There’s been a lot of buzz recently about Kansas’ scenic Flint Hills, and the release of the April edition of the National Geographic should only increase the interest. The magazine includes a multi-page color spread on the Flint Hills.
On Page 120, readers are greeted with an aerial shot of the Flint Hills dressed in a lush green carpet of native prairie grass. Fittingly, the title of the article is “Splendor of the Grass.”
Many people in Chase County see the article and photos as a good thing for the Flint Hills — a way to share the beauty and splendor of the Flint Hills with the world.
Deb Zeiner of the Chase County Chamber of Commerce has an office full of the magazines. They are stacked high on a table, easily visible to those who enter. These copies will be distributed to every family in the school district, Zeiner said. Zeiner said she hopes that distributing the magazines to families will help them realize what a special place they live in.
“I think it just ranks us up with the special places in the world,” Zeiner said. “I’m just really proud.”
Zeiner said she liked the fact that the article showed scenery but not any specific towns or people.
“This is going to attract people to the land and scenery, not to places,” she said. “I think it will help people connect to the spiritual impact of the Flint Hills. I like that there aren’t any faces or towns in it. It’s about the land and the ecosystem here.”
Chase County Commissioner Richard Griffin agrees.
“I liked it,” Griffin said. “The pictures were nice. And they left all the politics out of the Flint Hills.”
Shirley Lincoln, Cottonwood Falls city clerk, said she had a chance to look at the spread.
“I thought it was very good art,” Lincoln said. “The pictures were outstanding. I just thought it was a good article.”
Across the street from the city building at the Grand Central Hotel, Suzan Barnes, owner and manager of the hotel and restaurant, also was impressed by the coverage the Flint Hills received. Barnes said the people working on the article had stayed at the hotel.
“I think it’s phenomenal,” Barnes said. “I think it’s the best piece of advertisement ever. The equivalent is about $4 million of advertising. The article was well written. It had been in progress for well over a year.”
Barnes said,there was a dinner and reception March 19 in Topeka sponsored by the Flint Hills Tourism Coalition. Legislators and officials were invited to the dinner.
“It was well-received,” she said. “We got a lot of interest from legislators to come and visit the Flint Hills and see what we’re all about.”