“Anybody can love the mountains, but it takes a soul to love the prairie.” — Willa Cather

 Feast your soul on the sights, sounds and smells of the Flint Hills during the iconic Symphony in the Flint Hills event on June 9.  Symphony in the Flint Hills began in 1994, when rancher Jane Koger invited the public to attend a “Symphony in the Flint Hills” party. More than 3,000 people attended the union of classical music and beautiful scenery on her ranch. Ten years later, leaders from across Chase, Lyon, Morris and Wabaunsee counties founded Symphony in the Flint Hills, Inc. Their annual signature event now attracts approximately 7,000 visitors from all over the world.

 “We’re proud of the tradition that brings so many people to the Flint Hills,” Christy Davis, executive director of Symphony in the Flint Hills, says. “This event is an opportunity to teach folks from far and wide how important the prairie is to Kansas 
agriculture, while they get a beautiful first-hand view of the majestic landscape.”

This year’s event will be at the Rosalia Ranch in Butler County with the Kansas City Symphony performing. The theme, “water,” will explore the natural, cultural and structural elements of water in the Flint Hills region. Through generous support from the Kansas Humanities Council, SFH will also host a traveling Smithsonian exhibit, "WaterWays," that focuses on the connections between people and water worldwide. 

Attendees can enjoy several other activities throughout the day. Gates will open at noon, so enjoy a hike through the tallgrass prairie, take a covered-wagon ride, bid on prairie art and try out a new instrument. After the concert, the event features cowboy poetry, dancing and stargazing.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.SymphonyInTheFlintHills.org.