Library to host "What a Ride...carnivals," Saturday

Mankato City Library will host “What a Ride! Rural Community-Owned Carnivals,” a presentation and discussion by Erika Nelson on Saturday, March 18, beginning at 10:30 a.m. in the Community Center meeting room at 214 N. High St. Members of the community are invited to attend the free program. Contact Mankato City Library at 785-378-3885 for more information. The program is made possible by Humanities Kansas.

Across Kansas, late summer brings county fair season and all the fun that goes along with it. But what happens when the carnival stops coming? These community connectors have largely gone by the wayside because of economic challenges, but some counties have united to host community-owned carnivals. This talk will delve into the history of the carnival in Kansas, and the recent Herculean efforts by small, rural communities to keep this tradition alive and thriving.

Erika Nelson is an independent artist, educator, and director of the World’s Largest Things, Inc. Her research interests include roadside attractions and outsider art environments. She explores the back roads of the United States in search of the odd and unique in her mobile museum, the World’s Largest Collection of the World’s Smallest Versions of the World’s Largest Things.

“What a Ride! Rural Community-Owned Carnivals” is part of Humanities Kansas’s Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentation designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.