By MIKE CORN

mcorn@dailynews.net

Northwest Kansas did it again.

Three of five northwest Kansas sites this morning were named among the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture.¬ 

The three are Cooper Barn in Colby, Holy Cross Catholic Church in Pfeifer and the Ness County Bank Building in Ness City.

They will join the likes of the Chase County Courthouse in Cottonwood Falls and the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka.

The Osborne County Courthouse and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Damar were not among the eight finalists in the Architecture category.

"Our church?" asked Carol Billinger, when told Holy Cross was among the 8 Wonders of Architecture. "Oh, wonderful. Oh, my goodness. I am stunned."

Billinger knew she would be notified by e-mail about the results of the voting, but she was at work at the post office in Pfeifer and had not been able to check e-mail.

Billinger was confident of the beauty the small community of Pfeifer has, but she also knew what they had to compete against.

"We know what we have here," she said. "But I didn't think we could compete against the state Capitol and other beautiful buildings."

Holy Cross instead will stand next to the Kansas State Capitol as one of the 8 Wonders.

Voting for the top eight came about during the course of a seven-week period in a campaign sponsored by the Inman-based Kansas Sampler Foundation. More than 8,000 votes were cast during the period, according to director Marci Penner.

Building on an earlier campaign that let the public pick the 8 Wonders of Kansas, this is the first in a series of contests featuring eight rural culture elements.

During the overall campaign for the top 8 sites, three northwest Kansas locations were chosen.

Those sites included St. Fidelis Catholic Church in Victoria and the combined entry of Monument Rocks and Castle Rock.

Becoming one of the top eight, Penner said, is a huge shot in the arm because it means the entire state is familiar with the site.

The 8,000 votes is significant because they came over the course of seven weeks rather than the six months that the full 8 Wonders campaign covered.

"We probably averaged more per day," Penner said of the architecture vote.

Votes came from throughout Kansas and 43 other states.

"That says a lot about what Kansas has to offer," she said.

Architecture is the first of eight contests involving rural cultures that have been used to identify what a town has to offer.

In addition to architecture, the other categories include art, commerce, cuisine, customs, geography, history and people.¬ 

Each element will be featured during a four-month span.

The next contest will feature art, and the public can make online nominations in July. The criteria and online nominations are available at 8wonders.org.