By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Organized by the Kansas Department of Education for a number of years, the Sunflower Summer app was designed to get citizens to explore Kansas with free tickets to several attractions. Kansas Tourism took over the operation of the app this year and saw great numbers make use of the app at museums, waterparks, zoos and other destinations across the state.
Great Bend Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Christina Hayes said the Great Bend Wetlands Waterpark received several positive Google reviews this summer from out-of-town visitors.
"Reviews included 'I love this waterpark,'" said Hayes. "It's my first time here but it won't be my last. Very good...my kids loved it...they met very nice lifeguards. Lots of great slides and well staffed. They have concessions and they are very reasonable and the price of admission is reasonable as well...will totally return."
The online app was available to all Kansas families with students pre-K through 12th grade and was open through Aug. 11. Users checking in with the app were given free admission and then the Kansas Department of Commerce reimbursed the attraction.
The waterpark in Great Bend received nearly $9,000 this summer from patrons using the app.
"If you have a chance to speak to legislators, you really have to push to keep the Sunflower Summer app because it is not budgeted for next year," said Hayes. "Kansas Tourism used all of the 2024 and 2025 allocation to make this app work this summer. It's going to cost significant amounts to continue this."
Along with the waterpark, the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo and Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC) were listed on the Sunflower Summer app. Despite being free attractions already, each entity was given $5 for each person that checked in via the app. The zoo was awarded $1,180. KWEC had nearly 600 people check in with the app.