Kansas Sampler Festival ending 27-year run | The Wichita Eagle

This is it.

There will be no more Kansas Sampler Festivals.

So on May 6 and 7, make the most of this last chance and head to Winfield to take in the festival at the city’s Island Park.

The festival is billed as the largest outdoor travel show in Kansas and, as always, will be all about what Kansans and their friends can see, do, hear, taste, buy and learn in Kansas.

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This year marks the 28th Kansas Sampler Festival, which began in 1990 as a book-signing party for Milferd and Marci Penner’s “Kansas Weekend Guide” book.

This year, the highly anticipated “Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers” by Marci Penner and WenDee Rowe will debut at the festival and can be purchased there.

The festival features representatives from 130 Kansas towns and is put together by 300 volunteers, Winfield city workers and area sponsors.

The Sampler Festival has always been about encouraging Kansans to explore the 83,000 square miles of Kansas and to discover its secrets and landscape.

Plans are to create an annual Kansas Road Trip beginning in 2018 that will encourage exploration of specific regions of the state.

The festival dares people to “do the dirt” and explore back roads, talk to locals and spend money in small towns.

It has promoted what the Kansas Sampler Foundation has set forth as eight rural culture elements: art, architecture, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history and people.

The 2017 festival is organized by the Winfield Area Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, with chamber director Sarah Werner serving as the local festival director.

It is traditionally high energy and informative and includes crafts, food, musicians, artists and dancers. The primary focus is to give people ideas for Kansas day trips.

The counties for next year’s “Big Kansas Road Trip” will be announced at the festival.

Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 6 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 7. Cost is $5 for adults and $3 for ages 7-12.

For more information, go to www.kansassamplerfestival.com.