The news staff of The Hutchinson Tribune was spread across the town on Saturday, covering quite an eclectic set of events.
When neighbors come together to celebrate their culture, share their hobbies and express their views, it cultivates a love of place that strengthens our community. It is wonderful to see people connect in so many ways.
On Saturday evening, Adam Stewart covered the SW Bricktown Fiesta, which celebrates Hispanic heritage. The annual event draws a large crowd, and this year was no exception, with between 700 and 800 attendees, according to organizers’ estimates.
The event is organized by members of the community with support from Hutch Rec’s Healthy Neighborhood Initiative. There was good food, good music, street dancing and a Dia de los Muertos Throw Down.
Coincidentally, not so far down the road in Lindsborg, there was a Swedish festival called Svensk Hyllningsfest that started back in 1941. Hopefully, the SW Bricktown Fiesta is still going in 76 years. When people in an area come together to celebrate and preserve their heritage, the whole community wins.
Speaking of festivals, Brendan Ulmer covered the Past, Present & Future Festival in the Meadowlark Building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. Hutchinson has had comic cons before, but this first-ever event was much more.
Organizers planned an event that they hoped would combine classic renaissance fair activities, a pop culture and comic con, and a video game jam and interactive esports space. They hoped to combine the forces of nerds of all kinds—we view the term nerds favorably, by the way.
Culture comes in different shapes and forms, and people can come together over shared interests just as easily as shared heritage. It seems the event was a success, so if you missed it, you can hope for a second-annual next year.
Charissa Graves covered yet another event on Saturday morning. A “No Kings” protest took place alongside others across the country. Over 600 were in attendance locally, with most carrying homemade signs and many in costumes.
The nature of the gatherings is quite different, but the protest paralleled the Past, Present & Future Festival in many ways. People with a common interest came together to connect, and they used their creativity to express themselves.
The group that organized the local protest has been gathering weekly in the same spot. Agree or not with their views on the current administration, their dedication to their cause and commitment to consistently showing up is commendable in its own right.
In yet another different kind of gathering, Jackson Swearer hosted his neighbors for a Donuts in the Driveway gathering. The smallest gathering of those mentioned here is not worthy of news coverage. But still, anything that brings a group of neighbors together strengthens our connections and our love for where we live.
One of the great things about small towns—Hutchinson is a big, small town—is how easy it is to get involved.
If you have an interest, look around and you will probably find others who share that interest and are happy to make a new friend. If you don’t see anyone else doing something you want to do, just start doing it and invite others to join.
Show up and get engaged, however you choose to do it. That is how neighbors build a stronger community, together.
-The Hutchinson Tribune Editorial Board