After attracting a record crowd last year, the Kansas Sampler Festival will return to Wamego this year.

The festival, which highlights products, traditions and the history of Kansas, will be May 2-3 in the Pottawatomie County town. About 12,000 people attended the festival last year, compared with 3,500 in 2013 and 5,500 in 2012 in Liberal. Festival attendance varied from 6,000 to 8,000 in previous years.

153 Kansas communities and 60 Kansas products will be represented at the Wamego festival. Some new exhibits this year include blacksmiths, spinning and pottery throwing demonstrations and performances by American Indian musician Dennis Rogers.

The Kansas Sampler Festival is a project of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, an Inman nonprofit organization that works to preserve and sustain rural culture.

—
Information from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal,