The Great Bend City Council will be asked to move the mud volleyball back to its original location in Veterans Memorial Park and eliminate the fireworks at this summer’s Party in the Park.
Community Coordinator Christina Hayes will explain the recommendation when the council meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18, at City Hall. The council normally meets on Mondays but this meeting was rescheduled because of President’s Day. Meetings are open to the public and are also livestreamed on the Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/gbcitycouncil/.
The Oozefest Mud Volleyball Tournament is a popular feature of Party in the Park, a day-long event on the second Saturday of August. The Party takes place at Vets Park, but last year the mud volleyball games were moved to the Expo fairgrounds west of town. This was done to make room for commercial exhibitors on the north side of the park. During a recent City Council work session on the topic, it was also mentioned that city employees were concerned that excessive mud might find its way into the new Splash Pad at the park and that could damage the water feature’s pump. However, the discussion also highlighted the popularity of Oozefest, and a desire to keep it in closer proximity to the rest of the party. The Expo grounds are 9 miles from Vets Park.
Other options discussed at the work session were to move the volleyball back to the park but locate the pits further west than in previous years, or to move it to a lot the City owns in the Amber Meadows subdivision next to the park.
On Tuesday the council will be asked to make a decision. According to the agenda, “Mud volleyball brings 1,000 to 2,000 extra people to the event and it really hurt the event to have it out at the Expo Grounds in 2024.”
The agenda also explains the other recommendations:
“Each year the City has spent $5,000 on a small firework display at Party in the Park. In order to save funds, this is an easy elimination from the event.” It notes there are at several other events that take place with small fireworks displays, such as the Great Bend Rec Commission’s nighttime Easter egg hunt and special Bat Cats baseball games, not to mention the City’s big show around the Fourth of July.
“If we do not have fireworks, that opens up the area for the day to have other activities instead of it being blocked off. Staff would like to have three bands play for the concert.”
Ladder truck for the fire department
Another item on Tuesday’s City Council agenda is the purchase of a new ladder truck for the Great Bend Fire Department. In the vehicle replacement rotation, the ladder truck was scheduled to be replaced this year. However, that purchase was delayed to allow more time to save money for a new one. Fire Chief Brent Smith has researched the options and will make a recommendation for a purchase from Hays Fire Equipment for a ladder truck to be delivered some time in 2026.
Tuesday’s agenda also calls for an executive session to discuss personnel matters.
