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Sunday, July 24, 2011

Marci Penner-Author, Kansas Traveler

MARCI PENNER-AUTHOR, KANSAS TRAVELER
© Lydia Lowe  7/23/2011

Marci Penner introduces her new guidebook - "8 Wonders of Kansas Guidebook"
Marci keeps the crowd engaged
Every seat was full and more had to be brought in for the talk.  What a great turnout!
 Marci Penner has just completed a new book, "8 Wonders of Kansas Guidebook".  She gave a talk and showed some slides with pictures of the eight wonders of Kansas at the Salina Public Library on Saturday afternoon. Marci kept the crowd engaged as she talked about how the various shots were set up and how she worked with the photographer to get just the right layout.  I was fascinated.  I also learned that photographers can be divas, so if you ever do a book with photographs it is important to pick your photographer carefully.  HA! HA!  Seriously, though,the photographs were well worth the effort.  They were amazing.

The eight wonders of Kansas fall into the following categories: architecture, art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history, people, and an overall category.  Marci stated that each community in Kansas that she visited had at least one item within the community that fell into all eight categories.  She believes that if you take a fresh look at your community you too will see that there is more to your town than meets the eye.  It provides a fresh prospective for viewing where you live in Kansas right now.

These guidebooks are available from independent outlets all over the state.  In Salina, the book is available at the Smoky Hill Museum.  You can find out more about the book, where the book is available for purchase, or you can even order it directly from the Kansas Sampler website.  The website is a rich resource for all things Kansas.

Marci will soon be at work on a new book which will feature all 627 towns in Kansas.  Did you know that half of all Kansas towns have 400 or fewer citizens?  A quarter more have only 1500 inhabitants.  This means that three quarters of Kansas communities are operating with all volunteer community leaders.  Folks that live in the towns are running their business' as well as running the town.  It's something to think about.  I believe that is a unique part of our state.

This book is a work of art.  I thought the price was a bit high.  But after considering all that went into it, and the look of the book, it is well worth the price.  Be sure and check it out, if you get the chance.

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