Being an adult can be hard. Have you ever wished you could shirk responsibility for a day and go on a giant Slip-and-Slide instead? This Sunday, you can.
Slide the City, a business that brings a 1,000 foot slip-and-slide to various cities in the U.S., is coming to Fayetteville for the first Dickson Street Slide.
FAQ
Dickson Street Slide
WHEN — 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday
WHERE — Dickson Street in Fayetteville
COST — $27.50 for one slide, $42.50 for three or $62.50 unlimited
INFO — slidethecity.com/ev…
All day Sunday, Dickson Street will be blocked off to make room for the three-lane sliding runway that will span from Church Avenue to West Avenue. About 5,000 participants and many more spectators are anticipated for the festival-like event.
"Dickson Street is a great location [not only] because it's a party street, downtown and a great place ... but because having a hill helps," says Emily Sanchez, Slide the City event coordinator. "With a 1,000 foot slide, the only momentum otherwise is your body, so you need gravity working for you."
A steady stream of water will keep the approximate minute and a half journey comfortable, with no dry spots to trip you up, and large inflatable arches and hoses misting the runway will add to it.
If coasting belly-down Dickson Street in a bathing suit makes you think twice, Sanchez says, you're not the only one. But the fun return is just too great to worry about it.
"It's a fun experience, out of your normal day-to-day [routine]," she says, speaking from experience. "[At first] you might think it's crazy to get on a giant slide, but you can really surprise yourself. If you think 'Oh, it'll be OK,' then you're smiling the whole way down."
Sliders can purchase tickets that allow them to slide once, three times or multiples. With thousands of people angling to get their turn, there are a few ways Slide the City and its event partner, the nonprofit organization Soldier On Service Dogs, will keep things straight.
The day is divided into two sessions -- a day session from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., which appeals mainly to families and folks with smaller children, and an evening session from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. that is more enticing for young adults.
"The sessions help ... so lines don't get crazy," says Sanchez, who anticipates the afternoon as peak hours and estimates 30- to 45-minute waits as the worst case scenario. "Adults are actually worse [about fighting over who gets to go next]."
Most ages are welcome; for safety reasons, participants must be 5 or older. No "lap riders" are allowed. "It's about body strength," she says. "They have to be old enough to slide by themselves."
During the 30 minute break between sessions there will be a "Celebrity Slide Off," featuring Marvin Gaston, Jeff Long of UA Athletics against the Razorback mascot, UA Basketball Coach Mike Anderson, John Roberts, CEO of J.B. Hunt, Todd Hanus, senior vice president of Sam's Club, Tom Pagnozzi and Wiley Elliott of Celebrate Arkansas Magazine.
Staff and volunteers at the entrance to the top of the slide ensure proper spacing between sliders' takeoffs -- not unlike amusement parks and fairgrounds. The cost of sliding includes an inner tube, but sliders are welcome to bring their own just for fun.
"We encourage people to bring their own crazy inner tube," Sanchez says. "We've seen lots of doughnuts, swans and all kinds of animals. Basically anything you can bring in a pool. ... We love it when people get creative."
Soldier On Service Dogs is providing 250 volunteers to make the day go more smoothly.
"We tell our volunteers their only real responsibility is to be fun," says Angie Pratt, director of Soldier On. The 250 volunteers and 50 vendor booths (30 nonprofits and 20 businesses) will provide face painting, comedic entertainment and sprayed sunscreen touch-ups. Paul Mitchell stylists will be at the end of the slide providing hair drying "blow outs" for a $5 donation.
In turn, Slide the City will make a donation to the nonprofit.
"We pick a different nonprofit [to partner with] in each city," Sanchez says. "We've done some national organizations, like March of Dimes, but it's nice to find a local one we can donate to."
Helping organize the event has meant good growth for the budding organization that provides veterans who have PTSD with a service dog.
"We're like a fairy tale," Pratt says. "Three-fourths of our [Slide the City] volunteers didn't know we existed four, five months ago. But the people here really care and want to help ... the community."
Sliders can also donate a portion of their ticket price to the organization by using the promo code "dogs" while purchasing online, or by buying any number of Soldier On T-shirts, water guns, umbrella hats and waterproof cell phone holders the day of the event.
Sunday's weather is predicted at a high of 86 degrees.
NAN What's Up on 08/28/2015