Wabaunsee County Office of Economic Development

06/07/2026

🎶🤠 We're excited to welcome Rock the Plains Music Festival to the beautiful Flint Hills of Wabaunsee County! Grab your tickets, make a weekend of it, and explore our unique communities, dining, shopping, short term rentals, and scenic landscapes while you're here.

NEW VENUE. SAME ROCK THE PLAINS. EVEN EASIER TO GET TO.

Take a look at the official 2026 venue map.

✅ Seconds off I-70 Exit 324
✅ Free General Parking Included
✅ Parking attendants directing traffic
✅ Main Event Entrance clearly marked
✅ Food & Drinks, Merch, VIP, and Restrooms all within easy walking distance

No confusing routes. Just take Exit 324 and follow the signs.

🎟 August 7–8, 2026
📍 Alma, Kansas
🎤 Travis Tritt • Ian Munsick • Flatland Cavalry • Dylan Marlowe + More

Tag your festival crew and start making plans.

05/22/2026

Big things are happening in the Flint Hills! 🤠🎶

Behind every great event is a huge team effort, and we recently had the opportunity to walk the site with organizers, emergency personnel, vendors, concessions, and community partners as plans continue to come together for Rock the Plains at Exit 324 on I-70 near Irish Trucking.

From staging, safety and entertainment, there is so much work happening behind the scenes to bring an unforgettable country music experience to Wabaunsee County. We can’t wait to welcome visitors from across the region for an incredible weekend of music, community, and Flint Hills hospitality!

For short-term rentals, camping, dining options before the concert, and other places to explore while you’re here, check out our new travel and tourism website at visitwabaunseeks.com.

Saddle up and get ready for Rock the Plains! 🎸🔥

05/17/2026

You’re invited to the Ad Astra Boot Co. Open House! Come see how our boots are built, meet the team, and enjoy a great evening with us.

Join us Saturday, June 6th from 5-8 pm. Get a first look inside our new boot shop and enjoy a Pacheco beef hamburger or hotdog!

📍 607 Missouri St. Alma, KS
📅 Saturday, June 6th
🍔 Pacheco Beef hamburgers & hotdogs
🤠 Tour the new boot shop

05/16/2026

What a great evening in Maple Hill celebrating community, progress, and creativity! 🎉
We were excited to celebrate two special milestones — recognizing the Flaming Grill Restaurant & Bar as the newest Network Kansas E-Community business and joining in the ribbon cutting for Flint Hills Liquor! Congratulations to these businesses for continuing to invest in and strengthen our communities.
The evening also gave us an opportunity to unveil the second mural concept that our own Garrett Larson will be bringing to life later this summer as part of the mural grant awarded through Kansas Commerce’s Office of Rural Prosperity. We’re excited to see this project continue adding color, creativity, and community pride to Maple Hill.
A special thank you to the City of Maple Hill for allowing us to incorporate pocket park beautification into this project, and to everyone who came out to celebrate. It’s exciting to see communities come together to support local businesses and invest in places that make Wabaunsee County special. 🤠

05/10/2026

What an incredible first workday on restoring the Guard of the Plains walking trail!
Thanks to the Sunflower Foundation for awarding Wabaunsee County a $10,000 Trail Steward grant, we are off to an amazing start. A huge thank you to TCTA for their trail design expertise and for volunteering their team to help restore and improve the trail system, and to KDOT for providing us the opportunity to bring new life to this special location overlooking the Flint Hills.
We also want to recognize and thank the volunteers and members from the following Wabaunsee County organizations for their hard work and support: the City of Paxico, Paxico Foundation, The Prairie Guards, Newbury 4-H, Wabaunsee County Historical Society, and The Volland Foundation.
It takes dedicated volunteers and strong community partnerships to make projects like this possible, and Wabaunsee County truly has some of the very best. Thank you all for helping preserve and showcase one of the most beautiful places in the Flint Hills! 🌾

04/29/2026

Reservations open May 1 for Bluesfest at Mill Creek Campground in Paxico—held the third Saturday in September!

Wabaunsee County is proud to host incredible live music—from Bluesfest to Rock The Plains Country Music Festival, August 7–8 at Exit 324.

🏕️ Mill Creek Campground is the closest campground to both events—making it the perfect home base for a summer of music.

👉 Plan your stay: visitwabaunseeks.com

Mark your calendar!!!! May 1, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. - Online, first-come, first-serve! Paxico Blues Festival

04/26/2026

04/03/2026

02/11/2026

More big news for Wabaunsee County!
You may notice something new along I-70 near mile marker 251 — Wabaunsee County now has its very own billboard!
Thanks to the Kansas Tourism Marketing Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce, we’re proudly inviting travelers to slow down, saddle up, and stay awhile. Whether you're passing through or planning your next getaway, our dining, unique shopping, short-term rentals, and breathtaking Flint Hills views are waiting for you.
With the World Cup coming to Kansas City and America’s 250th birthday on the horizon, we are ready to welcome visitors from across the nation — and around the world — to experience our western heritage and small-town hospitality.