HUMBOLDT — Humboldt is rolling out the welcome mat in a big way this weekend.
The community anticipates scores of visitors — likely 150 or more — in town to learn about anything and everything Humboldt has to offer.
The Kansas Sampler Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting rural culture, is bringing its Big Kansas Road Trip to Humboldt.
There, visitors will get to sample local businesses, partake in an activity or three, and just soak in what the townsfolk have to offer.
And there’s plenty on the menu.
“Basically, I went through and talked to anybody and everybody who might be interested in being a part of this,” reported Damaris Kunkler of A Bolder Humboldt, an unofficial liaison between the community and the Sampler Foundation, and its offshoot, the Explorers Club.
“We wanted everybody to do it, and we got everybody to do it,” she said. “Our goal was a 100% participation rate.”
Unofficially, 10 “stop shop” businesses and seven dining establishments will be ready for the road-trippers. At least 15 local sites are being prepped as well.
On top of that, the Explorers will partake in a series of tours at Mount Hope Cemetery, Base Camp, Union Works Brewery, Our Market and Monarch Cement through the afternoon.
The tours will last about 20 minutes, allowing participants to take part in multiple visits.
“And we could have done a lot more tours, but we had to stop creating them, because there’s so much to do,” Kunkler said.
WHILE the BKRT events officially kick off Saturday morning, the fun will begin Friday evening.
Putting everything Humboldt has to offer on display over a single eight-hour period “felt a little tight,” Kunkler laughed.
So on Friday evening, out-of-towners will get to take part in a downtown music crawl, in which live music shows will be held in succession at Octagon Coffee, Estrallita Mexican Restaurant, Cozy’s Grindhouse, Sticks Golf Lounge and the Hitching Post.
Music artists from Lawrence, Tulsa and Emporia will be on hand, as will Yates Center’s Sabra Stockebrand, who will sing at Sticks starting at 8 p.m. Friday.
For those with a little more high-octane tastes, Humboldt Speedway will host its regular racing series Friday night as well.
At the other end of the spectrum, those looking for a more serene atmosphere can join Audubon of Kansas, which will lead a nature walk at the Neosho River Park at the west edge of town at 7 p.m.
