Heres a good idea to generate local sales

[srkruzich]

WEll the perfect place for a farmers market would be on the highway.  But then you don't get the shade trees and such. 

[Diane Amberg]

When I say this, I'm not being a smart alec, honest. Where are the people who you want to draw in? From other local counties, on the way to and from somewhere farther? Do you want Howard to be a destination or a casual drop by? You really do need more advertising out there. You have so few people that you are competing with every little town for the people who pass by. Maybe some day you can have your wind farm, balloon and kite festival.

[srkruzich]

When I say this, I'm not being a smart alec, honest. Where are the people who you want to draw in? From other local counties, on the way to and from somewhere farther? Do you want Howard to be a destination or a casual drop by? You really do need more advertising out there. You have so few people that you are competing with every little town for the people who pass by. Maybe some day you can have your wind farm, balloon and kite festival.

Well i can say this much. If a festival were unique to the county, then you would draw in everyone.  The town i mentioned dahlonega had their gold rush festival every year, the week or two before Helen Ga had the octoberfest since it is a german village.  North of that town is blairsville which has the sorgham festival every spring and fall, west of that town is ellijay georgia which has the apple harvest festival every november the week after dahlonegas gold rush. 
These towns are packed full of people during these festivals, to the tune of 300,000 people plus and these counties their in have less than 15,000 people in the county.   
Festivals draw folks from the larger towns. 

So the key is for each town to come up with different themes.

[Wilma]

OK.  Severy has a Labor Day celebration that lasts 3 days.  Howard has the River Festival and a fair and the city-wide garage sales twice a year.  Moline has their Crazy Days festival and the 4th of July rodeo.  Grenola has something that I don't remember what it is called and Longton has a fair and several other celebrations during the year.  Elk Falls is becoming very well known for it's Outhouse Festival.  Beaumont has something to do about the historic railroad water tower that is still there.

What we need is more advertising so more people from further away would be aware that there is something interesting going on.  But they would still have lots of miles to travel to get to any of them.  Our little towns are too far apart and too far from populated areas to depend on crowds from the big cities.

[Tobina+1]

You're right Steve.  We do have a very "unique" festival that brings in bus-loads of people from Tulsa and Wichita and carloads of people from everywhere else... the Outhouse Festival in Elk Falls!  I've been a couple years ago and it was amazing how many people came to that festival to look at "shit houses"!  (Excuse my language!)    I didn't go last year, so it may have changed, but the craft fair part was in the old community building, and I didn't stay for long... the musty-ness of the gym was almost unbearable.  But quite a few people set up outside the building as well as downtown along the streets.  Again, I don't think it costs anything to have a booth there, and you would get a lot of exposure!
As for Howard's Elk River Fest, it's getting much better.  I think that signs and ads in other newspapers around the area (and in Wichita) will really help the event.  Especially this year when people are going to be looking for more "homemade" items, I think.  Many people drive miles to go to craft fairs (my hand in the air), and if they go and determine it's a good one, the news spreads fast.  Fact is (from my experience), not many local people buy stuff at a local craft fair.  So that's why it's important (almost more important) to advertise OUTSIDE the county to bring in more people.  
As for a "draw" to the Elk River Fest... when Patrick gets his chicken butt out of the grocery coolers and tries out our "tanking" idea down the river... we might have a real fun event!  

[pepelect]

chicken butt??  Really.....I build you a redneck hot tub and you don't even use then you call me chicken butt.   I bet I have been in that river more in the last forty years than you have been in the tank. 
I consistantly wear the "TANK" attire winter and summer just to promote your redneck event but you don't even care

Speaking of grocery coolers..... How about a freeze out.   We used to do it in the ice cold spring waters at Rock Springs Ranch at 4-H camp.  The water temp was about  45 but we were young and stupid.  The object was to have two teams usually boys tent against a girls tent sit in the icey water and the last to get up wins.   We could do the same thing but in the walkin freezer.  Take a dip in the red neck hot tub first to get drenched then in to the freezer.  First to come out is a chicken butt.  Last to come out gets a free vacation provide by our own Zimmerman Funeral Home.

What every happened to the skid loader olympics?    I was looking forward to that one.

Off the subject but have you got any good prairie fire pictures?

[Tobina+1]

Wahoo!  I knew that'd get a good rise out of you!  I was worried that I'd get hi-jacked in the grocery store, but made it in and out with no incident this afternoon.

Yes, we know about your "TANK" attire.  It's a good thing... (zip lips, not getting into that hairy discussion)... 
Well, if you wanted to test the tanking this time of year, I'm sure you'd have a freeze out, for sure.  I still wonder how they do it in Nebraska; it's quite popular. 

Hey, skid loader olympics is still an option.  We could have a timed event of "dilapidated house tear-down".  Think the city would give us a reprieve on the dump charges? 

Still... need the ads...

No, no fire picts.  I was out of town the day they "tried" burning the big hill.  Not very successful this year.  Lots of fires out there today... grab your tank (both kinds) and camera!

[pepelect]

I need to burn my yard....Bring your "TANK" to put out the house siding.

[pepelect]

Next year the ranch should offer fire tours when they burn off the flint hills.   It should start out way south/north depending on the direction of the wind and ends up 12-15 hours later in the next county.  Pack a trail lunch/dinner/breakfast/lunch for the second day and you are off.  It is a great way to experience the flinthills.   You would never say Kansas is flat after such an event.   We could give out gunny sacks and 5 gallon buckets with maps of the area on the side.  The hotter the bucket gets the harder it is to read.   You could almost make a snipe hunt out of it. 

[Flintauqua]

I'll bet free lodging could be arranged for anyone bringing in a singed Crotalus flintauquaes