Retired Wichita police captain Ken Atnip has been named as the 46th Admiral Windwagon Smith for the Wichita River Festival.

Atnip was welcomed by the previous year’s admiral, former Sedgwick County commissioner Tim Norton, during an event in downtown Wichita on Wednesday.   Atnip was piped aboard the Windwagon after the announcement.

Atnip has worked in investigations, the Special Community Action Team (SCAT) to combat drug and gang crimes, and he commanded the property crimes bureau before retiring after 33 years of service.  He has been a volunteer on the Riverfest Operations Team since the early 2000s and he served as general chair for Riverfest 2013.

Atnip will be the official ambassador for Riverfest, visiting children in local hospitals, speaking to civic organizations, and hosting dozens of events during the nine days of Riverfest from May 31st to June 8th.   He will be assisted by the Prairie Schooner Mates, high school juniors who were chosen by their schools to be youth representatives for Riverfest.