April 2012: On April 29th, Village Charters contracted to use 30 motor coaches in downtown Oklahoma City for the 12th Annual Memorial Marathon. The marathon is a tribute to the victims, family members and survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing.
April 2012: Village closes on the purchase of Time Lines, LLC. Village now has a approximately 50 motor coaches in its fleet after this acquisition.
March 2012: Village launches an exciting cruise for Winter 2013. KFDI chooses Village to handle its '9th Annual Cruise with Carol' in Jan 2013. Anywhere from 120-250 people went on this cruise in past years.
March 2012: Village replaces the last 41-foot coaches with a 2007 Prevost H3-45, a 2007 MCI J4500 and a 2008 MCI J4500. These coaches come with 56 seats, seatbelts and will now be added to its deluxe motor coach fleet.
February 2012: Work begins on a 1,600 square-foot addition to the Wichita office. The additional office space has been needed for awhile, and will be a welcome change to Village Tour's thirteen staff members who work in the office.
January 2012: Village Charters uses sixteen motor coaches and 32 drivers to transport over 800 people to Washington, DC, for the annual 'March For Life'. Catholics from the diocese of Wichita, Salina and Tulsa drive nearly non-stop to Washington for prayer, sightseeing and for the event on the steps of the Supreme Court. Months of office preparation is requried for this trip.
January 2012: On January 16, Village Tours hosted Branson’s Pierce Arrow at the Cotillion in Wichita. In what has become an annual Customer Apprecitation event, Village Tours has now brought in some of Branson’s finest entertainment to Wichita. Over 850 people enjoyed a buffet lunch and matinee performance that featured their great singers along with the comedy of Jarrett Dougherty. Village Tours also brought patrons in from Hays, Salina and Oklahoma City on a one-day tour to see the show, while a Village Charter took the band on a four city, three-state tour through Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas that ended in Wichita.
January 2012: A total of nine Village motor coaches were present at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, for the 2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic as the Kansas State Wildcats played the Arkansas Razorbacks. Over 400 people (247 on tour) rode down with Village, an incredible number that was documented by KWCH (Channel 12) in Wichita the morning the tours departed
November 2011: On November 3, Jeff Arensdorf, an owner of Village, agreed to be “locked-up” at Texas Roadhouse over the lunch hour. He, and approximately 90 other people agreed to help the MDA raise money to send area children to the annual MDA Summer Camp. Through the generosity of its employees and a company match, Jeff raised a nice donation for Jerry’s Kids.
Septmeber 2011: Village Tours was recently listed as a local favorite travel agency in the ‘2011 Readers’s Choice’ contest sponsered by the Wichita Eagle and Kansas.com. Last year more than 8,000 voted for their favorite local places.
Septmeber 2011: Village also recently added a 2007 MCI equipped with 56 seats and a wheelchair lift. This coach is another nice addition to its fleet.
August 2011: Village adds a new 2012 ABC M1235 mini-coach to its fleet. This unit seats 27 people, has seatbelts and lots of amenities and is a nice compliment to its 29-passenger coach already in fleet.
August 2011: A 2011 MCI J-4500 is purchased to replace one of the units from Salina. The color is 'Plum Perfect', which was first introduced with the 1970 Dodge Charger.
July 2011: Village Tours purchases All-American Tours out of Hays, Ks. Though Village will not office in Hays, its Hays' customers will be serviced out of the new Salina branch.
July 2011: Village Tours expands to Salina, Ks, after acquiring Salina Charters Coach. At least three coaches will be permanently stationed at the Salina branch.
April 2011: Village Tours adds a new 2011 MCI J-4500 equipped with an Allision Transmission, 56 seats and seatbelts. This is a nice addition to its fleet.
March 2011: Village Tours launches two exciting cruises for Winter 2012. KFDI chooses Village to handle its '8th Annual Cruise with Carol' in Jan 2012. Anywhere from 120-250 people went on this cruise in past years. The second cruise is the '2012 Cowboy Cruise' and features the Diamond W. Wranglers, Dusty Rogers and Dustin Rogers. This is the 5th annual Cowboy Cruise with 200-300 people on past cruises. This cruise will celebrate the late Roy Rogers' 100th birthday.
March 2011: Every Village Tours mechanic has attended at least one week of classes presented by either Motor Coach Industries or Prevost in Dallas or Louisville over the last seven months. The mechanics come back with more experience and education on the new Motor Coaches.
February 2011: Village Charters contracted to haul ten buses of Green Bay Packers fans from their hotel to the game and back for the Super Bowl in the Dallas area. Village drivers watched the big game on TV inside one of the coaches.
January 2011: Village Charters transports over 650 people to Washington D.C. for the annual 'March for Life'. This event was well attended by the youth of the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. Village uses 13 Motor Coaches, 26 drivers and months of office preparation for this trip!
December 2010: Village makes shop improvements for the Wichita and Oklahoma City locations. Village has a state-of-the-art maintenance facility and boasts full-time mechanics who are committed to keeping its Motor Coaches in excellent condition.
October 2010: Nearly $50,000 in parking and fencing additions at the Oklahoma City office are completed.
October 2010: A 2011 MCI J-4500 is purchased to replace another older unit. This leaves the Village fleet at 24 coaches with an average fleet age of less than six years old - one of the newest in Kansas and Oklahoma!
July 2010: Jeff Arensdorf, an owner of Village, is presented the "40 Under 40 Award" by the Wichita Business Journal. This award is given annually to forty Wichitans under the age of forty who exemplify leadership and growth in their careers and charitable actions.
