What to do in Wichita: Celebrate mom, shop for deals, Boogiedown
Mother’s Day weekend has arrived, and if you’re having trouble deciding how to make yours feel special, help has arrived. All sorts of things are happening in Wichita this weekend, including Mother’s Day concerts, Mother’s Day teas — even a mom hula hoop contest.
Check out some of the Mother’s Day — and non-Mother’s Day — events happening in and around Wichita this weekend:
Mother’s Day events
It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and several venues around the Wichita area are putting on events to help families celebrate. Here are some of the best:
Wine, Women & Song at Bartlett Arboretum, 301 N. Line St. Belle Plaine: Attendees at this Sunday event will get to sample wine from Grace Hill Winery and listen to female performers including Janet Rutland, Rachelle Coba and Bartlett Arboretum steward Robin Macy. (Music starts at 4 p.m., and the venue will be open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) Mi Seuno, a woman-owned pop-up business, also will be on site selling food to the crowd. Picnics also are welcome. Also, moms can grab and take home freshly dug tulip bulbs while they last. Admission is $10 at the gate, but kids who are “under wing” get in free.
Mother’s Day at the Sedgwick County Zoo, 5555 W. Zoo Blvd: Moms get in free from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday with an additional paid admission. Members also get in free with membership cards and photo ID.
Mother’s Day at Botanica, 701 Amidon: Moms get in free at Botanica from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, and visitors can eat at food trucks on site or pack a picnic. The day will also include yard games on the Grand Lawn plus craft and games for kids in the Children’s Garden. All tickets will be sold at the door.
Spring Fling, Fulton Valley Farms, 5079 SW Fulton Road, Towanda: This Mother’s Day event is actually on Saturday, the day before Mother’s Day. It lasts from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will include food, more than 40 vendors on site, and door prizes. It’s free to get in, but tickets to a 2 p.m. Mother’s Day Tea are $25 for ages 12 and up, $12 for ages 4 to 11 and free for 3 and under. Tea time tickets must be purchased online at fultonvalleyfarms.com/spring-fling/ by 3 p.m. Friday. They’ll be $30 the day of the event.
Tornado Bait, Sunflower Boogiedown
Saturday at the Shamrock, 1724 W. Douglas, and Central Standard Brewing, 156 Greenwood
Two Wichita drinking establishments will put on two popular annual parties this weekend. One is the Shamrock Lounge, whose long-running Tornado Bait Party happens on Saturday and will feature a musical lineup featuring Lyn Avants followed by the Haymakers then VibroKings. Barbecue will be for sale at the Little House on the Shamrock property. Doors open at 2 p.m., and the festivities start at 6 p.m. Admission is free. Also on Saturday, Central Standard Brewing will put on its popular annual block party called Sunflower Boogiedown. The brewery partners with Free State Brewing Co. for the event, which will feature beer tappings and live music starting at 2 p.m. and running through 11:30 p.m. The lineup includes Bottom of the Barrel at 6 p.m., Moonpie Brass Band at 8 p.m. and a reggae band called Localities at 10 p.m. Admission is free.
Last chance for WAM exhibit
Friday-Sunday, Wichita Art Museum, 1400 Museum Blvd.
Those who haven’t had a chance yet to catch the Wichita Art Museum exhibit “Isabelle de Borchgrave: Fashioning Art from Paper” have one last chance this weekend before it closes. The exhibit features live-sized paper sculptures meant to resemble historical fashions. WAM’s hours this weekend are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is free for WAM members, $12 for adults and seniors, free for college students with ID and for ages 18 and under. Tickets are available at the museum’s welcome desk or at wam.org/fashion
Flea market at the ballpark
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Riverfront Stadium, 275 S. McLean Blvd
This month’s installment of the Wichita Flea Market will be one day instead of two, but that one day will be packed with activities. Not only will attendees be able to shop from more than 200 local and regional vendors, but they also will be able to enter their moms in a hula hoop contest with a cash prize, participate in a scavenger hunt, let the kids jump in bounce houses or meet Batman and Cinderella. Admission is $3, free for $12 and under. For more information, visit www.WichitaFleaMarket.biz
Midwest R&B Fest
7 p.m. Saturday, Orpheum Theatre, 200 N. Broadway
The second-annual Midwest R&B Fest happens on Saturday at Wichita’s Orpheum Theatre and will include performances by H-Town (known for the hit “Knockin’ Da Boots”), Next and Changing Faces. Doors to the event open at 7 p.m. Local opening acts will take the stage at 8 p.m. followed by the headliners at 9 p.m. Tickets are $63.25-$138.50. Attendees must be 21 or older to enter.
Night in Old Delano
7-11:59 p.m. Old Cowtown Museum, 1865 W. Museum Blvd
Old Cowtown Museum will be for adults only during a Friday-night event called Night in Delano. It invites attendees to “explore the myths and truths surrounding Delano,” which during the Old West days was where things got wild at night. The event, which lasts from 7 p.m. to midnight, will include live music, food by MOAB BBQ and libations served from a cash bar. It’s for ages 18 and up, and only ages 21 and up can drink. Admission is $15 a person at the door.
Recent concert announcements
Here’s a look at the recent additions made to Wichita’s concert calendar:
Dixon Knowles, May 19, Wave, tickets on sale at waveict.com
Cupcakke, July 19, Wave, tickets on sale at waveict.com
Samantha Fish, July 20, TempleLive, tickets on sale at wichita.templelive.com
Rudy Love Fest, July 22, Wave, tickets on sale at waveict.com
Three Dog Night (rescheduled), Aug. 24, Stiefel Theatre, tickets on sale at stiefeltheatre.org
Thee Sinseers and The Altons, Sept. 2, Wave, tickets on sale at 11 a.m. Friday at waveict.com
Cooper Allen with Frank Ray, Sept. 12, Kansas State Fair, tickets on sale at 8 a.m. Friday at kansasstatefair.com
MercyMe, Oct. 22, Hartman Arena, tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at www.hartmanarena.com
