<a href="https://wakeeneytravelblog.wordpress.com/2020/01/17/exploring-kansas-legends-and-folktales-with-the-trego-county-historical-society/">By DENA WEIGEL BELL</a> WaKeeney Travel BlogWAKEENEY — Giant grasshoppers and elusive jackalopes. Kansas is a place of tall tales and legendary characters, but these exaggerations are more than just interesting stories meant to entertain. They are the stories we share to explain the uniqueness of the Kansas character.In celebration of Kansas Day, the Trego County Historical Society will examine our state’s many legends and folktales and what they say about the communities that keep these stories alive during a presentation on&nbsp;“Kansas Legends and Folktales" with Jim Hoy.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579540475801.jpeg" alt="Jim Hoy" />
 <figcaption>Jim Hoy</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>“Kansas Legends and Folktales”</h2>On Sunday, Jan. 26,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.humanitieskansas.org/get-involved/request-speaker/jim-hoy-kansas-legends-and-folktales" target="_blank">historian and author Jim Hoy</a>&nbsp;will present&nbsp;“Kansas Legends and Folktales,” an examination of&nbsp;the history of these stories and how they have helped shape the character of our state and its people. As a former director of the Center for Great Plains Studies at Emporia State University and an authority on the folklife of ranching, Hoy is an authority on the&nbsp;subject&nbsp;and has co-authored “Plains Folk,” a syndicated newspaper column focused on&nbsp;rural Kansas life.&nbsp;This presentation is funded by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.humanitieskansas.org/grants-programs/speakers-bureau" target="_blank">Kansas Humanities</a>’&nbsp;Movement of Ideas&nbsp;Speakers Bureau, an organization dedicated to sharing stories that inspire our imaginations, spark informed conversations, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement through presentations and workshops with experts on the subjects.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1579540418289.jpeg" alt="" />
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 </figure>Kansas Day Coloring ContestAlong with the presentation, awards will be handed out to the top recipients of the museum’s annual Kansas Day coloring contest. This is the eighth year the Historical Society has sponsored the program for Trego Grade School’s first through fourth grades students and every year the entries focus on places found in Trego County.&nbsp;Join us at the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.tregohistorical.org/" target="_blank">Trego County Historical Society Museum</a>&nbsp;in WaKeeney on Sunday, January 26 at 2 p.m. for “Kansas Legends and Folktales” with Jim Hoy. The Kansas Day program is an annual event celebrating our state’s entry into the Union and is free to the public.&nbsp;For more information about this event and others&nbsp;contact the Trego County Historical Society of&nbsp;WaKeeney at (785) 743-2964.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Historian will explore Kansas legends, folktales in Trego County