Community Coordinator Christina Hayes hit the nail on the head when she described Great Bend the Great Bend City Council Monday night.
“We are a melting pot of a lot of different people and cultures,” Hayes said. Because of that, coming up with a community-wide promotion that will interest enough folks to make it successful become challenging.
Enter a new event (or actually several events) set for September.
Hayes and others are planning Melting Pot Month. The idea is a daunting one –  tie together the Mad About Monarchs at the Kansas Wetlands Eduction Center Sept. 14, the Sunflower Rod and Custom Association Summit Points Race and Party in the Park Sept. 21, the benefit bull ride Sept. 27, and the Big Bend Bike Rally and Renaissance Festival Sept. 28.
“We want people to come and experience something different,” Hayes said. Again, she hit the bull’s eye.
Whether you are a biker, car nut, nature enthusiast or historical re-enactor, Great Bend has niche events to satisfy your cravings and need to interact with others who have the same interests. But, the idea of this month-long promotion is to bring these diverse groups together, cross pollinate if you will.
If we all take the opportunity to see what each other is up to, we can only stand to learn. Our knowledge of not only other fields, but also of other people, will grow.
This has to be a good thing.
America, too, has been described as a melting pot, an amalgamation of different cultures that has made the country what it is. By mingling, these local groups can strengthen the bonds that bind the community together.
This not only applies to the varied hobbies celebrated during September. It also goes for the different nationalities that now call Great Bend home.
Let us explore the diversity this town has to offer.
Dale Hogg