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KANSAS! Magazine's Weekend Getaways Finalists
Abilene named one of the 20 finalists for KANSAS! Magazine's Favorite Weekend Getaway contest.
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Sometimes you just have to get away. Maybe as a couple, family or just some friends needing to unplug and reconnect. What's your favorite destination in Kansas to take a weekend getaway?
Voting has begun, you can vote daily through March 16 and May 31. Winning "Weekend Getaways" will be announced in the winter 2018 issue.
Readers' Choice Guidelines
- Vote daily between now and May 31st.
- Winners will be determined by the total number of votes received.
- Winners will be revealed in the winter 2018 edition of the KANSAS!.
Please vote daily for Abilene using:
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MSN.com Names the "Grandest Historic Mansion in Each State"
Before neighbors could show off their wealth by purchasing the latest sports car, wealthy people in America flaunted their money by building opulent mansions. Because of modern advancements in building technology, erecting mansions is easier than ever. But in the early days of America, commissioning a grand homestead was a luxury very few could afford.
Many of these homes cost millions of dollars to build at a time when spending that much money on a home was practically unheard of. The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina cost at least $5 million to build in 1895. Today, it would be expected to cost over $150 million if it were to hit the open market today.
There are massive homes in each U.S. state. From plantation homes in the South, to sprawling British-inspired castles in New England, and mansions out in the deserts of the West, each state has massive single-family homes that are now steeped in history thanks to the people who built them and the time in which they came about.
24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the largest historic mansion in each state. In order to determine each state's largest historic home, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed information from media sources, historical societies, and museums.
Though each state has historic mansions, there are some major size disparities between states. The Biltmore Estate is a gigantic 135,280 square feet -- the largest historic mansion in the country. For comparison, The White House is just 55,000 square feet. Arkansas' largest historic mansion appears to be the Clayton House, at just over 6,000 square feet.
When the structure is that small, it can be tough to say for sure whether or not it truly is the largest historic mansion. It is possible there is a larger mansion that does not have its size publicly available and has not joined the National Register of Historic Places.
Though the people who commissioned the houses have long been dead, many of their names and legacies live on. The famously wealthy Vanderbilt family built two of the homes on the list: the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and The Breakers in Rhode Island. Matilda Dodge Wilson was left with a fortune when her husband John Dodge, co-founder of the Dodge motor company, died. She used some of the money to build Meadow Brook Hall, an 88,000 square foot mansion in Rochester, Michigan.
But it is not just titans of industry who commissioned a state's largest homes. Often, governors' mansions rank as the largest historic homes in their respective states. In states like Kentucky, Maryland, and Mississippi, there are no historic mansions still standing that measure up to the place where the governors live.
In order to determine the largest historic homes in each state, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed media sources, local and state historical societies, tourism boards, and the National Register of Historic Places. Only homes built before 1966 were considered. The buildings had to serve as single-family homes at some point in their history.
Most of these buildings no longer serve as homes, and many have been converted into museums. To be considered, the homes must have publicly available information about their size, or provided that information to 24/7 Wall St. Houses were ranked on square footage, unless that information was unavailable, in which case the homes were ranked based on the number of rooms they have.
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Spring Break Getaways
Traveling for spring break? Check out these top I-70 Roadside Stops from MidwestLiving!
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Easter Train Ride
The Abilene Public Library will be aboard with the Easter Bunny. The train ride will include a story, an activity, and an Easter Egg Hunt to follow. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
Date:
Saturday, March 24
Fee:
$10 per person (regardless of age)
Location:
Abilene Smoky Valley Train Depot (200 SE 5th St)
Time:
- 1:00 p.m. - full
- 2:00 p.m. - full
- 3:00 p.m. - 14 spots remain.
Call Abilene Parks & Recreation at: (785) 263-7266 to reserve a spot.
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Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll
Join the fun on Saturday, March 31 for the 6th Annual Eisenhower Easter Egg Roll.
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National Geographic Bee
The Kansas State Bee will take place at Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home in Abilene on April 6, 2018.
11:45 a.m. - On-site registration begins
12:45 p.m. - Official Program and Competition
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Eisenhower Marathon
Join runners from around the country for the annual Eisenhower Marathon!
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Marathon/Half start @ 7:00 a.m.
10k/5k start @ 7:30 a.m.
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Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills
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Click image to learn more
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If you
love
the
Flint Hills
, you won't want to miss
Prairie Hollow Productions
' screening of "Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills", a feature-length film profiling notable women promoting, preserving & protecting the Flint Hills, April 15 at
Great Plains Theatre
.
There is no charge for admission, but attendees are encouraged to register online.
Note: Those who love
Sunflower Journeys will remember Prairie Hollow Productions' co-founder, Dave Kendall as its host for nearly 30 years. Kendall also has ties to Dickinson County. We are pleased he chose Abilene's Great Plains Theatre as one of the theatres to screen "Prairie Women: Engaging Women of the Flint Hills."
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Reitz & Rust Vintage Market and Camper Show
As featured in
SouthernLiving and back by popular demand, the Reitz & Rust Vintage Market's Camper Show!
Saturday, April 28, 2018
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
$4 admission
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Arts & Ales
Save the date! Join the Arts Council of Dickinson County for their inaugural Arts & Ales fundraiser featuring craft beer samples from Kansas breweries, live music and silent auction.
Saturday, April 28, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Little Ike Park / Parking Lot
Downtown Abilene
Tickets:
Pre-sale - $30
At the gate - $35
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Vendors Wanted
Abilene will be the scene of its first ever outdoor antique festival in the downtown area on May 12. Five blocks will be closed to traffic and filled with vendors selling vintage, retro, antique furniture and decor, repurposed items, and food. The event is being presented by two downtown antique malls, Mud Creek and Abilene Downtown Antique Mall and is being organized by volunteers who plan to make this an annual event.
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Throwback Thursday
Thanks to the
Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum for sharing!
Abilene's Shockey and Landes building used to house buggies and wagons among other things. Today, it's a great venue to host weddings, meetings and other special events!
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5 Star Reviews - Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
Give yourself plenty of time to see this!
We spent over four hours visiting and I still completely missed one of the buildings! I could easily have spent the entire day here. Also, I'd have found it helpful to know that the introductory movie at the Visitor Center starts on the hour and half hour. We had just missed the start by a few minutes so had to wait for the next one.
When we paid, I was given tickets to the next available tour of Ike's boyhood home. We sat on the benches outside and were called in to tour the first floor. It's amazing that so many people lived in the house! The docent was knowledgeable and we enjoyed her pointing out things like the homemade quilts. It's impressive that the brothers were all so accomplished in their lives!
We left the tour to head back to the Visitor Center to see the next movie which gave a great overview of Eisenhower's life. It was done well.
Our next stop was the Museum. I was excited to see there was a temporary exhibit on the Chisholm Trail. It was really interesting but wordy. I spent a half hour there and still had more to read so I took photos of the scripts to read at home. It was all very informative, especially about the Texas Longhorns.
I found all the exhibits in the museum to be informative and well thought out. I enjoyed seeing the section on Mrs Eisenhower including her clothing! But I loved the section on Ike's military career and learned a lot about him there, much more so than by reading a book. His responsibility for the DDay invasion was staggering. The exhibits on the hardscape built for the invasion was wonderful. I'd not been able to envision it without seeing the models.
I was stunned to see the cases of medals he had been given after the war ended. He was truly an accomplished man, including serving as President of Columbia University. His Presidency section was also interesting. I'd not realized he was responsible for the Interstate Highway System, NASA, and Civil Rights Acts. I was surprised he preferred being addressed as General versus President. We'd also noted that on General Andrew Jackson's gravestone.
My last stop was the Place of Meditation where he, Mamie, and their son are buried. It's a beautiful, contemplative space with the stained glass and the small fountain.
There was an exhibit in the Library on WWI but it was five minutes from closing when I left the gravesite. I would definitely return!
-NieSam
Maine
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Patriotism in Abilene
Patriotism is alive and well in Abilene! Each year the Abilene CVB purchases 200 flags and replacement poles to line the streets of Buckeye and Third Street.
THANK YOU to all of the businesses, organizations and individuals for assisting with this project.
2018 Flag sponsors:
- M&M Tire & Auto
- Danner Funeral Home, Inc.
- Rivendell Bookstore
- John's Service
- Solomon State Bank
- Greyhound Hall of Fame
- Martin-Becker-Carlson Funeral Home
- Bob Burns Insurance Agency, Inc.
- Next Home Unlimited
- Eisenhower Foundation
- Abilene Termite & Pest Control
- Memorial Health System
- Sonic
- Dr. Lawrence M. Cooper
- Abilene Machine
- GreatLife Golf & Fitness
- Abilene Rental-All & Sales, Inc.
- Black & Co Realtors
- Linder Electric
- The Teck Shop
- Abilene Auto Parts
- Great Plains Federal Credit Union
- Brian's Plumbing, Inc.
- Pottberg, Gassman & Hoffman, Chartered
- Prim & Popper Parlor
- West's Plaza Country Mart
- Holm Automotive Center
- Bill & Nanc Scholl
- Pioneer Farm & Ranch Supply
- Three One One
- Brown Memorial Foundation
- Robson Oil
- Dennis & Teresa Weishaar
- First Bank Kansas
- Stephens Chiropractic
- Rob & Dawn Hammatt
- UMB Bank
- Twila Jackson
- 24/7 Travel Stores
- Smart Insurance
- Auburn Pharmacy
- Central Kansas Free Fair
- National Greyhound Association
- Mildred Hanson
- Abilene Area Chamber of Commerce
- Austin & Katrina Gilley
- Casey & Jane Foltz
- Julie Roller
- Harold & Sue Courtois
- George & Carol McCormic
- Horizon Farm & Ranch Realty
- Cypress Bridge
- Mark Kinderknecht & Penny Soukup
- Jessica Weissenbach
- Andrew & Renee Boeckman
- Beta Sigma Phi
- Faith Lutheran Church
- Joe & Pam Sanfilippo
- RHV Hardware
- Rawhide Portable Corral
Thank you for your continued support!
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"The proudest thing I can claim is that I am from Abilene."
Dwight D. Eisenhower
June 22, 1945
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Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad
The Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad's 2018 schedule is now available online. Book early to reserve prime dates!
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Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home
Lunch and Learn: Meet a real "Rosie the Riveter"
Thursday, March 22 | 12:00 p.m. | Visitors Center Auditorium
Plan to attend this noon presentation and hear from areal-life "Rosie the Riveter," Connie Palacioz, who went to work at Boeing in Wichita, Kansas, after graduating from high school in 1943. Palacioz was a riveter on the B-29 "Superfortress" bombers, working on the forward section of the planes. One of the bombers she helped build in 1945 was the B-29 named "Doc," which has recently been refurbished by volunteers, including Palacioz, who is now 93 years old. Palacioz will be accompanied by Josh Wells, who also assisted with the restoration of the B-29 Superfortress, which is one of only two flying B-29s in the world.
A light lunch will be provided at noon.
This free program is made possible through the support of the Friends of the Eisenhower Foundation.
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Greyhound Hall of Fame
Abilene's Greyhound Hall of Fame is open daily. Stop by and say hi to resident greyhounds Gary and Ginger.
Make sure to check out their new merchandise in the gift shop as well!
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Coming soon:
- Easter Egg Roll at Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home - March 31
- K-State Skydivers at Abilene Municipal Airport - April 14
- Prairie Women: Engaging Women Of The Flint Hills - April 15
- National Greyhound Association's Spring Meet - April 16-21
- Reitz & Rust Spring Vintage Market - April 28
- Arts & Ales - April 28
- Antique Fest - May 12
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Share your news!
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.
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