A uniquely Kansas concert brings thousands to the Flint Hills for 18th annual event
ESKRIDGE — When you hear "Home on the Range" while sitting in the middle of the Flint Hills, it just hits differently.
Add to that it being played by the Kansas City Symphony while watching ranchers on horseback lead a cattle drive around you, and the experience becomes a bit surreal.
That was the scene at the 18th annual Symphony in the Flint Hills, which was Saturday on Wade Pasture in Wabaunsee County, just southwest of Eskridge.
The signature event returned here for the first time since 2007 — the second year of the annual event — and after a cancellation in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the skies might have been cloudy all day, causing the evening stargazing event to be canceled and an expedited orchestral performance, program director Sandy Carlson said it was still the best event ever.
"You don't get it till you come," Carlson said. "Our mission is to heighten appreciation and knowledge of the Tallgrass Prairie, so anything we can do to educate people about the Flint Hills, the culture, the communities, the grass, music."
An array of white tents perched on the pasture gave space for programs and lectures covering this year's theme: "Transportation in the Flint Hills."
Other activities including covered wagon rides, guided prairie walks, solar observations, meet-and-greets, art exhibits and auction, and a roping course.
In 2024, the Symphony in the Flint Hills will be June 8 in Greenwood County.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: 18th Annual Symphony in the Flint Hills returns to Eskridge for 2023
