A decision on whether Dirty Kanza 2020 will take place is coming in the next two weeks.
DK administrators Kristi Mohn and LeLan Dains, as well as Life Time Marketing Coordinator Michelle Duffy, discussed the immediate future of the DK in several ways on KVOE’s On-Air Chat on Wednesday. With a decision possibly by July 12, Mohn says event organizers are busy preparing for what’s to come.
Fall training camps and Lunar Kanza have both been canceled due to COVID-19. However, despite the date change for DK, over 2,700 riders have committed to this year’s event if it takes place.
As DK organizers look ahead, they also made it clear the name of the event will change, despite popular support as indicated by an unscientific poll recently conducted by KVOE indicating nearly 65 percent of respondents think the name should remain as is. Dains says a conversation with leaders of the Kaw Nation earlier this year led to an understanding that the origin of the name was “innocent,” but the name also could be considered hurtful. He says event organizers have the right to keep the current name, but it’s also the kind and correct option to make a change.
Recent events pulled the DK into the local limelight ahead of schedule and caused many people to question the event’s forward direction. Founder Jim Cummins parted ways with Life Time, the event’s owner since September 2018, in late June after a social media post on law enforcement arrest procedures caused heavy criticism. The public discussion that followed saw ongoing concerns resurface about DK possibly moving away from Emporia. All involved in Wednesday’s program emphatically said the race will stay in Emporia, and Duffy says she is impressed by how the area has connected to the event.
In an online statement posted June 26, organizers said they are committed to “creating change” through changing the event name, creating a Diversity and Inclusion Council and being fully transparent with the change process over the next three months. More information is online at www.dirtykanza.com.
