[Previous entry: "A LETTER FROM THE CZECH REPUBLIC"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "BLOW YOUR WHISTLE"]

08/21/2003 Archived Entry: "BILL BUNYAN THE HAMBURGER MAN"

BILL BUNYAN THE HAMBURGER MAN

Explorers Club members gathered in Sterling at noon today from all over Kansas to celebrate a silly, fun "happening". That's what explorers do...have fun. They “Dare to do dirt”.

News reporters and photographers were there from the Wichita Eagle, Emporia Gazette, Ellsworth County Indy, Norton paper and the Sterling Bulletin (by way of an intrepid Explorer). The Wichita Eagle photographer was focusing and clicking as fast as anyone I have ever seen…and popping her gum. She can multi-task.

Bill Bunyan, who's from Dodge City, confronted his 105th hamburger at Paddy's Restaurant, our gathering place. It was cause for celebration. There were about 50 or so persons there, young and old.

Today marked the completion of Bill’s quest to eat a hamburger in each of our 105 counties. He says he isn't finished exploring and as a matter of course and habit will find another quest. He's a true explorer.

Bill's cholesterol levels seem to be cooperating with his efforts and he looks trim and fit. We should expect that from this KU Ellsworth Medallion winning, diehard Jayhawk fan. He was featured in the KU Alumni Magazine and that was good publicity for both Bill and the Explorers Club.

Driving the back roads from Dodge to KU athletic events has provided many of the opportunities for hamburger stops. He displayed a map showing when and where he ate each hamburger in setting this auspicious record.

Bill, and his wife Susan, also checked out other things in the counties they visited like the Eisler Brother's Market in Riverton on famous Route 66 and the Beaumont Hotel where they toured the rooms and had catfish filets. He doesn't live on hamburgers alone. During their stops, Susan contributes to the "spending money and feeling good about it" department.

Bill's top hamburger places in Kansas will be featured in Marci Penner's Kansas Guide when it is published the first part of 2004. You'll want a copy of this book to carry with you in your car. It's a necessary piece of equipment like seat belts.

Larry the Bowler bowled his 79th and final game (in his quest to bowl in every Kansas county with a bowling center) in Sterling on June 9, 2001. Fans came from far and wide to help him celebrate. Sterling is a hub for Explorers' celebrations.

I think every Kansan should be a member of the Kansas Explorers Club. It will help your awareness of what is going on in and around Kansas. It's all about networking and meeting people who share similar interests from across the state. It is also the right thing to do as it shows support for the one person in the state, Marci Penner, who probably does more to promote and sustain rural Kansas than any other.

Give me a call and I'll see that you become a member. It only costs $18.61 a year and you get six great newsletters from Marci during that time.

It's good to learn as much as you can about Kansas and support the owners of establishments who are trying their best to keep rural Kansas alive and well. Explorers are great people. Join the club!