River Festival

Cast your vote for the Wichita Riverfest event you miss the most

Thousands fill Douglas for the Old Town Block Party during the Wichita River Festival in 1998.
Thousands fill Douglas for the Old Town Block Party during the Wichita River Festival in 1998.

Last week, we asked Eagle readers what event at the Wichita Riverfest they miss the most. (It kicks off this Friday for nine days.)

The top vote-getter was the antique bathtub races, followed by the block party, art and book fair and hot air balloons.

One commenter said the block party had “so many fun local bands, and free things to do. It was the OG Open Streets.”

Another person wrote that the bathtub races “kind of embodied what the name Riverfest means.”

Other missed events included water ski races, the Bedlam 500 Bed Races, the paper airplane contest, raft races and the sand castle contest.

Please take a moment to vote below for the event you miss the most; you can choose up to two. Voting will close June 6. After that, we’ll have a final round. Thanks!

If you can’t see the question, try this link.

This story was originally published May 31, 2023 at 5:24 AM.

Julie Mah
The Wichita Eagle
Julie Mah is a lifelong Kansan. She graduated from Kansas State University and has been a journalist for more than 40 years.
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