Abilene, March 2018 -Dust off your cowboy hat and dig out your spurs, Great Plains Theatre’s Live Literature returns this April with Happy Trails, a tale of mischief, magic and mayhem on the old Chisholm Trail.

Students this year will follow a brother and sister as they move from Texas to Abilene, with a brief stop in the Old West! How did they end up in the back of a chuck wagon instead of their family pickup? How will they ever find their way home back to the present? Young viewers will learn fun and interesting facts about the history of the Chisholm Trail, the story of which still impacts our area today!

Happy Trails was written incorporating stories and poems from our statewide Creative Writing contest that encouraged elementary students to think and write about the history of our Land, especially Kansas. Winners of the contest include: Zaylah Wray of Hesston, who took first place, Tori Breen of Holton, who tied for second with a group of students from Abilene’s McKinley Elementary, Elissa Sweat, Kenlie Delay, Carstyn Smith, and Maddy Keller.

Happy Trails begins its performance week on Great Plains Theatre’s stage on Monday, April 9, which will be followed by a week of touring Monday, April 16. Both touring and in-house performances still have tickets and spots available, for only $3 a ticket. For information on how your students can experience Live Literature you can email info@greatplainstheatre.com, call the office at 785-263-4574, or stop by 401 Cottage Ave, Abilene.