Click here to go to the 8 Wonders of Kansas Customs.
Customs are the daily or annual traditions in your area usually shaped by the influence of ethnicity, geography, or commerce in a town. Customs are the hardest element to detect but they are the glue to your entire rural culture element story.
Here are some questions to help you discover the customs of your town:
What annual events do you have? Are they unique to the area?
- What are things that people do every day? What do they wear, what kind of vehicles do they drive, what do they talk about, what are some quirky things that happen regularly in your town?
- Do you have a soda fountain?
- Do you park in the middle of the street?
- What do people do for recreation?
- Does your town have a nickname or special phrase? (Ie., are you a "capital?")
Here are some ideas on to help you assess your customs.
Special Attractions & Festivals
Local customs can grow into well-known festivals and attractions.The custom of adding twine to the giant ball in Cawker City grew into the "Twine-a-thon" and helped put Cawker City on the map.
Similarly, the WaKeeney custom of elaborately decorating the downtown area has grown the image of the town into "The Christmas City of the High Plains."
Much of the social life of small towns takes place in small-town cafes. Farmers meet to swap favorite stories over their morning coffee. Local citizens often meet as committees to plan the next civic activity. New babies get introduced to the entire community over breakfast.