Flint Hills Discovery Center to Celebrate 5 Year Anniversary

On Friday, April 14 from 10am to 5pm the Flint Hills Discovery Center will celebrate five years in the Flint Hills. The anniversary celebration will consist of live music from noon-2pm, a special presentation at 1pm with complimentary cake and beverages to follow and $5 daily admission for adults all weekend.

To reflect on the past and look forward to the future, the 1pm presentation will include speakers from the founding of the FHDC to present day including: FHDC Director Susan Adams, City Manager Ron Fehr, Former FHDC Director Bob Workman, FHDC Foundation President Bruce Snead and Mayor Usha Reddi. The builders of the FHDC, McCownGordon Construction, are continuing to support the Discovery Center by sponsoring the five-week celebration and will be hosting a building contest the day of Flint Hills Festival.

“When I heard about the City of Manhattan’s plans for developing the FHDC, I knew that I had to be a part of it,” said FHDC Director Susan Adams, who has been involved since 2011. “The growth and learning opportunities throughout the last five years make this an ever evolving experience. We happily accept the challenge to make the next five years even better than forecasted.”

The 5 Year Anniversary kicks off five weeks of celebrations leading up to Flint Hills Festival on May 20 where the FHDC invites the entire region to come feel the Flint Hills. As a thank you for the last five years, each of these weeks will focus on celeb rating a different part of the community all culminating with Flint Hills Festival.

“The five-week celebration recognizes and embraces each unique group in our area,” said Molly Kurtz, FHDC Marketing Coordinator. With the support of the community these last five years, we’ve been able to really make an impact when it comes to inspiring people to explore and preserve the Flint Hills. A huge five-week celebration with themed programs and giveaways along with the biggest Flint Hills Festival yet is our way of saying thank you.”

The public also has the opportunity to win prizes like tickets to Country Stampede, Symphony in the Flint Hills and much more through an exciting social media contest. Each week will have a theme and a coordinating question that people are invited to answer by writing on the palm of their hand, taking a photo, and posting it on Facebook with #FestFive. Weekly contests will be announced through the FHDC Facebook and begin April 17.

The celebrations reach their height on May 20 from 10am-5pm with Flint Hills Festival. This family-friendly event offers live music, food trucks, beer and wine and lots of children’s activities. Each booth offers a hands-on component so guests can truly feel the Flint Hills. With almost double the amount of activities and vendors in previous years, it will be bigger and better than ever before.

Guests can avoid waiting in line the day of by purchasing their tickets as early as April 14. For more information, visit: flinthillsdiscovery.org/FestFive.