Those who have attended River Suite in previous years will find something new at this year’s dinner and music event on the historic Cottonwood River Bridge in downtown Cottonwood Falls.
The 2026 River Suite, hosted by the Chase County Chamber of Commerce, will be held Friday, June 12, overlooking the waterfall in Cottonwood Falls. Ticket sales end at midnight Sunday, June 7, and organizers report the event is nearly sold out.
This year may be an ideal time for past guests to return, as the layout of the event has been changed. The band and stage will be located at the north end of the tents, giving guests who want to be closer to the music that opportunity. Guests who prefer the atmosphere of the evening and conversation during dinner may request seating farther from the stage when purchasing tickets.
Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. with a happy hour cash bar benefiting the Strong City Preservation Alliance and its restoration project of the 1900 Opera House/Auditorium/ Theater in Strong City. Music by the Tallgrass Express String Band will begin at 6 p.m., with dinner service by Smokin’ O’s starting at 7 p.m. Tallgrass Express will resume entertainment at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $85 plus tax, for a total of $92.23 each, and may be purchased through HeartoftheFlintHills. com. Ticket sales close at midnight Sunday, June 7.
Tallgrass Express String Band is known for its “Songs of the Flint Hills” and music celebrating the land and people of the Kansas tallgrass prairie. The band features songwriter Annie Wilson on guitar and vocals and Carl Reed on bass, harmonica and vocals. Wilson was named “Flint Hills Balladeer” by the Kansas governor for her songs about prairie plants and animals, history and ranching culture.
Now in its 22nd year, the band recently completed its fourth all-original album, “Out on the Tallgrass Prairie,” which will be available at the event at special concert prices. Their music also is available at tallgrassexpress. com, on Spotify and other streaming services, and on CDs at the event.
“We feel incredibly lucky to live amidst the splendor and wide-open spaces of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie,” Wilson said. “Through our music, we celebrate this land and its people.”
Dinner will be prepared by Smokin’ O’s. Owner Owen Reed’s menu will include beef tenderloin steak, fresh garden salad with homemade ranch dressing, twice-baked potatoes, creamed corn, fresh rolls with whipped honey butter, Texas sheet cake and tea or water.
Cash bar proceeds will again benefit the 1900 Opera House/Auditorium/ Theater renovation project in Strong City. The Strong City Preservation Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was established in 2002 with the objective of saving the historic building. Volunteers from the alliance will serve at the event and share information about the progress being made on the restoration.
Sponsors for this year’s River Suite include The LarkInn Guesthouses, Grand Central Hotel & Grill, Griffin Real Estate & Auction, Ideatek, Lyon County Title, Network Kansas, ESB Financial and the Council Grove Republican.
For tickets or more information, visit HeartoftheFlintHills.com.
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