Kansas Appreciation Day
Posted on Thursday, July 17th, 2008
Hip towns like Boulder, Jackson, Aspen, Burlington, and Hood River always top Outside Magazines Best Towns list. They are top priority for road trippers, RV travelers, and vacationing tourists. They are packed with attractive, healthy, interesting people.
Well, after reading a fairly recent blog post by an intern at Outside (who should grow eyes in the back of her/his head) about how Kansas was the worst state to visit in the nation, being asked during my study abroad semester if we had doorknobs in Kansas, and my personal favorite, that I am asked at least once a month, “How did you ever find Colgate University from Kansas?”, I have reached the end of my rope, as my mom would say. It is about time, that all of you mountain folk learn a little bit about a little place called the heartland, because if Kansas were gone, the U.S. would look like a donut.
First things first, lets get the other Frequently Asked Questions out of the way: No, we don’t have any mountains, yes, there are bodies of water, yes we have doorknobs. yes it has been scientifically proven that Kansas is flatter than a pancake, no, its not like Footloose… we ARE allowed to dance, and finally, no my dad is not a farmer.
Now for our Kansas Appreciation Lesson. A little bit of history for you to start with.
Kansas City as one of the original hotbeds of Jazz. For all you people who equate Kansas with BORING, here is an excerpt from Ken Burn’s History of Jazz- “If you want to see some sin, forget about Paris,” said an editorialist for the Omaha Herald, “go to Kansas City.” Prohibition simply never existed in Kansas City. Not a single felony conviction for violating the Volstead Act, the law prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, sale, and possession of alcohol, was ever imposed on any of its citizens. Maybe this explains why I love cocktails so much..hmm. I digress.
Kansas City and the famous 12th and Vine district also fostered some of Jazz’s greatest names like Charlie Parker.
Stick on your bib and lick your fingers because Kansas is also home to some of the country’s best barbecue. There is a reason why the Kansas City Strip is on the menu at most major steakhouses and KC Masterpeice BBQ Sauce is one of the nations best sellers. My favorite joint is a a little place called Arthur Bryant’s- started in the 1920’s, the spot is known nation wide and was even sited in Playboy- “…the single best restaurant in the world is Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque at 18th & Brooklyn in Kansas City.”
Thirdly, Kansas weather could kick your state’s weather every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Any Kansan knows that when the sky turns green, the wind stops, and things get eerily quiet, some of the best storms you’ve ever seen are on their way.
My state is also home to two of the greatest groupings of people the world has ever known. First, a little team called the Kansas Jayhawks, who are sitting on the title of NCAA Men’s Basketball Champs.
Second, a little band called KANSAS. Lest I remind you of their most famous tune, Dust in the Wind, reincarnated by Will Ferrell in Old School.
Here is the acoustic video- Try not to cry. And no, I don’t know why the guitarist is wearing an eye patch.
I’ll second the Kansas love-fest by noting that my grandparent’s farm in Newton was possibly the coolest place a 5 to 12-year-old could hope to spend a couple of weeks every summer. A healthy dose of fishing, playing my cool uncle’s ZZ-Top records, swimming with cows in the farm’s pond, walking down the train tracks to play video games at the mini-mart, riding motorcycles alongside tractors, shooting 22s at cans on fence posts, making fresh beef jerky and drying it on the backyard swingset — and all the while basking in the glory of 100+ temperatures.
Only in Kansas!
Well, yeah, you could probably do most of those things in a lot of other states, too. But I’m pretty sure it was way better doing them in Kansas.
Hey! Arthur Bryant’s is in Missouri. So’s 12th & Vine, for that matter.
Yeah I know, David, good call though. I’m from KC, so my favorite spots hit on both sides of the state line. Missouri needs some more respect too! Maybe I’ll blog about that next.
I’m not from,nor have I lived in Kansas. But I’ve driven through the place and it has it’s own distinctive beauty. Way to stand up for your stomping grounds.
Also, “Kansas” was the first concert I ever attended, so I have to give you the nod for that mention. August 1978, Philadelphia Spectrum, the “Monolith” Tour. Sweet indeed…