Strong City, KS: Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is pleased to announce the upcoming good old-fashioned Prairie Christmas event on November 26th from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. All activities are free and open to the public.

In conjunction with Chase County Country Christmas, experience the Spring Hill Ranch at the height of the holiday season with a good old-fashioned Christmas party in the house. Watch women making cookies and preparing for the upcoming holiday as the good smells of cedar and cinnamon fill the air. Sing along to holiday music being played in the parlor. As a take home item, kids can have fun making snowflakes and Christmas tree ornaments using glitter and white sand. Enjoy popcorn and hot cocoa as you join in the festivities.

Kid’s fun continues as Santa’s helper reads “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Storytelling is at 12:15 pm, 1:15 pm, 2:15 pm, and 3:15 p.m. with candy canes handed out to the children. The Spring Hill Ranch buildings and Lower Fox Creek school will be decorated for the holidays from November 19th through December 31st. At the one-room school, local Chase County Elementary students created artwork of snowflakes, paper chains, stars, pictures, and letters to Santa using historically appropriate materials. The student’s handiwork will be hanging from the Christmas tree and all around the school room representing the 1880s classroom.

Originally built in 1881, the 141 year-old ranch house received some major rehabilitation work and was reopened last year. Come see the changes, including greater accessibility for those with limited mobility. Two of the three floors of the historic home are now wheelchair accessible. The exterior work included new tuck pointing, better drainage, porch repair, and rehabilitation of the stone terrace walls. Come visit the house and join along with the historic characters celebrating the season.

  Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is located two miles north of Strong City on Kansas State Highway 177 (the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway) and is a unique public/private partnership between the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy. For more information, visit the preserve’s Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NPS.TallgrassPrairie , website at www.nps.gov/tapr, email e-mail us or call the preserve at (620) 273-8494.To learn more about The Nature Conservancy in Kansas, visit the Conservancy’s website at www.nature.org/Kansas or Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TNCKansas.   back...