What Says “Summer” Better Than Kool-Aid?
Special to Road Trips for Foodies
From the Adams County Convention and Visitors Bureau
Hastings, Nebraska — the birthplace of Kool-Aid — offers “four great flavors of fun” to fans of the iconic soft drink.
First: “Kool-Aid: Discover the Dream” exhibit opens August 10, 2012, at the Hastings Museum, 1330 North Burlington Avenue, Hastings, Nebraska (map).
Second: Take your picture with the “founders” in front of the Original Kool-Aid Factory, 516 West 1st Street, Hastings, Nebraska (map).
Third: Check out Kool-Aid Man’s Footprints at the Hastings Convention & Visitor Center, 100 North Shore Drive, Hastings, Nebraska (map).
Fourth (and definitely not least): Come celebrate Kool-Aid Days in Hastings (map) August 10 through 12, 2012.
The Kool-Aid exhibit in the Hastings Museum, renovated in 2012, chronicles the life of Edwin Perkins (Kool-Aid’s inventor) and provides a look at the development of Kool-Aid and its impact on popular culture through the decades.
In 1927, Edwin Perkins invented and began to manufacture Kool-Aid at Perkins Products Company (516 West 1st Street). While he developed many products, Kool-Aid was certainly the most famous and has gone on to impact popular culture through the decades. The front of the building — to be unveiled August 10 — will offer a colorful tribute to Edwin, his wife Kitty, and Kool-Aid – and is a great spot for taking a picture.
In 2000, Kool-Aid Man had his footprints immortalized in concrete at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. The concrete prints were donated to Hastings by Kraft, the company that now owns the Kool-Aid brand.
Kool-Aid Days, an annual celebration held the second weekend in August, draws thousands of fans from across the country. Road Trips Foodies will find the World’s Largest Kool-Aid Stand, a parade, concert, cardboard boat races, Kool-Aid drinking contests, games, activities and more. For details on this great event, go to Kool-AidDays.com.
Discover more information about visiting Hastings online. Kool-Aid is a registered trademark of KF Holdings.
(Photo courtesy of Visit Hastings)
