By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Wild West Festival tickets are on sale now. Despite some increases in costs, the old favorites will be back, including the fireworks and the carnival.
VIP tickets are $200 up from $150. General admission tickets for all three nights will be $25 this year — up from $20. Tickets at the gate will be $30 per night. Children 5 years and younger will be admitted free.
The Wild West Festival has already set its music lineup.
Lainey Wilson, who will appear July 2, recently won two Academy of Country Music Awards — one for new young female artist for the year and the other for Song of the Year, "Things a Man Oughta Know."
She has been nominated for a CMT Music Awards for Breakthrough Video of the Year for "Things a Man Oughta Know."
VIP tickets include alcoholic drinks and dinner, as well as preferred seating. Gella's Diner, Fuzzy's Tacos and the Rose Garden will be catering the meals for the VIPs this year.
Which nights the three caters will be serving has yet to be determined. Hard alcohol is served in the VIP area until 9 p.m. Beer is served until 10:30 p.m.
The Kiwanis will be hosting beer garden sales for general admission again this year.
Concert tickets can be purchased online now. They will be available at all three Cervs locations and possibly other locations starting May 1.
Sandi Maier, event coordinator, said tickets are going up this year to help cover costs. The cost to ship a container of fireworks from China to the United States went from about $9,000 to $50,000.
What used to cost the festival $15,000 for fireworks is now going to cost $25,000.
To further help defray the increased costs for fireworks, the festival is asking for fireworks sponsors this year.
Sponsorship levels are available from $400 to $10,000 and above. Sponsors receive festival concert tickets based on their sponsorship amounts. To become a sponsor, contact Maier at 785-639-3365 or at [email protected].
Maier said sponsorships also help the festival keep ticket prices affordable.
The festival will have a carnival again this year provided by Ozark Amusements of Springfield, Mo.
The carnival will be open from Friday, July 1, through Monday, July 4.
The annual festival parade will be at 10 a.m. down Main Street. There is no cost to have an entry in the parade, but pre-registration is suggested, which will help with parade lineup.
Candy or items can't be thrown from vehicles per the Hays Police Department. These items must be handed out by walkers.
The parade theme is yet to be announced. Registration forms will be available through the website soon.
The 5K, which is sponsored by another group in conjunction with the Wild West Festival, also will be back this year. Look for more information on that event to be announced at a later date.
The Convention and Visitor's Bureau also is sponsoring a kite festival at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex during the Fourth of July weekend. More information will be announced on this event at a later date.
The Wild West Fest Committee annually sponsors the Wichita Special Olympics team when they visit Hays for the annual basketball tournament in Hays. That event was Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
They usually provide a $100 donation to the group in addition to playing host to the club.
Burglars broke into the group's storage shed shortly before this year's tournament and stole all of the group's athletic gear. Maier has asked the festival committee to increase its contribution to the group to $300 this year to help the club replace some of that equipment.
CORRECTION: This story was updated to correct the price of the three-day General Admission tickets. Hays Post apologizes for the error.