ROBERT PIERCE
• Leader & Times
Mid-August is here, and area schools are back in session for the new academic year.
This means Labor Day weekend soon will be here as well, and for more than 100 years, the town of Kismet has celebrated the holiday with its annual Little World’s Fair.
The community event is back for this year, and with this year being America’s 250th birthday, the 2026 LWF’s themed around not only celebrating that anniversary, but small town America itself to keep the party rolling through the rest of the year.
Brett Reiss, a volunteer who helps put on the Little World’s Fair each year, said Kismet has a great group of volunteers putting the weekend together.
“It’s amazing a small town like Kismet can still pull off an event like this through Labor Day weekend, and none of it would be possible without the hard work and sacrifices of some of those volunteers and also community members and donors who have donated to keep this festivity going,” he said.
The fun for this year’s LWF starts Saturday, Sept. 5, and continues through Monday, Sept. 7, in the small Seward County community.
“Starting out on Saturday, we’re going to have a trap shooting contest,” Reiss said. “The Southwestern Heights shooting sports team is going to be doing a trap shoot fundraiser. Later that evening, we’re going to have an ice cream social at the Kismet Methodist Church. There’ll be lots of homemade ice cream with several different flavors to choose from.”
Saturday evening at about 8:30 p.m., a movie will be played on the lawn at the church. This year’s movie will be the blockbuster hit “Top Gun Maverick.”
“It’s a little piece of Americana there sticking with the theme of celebrating America,” Reiss said.
Sunday, Sept. 6, will feature a day full of fun highlighted by the Taste of Kismet for $5 a plate. Starting at noon, drawings will take place every 15 minutes, and at 2 p.m. at Kismet Elementary, the 3 on 3 basketball tournament will start.
Reiss said there is no need to pre-register for the tournament.
“Just have everyone show up no later than 2 p.m. so we can get the tournament bracket set,” he said. “We’ll have a junior high division and a high school and older division.”
Throughout the afternoon, treasure hunts and poker runs will take place on the north end of town for children. At 5:30 p.m., a community church service will start in the Kismet Pavillion, and also at 5:30 p.m., registration begins for the cornhole tournament for $20 a team for youth and $40 a team for the competitive division.
Homemade ice cream and sno cones will be available Sunday evening, as will several food vendors.
The highlight for Sunday evening starting at 7 p.m., ventriloquist Kevin Horner is back for this year’s Little World’s Fair with a new show called “Voices In My Head.”
An old favorite is back for this year with bingo, which will take place from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in the Pavilion, and from 9 p.m. to midnight, a street dance will run on Kismet’s Main Street.
Labor Day Monday kicks off at 6:30 a.m. with registration for the Mark Verhoff Memorial Run. Bouncy houses will be set up on Main Street, and at 9:30 a.m., lineup for the LWF parade begins.
“We’re encouraging large semis, trucks with trailers, farm equipment, anything that’s large to try to enter from the north side of town,” Reiss said.
Reiss said there is no need to pre-register for the parade, and lineup will take place on the north end of town near the Methodist church, with the parade itself starting at 10:30 a.m.
“We start with the flag, patrol, color guard and law enforcement,” he said. “We follow up with some of the school bands and cheerleaders, politicians and business floats, ag equipment, antique cars. It’s not just first come, first serve. We break that down into groups to keep them together.”
Reiss said the Little World’s Fair parade is one of the best around, and he estimated it will take at least an hour to complete.
“We’re so blessed to have people show up from not only Kismet, but Liberal, Plains, Sublette, surrounding communities show up and support the parade,” he said.
Following the parade, the ham and bean feed will take place in the Pavilion, and the fun will continue starting at noon with turtle races. Registration for that event will start at 11:30 a.m.
At 1 p.m., there will be a kids tractor pull by Kismet Public Library, and other fun activities such as stick horse races, bike races and a frozen T-shirt contest will continue throughout Labor Day afternoon.
A few raffles will likewise happen, including one for a beef bundle from Hat Creek Butchery and a gun raffle. Tickets for both of those are $5 apiece or five for $20, and along with tickets for a 50/50 drawing, those tickets can be purchased at the Kismet Lion’s Den and the Pavilion.
“The gun raffle’s going to be a Henry Lever Action Golden Boy,” Reiss said. “It’s a .22 caliber rifle with a hexagon barrel. You can see that at the Kismet Reloading store. Tickets can be purchased at the Den or Kismet Reloading or Labor Day weekend.”
The beef bundle includes 15 pounds of ground beef, six pounds of stew meat, two roasts and 12 premium steaks, and the proceeds from that help purchase all the kids prizes for LWF events.
“It helps us get the bouncy houses in and helps with all of our activities throughout the weekend,” Reiss said.
To purchase tickets or for more information, reach out to Kismet Volunteers. Flyers for the gun and beef bundle raffles and a schedule of events can be found on the Kismet Little World’s Fair Facebook page.
“We will be glad to get you pointed in the right direction if you leave us a message, leave us a comment,” Reiss said. “We’ll get with you and figure out a way to meet up. We have T-shirts still available for purchase at the Lions Den. Sarah Reiss is the one to contact for purchases. Her number is 620-655-5019 if you’d like to purchase a shirt. They’re going fast.”
Many consider Labor Day weekend the unofficial end of summer, and this makes it the perfect time for an event like the Little World’s Fair. Reiss said the national 250th birthday celebration adds a little extra excitement to this year’s event.
“It’s that one last time to get together as a community, to get together as a friend and celebrate America, celebrate small town America and appreciate what we have in Kismet,” he said.
Reiss has been with the Kismet Volunteers group for a few years, making his goal to keep the LWF alive.
“We’ve got great leadership in our group,” he said.
Reiss said while what goes on for three days once a year in Kismet is exhausting, it is very rewarding as well,.
“I have wonderful memories as a child of the Little World’s Fair,” he said. “I know the Little World’s Fair will never be what it once was. We had rides and a carnival, and there’s been some legislative changes that have made it harder for those smaller carnivals to exist, to continue with all the regulations. We don’t have the rides and all the bells and whistles and attractions, but we still have a lot of fun. We still have a lot of events and activities to participate in. It’s very rewarding knowing our group is helping create those same memories for that next generation.”
A few years ago, Kismet celebrated the milestone 100th Little World’s Fair, and thus far, Reiss said the event is off to a strong start in its second century.
“It’s really amazing that a core group of volunteers can take this on and continue to make it happen every year, and it’s amazing the town of Kismet supports it,” he said. “Other volunteers and other organizations pitch in to make the weekend a success. It’s a true community effort, and it’s going to take some younger generations to step up and volunteer to make sure this carries on for another 100 years.”
Reiss said class reunions often take place during the Little World’s Fair, and he said it is always fun to see those classes come back and families getting together.
“I’m super excited to see people come out,” he said. “We’ve got people in the parade from Liberal who are already calling and asking what do we need to do to be in the parade. Seeing their excitement to show off their business or their parade entry, that gets me excited, and what drives us to do what we do is seeing the smiles on the faces as these events go on through the weekend.”
