Hays CVB
The City of Hays, Fort Hays State University and the Hays Recreation Commission are rolling out the red carpet for multiple tournaments in the coming weeks, including the KSHSAA State Wrestling Championship this weekend, Western Kansas Kids Classic Wrestling on March 3, Big Brothers Big Sisters MAYB Tournament March 3-4, KSHSAA State Basketball Championship March 7-10, and Special Olympics Kansas March 16-17.
The economic impact of these events is critical to support local businesses, create jobs, and fund municipal services for Hays. Guests attending these events invest in the community by buying food, lodging and fuel, as well as other purchases.
“The Chamber recognizes the importance of these events to our local economy,” said Tammy Wellbrock, Hays Area Chamber of Commerce executive director. “We appreciate all of the efforts from the numerous organizations and volunteers that it takes to make these events successful.”
This weekend’s State Wrestling Championship will bring participants, families and administrators from 69 high schools across the state, with ticket sales and gates opening at 8 a.m. Friday at FHSU’s Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Throughout the tournament, the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau hosts a hospitality suite in the coliseum for visiting coaches. Last year CVB staff fed approximately 300 coaches and administrators at the event.
“We want to be sure our visitors have a wonderful time while they are in Hays, so they will be eager to make the trip again next year,” said Melissa Dixon, CVB executive director.
“The bulk of the work is done by facility management teams at Fort Hays State and Hays Rec,” Dixon said. “They put in a lot of planning and weekend hours to ensure everything goes smoothly at gyms on campus and all over town.”
The Western Kansas Kids Classic Wrestling event, hosted by the Hays Wrestling Club, is expected to bring 800-1,000 participants and their families to town. In mid-March, the Special Olympics Kansas Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament will return to Hays; however, in an effort to reduce travel costs for participants, organizers have made changes to the event format. This year the schedule will be shortened to two days, with events being split between Hays and Topeka, in hopes that more athletes will be able to participate.
Sheila Rehder, a long-time volunteer with Special Olympics Kansas and games management coordinator for the event, said, ”I have been a part of the Special Olympics Basketball Tournament in Hays for over the past 25 years. This is one of my favorite times of year. It’s amazing how easy working on a big tournament like this can be when working with the great people of Hays.”
Special Olympics Kansas is requesting over 250 volunteers for the Hays tournament. Groups or individuals interested in volunteering can sign up at ksso.org/volunteer/volunteer-at-an-event.
The Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau is located in the Hays Welcome Center at 2700 Vine St. For information about the CVB or community events, call 785-628-8202 or go to www.visithays.com.