New Admiral Windwagon Smith announced with a bang

The 42nd Admiral Windwagon Smith is a longtime Wichita Riverfest volunteer with a specialty.

Mike Greene, a retired employee of the city of Wichita Public Works engineering division, has done almost every job that needs to be done for the festival. But his favorite, he said, is pyrotechnics.

Greene holds a state of Kansas pyrotechnics license for fireworks and is frequently on the front lines shooting off the big opening night or finale shows.

“There’s nothing like fireworks,” Greene, 60, said Thursday, shortly after being handed the ceremonial sword at a gathering at the Hyatt Regency Wichita. “They’re the best. Who doesn’t like fireworks?”

Greene, who has volunteered at the festival for 16 years, will serve as the ceremonial head of Riverfest activities this year. He will be an ambassador for the festival both before and during and will make an appearance at almost every Riverfest event.

Greene’s long list of volunteer jobs at the festival has included serving as general chair in 2004 and 2012 and as the chair of the Wichita Festivals Inc. board of directors from 2006 to 2007. In 2004, he was named the festival’s Volunteer of the Year, and he’s been an active member of the operations committee – a group of core volunteers known as “The Red Shirts” – since 1999.

At Thursday’s ceremony, Greene made his big entrance on a motorcycle and walked into a meeting room at the Hyatt wearing the admiral’s traditional red coat and a black motorcycle helmet. The crowd cheered when he removed the helmet and revealed his identity, a closely guarded secret since January.

After taking the sword from outgoing admiral Ron Ryan, Greene thanked his wife, Marie, and his two sons. At the ceremony’s end, his 4-year-old granddaughter, Linnea, jumped into his arms, and he kissed her before going outside to be “piped aboard” the Windwagon, parked just outside the Hyatt.

Once he was safely on board, a mini fireworks show was launched into the daytime sky.

“He’s just done everything to support the festival,” said Ryan, who was among the past admirals who chose Greene for the job. “It was hard to think of someone else who was more qualified.”

The festival runs May 29 through June 6 in downtown Wichita.

This story was originally published March 12, 2015 at 7:26 AM with the headline "New Admiral Windwagon Smith announced with a bang."