Happy birthday, Kansas – here are your parties

Kansas is kind of getting up there.

The state will turn 156 on Sunday, and several area museums and institutions are planning Kansas Day celebrations.

Here’s a rundown of the activities scheduled to commemorate Jan. 29, 1861 – the day Kansas officially became a state.

Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main

The museum’s annual celebration includes several activities, such as eating cake. The party is from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday and will feature a musical tribute to statehood performed by the Prairie Rose Rangers with Warren Friesen, The Home Rangers and The Crowsons.

“It’ll be nice Kansas vernacular music – folksy Americana,” said Eric Cale, director of the museum.

The museum will open at 1 p.m. Admission is free, but there’s limited seating.

Wichita Public Library, 223 S. Main

The main branch of the Wichita library will offer two programs on Sunday.

At 2 p.m., the poet laureate of Kansas, Eric McHenry, will share some Kansas-centric poetry. McHenry is a nationally known poet and professor of English at Washburn University in Topeka.

Then, at 3:30 p.m., the authors of “The New Kansas Cookbook: Rural Roots, Modern Table” will talk about their new book and about the role food and cooking have played in the state’s past and present. They’ll be selling copies of the book, which includes more than 200 recipes from Kansas cooks and restaurants.

Both events will happen in the library’s auditorium, and admission is free.

Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 Musuem Blvd.

Old Cowtown Museum will mark Kansas Day with an event from 2 to 3 p.m. on Sunday that will include a musical look at the state’s history provided by The Flatland String Band. Refreshments also will be served. Admission is $3, free for members.

Kauffman Museum Newton, 2801 N. Main, North Newton

The museum will celebrate the big day a day early with a party on Saturday. The annual event can draw as many as 1,000 people if the weather is good, said Andi Andres, the museum’s curator of education.

The bulk of the events happen from 1 to 4 p.m. on the museum grounds, though a barbecue food truck set up for the event will serve meals from noon to 5 p.m. This year’s event will put a focus on the 150th anniversary of the Chisholm Trail, and visitors will be able to see two live longhorns on site, including a calf.

Events throughout the afternoon include a square dancing demonstration, gospel and traditional bluegrass performances and a cowboy and cowgirl parade in addition to crafts, games, horse-drawn wagon rides, a bake sale and a silent auction.

For a complete lineup, visit the Kauffman Museum’s Facebook page.

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Happy birthday, Kansas – here are your parties."