A 35-year Wichita Riverfest tradition is dead, but few are likely to miss it
The Wichita Riverfest food court as we know it today was established in 1990, when organizers decided to concentrate all the food stands together at Douglas and McLean.
To keep vendors from having to spend time counting back change, the festival adopted a cashless payment system: Attendees would first buy “River Currency” tickets for 50 cents apiece then use those tickets to buy roasted corn and funnel cakes at the various booths. The prices of each food item were posted at the ticket booths, and people would have to guesstimate how many they’d need.
Over the years, the food ticket tradition stuck — even as society itself became largely cashless. Individual tickets went up in price, though: In recent years, they were sold in $1 increments.
This year, though, food court tickets have been eliminated. The food court will be a cashless operation where people will walk up to booths and pay with their credit or debit cards.
The change likely will be welcomed by generations of festivalgoers who would miscalculate how many tickets they’d need then later find them floating, un-redeemed and wasted, in the bottom of their purses or deep in their pockets.
“It was something that was spoken about over the last two years,” said BreAnna Monk, the new president and CEO of Wichita Festivals Inc.
The festival is making an allowance for people who still live cash-only lives. Three “reverse ATMs” will be set up in the food court and will allow people to insert cash to get a card that can be used at the food court booths. Though a $2 service fee will be charged for each card, if people have a balance left at the end of the festival, they can use the cards anywhere else that accepts cards.
Festival marketing assistant Maria Bradley said she plans to post “how-to” videos on the festival’s social media channels directed at those who might need to use the machines. People will still be able to buy buttons, merchandise and carnival tickets using either cash or card.
The festival sold two of its old ticket booths to Andover, Bradley said. One of the others will be used to sell buttons at the carnival. The rest are going into storage, just in case they’re needed for future projects.
Volunteers who worked at the ticket booths will get new jobs, including helping people figure out the reverse ATMS.
The festival’s main food court along Century II Drive will be open May 30-June 7 from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday. People who don’t have Riverfest buttons will be allowed to enter the food court for free from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, June 2, through Friday, June 6.
Food vendors also will be set up on Douglas from 5 to 11 p.m. Fridays, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays; from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday; and from 5 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday.
Two other changes at the food court this year: It’s added a vendor called Rainbow Bowls that will offer vegan options like acai bowls. But it’s finally lost Original Corn Roast, which last year cut back to serving only on Douglas and this year is completely absent from the lineup.
To see a complete list of food vendors and menu items, visit wichitariverfest.com/food
Here’s a summary of vendors that will be there:
Main food court vendors
Hoop’s Jumbo Corndog: Philly cheese steak sandwiches, chicken baskets, jumbo corn dogs, fried pickles, fries, chocolate dipped cheesecake, pretzels
Hoopingarner Funnel Cakes: Funnel cakes with toppings and drinks
Tad’s Chicken & Bodacious Burritos: Various giant burritos, nacholupas, quesadillas, soft tacos, nachos, walking tacos, chicken on a stick, curly fry loaf, twister chips, lemonade
Hoop’s Korean Corn Dogs: Korean corn dogs, fried Snickers, fried cheese on a stick, pretzels, chocolate dipped cheesecake
All Chicken Concession: Gyros, Kielbasa sausage with peppers and onion, ribbon fries, garbage fries, fried Oreos, lemonade
Rainbow Bowls: Acai bowls, Dubai bowls, berry bowls, smoothies
Chan’s Concessions: Eggrolls, chicken on a stick, shrimp fried rice, vegetable rice and lo mein, lemonade
Tacos TJ 664: Quesadillas, tacos, nachos, fruit cup
Big’s BBQ: Barbecue platters, barbecue sandwiches, smoked turkey legs, ribs, cowboy nachos, bucket of fries, ribbon fries, fried cheese curds, fried pickles, lemonade
Big G’s Burgers: burgers, chicken, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, cowboy nachos, crawfish boil, gator on a stick, sausage on a bun, bucket of fries, loaded tots
Douglas food vendors
Big G’s Donut: Cake and glazed doughnuts, fried snickers, fried Oreos, fried cookie dough, icees, lemonade
Bug G’s Ice Cream: Ice cream cones, soft serve, sundaes, banana splits, shakes, floats, ice cream cookie sandwiches, icees
Hoopingarner Funnel Cakes: Funnel cakes with toppings, fried pickle spears, jumbo corn dogs, chocolate dipped cheesecake, nachos, pretzels, lemonade
Kona Ice: Shaved ice
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