Saturday, May 02, 2009

Sampler Festival in Concordia



This is Marci Penner, the brains behind The Sampler Festival, which showcases all kinds of tourist attractions in Kansas. If you're anywhere near Kansas, you can enjoy the Sampler Sunday, May 3. It's in the park at Concordia and the cost is only $5. It's worth every penny. Get thee to Concordia on Sunday if at all possible!

Marci is devoted to preserving rural culture in Kansas and works with eight different categories of things ranging from cuisine to architecture. You can read more on her website for the Kansas Sampler Foundation.

Ultimately, if you have any interest in rural life, you would do yourself a favor by sitting down and reading that entire website. You'll get a little glimpse into Marci's brain. And let me tell you, it's a brain worth delving into. You'll find a ton of wisdom there about how rural communities can make the most of what they have and preserve a way of life.

During the sampler festival, Marci does what she calls "Stumpin' for Kansas." It's one of my favorite parts. She has questions about various spots around the state and everyone who answers a question correctly gets a ticket. Then there's a drawing for a goodie basket at the end of the session and someone gets a nice prize.



Mark, here in the far left of the photo, is excellent at this game. Me, not so good. I'm pleading that I can't think about what Marci is asking and also take a photo every few seconds, which I did. The reality is that I just don't retain details very well, so I'm not good at any kind of trivia game. Remember - you don't ever want me on your team for trivia. A word game? Yes. Trivia? No.

It was a really fun day. Not only did I get to see lots of cool exhibits, but I also ran into some folks I knew. John Divine and I were having a wonderful conversation.



I ran into Andrea and Roger...



And lots of other folks. I also saw some booths of cool places I want to go to.

I'll have more photos to share. But, there were men in kilts, women in watermelon hats, people roping and other people playing music. You need to go if it's at all possible for you.
________________

Subscribe for free to Patsy's Ponderings in email or your choice of a reader.

Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, cooking and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com.
All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.

Mark arrived this evening about 10. We sat down and started talking and when he went in to get a drink I heard him exclaim, "Patsy, it's almost two o'clock." I couldn't believe that was the case. I was thinking maybe midnight. But, no, it was 1:48.

So, he sprang into action getting prepared for bed. He's the ultimate house guest. Get this - he brings his own bed. Yes, it's true. He brings his own inflatable bed. Generally he headquarters in my downstairs su nporch but it has become the greenhouse, and most of the floor space is taken up with plants, so he's setting up in the dining room.

I, of course, had been talking and hadn't yet blogged, something I feel a need to do every day, even if blogger does not see fit to post it quickly. It's only those of you reading at www.patsyterrell.com who might be seeing delayed posts. Live Journal et al don't rely on ftp. There were people already complaining about it in the blogger forums. And I was one of them. Isn't it amazing what we expect for free these days? Certainly a paradigm shift.

Greg and Mia are off on a trip. Greg tells me he got a photo of the Lope tonight with Alice Cooper. They're also getting to visit with my friend, Jay, who's at the same convention. Mark is on a weekend trip here, of course. It all makes me want to be a trip too. But, I'm not. I'm at home. And, I love being at home, too. I just need a little something to look forward to. But, alas, this is not the season in my life for travel. But soon. Soon it will be my season to travel. Soon. It must be my season to travel soon.

It's my season for sleep right now. I got up pretty early this morning and we have a full Saturday. We're going to the Hutchinson Art Show in the morning and then headed to the Sampler Festival later in the day. I'll be tweeting - with pix - if possible!

Be sure and do something fun on your Saturday. Otherwise, Monday morning will arrive and you'll be wishing you'd made some fun memories to carry you through the work week. This past week was a difficult one for me so I need some fun to make up for that AND some fun to get through the coming one. I hope I can cram that much into one weekend. Obviously, I've decided to give up on sleep. As usual. At some point in my life I will sleep - like normal people do - many hours every night and all.
________________

Subscribe for free to Patsy's Ponderings in email or your choice of a reader.

Check www.patsyterrell.com for the blog, art, cooking and more. Friend me on facebook.com. Follow me at twitter.com.
All text and photos on this website are copyright Patsy Terrell, unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved. None are to be used without permission. Thank you.