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.
May 2010: A 2009 Prevost H3-45 is purchased. Loaded with amenities, this coach will be used primarily on tours offered by Village.
March 2010: A 2008 MCI J-4500 is added to the fleet to replace an older coach.
December 2009: Village Tours is pleased to present The Baldknobbers in concert at the historic Orpheum Theatre in Wichita. This marks the first time in over twenty years that they have performed outside of Branson, and nearly 2,000 people purchased tickets to see the show on December 16.
December 2009: A 2010 MCI J-4500 is added to the fleet. Loaded with nearly amenities available, it is another nice addition to the fleet.
August 2009: In an effort to provide the best options to our customers, a new catagory of charter coach is introduced to Village. The "Economy Class" features coaches that are between 10 and 15 years of age within the fleet. While still great transportation, they don't offer the extra amenities of 110-volt plug-ins, wireless internet and satellite television that are now availalbe on our "Deluxe Class" of transportation.
July 2009: Village adds a new MCI J-4500 to the fleet. This special MCI 75th Anniversary Editiion coach comes equipped with 110-volt plug-ins, wireless internet and a host of other amenties. It replaces two older coaches that are sold.
September 2008: Village adds a new Prevost H3-45 coach to the fleet. This coach is among the first nationwide to have a Volvo diesel engine and an automatic fire suppression system.
August 2008: Village adds another new MCI J-4500 to the fleet. In a constant effort to mainatain the newest fleet in Kansas and Oklahoma, this new coach was bought to replace two older units that were sold.
March 2008: Village adds a new MCI J-4500 to the fleet. This is the first MCI added to the fleet since1996. The new model's styling and industry feedback lead to the purchase decision.
January 2008: Village is presented the "Distinguished Service Award" from the Wichita Convention & Visitor's Bureau. During the presentation it was noted that "Village has exemplified leadership in the Wichita area for many years with their help with conventions and willingness to help create the Diamond W Chuckwagon Supper."
June 2007: Due to demand from sports teams in Oklahoma City, Wichita and the Tulsa markets, Village announces the purchase of a 2002 Prevost H3-45 VIP coach. The coach will be converted into "Supercoach #2" and will be the new coach used for the Wichita Thunder hockey team. The coach was previously owned by the recording artist Eminen, and was completely updated prior the purchase.
October 2005: Village takes delivery of it's first "Supercoach." This conversion coach is ideal for sporting teams who travel long distances due to it's unique floorplan that consists of 27 beds. Amenities such as satellite television, refrigerator, microwave, and Bose surround sound also make it popular.
September 2005: Wichita Thunder professional hockey team contracts with Village for on the road transportation for the 2005-2006 season and is the first customer to use the all new "Supercoach."
August - September 2005: Village sent 2 buses to New Orleans for 16 days to help transport victims of Hurricane Katrina. Just a few weeks later, Village sent 3 buses to Houston for assistance during Hurricane Rita for 6 days. To help restore electricity to Louisana, Village transported Westar Energy's relief crews to New Orleans every two weeks.
March 2005: Village celebrates its 25th anniversary with a 3-day tour to Branson and St. Louis. Thirteen motorcoaches took the tour that included private rail cars from St. Louis to Kansas City. A record 575 people took the tour over a six day period!
February 2005: Village takes a record SEVEN buses of fans to watch the KU Jayhawks battle the K-State Wildcats in Manhattan. That's 350 people!
January 2005: Village is awarded the remainder of the 2004-2005 travel for the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team.
January 2005: Village takes over 300 guests on its "2nd Annual Cowboy Cruise." The cruise departed from Galveston aboard Carnival Cruise Lines Elation, and featured entertainment from the Prairie Rose Wranglers and Johnny Western.
January 2005: Village is featured in a special insert in the Wichita Eagle. The 8-page article commemorates the 25th Anniversary of the company.
December 2004: Village announces that over 1.2 million miles have been on their motorcoaches in 2004...a record!
December 2004: Village hires its first full-time driver that will be based out of Oklahoma City. Randy Gafford will operate tours and charters out of the Oklahoma City area.
November 2004: Village annnounces the first of several special events that will commemorate their 25th anniversary. The first, a tour to Branson and St. Louis, generates over 500 reservations in just three weeks!
October 2004: Village announces the purchase of two 2000 H3-41 Prevost coaches. These coaches were previously owned by Good Will Tours of Erie, KS. With this purchase, Village now operates 22 coaches with an average age of less than 5 years old!
September 2004: Village announces the purchase of a third ABC M1035 coach. This coach is equipped identical to the two purchased in February of this year.
July 2004: Village announces the results of its recent contract with the WIBC Tournament in Wichita. Over a 12-week period, Village hauled over 5,000 women bowlers on 151 tour departures.
May 2007: Village is contracted by FEMA to assist in transportation needs in Greensburg, KS, after a tornado destroyed the town. Four coaches spent nearly two weeks to assist in evacuations when necessary.
February 2007: Village organizes and operates their first "Red Hat Cruise" that takes over 150 Red Hat women on a cruise together!
August 2006: Village Tours announces plans to build a new office & maintenance facility in Oklahoma City. The 5.5 acres of land is located at I-35 and N.E. 50th. Construction will begin in October with an estimate completion in April 2007.
July 2006: Village purchases a 2003 Prevost H3-45. The coach, which features extra legroom, will allow for the expansion of a fifth coach in Oklahoma City.
May 2006: In a continued partnership with KPTS (Wichita's PBS affiliate), Village Tours takes over 100 people to Branson to see Daniel O'Donnell perform. Mr. O'Donnell took time to meet & greet on the Village coaches!
April 2006: Village Tours partners with Wichita fast-food restaurant, Spangles, for a 5-week ad campaign. The ad, featuring a Village coach, will be seen over 100,000 times throughout the state of Kansas.
March 2006: Village Tours takes 172 people to China on a 10-day tour that featured four Western Music concerts with the Prairie Rose Wranglers of Wichita. This record-sized group was escorted in China by Jeff Arensdorf, Arlene Logan, and Dave Smith.
March 2006: In a 4-bus trade, Village adds 4 1999 Prevost XL coaches to the fleet. The coaches will be used primarily for charter service and are considered "Mid-Sized."
January 2006: Norman & Jeff Arensdorf (owners of Village) are presented with the Bus Ride Magazine Achievement Award at the 2006 UMA Convention in Tampa, FL.
December 2005: Village takes delivery of a new 2006 Prevost H3-41 motor coach (unit #138). The 48-passenger coach is white in color.
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!
