Staff report

From a nuclear plant to a bait shop, 24 finalists have been chosen for the 8 Wonders of Kansas Commerce contest.

Bowersock Mills & Power Co. of Lawrence and Moon Marble Co. of Bonner Springs also were among the group picked from more than 100 that will be reduced to the top eight by a vote.

“I bet this list will surprise people,” said Marci Penner, director of the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a nonprofit group that promotes rural development, and has already sponsored the 8 Wonders of Kansas, the 8 Wonders of Kansas Architecture, and 8 Wonders of Kansas Art.

The 24 were selected by a committee and the criteria was that the finalist could be a past or present business, and be accessible for tours or that their story was on permanent display at a museum.

“The goal was not to choose the top money-making businesses in Kansas but to select businesses, big or small, that have reached a gold standard in their arena,” Penner said.

Public voting will determine the top eight. People can vote online at 8wonders.org, call (620) 585-2374 for a ballot, or pick up a ballot at a finalist business. Voting will end Feb. 17. The top 8 will be announced in March.

Here are the 24 finalists in alphabetical order: Baxter’s Bait & Tackle, Stockton; Big Brutus, West Mineral; Bowersock Mills & Power Co., Lawrence; Brant’s Meat Market, Lucas; Brookover Feed Yards, Garden City; Cloud Ceramics, Concordia; Cobalt Boats, Neodesha; Dessin Fournir, Plainville; El Dorado Oil Field; Frontenac Bakery, Frontenac; Hemslojd Inc., Lindsborg; Koerperich Bookbinders Inc., Selden; MarCon Pies, Washington; Mill Creek Antiques, Paxico; Millers of Claflin, Claflin; Moon Marble Company, Bonner Springs; RANS Inc., Hays; Ringneck Ranch, Tipton; Stafford County Flour Mills, Hudson; The Grasshopper Company, Moundridge; Vonada Stone Company, Sylvan Grove; Wichita Aviation Industry; Winter Livestock Inc., Dodge City; Wolf Creek Generating Station, Burlington.