Bloody Mary Roll-Out Party
June 5, 201305:00 pm to 07:00 pm
Any way you slice it, the annual Bloody Mary Party and Tomato Roll is a fun way to get summer started! Join the Friends of Shawnee Town 1929 for an evening of drinks, hors d’oeuvres and surprises. Tickets are $25 for the party. The price includes 2 'tomato' entries in the Tomato Roll. Ask us about family or corporate sponsorships! Don’t miss the chance to win unique prize packages! Call (913) 248-2360 by May 28th to reserve your spot!
Old Shawnee Days at Shawnee Town
June 8, 2013
11:00 am to 04:00 pm
Have you ever been to Old Shawnee Days? Visit Romeo and the ladies in Shawnee Town’s chicken coop, plant seeds in the garden, do laundry on a washboard, design your own building for our make-believe town, play games in the schoolhouse, and design your own family tree. Did you meet Nymphadora, the cow, last year. If you haven’t you’re in for a world of fun! We hope to see you there!
Kids can print out a "Ticket to Fun" that features 12 kid-friendly Old Shawnee Days activities. When they complete 5 of the activities they can bring the ticket to Shawnee Town's Visitor's Center for a free gift!
Ethnic Labor and Small Towns on the Rock Island Rail Line in the 1920s
June 11, 2013
07:00 pm
M. J. Morgan, Chapman Center for Rural Studies, Kansas State University
Perceived as transient laborers and barely mentioned in railroad histories, ethnic crews not only worked the rail lines, they also impacted the cultures of rural Kansas communities. Focusing on the railway town of Broughton and the Rock Island high line in the 1920s, this talk details the oral histories of residents who remember when Mexican and town women exchanged food recipes, Mexican workers lived in boxcars near the rail lines, and residents could hear the sounds of ethic music echoing over the fields at twilight.
Time Travelers
June 15, 2013
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time and pretend you lived long ago? Well now’s your chance! Come spend a Saturday morning at the Museum experiencing life in 1920s Shawnee which was the center of the truck farming economy. Depending on the time of the season, various hands-on activities take place. Come help us plant and harvest 1920s heirloom crops. Do laundry with a washboard and hang it on the line to dry. Churn ice cream and taste the goodness of your hard work. Meet Romeo and the ladies in our chicken coop. Listen to some of that ol’ time music and have yourself a picnic on the grounds. Mail a postcard with postage “on us” telling friends and family about your good time. Every Saturday brings surprises. You never know what you’ll find happening in Shawnee Town 1929.
Garden Party - Admit Two!
June 22, 2013
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
We’re celebrating the 1920s and the glorious movies that made it a joy to spend Saturday afternoon at the matinee with your friends! Come have your hair styled like Mary Pickford’s, taste Douglas Fairbanks Jr.’s lemon pie and Gloria Swanson’s fudge, make a movie craft, and doll yourself up like Clara Bow. You’re the “It” girl for the day and who knows, you just might want to take in a movie after the party! This year, you’ll be able to view original 1920s frocks from a private collector and from Johnson County Community College’s Fashion Merchandising vast collection. This year, we’re awarding awesome prizes for the best 1920s - based attire!
Tickets are $18 per person (or $16 for Friends of Shawnee Town members). Children must be at least six years old and accompanied by an adult. For information and reservations call (913) 248-2360.
Time Traveler
June 29, 2013
10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Have you ever wanted to travel back in time and pretend you lived long ago? Well now’s your chance! Come spend a Saturday morning at the Museum experiencing life in 1920s Shawnee which was the center of the truck farming economy. Depending on the time of the season, various hands-on activities take place. Come help us plant and harvest 1920s heirloom crops. Do laundry with a washboard and hang it on the line to dry. Churn ice cream and taste the goodness of your hard work. Meet Romeo and the ladies in our chicken coop. Listen to some of that ol’ time music and have yourself a picnic on the grounds. Mail a postcard with postage “on us” telling friends and family about your good time. Every Saturday brings surprises. You never know what you’ll find happening in Shawnee Town 1929.
Music on the Square - Victor and Penny
July 20, 2013
07:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Sit yourself down with ice cream and pie while you listen to Victor and Penny’s sweet, sassy sounds on the ukulele and guitar. They’ll serenade you with “antique pop” music from the 1920s and 1930s. Feel free to dance off some of that pie any time you please! Refreshments and desert will be provided. Bring the kids and enjoy this FREE fun-filled family event!
Shawnee Town Craft Fair
September 21, 2013
09:00 am to 04:00 pm
Shoppers can browse through close to 100 craft booths featuring the handmade creations of jewelers, weavers, chefs, woodworkers, and other artisans at Shawnee Town 1929’s 38th Annual Arts & Crafts Fair on Saturday, September 21st between 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. We will have several food booths on hand to meet the needs of your taste buds! Admission is $1.00 at the gate, and all proceeds benefit the Shawnee Town 1929 Museum’s interpretive and educational programs. Don’t miss out! This is a must for all craft lovers! For more information call (913) 248-2360 or email rkrueger@cityofshawnee.org.
Historical Hauntings
October 26, 2013
06:00 pm to 08:00 pm
Tuxedoed tots and ladybug ladies, slithery snakes and gnarly ol’ gnomes and, of course, all those things that go bump in the night! They’ll all be at Shawnee Town to help you celebrate Halloween on October 26th. Have your face painted bright yellow and sparkly red, take home an animal balloon, trick or treat throughout the town and enter the costume contest for awesome prizes. Take a hay ride, buy snacks at the Ghoul Cafe, and go home with memories to last all year until Shawnee Town’s favorite fall celebration comes again. We couldn’t make this wonderful evening happen without the support of our community’s businesses. Shop local and support Shawnee’s finest! A $1.00 donation benefits the Museum’s interpretive and educational programs.
Christmas Around Town
December 7, 2013
05:30 pm to 07:30 pm
Sleigh bells ringing, carolers singing, music in the air – it’s almost Christmas and Shawnee Town will treat you to an evening of fun and frolic. Visit Santa and pick your very own gift from his old fashioned wagon, visit his reindeer and learn all about their lives at the North Pole, and come away with a candy cane or snowflake painted on your cheek. Bundle up. It’s usually cold, but you’ll go home and dream of the merry old time you had snug in your bed!
Date: 2nd Tuesday of the Month, April to October
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Town Hall at Shawnee Town Museum, 11600 Johnson Drive
Details: Free and open to the public (913) 248-2360
2013 Speaker Series (pdf)
Images of Depression-Era Work in Kansas Post Office Murals
July 9, 201307:00 pm
Lorraine Madway, Wichita State University Libraries, Curator of Special Collections and University Archivist
Between 1936 and 1942, the federal governments’ Fine Arts Section of the Procurement Division of the Treasury Department partnered with local citizens in Kansas and professional artists and architects to select images for post office murals. The murals portrayed the workers, scenic landscapes, and heritage of the state and celebrated the productivity of local citizens during the Great Depression. Learn how the resulting heroic, if not fully accurate, depictions of agriculture, industry and state history preserved local autonomy while projecting the New Deal values of optimism and communal progress. 
Music of the 1920s and 1930s
August 13, 201307:00 pm
Kansas City Ukesters
Back by popular demand, the only Speaker Series presenters to have ever received a standing ovation from our audience, the Kansas City Ukesters will strum their way into your hearts and have your feet tappin’ with their ukulele serenades and songs!
Converting Pasture Paths to Public Roads
September 10, 201307:00 pm
Joan Nothern, Solomon Valley – Highway 24 Heritage Alliance, President
Automobiles granted a freedom to travel that suddenly made the need for roads an emergency. The transition from local and county roads to state and interstate highways required vision, energy, and collaboration. Learn about the early years of our roadway system when Kansas farmers cleaned and maintained the roads that crossed their properties and early travelers had a unique culture of collaboration and adventure. The work and planning by farmers, bankers, and town boosters make Kansas public road construction a dramatic story of the way we worked in the early 20th century.
The March of the Amazon Army
October 8, 201307:00 pm
Linda O’Nelio Knoll, Educator, author and historian of Southeast Kansas history
In 1921, thousands of women in southeast Kansas marched in protest of the hazardous working conditions, poor pay, and discrimination that their husbands and male relatives were facing every day in the coal mines. Representing an ethnic mix of French, Swedish, British, Italian, German, and Eastern European immigrants that was unique to Kansas, the marchers were dubbed the “Amazon Army” by the New York Times. Learn how their spirited act brought men and women together in one of the most dynamic pages of American labor history.