Cowtown Days in Baxter Springs, Kansas enjoyed perfect weather this year and had great attendance, both by vendors and visitors. Food trucks lined the perimeter and local artisans displayed their wares along the sidewalks.
There were lot’s of visitors there, and some resident’s took part in the festivities with singing, dancing and games that lasted through the evening on Friday, May 2 and all day and into the evening on Saturday, May 3.
D.A. Power Books On Display
Ms. Power had a booth at Cowtown Days showing off her two releases of “The Asher Chronicles” and is currently working on her third edition. The first book “Squeak” portrays a young girl who, with help from a special “little” friend, learns to stand up for herself, develop confidence, make friends, and bond with her stepfather. Her second book “Cowboys and Queens” acts as a sequel to the first book, the story continues.
Both books use local area landmarks and are based on actual happenings in and around Baxter Springs, Kansas and extend into the Joplin, Missouri neighborhood. Wanna know what book three is about? Well, you’ll just have to wait and see! But you can catch up on the story right now – her books are available on Amazon and local book stores.
Learn more about D.A.Power – Joplin, Missour author at her webpage.
Cowtown Days A Local Secret
The Cowtown celebration has been a Baxter Springs, Kansas festivity of many years. It used to be held at the park by Spring River and the rodeo grounds, but now is held around the block of the local public library.
I wanted to enjoy visiting the celebration, so twice during the day on Friday, May 2 – the day that it was supposed to start – I drove through town looking for the action. I drove all the way through town on Military Avenue and all the way up and down Main Street with no sign whatsoever of anything going on. I even stopped and asked a couple of local business owners who didn’t know a thing about it.
The library is located a couple of blocks off the main drag, so if you were driving through town from somewhere else, you would never find it. There was not a hint of anything going on – not a banner or a sign or any mention of the big weekend celebration. Once I stumbled upon it, I really enjoyed the party.
Contrast this to Galena Days, which is Galena, Kansas celebration happening in a couple of weeks. Be prepared to stop in traffic going through town – it’s that big of a deal. The fire station and city hall sit right on 7th street along the highway and it’s PACKED! If you didn’t know about Galena Days before you came through town, you certainly would have a story to tell about your trip.
Hopefully in years to come Baxter Springs will decide to make Cowtown Days more of a public affair and invest in a little decoration for Military Avenue and maybe even a sign!
Ken Heistand – Author