Tyrannosaurus Rex.Stegosaurus. These were beast-ly predators that stalked Earthfor around 165 million years.Flint Hills Discovery Centerconsistently delivers on theobligation to educate peopleon the land in this region’sevolution. Where we see acresof tallgrass prairie was once, ofcourse, deep oceans of water.

We’ve had a child-like fascina-tion with dinosaurs that wasrejuvenated with the JurassicPark series movies. BeginningMay 14, Flint Hills DiscoveryCenter welcomes the worldpremiere of AmazingDinosaurs!, and a fourth-month interactive display withbones, teeth and representa-

tions of dinosaur habitats.Kids, dress up like yourfavorite dinosaur! This will bean exhilarating exhibit for chil-dren, and visitors may want todrop in several times to getthe full experience of theexhibit.

Amazing Dinosaurs! is present-ed by ESB Financial, and con-tinues at Flint Hills DiscoveryCenter through Sept. 14.

• What a day it will be at FlintHills Discovery Center on May 21, for Flint Hills Festival. Live music, refresh-ments, beer, food and wine with children’s activities like an obstacle course and bounce house. Be prepared

for a day of entertainment when you come out for FlintHills Festival!

• Nancy Kassebaum Baker was awarded “2016 Friend of the Flint Hills” in April. The award honors significanttime, effort and resources devoted to the cause of con-serving the Flint Hills of Kansas, and the Flint Hills Discovery Center. “Nancy was chosen for her exemplaryleadership role and commit-ment to the Flint Hills as an elected official,” said Bruce Snead, President of the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation. The award has been presented annually since 2012.

May 2016Volume 16, Issue 5A publication of the

ManhattanConvention &Visitors Bureau

Dinosaurs stomp toward Manhattan

Bill Snyder Highway racesexpected to outdraw first-year totals In 2015, the inaugural BillSnyder Highway Half-Marathon and 5-kilometerrace kicked off a great tra-dition for regional runningenthusiasts. Entrants for the first race totaled nearly 1,500,with one-fifth of those out-of-towners occupying hotelrooms. Ben Sigle, Trey Vernon and all of Manhattan RunningCompany stage amazing races, with a big celebratory finishline at Bill Snyder Family Stadium.

A great draw for the second annual event would bring upto 2,500 people to Manhattan, and keep the city’s hotelsand restaurants bustling a week following graduation. As forthe race, the half marathon starts on Highway 177 andproceeds north along Bill Snyder Highway, with cheeringthrongs of supporters that line the streets along PoyntzAvenue and through Aggieville. A jaunt through K-Statecampus will drop top finishers at the stadium’s finish lineafter about an hour on the course. The 5K race starts andfinishes at the stadium.

It’s time again for Get Around To It!If your constant mantra against more abundant entertain-ment outings continues to be, “one of these days, I’ll getaround to it,” that day to get around to it has arrived!May 5, the eighth annual Get Around 2 It! event from 5p.m. to 8 p.m. in Blue Earth Plaza puts all of your promis-ing spring and summer activities at the forefront.

Many of the vendors will comprise the recreation and hospitality professions, and ring theperimeter of Blue Earth Plaza to field questions. Check with Manhattan Convention andVisitors Bureau with any questions (800-759-0134). Get Around 2 It! is sponsored byManhattan CVB and Manhattan Parks and Recreation. Invite friends, family and area visitors tomake the rounds and visit with 40-plus vendors, and they’ll learn what’s happening on theentertainment scene at the eighth annual Get Around 2 It!

Hops and handlebars start-up business inAggievilleBrew Bros. Hops and Sprockets opened in Aggieville just afew weeks ago, and the company’s website cuts right to thechase. It states: “Bicycle service and Homebrew supply? We did know we couldn’t do that.”

While supplying home brewers as a retail outlet, Brew Bros. will also provide full service bicycleservice, like overhauls and tire replacement. Yeast, chains, hops, wheels, malts, brake pads … oddas it sounds, Brew Bros. fills a need in the Manhattan area since Big Poppi’s bicycle shop onMoro closed. And suds architects have a gathering place to discuss all things brewing and fer-menting. Stop by and see the Brew Bros. boys and hash out all issues related to beer, bikes orboth.

FFA unites in MHKThe Future Farmers of America gather in Manhattan duringthe first week in June for the 88th Kansas FFA convention,at McCain Auditorium on the campus of Kansas StateUniversity. Approximately 1,500 convention attendees stay inManhattan hotels for three mid-week nights, which is a nicebonus for the city’s hoteliers. You’ll surely see the bluecoaters on campus and around restaurants. Help us wel-come FFA members as representatives of nearly 10,000Kansas FFA-ers.

Wine in the Wild ticketsTicket sales for Wine in theWild started today and pur-chases may be made at thezoo ticket booth or at thezoo’s website,Sunsetzoo.com. This is a fab-ulous event and a majorfundraiser for Friends ofSunset Zoo. Take a peek atzoo exhibits, with wine andrefreshments served asguests stroll the Australia, Kansas and South America trails,and live music plays in the amphitheater.

Kicker Country Stampede celebrates20th anniversaryTurning 21? Now that’s a big deal! Turning 21, and 150,000 people come to join in the cele-bration? Now that’s Kicker Country Stampede! For 20 years, Country Stampede has attract-ed visitors from around the country. This year’s headliners are more stage-slamming, park-packing musical draws.

Making his third Stampede appearance is entertainment icon Tim McGraw, whose song“Humble and Kind” has transformed much of social media and the nation. Another Stampedeveteran, Dierks Bentley will be rising to the Tuttle State Park stage on opening night. Talkabout rising stars, Sam Hunt and Jake Owen are two country artists many are clamoring tosee during this year’s three-day music festival, June 23-25.

Two decades of Country Stampede are in the books, and it’s been a heck of a jolt forManhattan tourism: full hotel rooms, bustling restaurants and sightseers to Tuttle Creek StatePark and beyond; three million visitors have hopped around Manhappenin’ during Stampedeweeks.

Help us to be a welcoming city for this huge event. Manhattan Convention and VisitorsBureau does need volunteers to help staff the information booth. Contact the CVB at 785-776-8829 or email Emma Hubbell (emma@manhattan.org).

Cultural and local sporting events

Flint Hills Discovery Center• Amazing Dinosaurs, opens May 14. Discover the most wondrouscreatures that ever walked the Earth. Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until 8 p.m. Thursday).

• Go See It! Lecture series, 6:30 p.m. May 19. Journey Down Our Kansas River.FlintHillsDiscovery.org

K-State sports• Baseball: Wichita State, May 3; Kansas, May 13-15. Tointon Family Stadium.

• Track and field: Ward Haylett Invitational, May 7. R.V. Christian Complex.K-Statesports.com

Manhattan Arts Center• Chicago, 7:30 p.m. May 6-7, 2 p.m. May 8. Tale of murder, black-mail and betrayal.

• Elizabeth Doyle, cabaret artist, 7:30 p.m. May 21. One of Chicago’s most captivating performers with a fresh take on George Gershwin.Manhattanarts.orgMcCain Performance Series• Chris Botti, 7:30 p.m. May 10. Superstar trumpeter live in concert.• Beach Boys, 7:30 p.m. May 16. Few acts can match the Beach Boys' concert presence.

• ONCE the Musical, 7:30 p.m. May 18. Truly original Broadway experience.

• Under the Streetlight, 7:30 p.m. May 20. Retro never sounded sooriginal.K-State.edu/McCain

Museums• Beneath the Prairie Sky, Photographs by Jim Richardson, explore life and meaning on the Great Plains. Beach.K-State.edu

• Behind the Glass Eye: Photographs by Toyo Mikatake. Documentsthe lives of interned Japanese Americans. Beach.K-State.edu

• Minidoka on My Mind: Paintings and Prints by Roger Shimomura.Prints based upon West Coast incarceration camps. Beach.K-State.edu

• Stan Herd’s "Cairns on the Beach" highlights the natural beauty to the region's geology, honors the history of stone structures inKansas. Beach.K-State.edu

• Abstract Flint Hills Landscapes, Strecker-Nelson Art Gallery. Strecker-Nelsongallery.com

Music• Great Women of Jazz, 7:30 p.m. May 13, C.L. Hoover Opera House. Swinging evening of jazz. Jcoperahouse.org

• Joe Diffie with Ned LeDoux, 8 p.m. May 6, The Hat. Multi-platinum artist hasn’t slowed down. Thehatksu.com

ONCE the Musical

Beneath the Prairie Sky

K-State graduationapproaches in mid-MayAs campus continues tothrive evidenced by theprevalence of constructioncranes, another round ofgraduates will accept diplo-mas from Kansas StateUniversity during May 13-14commencement ceremonies.Hotel rooms will be fillednear capacity for the week-

end, five weeks beforeCountry Stampede fills them up again.

K-State continues to showstrong representation inmany regional/national rankings:• The K-State Student Unionis listed among the most phenomenal in the U.S. with a major renovation ongoing to the extent of $25 million.

• Recognition as one of the most beautiful campuses inthe country.• K-State remains top choiceamong Kansas high school grads. • Manhattan rated as the best college town in the U.S., and one of the best cities to get a job after get-ting a diploma.

Congratulations 2016graduates!

ElizabethDoyle

Chris Botti

Karen Hibbard, Directorkaren@manhattan.org

Marcia Rozell, Tourism SalesManager

marcia@manhattan.org

Luke Wiggins, Convention SalesManager

luke@manhattan.org

Emma Hubbell, AdministrativeAssistant/Service Coordinator

emma@manhattan.org

Manhattan Convention & Visitors Bureau Staff

May 20161 Chicago

Manhattan Arts Center2 p.m.785-537-4420

1 Little Apple PedalTuttle Creek State Park2 - 4 p.m.785-587-2768

1-2 K-State Wind EnsembleMcCain Auditorium7:30 - 9 p.m.785-532-6428

2 K-State Concert BandMcCain Auditorium7:30 p.m.785-532-6428

3 K-State Brass and Woodwind EnsembleAll Faiths Chapel, K-State7:30 p.m.

5 Film Screening: "The Cats of Mirikitani"Beach Museum of Art, K-State5:30 p.m.785-532-7718

6 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center7:30 p.m.785-537-4420

7 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center7:30 p.m.785-537-4420

7 Cars in the ParkManhattan City Park9 a.m.785-539-4078

8 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center2 p.m.785-537-4420

8 Iris DayK-State Gardens1 p.m.

10 McCain Performance Series: Chris BottiMcCain Auditorium7:30 p.m.785-532-6428

13 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center7:30 p.m.785-537-4420

14 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center7:30 p.m.785-537-4420

15 ChicagoManhattan Arts Center2 p.m.785-537-4420

14-9/11 Amazing DinosaursFlint Hills Discovery CenterRegular hours785-587-2726

16 McCain Performance Series: The Beach BoysMcCain Auditorium7:30 p.m.785-532-6428

18 McCain Performance Series: ONCE the MusicalMcCain Auditorium7:30 p.m.785-532-6428

19 Landon Lecture SeriesForum Hall, K-State5:30 p.m.k-state.edu/landon

20 McCain Performance Series: Under the StreetlampMcCain Auditorium7:30 p.m.785-532-6428

21 Flint Hills FestivalFlint Hills Discovery Center785-587-2726

21 Elizabeth Doyle ConcertManhattan Arts Center7:30 p.m.785-537-4420

28 Kid's Farm and Ranch DayTallgrass Prairie National Preserve9 a.m.620-273-6034

29 Fishing with the RangerTallgrass Prairie National Preserve1 p.m.620-273-6034

30 96th Season Larry Norvel BandCity Park7:30 p.m.

30 Kid's PaintingTallgrass Prairie National Preserve10 a.m.620-273-6034

30 96th Season Larry Norval BandSunset Cementary9:30 a.m.

Manhattan Convention &Visitors Bureau

501 Poyntz Avenue Manhattan,KS 66502

(785) 776-8829(785) 776-0679 fax

Upcoming Conferences, Sports and Special Events in The Little Apple®

May ..............................................Anticipated Attendance NumbersConferences/Meetings/Reunions1 Kansas State University Applied Statistics in Agriculture......................1005 Kansas County Commissioners Association Annual Convention.......1305 Ames, IA Inter City Exchange........................................................................407 Kansas Association of Public Information Officers Annual Conference1006 Office of the Staff Judge Advocate (OSJA) Dining Out.........................10013 Kansas County Clerks & Election Officials Association Annual

Convention ......................................................................................................22517 Kansas Laboratory Education Association Annual Conference.............9017 ACEware Systems Annual Convention .....................................................10019 Crossroad Tours Group Tour ........................................................................2019 Kansas Hospital Association Rural Health Symposium.........................12020 Manhattan High School Class of 1966 Reunion......................................15027 Global Campus KSU Division of Continuing Education Plant Bio-

security in Theory and Practice ....................................................................4025 Burlington Parks and Recreation Department Group Tour...................2030 Manhattan High School Class of 1961 Reunion......................................100

Sporting Events8 Kansas Women's Bowling Association State Tournament.....................20014 Disc Fanatics of Kansas Tournaments........................................................10021 Manhattan Running Company Bill Snyder Highway Half Marathon2,00021 Kansas Women's Golf Association Women's Amateur & Open

Championship....................................................................................................6023 Kansas State High School Activities Association Boys 6A State Golf

Tournament .....................................................................................................10027 Kansas State High School Activities Association 3A State Softball

Tournament .....................................................................................................30027 Kansas State High School Activities Association 3A State Baseball

Tournament .....................................................................................................300

Special Events7 Yard Art Classic Club Car Show ................................................................200

CVB Mission Statement: To increase to local areaeconomy by attracting

visitors.

Evan Grier, Chair, DiningMeridith McKee, HotelJeff Wolfe, Meeting Planner/ KSUJennifer Fritchen, HotelBen Sigle, AttractionPenny Senften, EntertainmentNeal Farmer, BusinessDennis Hulsing, HotelAndrew Zender, Entertainment

Laird Veatch, SportsKevin Pierce, Retail

Ex-Officio MembersEddie Eastes, City of ManhattanLyle Butler, Chamber PresidentUsha Reddi, City Commissioner

Manhattan CVB Steering Committee