PITTSBURG, Kan. — For the third consecutive week, over 200 kids and adults visited the Crawford County Historical Museum in Pittsburg. Dubbed “Wacky Wednesdays”, Museum Director Amanda Minton has planned activities and games for area kids each week at the museum. Each Wednesday, there is a different theme for visitors as they participate in games, arts and crafts, and other activities.

This week, Bart Taylor featured as a special guest of the museum. An expert on the noted American humorist, Taylor shares stories about Rogers’ life and career.

“I’ve only been doing Will Rogers for a couple of years,” Taylor said, “but I’ve always been a fan.”

Taylor has a background in living history, participating in his first Civil War reenactment when he was a young teenager. Now, he gets to recreate history for a living at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma.

Known as the Cowboy Philosopher, Rogers offered audiences some commonsense thinking, often at the expense of elected officials. In 1928, Rogers even ran for President as the “Anti-Bunk” candidate. The campaign was a farce from the beginning, the point of it being to highlight the unkept promises of political candidates. During the campaign, Rogers made non-sensical promises such as to immediately resign if he won (which he did after declaring victory, although he did not win).

According to Taylor, this campaign proved to be a model for modern-day, late-night talk shows, such as the Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert in which the comedian satirically portrays a serious-minded conservative talk show host for laughs.

Taylor taught children how to do simple rope tricks while others played games that would be familiar to Will Rogers as a child. In a “Game of Graces”, children attempt to throw and catch a ring using two sticks. Taylor said this game was meant to teach young girls how to maintain their grace and poise. There were also sack races, three-legged races (which ultimately turned into one child dragging another across the grass), and ropemaking to experience.

Minton said the museum will take a break over the Independence Day holiday but will resume Wacky Wednesdays on July 12 with “Adventures with Ariel, Belle, and Superman” and run every Wednesday through July 26.

Admission is free, but registration is required to ensure there are enough snacks and supplies on hand. To sign up for the next Wacky Wednesday, go to https://www.crawfordcountymuseum.com before noon the previous Tuesday. All events are scheduled between 11:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.