodcraft items, furniture, tools, plants, foods, including traditional German and Russian dishes. On Friday evening and Sat. noon there is a meal called "Feed the Multitude", it's a German buffet that usually serves between 6,000 and 10,000 people. The food consists of Verenika, Bonne Beroggi, Borscht, Zwiebachbread and home-made pie. Most every building has food ranging from hamburgers and hot dogs to Russian Pancakes and New Years Cookies. The highlight of the sale is the Quilt Auction, this year they sold over 200 Quilts. This year the Quilts brought over $93,000. and the other auction over $34,000. The attendance was around 18,000. The State Fairground has an RV park with full hookups, $18. pr night. On Friday the guys played golf and the ladies went to several small towns to check out quilt shops. We were with four other couples, and had an enjoyable weekend. Visit their web site at www.kansas.mccsale.org

MCC Sale

Yoder: Located five miles southeast of Hutch on Highway 96. There's a nice little park in Yoder's main square with a granite marker that gives some of the town history. The hardware store has extensive selections of lanterns, crocks, and hand tools, and has a hitching rail on one side. The bakery and meat market are known throughout the region for the quality of their products. We ate at the Carriage Crossing restaurant on Sat. evening, it's so popular there is usually a fairly long wait, but worth it. You'll have to slow down in this Amish and Mennonite community because you'll be sharing the road with horse-drawn carriages or women pulling Radio Flyer wagons filled with children or goods they either intend to sell/trade in town or that they bought/traded for in town (the goods, not the children). Stop at Yoder Wood Products and browse through the handmade furniture. Yoder is a step back in time, so when in the area take the time, stop for a visit.

Yoder

Pretty Prairie: South of Hutch, close to Cheney Reservoir is the tiny town of Pretty Prairie. On Main street is a historic theatre, built in 1936, that has its original wooden seats and original advertising canvas.It's called the "Civic Theater" and shows historic films. The theatre is owned by friends of the Winsingers, Harold grew up in Pretty Prairie. Ten of us went to the theater and were treated to Abbott & Costello's "Who's On First" and two Our Gang films, then the main feature, "The Egg & I", what a hoot. The owner told the history of the theatre and we were treated to pop corn and other goodies. 2006 Update: Back to the theatre for another movie, this time, some like it hot and, of course, Who's on first again (that's for the guys in the crowd).

Pretty Prairie