Kansas Day on January 29th commemorates the 1861 admission of the 34th state to the United States of America. This beloved holiday celebrates everything that makes the Sunflower State great from its sweeping prairies to bustling cosmopolitan cities. Let’s honour some of Kansas’s proudest emblems, icons, history highlights, and notable natives by playing an entertaining round of Kansas Day Bingo.
How To Play Kansas Day Bingo
The basics of standard bingo apply here. Kansas Day Bingo features a 5×5 grid with different Kansas-related terms filling each square. To play, mark terms announced by the caller if they appear on your bingo card until you complete a row vertically, horizontally or diagonally to achieve BINGO.
We’ve compiled an extensive list of iconic Kansas state symbols, history facts, destinations, foods, wildlife, and famous natives. These comprise the bingo terms to announce and check for on your card. Examples include state flower (sunflower), state animal (buffalo), the Little Apple (Lawrence), Amelia Earhart, Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz, beef BBQ, tornadoes and more.
You can generate custom bingo cards using an online bingo card generator by inputting Kansas terms in the fields. Each player receives a unique card with call list terms randomly populated in the grid. Or you can purchase pre-printed Kansas bingo cards incorporating classic imagery like John Deere tractors, bison, and arrowhead shapes from online retailers.
Are you ready to shout BINGO after honouring some trademark Kansas emblems and lore on the state’s big day? Let’s run through some of the people, places, events, foods and facts that make the Sunflower State unlike anywhere else.
Unique Kansas State Symbols
Kansas boasts a variety of official state symbols that speak to local customs, industries, history, and natural treasures:
State Flower
- Sunflower
State Tree
- Cottonwood
State Animal
- American buffalo
State Bird
- Western meadowlark
State Insect
- Honeybee
State Soil
- Harney silt loam
Digging deeper, dated artefacts like the Cretaceous period marine reptiles called Tylosaurus also represent official Kansas symbols after being declared the state fossil. Kansas even has designated an official state game – basketball.
Other Great Plains states share similar symbols like sunflowers, buffalo and meadowlarks. But only Kansas can lay claim to all these special emblems together under one sprawling prairie sky.
Famous Kansans Bingo Callouts
Kansas calls many trailblazers in fields like journalism, aviation and music its beloved native sons and daughters. Let’s see which iconic figures might secure spots as potential callouts on your bingo board:
Amelia Earhart
Born in Atchison in 1897
Dwight D. Eisenhower Hailing from Denison; 34th U.S. President
Langston Hughes Prominent poet/playwright born in Joplin
Walter Chrysler
Founded the Chrysler Corporation; born in Wamego
Dennis Hopper
Dodge City native; actor known for Rebel Without A Cause and Easy Rider
Quite the impressive cast of notable Kansans emerged from America’s heartland. But our bingo game is just getting started on this commemorative holiday…
Tasty Kansas Treats
From hearty comfort foods to savoury barbecue, Kansas offers appetizing local cuisine tied to traditions of farming, ranching and Midwest hospitality. Mouthwatering specialities visitors must sample include:
Beef BBQ Ribs & Brisket With Kansas ranking #1 for cattle production nationwide, slowly smoked beef featuring zesty, tangy barbecue sauces makes a Kansas staple.
Bierocks
These baked pocket sandwiches filled with ground beef, cabbage and onions trace their origins to Volga German settlers.
Peppered Beef Jerky Oven-baked marinated jerky carries some spice flair – perfect for long-haul journeys rivalling frontier trail rides.
Strawberry Pie
Fresh berry harvests transformed into sweet hand pies with crumbly shortcrust bring homemade charm.
Sunflower Salads / Roasted Seeds
Kansas’ state flower offers edible petals gorgeous in greens while toasted sunflower seeds pack a nutritious crunch.
With this hearty and flavorful fare fueling up players, let’s learn about the Sunflower State’s adventurous frontier past.
Key Events in Kansas History
As home to the starting point terminus of America’s great Western Expansion along the Oregon Trail, many firsts unfurled across Kansas’s dramatic plains landscape:
Kansas-Nebraska Act Passed in 1854
Allowed settlers to determine if slavery was permitted, triggering sectional conflicts.
Tumultuous “Bleeding Kansas” Era
Pro and anti-slavery factions battled to influence Kansas statehood terms from 1854-1861.
The First Railroad Reached Topeka in 1859
Kansas was declared “Railroad Ready” to convey goods/crops eastward as infrastructure grew.
Indian Homelands Shrunk via 1860s Treaties
Rail access led tribes like the Kickapoo and Pottawatomie to trade lands.
Dodge City Becomes “Queen of Cowtowns”
With rail transport opening eastern markets, massive cattle drives terminated at rowdy frontier cattle boomtowns like Dodge City and Abilene.
From Native American inhabitation dating back 11,000+ years through Dust Bowl era hardship, this land endured many chapters. What details might make the bingo callout cut for your card?
The Great Kansas Outdoors
Beyond picturesque fields of sunflowers, Kansas surprises with diverse landscapes spanning sweeping prairies, rocky badland formations, rivers, and forests across its over 80,000 square miles.
Flint Hills Prairie
Lush tallgrass prairie stable since bison roaming days offers gorgeous vistas and hiking terrain rich with wildflowers from March through July.
Monument Rocks
Prairie landmarks formed of chalk pillars and buttes resemble Stonehenge ruins.
Mushroom Rock State Park
Topiary-like sandstone outcroppings create a fairy world ambience perfect for photo ops.
Arkansas River Kansas’ portion of America’s second longest river allows watersports and serene landscapes outside Wichita.
Between dramatic night skies, roaming herds of bison, roaring tornadoes (an average of 55 touch down annually) and other natural wonders, the Kansas environment never bores. Spot any favourite outdoor gems on your bingo grid?
Calling All Kansans – BINGO
Our Kansas Day Bingo journey across the Sunflower State reminds us why January 29th merits celebration each year. From the Oregon Trail origins through modern agriculture impacting the nation and beyond, this history never gets old. And the people shine as brightly as amber waves of grain.
Notable figures, hearty cuisine, beautiful landscapes and pioneering spirit reflected across local symbols make Kansas a state exceeding underestimated flyover territory perceptions. So here’s to calling out another year of the state’s inspiring heritage and happenings while revelling in everything that makes Kansas fabulous. May Kansas Day Bingo games play on coast-to-coast.
Table: Kansas Day Bingo Callout Ideas
| Category | Potential Bingo Callouts |
|---|---|
| State Symbols | Sunflower, buffalo, cottonwood tree, honeybee, Tylosaurus, basketball |
| Famous People | Amelia Earhart, Eisenhower, Langston Hughes, Walter Chrysler, Dennis Hopper |
| Foods | Beef BBQ, bierocks, jerky, strawberry pie, sunflower dishes |
| Historic Events | KS-Nebraska Act, Bleeding Kansas, railroad expansion, Dodge City cattle boomtown |
| Outdoors | Flint Hills prairies, Monument Rocks, Mushroom Rock State Park, Arkansas River |
Conclusion
Our entertaining Kansas Day Bingo game highlighting state symbols, famous figures, foods, and destinations just scratches the surface of what makes the Sunflower State special. From the groundbreaking Kansas-Nebraska Act enabling Western expansion to the wild cowboy frontier days, this land endures as the heart of America. As Langston Hughes eloquently wrote in his famous poem “I, Too” – “Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am and be ashamed—I, too, am America.” So let the heritage and beauty of ethically diverse, tough and triumphant Kansas shine bright today…and always. On January 29th and beyond, we celebrate all that makes this state you can see clear up to forever exceptional. Happy Kansas Day.
