wildlife wildflowers and waterfalls: Symphony in the Flint Hills

wildlife wildflowers and waterfalls

because "...you can't invent more time." Lemony Snicket

Dan and Linda's Travel Journal

Thursday, June 21, 2007

 

Symphony in the Flint Hills

Sky and prairie, wildflowers and butterflies, historical and contempory, beautiful music. Horses riding into the sunset.

Scenes from a movie?

No, scenes from Kansas.

More specifically, Symphony in the Flint Hills, Second Annual Concert 2007, Wade Pasture, Wabaunsee County, Kansas. The concert is a partnership of the Trusler Foundation, K.T.Wiedemann Foundation (current owners of the concert site), and numerous other sponsors. It is a Kansas jewel.

“Breathtaking” was overheard most often among the 6,855 ticket holders and volunteers in attendance. Our friends Jeanne and Denny as well as Dan and I agreed.

The drive to the Wade pasture took us through Eskridge. The whole town must have been on main street. We could have spent time there looking at the exhibit of pictures of the Flint hills published in a recent edition of National Geographic Magazine. Wishing to secure a good spot for the concert, we pushed on down several miles of gravel roads to the concert site.

According to the Symphony in the Flint Hills 2007 Almanac, the Wade pasture is named for Achilles B. Wade, a Lawrence businessman and member of the proslavery “Bogus” Legislature of 1855. The pasture has retained his name.

As we began the three quarter mile walk to the concert site, the beauty of the location was immediately evident. A long view down a classic Flint Hills vista with several horse riders in the distance, wildflowers with butterflies up close and the smell and feel of a fresh summer breeze all together in a perfect late spring day.

Upon arrival at the site, we staked our claim. The program was a mere $2 and well worth the purchase. We studied the numerous choices for educational forums and entertainment. We opted for the tent with programs about traditional and current Flint Hills ranching and stewardship practices. Actual people who live the day to day ranch life shared dialogue and answered questions. Cowboys are colorful and have wonderful stories.

As the concert time drew near, we purchased our pulled beef and pork sandwiches, baked beans, potato salad and slaw. We were amazed that in the remote hills of Kansas, we would enjoy such delicious food.

Flags carried by current Ft Riley soldiers dressed in dragoon attire and on horseback, began their journey across the valley and progressed to the concert site. Almost total silence made the scene very touching.

The anticipated concert began. The sound system was superb even to the point of hearing individual instruments. A highlight was the solo of Orange Blossom Special by Marvin Gruenbaum. I felt privileged to hear this familiar blue grass standard played by a professional musician and backed by a full orchestra. Another favorite was Buckaroo Holiday from Rodeo by Aaron Copland. All selections were timely for the setting and melodic to an untrained ear.

Almost as if on cue, with the beautiful notes from Finale from Dances With Wolves Suite by Barry, the orange and yellow sun began to slide into the distant Wabannsee County Kansas Flint Hills.


Symphony in the Flint Hills


Click on picture for slide show of the event.

Comments:
Linda,

Wonderful account of the event! Great photo show! First blog on it!

It has been very interesting to have a Google Alert for Blogs on "Kansas Flint Hills!"
Yours came up today!
We have a 22 county Flint Hills Tourism Coalition promoting visits to the Kansas Flint Hills – this is the website: http://www.kansasflinthills.travel/
Our web site is to promote the Kansas Flint Hills; and we are so happy to be in the 22 page color photo spread in National Geographic's April Issue on the Kansas Flint Hills, as a distinctive landscape.

We would appreciate a link from your site, to ours, if you are willing to do so. THANKS!
Best wishes!

Bill ;-)
Personal Blog: http://flinthillsofkansas.blogspot.com/
 
You are absolutely right in your comments dear, the way you have described the beauty of the place can only be associated from a fictional movie. But its great to know such places do actually exist in our world and on reading the description of the place I feel like booking Holiday villas asap and to stay there for some days. But I fear I wont be interested to return back to the place where I live then.
 
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Wild Card Wine Trail Hermann Missouri May, 2012

St Patrick's Day, Weston Missouri March 2012

Alaska, 2011

Texas Hill Country Blue Bonnets 2011

Colorado - Hwy I-25 to Durango, Hwy 550 (Million Dollar Hwy) to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park - August. 2010

Butterfly Pavilion, Denver CO April 2010

Colorado, Phoenix AZ, and Palestine Lake near Tyler TX March 2010

Indiana Christmas Roadtrip December 2009

Symphony in the Flint Hills 2009

Missouri Chocolate Wine Trail February 2009

Oktoberfest Hermann Missouri, October 2008

Black Hills-Buffalo Roundup-Devils Tower Sept 2008

Cache La Poudre River, Routt National Forest and Colorado State Forest July 2008

Symphony in the Flint Hills 2008

Breckenridge Family Ski Vacation January 2008

Iowa and South Along the Mississippi River November 2007

Cherokee Land Rush October 2007

Missouri Wine Trail October 2007

The Great American Cattle Drive Ellsworth KS Sept. 2007

Overbrook Fair August, 2007

The Woodward Topeka KS July 2007

Symphony in the Flint Hills 2007

St. Louis April 2007

Cottonwood Falls Scenic Byway December 2006

Acadia National Park and New England States Fall 2006

Destination Phoenix January 2006

Kansas: Home along Hwy 56 January 2006

Canadian Fishing Trip August 2005

Missouri Trees and Wine October 2005

Kansas: Goodland to Home Hwy 36 July 2005

Breckenridge--Family Vacation July 2005

Flint Hills Barn Tour October 2004

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