By Debra Teufel
Teufel Talks
As I reflect on September, it is synonymous with the Kansas State Fair. As a former Kansas 4-H’er from Cowley County, the State Fair is one of my favorite childhood memories. I still have my Oak Ridge Boys concert souvenirs and grand champion wool suit that I wore in the fashion revue in the 1980s.
Kansas State Fair 2025 was a memorable albeit rainy one. The new awning over People’s Bank and Trust Arena came in handy for opening ceremonies, where Ambassador Richard Shank provided history of the first official Kansas State Fair in 1913. Like many economic victories, it began with competing cities, legislation, and land from a community booster, Hutchinson’s renowned Sen. Emerson Carey. These 300 acres have been enjoyed by an estimated 30 million fairgoers since those early days.
As they say, rain makes corn, especially in Kansas, which thrives on our agricultural roots, and yields some record-setting pumpkins over in the Pride of Kansas, but the several inches of rain came with a vengeance on Monday, leaving the parking lots nearly impassable. Kudos to Bryan Schulz and the board, which worked swiftly to create parking at Hutchinson Community College, Uptown Hutch Mall, and Bold parking lots. Isn’t this what makes Kansas so special, people coming together to make lemonade out of lemons?
Each year, we love hosting the State Fair Breakfast, and for the second year, it is held in the iconic 1861 Club. Among several speakers was Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall, who guided us through a poetry exercise. One penned by the Fair Board is worth sharing.
On these tromped and trafficked grounds. comes all walks of life.
These grounds have seen rain for hours, and sun for days.
The promise of a new day is never known.
But at the Kansas State Fair, the gift is always a blessing,
as the fun and excitement is shown.
The State Fair Breakfast was followed by a meeting with the Fair Board, where we discussed the importance of the economic impact of the fair. With over 500 events held on the fairgrounds year-round, isolating the impact of the 10 days of the fair is no small task. The direct economic impact from out-of-town visitors, hotel stays, fuel, food, retail spending, and the jobs it supports, the vendors and their indirect impacts and the direct tax receipts that fuel improvements are many. But it is more than that. These fairgrounds, in the heart of Hutchinson, are certainly an economic engine. As citizens, we should treasure it and make sure it endures for generations to come. The reality is that we all should elevate the impact and ensure that the community appreciates its impact year-round.
The fun of the fair for me is endless, running into friends and meeting people who pass through our Visit Hutch building adorned with beautiful murals depicting the beauty of Kansas, presenting the Governor’s Cookie Jar Award with Governor Laura Kelly, meeting a 96-year-old Korean war veteran Raymond Miller at the Veteran’s breakfast who was presented with a handcrafted quilt of quilt squares from Kansas quilters, and assembled by Karna Lackey at Sew In 2 Quilts, watching my grandson enjoy a train ride and Pronto Pup, never missing the butter sculpture and scarecrow exhibits, the 4-H entries in Centennial Hall and quilts in Domestic Arts, enjoying freshly popped kettle corn and fried foods, and attending no less than three grandstand events.
But my most vivid memory from 2025 came during the final hours, when yet another storm cloud passed over the grandstand. As if perfectly orchestrated, the clouds parted, the sun broke through, and a double rainbow appeared. Lorrie Morgan picked up her guitar and sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
It was the most fitting way to cap off the tenth day of this memorable 2025 Kansas State Fair. Sometimes we need that gentle reminder that after the rain, the gift is the rainbow, set to the lyrics of a song which is perfectly Kansas … where the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true.