More than 12,000 votes were submitted for the great customs of Kansas contest, sponsored by the Sampler Foundation, which aims to preserve and sustain rural culture.
The other seven winning Kansas customs, in alphabetical order, include:
* Bringing musicians together: For a decade there’s been a lively jam session at the Emma Chase Cafe in Cottonwood Falls almost every Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
* Chanting a school fight song: The University of Kansas’s Rock Chalk Jayhawk cheer is one of the best in the nation.
* Clicking your heels three times and saying “There’s no place like home”: Oz attractions in Wamego and Liberal tell the beloved story of the Wizard of Oz.
* Commemorating Veterans Day: An Emporia man helped change Armistice Day into Veterans Day and made Emporia the Founding City of Veterans Day.
* Displaying an ethnic handicraft: Traditional and pop-art Dala Horses can be seen throughout Lindsborg.
* Riding a carousel: Ride — and learn about — the famous C.W. Parker carousels in Abilene and Leavenworth.
* Using natural material for fencing: Learn the story of these hardy fence posts at the Post Rock Museum in Lacrosse and see them throughout the Smoky Hills.
* Soda Fountains. The Old Store in Johnson City, Traditions Soda and Sandwich Shop in Garden City, and Clark Pharmacy in Cimarron are three of the remaining 38 in the state.
