14 Kansas towns want ‘Tank of the Year’ title

WICHITA, Kan. — Some Kansans towns are very proud of their water towers, and they hope people will vote for them in a national contest.

Tnemec, a company that makes protective coatings, is holding its annual Tank of the Year contest. The entries come from across the U.S., including 14 in Kansas:

• Augusta
• Baldwin City
• Beattie
• Pittsburg
• Hugoton
• Johnson County
• La Crosse
• McPherson
• Neodesha
• Preston
• Russell
• St. John
• Tonganoxie
• Valley Center

People can vote online until Oct. 14. You can vote daily.

On Oct. 17, the company will announce the tank that won the People’s Choice nomination. Then, a Tnemec committee will choose 11 other finalists. The committee will then decide which water tower becomes the official Tank of the Year. It will make the announcement on Oct. 21.

As of the writing of this story, two Kansas water towers are in the lead — Hugoton and Valley Center. A Minnesota water tower is in third place.

To see the Kansas towers, click here. To see all the towers in the contest, click here.

The winning town gets bragging rights for a year, plus nationwide attention.