Turnpike News

July/August 2010

State Farm Safety Assist: Additional motorist assistance to patrol Turnpike this summer
State Farm Insurance will partner with the Kansas Turnpike this summer for the State Farm Safety Assist program, re-implementing and expanding the program that helps stranded motorists and makes Turnpike travel safer and easier....

Read more

Travelers needing assistance should call *KTA (*582) from a cellular phone. State Farm Safety Assist is available on the Turnpike's two heaviest traveled sections of roadway - between Topeka and Kansas City on I-70 and between Wichita and the Oklahoma border on I-35 - through Labor Day. Turnpike employees will patrol in red-and-white State Farm sponsored vehicles from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 3-7 p.m. on Sundays. In addition to helping individual customers, State Farm Safety Assist will help to improve safety by clearing congestion from disabled vehicles and allowing troopers to perform their law enforcement duties. Services will include: - Giving fuel to get a customer to the next service station - Watching for and removing debris from the road - Helping change flat tires - Calling tow trucks - Offering minor mechanical assistance - Assisting with traffic direction at accidents and other incidents to clear congestion and lower the risk of dangerous secondary accidents - Checking on the welfare of travelers From 2000 to 2008, motorist assistance vehicles patrolled the Kansas Turnpike, helping drivers of broken-down vehicles, looking for debris on the road, and helping with accidents or other incidents. Due to the challenging operating environment created by the economy, the program was sidelined in 2008.

Symphony in the Flint Hills celebrates 'ranching'
by Courtney Crain
BAZAAR - The population of this small, central-Kansas town increased almost a hundred-fold in a matter of hours June 12. Nearly 7,000 people gathered in a pasture eight miles east of Highway 177 to celebrate one of nature's fleeting wonders: the tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills....

Read more

This was the fifth year for the event known as Symphony in the Flint Hills. This year's theme was ranching. The daylong event included educational sessions about life on the prairie, locally prepared food and a prairie art auction, culminating with a 90-minute performance by the Kansas City Symphony. Grammy winning singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett accompanied the symphony during three of the songs. While the symphony does draw people to the event, site manager Linda Craghead of Alma said the event is about much more than the music. "This is an event like nothing you have ever experienced before," Craghead said. "Our event is not about the music that takes places on the stage. Our event is about the music that takes place in the prairie. It’s about education, it's about teaching, it's about learning, it's about experiencing." The mission of Symphony in the Flint Hills echoes her claims, saying the organization aims to "heighten appreciation and knowledge of the tallgrass prairie, by providing opportunities to experience symphonic music and place-based education in the Kansas Flint Hills." This sense of urgency is rooted in the dissipation of the tallgrass prairie. At one time, the prairie stretched from Canada down through the United States. However, only 2 to 3 percent of the original land area remains. "The Flint Hills are special because they have the only remaining virgin tallgrass prairie that exists in the North American continent," Craghead said. "If we are not careful, we will lose the 3 percent that we currently have, and we can't ever replace it. What I want to do is give people the opportunity to come out here and see why it's so important to this world." Gov. Mark Parkinson, who spoke briefly to the crown before the concert, said the event was about “a synergy that can’t exist anywhere else in the world.” “It’s about what happens when you combine the best of what man has to offer — talented musicians — and you pair them with the best that God has given us — the Flint Hills,” Parkinson said. Volunteers and ticket holders alike agree that the Flint Hills are special. Chris Edmonds and her husband of Lawrence have attended Symphony in the Flint Hills four of the five years. "We love the Flint Hills," Edmonds said. "We use any excuse we have to come out here." Alice Lickteig of Garnett has volunteered during the event all five years. "I love the performance and the atmosphere," Lickteig said. "It is a very good cause." Symphony in the Flint Hills board member Dale Correll of Abilene said the organization has hopes for expansion in the future. "I would like to do more art showings and educational sessions throughout the year," Correll said. "I would also love to see a youth symphony camp to get kids more involved." Plans for next year's event are already being made for June 11 in Wabaunsee County, and Craghead said it is all to open eyes to the beauty of the Flint Hills. "That's what this event is really all about: to be able to experience a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” she said. “It makes people aware of being alive." Parkinson told the crowd that the gathering was special. “It’s a night about a synergy that can only happen here, now, tonight, in Kansas, in the Flint Hills, with you, me and everyone else here,” he said. “It’s a synergy that I can only describe as a ‘pure Kansas night.’”

Atchison hosts 14th annual Earhart festival
Looking for something fun to do with family this July? You may want to check out the 14th Annual Amelia Earhart Festival in Atchison Kansas, July 16-17....

Read more

The famed pilot spent most of her childhood in Atchison, before accomplishing many great pioneering moments throughout her lifetime. This festival is a commemoration of her accomplishments and a celebration of the 75th anniversary of several of her historical feats. The schedule of events includes an outdoor concert — LakeFest 2010 — featuring country singers Billy Currington, Julianne Hough and Gloriana, as well as a 2K/8K Fun Run-Walk. In addition there will be an Amelia Earhart Car Show and a “Concert in the Sky” fireworks display sponsored by Stellar Fireworks, Inc., of Wichita. In downtown Atchison you will find numerous arts and crafts vendors and other fun-filled activities for the entire family. From face-painting and miniature train rides to a petting zoo, you are bound to find something for everyone to enjoy. More information about the festival is available at www.atchisonkansas.net.

MyK-TAG program is easier than you might think
If you're an infrequent user — usually using less than $10 in tolls each month — the MyK-TAG program is the perfect account type for you....

Read more

Here’s how it works: KTA bills your payment card automatically at the end of any given month when you owe $10 or more in tolls. For example: if at the end of June you only owe $6.50, those tolls will roll over to July. Then, if you owe at least $10 or more at the end of July, your payment card will be charged for the total amount due and you will receive a statement showing all trips since your last statement. Find more information online at www.myktag.com or call 1-800-873-5824.