The Ride aims to share the stories of people who have fallen in love with the mystique that is the Walnut Valley Festival. Some say it’s the music. Others say it’s the tradition. And some treat it as a pilgrimage. In my observation, Winfield is much more. It is a reunion, a homecoming, a time when people from all over hitch up their trailers, pack up their cars, and head out for their corner of paradise that is Winfield, Kansas. It is a time when people come to laugh together, to be part of the festivities, to share a meal, to tell stories, to reminisce . . . Really, they come to the festival to spend time with their Winfield families in a spirit of kinship and love.

 

Each September, I drive down I-35 from Kansas City, ride through the majestic Flint Hills, and eventually head south on US Highway 77 to the fairgrounds and search for stories that capture the Winfield spirit.

 

Come join me on The Ride.

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