This weekend is packed with opportunities to enjoy “fun stuff,” with the highlight being Saturday’s Party in the Park. The activities taking place at Veterans Memorial Park are listed in an ad on page 2 of today’s Great Bend Tribune.
On weeks such as this, the Tribune’s “Viewpoint” has often proclaimed that the age-old lament that there’s “nothing to do” is just plain wrong.
But let’s face it, Great Bend isn’t Wichita and never will be. So, yeah, the big city has more entertainment, shopping and dining options. Guess what? Bored Wichitans have been known to complain that there’s “nothing to do.”
Traveling to another town will almost always provide an opportunity to discover something fun or interesting. People from other communities who visit Great Bend (or any of the communities throughout the Golden Belt) can sometimes find fascinating venues that the locals take for granted. So, when one of the adults with the Central Kansas Partnership heard someone on the new Youth Crew say Great Bend has nothing to do, she searched community calendars and websites to come up with a long list.
Thursday evenings, for example, a community bicycle ride starts at 6 p.m., with cyclists meeting in the courthouse square. The Wetlands Waterpark is still open, but Sunday, Aug. 15, will be the last day it is open this year. Bark at the Waterpark, where people can bring their dogs to the pool, will be Aug. 21, from 10 a.m. to noon. There are always things to do or see at the Brit Spaugh Zoo, Kansas Wetlands Education Center and the Barton County Historical Society Village and Museum. The Great Bend Tribune and Explore Great Bend are two sources of information.
But here’s an idea. People with nothing to do can check out the opportunities for community involvement. Sometimes that means entertaining stuff but sometimes it means doing some work. This is what the Youth Crew members from today’s front-page story discovered. We loved hearing from Youth Crew member Jay Creamer, who said joining this new coalition provided a reason to get out of bed and an opportunity to get involved in the community over the summer. The Crew spent a couple of hours at the zoo this week picking up trash, but tonight they’re invited to attend the Perseid Meteor Shower Watch Party, going on from 8:30-10:30 p.m. at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. You're invited, too, readers.
To quote a beloved cartoon character from the past century, 6-year-old Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes), “The days are just packed!” What we pack them with is up to us.
