What is Sun Day?

Sun Day is a national day of action on September 21, 2025 - the Fall Equinox - celebrating solar and wind power, and growing the movement to build a cleaner, healthier future. The clean energy revolution is here. Solar, wind and batteries are the cheapest form of power on the planet, lowering costs, creating new jobs, and strengthening our communities. 

Here in Cowley County, we are celebrating a whole month of fun with the Sun!

How can you participate?

Throughout the county, merchants are getting involved by featuring sun-related items all month long. Explore how you can participate below:

Events:

• At the Walnut Valley Festival campers will have chances to win solar equipment, and are invited to display the local SunDay emblem at their campsites. Winfield Arts and Humanities Council will be a partner at the children's activity area at the Walnut Valley Festival to make solar t-shirt designs! 

• Self-Guided Solar Tour - September 14-21  Self-guided tour of solar installations in Cowley County. Find the list of houses on the Self-Guided Solar Tour here!

• Bluegrass Sunday at GUMC - Worship @ 10:50am | Lunch @ noon

• Grace UMC is hosting the kickoff to our SunDay week on Sunday, September 14th. This coincides with Grace’s annual “Bluegrass Sunday” where musicians from the Walnut Valley Festival take over worship music and the congregation swells with folks wearing tie-dye and kids dancing in the aisles. After worship, stick around for a potluck luncheon where we will celebrate Sunday with more music and a short presentation on why Grace UMC engages in “Creation Care” through solar energy. Come join in the fun, bring a friend and join the spirit of Bluegrass celebrating SunDay!

  
  

• We the People of South Central Kansas is sponsoring a Sun Walk on Sunday, September 21 at Memorial Park, 4:00 - 5:30. Bring your sunny smiles or signs that support a viable future for life on Earth. This is not a protest, but a rally in support of plentiful clean energy from our sun, open to all!

• Art:

• Gallery 1001 in Winfield will be exhibiting solar-related art through the month of September. Visit the opening reception on Friday, September 5, 5 - 7 pm!

• College Hill Coffee will display “SunDay” art drawn by customers in their “Yellow Room.” There will be drawing sheets at each table during the month of September for customers to participate!

• Winfield Arts and Humanities will partner with the Walnut Valley Festival to make solar t-shirts at the children's activity area on Saturday morning!

Food & Drink:

• College Hill Coffee will feature a Shaken Solar Turmeric Latte (shaken turmeric latte with coconut milk  and shot of espresso optional), and a Sunshine Special (sandwich, side and cookie) for the whole month of September!

• The Marquee Performing Arts Center’s 2nd Thursday lunch on Thursday, September 11th. 

• Oasis Coffee Shop will feature a special house-made sunset refresher drink from hibiscus tea and lemonade the week of September 14 - 21. 

• Grammies Sandwiches has several sunny choices planned for festival week.

• El Azteca will feature Aztec Sunshine Mexican water from September 14-21.  

Miscellaneous:

• Urban Prairie Mercantile has lots of Sun-filled items including sunflower decor, sunflower seed cookies, sunflower jelly, purses, art, shirts, and much more. Shop at their sunshine filled store at 814 Main, Winfield. Hours: Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, 10 - 4 and Saturday, 10 - 3.

• Winfield Public Library

• September 11th at noon:  join them for their TED Talk Lunch Series featuring the talk "Are we the last generation - or the first sustainable one" by Hannah Ritchie. Ritchie, a data scientist, digs into the numbers behind centuries of human progress to unpack the meaning of sustainability and show how we have the potential to be the first generation of humans to fully achieve it. WPL's TED Talk Lunch Series is a free program open to the public. Community members are invited to bring along a lunch while we watch and discuss a highly rated TED Talk. Dessert and coffee are provided.

• There is a display of fiction and nonfiction books celebrating the sun and renewable resources. The display is located near the public computers.

• Grab & Go Kit for Kids: Let the sun help you create a masterpiece with Cyanotype Paper Craft Kits.  These kits include "sun art paper" which you can use to arrange leaves, flowers, or any object of your choosing, leave in the sun for just a few minutes, rinse with water, dry, and voila! A masterpiece! Solar paper art kits are available at the library beginning Sept. 10, while supplies last.

• Arkansas City Public Library is celebrating the sun with fun take-and-make projects available every Monday. Join them for fall equinox crafts that highlight the sun’s energy and the light it brings! The projects are a solar-powered car, a DIY solar oven, cyanotype art, and a hanging prism planter. Come by and pick one up each week!

• Graves Drug is celebrating sunshine with a window display.

• Field to Fabric Quilt Company always has some sunflower fabric just because we're in Kansas. Folks are always welcome to view the quilts on display throughout the shop. M-W-F 9-5; Th 9-7; Sat 9-3. Closed Tuesday

We're excited about all that is happening in Cowley County - come check it out this September!