Dickinson County's Annual Easter Pageant at Brown Memorial Park

Clipping from the Kansas City Star, 4/13/1963.

The Brown’s Park Easter Pageant presented its first show in 1946. The Topeka Daily Chronicle wrote of the pageant in 1955, “With a handful of participants, no setting, borrowed costumes, hymnals borrowed from different churches, the project was started by the Rev. W.M. Rogers, former superintendent at Brown Home for the aged, and Miss Wilma Knisely, the youth council’s adult counselor.”

The pageant was originally sponsored by the Dickinson County Christian Youth Council, and as mentioned in the above quote, it was a simple affair. This did not deter the youth from participating or crowds from attending, and within a few years the pageant had become a large production featuring area youth in elaborate costumes and a few different set pieces.

In 1953, the pageant sponsors began construction on a variety of sets for the young performers to act within. These were built out of stone, and though some of the proposed buildings were never constructed, several of these set pieces are still used by the pageant today.

Illustration from Abilene Reflector-Chronicle, 4/18/1957, showing proposed set pieces for the pageant.

In its inaugural year, the pageant began at sunrise, 5:15am. The pageant organizers soon decided that might be too early of a time for most audience members, and changed the official start time to 6:00am beginning in 1948. In 1955, the Topeka Daily Chronicle also reported how the pageant’s structure is arranged. “Each year, additions have been made and the story started a little bit earlier. It now contains 16 speaking parts and a choir of young people from county churches, including four soloists.” Of course, the pageant grew to accommodate a large cast, at one point featuring approximately one hundred student performers.

Over the years, the script has changed, and the pageant’s actors have come to include adults as well. One aspect remains the same, every Easter morning, several Dickinson County residents put on quite a show. No matter what your beliefs may be, I think we can all find something moving in seeing a dedicated group of performers gather together in the early morning hours to put on an honorable show, a show about a story they and many others strongly believe in.

Book Signing at the Dickinson County Heritage Center

On Sunday, March 4, 2:00-4:00pm, author Stephanie Bearce will be at the Dickinson County Heritage Center signing her new book Images of America: Abilene.

Stephanie Mowry Bearce grew up on the plains of Kansas, near Abilene and always loved Kansas history.  She graduated from Kansas State University and is the author of nine published books.  She presently lives in St. Charles, Missouri, with her husband, Darrell.

As a Kansas schoolchild, Bearce had fond memories of field trips to Abilene.  She toured President Eisenhower’s home and library.  She also had fond memories of visiting Old Abilene Town and watching the gunfights and learning about the heritage of Kansas.

Images of America: Abilene is part of a series of community histories published by Arcadia Publishing.  This book uses historic photographs and documentation from the archives of the Dickinson County Historical Society.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country.  Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today.  Arcadia Publishing is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.

Images of America: Abilene is available at the Dickinson County Heritage Center Museum Store, Eisenhower Presidential Visitors Center, Rivendell Bookstore, and the Abilene Civic Center Information Center, as well as many other fine retailers.

Bearce will also visit Rivendell Bookstore on Saturday, March 3 to sign copies of her book.

Abilene in the Fifties: Going on Now at the Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum

The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum is pleased to announce a new exhibit, Abilene in the Fifties. This exhibit, which focuses on a formative time for the city of Abilene, will be featured now through August 11 at the museum.

The 1950s were a decade of change for our nation and Abilene. When Dwight D. Eisenhower announced that he would run for President of the United States in his hometown of Abilene, the city drew national attention. Journalists from all over the United States, including famed CBS anchor Edward R. Murrow, traveled to Abilene to cover Eisenhower’s big announcement. Throughout the decade, Abilene was featured in newspapers, magazines, and on television. Simply put, Abilene was on everyone’s minds. City leaders strove to make improvements to the town. Notable changes included a new county courthouse, Abilene High School, Old Abilene Town, and the Eisenhower Museum. Abilene was a city of growth.

Throughout the 1950s, the Jeffcoat Studio documented many events including the 1951 flood, Eisenhower’s hometown visits, and the Abilene Cowboy Band’s trip to the Presidential Inauguration. The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum’s photography exhibit, Abilene in the Fifties, will feature several images and stories of this tremendous decade.

The Jeffcoat Photography Studio Museum is located at 321 N. Broadway St. in Abilene, and is open Monday and Tuesday 9:00am-4:00pm, and by appointment any day of the week. The museum will also feature an open house reception on Sunday, February 26, 2:00pm-4:00pm. This will be a great opportunity to visit the museum in a casual setting, reminisce about the past, or learn about this period in Abilene’s history for the first time. For more information about the museum, or to schedule a private viewing, please call (785) 263-9882, email jeffcoatstudio@att.net, or find the museum on Facebook.

Abilene in the Fifties: Remember the Time Abilene Had Two Courhouse Buildings?

Abilene in the Fifties: Remember the Time You Traveled Downtown in a Boat?