CVB
A weekend full of activities, both at the Ellis County Fairgrounds and in Downtown Hays will culminate with a city-wide celebration to mark the 150th anniversary of the city, county, and historic Fort Hays, at 10 a.m. Sunday, July 23, in Municipal Park. Plans include a picnic lunch with BBQ and birthday cake, free admission to the Hays Aquatic Park, and free admission to the Ellis County Historical Society Museum. The public is invited.
Sunday’s events begin with a community church service at 10 a.m. organized by the Downtown Hays Development Corporation and the Ellis County Ministerial Alliance.
“DHDC was excited to take on organizing many of the events the community will get to enjoy on Sunday,” said Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director. “It was an honor to partner with the Convention and Visitors Bureau, City of Hays and ECMA to create a true city-wide celebration of our history and our future.”
At 11 a.m. Mayor Shaun Musil, along with city and county commissioners, will take the stage and issue special proclamations to mark the occasion.
“This event will be a celebration of Hays, its founders, and our entire community,” said Musil. “For 150 years, residents of Hays have experienced good times and challenging times. Through it all, the pioneer spirit has brought people from various walks of life and different backgrounds together to establish, develop, and maintain our great city of Hays. We hope everyone has an awesome time throughout the weekend.”
The Sister Cities committee of Hays will honor a group of officials who will be visiting from Hays’ sister city, Santa Maria de Fe, in Paraguay.
Following the ceremony, the City of Hays and the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau will provide a free BBQ lunch catered by TK’s Smokehaus to the first 750 attendees, as well as birthday cake by Augustine’s Bakery.
Other activities to be on site at Municipal Park include the Snow Cone Express truck, inflatable bounce houses, airbrush tattoos, and balloon animals. In addition, the Hays Aquatic Park will be open free of charge.
The Ellis County Historical Society Museum will have special Sunday hours from noon to five and will offer free admission for the day. New exhibits on display include “Where the Buffalo Roam,” as well as exhibits on the history of “Wild Bill” Hickok, Fort Hays State University, and Kathryn O’Loughlin.
For a full list of planned sesquicentennial activities at Historic Fort Hays, call 785-625-6812 or visit www.kshs.org/fort_hays.
The DHDC is located at 106 W. 12th St. The Hays CVB is located at 2700 Vine St. For additional information about Sunday’s event, call DHDC at 785-621-4171 or CVB at 785-628-8202 or visit www.downtownhays.com or www.visithays.com.