By Roger McKinney
rmckinney@joplinglobe.com
Kansans, and those outside the state for that matter, may help determine the eight wonders of Kansas.
The Kansas Sampler Foundation, on the Web at www.kansassampler.org, is seeking nominations.
Marci Penner, foundation director, said there are several purposes for the campaign.
“One is to get Kansans talking about their state and talking about what they have,” Penner said. “We want to get people stirred up about Kansas.”
The foundation is seeking public nominations, plus a selection committee may also make recommendations. The nominations would cease at midnight on May 6, Penner said, and the selection committee would narrow the nominations to 24. Those 24 would be posted on the Web by June 1 so the voting can begin. The online voting would end Dec. 31.
Internet voting alone would determine the eight wonders, Penner said. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is scheduled to announce the winners Kansas Day on Jan. 29, 2008.
Though the wonders must be in Kansas, Penner said, those nominating them or voting on the choices do not have to be in the state.
The foundation’s Web site contains many ideas for what can be nominated. They include Big Brutus, the giant, electric coal shovel near West Mineral.
Betty Becker, manager of Big Brutus, said Friday she was unaware of the campaign, but she’s confident the board would be interested in being considered.
Becker said she thinks Big Brutus would have a good chance at being one of the eight wonders of the state.
Penner said Cherokee County has other wondrous things that should be considered, including the 13 miles of Route 66 and the Rainbow arch bridge and Eisler Brothers Old Riverton Store along the route. The Baxter Springs massacre and Schermerhorn Park in Galena also may be worthy of nominating.
The nominations are being sought in the areas of customs, geography, history, cuisine, commerce, art and architecture. The Web site places Big Brutus in the commerce category.
Other possibilities in Southeast Kansas include Fort Scott National Historic Site; Chicken Mary’s and Chicken Annie’s restaurants near Pittsburg; and the Martin and Osa Johnson Safari Museum in Chanute.
Other possibilities from around the state include the John Steuart Curry murals at the state capitol, the world’s largest ball of twine in Cawker City, the Flint Hills, the Brown versus Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, and the Cathedral of the Plains in Victoria.
Penner said one of the purposes of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to educate Kansans about Kansas.
“This is a natural offshoot of the foundation,” Penner said of the eight wonders campaign.
Online address
You may nominate Kansas wonders for consideration by e-mailing 8wonders@kansassampler.org. Anyone may make a nomination, but the wonder must be in Kansas. Nominations cease at midnight May 6. More information is on the Web at www.kansassampler.org
Local News
Foundation seeking eight wonders of Kansas
- Local News
-
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
The Missouri Supreme Court has struck down part of a state harassment law enacted after the suicide of a St. Charles County teenager who was teased over the Internet.
-
Cattle rustlers strike again in SW Mo. county
The plague of cattle rustling goes on in southwest Missouri’s Greene County.
Sheriff Jim Arnott says the latest episode occurred sometime Sunday in Walnut Grove. -
Bids sought for Cherokee County water treatment plant
After many delays, construction bids are being sought for a water treatement plant and water tank for the Spring River Public Wholesale Water District No. 19.
-
Dog helps some get through the court process
Sophie, a mutt of a dog with draping ears and dotted brows, is helping people in St. Louis County court tell stories of crime to judges, investigators and attorneys.
-
Jasper County 911 administrative lines down
Though all Jasper County emergency 911 telephone lines are functional, administrative and non-emergency lines for the county dispatching service have been down since Monday night.
-
Study suggests continued population drop in Kansas
A decades-long decline in population is likely to continue in Kansas, particularly in the west of the state, and four counties could have fewer than 1,000 residents by 2040, according to a study by Wichita State University’s Center for Economic Development and Business Research.
-
Tornado victim’s recovery ‘miraculous’
Carolyn Mckinlay did not know much about baseball, but she knew it was important to watch the sixth game of last year’s World Series. It was important because her future husband, Mark Lindquist, had a ticket to see his beloved Cardinals take on the Texas Rangers in the seventh game at St. Louis.
-
Family of service honored at Memorial Day ceremony
Lt. Col. Robert Brock returned to his hometown Monday and told an audience of about 500 residents and veterans gathered at the Pittsburg State University Veterans Memorial that Memorial Day is a celebration of family — America’s family of service.
-
Master developer working on project possibilities
A Texas developer who Joplin officials intend to hire to help with the city’s post-tornado development says he has secured commitments for about $400 million in capital to fund about 20 possible projects.
-
Webb City High School honored in rankings of national magazine
Webb City High School is among 13 schools in Missouri to receive a silver medal designation among the best high schools as ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Mo. court strikes down part of 2008 harassment law
