Below is the schedule of events for the Great Bend June Jaunt this weekend:
Friday
• All Day: Birdhouse Scavenger Hunt Throughout Town
• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Carved Duck Display - Judy Reed at Great Bend Floral
• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Great Bend Photo Contest at Public Library
• 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.: Win a Room Makeover with Cornerstone Interiors
• 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Barton County Historical Society Displays
• 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.: Fashion Art Contest at Beautiful Beginnings
• 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.: Free Wine Tasting at Rosewood Wine Cellar
• Noon - 5 p.m.: Expressions Art Display & Contemporary Abstract Art at Petr’s Frame House
• 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.: Family Swim Night at Wetlands Water Park
• 7 p.m.: Kansas Speedweek Cruise Night & Car Show at Jack Kilby Square
• 9:30 p.m.: Free Outdoor Movie: ”The Wizard of Oz” at Jack Kilby Square
• 10 p.m. - midnight: Cosmic Bowling at Walnut Bowl
Saturday
• All Day: Summer Street Stroll Farmers Market & Food, Craft, Art Vendors at Jack Kilby Square
• All Day: Live Music & Dance at Jack Kilby Square
• All Day: Children’s Entertainment at Jack Kilby Square
• All Day: Jumbo Yard Games at Jack Kilby Square
• All Day: Bronzed Figures Downtown
• 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.: 11th-annual Great Bend Fire Department “MDA Run Because You Can!”
• 8 a.m. and 1 p.m.: GBRC Tennis Tournament Singles & Doubles
• 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Outside Flea Market at Downtown Flea Market
• 9 a.m. - Noon: Tracking to Cheyenne Bottoms: KWEC
• 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Relay for Life KIDS ZONE in Jack Kilby Square
• 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Great Bend Photo Contest at Public Library
• 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Just Paint It Sally Display at Gambino’s
• 10 a.m. -noon: Live Silversmith Work at Family Jewels
• 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Chair Massages by Heavenly Daze at Just Fabulous Darling
• 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Fashion Art Contest at Beautiful Beginnings
• 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.: Expressions Art Display & Contemporary Abstract Art
• 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Live Wood Carving with Golden Belt Wood Carvers at RB Tellers
• 10 a.m. -5 p.m.: Win a Room Makeover with Cornerstone Interiors
• 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Golden Belt Model Trains Display at Barton Arts Council
• 10 a.m. -6 p.m.: Wood Art Display at Waters True Value
• 10 a.m. -10 p.m.: NBC Baseball Tournament at Great Bend Sports Complex
• 10 a.m. -10 p.m.: Imagination Playground at Great Bend Sports Complex
• 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.: Heartland Farm Tour of Solar Upgrades
• 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.: Barton County Historical Society Displays
• 1 p.m. - dusk: GBRC MACK Field Day, remote-controlled airplanes
• 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.: 1st Annual Great Bend Business Olympics at Jack Kilby Square
• 1 p.m. - 11 p.m.: Community Beer Garden in Jack Kilby Square
• 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m.: Cosmic Bowling at Walnut Bowl
Sunday
• All Day: Kite Flying Provided by Waters True Value at Vets Park
• All Day: Birdhouse Scavenger Hunt with CVB
• 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.: NBC Baseball Tournament at Great Bend Sports Complex
• 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.: Imagination Playground at Great Bend Sports Complex
• 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.: Waters True Value Community Barbecue at Veteran’s Park
• 11a.m. - 2 p.m.: Live Open Jam with A440 Music at Vets Park
• 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.: Rhonda Klug Memorial Sand Volleyball Tournament at Vets Park
• Noon - 2 p.m.: Expressions Art Display & Contemporary Art at Petr’s Frame House
• 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.: Get Active Barton County with Club 1 Fitness at Vets Park
• 1 p.m. -4 p.m.: Garden Tour: Great Bend Beautification Committee
• 1 p.m. -5 p.m.: Wood Art Display - Kaisers Carvings at Waters True Value
• 1 p.m. -6 p.m.: Free Wine Tasting at Rosewood Wine Cellar
The second-annual K-96 June Jaunt is coming this weekend, offering arts, entertainment, cuisine and culture along the 176-mile long stretch of the highway winding from Tribune to Ellinwood. It runs Friday through Sunday.
“There is a lot going on,” said Great Bend Community Coordinator Christina Hayes. “The idea is to draw people to western Kansas to showcase what we have to offer.”
Communities along the route include Tribune, Leoti, Scott City, Dighton, Ness City, Rush Center, Great Bend and Ellinwood. Non-stop, the trip would take about three hours and 40 minutes, but organizers are hoping folks will take a lot longer and experience the multi-city festival.
Visitors to the communities can choose from a variety of events, designed to showcase authentic rural Kansas at its finest. Along the drive, choose from crafts and antique shows, car shows, concerts, barbecues, movies in the park, magicians, kids’ games, sidewalk and garage sales, and food.
“There is really something for everyone,” Hayes said. Events will take place on the Courthouse Square, at Veterans Memorial Park and at other venues around town.
In Great Bend, Enjoy Speedweek Cruise Night and take in a free movie in the Square on Friday. On Saturday, there is the Run Because you Can 5k run/walk sponsored by the Great Bend Fire Department, Summer Street Stroll vendors, live entertainment and music, community beer Garden, jumbo games and Business Olympics. And, on Sunday, there is the community barbecue, kite festival and sand volleyball tournament and more.
In Ellinwood, enjoy the Outdoor Antique and Unique Market. Also take time to explore an intriguing piece of the past with an Historic Underground World Tour.
The K-96 June Jaunt provides an opportunity for central and western Kansas to showcase their communities by creating events, highlighting attractions, and developing relationships with neighboring communities, Hayes said. Each of the eight communities work together to build a lasting event that creates cross-community ties and enhances regional cooperation throughout the year.
The communities signed up for a five-year run.
“The first Great Bend June Jaunt was deemed a great success,” Hayes said of the 2012 event. “The weekend was highly anticipated, had great participation and created a buzz among citizens and outside communities.”
It was wonderful, she said, 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.”
Many businesses reported new customers and increased traffic. Many commented on the live musical performances and entertainers.
“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.
For more information about the 2013 K-96 June Jaunt, see Facebook or Twitter, or check out the webpage at www.k96junejaunt.com.
