Your Visitor's Guide to Salina
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Y o u r V i s i t o r ’ s Guide to Salina K E N W O O D CO V E FAMILY AQ UATICS CENTER SMOKY HILL RIVER FESTIVAL KK0A LEADSLED SPEC TA CULAR SUMMER 2010 SALINA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Salina…a blend of ‘big away from home. Your From theatre productions city’ amenities and relaxed taste buds will approve too! to concerts and movies, INDEX ‘small city’ charm. Locat- Salina has something for entertainment abounds ed in America’s heartland every palette, from favorite at Salina Bicentennial Visit Salina ................................... 2 at the crossroads of I-70 national brands to unique Center, Salina Community Our Town ........................................ 3 and I-135, Salina is right in hometown traditions like Theatre and the historic Calendar Of Events ..................... 4 the center of it all. the Cozy Inn burgers by Stiefel Theatre. Discover Accommodations ......................... 5 Whether you are planning the sack. rich Kansas heritage at our Salina Parks & Recreation ........... 6 a business trip, are attend- Start summer off with Yesteryear and Smoky Hill Salina Golf Courses ..................... 7 ing a conference, need a splash at the newest museums. Feed your cul- Dining .......................................8-9 some ‘down time’ with outdoor aquatics park in tural senses through films Lakewood Discovery Center ...... 10 your sweetheart, a fun girl- Kansas…Salina’s Kenwood and exhibitions presented Salina Map ............................11-14 friend getaway, or quality Cove! Don’t miss the fine by Salina Art Center. Relax Art Centers, Galleries And family time, the Visit Sali- art, crafts, food and fun at and enjoy a taste on the ve- na staff at the Salina Area THE arts celebration of randa of Smoky Hill Vine- Museums ................................... 15 Chamber of Commerce is the Midwest, the Smoky yards and Winery. Enjoy Kenwood Cove .......................... 16 ready to assist you! Hill River Festival, June THE family experience all Smoky Hill River Festival ........... 17 Select comfortable ac- 10-13. Spend a ‘kool’ week- year long at Rolling Hills Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure .. 18 commodations from a wide end checkin’ out hundreds Wildlife Adventure Zoo and Cool Things to Do ...................... 19 array of hotels, motels, of hotrods at the KKOA Museum! Performing in Salina .............20-21 inns and campgrounds, all Leadsled Spectacular car Shopping ..............................22-23 specializing in the warm- show July 23-25 in Oakdale For lots of ideas…click KKOA ......................................... 24 est welcomes you’ll find Park. www.VisitSalina.org. Getting Together Is Better Than Ever! Square Dancers Convention. ...................................June 4-5 Big Band Dance in conjunction with RiverFest. ........June 11 Tri-Rivers Fair Commercial Exhibits. ....................August 4-7 For Tickets Visit Our Website At www.bicentennial.org Tri-Rivers Fair Draft Horse Show. ........................August 7-8 Call: 826-SHOW (826-7469) or Toll Free: 888-826-SHOW (888-826-7469) 800 The Midway, Salina Newly Renovated Meeting Rooms a nd Convention Space, Plus Delicious In-House Catering Available For All Events. 2 OUR TOWN Salina has interesting history By DAVID CLOUSTON with the U.S. government. Salina Journal In 1965, Schilling Air Force Base closed. Local leaders got ne hundred-fifty years Washington to give them the ago, in 1858, a town keys to the base, which came Othat would draw its with plenty of buildings, riches from commerce was warehouse-sized hangars and established along the banks a main runway of more than of the Smoky Hill River. 13,000 feet. More specifically, Salina, The base was converted into correctly pronounced “Sa- the Airport Industrial Center LIE-na,” saw its early settlers that contains a diverse mix of derive their living by hunting companies, including Salina and trading with the Ameri- Municipal Airport. The center can Indians and immigrants is home to 80 businesses and to the west. Robes and skins organizations that employ secured from the American about 4,100 workers with a Indians were hauled to Fort This undated postcard depicting downtown Salina declares, payroll in excess of $138 mil- Leavenworth and sold. “Every Merchant Is Busy In Salina, Kansas. Why? Because It’s lion. Salina’s largest employer, The Mart Of The West.” Today’s retail row along Schwan’s Global Supply South Ninth Street, featuring Chain, known locally as such merchandisers as Tar- folk, women, children and walk, jog, hike and bike along Tony’s Pizza Service, employs get, Walmart and Lowe’s, is, families, spawning the build- a section of the levee where about 1,700 people. some could argue, the natural ing of schools, colleges and it crosses Crawford Street by Salina is known for the evolution of those long-ago churches. Bill Burke Park, east of Ohio world’s largest light bulb hunters and traders. But mod- Street. manufacturing plant, Philips The Saline and Smoky Hill Lighting, at 3861 S. Ninth, and ern Salina is a more cultur- The flood of 1951 was the rivers flooded. Each time, the the largest-volume producer ally aware, more economically latest in a series of nasty town dried out and kept grow- of lead-acid batteries, the diverse and population-rich soakings, and the city finally ing, largely to the south and Exide Technologies plant at retail hub for all of north-cen- west, away from the railroads tired of toweling off. Besides 413 E. Berg. tral Kansas. and the occasionally bank- the levees, a new channel was The city’s industrial area Salina is the county seat of bursting Saline and Smoky cut for the Smoky Hill River shares south Salina with Saline (confusingly enough, Hill rivers. to divert its flow out of cen- growing residential and retail pronounced Sa-LEEN) County, tral Salina. World War II triggered neighborhoods. The city never but by any pronunciation, our Salina’s great leap forward stopped its southerly migra- community of about 49,000 from a rural prairie town to a Schilling closes tion, leading to new inter- people sits in the middle of more worldly Midwestern city. The city was more suc- changes along Interstate High- America’s breadbasket. In this Two military installations cessful in controlling the way 135 at Schilling, Magnolia area, agriculture is the pri- — the temporary Army train- elements than in reasoning and Water Well roads. mary industry and wheat has ing cantonment of Camp Phil- been the dominant product since the middle of the last lips, with a capacity of 40,000 century. But in Salina, manu- troops, and more significantly, HISTORIC SALINA DOWNTOWN facturing also is key. Smoky Hill Army Air Field — changed the face and direc- The first settlers were farm- More than 300 successful downtown businesses have commit- tion of the city. Camp Phil- ers, fleeing exhausted fields ted their livelihoods to Salina’s historic downtown Lee District. lips closed shortly after the back East or the ravages of Here are a few reasons: war and was dismantled, but the Civil War. Early arriv- n Pedestrian-friendly array of attractive streetscapes, pla- als also included Northern Smoky Hill became Schilling zas with fountains, public art, walking alleys, shelters and Europeans — mostly Swedes Air Force Base, a Strategic benches, well-lit parking with low crime rate and a strong and Germans — fleeing over- Air Command facility for B-47 sense of community. crowded homelands. bombers and refuelers. It also n Proximity to many services and activi- became the city’s primary ties, including restaurants, specialty shops, Off and running industry and fueled Salina’s museums and art centers, live theater, health The Civil War ended. More great housing boom of the and legal services, public library and post settlers arrived. The railroad 1950s. office, and several financial institutions. came, bringing more set- The 1950s also saw the con- n Pleasant working and shopping environ- tlers. More railroads came struction of a massive flood- ment maintained by city personnel and vol- loaded with still more set- control system of levees sur- unteers. tlers, tradesmen, professional rounding the town. You can 3 CALENDAR OF EVENTS June 10 n Wheat Harvest Day & Dinner - Yesteryear Museum 3-5 n Salina Senior Games - Various locations 15 n That’s Entertainment: Fast Johnny - Oakdale Park 3 n First Thursday Art Rush - Historic Downtown Lee District 16-18 n KS ASA State Fast Pitch Softball Tournament - Bill Burke n Classic Movie: “To Catch a Thief” - Stiefel Theatre Park 4-5 n Kansas Square Dance Convention - Bicentennial Center 18 n SCCA Solo Event - East Crawford Rec Area 6 n Theatre: “All Shook Up” - Salina Community Theatre n Emmylou Harris in Concert - Stiefel Theatre 10-13 n SMOKY HILL RIVER FESTIVAL - Oakdale Park 22 n That’s Entertainment: “Walkin’ the Line” - Oakdale Park 11-13 n Theatre: “All Shook Up” - Salina Community Theatre n Classic Movie - Stiefel Theatre 17 n That’s Entertainment: Moreland and Arbuckle - Oakdale 23-25 n KKOA Leadsled Spectacular Car Show 30th Anniversary Park - Oakdale Park n Jewel in Concert w/ Radney Foster - Stiefel Theatre 23 n KKOA Drags - East 18-20 n Theatre: “All Shook Up” - Salina Community Theatre Crawford Rec Area 19 n Lavender Harvest Festival - Prairie Lavender Farm 24 n Concert: The Ultimate 19-20 n Salina Downtown Lions Baseball & Softball Tournament Doo-Wop Show! - - Bill Burke Park Bicentennial Center 20 n MiDiv Solor Championship Series (SCCA) - East Crawford Rec Area August n Father’s Day Car Show - Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure 4-8 n Tri