The entire nation was in celebration mode in 1976 as Americans came together to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the United States as an independent republic. Patriotism was so popular, in fact, that both people and inanimate objects were decked out in red, white and blue – including the fire hydrants on Lakin’s Main Street which were painted by members of the Moonlight Chicks Extension Homemaker Unit. Kearny County citizens were asked to fly their flags year-round but especially on the days when special events had been planned.
The Booster Club and the Bicentennial Committee, a long list of locals ready and eager to pull off one of the best celebrations ever seen in the county, put together a big birthday bash Thursday, June 3, through Saturday, June 5. The big shindig got underway on Thursday with a black powder muzzle-loading turkey shoot at Beymer sandpit south of Lakin. Friday and Saturday events included a carnival in the first block of West Lincoln that delighted the kiddos, bake and sidewalk sales, special displays at the Veterans Memorial Building, and the selling of Bicentennial souvenirs. The VFW Auxiliary ladies cooked up a storm and dished up sloppy joes, barbecue beef, coneys, homemade pies and chef salads for lunch both Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening, they served a chicken and noodle meal for the Kearny County Historical Society’s Annual Meeting, and they offered ham and beans with all the fixings for the Saturday evening meal.
The KCHS’s annual meeting featured guest speaker Bob Greer, Garden City newspaperman, who gave a rapid-fire description of people, places and things in Southwest Kansas history. Senator Don Christy presented the Bicentennial flag to Frances Bostrom, chairman of the Bicentennial Committee, and Jack Pepper played his guitar and sang several oldies for the audience. Gale Wolfe played the keyboard, officers were elected, and the Bicentennial King and Queen were selected by combining the ages of the oldest married couple in Kearny County. The royal honor went to Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Beymer who celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary a week later.
Several hundred people took part in Saturday’s parade with hundreds more lining the streets to watch. The theme was “American Spirit In Action,” and nearly 20 former local government officials were present to ride in a place of honor. They included Kearny County commissioners along with mayors and city councilmen from Deerfield and Lakin. Joe Eves, a former state representative who was the only one to serve the old 116th district still living, was also honored. The mile-long parade included 17 floats plus other entries, and free train rides on a miniature train were offered to children afterwards. An old-fashioned songfest took place that evening followed by a dance which concluded the weekend’s festivities.
The big June bash was just the tip of the iceberg for Bicentennial activities in Kearny County. The 1975 Christmas parade was dubbed as the Bicentennial Christmas Parade, and Pete Kiistner served as the Grand Marshal. Of course, the arrival of the Bicentennial wagon train in April 1976 was a highly anticipated and symbolic event. The wagons in the coast-to-coast trek rolled into Kearny County shortly before noon on April 7. In conjunction with this event, local “Pony Express” riders presented scrolls bearing the names of Deerfield and Wichita and Grant county residents to the wagon master. These scrolls, Pledges of Rededication reaffirming the people’s belief in American principles, had been relayed from rider to rider.
Other events included a Boy Scout Bicentennial Camporee at Lake McKinney April 30 thru May 2, and a county-wide July 4th picnic basket dinner which preceded a jackpot rodeo and huge fireworks display. An “Almost Anything Goes” competition based off the popular TV show of the same name took place at the end of July with an estimated crowd of nearly 1,000 people lining the baseball diamond at Loucks Park to witness competitors strut their stuff. Then a Bicentennial Trail Ride along part of the old Santa Fe Trail was set for the end of September. Sponsored by the Kearny County Saddle Club, the ride began about a mile northwest of Hartland and concluded with a basket dinner at the fair building.
The cherry on top of all the fun and festivities was that the American Revolution Bicentennial Administration named Kearny County an official Bicentennial Community. The Certificate of Official Recognition and Bicentennial flag are on display in the Museum Annex.
SOURCES: Archives of The Lakin Independent and Museum archives
