What to do in Wichita this weekend: a dirty race, a food truck rally, an ’80s music night
There’s lots of good, clean fun happening in Wichita this weekend, including anniversary parking lot parties at Mort’s and Hopping Gnome Brewing, and a female-focused film festival at Naftzger Park.
But there’s also some dirty fun happening, too: namely, a muddy traveling obstacle course that will be set up in Maize on Saturday.
Below are some of the fun things people can find to do in Wichita this weekend:
A very muddy race
Saturday, Bar 2 Bar MX, 7800 W. 61st St. North, Maize
Want to get seriously muddy while you work out? A traveling 5K obstacle course called Mud Factor will arrive in Wichita on Saturday, and people can still sign up to participate. The event will send people through a muddy obstacle course, which includes a water slide and various climbing structures. Advance registration, which closes at 10 p.m. Friday, is $49 for adults and $39 for kids. Day-of registration is $75 and $55. Registration includes a medal, bandanna, tattoo and race bib. There’s also a shortened course with obstacles for kids ages 4 to 13 and families. The event will take place at Bar 2 Bar MX, 7800 W. 61st St. North in Maize. Get tickets at mudfactor.com/wichita. Spectators can watch the messy fun, and admission is $10 cash at the gate.
Pirates on stage
10 a.m and 11:30 a.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday, Mary Jane Teall Theater, Century II
The Wichita Children’s Theatre & Dance Center is continuing its “Once Upon a Time” series with a new show this weekend called “How I Became a Pirate.” The show, which will be presented at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Friday and at 10 a.m. on Saturday, will be staged at the Mary Jane Teall Theater inside Century II. Regular price tickets are $9 for ages 2 and up, though the theater is putting on a buy-one, get-one free sale at wichitatix.com, making the tickets $4.50 each. “How I Became A Pirate” follows a band of comical pirates looking for a spot to bury their treasure. It’s 40 minutes long.
Jerrod Niemann at Wave
8 p.m. Saturday, Wave, 650 E. Second
Country music star Jerrod Niemann, who was born in Harper and raised in Liberal, will be at Wave — the outdoor music venue at 650 E. Second St. — for a concert on Saturday night. Niemann, known for hits like “Old Glory” and “I Got This,” will appear with opening act Zach Schoffner. Tickets to the all-ages show are $12.50 to $27 at www.waveict.com. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the show is at 8 p.m.
Cowboy tales
2 p.m. Saturday, Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main
Longtime Wichita radio personality and musician Orin Friesen is celebrating the release of his new book, “Honky-Tonkers & Western Swingers: Stories of Country Music in Wichita, Kansas” with an author event at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum, 204 S. Main, that will include live music and cameos by performers who are mentioned in the book. Friesen, who in 2015 was inducted into the Kansas Cowboy Hall of Fame, will talk about his book starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, and an hour of music will follow. If the weather’s good, the event will happen outside in the museum’s Heritage Square. If not, it will move indoors to the auditorium, where capacity is more limited. The book will be for sale in the museum’s gift shop. Regular admission to the museum will be charged for the event: $5 for adults, $2 for children and free for museum members. To attend, call 316-265-9314 for a reservation. Those who can’t attend can watch a live stream of the event on the museum’s Facebook page.
’80s night at The Cotillion
8 p.m. Friday, The Cotillion, 11120 W. Kellogg
The Cotillion is putting on an ’80s Rock Night on Friday that will feature Paramount, a regionally popular ’80s cover band that performs songs by groups like Def Leppard and Bon Jovi. The opening act will be local band The Astronauts, which also plays ’80s hits. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. The all-ages concert will feature a bar and concessions. Tickets are $15 at thecotillion.com. Tables can be reserved by calling 316-722-4201.
Food Trucks at the Fountain
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Wichita WaterWalk, 515 S. Main
The monthly Sunday-afternoon Food Trucks at the Fountain event returns this week to the Wichita WaterWalk, 515 S. Main. It will last from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will include music by Fly By Night plus at least 25 food trucks set up and selling their creations, including organizers The Flying Stove plus Funky Monkey Munchies, The Bread Sled Cafe, Uno Mas and more. The event will also feature a donation-based yoga class at 10 a.m. Admission is free.
Rock On at WAM
11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd.
The Wichita Art Museum, 1400 W. Museum Blvd., is putting on a Family ArtVenture event this weekend called “Rock On!” It will include music and activities like rock painting, rock stacking and outdoor lawn games. The drop-in event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Museum, and admission is free. Families can stay after and tour the art garden or look through the galleries.