Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit

04/26/2026

04/26/2026

We like to celebrate Chuck in style!
Check out this cake by Katie Cakes By Maggie LLC.
Thanks for stopping by KSN TV !

04/25/2026

Tomorrow’s the big day!

03/18/2026

📆 A year ago, our small grassroots organization was awed 🥹 and inspired 🙏🏻when this community rallied to ensure we won a Hometown Grant from EverEvergy
This year we would love to pay it forward ⏩ and bring home another grant to Wichita. 🏙️Help us in supporting ICT Food Rescue and showing once again the strength 💪🏻 and engagement 🫂 of our community!

Like 👍🏻 ICT Food Rescue’s logo picture in Evergy’s finalists post (https://www.facebook.com/share/19xw6gTiud/?mibextid=wwXIfr) and then share the post with friends! 📲

❗️Reminder, your like 👍🏻 only counts if it’s on Evergy’s original picture, not this post.

03/16/2026

🎉 We are incredibly grateful to The Good Life in Wichita by the Wichita Wagonmasters and the Wichita Foundation for this support and recognition. 🤝

🎁 This gift will have a positive impact on the Riverside Park Pagoda Project and the children educational programs we will host there! 📚✏️

You can help us finish the fundraising push with a gift 💵 via DonorBox or mailed check. ✉️

🔗 https://donorbox.org/riverside-pagoda-project
📬 P.O. Box 2593, Wichita, KS 67201

📢 This just in: Congratulations to the 30 recipients of The Good Life in Wichita by the Wichita Wagonmasters Fund at WF👏🎉

The 2025 Wagonmasters Downtown Chili Cook-off raised $30,000 to assist nonprofits. The total gift will be distributed to support various local programs such as youth programs, health and wellness services, food access efforts, educational resources, support for veterans and underserved populations and more.

🥳 A round of applause to: A Veterans Peace Foundation, Alzheimer's Association, Bike Walk Wichita, Camp David International, Inc., Child Advocacy Center of Sedgwick County, Club Parkinson's, Down Syndrome Society of Wichita, Elite Apprenticeship Academy , Freedom Hooves Therapeutic Riding Center, Friends of the Kansas Wildlife Exhibit, Girls on the Run Heart of Kansas, GraceMed Health Clinic, Guadalupe Clinic, Historic Wichita Cowtown, Holy Savior Catholic Academy, Hope 4 Da Hood, ICT Food Rescue, ICT S.O.S., Kansas Humane Society, Lexi's LAMB Foundation, Masters and Mentors: Youth Enrichment Strategies, Midwest Battle Buddies, Inc., Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors, Passageways, Ltd, Project Teacher, Ronald McDonald House Charities Wichita, United Methodist Open Door, Urban League of Kansas, Wichita Symphony Society and Wichita's Littlest Heroes

03/14/2026

Thanks to everyone who came out to help us celebrate Snakes of Parade! 🍀🐍🎉🐍🍀

Special thanks to Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview Wichita for having batteries and saving the day!

02/20/2026

🔨🧱Work on the pagoda has been chugging along thanks to recent spurts of lovely weather! ☀️ Lots has changed inside but our first step on the outside was to remove the metal finials from on top of the building. 🏗️

These unique features are unfortunately in far worse shape than we realized. ⛓️‍💥 They require specialized repair work which we are currently collecting estimates on. 💰

Unfortunately, these repairs will be very expensive and have increased the amount we need for remodels. We are committed to restoring the pagoda to its full splendor. ✨ You can help us realize this dream with monetary gifts to the Riverside Park Pagoda project. We can accept funds through the link below or mailed check. ✉️

🔗 https://donorbox.org/riverside-pagoda-project
📬 P.O. Box 2593, Wichita, KS 67201

01/24/2026

Snow fall can be unpredictable! That’s why we throw our own faux snowball fight every December!

Hidden in a tote amongst the rafters of Kansas Wildlife Exhibit rest around 300 microfiber, fully machine washable, snowballs. They make their appearance once a year, during that hazy week between Christmas and New Year’s.

Those snowballs are the hallmark of the annual Winter Wildlife Festivus extravaganza!

Chuck is, as always, the star of the show. During this event he and the other ambassadors allow Todd Volkmann the privilege of airing their grievances from the year!

The homemade cookies and hot chocolate add their own community magic.

Truly making this one of the most unique holiday traditions Wichita has to offer.

01/18/2026

If Todd Volkmann ever retires, he’ll probably walk out of Central Riverside Park as people scramble atop tables yelling “O Captain, my Captain!”.

I doubt any Animal Display Attendant has ever gone as far above and beyond the call as he has over the last six years.

Sometimes change happens in big sweeping ways, and sometimes it happens because a dedicated individual lovingly chooses a hill, starts working and just keeps pushing until things get better.

The hiring of Todd Volkmann heralded a new chapter in Central Riverside Park’s long history. When he took the wheel KWE was, as its name suggests, simply an exhibit, and, if we are being honest, it wasn’t always a terribly uplifting one.

His tenure began on the precipice of 2020. During Covid, Todd did it all by himself for a year, and during that year he expanded the holdings to include the indoor exhibit, launched the popular feeding time program, and took over the previously volunteer-maintained social media accounts.

It will surprise some of you, but not all of you, that 6 years ago Kansas Wildlife Exhibit didn’t have engagement numbers, feeding time wasn’t a scheduled program, no programs were scheduled and there was no indoor component. He really has restored an eclectic but neglected corner of the park into a unique and beloved destination.

Todd Volkmann, king of the unintentional side eye, Chuck’s favorite frenemy, the only man we’ve ever known who matches your snakes to your shirts, Grand Marshal of litter pick-up, popsicles and our hearts - thanks for all that you do!

01/15/2026

Animal care happens 365 days a year!

Which means staff at Kansas Wildlife Exhibit have to sacrifice some of their holiday time.

They choose to give us and the animal ambassadors something truly unique, a public way to celebrate free of charge.

Wichita is full of hidden gems, holidays in Central Riverside Park is definitely on that list.