I received this email over the weekend from Alleen VanBebber:
“Thanks for being interested in this. As you know, the Shawnee Indian Mission (at Mission Road south of Bishop Miege and St. Agnes schools) has long been a Kansas State Historical Site. Last year, due to the famous Kansas financial problems, the State stopped all funding of activities at the site. Fortunately, Mayor Jerry Wiley and the City of Fairway (where the Mission is located), stepped up. The Mission is still a State historical site, but is funded by the City, the Mission’s Foundation, and volunteers, of which I am one.
For more than 30 years, the Mission has presented a Fall festival event on the third weekend in October. It is a way to spotlight the role and work of the Mission as a historical site and to raise funds to help with ongoing expenses of maintaining the Mission premises. The objective is to keep it open for the community and tourists to learn about and enjoy the experience of 19th century Kansas life.
The hours are 10-5 on Saturday and Sunday. In addition, there is a free folk and bluegrass concert on Friday night (with burgers and beverages for sale). And there is a free campfire with singing and stories by the Missouri Trappers at dusk on Friday night.
Except for the City’s assistance, all of the planning and staffing of the event is volunteer labor. This year, for the first time, we are asking for a $2.00 donation for those over 15. The event is family friendly (although beer and wine are available this year. and geared especially toward children. There are children’s games, a crafts tent for kids, displays of frontier cooking and frontier gardens, rides on a mule-driven wagon, a cider press, an “encampment” of trappers, the Missouri Town Dancers, food trucks featuring “frontier-style” food, and a Boy-Scout rope climb. There also are a number of folk artists and crafters selling their products, as well as some demonstrating how to make them. This year, there are musicians performing all day in the West Building. The ending event each day is a performance of Native American dances by the Haskell Dancers from the Lawrence campus.
There may be 4,000 or 5,000 people in attendance. We are very short of help at this point. Jobs may include manning a booth, helping with children’s games or at the craft tent, working the admission gates, helping me at the information/pop booth, picking up trash, running errands, etc.
Any help the JCCC students could give, or those from SM East, or any other folks you might know would be greatly appreciated. If any potential volunteer will contact me at 816-769-6017 (cell), I can put them in touch with the volunteer scheduler. They could work any hours they have available from 10-5 on Saturday or Sunday or both. Thanks!”
For more information about Shawnee Mission Indian, visit their website. They are located at:
3403 W 53rd St
Fairway KS 66205-2654