Chisolm Trail Festival

Event Details

Head ‘em up and move ‘em out to the Border Queen City of Caldwell for the Annual Chisholm Trail Fest! Caldwell will be geared up to pay tribute to the historic cattle trail and the wild and rowdy atmosphere that was not uncommon in a border town such as this. Cowboys and trail bosses came in droves getting their Texas cattle to market via the Kansas rails, while outlaws could easily escape the law by running to the canyons of Indian Territory just south of the state line. Caldwell provided the reprieve to the young cowboys with a little money in their pocket and a thirst needing quenched.

FRIDAY - Caldwell will be celebrating the Chisholm Trail Festival starting on Friday with Teams of 4 -6 will travel along a designated route of 4 establishments (Mag’s Redlight Bar & Grill, Sugar Sisters, Joe B’s Border Queen Saloon and Richards’ Last Chance Bar & Grill) partaking of each establishment’s fine “offerings” while completing a series of feats and/or challenges before moving on to the next designated establishment. Registration for the event begins at 7:30 p.m. at Mag’s (corner of Main and Central) with start time of 8:00 p.m. (small entry fee to participate) Participation points will be gathered along the way with prizes to be awarded at the final destination.

SATURDAY - Circle the wagons back downtown Saturday morning for a full day of exciting events from sun-up to sun-down. Saturday’s schedule starts bright and early with a whole passel of events beginning at 9:00 a.m. Kick off the day with a fresh, hot kolache at the Kolache Kitchen and browse through the wares at Nostalgia Nook located at 4 N Main. Local merchants will be “takin’ it to the streets” as they bring their sale items outside for a sidewalk sale while others will be offerin’ up plenty of good bargains inside as well. The Chisholm Trail Festival Arts & Craft Show will have a wide range of booths set up in and around Heritage Park, with over 35 vendors on hand offering everything from pottery to jewelry to baked goods to hand-crafted items- just to name a few of the goodies you’ll find.
Also beginning at 9:00 a.m. will be a Barn Quilt Painting Class, sponsored by the Sumner Co Fair Assoc, Sumner Co Economic Development, Wellington C of C and the Sunflower RC&D. The event will be held at 17 E 1st (the former John Deere implement building) in Caldwell. You must pre-register for this event by May 1st by calling 620-326-7466 or by e-mailing Julia Strnad at sucofair@gmail.com.
A special “Make & Take” Mother’s Day Craft Event for the kids will help celebrate the grand opening of the new “Youth Area” at the Caldwell Public Library, 120 S Main at 10:00 a.m. While there, be sure to sign up for a chance to win a quilt to be given away during the “Ladies’ Night Out” event later that evening.
The first of two hilarious performances of the Caldwell Historical Society Theatre Group’s “Like a Woman Should” will be held at 10:00 a.m. at the Caldwell Opera House, located at 2 S Main. You won’t want to miss this hilarious production featuring a colorful cast of local characters doin’ a lot of singin’, dancin’, fightin’, shootin’ and spoutin’ rowdy language. As always, it’s sure to be a crowd pleaser! Admission is by donation, with all proceeds going towards the Opera House roof fund.
Caldwell’s Czech Chapter will sponsor a beer garden located in the empty lots behind Joe B’s Saloon at East 1st and Chisholm St. beginning at 11:00 a.m. Come, “kick back”, and have a cold one while taking a break from the day’s busy activities. While there, be sure to try your hand at pitchin’ horseshoes!

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