MERRIAM, Kan. — “Get out of Dodge!”
You’ve probably heard that old saying and not just on reruns of “Gunsmoke.”
But, starting this weekend at Antioch Park in Merriam, Kansas, the exhortation is different:
“Get into Dodge!”
Dodge Town is back and better than ever with a grand re-opening set for Saturday, April 21.
Since the mid-1960s, parents and grandparents have taken their tiny city-slickers back in time, to a slice of 19th century Western Kansas.
For the last year or so, the site has been closed to visitors while some $500,000 worth of renovations have taken shape.
In addition to refurbishing all the old favorites like the bank, Pony Express station, general store and city hall; they also added a new train station and replaced the mulch with a pour-in-place soft surface.
Regional Park Manager for Johnson County Parks and Rec, Mike Dizney said people would press their noses up to the fence of the building site to make sure Dodge Town was not going away for good.
Antioch Park is the oldest in the Johnson County system and attracts nearly 800,000 visitors a year to its 40-plus acres of fun and nature.
This Saturday, and for years to come, the best of the past is ready for the future with the return of Dodge Town.
And, you don’t have to be Marshal Dillon, Miss Kitty, Doc or Festus to feel right at home.
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