By KALEY LYON

klyon@dailynews.net

Kansas tourism and downtown revitalization are two topics expected to be addressed Thursday, as the Amazing 100 Miles Tourism Coalition hosts its annual banquet.

The 10th annual event will be at Fox Pavilion, 1202 Main, and will feature guest speaker Chuck Comeau of the Liberty Group, which is involved in efforts to restore Hays' historic Chestnut Street District. Comeau also is a founder of Plainville-based Dessin Fournir Cos.

"We thought he would be such an excellent spokesperson," said Wayne Grabbe, a Russell resident who serves as president of the voluntary coalition.

The event will start at 11:30 a.m. with lunch, followed by the speech and a tour of downtown Hays. Cost is $20 per plate, and those wishing to make last-minute reservations should contact Kansas Originals in Wilson.

Grabbe said Comeau could address issues many small communities are facing.

Those shared issues include restoring and preserving historic downtown districts and heading fundraising efforts to fund such projects.

The coalition started about a decade ago when J. Jean Mettlen discovered a need to market tourist attractions in west-central Kansas to the traveling public.

Mettlen, who now serves as president emeritus of the group, was working at Lucas' Garden of Eden.

Visitors often asked where they could find other attractions, Grabbe said.

Mettlen began doing his research and mapped out a list of Kansas attractions within the 100-mile stretch between Hays and Salina.

Since then, the endeavor to market rural Kansas has continued to escalate, with the formation of the coalition, fundraising events, and various marketing endeavors.

The Amazing 100 Miles originally included all communities/attractions within 20 miles of Interstate 70. However, this distance recently was expanded to a 25-mile radius so additional communities could be included.

Currently, the group is working to distribute 22-page brochures promoting all of the attractions within the coalition's 50-plus communities. The handouts will be distributed at hotels and restaurants along Interstate 70 and Interstate 35.

"Our main focus is basically promoting all of the small towns in between Hays and Salina," Grabbe said. "If you have an attraction or a special event, those are things that we want to know about."