Wichita State University - Parnassus Yearbook (Wichita, KS)

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River Festival 1984 City Turns Out For Vernal Block-Party lf size can be any indication of success, then the 1984 River Festival continued to flourish. Festival organizers try to blend a bit of history with what is current during the 10-day event - held since 1974 - to come up with something in which Wichitans can both participate and just watch and enjoy. Based on sales of festival buttons and rib- bons, an estimated 175,000 people attended some part of the city's inauguration of spring. 'lt seems like every year it gets bigger and bigger, said River Festival organizer Marita Weninger. We just anticipate how many people will comef' were in the 80s and rain fell only on the next-to-last day. Weninger said that after the months of planning she was glad the good Lord helped with the weather. 'Some people refer to the festival as a Rite of Springf Broadfoot said. 'The first festival was held in july and people were sweltering. So the decision was made to have it in May when public schools can take an active part and more people aren't on vacationsf' The festival began with something of the feel of a block party. Friends and small families crowded along Main Steet for the sundowner parade, one of the openers for the festival. Lining the back streets of the parade routes, Shriners, wearing fezzes, skirted along in their minature cars into which they barely fit. Another group of parade entrants were drinking beer to pass the time and stave off the early spring chill. A group of children with the Camp F ire Girls and Boys looked as if they were freezing with only their swim- suits to wear. One girl, who would only say she was seven, wore a set of corrugated cardboard water skis as part of the Camp Elma Broadfoot, director of 1 Wichita Festivals Inc., said size is only part of the measure of a festivals success. The best yardstick is whether we are giv- ing people an opportunity for them to come together, to celebrate what we have in the community - our cultural and recreational resources.' Weather was probably the most influential factor for the week's success. Temperatures i x -'Mike Fire group's motif, but the skis kept falling off her tennis-shoed feet. The sign atop the Kansas State Bank and Trust building showed 66 degrees as the sun was going down. On the back of a black Ran- chero sat two speakers wired to a sound system cranking out about 60 decibels with a trailer hitched to the back loaded with baby boomers and their children.

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ali CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Erna and Otto Woermke, the original owners of the Old Mill Tasty Shop, pose outside their cafe. 2124177 Gale Cowan, known as Flash at the restaurant, is just a blur as she waits tables. 1123185 WSU graduate student Kim Schield and her husband, Doug, divide the hot fudge left in Kim's sundae. 1126185 The Old Mill runs low on ice cream cones. 1124185 The owner's daughter, Shannon Wright, attends night classes at WSU, enabling her to keep her job as soda jerk at the Old Mill Tasty Shop. 1124185 Kandy Eaton meets her friends for lunch. 1124185

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ii-1. ' .1-.H CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: With the Big Arkansas River as a backdrop, Wichita State Universi- ty's Jazz ensemble performs during an evening concert at A. Price Woodard park. 5!17!84 J.T. Burks calls out on his har- monica while playing with Jimmy Fastfingers Dawkins during the Blues Concert.5!20!84 Tyrone Sentry, drummer for Jimmy Dawkins, gets into a faster paced blues number. 5120184 Decals on a guitar case show the in- temational road followed by a blues musician. 5!20!84. Fine Arts junior Amy Kellogg cools out with the blues and a beer. 5!20!84