See You at the Mall!

Admiral Windwagon Smith, the Prairie Schooner Mates and Wichita Festivals, Inc. staff members want to see you at the mall!

On Saturday, April 3 at Towne East Mall and Saturday, April 17, at Towne West Mall, this crew will be out and about the mall from 2:00 - 4:00 pm selling Riverfest buttons, passing out information on all of the participatory events during the Festival, recruiting volunteers to help at Riverfest and passing out balloons to the kiddos as a promotion for the Hot Air Balloon Glow and Children's Balloon Release that will be held on Sunday, May 9 at Riverfest!

At Towne East Mall, you will find the staff near the Kidgits Kids play area, in front of Sears and at Towne West Mall on April 17, the staff will be near the entrance to the women's side of Dillard's.

We'll see you at the mall!

Check it Out!

Thanks to Intake Studios, you can watch the latest Riverfest commercial to hit the airwaves.

Enjoy!

Hey Festival Goers

Sorry for the long pause between blogs. I promise it won't happen again. At the urging of my good friend Dan Engle I am back at the computer letting you know what I am up to. Last night I went to the Bel Aire Senior Center and did a presentation with Celia Cayless from WFI about volunteering at the Festival and all the history of Windwagon Smith. Later this week I will be at several other community meetings representing the Festival and letting people know how to volunteer and get involved.

Don't forget the deadline for naming the raccoon character deadline is April 5th! You could win $1000 talk about easy money!!! April 5th is also the day buttons go on sale to the public so buy a button or two so you have a spare.

If you missed the St Patrick's Day Parade you missed a really good time. All the Schooner Mates were dressed in green and were doing a fantastic job of greeting the crowd along the parade route. I just know they are going to be a blast to be around during the Festival.

If you belong to a community or civic group and would like for me to come speak please call Kim Wickliff at the Festival office to set up the appointment. Her number is 267-2817.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more updates!

Participate and WIN at Riverfest!

Riverfest participatory event entry forms went on line Monday, March 15 and I can bet that there is just about something for everyone to participate in this year:

Riverfest Dodge Ball
Dodge, duck, dip and dive to stay alive in the most exciting game at Riverfest! Six-member teams participate in double-elimination games set up by age group. The $90 registration fee includes Riverfest buttons. Click here for to register! Deadline to sign up is April 30. Cash prizes awarded to the winners of each division!

Riverfest Poker Run
Grab your gear, a few ridin' buddies and start the day with a poker run that ends at Riverfest. Park your bike and make your way to West Bank Stage for the Saturday night concert! Fee to participate is $30 which includes a T-shirt, button and a poker hand. Deadline to sign up is May 3. Registration forms are available here. For complete details, including checkpoints, prizes and more, visit wichitariverfestival.com.

Riverfest Cruise In
Draggin' Douglas just like the old days only this time when you cross Douglas Street Bridge, you can park your car right on Douglas across from Century II. All types of makes and models are welcome to participate. Download your registration form at here and sign up before May 3! The entry fee is only $10 and includes a Riverfest button. First 50 participants to register receive a dash plaque.

5th Annual Bob Struble Memorial Golf Tournament
Get a foursome together and enjoy a round of golf at Willowbend Golf Course. The entry fee is $125 per player, which includes green fees, a golf cart, beverages, lunch, dinner and a Riverfest button. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a local charity in Bob Struble’s memory. Entry forms are available here!

Riverfest Marketplace
Bring your treasures and make some bucks at Riverfest Marketplace, formerly known as the Riverfest Flea Market. Marketplace will be held inside Century II Expo Hall the final weekend of the Festival! To reserve your 10’x10’ booth space,print out your form here and send it back with your $75 booth fee to Wichita Festivals at 1820 E. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67214. The fee reserves your booth space and includes two Riverfest buttons! Don’t miss out on this amped up version of the former Riverfest Flea Market! Deadline to register is April 21.

Plunge
Are you tough enough to compete in Plunge? Don't miss out on the Wichita version of Survivor! Teams battle through tests of power and strength on water and on land while competing against each other and against the clock. More than $4,000 in cash prizes awarded through fifth place. First place team wins $2,000! Registration forms available here. For an in-depth look at Plunge, check out this video!

We hope that you'll join us for this year's Riverfest - May 7-15, 2010 in Downtown Wichita!

Riverfest Entertainment Released!

I know this is the day you all have been waiting for and believe me, we have been dying to get the word out!

We are excited to announce the concert entertainment for this year's Festival - there are a few changes that we want you to note:

1) We have teamed up with the Kansas Food Bank this year to aid in the fight against hunger in our community. Before you bring your kids to the Friday, Saturday or Sunday night West Bank Stage concerts, make sure you bring a non-perishable food item per child. Kids ages 6-10 get into each concert for free with their Riverfest button when they donate a food item to the Kansas Food Bank.

2) Admission for adults to the West Bank Stage concerts will be $10 plus a Riverfest button. Children ages 6-10 will be able to get in for free with their button and a donated food item. All children five and under will get in for free. An ATM machine will be available at the gate for your convenience.

And now for the concert line-up:

Opening Night Concert and Fireworks
West Bank Stage ~ Friday, May 7 - 8:30 pm
The Naughty Astronauts
Bret Michaels

West Bank Country Concert
Saturday, May 8 - 4:00 pm
Jake Owen

Spirit AeroSystems Presents Rockin' on the River
Sunday, May 9 - 4:00 pm
The Funk Brothers
The Fabulous Thunderbirds

Oldies Sock Hop
Tuesday, May 11 - 5:30 pm
The Benders

Coleman Country Concert
Wednesday, May 12 - 6:00 pm
Joe Nichols

Jazz on the Plaza, presented by CCH
Thursday, May 13 - 7:30 pm
Friends University Jazz Ensemble 1 Band

Bombardier Learjet Presents Legends of Rock
BLOCK PARTY - Friday, May 14 - 5:30 pm
Grand Funk Railroad


And that's the line-up for this year... We hope you are as excited as we are about the entertainment!

Welcome Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXVII, Devin Hansen!

As you can see, the Admiral has already put his nose to the grindstone and posted his first blog on Saturday, the day of his announcement!

I wanted to post some pictures from the event for you to browse. If you missed the announcement and would like to watch it, just click here . It will be like you had a front row seat!

Congratulations again to Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXVII Devin Hansen and his 2010 Prairie Schooner Mates!

Hello Wichita

It's me the new Admiral!! Not to say that the past Admiral is old (sorry Dave) but we do have to move on. I hope to keep everyone informed as much as I can and maybe even make this blog fun and something people will want to read. Today was a huge impact on my head and my ego. Right now it is barely fitting thru the door (my head) with all the press coverage I've been receiving. So I promise after today it's not about me anymore and I will concentrate on the Festival and all the cool things it has going on. So look for more !

ADMWW37

A Few Reminders

Hello all!

Hope you've been able to enjoy this gorgeous 50-degree weather Wichita has been experiencing the past few days. Though it's not 70's and 80's like we get in May, it's definitely gearing me up for Riverfest!

I wanted to remind you of a few upcoming important tidbits:

- Saturday, March 6 at 10:00 am, we will be unveiling Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXVII and his Prairie Schooner Mates! We will stream it LIVE via UStream - click on this link to watch the show. The link is also available on the front page of the Riverfest web site and will also be sent out via our Twitter and Facebook pages! If you miss the LIVE viewing, check UStream later Saturday afternoon to watch the show!

- We will be announcing concert entertainment on Monday, March 8 so keep your eyes peeled for that!

- All participatory event entry forms (minus the Bank of America River Run and Walkfest forms) will be available on our web site - wichitariverfestival.com - beginning March 15. You have SO many events to choose to participate in! From Dodge Ball to Plunge, from the Riverfest Marketplace to the Riverfest Cruise In, don't miss out!
Plunge only accepts 16 four-person teams - and if you're not quite sure what Plunge is all about, watch this video and you'll IMMEDIATELY want to participate! Don't wait until the last minute to sign up because spots will go quickly!

- We still have a month until Riverfest buttons go on sale (April 5), but you will want to pick up your button early to participate in the Riverfest Show & Save Button Program. Go to any of these retailers and receive special discounts JUST for having your button!

- Lastly, don't forget to send in your name for the 'Captain Who? Name the Raccoon Contest'! Send in this form by April 5 and have a shot at winning $1,000!

That's all for now! Like I said, go out and enjoy this weather and get ready for Riverfest!