Kansas Wheat Festival

03/13/2026

Congrats Nelson P. Nelson on winning the 126th Kansas Wheat Festival Button Design! 🎉🌾

We can't wait to see you all July 7th - 11th, 2026! 🥳🙌🏻

🎉🌾 Button Design Winner!! 🌾🎉

In case you missed the initial announcement at Chamber Coffee this morning… We’re excited to share that Nelson P. Nelson has been selected as the Button Design Winner for the 126th Kansas Wheat Festival! 🏆✨

This year’s design perfectly captures the spirit, tradition, and pride of our community, and we can’t wait for everyone to see it displayed throughout the festival! 🌟

Please join us in congratulating Nelson on this fantastic achievement and for helping make this year’s celebration extra special. 👏

📅 Mark your calendars: The 126th Kansas Wheat Festival runs July 7th-11th and stay tuned for more Kanas Wheat Festival updates!

We’ve got an amazing 126th celebration ahead!! 🌾🎡🎶

02/27/2026

📢Tomorrow - February 27- is the deadline for entries for the 2026 Kansas Wheat Festival (sponsored by Kanokla) Button Design Contest!! Find the entry for at

02/10/2026

🎨 CALLING ALL CREATIVES! 🎨

The 126th Kansas Wheat Festival is now accepting entries for our Button Design Contest!

✨ Theme: The Future Grows Here
🌾 Festival Sponsor: Kanokla

Your design will be featured on Wheat Festival buttons, t-shirts, entry forms, and other official merchandise — how cool is that?!

🖌️ Quick Highlights:
• Designs are limited to three colors total (black or white count as colors)
• Deadline to enter: February 27
• Winner announced: Thursday, March 12 at Chamber Coffee
• Winner receives: $100 in Chamber Bucks, two 2026 Wheat Festival buttons, and two 2026 KWF t-shirts

📄 Be sure to check out the entry form for all rules and design requirements.

👉 Let your creativity grow — we can’t wait to see what you design!

This contest is sponsored by: Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce/ CVB

07/17/2025

📚🍪 Edible Book Contest Winners! 🍪📚

A big thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Edible Book Contest at the Wellington Public Library!

🎉 And now, the winners...

✨ Most Creative – A 2-Way Tie!
Megan Curl & Ridge, Rowan & Ryatt Popplewell

🍽️ Most Appetizing –
Grandma Barb, Stella & Maribelle White

😂 Most Funny –
Cameron & Elora Caudillo

📖 Most Literary –
Elli McNeil & Madi Bradbury

🏆 People’s Choice –
Ghostbusters by Anna Ewing

Thank you for making this event a hit — we’re already excited for next year’s entries! 📚❤️

07/17/2025

🎤🌟 Talent Takeover Winners Announced! 🌟🎤

We were blown away by the amazing talent at this year’s Kansas Wheat Festival Talent Takeover! A big round of applause to our 2025 winners:

🎶 11 & Under (Individual): Jude Perfect
🎤 12 & Up (Individual): Braelynn Skupa
👯 Group (2+): Anastasia & Drizella

Thank you to all the performers who shared their talents and wowed the crowd! You made the night unforgettable! 🌾✨

Sponsored by: Encore Dance Wellington

07/17/2025

🌭🔥 Hot Dog Eating Contest Champs! 🔥🌭

A huge congrats to our 2025 Kansas Wheat Festival Hot Dog Eating Contest winners! These competitors brought the heat and the hunger:

👦 10 & Under – Ben Wisely
🧑‍🎓 Ages 11–17 – Terry Roberts
👩 18+ Female – Baylee Struble
👨 18+ Male – Randy Gould

Way to go, champs! Thanks to everyone who came out to cheer them on and make this event a fun (and tasty!) success! 🌾🎉

Sponsored by: Sonic Drive-In

07/17/2025

🎨 Congratulations to our Downtown Art Exhibit Winners! 🏆

We’re proud to recognize the incredible talent showcased during the Kansas Wheat Festival. Awards were given in the following categories:

🏅 Best of Show - Adult: Jeffrey Maxwell "Ana Tello #2"
🏅 Best of Show - Child: Maddyson Stafford "The Darkest Kind"

🎨 Adult Professional – Painting/Drawing
- 🥇Ron Mulenbruch "Civil War Soldier"
- 🥈Jaycee Grimm "Rust Halo"
- 🥉Kay Alton "Brushes"

🎨 Adult Amateur - Painting/Drawing
- 🥇Marlene Hanson "Boopie Rose"
- 🥈Amber Countryman "Stream in the Woods"
- 🥉Melanie Smith "Dancing for Jesus"

📸 Adult Professional - Photography
- 🥇Susan Doughtery "Magic in their Hands"
- 🥈Susan Doughtery
- 🥉Tracy McCue "State Championship Newspaper"

📸 Adult Amateur - Photography
- 🥇Melanie Smith - "Tetons Tough Guy"
- 🥈Ryan Schmidt - "Every Seed Holds a Story"
- 🥉Amy Gonzales "Revived Signal"

🗿 Adult - Sculpture
- 🥇Randy Boatright "It Takes a Village"
- 🥈Leonard Scheufler "Madonna & Child"
- 🥉Marcine Goodrum "Mosaic Illusion"

🎨 Child - 13-18
- 🥇Karlie Horsch "Big Paws"
- 🥈Maddyson Stafford "Sister from Another Mister"
- 🥉Piper Dodds "Spring Flower"

🎨 Child - 12 & under
- 🥇Izzy Murdock "Moth"
- 🥈Brady Treft "Sunset Vibes"
- 🥉Addison Jenkins "Take Time to Relax"

🗳️ People’s Choice Award: Piper Dodds "Noralee"

🏆 Winners who have not yet claimed their prizes may pick them up at the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce/ CVB.

🖼️ Artwork pickup:
If you submitted art and have not yet collected it, you can stop by today until 5p or next week Monday–Friday, 9a–5p.

Thank you to all the artists who helped bring beauty and creativity to the Downtown Art Exhibit! 🌾🎉

Sponsored by: Susan's Portrait Designs Invenergy Sumner Newscow Wellington Noon Lions Club

07/16/2025

🤝 We Love Our Coops! 🤝
A huge thank-you to our local cooperatives for coming together once again to make Coop Night such a success! We truly appreciate the way you work together—not only to serve our community year-round, but being a part of fun and engaging events throughout the year.

Your continued partnership and collaboration help make the Kansas Wheat Festival special, and we’re proud to celebrate the impact of coops in our region!
Sumner-Cowley Electric Cooperative, Inc. Panhandle Federal Credit Union Mid Kansas Cooperative
Kansas Cooperative Council

We were proud to sponsor Co-op Night at the Kansas Wheat Festival this past Saturday alongside our friends at Panhandle Federal Credit Union and Mid Kansas Cooperative!

If you stopped by, you may have snagged one of the sweet treats we were handing out 🧁 — but those goodies weren’t just for fun. They also served as a reminder of how a cooperative works:

Think of it like baking a cake.
Your neighbor brings the eggs, you add the sugar, and the local dairy farmer pours in the milk.

When everyone contributes a little, everyone gets a slice. 🍰

That’s the cooperative difference — working together to build something we can all enjoy.

SCEC: Building on our Past, Lighting the Way to the Future.

07/16/2025

🥇 Horseshoe Tournament Champs:
Congratulations to this year’s winning team:
Todd Benway, and Jack “Blue” Wright! 🎯

They pitched their way to the top! 🧲

A big thank-you to our event sponsors, Powder & String Outfitters & Colby Zeka Agency, Inc - Shelter Insurance.

Well done to all who competed—we’ll see you in the pit next year!

07/16/2025

🌾 Wheat Show Winners! 🌾
One of our favorite traditions during the Kansas Wheat Festival is the Wheat Show — where our local farmers showcase their harvest!

A huge thank you to Renn & Company, Inc. for sponsoring this event year after year. We love that our festival honors the crop that started it all!

🥇 1st Place: Kenny Wiiest
🥈 2nd Place: Ken Carothers
🥉 3rd Place: Joe Church

👏 Honorable Mentions:
• Ryan Norris
• Randy Wycoff

We’re proud to celebrate the people who grow greatness right here in our community! 🌾❤️

07/16/2025

💘🤣 Love & Laughter 🤣💘
This fun new event had the crowd laughing and couples put to the test with light-hearted questions and a little friendly competition!

Thank you to our sponsor, Kansas Star Casino, for making the evening possible, and to our partner, the Wellington Public Library, for all their help in executing this event.

🎉 Congratulations to Amy & Ben Biddle—our winning couple who took home a great prize and lots of laughs!

Such a fun addition to this year’s festivities!

07/16/2025

🧩 Perplexing Puzzle Contest-
A huge thanks to our sponsor, Cowley College Golden Tigers for supporting this fun and challenging event.

We also appreciate our partners at Bee Creative Toys and Eurographics for being part of the puzzle fun!

🧠 Top Teams:
🥇 We Walk by Faith
🥈 Perfectly Puzzled
🥉 Piece Makers