The activities scheduled for this year’s Flour Power in Abilene May 20th and 21st promise to make the 4th annual event even bigger and better. The tried-and-true favorites are returning and many new activities and contests have been added.
Friday night activities include eating tasty barbeque and listening to live music. The barbeque dinner has moved inside Sterl Hall for diners’ convenience and comfort. Serving begins at 5:00 p.m. and will end when the food runs out. Dine-in and carry-out are both available. Adults can eat a meal of pulled pork, baked beans, cole slaw, bread, and iced tea for $10. Children age 10 and under eat for $5. Proceeds from this meal will benefit the Memorial Hospital Digital Mammography Project.
After eating your fill of tasty barbeque, sit back and enjoy live music in the band shell. The Good Sam Club Band will provide the free outdoor concert.
You will see a return of many favorites on Saturday, but a variety of new activities has been added to increase the fun.
The ever-popular car show will line up around the perimeter of Eisenhower Park’s rose garden. Check in begins at 9:00 a.m. This car show draws entrants from all over Kansas and is sure to please. Whether you have a vintage vehicle to enter or just enjoy admiring the cars, this event won’t disappoint. For more information, go to www.caringforyou.org/flour and click on car show.
Motorcycle enthusiasts will want to enter the Poker Run. Register from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday. The top three hands will win $200, $100, and $50, respectively.
There will be motorcycle stunt riders doing their daredevil tricks at noon and 2:00 p.m.
If you like to grill delicious barbeque, you can enter the KCBS sanctioned Wheatstock Grill-off competition. This state level contest is returning for the fourth year. Winners qualify to compete in the American Royal. Teams compete in four categories: chicken, pork, pork ribs, and beef brisket. Check-in opens at 9 a.m. on Friday and judging begins at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. For more information, go to www.caringforyou.org/flour and click on Grill-off.
One of the most hilarious races you could ever hope to see is the Wiener Dog Jog. Short-legged wiener dogs scamper or struggle down the track to the finish line. Completion usually requires lots of encouragement and coaxing. Enter your dachshund or come watch. You’ll have lots of laughs either way. For information on registration, check www.caringforyou.org/flour and click on Wiener Dog Jog. New this year is a dog fashion show that will be held between Wiener Dog Jog heats. Contestants do not have to be wiener dogs. Come watch this fun event or enter your dog to compete.
The burn-out contest is for car buffs who like to squeal their tires and burn rubber to make lots of smoke and noise. This event always draws a crowd. The start time is 2:30 p.m. Check out www.caringforyou.org/flour and click on Burn-out.
Youth of all ages have an assortment of activities to participate in. The Kansas Kids Got Talent is open to vocalists and instrumentalists ages 18 and under. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. and competition begins at 10:00 a.m. A panel will determine winners and award prizes to the top three contestants in each category.
Registration for the sanctioned Pedal Pull is 9:30 a.m. Winners will qualify to compete at the State Fair. More information for all activities for youth is available at www.caringforyou.org/flour by clicking on Kids Activities.
There will be many free crafts and games available for kids in the Flour Children area.
Several new activities have been added to the schedule this year. Flour Power pays homage to our agricultural heritage, and several of the new additions are a tribute to our roots.
Area artists and craftsmen will sell their original creations at the first annual Threshing Bee Crafts Fair. It will be Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come shop the crafts booths you’ll find scattered around the fair grounds.
A perfect tribute to our agricultural heritage can be found at the Baking Contest. If you like to bake bread, pie, or cake, this contest is for you. There is even a category for a 150-year old recipe, which recognizes the 150th birthday of Kansas. Several categories are open to three age groups: under 12, age 12-18, and over 18. Check-in is at 1:00 p.m. and judging begins at 1:30 p.m. There are prizes for each category. For more information go to www.caringforyou.org/flour and click on New! Baking Contest.
Do you make awesome chili? You can prove it in this competition. Do you love to eat chili? You can pay a small fee to taste all of the entries. This activity is hosted by the Abilene Spanish Students Abroad. Proceeds will benefit the Memorial Hospital digital mammography project and the Abilene Spanish students who are fundraising for their 2012 trip to Spain. Cook or taste good chili and benefit two good causes! Check-in is at 1:30 p.m. outside of Sterl Hall.
This year Kansas is celebrating its 150th birthday. There will be free entertainment celebrating our state’s rich heritage and, of course, there will be birthday cake. A ceremony at 12:45 p.m. will be followed by a saber cutting of the birthday cake by the Fort Riley Mounted Cavalry near the band shell. The band shell activities from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. will be the Fort Riley Band, Can Can Dancers, cowboy poet Ron Wilson, Abilene Municipal Band, and the Boy Scout Three Clans Dance Team. This birthday celebration is being provided by the Abilene Convention and Visitors Bureau.
There is no shortage of activities to keep you and your family entertained throughout the day. Merchandise, food, and beverage vendors will add to the festivities.
Flour Power Family Fun Fest is sponsored by Memorial Health Foundation. Proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to the Memorial Hospital Digital Mammography Equipment Project. For more information, visit www.caringforyou.org/flour or contact the Foundation at 785-263-6688.