Parade takes on biblical proportions

Ten years ago, 18-year-old Hunter Morris, dressed as Jesus, would have worn a crown of locust tree thorns and dragged his wooden cross through the streets of Humboldt at the Biblesta parade.

It was only about a decade ago when festival organizers stopped using real thorns – for the safety of participants – and added a wheel to the back of the cross.

Biblesta, an annual festival in Humboldt – about 115 miles east of Wichita – celebrated its 59th year on Saturday.

It’s the only festival in the United States dedicated entirely to the Bible, highlighted by an annual parade in which participants dress in biblical garb, depicting scenes from both the Old and New Testaments.

Attendees at Biblesta say the festival is typical of southeastern Kansas, where there is a strong evangelical presence.

“It wouldn’t hurt for the rest of the country to kind of get back to those roots – back to the Bible again,” said Cheryl Miller, a parishioner at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Humboldt. “All the churches come together and put something on like this – I think it says a lot for our community.”

Biblesta’s beginnings

The inspiration for Biblesta came to Arthur Carlson, a Humboldt man, in 1957.

On his knees in prayer, he began imagining a parade that would focus people on the Bible – better than a standard revival meeting at a church could do.

In late summer of 1958, the first Biblesta parade was held in Humboldt – the name “Biblesta” was conceived as an amalgamation of “Bible” and “fiesta.”

The tradition continues in Humboldt every year despite Carlson’s death in 2010.

“I try to be very humble when it comes to the subject of Biblesta, since I believe the idea and inspiration came from God,” Carlson wrote of the festival. “I believe God was using me and others in Humboldt. The experience of Biblesta has been the most rewarding and thrilling experience of my life.”

Annually, the festival draws hundreds to the sleepy town of about 2,000 – including a large contingent this year from a senior club in Wichita.

But the bus that took the club to Humboldt was the only one in town for the festival – save school buses to bring in various marching bands for the parade. Attendance at the festival is down from what it was decades ago, organizers said – when 25 to 30 buses would typically come from Wichita churches.

Larry Barnett, one of the organizers of Biblesta, attributes that to there being “so much to do” in early October.

‘We’re sharing Jesus with people’

The two main draws at Biblesta are its parade and its free ham-and-bean feed in the evening.

Divided among 20 barrels, the festival uses 500 pounds of beans and 300 pounds of ham hocks to feed everyone, Barnett said. Those beans, he said, are usually all gone within seven to nine minutes.

It costs more than $1,000 to feed everyone at Biblesta, which the festival recoups through various fundraisers and ice cream socials throughout the year.

During the parade, people don’t make idle talk.

They applaud the floats they like and listen to the parade announcer describe the biblical scene each was designed around.

It’s a religious experience, attendees say, one that transcends denominations. Before the parade started, its narrator told the crowd to prepare “for the best day of your lives.”

“It is the only parade in the country that is 100 percent Jesus,” said Christie Akers, who was helping with Chanute Christian Academy’s float early Saturday. “You know, we’re sharing Jesus with people.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2016 at 5:07 PM with the headline "Parade takes on biblical proportions."