Riverfest

DAY ONE- Friday, June 3 The 40th Annual Wichita River Festival kicked off with a BANG! The parade began at 6:30 p.m. and was full of fun and excitement. There were floats, inflatables, clowns, cheerleaders, cowboys, and much more. Even the characters from “Star Wars” made an appearance! The part of the parade that I thought was especially touching was when the entire crowd stood up from their lawn chairs and blankets and gave a round of applause for the men and women of the McConnell Air Force Base.

A day in the sun means taking a dip in the water for many at Riverfest. About a dozen kids turned a fountain into their own pool to escape Sunday's triple digit heat. Riverfest used to be held in early May and the rainy weather caused attendence less than what organizers were hoping for. So the event was moved to June. Even though official numbers aren't available yet, organizers say more people are coming. To escape the heat though, people are urged to get in the shade if they start to feel overheated.

Organizers at the Wichita River Festival put on the final touches Friday morning, in preparation for the party's 40th year by the Arkansas River. They checked the booths at the Food Court, which has now moved to west of Century II, they made sure the ticket booths were up and ready and tested the sound equipment. Things officially got underway the same way they do every year, with the Sundown Parade and Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXVIII leading the way. This year, Dr. Jay Decker and the Wichita Symphony Orchestra performed on opening night at the Koch Twilight Pops Concert.

Wichita’s River Festival celebrates its 40th birthday this year. The celebration starts Friday and runs through June 11.  Along with the festivals birthday a special button tradition continues. By way of contest selection the button acts as a an admission pass for Riverfest participants. In the early 70's, the button began to encourage economic support for the festival.  Throughout the decades the  price of buttons has slightly gone up, but the meaning behind the design remains the same. 

The 40th Annual Wichita River Festival is kicking-off its festivities this Friday which means that there will be plenty of fun things to do this weekend! It will be my first time going this year and I'm really looking forward to it! I will be going to different events all week and taking photos for our Fetchtoto.com photo gallery. I've provided a list of events that I will be attending and taking pictures at. Hopefully I will see you out there and can take your picture with my pal Toto!

The nine-day party in downtown Wichita kicks off on Friday.  All this week, crews will be setting things up and making sure everything's ready for the Wichita River Festival. The food court is taking shape somewhere new this year, on the west side of Century II. Moving it is just one way organizers are making Riverfest more about the river, like with concerts on the floating stage and creating an entertainment area along the water, stretching from Douglas to Maple. "I grew up in Wichita and came with my family when I was little all the time," said Lindsay Bowling.

Volunteers clean up the Arkansas River banks in preparation for Riverfest. Hundreds turned out to pick up trash and debris along the river. The River Trash Round-Up was also a way to wrap up Earth Day celebrations. Organizers credit the good turnout to the good weather. Libby Anderson took part in the clean-up. She says, "It's wonderful to have it clean, we zip by it on the highway so often. But its great to come down here to the riverbanks and actually see one of the founding reasons of our whole city here.

The Wichita Riverfest celebrates 40 years in 2011, and officials have announced the return of the Riverfest Poster Artwork Contest. Since 2005 organizer Wichita Festivals, Inc., has commissioned the artwork because officials say there was a lack of interest and participation. In the following years, they say they've heard from local artists who wanted the contest to return. The artwork will be used on Riverfest posters, t-shirts, promotional materials and the Riverfest button.

Wichita Festivals Inc. is looking for new events for next year's Riverfest. The group says new events should not duplicate events currently held during Riverfest and meet the must mee the following criteria:   the location should preferably be in the downtown river core area; off-site locations will be considered depending on the nature of the event. must provide quality entertainment at a reasonable price – both to the participant and the sponsor; must attract and sustain community involvement and be attractive to diverse audiences, both culturally and age specific.

Wichita's Riverfest is moving. Instead of taking place in May, as it has for years, the nine-day festival will run from June 3-11, 2011. Organizers say cold temperatures, rain and storms hurt attendance this year. In order to minimize disruptions caused by weather, organizers are pushing next year's festival back a month. "We believe this change will give families more opportunity to come enjoy the festival without the conflicts arising from school activities so prevalent during the month of May," Wichita Festivals Board Chairman Tim Richards said in a statement.