A new local farm show to replace the 3i Show will be one of the topics at a news conference at 10 a.m. Friday in the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce board room, 1125 Williams, said Chamber Board President Ron Straub.
The conference comes less than a week after Western Kansas Manufacturers Association Chief Executive Officer Eddie Estes announced the 3i Show would, starting in 2012, no longer alternate between Great Bend and Garden city. After decades, it will be located in Dodge City, the home of Estes and the WKMA.
Officials were mum on the details of the new show, saying they will be announced Friday.
The change in 3i wasn’t a big surprise. Even before the 57th 3i Show closed in mid May in Garden City, there were rumors of such a move.
The 3i Show is a big deal. It attracted 500-some exhibitors and flocks of agricultural producers to the host community who fill hotels and restaurants. It also involves an army of well over 200 local volunteers.
According to Estes, Dodge City will be the permanent show site, “eliminating any confusion among exhibitors and attendees about where the 3i Show will be held from year to year.” A new facility large enough to accommodate all indoor exhibits will be constructed and the site will give exhibitors the opportunity to build permanent structures.
Future 3i Show dates will be the second Thursday through Saturday each July. Show hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. It is scheduled for July 12-14 in 2012.
The decision was based on exhibitor feedback, and crop schedules, other farm show dates, holidays, school events, and other annual community and state events already on the calendar, Estes said.
The three i’s in the 3i Show stand for industry, implements, and irrigation. The show started in 1950 as the Western Kansas Karavan which traveled around the state making one-night stands in various Kansas towns to sell their products. Over the last half a century, this caravan has evolved into one of the largest free expositions in Kansas.
For the first 50 years, the show ran Thursday through Saturday in April. In 2006, it was moved to Wednesday through Friday to better accommodate exhibitors and farmers.
WKMA is a member of the North American Farm Show Council, a nonprofit organization founded in 1972.
For more information, visit www.3iShow.com, or contact the WKMA office at 620-227-8082.