Staff writer
More than 40 people will be coming to Marion County Oct. 20 as members of the Kansas Explorers Club.
According to Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman, the group will begin their exploration of Marion County by having lunch at Main Street Café in Durham, arriving in private vehicles.
They will board the Marion County tour bus there and will visit four “secret” locations throughout the afternoon. Their final stop will be at Doyle Creek Mercantile in Florence, where they will have a catered steak dinner in The Corral. They then will be bussed back to Durham to their vehicles.
“[The event] will bring a lot of people here to Marion County,” Huffman said. “Hopefully, some of them will stay overnight.”
Kansas Explorers Club is directed by Marci Penner, founder of the Kansas Sampler Foundation. Membership is open to all Kansas residents. The club currently has 1,500 members.
“The main thrust is to encourage individual or family travel in the state,” Penner said, “but sporadically we do group adventures and bring-your-own-lawn-chair events.
“There is so much to see and do in the state but how do you find out where things are and when they’re open?”
A newsletter provides information about places that feature what have been identified as the eight rural culture elements in the state — architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, and people — and also about upcoming club events.
For more information, visit http://explorekansas.org.