View Full Version : Riverfest 2007



metro
05-15-2007, 09:37 AM
Just wanted to remind everyone that RIVERFEST 2007 is approaching. This is a HUGE event each year on the banks of the Oklahoma River. The dates are June 2-3. For more info go to The Oklahoma Riverfest 2006 June 17th - 18th (http://www.oklahomariverfest.com)

Nixon7
05-15-2007, 02:40 PM
is there live music at this?

kmf563
05-15-2007, 02:48 PM
yes, click on the link above and then go to the musicfest link. There is live music all day long on saturday and sunday on the riverwind casino stage.

Easy180
05-15-2007, 02:53 PM
So far so bad on the music though kmf

Sure they will plug in the old stand by Superfreak :cool18:

*Knew that smiley would come in handy sometime*

kmf563
05-15-2007, 02:56 PM
LOL. I love that smiley!! I made a few calls today, hopefully some of those slots will be filled with fantastic music. I'm waiting to hear back to see exactly what the set up is like.

Easy180
05-15-2007, 03:00 PM
Cool...Let us know what you find out

CuatrodeMayo
05-15-2007, 03:41 PM
Great timing! My wife and I will be spending the night at the Colcord that weekend for our first anniversary and this is one more thing to do in DTOKC this weekend. Ain't it great?

Hm...and I might do the RiverRide thing Sunday.

kmf563
05-17-2007, 10:27 AM
hmmm...it seems that there might not be a music schedule. No one wants to return phone calls or respond to emails. I've spoken to several musicians that have shown an interest in this event and they all said they didn't get a response. So, who knows what will be on stage! Maybe it WILL be an all day Superfreak fest. lmao. Which, I'm not knocking...I know those guys and love them. :cool18: :dance: :Smiley233 I would just prefer something else.

jbrown84
05-17-2007, 10:56 AM
I know a band that might want the gig.

PM me if interested.

kmf563
05-21-2007, 07:59 AM
None of us have received a response as of yet about the music fest. I really don't think they are concerned with filling time slots for their stage jbrown - so don't hold your breath to help book your band. But if they are any good pm me and I can probably help them out with a couple of other gigs.

jbrown84
05-21-2007, 08:04 AM
Oh, I was under the impression you were doing their booking.

kmf563
05-21-2007, 08:21 AM
nope. I do book shows, but not for them.

jbrown84
05-21-2007, 09:03 AM
Yeah, I somehow got out of your previous post that you were doing it for them.

kmf563
05-29-2007, 10:05 AM
Don't forget riverfest is this weekend! The only music I am aware of is as follows

Saturday -
4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. - U.S. Navy Band
6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. - David Hooten Trio

Sunday -
12:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. - Lemma
2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. - U.S. Navy Band

There are still other slots, but I have no idea who is filling them. They aren't posted on the site. I will be there for Lemma on Sunday.

metro
06-01-2007, 04:51 PM
Just want to remind everyone that Riverfest is this weekend!

Karried
06-02-2007, 07:58 AM
Who's going today or tomorrow?

I think I will decide depending on the weather.

Second Annual RiverFest to Kickoff Centennial Summer - Navy Week
U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Headline Centennial River Festival


The Chesapeake Energy Oklahoma Centennial RiverFest will take place June 2-3, 2007 at Regatta Park located on the Oklahoma River. This year’s event will pay special tribute to the United States Navy and will showcase the U.S. Navy Leap Frogs Parachute Team and the U.S. Navy Freedom Band. The Navy will also have interactive exhibits and displays.

Besides launching Oklahoma City Navy Week, the two-day river Festival will feature KFOR-TV Dragon Boat Team Racing, the Oklahoma River Ride bicycling events, USS SUBWAY Restaurants Submarine Race, the Rose Rock Regatta, Oklahoma City Boat Dealers River Cruises, Riverwind Casino MusicFest, Lamar Outdoor KidsPlay area, paddle boats, kayaks and many other attractions.

The highlight of RiverFest is the increasingly popular Dragon Boat Team Racing.

Introduced last year, the friendly competition features 20 paddlers rowing colorful boats with hand-carved dragonheads to the beat of an on-board drum. Companies and individuals can sponsor a Dragon Boat Team for the Saturday, June 2 competition.
For those who prefer to keep their feet on solid ground, there are spectator sports galore. The Navy Leap Frogs, band and choir, the wacky and entertaining Dragon Boat races, MusicFest, KidsPlay, the USS SUBWAY Submarine Race and the seriously competitive Rose Rock Regatta. MusicFest will provide live music from the Riverwind Casino stage throughout the two-day Festival.

The Oklahoma River Ride is a series of scenic cycling events that incorporates the Oklahoma River trails as well as a 30-mile bicycle tour to northeast Oklahoma County. All cycling events will begin and end at Regatta Park. Participants can register for the cycling events at Wheeler Dealer Bicycles - www.wheelerdealerbicycles.com (http://www.wheelerdealerbicycles.com/).

The USS SUBWAY Submarine Race, which launches at 4 p.m. on Sunday, is a charitable event featuring 10,000 replica submarines floating the river. Prizes will be awarded to the top 100 submarines. Proceeds from the SUBWAY Restaurant event will go to the USS Oklahoma Memorial at Pearl Harbor. Entry forms for the submarine race are available at all metro area Subway Restaurant locations.
The Rose Rock will host some of the finest rowing teams in Oklahoma and is the final leg of the Route 66 Rowing Challenge which features teams rowing in the Tulsa Sprints on Saturday, June 2 and in the Rose Rock as part of RiverFest on Sunday, June 3.

Community organizations that will benefit from the 2007 Chesapeake Energy Oklahoma Centennial RiverFest include the Oklahoma River Foundation and the Oklahoma City Boathouse Foundation. The USS SUBWAY Restaurant Submarine Race will benefit the USS Oklahoma Pearl Harbor Memorial and the Armed Forces Emergency Services, a program of the American Red Cross.
The Chesapeake Energy Oklahoma Centennial RiverFest at Regatta Park will be open Saturday, June 2 and on Sunday, June 3, from 8 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Regatta Park is located on S. Byers Avenue on the north side of the Oklahoma River.

Advance discount tickets for the event are just $5.00 and can be purchased at all metro Best Buy locations and at Bass Pro.

Tickets the day of the event will be $7.00. Children 12 and under will be admitted free. Parking is also free.

Major Sponsors include Chesapeake Energy, Oklahoma City Riverfront Redevelopment Authority, Riverwind Casino, Subway Restaurants, Oklahoma Centennial, Lamar Outdoor, KFOR-TV, Best Buy and OG&E. Sponsorships for the Chesapeake Energy Oklahoma Centennial RiverFest are still available.

Karried
06-02-2007, 04:10 PM
Well, I was there all day... it was just okay.. sort of anti-climatic... I thought it was going to be really a big huge event.. but it really wasn't.

Even so, we had some french fries, saw the Navy Frog Jumpers parachute, listened to the band 18 ( 80's music) and had an enjoyable day overall. We saw the Dragon boat races, ( I had imagined HUGE dragons.. but they were little tiny heads and tails attached to the boats, very cute but not what I thought it would be like)

There were very few vendors, not much retail and not a lot of food variety. But they did offer golf cart shuttle to the parking lot and parking was free. They had wine tasting for a dollar - tiny dixie cup. We didn't have any.

We bought tickets at Bass Pro earlier.

The ONE thing they need is Shade! We found the lone tree near the band and proceeded to watch the rest of the small crowd burn in the sun watching the band. I know it's a relatively new area (and it is beautifully done) but it was hot and there were no canopies or shade trees to be found ( except ours).. so, it was okay.. we had fun but it wasn't the big event I had pictured in my mind.

It's only their second Annual attempt and I see great things in the future... it was a nice way to spend the day with the family.

soonerborn
06-02-2007, 04:20 PM
I know what you mean regarding the need for shade riverside. Folks nearly melted during last year's event. Maybe that's what we should do with MAPS 3; spend the tax dollars on river/citywide beautification.

Karried
06-03-2007, 08:07 AM
I agree 100% .. it would have made for a much more pleasant day. I would have easily stayed longer, eaten and drank more if it were more comfortable. I think we should email the event organizers and suggest a few canopies for next year.



Oklahoma Centennial RiverFest
(405) 602-1531
mikem@okcevents.info (mikem@okcevents.info)

Okay, I just did. Thanked him for a job well done, the effort they put into it and offered a suggestion.

Karried
06-03-2007, 08:39 AM
Have you seen those shade tarps over the Zoo playground.. I think those would look great and compliment the design of the boathouse... maybe not the bright colors.

I tried to find a pic on the Zoo website but they don't have one ( at least I couldn't find one) of the huge play area or the tarps. That's strange.

metro
06-03-2007, 08:09 PM
Well, I was there all day... it was just okay.. sort of anti-climatic... I thought it was going to be really a big huge event.. but it really wasn't.

Even so, we had some french fries, saw the Navy Frog Jumpers parachute, listened to the band 18 ( 80's music) and had an enjoyable day overall. We saw the Dragon boat races, ( I had imagined HUGE dragons.. but they were little tiny heads and tails attached to the boats, very cute but not what I thought it would be like)

There were very few vendors, not much retail and not a lot of food variety. But they did offer golf cart shuttle to the parking lot and parking was free. They had wine tasting for a dollar - tiny dixie cup. We didn't have any.

We bought tickets at Bass Pro earlier.

The ONE thing they need is Shade! We found the lone tree near the band and proceeded to watch the rest of the small crowd burn in the sun watching the band. I know it's a relatively new area (and it is beautifully done) but it was hot and there were no canopies or shade trees to be found ( except ours).. so, it was okay.. we had fun but it wasn't the big event I had pictured in my mind.

It's only their second Annual attempt and I see great things in the future... it was a nice way to spend the day with the family.


Well, I kind of know what you mean. I rode my bike down there Saturday from our downtown condo. I went around 10:30am, I was kind of disappointed in the crowd, probably around 2000 or so there when I arrived. (Hint: the bike trails are open to the public for free so I didn't have to pay!!!, also if you don't enter from Byer's Ave, you can walk the river trails for free to Riverfest!) Anyhow, I wasn't surprised at the dragon boat races, I've saw them last year at Riverfest as well as other places. The design is really the same worldwide for the mostpart, so it's not an OKC thing. Another hint if you go east of Byers Ave, there are more shade trees. I also noticed concrete pads in the works next to the bike/walking trails so it looks like some park benches are soon to be installed. I rode my bike down to the new Kerr McGee Bell Tower, it's not finished yet, but definitely not "grand". I'm good friends with the designer though so I can't say too much. I then headed west and rode my bike down to the Matt Hoffman Action Skate Park and watched the skateboarders and BMX'ers for a bit. Headed back to the Riverfest and the foot traffic had picked up and I could tell a huge rush of people were on the way when I was riding through Bricktown. Ton's of people were pouring into Bricktown around noon, some for Riverfest, some probably because of Red Earth. I did notice some street retail around the Cox Center so that was nice to see some tent vendors on the street.

One thing I was really impressed with RiverFest this year is that they had kayak rentals for kids and adults and had a whole kids area for free with lots to do! They also had river cruises courtesy of local boat dealers. It's good to finally see some boat tours out there!!! I know the permanent ones start around September. That will help out dramatically. Overall, I think the attendance was wayyyyyyyyyy down over last year. Karried, don't let the disappointing attendance and lack to do stop you from next year. Last year was much bigger and offered more. I'm thinking last year was FREE to the public but they sold buttons to do special events and go in VIP tents, etc. This year they charged admission and that mixed with the iffy weather held alot of people back I'm thinking. I definitely look forward to this growing into a world-class event for OKC over the years. It has HUGE potential!

Midtowner
06-03-2007, 08:46 PM
Not to hijack, but what route do you take riding your bike to the trails from your condo? Is there a decent route to take to avoid that whole Jesus House crowd?

Nixon7
06-03-2007, 09:13 PM
I was somewhat disappointed, I'm not sure what I expected. Like others have said, this thing has great potential. I can't wait to go in 10 years!

metro
06-04-2007, 08:22 AM
Not to hijack, but what route do you take riding your bike to the trails from your condo? Is there a decent route to take to avoid that whole Jesus House crowd?

I usually switch it up each time, you're closer to the CBD than I am. I'm over by St. Anthony's. I usually go down Walker by the new Legacy Arts and then wind through the CBD to Bricktown and go up Reno and turn on Byers and get on the trails by the boathouse. I like the view better from Robinson, but I agree the crowd is a little rough taking Robinson all the way to the river via bike. In all honesty an individual would be fine going that route but with all the auto salvage yards, etc., it's not very appealing to look at.

kmf563
06-05-2007, 11:20 AM
We went to riverfest Sunday from noon to around 3 or so. There were a ton of people there. I wasn't so much impressed with the festival though. For it being a riverfest...not a thing happened on the river during this time slot. We saw one tour/party boat type thing pass and that was it. There were a couple of people just coasting the river, but not one race or team thing happened. The vendor list was very disappointing. I did however get Jared from Subway's autograph..I don't know why he thought I wanted this, but I got it. The Leap Frogs were fun to watch. The kidsfest area was really nice also, but it really needed shade. I think this could be a fantastic event if they do the following things:

1. Trees and/or shade spots must be an addition.
2. Fix the parking problem.
3. Add vendors
4. Actually let someone that communicates hire and organize the music area. A sound guy that knows something about sound would be nice also.
5. Add something that the family can do together. Canoes, paddle boats, row boats...anything.
6. More chairs and/or picnic areas