Oakley officials hope nothing shy of nuclear bomb will keep 'Jericho' fans away
By STACIE SANDALL
Hays Daily News
OAKLEY -- A mushroom cloud could be seen from a small, rural Kansas town's horizon. Jericho suffered from a nuclear attack on Denver, and its residents struggled to pull together to survive.
Jericho, its actual location Oakley, was a CBS drama that began airing in September. When poor ratings prompted its demise in May, fans of the show campaigned for its revival. CBS purchased seven new episodes.
Those fans, CBS officials, cast and crew are planning to gather in Oakley on Sept. 14 through 16 for Jericho Convention 2007, also known as Jerichon.
Hotels are filling up fast, said Logan County Development Corporation Director Jamie Bell, and those wanting to stay the entire weekend are urged to act fast. A listing of places to stay appears at www.discoveroakley.com. Bell added he anticipates people will be staying anywhere in a 60-mile radius.
"We're hoping it will have a significant economical impact," Bell said. "Any type of event like this you hope to draw in some economic gains to the area."
Registration prior to Sept. 1 is $75, or $100 after. The fee includes membership and benefits of the Guardians of Jericho, meals and access to all convention areas. Sign-up can be done through www.guard iansofjericho.org or Bell at (785) 672-4550.
Schedule highlights include rerun watching, a dance, Sunday worship, honoring military personnel and a forum on whether characters Heather or Emily would be best for Jake.
There will be tours of Monument Rocks, Smokey Valley, Fick Fossil Museum, Keystone Gallery, Butterfield Trail Museum, Buffalo Bill statue and the Rhea farm and horse ranch.
The Kansas National Guard will discuss how it would handle the Jericho event, and a presentation on how Louisiana handled its own disaster is scheduled.
Other workshops include Nuclear Weapons 101, discussion on how the real Jericho would react to the event and a presentation on electromagnetic pulses and the electrical grid.
A special event happens Saturday night, but the details are confidential.
Bell mentioned his committee wants a military fly-over and equipment for the convention, and has invited the Kansas National Guard, Kansas Air National Guard and McConnell Air Force Base to participate.
Events not included in the fee are the Logan County Health Care Foundation charity bike-a-thon and the Ravenwood Shootout Golf Scramble Outing.
A complete listing of details is posted on the registration Web site. Home base for the convention is at "Jericho Field," a large field north of the grain elevators.
"We're asking for the community of Oakley to be prepared for this," Bell said. "We want to make a good impression, and we want to give them a reality of what western Kansas is like. This is a great thing for Oakley and for the area to really showcase what we have out here in western Kansas. There is so much to see other than what we see from the highway."
Reporter Stacie Sandall can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 136, or by e-mail at
ssandall@dailynews.net.