Riverfest volunteer celebrates 52nd year with festival
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Riverfest relies yearly on its volunteers to put on the festivities. None have volunteered longer than Jim Hand, 2024 marks his 52nd year with the festival.
Hand said Riverfest week is his Super Bowl. He’s seen it all over the years.
Proud of his work, Hand said not many things make him more excited than to welcome the crowds into Wichita’s Riverfest each year.
Hand started volunteering in 1973, the second year of Riverfest.
“This is the third love of my life, wife and children coming first, but Riverfest has been a life-long love for me,” said Hand.
He said he has done everything imaginable to help at the festival, even becoming the 21st admiral in 1994.
“My first role was just schlepping stuff from place to place, standing guard at the gate, or selling a button, it was just whatever needed to be done,” Hand said.
His role now is the security lead for the operations committee.
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Things looked a lot different in Hand’s first years with Riverfest.
“When it started out, it was just a Saturday deal originally, then it went to a three-day deal, then we expanded it to over a week, in anticipation of the American Revolutionary Bicentennial celebration in 76,” said Hand.
He started bringing both his kids to Riverfest as toddlers. Now they help volunteer, too.
Hand said it’s gratifying to see his hard work pay off.
“Looking out at the crowd of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people, and with my friends and I that did this, said we did this, it’s fun,” said Hand.
Hand said it has all been “one year at a time.” He hopes to continue to volunteer for as long as he can.
He said he hopes the festival will continue as a Wichita tradition for generations to come after his time at Riverfest.
Hand added that all walks of life, from different career backgrounds, have volunteered over the years and that he’s created everlasting friendships.
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