What's wrong with the River Festival?
by Steve McIntosh
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posted Aug 16 2012 4:14AM
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Maybe Wichita Festivals C-E-O Janet Wright is on the mark when she blames a bad economy and poor button sales for four years of deficits for the River Festival.
And maybe there are other factors to consider.
Before the annual spring-time party became a non-profit corporate venture, the events were planned, promoted, and staged by local businesses and media. The raft races, bed races, tugs-of-war, ice cream socials, and all the rest gave the River Festival a truly local flavor. Of course, those of us who donated our time grew weary of doing it year after year. I can’t verify that my stations ever gained a listener because of involvement with the Riverfest.
Most of my friends say they haven’t been to a River Festival event in years.
So, who’s going? The Festival still claims around 300,000 visitors a year … give or take. Many of them are coming in from out of town, and they may not be inclined to support the party by purchasing a button.
What is the Wichita River Festival’s future? Are there big changes on the way after Janet Wright retires?
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Our thought for today is from Professor Irwin Corey:
“If we don’t change direction soon, we’ll end up where we’re going.”
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