Abilene CVB Fan Favorite

Help us select the 2017 Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau Fan Favorite! The attraction with the most votes will receive a special award during National Travel & Tourism Week. Vote daily for your favorite Abilene attraction! Voting begins Wednesday, April 26. Vote by clicking the "VOTE - Fan Favorite" tab on the Visit Abilene Kansas Facebook Page or visit:  http://woobox.com/n3od3w
Around Abilene

T ourism is a component of economic development and community sustainability. Last weekend's  Reitz & Rust Outdoor Vintage Market  brought thousands of new visitors to Abilene who also shopped, dined and stayed in Abilene businesses. It was wonderful seeing so many cars on the streets and people in our businesses! 

Save the date:
Fall Market - Saturday, September 30

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Magazine finalists: 2 local restaurants among 53 competing


Click here to learn more!
** Deadline to vote May 31 **
K-State Skydiving Club

Did you know the K-State Skydiving Club meets at the Abilene Municipal Airport?

The K-State Parachute Club has been jumping since 1964.  They are an officially registered student organization of Kansas State University, and are the only collegiate parachute club in the United States which owns its own airplane and runs its own dropzone.

Besides their weekly jump operations for licensed skydivers, they offer tandem skydives, solo skydive training, and professional exhibition jumps.  All of their instructors hold instructional ratings with the United States Parachute Association (USPA) and have hundreds if not thousands of jumps.

Click here to learn more!
Throwback Thursday

Throwback 110 years to the tale of J.G. McCoy, Abilene's first Mayor and cattle baron. 

Click here to read the August 17, 1907 story of McCoy and Abilene's cowtown boom.
Abilene's National Day of Prayer Breakfast


Attraction Update:
Dickinson County Heritage Center

Click image to view video

Click here to read more about this weekend's 150th Anniversary of the Chisholm Trail kick-off plans!
Eisenhower Presidential Museum, Library & Boyhood Home

Marlin Fitzwater: From Wheat Fields to White House
May 12, 2017 - August 24, 2017

Growing up in Abilene, Kansas, Fitzwater looked u p to Dwight D. Eisenhower as a hometown hero. Fitzwater earned a journalism degree from Kansas State University then embarked on a career that eventually lead to a decade of service in the White House, from 1983 to 1993. Fitzwater, the only press secretary in history to be appointed by two Presidents, recently donated his personal papers to his alma mater. The Eisenhower Presidential Museum is pleased to collaborate with Kansas State University to bring this extraordinary exhibit to Fitzwater's hometown. "Marlin Fitzwater: From Wheat Fields to White House" will be on display from May 12 to August 24, 2017 and will feature items from his distinguished career as Press Secretary to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush

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"Mamie Eisenhower: Hostess in Chief" - 
Mother's Day Tea with Ellie Carlson
May 13, 2017

Mamie was America's Beloved First Lady from 1953 until 1961. She was also an Army Wife, Mother and Grandmother. She even inspired her own color, Mamie Pink! Visit with Mamie as she relates her life as Ike's wife, our first lady and "just a good friend," which is how she most wanted to be remembered. Reservations are required for this luncheon. Tickets are $15 each. Make checks payable to the Eisenhower Foundation and send to PO Box 295, Abilene, KS 67410. Or purchase tickets online.

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Chisholm Trail and the Cowtown that Raised a President
April 2017 - May 2018
(Museum)

Celebrate the Chisholm Trail
Sesquicentennial as part of the tristate celebration with Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. See rare artifacts and historic photographs. Learn about the "square meal," "real McCoy," origins of the cowboy boot, and "the wickedest town in the West." Discover stories behind the legends of T.C. McInerney, Bear River Smith, and Wild Bill Hickok among others. Find out why Dwight Eisenhower developed a love for all things western and the Cowtown that raised a President.

Click here to view the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home calendar.
Great Plains Theatre

Home on the Range film to screen at Great Plains Theater, Abilene, KS

Lone Chimney Films in association with Sperra Studios will present their newest film Home on the Range on Saturday, April 29 at 6 pm at the Great Plains Theater, Abilene, KS. Admission is $7.
 
The film tells the story of the song, the cabin and the lawsuit that determined its origins. It has attracted both well-known actors and accomplished musicians as well.
 
Featured in the film are the talents of Rance Howard, Buck Taylor, Mark Mannette, Michael Martin Murphey, Darby Hinton, Skip Gorman, Mitch Holthus and many others, including several local actors. Musicians contributing to the project include the legendary rock band Kansas, Michael Martin Murphey, John McEuen, Skip Gorman, Jed Marum and many more.
 
The film was directed by Ken Spurgeon and was filmed in Smith Center, El Dorado, Topeka and Wichita, Kansas.
 
Lone Chimney Films, Inc. is a 501c3 not for profit educational film company based out of Kansas.
 
The film is sponsored by the Kansas Humanities Council, The People's Heartland Foundation, Emprise Bank, Northfield School of the Liberal Arts, Philip and Becky Elder, Jim Graf, The Logan Foundation, Jim and Bev Mershon, ITC Holdings, Russ and Ilene Briggs, Carl and Jeanette Christman, Russell and Margaret Bomhoff and the generous donations of many others. 


Education:



Greyhound Hall of Fame

Greyhounds from all over the country are in Abilene for the 2017 Spring Nationals Spring Meet April 24-29, 2017. Click here for a schedule and to learn more.

Don't forget to visit the Greyhound Hall of Fame to explore the exciting world of racing!
2017 Calendar
Click image to view calendar
Save the Date:

Celebrate National Travel & Tourism Week 
with the Abilene CVB!

Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau After Hours 

Thursday, May 11 5:30-7:00 

Eisenhower Presidential Library Courtyard 

T ourism Awards begin at 6 pm 

Hors d'oeuvres and beverages provided 

Questions? Contact the Abilene CVB at: (785) 263-2231 or director@abilenecityhall.com 

RSVP appreciated

Help us, help you
Have an upcoming event? Help us, help you. We do our best to stay up-to-date, but please make sure to include us in your event and special promotions. Please send announcements to: director@abilenecityhall.com.
We do our best to make sure all information is correct. 
It is advisable to always call ahead before visiting.
Abilene Convention & Visitors Bureau | 785.263.2231 | Email | Website

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