“This week is crazy; lots going on!” Great Bend Community Events Coordinator Christina Hayes said. “Great Bend is the place to be!”

Thursday’s events included the Art and Wine Walk and the start of the KCAC baseball and softball tournaments.

Meanwhile, visitors from at least 15 states are in Great Bend Friday and Saturday for the Wings & Wetlands Festival, based at the Stoneridge Country Club. Every other year, this birding festival takes people on guided tours of Quivira National Wildlife Refuge and Cheyenne Bottoms during the peak of shorebird migration.

Saturday is Great Bend’s annual Cinco De Mayo celebration, going on from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. A parade down Main Street will start at 11 a.m., bringing the festival to Jack Kilby Square. There will be vendors, dancers and entertainment throughout the afternoon.

As most Great Bend residents have learned over the years of celebrating this festival, Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for “Fifth of May.” Like our “Fourth of July,” it’s an informal name for a national holiday. However, the Fifth of May is not Mexico’s Independence Day; it’s the Battle of Puebla Day, marking a famous battle with the French that took place on May 5, 1862, near Puebla City. For most people in the United States, Cinco de Mayo (or in our case, the Saturday nearest to the fifth of May) is a day to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.

Sunday is the 31st annual Mid-America Car Show at Brit Spaugh Park. Registration open from  9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Trophies will be awarded at 4 p.m. 

The month of May is bringing a bouquet of outdoor activities for us to enjoy.