With more than 200 nominations, choosing what towns to visit this week was a challenge. So many of you gave us great reasons on why your town is 'One of a Kind'. Although we couldn't visit all of you, we did our best to cover each part of our viewing area in the state.
And that brings us to the final stop, a place only an hour outside of Wichita with a rhino as its mascot. Marion, is where we are ending our 'One of a Kind' road trip.
The town of about 2,000 had more than 70 people get involved on Facebook. "I've lived in Marion all my life, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Beautiful limestone rock buildings around town and new school facilities that are breathtaking along with a growing hospital. Central Park is the most beautiful I've seen and of course we are the RHINO Capital. You just have to come and take it all in. Two beautiful lakes for the outdoor people - a little bit of everything - once you visit, you won't want to leave," Shirley Groening posted on our wall.
Why is a Kansas town the Rhino capital? That was reason enough to go and visit. Michael Schwanke and Merril Teller spent the day exploring the community. We had to give Jenn Bates a break, well not really she's busy back covering high school football.
Besides boasting rhinos, Marion has a lot of growth happening. The town has built a new performing arts center and a new sports and aquatic center. At the high school, you'll find the 3rd largest mascot logo on the basketball floor in the state. Just one of the reasons Marion is 'One of a Kind'.
Although we were only able to visit and highlight five communities, you helped prove there are a lot of 'One of a Kind' Kansas towns. The response has been overwhelming and we appreciate you getting involved in the process. This will not be our last road trip, so stay tuned for what's to come in the future.
