Free Richie Havens concert and Kardboard Boat Races among new highlights

HASTINGS, NEB. (July 5, 2006)–More than 30 events will take place the second weekend in August in Hastings, Nebraska, as part of the biggest ever Kool-Aid Days, celebrating the invention of Nebraska’s Official Soft Drink by Edwin Perkins in Hastings 79 years ago. This year’s festival theme is "Get Wet with Kool-Aid." Three of the many new events include a free concert in Brickyard Park featuring Richie Havens, Vance Gilbert and a large fireworks display; Kardboard Boat Races on Lake Hastings; and Kool-Aid Jammers Boat Races in the Lazy River floating channel at the City Aquacourt. As always, Kool-Aid Man will be on hand to greet the 10,000-15,000 people expected to gather in Hastings to participate in all events and drink more than 1,000 gallons of Kool-Aid from the Worlds’ Largest Kool-Aid Stand. Details of all the weekend’s events can be found at the festival’s new website at www.Kool-AidDays.com

"Hastings has caught Kool-Aid Days Fever," said Randal L Kottwitz, executive director of Nebraska’s Official Soft Drink Heritage Foundation and principal organizer of the festival. "With so many new events and ways for ‘kids’ of all ages to participate, literally thousands of people are already preparing–building cardboard and jammers boats, putting up posters, practicing their Kool-Aid drinking and flying disc skills, and preparing performances for the downtown stage. We just couldn’t be happier with the way the community is coming together to celebrate this annual event."

Kool-Aid Days meets Woodstock

Perhaps the most exciting new events are the free concert in Brickyard Park and the Kardboard Boat Races on Lake Hastings. "The city was interested in sponsoring a concert in the park as part of our festivities and I saw it as an opportunity to add an important new lynchpin to the festival if we could raise some more sponsorship dollars," said Kottwitz. "I was thrilled the day I learned that Richie Havens would be available and we could afford to present him in a free concert." Havens opened the famous Woodstock Festival in 1969 with an unforgettable three-hour performance, culminating in his improvisation on the old spiritual "Motherless Child" which would eventually become known as "Freedom" and serve as an anthem for an entire generation. He has one of the most recognizable voices in modern music and has remained unique and ageless for nearly four decades. Vance Gilbert, who will open the concert, is already known in Hastings for several performances at The Listening Room. Boston-based Gilbert has been described as having "the voice of an angel, the wit of a devil, and the guitar playing of a god." Lately, he’s opened for George Carlin and will perform with Carlin at nearly 50 performances this summer.

"I’ve been fortunate enough to present both Richie and Vance before," said Kottwitz, "but I never dreamed we’d be able to bring them together in the same concert. Hastings is in for a very special treat on Saturday, August 12th, and it will be topped off with a 15-minute fireworks display, just to add icing to the cake!"

The 3rd Annual Kool-Aid Cruise of America will also culminate at Brickyard Park before the concert, bringing 300 or more classic cars to be on display through the evening. After a day in its traditional location across from Hastings City Auditorium downtown, the World’s Largest Kool-Aid Stand will move to the park for the concert. Revelers will be able to buy Kool-Aid Days mugs and drink Kool-Aid through the evening, and eat funnel cakes, barbecue, roasted sweet corn and other festival foods.

Boats made of cardboard?

Cardboard boat races have been held all over the country for decades, but to the organizers’ knowledge, the Kool-Aid Kardboard Boat Races will be the first of its kind in Nebraska.

"I’ve been surprised at the early interest we've received in the Kardboard Boat Races," said Kottwitz. "Such races have been very popular elsewhere, including Boulder, Colorado, and at the University of Iowa. Merrimack, New Hampshire, has been holding them for 10 years as a fundraiser for the public library. The folks in Merrimack have been very generous to the Hastings event, sharing rules, photos, and even providing a how-to build good cardboard boats video that runs twice a week on Hastings Public Access Channel 12 (Saturdays at 2 p.m. and Wednesdays at 6 p.m.) and is available on DVD from the Hastings Public Library. Boats range in size from single passenger kayaks to those holding dozens of rowers.

"Merrimack had to retire its ‘Largest Crew’ trophy a few years back after one company ran the course with 21 rowers," said Kottwitz. "Some people go for style, some for size, and some even for sinking. Indeed, we give a trophy for the ‘Most Spectacular Sinking,’ although you have to make it at least a third of the way around the 150-yard course to qualify for that one. The real fun comes in seeing how creative people can be in building boats that are giant versions of their companies' products, or based on historic or comic themes." The Kardboard Boat Races will be held on Lake Hastings on Sunday, August 13. The boats will be displayed at 2 p.m. with race heats starting at 3 p.m.

Boat races for the younger set

For safety reasons, no one under age seven is allowed to participate in the Kardboard Boat Races. However, for children ages five to 12, Kool-Aid Days offers an alternative in keeping with this year’s theme of "Get Wet with Kool-Aid." On Friday, August 11, children are encouraged to bring boats made of empty Kool-Aid Jammers packets to the City of Hastings Aquacourt, where they can race them on the Lazy River floating channel. Prizes will be awarded in a number of categories, with the creator of the fastest boat of the afternoon receiving an iPod Shuffle.

"This is a completely new event that, to our knowledge, has not been held anywhere else in the country," said Kottwitz. "We’ve built a few sample boats and it’s not as easy as you might think." Rules and entry forms for the Jammers Boat Races, along with those for all other Kool-Aid Days events and contests can be found on the festival’s website at www.Kool-AidDays.com

Community support runs deep

Obviously, such large growth in a festival where most events are free comes with a price.

"We’ve been amazed at how willing businesses in and near Hastings have been to step up to the plate and help us grow Kool-Aid Days into one of the most important festivals in the state," said Kottwitz. "Kraft Foods has always been and continues to be quite generous, but this year, dozens of businesses of almost every sort have been willing to write the large checks that make it possible for us to present nationally-known performers and other free entertainment to thousands of people we expect to come out and celebrate Kool-Aid Days. It shows a real commitment to the cultural and economic health of Hastings, and our citizens owe a debt of gratitude to our sponsors."

New website serves visitors and organizers

Keeping track of all events, volunteers, contest rules, entry forms, schedules and other festival details is, in itself, a gargantuan task. Fortunately, the foundation has a powerful new tool to organize its efforts. A local donor has made a major grant to create a new website for the festival, which will go online this week.

"More and more vacation and travel plans are made online so we knew it was important to make Kool-AidDays.com an attractive and efficient marketing tool for the festival. Potential visitors will find all the information they need on our site, not only to make the decision whether and when to attend, but also the entry forms and rules for all of our contests and activities," said Kottwitz. "In addition, we’re using the site as an organizational tool to help our 15 board members and hundreds of volunteers coordinate their efforts and keep the festival running smoothly. You can literally volunteer online now, choosing which events you’d like to help support and what shifts you’ll be available to work. Although the site "goes live" this week, additional information will be added daily over the next month to make Kool-AidDays.com one of the most complete and efficient festival/event sites on the web."

New events join returning favorites

The more than 30 events that make up Kool-Aid Days are a mix of new and returning events. The Kerr Chevrolet Kool-Aid Golf Scramble on Friday, August 11 will feature a hole-in-one prize of a Chevrolet Tahoe valued at more than $47,000. The YMCA will host its annual "Krazy for Kool-Aid" events on Friday night, including a 3 on 3 basketball tournament, Krazy Kart races, Mini Golf Scramble, Bike Safety Track and half price day passes. The Y also will host preliminary rounds of the Kwickest Kool-Aid Drinking Contest on Friday evening with finals held on the downtown stage on Saturday. The area in and around the City Auditorium will be packed with rides, entertainment and events on Saturday, August 12. Everything will kick off with the official opening ceremonies at 9:30 a.m., featuring celebrities and Kool-Aid Man pouring the first glass at the World’s Largest Kool-Aid Stand. The giant inflatables are even bigger and better this year, including a Titanic Gigantic slide and a K2 Obstacle Course with a 25-foot climbing and repelling wall. A Nebraska Arts Council grant will allow the festival to present renowned family entertainer David Marsh, in two 45-minute shows as part of a day full of entertainment on the downtown stage. Mr. Marsh plays more than a dozen instruments and presents music particularly suited to children and their parents. The Nebraska Freemasons will present their free Child Identification Program (CHIP) in the Masonic Center all day Saturday. The Kool-Aid Days Trolley will be back with an even longer route on Saturday connecting all the events–and with an interpretive guide on board telling the stories behind the Kool-Aid Building and other downtown historic sites.

The Trolley will run on Saturday night to transport concert-goers from overflow parking lots, and on Sunday to carry attendees from the Museum to Lake Hastings events, the Fun in the Sun Car Show at Pastime Lanes, and overflow parking at Hastings High School. The Hastings City Parks and Recreation Department is sponsoring a Flying Disc Golf Tournament on its course on the shores of Lake Hastings on Sunday morning, August 13. For the first time in the festival's nine years, the Hastings Museum will be open and free to the public, Sunday, August 13, and will host a "Nebraska Creates" entrepreneurial festival to celebrate Edwin Perkins’ leadership in creating original products in Nebraska.

Fun for "kids" of all ages

"We’ve included new events in the expanded Kool-Aid Days to appeal to every family member, regardless of age," said Kottwitz. "We want families from all over the region to come back year after year and find something new that appeals to them every time they return. That’s really what Kool-Aid Days are all about – fun for everyone!" Kottwitz also said that preparations are already underway for next year’s 10th anniversary celebration. "It’s going to be a huge blowout–with a lot of surprises and celebrities to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Kool-Aid Days and 80th birthday of Kool-Aid."

Complete information on all of the Kool-Aid Days events, the history of Kool-Aid, and links to many other Kool-Aid resources can be found at the festival’s website: http://www.Kool-AidDays.com

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: A special section of the Kool-Aid Days website includes resources for the press, including high-resolution photos of the festival and performers, the text of press releases, and Kool-Aid and Kool-Aid Days graphics. You will find it at the bottom of the main menu on the left side of any page of the www.Kool-AidDays.com website.

FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Randal L Kottwitz, Executive Director

Kool-Aid Days & Nebraska's Official Soft Drink Heritage Foundation

301 S. Burlington Avenue

Hastings, NE 68901

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http://www.kool-aiddays.com

(402) 461-8405