BY SALINA POST
The epic Smoky Hill River Festival is scheduled for June 8-11 in Oakdale Park, and will include "many changes in food offerings, activities for kids, new roving and mainstage entertainers, and the arts show," according to information from festival staff. General festival hours are June 8, from 4-10 p.m., June 9-10 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and June 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission to the Smoky Hill River Festival is by weekend wristband ($15 in advance and $20 at the gate) available in many local and regional locations, or by daily wristband ($10, sold only at the gate). Children ages 11 and under get in free.
After Tuesday June 6, admission at the gate is $20 for 4-day wristbands or $10 per day.
See a list of all local or regional wristband retailers at riverfestival.com/participating-retailers/
Festival Thursday
The festival will officially begin at 4 p.m. June 8 when the gates open for the first time this year. The first day will include 35 food booths, an art patron party, and the ever-popular S.M. Hanson Music Festival Jam, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. and includes 16 bands playing over the next four hours. Information about the bands will be released by S.M. Hanson Music closer to festival time.
Festival Friday
Festival goers on June 9 will get their first look at works by 120 exhibiting artists from 19 states, 64 of whom are new to the festival. There will be affordable artwork to purchase, with prices ranging from $5 to $10,000, according to Crystal Hammerschmidt, visual arts coordinator.
Additionally, more than 20 site-specific art installations will be spread throughout Oakdale Park on festival weekend, including Wind-O-River, a new installation on the Mulberry bridge by Salina artist Rich Bergen. His kinetic sculpture will provide dazzling color as patrons enter the park, festival staff noted.
If music is more your kind of art, you're in for a treat! In addition to Festival Jam on June 8, 56 hours of music performances are scheduled on three stages June 9-10, including a number of bands making their first appearances at the festival, according to Sarah Keck, entertainment coordinator. Music genres will include country, rock, soul, indie folk, and innovative fusion.
READ: Smoky Hill River Festival main stage performers announced
June 9 also will be the opening day for Artyopolis, an interactive area for children. This year, Artyopolis will include a new area: Construction Junction. According to festival staffer Susan Eberwein, children can work with unique materials as they create large-scale art. Additionally, Creation Crossing will feature free arts and crafts, and children's favorites Lego Lane and Button Boulevard also will return.
Paramount will take the Eric Stein Stage to close out the June 9 activities. According to staff, there will be giveaways and a balloon artist. Those attending are encouraged to dress in '80s attire.
Festival Saturday
June 10 gets off to a fast start with the 42nd annual Smoky Hill River Run, which will include a two-mile walk, children's races, and a two-mile and five-mile electronically timed race. Salina Regional Health Center staff, who are organizing the run, will utilize more than 100 volunteers during the morning's race events.
Children and families also will rush into the festival once the gates open on June 10 to get a spot at First Treasures, a special patron tent for children ages 4-13 years old. Children will be able to select from hundreds of items priced in the $1-to-$5 range that are provided by exhibiting artists.
“This program helps kids learn the power of patronage,” Hammerschmidt said. “Some kids who have aged out of the program are now regular patrons in the art show.”
Festival Saturday will wrap up with Welshly Arms, an alternative rock band, playing diverse music with rock, gospel, and blues influences.
Festival Sunday
The final day of the festival will include a variety of changes, including a strong local flavor in music, a less hectic environment, and a unique scavenger hunt featuring 100 hand-painted dragonflies that will be hidden throughout Oakdale Park, festival staff noted. Kansas City-based painter and illustrator Evan “Doodle Dood” Brown is painting a flight of colorful metal dragonflies for the hunt. Additionally, 10 dragonflies will be hidden in the park on Friday and Saturday, giving attendees a sneak peek at the creations.
Festival food
Food Row will include 10 new food vendors, as well as returning favorites throughout the weekend. New food items for this year's festival include the following.
• Fried Lasagna Sandwich
• Watermelon Smoothies
• Cotton Candy
• Moink Balls
• Picklepenos
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Flavored Cheese Curds
• Caramel Apples
• Spicy Peanuts
• Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap
Other tasty treats will include the following, according to staff.
• Chocolate-Covered Frozen Cheesecake
• Indian Taco
• Funnel Cake
• Pizza
• Chipotle Beef Burrito
• Turkey Leg
• Homemade Soda
• Black Raspberry Ice Cream
• Alligator-on-a-Stick
• Frog Legs
• Veggie Noodle Bowl
• Mini Donuts
• Cinnamon Roasted Nuts
• Texas Twister
• Homemade Ice Cream
• Kettle Corn
• Jumbo Corn Dogs
• Italian Sausage Sandwich
• Totchos
• Crab Cakes
• Ice Cream Bars
• Dippin’ Dots
• Coconut Shrimp
• Fish Tacos
• Fried Ravioli
• Bourbon Chicken
• Street Taco
• Jumbo Chicken-Fried Steak Sandwich
Festival t-shirts
The festival’s new brand, designed by Salina graphic artist Eric Montoy, is featured on this year’s festival t-shirt, according to staff. The gradient-colored shirts are available in the Salina Arts & Humanities offices, online, or at the festival.
READ: Smoky Hill River Festival print artist announced
Festival parking and accessibility
Parking is free and available in the lots adjacent to the Tony’s Pizza Events Center and in the general vicinity of the Festival or on public streets where permissible. No unauthorized vehicles, skateboards, or bikes are allowed in Oakdale Park. Limited Handicapped Parking is available in the parking lot directly north of the 4th Street bridge.
New and improved mobility carts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for rent near the shuttle drop-off by the Statue of Liberty.
The carts will rent for $10 an hour with a two-hour minimum. Presbyterian Manor is offering a free “wave and ride” shuttle service through the park to support access to all of the most trafficked areas of the event.
Two free shuttle trams and one free CityGo shuttle bus from the Tony’s Pizza Events Center parking lot shuttle stops into Festival grounds are accessible on: Friday: 10 am – 8 pm, Saturday: 10 am – 8 pm, Sunday: 10 am – 4 pm
After regular shuttle hours, OCCK provides transportation for people with movement impairments on an on-call basis. Check-in at Festival Headquarters for assistance. Friday and Saturday: 8 pm – 10 pm free rides to the Festival on the CityGo Bus System are available to anyone wearing a Festival wristband (Thursday, Friday & Saturday).
CityGo offers expanded bus service of regular routes within Salina city limits during the Festival:
Thursday & Friday: 6 am – 10 pm.
Saturday: 9 am to 10 pm to Oakdale Park
(Oakdale entrance and Events Center Foot Bridge).
Be a Good Festival Neighbor
Blankets and chairs cannot be left overnight. Festival staff takes all blankets, chairs, and other forgotten items to the Lost & Found trailer after the Festival closes each day. No one is allowed on the steps of the Eric Stein Stage except for the festival staff and crew. Please keep children at a reasonable distance from the stages and speakers.
Place your trash or recycling in a marked receptacle. Help leave Oakdale Park better than you found it. Shade umbrellas are allowed behind designated and marked sight lines only. No canopy tents are permitted anywhere in the park by the general public.
Per City Ordinance No 12-11052, no smoking, electronic cigarettes, o tobacco products are allowed anywhere in Oakdale Park during River Festival 2023.
The Smoky Hill River Festival is documented each year through photographs and video. These images are used in subsequent years for marketing purposes. The purchase of an admission wristband gives implied permission to use your photo. Press that the Smoky Hill River Festival approves will have credentials.
No pets on the Festival grounds. Only authorized, designated service animals are permitted.
Festival volunteers
The Smoky Hill River Festival relies on approximately 2,000 volunteers each year. Volunteers do anything from helping set up, assisting children, or even simply putting on a smile and greeting everyone as they come and go. It’s all up to the volunteer and their interests, staff noted.
“Volunteers are the backbone of the festival,” said Brad Anderson Salina Arts & Humanities executive director. “We need help with hospitality, in Artyopolis, in technical areas, and at the gates. It’s a great way for people to help the community and keep costs down.”
All festival volunteers and committee members must be 12 years of age or older and 16 years of age or older to operate a golf cart. Volunteers need to purchase admission wristbands to get into Oakdale Park. If a volunteer cannot afford admission, generous underwriters have provided admission through the Festival Families First program. www.riverfestival.com/attend/#admission