From the events to the entertainment and, of course, the food, the 2025 Flint Hills Beef Fest was as high-quality as the beef it was celebrating.
The annual celebration of the grass-fed cattle industry wrapped up Saturday with several activities, starting with the annual cornhole tournament Saturday morning, which led up to the free burger feed both at the Bowyer Community Building. As always, hundreds of burgers were cooked up by KVOE staffers who were again joined by a few community volunteers.
KVOE News Director Chuck Samples says the burger feed is always a “gratifying experience” for the station to be a part of.
Samples added that gathering around a fire to cook up some meat is a great community tradition that dates back hundreds of years.
Focus would shift from burgers to steaks Saturday night for the annual Beef Fest awards banquet inside the Lyon County Fairgrounds Anderson Building. Beef Fest Committee member and Lyon County Extension Ag Agent Brian Rees says the producers who take part in Beef Fest look forward to the banquet each year, as taking home an award is a point of pride for many.
Once the awards were announced and the plates were licked clean, those in attendance were entertained by Kansas-based ventriloquist Greg Claassen.
Claassen is just the latest in a long line of talented performers to take to the Beef Fest stage to entertain the masses. Beef Fest committee member Danny Broyles says they always try to find a performer who will appeal to the whole family, noting that family is a critical piece of what keeps the beef industry running.
Activities concluded with an evening dance with music provided by the Steve Kile Band. Saturday’s events followed a busy Friday, which included the annual live stocker show, beef producers seminar and ranch feed and rodeo.
