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POSTER ARTWORK WINNER . . . . . . PAGE 3

ADMIRAL WINDWAGON SMITH . . . PAGE 3

RIVERFEST NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . PAGES 4 & 5

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT. . . . . . . . . . PAGE 6

GET INVOLVED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PAGE 7

5 YOUR TICKET TORIVERFEST!

$

39th

New Staff Members join WFICorey Wynn joined Wichita Festivals just after the New Year as graphic designer. A December graduate of Friends University, Corey played on the Friends men’s soccer team and served as a design intern at several agencies before graduating. He’s been busy since his arrival designing brochures, posters and all manner of Riverfest material.

Mark Bretches assumed the role of Director of Events in early January. He comes to WFI from Great Bend where he served as an event planner for the City of Great Bend and USD 428 for 11 years. Mark graduated from Emporia State University and has been a volunteer and board member for the American Cancer Society’s Camp Hope for the past 18 years. Bretches is responsible for working with the Operations Committee and planning and implementing all the events in Riverfest and Autumn & Art.

A hearty welcome to Corey and Mark!

Wichita Festivals, Inc. Board of Directors 2011-2012 Richard Honeyman, ChairHite, Fanning & Honeyman, L.L.P.

Bill Gardner, Chair-ElectGardner Design

Kaye Monk-Morgan, Secretary-TreasurerWichita State University

Prisca BarnesThe Kansas African AmericanMuseum

Clay BastianFidelity Financial Corporation

Reuben EckelsNew Day Christian Church

Gary GibbsRetired

Chris GoebelStar Lumber & Supply Co.

Esther HeadleyThe Research Partnership, Inc.

Alan HowarterVess Oil Corp

Todd JohnsonProtection One

Ann KeeferWichita Downtown Development Corp.

Lori LinenbergerWichita State University Foundation

John PhilbrickCity of Wichita

Don ShermanWestar Energy

Wichita Festivals, Inc. Staff Janet Wright President/CEO Lisa Hansen Vice President Finance

Linda Davidson Vice President Program Development Mark BretchesDirector of Events

Brett FoltzDirector of Marketing Celia CaylessDirector of Sales JaLayne WrayAccounting Manager

Corey WynnGraphic Designer

Jill MasseyVolunteer Coordinator

Joni GrimesReceptionist

1820 East Douglas, Wichita, KS 67214Tel 316.267.2817 Fax 316.267.5901 Toll-free 877.WFI.FEST

www.wichitafestivals.comwww.wichitariverfest.com

Dear Friends,Spring is here! That means Riverfest is just around the corner. It’s amazing how fast a year goes by when you’re planning this event. We are fortunate this year to have a number of new affiliations with individuals and businesses who’ve been helping us in the planning process.

Students and staff at Butler Community College have gotten involved in a big way as you’ll read in another article. One class, led by instructor Rachel Janas, is working on securing more participants for the Sundown Parade with floats and marching bands. Grizzly Adventures at BCC is partnering with us to install and manage a second zip line so more people will be able to enjoy this unique experience.

We also have some new faces helping us with the Kansas Health Foundation River Run and new sponsors as well. GoRun owners, Kevin Swinicki and Dr. Randy Mijares, have not only become sponsors of the 10K race but have been involved on the planning committee for the run, along with Christy Thomas, who is director of Girls On The Run, a local running club for young girls. Their experience and expertise has been helpful as we re-craft the route and accompanying activities for the Run.

This kind of involvement is what makes Riverfest such a great community event - people investing their time and energy to bring something special to Wichitans.

Special thanks to everyone who has stepped forward to get involved this year. See you June 1-9!

Fondly,

Janet Wright, President/CEO

Who’s that manin the red coat?

Joe Johnson was announced as Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXIX at a press conference and reception March 30th at the offices of Wichita Downtown Development Corpora-tion. Joe has been involved with WFI and supported Riverfest for a number of years, serving on the board of di-rectors and as chair in 2007-2008.

Johnson has been a dedicated and active community volunteer and advocate for many years since he moved to Wichita in 1975 and began working as an architect and manag-ing director of Schaefer Schirmer & Associates, now Schaefer Johnson Cox Frey Architecture.

He has served as a board member and often chaired numerous commu-nity organizations including Wichita Downtown Development Corpora-tion, Go Wichita Convention & Visitors Bureau, Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission, Downtown Rotary, Goodwill Industries, Habitat for Hu-manity and

Wichita Festivals, Inc., to name a few.

“I am honored to be selected Admi-ral,” explains Johnson. “It’s important to me to volunteer in the community that has been so good to our firm. Giving back is a major commitment of SJCF Architecture. The joy of shar-ing with others is what the festival should reflect and the honor and joy will be mine to serve as Admiral.”He’s an avid WSU sports fan, espe-cially enjoying Shocker basketball and baseball, and a member of the Shocker Athletic Scholarship Orga-nization. He also is a member of the WSU Foundation’s National Advisory Council. His most enjoyed pastimes include billiards, playing golf with friends and watching the activities of his grandchildren.

Admiral Windwagon Smith XXXIX & 2012 Prairie Schooner MatesBack Row: Heather Nutt, North; Santana Perez, West; Navante’ Peacock, Campus; Kendall Winterhalter, South; Micah White,

Collegiate; Andrew Ingram, Andover Central; Mackenzie Cole, Independent3rd Row: Kayla Adams, Maize; Holly Nguyen, Kapaun Mt. Carmel; Admiral Windwagon Smith Joe Johnson; Katlyn Smith, Andale;

Callie Hobkirk, Heights; Carlin Greene, East2nd Row: Courtney Allen, Southeast; Mariah Green, Northeast; Victor Phan, Eisenhower; Theresa Nank, Bishop Carroll

1st Row: Mackenzie Gardiner, Northwest; Ashley Burns, Trinity Academy; Morgan Fluker, Valley Center; Elizabeth Mitchell, Derby

Former Winnertakes prize in

Poster ArtCompetition!

Eric Scott’s rooster design was selected from nearly 30 entries in the Poster Art Competition announced in late February. Scott also won the competition in 1999 with a frog design. A group of local designers judged the competition and selected Scott’s design to represent Riverfest 2012.

“Eric’s design was a good representation of the theme, “It’s party time” explained Janet Wright. “The rooster will figure prominently on the button, souvenirs and other promotional material used throughout the festival.”

Scott, of Olathe, KS, was presented with a check for $3,500 for winning the competition. Sponsors for the 2012 Riverfest poster are

Walmart and Docuplex.

Riverfest Preview, June 1-9River Run Changes

New sponsors, new logo, new routes and new activities are all part of this years’ River Run. The Kansas Health Foundation is the new presenting sponsor for the Run. Formerly involved as sponsor of the Tot Trot, the Foundation eagerly accepted this new role in the event. “The River Run represents the perfect opportunity for the community to come together and engage in a healthy activity,” said Steve Coen, president and CEO of the Kansas Health Foundation. “It goes hand-in-hand with our emphasis on increasing physical activity and improving the health of all Kansans.”

Other new sponsors include Meritrust, GoRun, The Alley, IMA and EMC Insurance. They join on-going sponsors QuikTrip, Clear Channel Radio and Halls Culligan.

With new sponsor partners, a new logo has also been designed by Gardner Design and a new web site developed specifically for the River Run, www.riverrunwichita.com. The start and finish line for the GoRun10K and the Meritrust 2-mile will begin on Waterman west of Main Street, adjacent to WaterWalk Pavilion. The 10K course will travel through downtown before heading north into Central and North Riverside Parks. The 2-mile route will follow a similar course through downtown with both races finishing across the Maple Street Bridge.

Another new component of the event is the Runners’ Village. The village will include vendors displaying and selling their health and fitness related products. There will also be live music throughout the morning at the Finish Line Party sponsored by The Alley. Awards will be presented at ceremonies immediately following each race from the stage.

The team competition continues to grow and is a great way for businesses, civic organizations, schools, churches, friends and families to experience the fun together. Awards are presented to the largest teams in four categories. Teams can sign up at Wichita Festivals beginning May 4th. See the web site for more details.

New Excitementand Fun

Thanks to great partnerships and people with new ideas, there are lots of new events and activities at Riverfest this year. Ever want to try Stand Up Paddle Boarding? You’ve seen it on the ocean, now you can do it on the Arkansas River at Riverfest.

The museums on the river are all opening their doors with a reduced price admission to Riverfest button holders. Enjoy Exploration Place, Old Cowtown Museum, The Mid-America All Indian Center, Botanica, The Wichita Art Museum and The Kansas African American Museum.

If video and arcade games are your thing, you won’t want to miss Mobile GameDen, a mobile game studio that will be open each day during the festival. There’s also tethered hot air balloon rides, street vaulting, a White Tiger exhibit, Sports Card and Memorabilia Show and many other new events.

A new addition to river activities is the Wichita Wagonmasters River Tours. Climb aboard the 19-passenger ferry for a journey along the Arkansas River, with a bit of history and some tall tales from the Wagonmaster crew.

The one consistent element everyone

looks forward to at Riverfest is the

music. Not only will there be concerts

the first weekend at the West Bank

Concert Stage, we will bring you

music at the Star Lumber Floating

Stage at A. Price Woodard Park every

evening. There will be local favorites

like Poultry n’ Motion, the David

Holland Band, Gospel and many

others. Check the web site for details.

Riverfest’s newest venue, features

great musical entertainment in an

intimate outdoor setting. Located on

the greenbelt between WaterWalk

and the Arkansas River, guests to the

Pavilion will enjoy relaxing under a

ridiculously large pole tent beginning

Saturday, June 2nd through Saturday,

June 9th. There will be a different

genre of music each evening

beginning with Kelley Hunt on June

2nd, Cool Blue, The Mudbugs, Raptor –

USAF Heartland of America Band and

several other favorites.

Wrapping up the festival will be a

second Country Concert featuring

country star Clay Walker on Friday,

June 8 and the final Saturday will bring

Tony! Toni! Tone! back to Wichita for

the Spirit AeroSystems Rockin’ On the

River concert. A tornado warning last

year prevented Tony! Toni! Tone! from

performing, so they’re coming back

for an encore performance.

Saturday and Sunday, June 2 and 3rd, will bring a new concept to the stage at the west bank of the Arkansas River.

This concert venue will become the site for MusicFest, with a showcase of great festival entertainment both evenings.

Saturday, June 2nd MusicFest will feature Rick Springfield and Survivor, a classic rock duo sure to bring people

to their feet with their popular songs like “Jessie’s Girl”, “Love Somebody”, “Love is Alright Tonite”, “Eye of the Tiger” and “I Can’t Hold Back”.

American Idol alum Kellie Pickler and special guest David Nail will be featured Sunday night at the Coleman Country Concert. Pickler won three CMT Music Awards in 2008 and her first two albums both debuted #1 in Country and Top Ten Overall in Billboard. Her newest song, “100 Proof”, debuted as #1 Song on the Nashville Country Club Top New Songs for Today in mid-February. David Nail’s new album “Sound of a Million Dreams” created a #1 hit with “Let it Rain”.

Both concerts will require a $15 ticket, and a Riverfest button for admission. Tickets will go one sale April 6th through Select-a-Seat outlets and at select-a-seat.com. A limited number of tickets will be sold in advance in order to accommodate all ticket holders should the concerts have to be moved inside Century II as a result of rain or bad weather.

“The quality of the entertainers for both these concerts made it necessary for us to require a ticket for these events. It allows us to keep the price of the button at $5, so those people who aren’t interested in attending the concerts aren’t paying for that entertainment” explained Wright. “Both evenings promise great musical entertainment.”

Westbank Musicfest Mr. Music Please

Waterwalk Pavilion

Final Weekend!

Is available online or at

consignment locations

beginning May 4th. Buy

one for your self, for

your family ort for your

employees. It’s a great

value at $5 and provides

access to 9 days of

Riverfest FUN.

Autumn & Art, the juried art show that takes place along beautiful Bradley Fair Parkway in September, has a very desired demographic of attendees. Your association can help reach and impact 15,000 educated, affluent and culturally-savvy attendees and create brand experiences in a non-traditional way. Sponsorship packages include many tangible and actionable rights and benefits.For more information on how to become involved, contact Celia Cayless, Director of Sales, at 316.267.2817.

Your ticket to funButler Community College - A Great Community Partner

Rachel Janes is an alumna of Butler Community College Hospitality Management School and is now serving as an Adjunct Instructor for the third semester, teaching Event Planning I & II. She’s also Destination Sales Manager for GoWichita. She came to WFI last fall expressing an interest in the Sundown Parade and using it as part of the curriculum for her classes this semester.

As a result, her students have taken over the Sundown Parade as their project, learning the basic principles and design of an event plan. Her goal is for each student to gain an advanced understanding of the role of an event planner and develop leadership skills needed to control, manage and improve events in the hospitality business. Watch for more information about the Sundown Parade as time draws near!

BCC and Grizzly Adventures are continuing their participation in the most popular event of last years’ Riverfest, the Zip Line. Rather than

just one line zipping across the river, this year there will be two, one going west from A. Price Woodard Park to the west bank of the river and the other going from the west to the east. Grizzly Adventures will provide all the volunteer manpower for the event and is working closely with WFI staff to help eliminate the wait many people experienced last year.

And, not only is Butler helping in these ways, they are again sponsoring the DodgeBall Tournament held the first Saturday of Riverfest. This fast-paced event draws teams of all ages. It’s not for the faint of heart as you dodge and duck away from the flying balls aimed directly at you!

Thank you Butler Community College for sharing your expertise and enthusiasm with Riverfest!

Autumn & ArtGood for the Community,

Good for business

Community celebrations offer many ways to be involved!

Each year nearly 200 companies support Wichita Festivals, Inc. through contributions of cash, in-kind products or services. This support is the foundation on which we are able to build great events like Riverfest and Autumn & Art. It allows us to provide great musical entertainment, fun activities for children, and sporting events for free or a greatly reduced price.

There are many ways companies can be involved in Riverfest, Kansas’ largest special event. Buy buttons for your employees. At only $5, the Riverfest button offers free entry to more than 60 events – including musical entertainment, kids’ theatre performances, inflatables and hard rides for kids and lots of great food! There is truly something for everyone. Sponsor an event during Riverfest – opportunities still exist for sponsor participation and range from $2,500 to $10,000. Once we know your budget and marketing initiatives we can craft a sponsorship package to meet your goals. Participate in the Sundown Parade – The parade is the kick-off of Riverfest and one of the most heavily attended events with more than 50,000 spectators. This year’s theme, “It’s Party Time”, is sure to be entertaining! For the $100 entry fee, you can promote your business and have an opportunity to win $1,000 in prize money! Recruit a team of employees to run in the Kansas Health Foundation River Run. What a great team building opportunity! There are exciting changes with the run, including a new route, a great finish line party, and a Nike Dri-Fit shirt, that make participation even more fun.

Mike Greene is our featured volunteer in this edition of Festivities. This year Mike has taken on the responsibility of serving as General Chair of the Festival Operations Committee, the most demanding volunteer job in Riverfest.

Mike’s involvement with Riverfest began in the 1980’s when he was actively involved with the Kansas Highwinders Ballooning Association. For years he would get up early on the weekends and fly out of Sims Park. Mike has served in a variety of volunteer positions with WFI, from that of board member to selling buttons and food court tickets. He joined the Operations Committee in 1999 and previously served as General Chair in 2004.Mike has enjoyed the variety of volunteer roles in which he has served. “Board Members are the visionaries and the promoters of the Festival. As a Board Member you have the responsibility to ensure the Festival has sustainability and is a viable event in the community. The Operations Committee is a group of folks that do all the behind the scenes work that makes the Festival happen,” notes

Greene. As we know, each role is important!Greene’s favorite part of Riverfest is the people; not only the incredible volunteers that he says he gets to work with, but the people who attend the Festival. If you are a people person, like Mike, this event is the best way to get to see and meet all sorts of folks. Mike also likes the ability to give back to a great community that has given him so much. “Riverfest is THE biggest event that happens in Wichita, and there is no better way to give back to this great city then to volunteer for this awesome event!’

“Mike is a rock star volunteer for WFI, respected by his peers and a fun guy. We are so fortunate he agreed to come back for a second term as General Chair for 2012 Riverfest. He has a true spirit of community involvement; he cares,” notes Linda Davidson, VP Program Development. We couldn’t agree more!

Volunteer Highlights

Thank You Button Packagers!Each March, the WFI office is a buzz with people packaging buttons. Hundreds of thousands of buttons are hand packaged by volunteers and then sold at retail locations before and during the Festival. Beginning in mid-March, volunteers were at WFI Monday through Saturday and spent evenings folding and stuffing button packages in preparation for delivery to consignment locations. Hundreds of man hours were devoted to this project by great volunteers. Special thanks to United Way volunteers, Cap Fed, and Delta Gems for spending hours packaging buttons.

Get Involved in the Biggest Party of the year - Volunteer at Riverfest!

Kansas Health Foundation River Run - Course Direction

Get involved in the biggest party of the year-Volunteer at Riverfest!

Are you looking for a fun way to start your summer? Do you want inside access to Riverfest? Then join us and volunteer! We have shifts to fit everyone’s schedule. Here are some ways you can help.

Button Marshall - Help in Welcome Centers - working with button sellers, monitoring inventory and serving as a Customer Service Representative. Training sessions will be provided.

Button Seller - Assist festival attendees with information and sell buttons at gated locations. A training session will be provided. Must be at least 18 years of age (volunteers 14-17 are welcome when accompanied by an adult)

Festival Souvenir Store Manager - Assist WFI staff with the set up and tear down of the festival souvenir stores and supervise volunteers working in those locations, run the cash register and most importantly, assist customers. Work a minimum of one day during the festival.

Festival Souvenir Store Merchandise Associate - Work in the festival souvenir locations, run the cash register, provide a positive customer experience for festival attendees and re-stock merchandise as needed. Work a minimum of two shifts during Riverfest. Training session provided.

Food Court Ticket Sellers - Sell food court tickets and buttons to Festival attendees in air-conditioned ticket booths located throughout the Festival. Must be at least 16 years of age. Excellent customer service and cash handling skills are necessary.

Help WFI place and man barricades along the race route to ensure traffic doesn’t enter the course. Volunteers should be able to communicate effectively with the public. Minimum age is 18. Approximately 100 volunteers needed.

Check out our volunteer needs at wichitafestivals.volunteerhub.com for more information, exciting volunteer news, and ways you can be a part of this great summer experience! We want you to be there!