8 Wonders of Reno County Winners are Announced

AND THE WINNERS ARE…8 WONDERS OF RENO COUNTY ARE ANNOUNCED AT HUTCHINSON CITY COUNCIL

PUBLIC IS INVITED TO TAKE A FREE TOUR ON FRIDAY MAY 16TH

A six-month process to determine the 8 Wonders of Reno County ended today when the winners were announced and recognized at the Hutchinson City Council meeting. 

In alphabetical order, the winners are:

• Dillon Nature Center
  
• Hutchinson's Historic Fox Theatre
  
• Kansas Cosmosphere and Space Center
• Kansas State Fair and Fairgrounds
• Kansas Underground Salt Museum
• Longest Grain Elevator
• Quivira Wildlife Refuge
• Yoder and the Amish culture

 The winners were chosen from 18 finalists that had been nominated by the public last fall and narrowed by a selection committee.  Final voting took place over a 3-month period ending April 30^th.

1647 people from 40 different states weighed in on the final vote.  “About 220 were from out of state,” reports 2020 Tourism Task Force Chairman Martha Slater.  “Most of those were former residents of Reno County reading about the contest on line in the Hutchinson News. It was great to have their perspective.”

The 8 Wonders of Reno County are being honored in conjunction with National Tourism Week, which is May 10 – May 17.

In celebration of what Reno County has to offer tourists, local residents will have a chance to take a Grand Tour of the 8 Wonders on Friday May 16^th. 

The Greater Hutchinson Convention and Visitors Bureau and Reno County 2020 Growth Coalition are sponsoring a free bus tour of all the 8 Wonders.  It starts at the Kansas State Fairgrounds and will make stops at all 8 winning locations.  The Grand Tour includes a free lunch, and is limited to 45 people.  The FAM tour is open to the public, so call the CVB at 662-3391 to make a reservation.

8 Wonders of Reno County was launched to encourage people to appreciate the wonders in their own back yard.  Hutchinson and Reno County entertain about 1.5 million out-of-county guests every year.

LeAnn Cox, Director of the Greater Hutchinson Convention and Visitors Bureau, says it was interesting to see the results of the vote.  “We are very proud that Hutchinson has a number of destination attractions that attract visitors from all over the world.  The Kansas Cosmosphere and the Kansas Underground Salt

Museum had already been voted as two of the ’8 Wonders of Kansas’, and all our finalists could claim regional or national significance.”

The remaining finalists were

• Anchor Inn                                
  
• Carey Park
• Fun Valley
• NJCAA Tournament
• Prairie Dunes                    
• Pretty Prairie Rodeo
• Roy’s Hickory Pit Barbecue  
• Sand Hills State Park
• Soldiers and Sailors Monument      
• Wheat Harvest

The 8 Wonders of Reno County contest was modeled after the 8 Wonders of Kansas initiated by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.  

It is a project of the Tourism Task Force of the Reno County 2020 Growth Coalition, in partnership with the Greater Hutchinson Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Hutchinson News. For more information about the 8 Wonders of Reno County, go online to www.visithutch.com.