Sun and a few passing clouds. Hot. High 92F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Clear. Low 62F. Winds light and variable.

Bison graze at Prairie State Park near Liberal. GLOBE FILE

Bison graze at Prairie State Park near Liberal. GLOBE FILE

LIBERAL, Mo. — Every two years, Missouri’s largest remaining preserved prairie puts on a celebration to remember and recognize the importance of the natural grassland in this state’s history.

Prairie State Park, located in western Barton County between Liberal and Mindenmines, will host its Prairie Jubilee from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The park visitors center is at 128 NW 150th Lane, Mindenmines.

Park officials say the public may celebrate the tallgrass prairie, which once covered a huge portion of Missouri, in multiple ways.

Events at the Prairie Jubilee include a living history loop in which visitors can interact with interpreters and others to learn what it was like to live on the prairie.

“Listen to storyteller Jim ‘Two Crows’ Wallen, entertainment by The Instars, throw an atlatl, watch wool get spun into yarn, see 19th-century cooking, horses and wagons, and the sounds of the prairie,” officials said on the event’s Facebook page. “Take a ride out to see the bison, and enjoy trying some bison for lunch and homemade desserts. Visit with people from Missouri River Bird Observatory, Missouri Prairie Foundation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Fort Scott National Historic Site (and) George Washington Carver National Monument that partner to help protect and preserve the tallgrass prairie.”

Scheduled activities include guided bird hikes at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m., walkabout magic shows at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., a butterfly magic show at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., storyteller Wallen on the main stage at noon, a pulled bison lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. available for a fee, and a bison chip-throwing contest at 1 p.m. behind the nature center.

Guided trailer rides to view the park’s bison herd will run from 10 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.

Normally, traffic can travel in both directions through the park on NW 150th Lane, but for the event, all traffic will be required to enter from the north side by way of Liberal.

For more details about the event and the nearly 4,000-acre Prairie State Park itself, go to the park’s Facebook page or the Missouri State Parks website, www.mostateparks.com.

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.

Sign up now to get our FREE breaking news coverage delivered right to your inbox.

First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.