In conversations with staff from the City of Hays in needs of theirs for the educational component of meeting their NPDES Phase II permit requirements, a water festival was mentioned as a great way to expose the community to water quality and environmental issues. The Mall of Hays was eager to partner with us along with the sponsors listed below.

Our celebration is held on a Saturday afternoon in the fall inside The Mall of Hays. The Mall provided tables, chairs, etc. at no charge for the event as they saw it as an opportunity to bring people in the mall for potential sales.

We were able to reach all ages of community residents with the variety of presentations. With The Mall being one of the few in Western Kansas, we also could capture individuals from other communities.

For us the biggest challenge was this was the first event of its type in Western Kansas so getting speakers excited to give up a Saturday was the biggest challenge. I hope that those that participated in 2005 saw the event as positive and will agree to participate in 2006.