Humboldt in southeast Kansas will be the first Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) Pop Up site for 2026. A project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, the day-long showcase will take place on Saturday, May 2 with some activities starting the day before.
Marci Penner, Foundation director, announced the news at the opening “Stump” session in Hoxie during the third Pop Up of 2025 that took place throughout Sheridan County on October 4. The BKRT Pop Up is an event that feels like a community open house for attractions and locally-owned shops and restaurants. Also on the menu of things to see and do are mini-talks and tours that feature unusual or intriguing places and stories not normally shared with the public.
Simone Elder, Foundation Power Up & Engagement manager, said, “All we ask is that the community be good at being itself. The public seeks first-hand experiences in a rural community and this event delivers exactly that.” The core audience at the Pop Ups are members of the Foundation’s Kansas Explorers Club.
In Humboldt, visitors will find a 19th-century woodworking shop, the Whitetails & Wildlife Museum, a music hall in a converted church and Humboldt Base Camp, a full-service campground at the trailhead to an extensive network of biking trails. Humboldt’s museum and signage around town displays their town’s history that dates back to the Civil War. The public can experience a variety of places to eat and drink including a cocktail bar, a microbrewery, and a bruncherie. A robust business district includes a bookstore, a confectionary, a coffee shop, mercantile and more.
"The diversity of Kansas is displayed as we go from Sheridan County in northwest Kansas to Humboldt in the southeast," Elder continued. "The goal is for the public to leave a place feeling like they know it better. That certainly happened in our most recent Pop Up in Sheridan County. Tours ranged from a feedyard to a housing development. Three sing-alongs ending with a chili feed and concert behind the Cottonwood Ranch state historic site were highlights. What they’ll get in Humboldt will be a completely different slice of rural life.”
The mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture. For more information on the BKRT, go to bigkansasroadtrip.com.
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