Local pharmacy part of ‘8 Wonders of Kansas Customs’ winning list

An Ottawa pharmacy will play a part in the latest  “8 Wonders of Kansas” list.

Allegre Pharmacy, which has one of the 38 operating soda fountains in Kansas, is part of the “8 Wonders of Kansas Customs”: “Ordering a soda fountain treat.”

The Prairie Spirit Trail also was nominated under the custom “Converting rails to trails,” but was not chosen for the final list.

Other winning customs include:

• Bringing musicians together: For a decade there’s been a lively jam session at the Emma Chase Café in Cottonwood Falls almost every Friday night.

• Chanting a school fight song: The University of Kansas’ Rock Chalk Jayhawk cheer is one of the best in the nation.  

• Clicking your heels three times and saying “There’s no place like home”: Oz attractions in Wamego and Liberal tell the story of the “Wizard of Oz.”

• Commemorating Veterans Day: An Emporia man helped change Armistice Day into Veterans Day and made Emporia the founding city of Veterans Day.

 • Displaying an ethnic handicraft: Traditional and pop-art Dala Horses can be seen throughout Lindsborg.

• Ordering a soda fountain treat: Kansas has 38 operating soda fountains.

• Riding a carousel: Ride — and learn about — the famous C.W. Parker carousels in Abilene and Leavenworth.

• Using natural material for fencing: Learn the story of these hardy fence posts at the Post Rock Museum in Lacrosse and see them throughout the Smoky Hills.

“This was the closest race we’ve had to date, and though it was the hardest to explain, it won my heart,” Marci Penner, with the Kansas Sampler Foundation, said.

“If you go to 8wonders.org and click on pictures of all the 24 finalists, you can read some of the most fascinating and endearing stories and facts about our cultural traditions.”

The contest is sponsored by the Kansas Sampler Foundation.