Newman Jets to take part in Kansas 150 Festival Oct. 8

Members of the Newman University Women’s Basketball Team and Cheer/Dance squad will participate in the parade set for 11 a.m., Oct. 8 in downtown Wichita to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Kansas statehood. The parade kicks off the “Kansas 150 Festival,” an event created by volunteers, municipalities, businesses and other organizations across the state to commemorate the Kansas sesquicentennial.

Newman will be represented in the parade by 12 cheerleaders and several women’s basketball players, distributing candy along the parade route as they walk alongside a Newman University golf cart driven by Assistant Athletics Director and Compliance Officer Joanna Pryor. The cart was recently presented to the Adorers of the Blood of Christ. Newman parade participants will also carry a large banner emblazoned with the Newman University name and logo.

The parade will include more than 120 participating organizations and will feature marching bands, an Amelia Earhart re-enactor, Gov. Sam Brownback, U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, city and county commissioners, a stagecoach, a cattle drive, children in period costumes, a Native American honor guard and more. Kansas 150 Fest will also feature an encampment with 65 booths, food, art, a multimedia concert of 120 performers and other activities. Admission for the concert is $5. Stop by the Newman University booth to help the university celebrate this milestone in the history of Kansas.