Visit Shawnee Kansas

PARKED at Stump Park! Begin your celebration of America’s 250th birthday at Stump Park on Friday, June 26th.

15+ food trucks, live music, vendors, and FIREWORKS.

The celebration begins at 5:30 PM, and fireworks start at 9:30 PM.

Parking at Stump Park is limited. Hop on the shuttle at Riverview Elementary, 21550 W 47th St, Shawnee, KS. This free shuttle will run from 5:30 PM until all riders have returned to their vehicles following the event. The shuttle will drop off and pick up at the north entrance to the Stump Park Parking Lot. The shuttle will run continuously throughout the evening.

Bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets, coolers, and the family out to Stump Park for this free event.

More info at www.cityofshawnee.org/304/PARKED

In 1966, the post-war building boom was eliminating much of the early architecture across the nation. In Shawnee, Kansas, new housing developments and businesses were booming, swallowing up the once-historic landscape. A grass-roots group of volunteers saw the early buildings of Shawnee falling to the bulldozer and decided to preserve their heritage before it was too late. This group, who called themselves the Shawnee Historical Society, saved a small stone building standing in the way of progress, by taking it down and rebuilding it in the first incarnation of the museum, then known as Old Shawnee Town. It served as the starting point for the museum, which hosted the first Old Shawnee Days in 1968. Today, known as Shawnee Town 1929, the institution is a nationally award-winning museum that has an annual attendance of nearly 150,000.

This photo shows current Shawnee Town staff hold an archival photo from July 13, 1966 from the day the “Old Jail” was dedicated. The structure’s opening started the beginning of the museum now known as Shawnee Town 1929. From left to right: Bill Kusmit, Kaitlyn Dickerson, Hannah Howard, Charlie Pautler, and JoJo Gordon.

Today, Shawnee Town 1929 is a core piece of Downtown Shawnee, and has been a valuable partner to the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce. Every year, the Shawnee Chamber hosts multiple lunches and events, like Jingle Mingle and the Shawnee Tomorrow Graduation Lunch, in Shawnee Town 1929’s Town Hall. Every year, Shawnee Town 1929 hosts many of Shawnee’s favorite annual events: www.cityofshawnee.org/327/Programs-Events

As the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce celebrates its 80th years of history, Shawnee Town 1929 shows what’s possible when a community chooses to honor its past while investing in its future. From a handful of determined volunteers saving a single stone building to a nationally recognized museum welcoming nearly 150,000 visitors a year, Shawnee Town 1929 is proof that Shawnee has always been a place that takes care of what matters.

Learn more about Shawnee Town 1929 at www.cityofshawnee.org/167/Shawnee-Town-1929