What do funnel cakes‚ meatballs on a stick‚ snow cones and snickerdoodle brownies have in common with paddleboats‚ lumberjacks‚ classical music and antique bathtubs?

They’re all part of what brings more than 300‚000 people to downtown Wichita in May of each year for the Wichita River Festival on the Arkansas River.

Not your typical community celebration‚ this festival ranks among the most ambitious and diverting anywhere in the country‚ offering festival-goers a dizzying array of things to do‚ see‚ hear‚ eat and enjoy.

“Our intent is to try to adapt to what is popular with people at the time‚” says Janet Wright‚ president and CEO of Wichita Festivals Inc.‚ organizer of the event.

Whether your tastes run to country music or contemporary urban poetry‚ golf or softball‚ serious sculpture or just plain silliness‚ the Wichita River Festival has something to offer.

The popular community event grew from a one-day riverfront celebration marking the city’s centennial in 1970 to what is now a nine-day party that involves nine paid staff and thousands of volunteers.

The festival annually generates more than $21 million for the local economy.

The festivities kick off with a Sundown Parade of floats‚ clowns and marching bands through downtown‚ presided over by Admiral Windwagon Smith.

The figurehead of the event‚ named after a character who once “sailed” his prairie schooner wagon across the plains. Admiral honors typically are conferred upon a longtime community supporter each year.

Unusual activities on the schedule have included the Brush It‚ Flush It competition‚ in which porta-potties were transformed into colorful works of art‚ a display of artistically decorated antique bathtubs‚ the National Lumberjack Championships and the Star Lumber Million Dollar Hole-in-One‚ a chance to earn $1 million by chipping a golf ball into a cup floating in the middle of the Big Arkansas River.

“When you ask people what brings them to the festival‚ music is what they say most frequently‚” Wright says. “People were also very excited about the river paddleboats and our special area for kids. But I’d say our most popular event is the concert and fireworks show on our last night. We have quite a reputation for a great fireworks show.”