Neewollah Celebration – Independence Kansas
Each fall the city of Independence, Kansas holds a huge celebration for everyone to share the best food and fun that the area has to offer. Some of the special events offered at the Neewollah (Halloween) celebration are a bike ride, chili cook-off, parade, arts and crafts show, 5K race and fun run, Queen Neelah Pageant, and a musical production. It’s fun for the whole family during this weeklong celebration.
The Neewollah bike ride takes riders through southeast Kansas where they can opt for the eighteen mile, thirty-five mile, or seventy mile ride. No matter the distance though, each will start and finish at the 4-H building in Riverside Park. Rest stops are stationed throughout the bike ride, every ten miles, and furnish riders with water, fruit, and cookies. There is also a 5K run and a fun run walk every year.
Those that consider their chili a piece of culinary expertise can enter it in the chili cook-off. The cooking and preparing of the chili starts at 8:00 AM with the judging at 12:00 noon and $150 will be awarded for first place, $75 for second, $50 for third, and $25 for the hottest chili. Those not participating in the cook-off can help judge by purchasing “endless bowls” for $2.00 which allows them one vote, and additional votes can be purchased for $1.00.
The grand parade takes place on the last Saturday of October during the Neewollah celebration. Marching bands and floats, along with old cars and politicians make up the two hours of the continuous sights in the parade. The last Friday afternoon of October is saved for the Kiddie Parade. While it’s only four blocks long, it allows children to show off the Halloween costumes they are wearing that year, and their junior high school bands.
Girls that are high school seniors in Independence and neighboring communities participate in the annual Queen Neelah pageant, and there is also a musical production that is put on every year by the talented people from around the Independence area. A Halloween dance is held on the last Saturday of October and includes a deejay, hors d’oeuvres, and a costume contest, and the weekend brings professional shows put on as headliners.
If you haven’t found enough to keep you busy, there are still several more things to see and do at Neewollah. The arts and crafts fair shows off home-crafted items and artwork that is available for viewing and purchasing, and a pumpkin decorating contest takes place with prizes given away in different age categories. A historic tour shows off the best of Independence throughout the years. During the medallion hunt, budding detectives search using daily clues to find a medallion hidden somewhere in the city.
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