You MAY Want to Get to Emporia!

MAY we entertain you? Emporia in the month of MAY is a veritable garden, humming with activities and events–all set in one of the prettiest times of year in our great state.

La Grind Gravel Stage Race is a multi-day cycling race in the gravel capital of the world, Emporia. Join hundreds of gravel racers on May 4 and 5 for a local spring tradition. Multiple options include two-day stage races (100/65 or 50/65) or choose from 100-mile, 65-mile, 50-mile, and 30-mile races and fun rides. There is even a 30-mile ebike fun ride! All profits from La Grind go to the nonprofit Handlebars of Hope, which brings crucial support to cyclists both locally and globally. When you ride and support La Grind, your efforts keep on giving long after the finish line is crossed, helping change the lives of many for the better. 

The Handlebars of Hope global outreach provides bicycles for those who can’t afford them, sometimes providing people with their only means of transportation, as well as organizing youth cycling clubs at orphanages and teaching bicycle repair skills to men in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. The annual La Grind Gravel Stage race offers a beautiful multi-stage spring race through our gorgeous Flint Hills that delights both participants and onlookers.

The first week of May is also Dynamic Discs Open 2024! From May 2 through May 5, Emporia hosts the eighth stop on the Disc Golf Pro Tour event, complete with a bonfire, the much-loved poker party, and top-shelf disc golf competition. Dynamic Discs’ Eric McCabe and his best friend Gabe Werly started the Glass Blown Open disc golf tournament in 2003 with 88 top-tier competitors. World-renowned glass blower and Emporia resident Hal Berger designed the original glass trophies, adding another feather in the cap of Emporia State University’s prestigious glass-blowing art department. The Glass Blown Open was an instant smash success, becoming the largest disc golf event in the world, establishing Emporia as the epicenter of disc golf worldwide. 

In 2020, in a hat-tip to the increasingly elite status of tournament players, the event’s name was changed to Dynamic Discs Open–also an acknowledgement that Emporia is now known as much for disc golf as for glass-blowing. Disc golf fans have a wide array of activities to choose from throughout the duration of the event–plus the opportunity to observe and support their favorite disc golf pros! 

And to top it all off, we’ve got Cinco de Mayo festivities in downtown Emporia on Saturday, May 4! Emporia is proud of the rich traditions of our long-time Hispanic residents. Thanks to the railroad, Emporia has been home to a significant Latino community since the early 1900s. Hispanics of Today and Tomorrow (HOTT) hosts this colorful, cultural event each year to commemorate Cinco de Mayo–the fifth of May, when Mexico defeated France in 1862 in the crucial Battle of the Puebla. 

Today, Cinco de Mayo is a joyful celebration of rich Hispanic heritage. Downtown Emporia transforms into a vibrant Latin street fair with a parade, crowning of the Cinco royalty, street vendors and food trucks, Hispanic cultural entertainment, music, dancing, and shopping from morning til night. You won’t want to miss this enchanting day of multicultural fun! 

And that’s just the first weekend of May. Emporia is also hosting the NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships May 23-25 and the All Things Gravel Expo for UNBOUND Gravel, May 30 and 31.

It’s Emporia in May for the win! Make your plans now to spend an action-packed day or weekend or week in Emporia, the jewel in the crown of the beautiful Flint Hills. During your stay, sample our town’s award-winning cuisine, unique pubs and brewery and distillery, eclectic shopping choices, incredible nature activities, and comfortable lodging. Want to take a deeper dive into what Emporia has to offer? Check out the Visit Emporia website for upcoming activities and all the details on where to shop, where to sleep, where to eat, and where to have your own very best day in our town!

While you’re visiting us, we hope you’ll also take time to learn more about our Visit Emporia Pledge, which encourages everyone to be good stewards of our community and environment during your time here with us. 

1. Stay golden
2. Leave no trace
3. Respect the land and its people

Find out how YOU can take the Visit Emporia Pledge here.

Visit Emporia is the official Visitor Information Center for Emporia offering brochures and maps of Emporia, surrounding areas, and the state of Kansas. Drop in to visit us at 719 Commercial St., in downtown Emporia. We’re open Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. See the Visit Emporia website for more information or check us out on Facebook and Instagram for more activities and events.

# # #