40 things to do in Kansas this fall

Events

Ingest deep-fried delicacies at the Kansas State Fair: Nothing really compares to the Kansas State Fair when it comes to deep-fried variety. In Kansas, Riverfest is probably the only viable comparison. You can plan an entire day of fun at the fair, checking out the butter sculpture, 4-H competitions and pig races. Make sure to visit the midway as well to win a stuffed prize for your special someone before taking a ride on the Ferris wheel. The fair runs from Sept. 9 to 18 this year. For a full schedule of events, visit www.kansasstatefair.com.

Pick on your favorite bluegrass bands: If you’ve never been to Winfield’s famous bluegrass festival in September, this fall could be the perfect time for you to see some banjo-pickin’ live in person. At least 36 bluegrass artists have been booked for the festival this year, which runs from Sept. 14 to 18 at the Winfield fairgrounds, about 3/4-mile west of downtown on U.S. 160. Tickets range from $15 to $95, depending on how many days you’re attending and whether tickets are purchased in advance. To get the full experience, bring your camper – or at least a tent – to spend the night at the festival’s campgrounds. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are $10 to $19 per night, depending on if the site has electricity. For more information on the festival, visit www.wvfest.com.

Drive through a 400-mile garage sale: If you are a garage-sale aficionado and you’ve got a weekend in September to spare, this is for you. The annual Highway 36 Treasure Hunt is from Sept. 16 to 18 all along Highway 36, which runs almost parallel to the Nebraska border in far northern Kansas. More than 35 towns participate in the “treasure hunt,” and you are encouraged to just drive along Highway 36 through those towns and peruse the pickings. Its website lists overnight accommodations and recommended restaurants in each of the 13 participating counties. There’s no cost to attend, so take your time driving through far northern Kansas, a under-visited part of the state. For more information, visit www.ushwy36.com.

Take in Scottish culture: For more than 20 years, the city of McPherson has hosted a Scottish Festival featuring Highland games, Celtic music, dancing and food. This year, organizers have broadened the festival to include all cultures, though in McPherson the Scottish heritage still runs strong. The festival, which occurs in McPherson’s Lakeside Park, 510 Lakeside Drive, runs Sept. 23 through 25. Tickets are $8 for a one-day pass and $16 for both days for ages 13 and older. Children 12 and under get in free. For more information, including how to buy tickets for the buffet dinner and Scotch tasting, visit www.macfestival.org.

Drink cider while shopping for handmade crafts: Arts-and-crafts buffs, pay attention: Topeka’s Cider Days bills itself as northeast Kansas’ largest arts-and-crafts fair, and to make things better, fresh-squeezed cider is on tap all weekend. This year, Cider Days is Sept. 24 to 25 at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka. Tickets are $7 at the gate.

Have a turkey leg at the Renaissance Festival: Yea, verily, the yearly Great Plains Renaissance Festival returns to Sedgwick County Park in late September. Hearken to the call of the jesters beckoning you in for a fun, medieval-themed afternoon, and partake in eating turkey legs and other such merriment. The festival runs from Sept. 24 to 25, and tickets are available at www.greatplainsrenfest.com.

Have fun with Fido: Woofstock returns to Sedgwick County Park on Oct. 1 for its 20th annual celebration of all things canine. The event, the largest fundraiser of the year for the Kansas Humane Society, is a barkin’ good time regardless of whether you actually have a dog or are simply a dog lover. Woofstock is from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1 at Sedgwick County Park, 6501 W. 21st St. Admission is $5, but for $25, you can get an event T-shirt and a bandanna for your dog. For more information, visit www.kshumane.org/woofstock.

Celebrate all things “Wizard of Oz”: While “Wizard of Oz” references sometimes irk native Kansans, the good folks of Wamego relish the Kansas ties to the L. Frank Baum classic, so much so that every October the town hosts “OZtoberFest,” a celebration of all things “Oz.” This year’s festival is set for Oct. 1 and 2. You can expect costume contests, live entertainment, themed food, a beer garden, themed wines from a Kansas winery and even a “Wizard of Oz”-themed murder mystery dinner. The festival, which the Wamego-based Oz Museum helps put on, regularly attracts “The Wizard of Oz” fans from around the country. Special guests this year include Jane Lahr, daughter of Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 movie, and Roger S. Baum, great-grandson of L. Frank Baum. The festival itself is free, though tickets to the Oz Museum, where many of the events are held, cost $12 for adults and $8 for children. For more information, visit www.ozmuseum.com.

Celebrate Columbus Day in Columbus with hot-air balloons: The town of Columbus, Kan., goes all-out for Columbus Day weekend, and for good reason. The town’s Columbus Day Festival and Hot Air Balloon Regatta is one of the few hot-air balloon festivals left in southern Kansas. It’s a photographer’s paradise, as about 20 balloons are expected to be at Columbus this year. The festival is free, though you may have to pay for parking in some places. There’s also a 5-K run, BBQ cook-off, pancake feed, foosball, inflatables, a petting zoo, arts-and-crafts fair, souvenir booth and registered clay shoot. Though Columbus Day is Oct. 10 this year, the festival runs from Oct. 7 to 9. For more information, visit www.columbusdayballoons.com.

Watch indie films downtown: The 14th annual Tallgrass Film Festival is from Oct. 12 to 16 this year, and there are bound to be many up-and-coming filmmakers exhibiting at the festival. As of press time, not much information was available on the specifics of the 2016 festival, but generally you pay for tickets to individual movies or for entire days and watch the films, which are shown at a variety of downtown locations, such as the Orpheum and the Wichita Scottish Rite Center. For more information on the Tallgrass Film Festival, visit its website at www.tallgrassfilmfest.com.

Connect with “Doctor Who” fans: After a successful first year, the Time Eddy Doctor Who Convention is coming back for a second year at the Best Western Wichita North, 915 E. 53rd St. North. Convention organizers are hoping to break a Guinness World Record by gathering at least 493 people dressed in “Doctor Who” costumes on Oct. 15. Time Eddy II will be Oct. 14 to 16 and will feature various celebrity guests from the British television show, including Peter Davison, who served as the Fifth Doctor. For more information, visit www.timeeddy.com.

Watch pumpkins splat after being dropped out of planes: Stearman Field in Benton is one of the coolest places in the Wichita area to watch planes up close while enjoying a hearty meal. On Oct. 15, Stearman Field is hosting its fourth annual “Pumpkin Drop” at 2 p.m. Pilots, each with a pumpkin in tow, fly over the airstrip and attempt to drop their pumpkin closest to the center of a target. The pilot who drops the closest pumpkin wins. There will be a children’s costume contest in the afternoon. Later that evening, a live band goes on at 7 p.m., and there will be a costume contest for the grown-ups. Stearman Field has a full bar and grill, though a limited menu will be served on Oct. 15. More information can be found at www.stearmanbarandgrill.com.

Enjoy the historic Neewollah festival: Independence’s annual week-long Neewollah festival in October (“Halloween” spelled backwards) offers a wholesome family environment for enjoying late October days. Neewollah’s chili cook-off on its first Saturday, Oct. 22, is a highlight of the festival. The annual “Queen Neelah” pageant is another. More information about Neewollah, which runs from Oct. 21 to 29, will be available on its website as the event draws closer. Visit www.neewollah.com.

Tour the Outhouse Capital of Kansas: Did you know that Elk Falls is called the Outhouse Capital of Kansas? Every year, the town puts on an Outhouse Tour the weekend before Thanksgiving. Its website bills it as “very probably the only outhouse tour held anywhere!” For a uniquely quirky experience, stop by Elk Falls, a town of about 100, to check it out. This year, the tour is being held from Nov. 18 to 19. Admission is $1 for a commemorative outhouse button, and that admission gives you the right to vote for your favorite decorated outhouse. The winners receive cash prizes and a custom-made stoneware trophy chamber pot.

Navigate a corn maze: One quintessential fall activity is the corn maze, and there are plenty of them in the Wichita metro area. Some local corn mazes where you can get lost: Bergmann’s Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch, 8401 S. Meridian in Haysville; Cox Farm Corn Maze, 6059 S. Seneca; Walters Pumpkin Patch, 10001 US-77 in Burns; Gaeddert Farms, 13209 E. 82nd in Buhler. Most corn mazes open in mid-September and remain in operation through late October. If you do a corn maze by night, be sure to bring a flashlight – or a fully charged phone.

See a Wichita Thunder game: Despite admittedly disappointing results for the Wichita Thunder’s 2015-16 season, there is hope that the hockey team can turn things around in 2016-17. The team has a new coach, a bevy of new (and old) players, and a new NHL affiliation with the Ottawa Senators. Tickets to Thunder games are relatively cheap, and the team often does promotions on various nights. Plus, there’s always a chance you could catch some good, old-fashioned hockey fights, which the Thunder’s players have tended to excel at in recent years.

Uniquely Kansas

Walk under the full moon: The Great Plains Nature Center hosts guided full-moon walks in Wichita every month – this fall, those times are 8 p.m. Sept. 16, 7 p.m. Oct. 15 and 6 p.m. Nov. 14. The flashlight-free hikes are a perfect chance to experience nocturnal wildlife in their natural habitat. When the weather starts to cool off, attendance at the walks also starts cooling off, so that gives you a perfect opportunity to have a more intimate walk experience. Though the walks are free, reservations are required. You can reserve a spot by calling the Great Plains Nature Center at 316-683-5499 or e-mailing Rachel@gpnc.org.

Eat a cowboy supper: If you like good Southern cooking, I don’t even have to explain why you’d want to go to Benton’s famous Prairie Rose Chuckwagon. You can forget the horse-drawn wagon rides, the shopping in the mercantile, the old cowboy movies they play, or the crisp evening weather on the expansive Prairie Rose ranch that you can enjoy before dinner. Just think about the all-you-can-eat smoked brisket and sausage, cowboy baked beans, roasted baby yukon gold potatoes, homemade biscuits and apple cobbler with ice cream. You’re welcome. After dinner, there’s usually a show, so plan to make an evening at the Chuckwagon – shows usually end by 9 p.m. or so. The Prairie Rose Chuckwagon is open for supper this fall on Sept. 16 and 30, Oct. 7, 14 and 28, Nov. 5, 12, 18 and 19. Dinner is $35 for adults and $10 for children 3 to 12 years old. Prices do not include tax. Reservations must be made by calling 316-778-2121.

Experience life on a ranch: Why not take your next weekend getaway in greener pastures? There are ranches in Kansas that offer overnight accommodations and home-cooked cowboy meals, for a uniquely Western experience. The Moore Ranch in Bucklin and the Flying W Ranch near Clements let you experience the life of a working cowboy. At the Moore Ranch, your stay includes saddling up horses, herding longhorns, riding over the prairie and possibly even learning how to rope cattle. It also comes with all home-cooked meals. The Flying W Ranch, in the Flint Hills, offers a similar experience, with trail rides for horse riders of all skill levels and more advanced cattle drives. Owner Josh Hoy trained at the Culinary Institute of America and has appeared on “Master Chef,” flexing his cowboy-cooking muscles. Prices vary by location, though you can probably expect to spend a few hundred dollars on a weekend getaway. For more information, visit www.moorelonghornranch.com and www.flinthillsflyingw.com.

Kayak in a Kansas river: Beautiful tree-leaf colors are one of the highlights of autumn, so what better way to experience those colors than by taking a float trip down a Kansas river? At some places, such as Tuttle Creek State Park, having a kayak is not a necessity – rental kayaks and even guided floats are often available. In Wichita, the Arkansas River Coalition hosts at least one float on the river every month – typically at twilight on the last Saturday of the month. The coalition has about 20 loaner kayaks it can lend to people on floats, but you’ll want to register early to ensure you get one. To find out when the floats are scheduled, “like” the Arkansas River Coalition on Facebook, visit www.arkrivercoalition.org, or get on its e-mail list by sending a message to wallyseibel@aol.com or calling 316-684-0730.

Hike the Chaplin Nature Center: The Chaplin Nature Center, 27814 27th Drive near Arkansas City, is a lovely nature trail maintained by the Wichita Audubon Society that’s easily hikeable. The trails are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk seven days per week. Until Nov. 15, Chaplin’s visitors center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays. Some recommended days to go to the Chaplin Nature Center: From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 24, you can learn about monarch butterfly migration and tag one, and from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 22, you can learn about planets and constellations from the Kansas Astronomical Observers. For more information, visit www.wichitaaudubon.org/cnc or call 620-442-4133.

Drink at a ’20s-themed speakeasy, then stay in a haunted hotel: An hour and 45 minutes’ drive northwest of Wichita, you can check out the Underground Saloon/Bar, the latest addition to the historic (and allegedly haunted) Wolf Hotel in Ellinwood, every Friday and Saturday night. To get in, you’ll have to know the secret password – but don’t worry, it can be found on Facebook. After traveling through a dimly lit stairwell, and an authentic 1920s underground tunnel, you’ll find the bar, which serves Prohibition-era cocktails, drafts and shots in coffee mugs – you know, in case the police decide to raid the place. After a night of merriment, you can stay at the Wolf Hotel, which has four rooms and one suite available for lodging. Then, the next morning, you can get a tour of the Ellinwood underground tunnels and request a paranormal-themed tour. Definitely recommended. For more information, visit www.historicwolfhotel.com.

Go for a weekend getaway in quaint Little Sweden: Experience authentic Swedish cuisine – laden with lingonberries – and take your time strolling through historic downtown Lindsborg. A visit to Lindsborg’s Hemslojd store always yields unique souvenirs. The semi-annual Svensk Hyllningsfest, a fall festival of Swedish culture, is only in odd-numbered years, so you’ll miss that, but a trip to Lindsborg is well worth the hour’s drive anyway. You can make a weekend of it by staying in some of the town’s popular vacation homes, Vetehuset and Tradhuset, fully appointed studio apartments with – of course – IKEA furniture. Stays at those rentals have a two-night minimum, for $145 per night. While in Lindsborg, make sure to drive to nearby Coronado Heights, named for Francisco Vasques de Coronado, who visited the area in 1541 looking for gold. Bring your selfie stick, because you’ll want to take lots of pictures.

Pick your own apples at a Kansas orchard: Yes, here in Kansas, you can partake in that grand autumn tradition of picking apples from an orchard, to be made into yummy pies or jams, or even to be eaten by themselves. Around Wichita, at least two apple orchards let you pick your own apples – Regier Farm and Orchard in Whitewater and Steffen Orchard in Conway Springs. September through mid-October is the perfect time to harvest apples, depending on what variety you are looking for. Apple-picking this fall will be slightly more scarce than in previous years, as multiple hailstorms have damaged many of the apples that are available (the storms prevented Entz Orchard, a traditional apple orchard in Newton, from opening this year for apple-picking). For specific apple conditions, check out the Facebook pages for those orchards, or call them. Regier Farm and Orchard, 12249 NW Meadowlark in Whitewater, is at 316-799-2025. Steffen Orchard, 1345 W. 90th Ave. in Conway Springs, is at 620-456-2706.

See beautiful Kansas churches: For the architecture buffs out there, and for the religious, Kansas plays host to many gorgeous churches, especially in its more rural areas. Most of them are – or were at one point – Roman Catholic churches, but there are many other beautiful churches associated with other denominations. Most are either generally open or are open by appointment. Some recommended churches to visit: St. Fidelis Catholic Church (Cathedral of the Plains) in Victoria, St. Mary’s Church in St. Benedict, St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar, St. George Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Wichita, St. John Nepomucene in Pilsen (Father Emil Kapaun’s home church) and St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Olmitz.

See the colors at Kansas’ most colorful state park: Many state parks in Kansas are picturesque in the fall, perhaps none more so than Cross Timbers State Park near Toronto. The Eagle’s Michael Pearce wrote a story on this very topic back in 2014. If you have a fall weekend to spare, rent a cabin at Cross Timbers and partake in its hiking trails, fishing spots and kayaking. At the Toronto Point area, there are five kayaks that can be loaned out on weekends for free, on a first-come, first-served basis. While you’re in Toronto, make a reservation at the town’s legendary Italian restaurant, Courtney’s Place – be warned, though, Courtney’s Place does not take credit cards.

Drive cattle through the Flint Hills on horseback: The Flying W Ranch is hosting its fall cattle drive Oct. 8 on the Bar U Ranch, northwest of Strong City. Take part in a unique cowboy experience by driving cattle on horseback for 6 to 8 miles through Flint Hills pastures. The cattle drive, which usually starts around 9 a.m., finishes in about three or four hours. The cost to take part in the cattle drive is $225 per person, which includes breakfast, horse, tack, guided cattle drive, lots of stories (“most of them true,” the ranch claims) and lunch. For more information, visit www.flinthillsflyingw.com.

Ride on a steam locomotive: The Abilene and Smoky Valley Railroad offers excursion train rides out of Abilene on Saturdays and Sundays through October, and occasionally you can get a ride on a steam-powered locomotive for an extra fee. The railroad’s steam locomotive is scheduled to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1 – to celebrate Chisholm Trail Day – and at 2 p.m. Oct. 2. Normally the train rides are about 1 hour and 45 minutes (except for the rides on Oct. 1, which are shorter and run on the hour). Tickets for a roundtrip ride on the steam locomotive are $30 for ages 12 and older, $15 for ages 3 to 11. If you just want to ride a train, there are regular sightseeing passenger trains that run at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays and at 2 p.m. Sundays from Abilene. Those tickets are $15 for ages 12 and older, $7.50 for 3 to 11. Trains leave and come back to the station at 200 E. 5th Street in Abilene. For more information or to reserve a spot, visit www.asvrr.org or call 785-263-1077 or 888-426-6687.

The Midland Railway Historical Association out of Baldwin City also offers train excursions on Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30. Call 913-721-1211 for information. Time your trip to coincide with Baldwin City’s Maple Leaf Festival, Oct. 15-16.

Watch the birds of fall: You can go bird watching anytime, but if you want some company, the Wichita Audubon Society sponsors a “bird walk” every second Saturday of the month. All you need to bring is a set of binoculars and a sense of curiosity. You don’t need to belong to any birding society to join the walk – you don’t even need to have any prior experience. The walks, which begin at 8 a.m., last approximately 90 minutes. You can catch the next bird walk on Oct. 8; interested participants should meet in the Great Plains Nature Center parking lot near 29th and Woodlawn. For more information, contact Kevin Groeneweg at 316-706-9116 or kgroeneweg@sbcglobal.net.

See the fall migration at Quivira: As a wetland, Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, near Stafford, plays host to a wide variety of uncommon and rare birds normally, but watching birds in migration at Quivira is an awe-inspiring sight. The Wichita Audubon Society is taking a group to Quivira to see the unique wetland wildlife at 8 a.m. Sept. 17 (meet at the Quivira headquarters and bring a lunch). However, think of Quivira in September as a bed-and-breakfast. By late October and early November, think of it as a convention center, with migratory birds everywhere to be seen. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the ducks and geese there in November can number in the hundreds of thousands. Quivira National Wildlife Refuge is open daily from an hour and a half before sunrise to an hour and a half after sunset. For more information on the refuge, visit www.fws.gov/refuge/Quivira.

Worth the drive

Plan a trip to Worlds of Fun: The popular Kansas City attraction is the most adrenalin-pumping theme park you will find near Wichita. In September and October, the park is open only on weekends – its last day of operation for the 2016 season is Sunday, Oct. 30. In October, the park is open until midnight on Fridays and until 1 a.m. on Saturdays. Autumn can be one of the better times to visit Worlds of Fun, as the summer rush has subsided and the weather is not as scorching hot while you’re waiting in lines for the Patriot and Mamba roller coasters. Single-day admission tickets are $39.99 (plus taxes and fees). For tickets and more information, visit www.worldsoffun.com.

Take in race day at the Kansas Speedway: If you live in Kansas, you should be able to say at some point that you’ve been to a NASCAR race. In mid-October, the Kansas Speedway hosts a weekend of races, including the Hollywood Casino 400, where you can spot drivers competing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. The races in 2016 will be from Oct. 14 to 16, and tickets are about as much as you’d expect to pay for a Kansas City Chiefs ticket. You can buy tickets to each individual race online at www.kansasspeedway.com. Near the Kansas Speedway is the Legends outlet mall, a recommended stop while you’re in the Kansas City, Kan., area.

Tailgate at a Kansas City Chiefs game: Fall provides a perfect opportunity to be a part of Arrowhead Stadium’s famous high-decibel environment. Many Wichitans make a habit of driving up to Kansas City on fall weekends and tailgating at Chiefs games, which happen primarily on Sundays. Seats in the nosebleed section – which still provide a good view of the field – start at $45. The Chiefs play at home Sept. 11 and 25; Oct. 23; Nov. 6 and 20; Dec. 8, 18 and 25. For more information, go to www.chiefs.com.

Eat some Kansas City BBQ: It may not be the major-league baseball World Series, but it’s a close second. The annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue will be held at the Kansas Speedway this year from Oct. 26 to 30. Last year, it was at Arrowhead Stadium to accommodate overflow crowds of 50,000 there to watch the competition with more than 600 teams. The event is the finale of the traditional competitive barbecue season. While it is not a food sampling event, barbecue will be available for purchase by the general public on Oct. 28 and 29. For more information (be SURE to check this out if you’re planning on going), visit www.americanroyal.com and click on the links for the World Series of Barbecue.

Visit the most haunted town in Kansas: Atchison, in the far northeast corner of the state, is known as a paranormal hotspot, and as such many ghost tours are offered in the fall. The town thrives on its reputation, as the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce actively promotes “Haunted Atchison.” There are cemetery tours and tours through haunted houses, some of which will allow you to stay overnight for about $100. Visiting all the haunted spots in Atchison is well worth the roughly three-hour drive. After your haunted tour concludes, stop by the Snow Ball 8th Street Bistro for its fantastic ice cream and coffees.

Visit the Louisburg Cider Mill: You can get it all at the Louisburg Cider Mill – fresh-squeezed cider, a pumpkin patch and a corn maze. MSNBC in 2008 ranked the Louisburg mill as one of the top cider mills in the country, and for good reason. You can visit the mill and accompanying country store, at 14730 K-68 Highway in Louisburg, free of charge. It’s open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Be sure to buy a couple gallons of the cider at the store to take back with you.

Explore rugged terrain in northwest Kansas: If you’re up for a bit of a drive, northwest Kansas offers some terrain that you typically wouldn’t associate with Kansas. The Arikaree Breaks driving tour, north of St. Francis in Cheyenne County, offers about 36 miles of scenic views. Before heading to the area, visit www.stfranciskansas.com for more information about the best path through the area (under the “Enjoy Us” tab, click on Arikaree Breaks). For an attraction slightly closer to Wichita, try Castle Rock, near Quinter. The mammoth limestone formation is quite a sight, though be careful – the path to Castle Rock has eroded over the years, making it somewhat treacherous for a small sedan to navigate the rocky terrain. As with any road trip, often the drive there is the most fun part, so be sure to check out Eagle reporter Beccy Tanner’s guide to the best small-town Kansas restaurants to stop at along your way.

Stand taller than anyone else in the state: For any thrill-seekers out there, Kansas’ tallest point, Mount Sunflower, is beckoning you to scale its lofty heights. If you’re willing to drive to the far western reaches of the state, in Wallace County, you can drive up the “mountain” (or if you’re super-daring, walk), which is privately owned. The top of Mount Sunflower stands at 4,039 feet above sea level. To the untrained eye, it looks like nothing more than a slight hill in the middle of a field near the Colorado border. To the trained eye, it looks about the same, but at least you can say you climbed its peak. Mount Sunflower is about 15 miles north of Weskan, Kan. For detailed information on how exactly to get there – which includes driving on gravel roads – visit www.kansastravel.org/mountsunflower.htm.

Take part in one of the oldest Halloween parades in the country: The town of Hiawatha, in the northeast part of the state, claims to host one of the oldest Halloween parades in the nation, as it has been held every year since 1914. Hiawatha’s annual “Halloween Frolic” is frequented by dignitaries such as the Kansas governor and other political leaders. A costume contest begins at 1 p.m., followed by an afternoon parade at 3 p.m. Festivities will ensue all afternoon, leading up to the evening parade, scheduled for 7 p.m. There is no fee to take part in the parade – to do so, contact the Hiawatha Chamber of Commerce at 785-742-7136.

Get an epic selfie in the Cimarron grassland: A drive to the Cimarron National Grassland, in the far southwest corner of the state in Morton County, will be rewarded by many scenic sights on the federal reserve. Bird watchers make it a habit to come to the grassland to see the myriad of birds that make it their home. If you drive to the Point of Rocks, the third-highest spot in the state, you can get a pretty cool selfie with the rocks and the Kansas grassland in the background. Go at sunset for best results. Also, make it a point to see the prairie dog town in the grassland, near Elkhart. For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/goto/psicc/cim.

This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 2:44 PM with the headline "40 things to do in Kansas this fall."