Have you heard? City Crew (formerly known as Barry’s Crew) is a completely FREE program for kids to join.
The City Crew, Barry the Bison, Beatrice, Sgt. Justice, Sparky, and Webster are looking forward to seeing you at awesome events around Wichita! Crew Members get invited to community sporting events, Dave and Buster’s, pool parties, Great Plains Nature Center, Watson Park, and a lot of other cool places you may have never been before.
The mascots know how important it is for kids to have fun, so we make it easy to join – it’s FREE!
About Wichita’s new City Crew Kids Club
The City Crew membership is FREE!
- The City Crew Membership Kit will include a lanyard and and Crew Member badge that will allow members free access to official City Crew events.
- To register, you must be 2-12 years old and want to have lots of fun in our big city.
- Some events will be exclusive to crew members, and others will be public. The public events will have added perks for City Crew members, like earning Barry’s Bucks.
- If you are a City Crew member and you attend an event you can earn Barry’s Bucks! Enter bucks into the drawing wheel for a chance to win cool prizes, awarded monthly.
How to Join Wichita’s City Crew Kids Club
To join the City Crew, parents can sign their kids up at the Wichita Park and Recreation website. You have to reregister each year, so make sure to Register for 2024:Click HERE to sign up for City Crew 2024.
Crew Members can pick up their Crew Kit by scheduling your pick-up time and location by contacting Barbara McGuire at bmcguire@wichita.gov or (316) 268-4192. The Crew Kit will include an official Crew Member badge and lanyard, a special events calendar, and more.
Upcoming Kids’ City Crew Events 2024:
Pedal the Park
- Saturday, April 20 from1-3pm
- Linwood Rec Center (1901 S Kansas St, Wichita, KS 67211)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
Put the pedal to the metal at this fun outdoor bicycle event! Make sure your bike and helmet are in good working order after a safety inspection from trained professionals. This will be important to do before you join an organized group bike and trike ride through the park. If you don’t have a bike, you can still enjoy participating in a bike rodeo with different stations and courses to help you learn the rules of the road and practice safe bicycle skills like starting, stopping, figure eights, and the paper boy throw. Stop by the bike decorating station to make your own streamers and other decorating projects and check out some unique bikes on display. You can also test your starting and stopping skills with a chance to win a bike-themed decorated cookie during a bike cakewalk. Meet at the baseball field parking lot north of the recreation center.
Keeper’s Birthday Party
- Saturday, May, 18 from Noon – 2pm
- Mid-American All-Indian Museum (650 N Seneca)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
It’s the Keeper of the Plains’ 50th birthday bash, and Crew Members are invited to help celebrate! A variety of activities like Native American performances, art exhibits and food trucks are open to the community throughout the day, but City Crew members will have a special make it & take it area just for you! Parking will be available at Exploration Place and then walk across the Keeper bridge to the party in the Mid-America All-Indian Center’s backyard. Check in at the City Crew booth to make a beaded necklace/bracelet along with a paper mosaic of both the Keeper of the Plains and the Wichita Flag. Then, take a break from the crafts to enjoy making a tasty edible fire pot snack. Finally, join in on a scavenger hunt! This party is sure to be a blast!
Fire Fighters in Training
- Saturday, June 15, 2024
- Time: 10 am-Noon
- Location: Fire Training Facility – 4746 E. 31st Street S.
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
City Crew members will experience what it’s like to be a firefighter at the Wichita Fire Department’s Fire Training Facility in northeast Wichita! Sparky and his fire crew will teach fire safety tips, along with the rest of the City Crew mascots. Kids will be able to explore the WFD fire training tower and better understand what to do during a real fire while in the MPEU (Mobile Prevention Experience Unit). The MPEU is a small version of a home that can simulate a fire by allowing smoke to come through the ceiling. Kids can learn first-hand when it’s time to evacuate, why smoke alarms are important and how to safely escape. Finally hop inside multiple fire apparatus and see the view from behind the wheel just like the fireman do!
Wild About Tennis
- July 13, 2024, from 10am-Noon
- Riverside Tennis Center (551 Nims)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
What do you get when you mix tennis and nature? You get a wildlife program that’s sure to be a grand slam! Crew Members will get the best of both worlds and will learn tennis racquet skills while engaged in fun wildlife games like catch a Tennis Fish or Feed the Opossum. Then, get up close and personal with a real opossum and get crafty making a tennis ball critter. Test out your prediction skills by guessing how many candies are in the tennis ball can, to win a one-hour group tennis lesson with a pro. Add snacks and a fun tennis bracelet giveaway for an event that will make you Wild about Tennis!
Family Fun Day
- August 10, 2024, from 10am-Noon
- OJ Watson Park (3022 S McLean Boulevard)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
A family day is always a great day when you’re playing in the great outdoors! Crew Members will get a kick playing tabletop carnival games like the mini hoop, horseshoes, and other toss games, along with other outdoor yard games such as giant connect 4 and giant checkers. Don’t forget to bounce over to the inflatables where everyone will be jumping for joy or cool off riding a pedal boat and enjoying a snow cone. The miniature train and mini golf will also be available for free, and door prizes will be given away throughout the day.
Color Run
- Saturday, September 14, from 9:30 am – 11:30 am
- Edgemoor Recreation Center (5815 E. 9th St)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
The Color Run is back by popular demand, so grab your white shirt, lace up your sneakers, and prepare to get color-bombed! This 1-mile outdoor Color Run is where living a healthy lifestyle meets with an explosion of color as runners are doused from head to toe in a different colored powder at various points along the way. Prior to the run, dash over to the activity area where Crew Members will enjoy an obstacle course, 9-square in the air, pickleball, and face painting. Be prepared to get soaking wet at the splash tower ball toss. An instructor-led warm-up begins at 10:20am, with the Color Run beginning at 10:30am. It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to finish as it’s all about the color! Rehydrate after the run with snow cones and healthy snacks or play some more games. Crew Members will receive a pair of sunglasses at check-in for extra eye protection, but don’t worry, as the color is non-toxic.
Fairy Tales & Fables
- Saturday, October 12, 2024 from 10 am-Noon
- Location: Advanced Learning Library
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
Once upon a time, City Crew Members stepped into fun and imaginative building where adventures awaited with their favorite fairy tale and fable characters. Crew Members were able to build Cinderella’s castle, try to knock down the homes of the Three Little Pigs, and read favorite stories at this magical event. The kids were also able to test their balance with the Three Billy Goats Gruff and see how nimble their fingers were with The Elves and the Shoemaker lacing activity. The Crew Members had fun creating a magical craft and, after a fun-filled afternoon, lived happily ever after.
Lego Quest
- November 16, 2024, from 2 pm – 4 pm
- Boston Recreation Center (6655 E. Zimmerly)
- Cost is FREE: Sign up to Join City Crew for FREE.
It’s time to hit the bricks… Lego Bricks that is! This quest, should you choose to accept it, will test your building skills with a variety of Lego challenges. Entertain yourself with individual challenges like building the tallest tower during the Sky-High Challenge and creating while blindfolded or join group collaboration challenges such as the Mixed Up Models or Fill the Base Plate activities. Kids can choose to play a variety of games such as the Lego ring toss, box toss, tic-tac-toe, spoon race, tongue tower and chopsticks relay. This ultimate Lego fan event wouldn’t be complete without some free play time to let your imagination run wild. Take creativity to a completely different level by making a custom brick hair clip, necklace or a one-of-a-kind art print.
Past Kids Crew Events:
Totally OZ-Some
Kick off your celebration of Kansas Day with this OZ-Some event! Crew Members will experience the rich history of Kansas with a range of activities, from a presentation of an animal native to Kansas to a craft project, storytime, and coloring pages highlighting important facts and symbols of our great state. Celebrating Kansas has never been so tasty with a Kansas themed cookie decorating station, then follow the yellow-brick road to a Wizard of Oz themed selfie station.
Time: 10 – Noon
Location: Atwater neighborhood Resource Center
Address: 2755 E 19th St N, Wichita, KS 67214
Cost: FREE for City Crew members
Related:
Kids Birthday Freebies
Free and Cheap Things for Kids to Do in Wichita
Kids Eat Free and Cheap
Wichita’s Kid-Friendly Attractions
