City releases details on new Fourth of July Block Party event

Pre-registration has begun for tickets to ride the slip-’n’-slide that will be part of the city of Wichita’s new Independence Day Block Party this summer.

More than 3,500 people had signed up as of last week to be on a mailing list to receive notification of pre-registration. There are 6,000 slots for the slide, which will be 1,000 feet long, reaching from the Lewis Street Bridge west to Maple and Sycamore.

Pre-registration began Monday at slidethecity.com and will run until March 15. The promo code WPFBlockParty must be used to receive a discount during that time period. There are three price levels: $15 for a one-time slide, $30 for three slides and $50 for unlimited slides. Ticket prices will increase by $5 on March 16 if tickets remain.

“The city of Fort Worth sold out in their first week,” said Stacey Hamm of the city’s Park and Recreation Department.

Other details of the block party, which will include the much-anticipated return of Fourth of July fireworks, also were announced Monday. The nonprofit Wichita Parks Foundation will host the event from 1 to 10 p.m. July 4 downtown on the Hyatt Lawn, the Lewis Street Bridge and west to Maple and Sycamore. The fireworks will be at 10 p.m.

Inflatables, a pump track for BMX and skateboard riders and the Kona Ice and Funky Monkey Munchies food trucks will be in the Lawrence-Dumont Stadium parking lot. A beer garden will be open on the Hyatt Lawn all day, and the band Lucky People will play at 7 p.m. The lawn will stay open for fireworks viewing.

The water slide will be open from noon to 8 p.m. (the first hour and last hour will be open to unlimited-rides ticket-holders only).

The parks foundation decided it was important to take up the slack caused by city budget cuts and bring a Fourth of July event back to Wichita, Brent Thomas, board president for the foundation, said Monday.

“I think it’s kind of rekindled something in the community,” he said of the “incredible” feedback the foundation already has received about the event. “It’s definitely something we want to carry forward in the years to come. That’s our intent.”

The city of Wichita is a partner in the event, and sponsors are being sought to help pay for it. For more information, contact Hamm, who is development director for the park foundation, at 316-268-4124.

This story was originally published February 23, 2015 at 1:58 PM with the headline "City releases details on new Fourth of July Block Party event."