Print edition: 
Wichita River Festival officials on Tuesday announced their musical lineup for this year's festival — and a change in the admission policy for the West Bank Stage shows.
Attendees to this year's three West Bank Stage concerts will pay a $10 gate admission and will have to have a $5 Wichita River Festival button.
The three concerts are an opening night show by former Poison lead singer Bret Michaels on May 7, a performance by country star Jake Owen on May 8, and an appearance by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and The Funk Brothers on May 9.
The addition of the gate fee was necessary, said festival president Janet Wright, because the festival's budget is even tighter this year than it was last year.
Corporate sponsorship is down about $80,000 from last year, she said. And from 2008 to 2009, the festival lost about $100,000 in corporate sponsorships.
That puts the festival nearly $200,000 below the $800,000 in corporate sponsorships it had in 2008, Wright said.
"It was just because of necessity," Wright said. "If we wanted to have any kind of good talent on that stage, we had to charge a nominal fee.
"Under the circumstances — and with what people are interested and willing to pay at the arena — we thought $10 was not an unreasonable amount."
Last year's West Bank Stage acts, which included rock bands Kansas and Loverboy, were free with a button.
The festival has charged $10 entry fees for shows in the past, including Colbie Caillat in 2008, which drew about 6,000 people.
