$5.00 FESTIVAL PASSPORTS | prize drawings
Exclusive Little Balkans Events
Several Little Balkans events are Passport exclusive; meaning that you MUST have a passport to attend these special events. These events include but are not limited to: Cooking School, Hand Piecing Class, Quilt Show, Pasta Class, Car Show, Chicken Dinner & Polka Dance, Cox Community Concert, and many more!
Passports can be purchased at:
-TOAST | 401 North Broadway Unit D
-Ron's Supermarket | 310 East Centennial
-Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce | 117 West 4th Street
-Memorial Auditorium | 503 North Pine
PASSPORT PRIZE DRAWING!
By attending at least (4) Passport events, patrons can drop of their passport at any place where Passports can be purchased by Wednesday, September 4th at 5:00PM to be entered into a drawing. One passport holder will be chosen at random to receive a $500.00 cash prize that is sponsored by MPIX; a second passport holder will be chosen at random to receive $100.00 Chamber Dollars from the City of Pittsburg's Chamber of Commerce.
community favorites
Little Balkans Cooking School
Little Balkans Cooking School
Get ready for a delicious hands-on cooking experience! Learn how to make classic Southeast Kansas ethnic dishes with local volunteers. With a full menu from appetizers to dessert, you'll get to taste everything you make and take home the recipes. This experience is limited to 50 participants!
Arts & Craft & Food Fair
Little Balkans Cooking School
Enjoy exploring over 140+ vendors on site offering home made goods to delicious treats for you and your family to enjoy.
Little Balkans Quilt Guild Quilt Show
Experience the artistry and craftsmanship of stunning quilts at our Annual Quilt Show presented by the Little Balkans Quilt Guild. As a long-standing highlight of the festival, don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the intricate world of quilting.
1 Hour Train Rides
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
As an agricultural region, Kansas was once home to many fabled Midwestern railroads. Passengers will get to relive this experience on a 1 Hour Scenic Train Ride.
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
Reminisce and learn about the history of southeast Kansas from local celebrities at the 3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern! Participants will receive a souvenir for attendance.
Photography Contest
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
3rd Annual Night at the Friendly Tavern
Our photography contests feature images created by photographers from around our local, sharing visions that inspire, inform, and awe. This free contest not only has multiple categories but had ranging age categories to include all age groups!
THE FESTIVAL'S HISTORY
A MINING DESTINATION
A MINING DESTINATION
A MINING DESTINATION
Every geographic region in Kansas is distinctive in some way. Due to its mineral resources, settlement patterns, and ethnic diversity, perhaps no region of the state is more distinctive than the southeast corner. From the 1880s through the first two decades of the twentieth century the inhabitants of southeast Kansas mined almost one-thi
Every geographic region in Kansas is distinctive in some way. Due to its mineral resources, settlement patterns, and ethnic diversity, perhaps no region of the state is more distinctive than the southeast corner. From the 1880s through the first two decades of the twentieth century the inhabitants of southeast Kansas mined almost one-third of the nation’s bituminous coal. The coal powered an extensive system of railroads in the region and was used to heat homes and businesses. Southeast Kansas coal, and later natural gas, also fired the kilns that processed great quantities of lead and zinc ore extracted from the tri-state mining region of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Iron foundries, cement plants, tile and pottery manufacturers, glass pane factories, lead and zinc sheet mills, and brick plants made southeast Kansas the most industrialized region of the state.
CULTURAL MELTING POT
A MINING DESTINATION
A MINING DESTINATION
To work the mines, smelters, and other industries, laborers immigrated here from all over the world, demonstrating the American melting pot experience in Kansas. After 1900 most of the immigrants who came to work in the coal field that extended through Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon Counties, came from the region of southeastern Europe
To work the mines, smelters, and other industries, laborers immigrated here from all over the world, demonstrating the American melting pot experience in Kansas. After 1900 most of the immigrants who came to work in the coal field that extended through Cherokee, Crawford, and Bourbon Counties, came from the region of southeastern Europe known as the Balkans. Labor unions became an important feature of the economic landscape of southeast Kansas. Labor unrest and strikes for higher wages and better working conditions occurred frequently. Because so many of the residents of the area came from the Balkan region of Europe and because the economic and political climates of both regions were so volatile in the early 1900s, the coal fields came to be called the Balkans of Kansas. Although once a pejorative term for the region, Little Balkans of Kansas is now an expression of pride that celebrates the region’s diverse cultural and ethnic heritage and rich history.
A TRADITION BEGINS
A MINING DESTINATION
A TRADITION BEGINS
The establishment of the Little Balkans Festival Association in September 1984 helped to restore the image of the region. The Association’s purpose was to educate the public about the origin and development of the term Little Balkans and to plan and conduct a regional exposition known as the Little Balkans Days Festival. The Festival has
The establishment of the Little Balkans Festival Association in September 1984 helped to restore the image of the region. The Association’s purpose was to educate the public about the origin and development of the term Little Balkans and to plan and conduct a regional exposition known as the Little Balkans Days Festival. The Festival has been held annually on Labor Day weekend since 1985 to pay homage to the region’s history, ethnic diversity, and community spirit.