Liberal: Pancake Races and Natural Gas in Southwest Kansas
Liberal was founded in 1888 in Seward County, in the far southwest corner of Kansas near the Oklahoma border. The town takes its name from an early settler, S.S. Rogers, who offered free water to travelers and was described as a "liberal" man. Natural gas production and agriculture have long driven the local economy. The Hugoton-Panhandle gas field, one of the largest in the world, extends beneath the surrounding area.
Since 1950, Liberal has hosted an International Pancake Day Race on Shrove Tuesday, competing against the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. Contestants run a 415-yard S-shaped course while flipping pancakes in a skillet. The Dorothy's House and Land of Oz tourist attraction capitalizes on Kansas's association with "The Wizard of Oz," featuring an animated walkthrough.
Liberal's population is approximately 20,700. National Beef Packing operates a large processing plant in the area, similar to other southwest Kansas communities. Liberal's Mid-America Air Museum houses over 100 military and civilian aircraft in hangars at the former Liberal Army Airfield, a World War II-era training base.
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Liberal was founded in 1888 in Seward County, in the far southwest corner of Kansas near the Oklahoma border. The town takes its name from an early settler, S.S. Rogers, who offered free water to travelers and was described as a "liberal" man. Natural gas production and agriculture have long driven the local economy. The Hugoton-Panhandle gas field, one of the largest in the world, extends beneath the surrounding area.
Since 1950, Liberal has hosted an International Pancake Day Race on Shrove Tuesday, competing against the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. Contestants run a 415-yard S-shaped course while flipping pancakes in a skillet. The Dorothy's House and Land of Oz tourist attraction capitalizes on Kansas's association with "The Wizard of Oz," featuring an animated walkthrough.
Liberal's population is approximately 20,700. National Beef Packing operates a large processing plant in the area, similar to other southwest Kansas communities. Liberal's Mid-America Air Museum houses over 100 military and civilian aircraft in hangars at the former Liberal Army Airfield, a World War II-era training base.
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