Press Releases

Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area News Release


Sonia J. Smith
Marketing Manager
(785) 856-5304
ssmith@freedomsfrontier.org

Julie McPike
Managing Director
(785) 856-5283
jmcpike@freedomsfrontier.org

Jim Ogle
Executive Director
(785) 856-3635
jogle@freedomsfrontier.org




Hike into History this weekend, or attend an event or festival in Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, Inc.

Check the calendar on the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, Inc. webpage, www.freedomsfrontier.org, and you'll always find a variety of events going on in the 41 counties (29 in eastern Kansas, 12 in western Missouri), that make up the heritage area. This week, there are several places where you can learn about the nationally significant stories that connect partner sites in the heritage area, and connect to the heritage area's themes -- the shaping of the frontier, the Missouri-Kansas Border War, and the enduring struggle for Freedom -- while participating in hikes and nature walks, outdoor festivals, and other events at historic sites.

Henry Fortunato, founder of Sunflower Republic, LLC; a visiting fellow at KU's Hall Center for the Humanities; and a member of the Freedom's Frontier Board of Trustees will be at Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., Lawrence, KS, on Thursday, June 16, 7-8:30 p.m., in the Library Auditorium, for a talk called A Hike Through History. Fortunato will discuss the Burroughs Creek Trail Hike Through History exhibition that will be at the library in late June. On Saturday, June 18, at 10 a.m., Fortunato, who has walked across the state of Kansas, will lead a 3.2 mile walk along the Burroughs Creek Trail. Hikers will meet at Hobbs Park, 702 E. 11th St. (Rain date for the hike is July 16.)

Arnold Scofield, a former site administrator at the Mine Creek Battlefield State Historic Site in Pleasanton, KS, will give a lecture on Rascals and Rogues, Thursday, June 16, at 7 p.m. at the Mid-Continent Library's Midwest Genealogy Center, 3440 S. Lee's Summit Rd., Independence, MO. Learn about the careers of five rogues - James Henry Lane, Charles "Doc" Jennison, James Montgomery, William C. Quantrill, "Bloody" Bill Anderson, and Archie Clement. If you miss this in June, visit the Freedom's Frontier webpage and check the calendar for July dates.

This is Territorial Days weekend in Lecompton, KS. Constitution Hall State Historic Site, the Territorial Capital Museum and Lane University, and Fort Titus will be the sites of programs for the public on Friday and Saturday, June 17-18. Included in the Territorial Days and commemoration of the 160th Anniversary of the pre-Civil War Battle of Fort Titus will be: a parade, a pancake breakfast, carnival, cakewalk, live music, a 5K race, an ice cream social, demonstrations, reenactors, frog and turtle races, family games in the park and much more. A full schedule of events can be found here: http://www.lecomptonterritorialdays.com/downloads/TerrDaysPoster2016.pdf. Look for the Freedom's Frontier booth for a map of the heritage area, a stamp for your National Park Service Passport, and information about heritage area programs.

Lexington, Missouri, will have Bushwhackers on Main Street this weekend. The event includes: Rob Maupin and his gang of bushwhackers with a reenactment of a bank robbery and street skirmishes...right in the middle of downtown Lexington. With horses, period attire and blazing guns, they will recreate area history and recall a time when Missouri was restless and wild. Friday, June 17, beginning at 6:30 p.m., festivities will include a kid's stick horse race, and BBQ. The reenactors will also set up and stay overnight in an authentic period camp downtown. The public is encouraged to tour the site and meet reenactors. Two bushwhacker reenactments will take place on Saturday, June 18 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., along with an old-fashioned mercantile pop-up store, including a traveling button museum and presentation. BBQ will be available, downtown shops will be open, and live music will fill the downtown during the afternoon. Author Larry Wood will talk about his new book, Bushwhacker Belles at 12:30 p.m. at River Reader Bookstore, 1010 Main Street downtown. Your bushwhacker experience can also include nearby wineries, orchards, and historic venues. Visit http://www.mayhem.visitlexingtonmo.com https://www.facebook.com/mayhemonmain/. Freedom's Frontier will also be at this location with maps and information.

The 6th annual Mount Mitchell Heritage Prairie/Mitchell Farmstead Celebration will be held on Saturday, June 18, with docent led prairie wildflower walks, 9-11 a.m., at Mount Mitchell. The entrance to the park is located ¼ mile south of the junction of highways 99 and 18, at Mitchell Prairie Lane. A newly installed National Park Service style sign interpreting the Topeka Fort Riley Road, at the site of the road's ruts in the park, and a memorial bench will be dedicated at 9 a.m. Guitarist and singer Kelly Werts will perform old-time folk songs at 10 a.m. at the farm. Tours of the original Mitchell log home, ¼ mile east of the intersection of highways 99 and 18 at 29213 Mount Mitchell Road, will be available 9-11 a.m. The Mount Mitchell Prairie Guards will host Lawbreakers for the Common Good, a multi-media presentation and discussion led by Anne Hawkins at 1 p.m., at Beecher Bible and Rifle Church, Chapel and Elm Streets, Wabaunsee, Kansas. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council. More information is available at http://www.mountmitchellprairie.org/events.html.

Wakarusa River Valley Heritage Museum, County Rd. 6, Lawrence, KS, and Clinton Lake Historical Society are hosting a Movie Night, along with a 50/50 raffle, quilt raffle and concessions, Saturday, June 18, 7:30-10 p.m. They will be showing Alfred Hitchock's Charade. Bring lawn chairs or blankets. Concessions on the patio open at 7 p.m.; movie starts at 8 p.m. Visit http://www.wakarusamuseum.org, or call (785) 783-4420 for more information.

In Ottawa, KS, this is the weekend for the Swan Arts Festival. Dietrich Cabin, City Park, 5th and Main Streets, is opening its doors for the first time in 2016 for an Open House on Saturday, June 18, 9 a.m.-noon. Admission is free. Make a tour of the cabin part of your day as you take in the art, music, and food at the festival. You can find more information about the festival here: http://www.swanartsfestival.com/.

The Quindaro Ruins/Underground Railroad presents a unique Four in One signature event celebrating Juneteenth 2016, Father's Day, and the honor of being listed in the 2016 National Park Service Centennial Find Your Network to Freedom Site, released in May 2016. The unique Passport Stamp program is a collective that covers 37 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. One of the three Kansas locations listed is the Quindaro Ruins. Also commemorated this weekend at Quindaro is the documentary, The Battle of Island Mound: Fort Africa, that earned two Emmy Awards in 2015. Qunidaro, Free-Port-of-Entry of the mid-1800s is included in the documentary. All four of these things will be celebrated on Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m., with a tour that is free and open to the public. Clothing and shoes appropriate for a walking tour of the ruins is required. Meet at the Quindaro Overlook Platform adjacent to the John Brown Memorial Plaza, at North 27th St., and Sewell Ave., Kansas City, KS.

George Washington Carver National Monument is not actually located within the borders of Freedom's Frontier, but is one of the National Park Service sites that partners with the heritage area. On Sunday, June 19, at this site, 5646 Carver Rd., Diamond, MO, a park ranger will present a program on Juneteenth, one of the oldest known celebrations of the ending of slavery. More information about George Washington Carver is available on the National Park Service's webpage, here: https://www.nps.gov/gwca/index.htm.

The nation's 49 national heritage areas are affiliates of the National Park Service. While the National Park Service celebrates 100 years of national parks, Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area, Inc. is celebrating 10 years since President George W. Bush signed the bi-state heritage area into law on October 12, 2006. Participate in the centennial celebration by using the hashtags #FindYourPark and #FindYourStory while sharing pictures and posts on social media as you enjoy the festivals listed above.

Heritage Area Fast Facts
Mission: Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA) is dedicated to building
awareness of the struggles for freedom in western Missouri and eastern Kansas.
These diverse, interwoven, and nationally important stories grew from a unique physical and cultural landscape. FFNHA inspires respect for multiple perspectives
and empowers residents to preserve and share these stories. We achieve our goals
through interpretation, preservation, conservation, and education for all residents and visitors.

Kansas Counties: Allen · Anderson · Atchison · Bourbon · Chautauqua · Cherokee · Clay · Coffey · Crawford· Douglas · Franklin · Geary · Jackson · Jefferson · Johnson · Labette · Leavenworth · Linn · Miami · Montgomery · Neosho · Osage · Pottawatomie · Riley · Shawnee · Wabaunsee · Wilson · Woodson · Wyandotte

Missouri Counties: Barton · Bates · Buchanan · Cass · Clay · Jackson · Johnson · Lafayette · Platte · Ray · St. Clair · Vernon

Established: October 12, 2006

Web site: www.freedomsfrontier.org