Two different JCPRD programs are being planned to celebrate Kansas Day in 2021.
These are both live and in-person drop-in programs and include: Happy Birthday Kansas at the Johnson County Museum on Jan. 23, and a Sunday Family Series Nature Program called Kansas Symbols at the Ernie Miller Nature Center on Jan. 24. Physical distancing and COVID-19 safe practices will be encouraged during these programs.
Kansas Day is a holiday which commemorates the Jan. 29, 1861, admission of Kansas into the United States. It is also a holiday which has been celebrated since the 19th century and allows citizens of Kansas to rejoice and take pride in the state in which they live.
Happy Birthday Kansas is a drop-in program where participants are invited to celebrate the state’s 160th birthday by exploring the museum’s signature exhibition featuring the 1950s All-Electric House, and playing in KidScape! Visitors will also enjoy hands-on fun with activities and crafts in the museum from 11 am to 2 pm. The Jan. 23 date for this program is also the last day visitors will be able to enjoy a temporary exhibit called Common Threads which features about two dozen quilts, ranging from the 1850s through the 1960s and explores both the historic patterns they contain as well as some of the great Johnson County family stories associated with the quilt makers.
Happy Birthday Kansas is for all ages, and admission to this program and the temporary exhibit is the same as regular admission cost to the museum, which is $6 for adults, $5 for ages 60 plus, and $4 for children. Museum members get in free. No advance registration is required.
Kansas Symbols on Jan. 24 at the Ernie Miller Nature Center is part of the Sunday Family Nature Program series offered each year in January and February. Participants in this program will celebrate Kansas’ statehood Day by discussing and meeting some of the natural symbols of the Sunflower State, including some live animals.
Area residents of all ages are invited to bring the family to the nature center for these Sunday afternoon programs that are both entertaining and educational. These programs are presented by park naturalists and park police officers, and last about 45 minutes beginning at 1 pm. The cost is $3 per person, including adults. Admission is free for children two and under. This year, advance registration is required for Sunday Family Series programs.
Other
Family Series programs for 2021 will include: Birds of Prey on Jan. 3, Predators on the Prowl on Jan. 10, Snakes Alive on Jan. 17, Bizarre & Stranger Things on Jan. 31, The Dirt on Dirt on Feb. 7, Ferrets in Kansas on Feb. 21, and Wildlife Who’s Who on Feb. 28.
The
Johnson County Museum is located within the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, 8788 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, while the
Ernie Miller Nature Center is located at 909 N. Kansas 7 Highway, Olathe. Both are departments of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District.