Our Office is a Buzzin'!

Hello fellow blog readers!

Our apologies for our departure in blogging over the past month. Our office was closed from December 24 - Jan. 3. We all returned this Monday ready and prepared for a super busy next four months!

Just a few notes...

1) We will be announcing the poster artwork for Riverfest 2010 on Thursday, February 4. We are going to try and switch our announcements up this year. They are usually a press conference type of setting, but this year, we will using U-Stream TV to get the word out on the poster artwork, the announcement of Admiral Windwagon Smith and the Prairie Schooner Mates as well as the announcement of new events at Riverfest.

We hope to make this more public-friendly by allowing everyone (that means YOU!) to view the announcements live as they are happening!

We have a few kinks to work out before our first run on February 4, but we hope to have a link on the front page of our Web site as well as listed on our Facebook and Twitter pages so you can view the announcements!

2) We will be announcing the musical entertainment in February, which is very exciting! It is quite a process to book great acts, so we hope that you all are as excited about the bands as we are!

3) We have alot more great announcements to come, but for now, I must stay hush-hush. We at WFI hope that you all had a wonderful Holiday season and a Happy New Year ... and hope that you are staying warm in this wickedly cold weather!

Just another reason to get excited about the warmth of May, right?

PS. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter.com/Riverfest and join our Wichita River Festival fan page on Facebook!

Happy Holidays!

The staff at Wichita Festivals would like to wish you and yours a very safe and Happy Holidays!

Our office will close from Dec. 24 - Jan. 3, but will be back in full swing on Jan. 4.

We will see you in 2010!

WFI Searching for Volunteer Help

Wichita Festivals is searching for enthusiastic volunteers to contact potential retail businesses to sell buttons for Riverfest 2010.

Volunteers will be assigned different areas of the city to locate and make contact with potential retailers to sell Riverfest buttons in their stores. Each volunteer will confirm participation from the respective retailers they’ve secured and deliver buttons to them for sale in their stores at the end of March.

The goal of this outreach is to make Riverfest buttons available in more locations across Wichita so Wichitans and visitors can easily locate them for purchase.

We ask that volunteers have a strong customer service and sales background, be able to drive, and able to lift 10-15 pound boxes when delivering the buttons.

This is a wonderful way to support a 39-year community tradition in Riverfest as well as putting your time and talents to good use!

For more information about this volunteer opportunity, click here or contact Kim Wickliffe, WFI Volunteer Manager, at (316) 267-2817 or kimw@wichitafestivals.com.

Stuff the Bus a Success

Thanks to everyone who participated in Stuff the Bus this year! We were one of the first stops for the large Wichita Transit bus and already, the bus was starting to get full!

Stuff the Bus runs until the end of the week so if you still want to donate items, you can find a list of drop-off locations at B98's website.

Here are some pictures from the time the bus arrived to the arrival of Brett Harris, from B98's 'Brett & Tracy' morning show, to the stuffing of the bus:

Help WFI "Stuff the Bus"

Every year, local Wichita organizations join together to support two Wichita area domestic violence shelters, Catholic Charities Harbor House and the YWCA Women’s Crisis Center through the “Stuff the Bus” program.

Beginning early November, the public is asked to donate to these shelters by collecting new toys, non-perishable food, personal grooming products and other useful household goods and deliver them to approximately 40 participating “Stuff the Bus” locations.

Last year, the “Stuff the Bus” program was able to fill the Wichita Transit bus nine times.

This year, WFI is taking part in “Stuff the Bus” as a location site! If you want to donate items to these worthy causes, please drop off your items at our location, 1820 E. Douglas, between 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday. The bus will make its rounds to the participating locations in Wichita the week of December 1-5. WFI’s designated pick-up day will be Tuesday, December 1 between 11:15-11:45 am.

Help support our community and donate items, beginning November 2, 2009.

Ocean Cruise or Snow Plowing?

I know which one I'd rather be doing when February rolls around.

If we are on the same page (and you were thinking ocean cruise, as well!), then don't fret! Wichita Festivals is here to save the day!

WFI is planning a 'Friends of the Festival' Cruise that departs Miami, Fla., on February 22, 2010 and sets sail for Mexico. The five-night cruise will make stops in Cozumel and Belize City before making its way back to Miami.

The cruise package is a fundraiser for WFI. Included in the per person cruise
fare is a $50 tax deductible contribution to WFI. Royal Caribbean will match that
contribution making this a win-win for everyone!

For more information on the perfect-timing, breath-taking, sun-gazing, no-cold-weather-allowed cruise, click here.

We would love to see you on the ship in February! Be sure to call Devin Hansen, Sunflower Travel, at (316) 634-1700 and book your spot today.

More Answers to your Questions!

Thanks for many of our Facebook fans, we have a new slew of questions for you! After reading these and you feel like you have some burning questions for us, send them our way via our Facebook page, Twitter (twitter.com/Riverfest) or e-mail them to allyson@wichitafestivals.com.

We love your questions and we hope you love our answers! Responding again is WFI's fearless leader, Janet Wright...

Stephanie Crow asks...
Why did you drop the poster contest?

Answer: We received fewer and fewer quality entries so we had to make a choice about how to best get something that represented the Festival. That’s why we did away with the contest. We’re looking at potentially bringing it back for the 40th anniversary in 2011.


Mandy-Melinda Price-Yokom asks...
Can you bring back the Legend of Windwagon Smith? I think it's important to tell the Legend if we're going to have the Admiral be a big part of Riverfest!!

Answer: You read our minds! We were just having this discussion last week. We need to find a way to make it entertaining and not to cost prohibitive. But, we’re working on it. It may be something that comes back in 2011 for the 40th anniversary celebration.


Jackie Bigley asks...
What happened to the beach party? I was young, remember lots of sand, beach balls, and music! FUN!

Answer: That was before my time here, but it sounds great. We’ve been looking into some of the events from years past to bring them back. This might be one. Thanks for reminding us!


And lastly, Carolyn Ramsey asks...
Is there anyway to find the names of the musicians who played at the corner of Douglas and S. Waco Circle (west of Century II) on Saturday, May 14, 1974 around 5 p.m.? My husband and I met while standing on that corner listening to them.

Answer: Unfortunately we don’t have good files going back that far. Sorry! But, I’m glad you have a great memory like that to share with us.