Episode 48 : Live From Riverfest

Send us Fan MailSo THIS Happened went live. Like, actually live. Main Stage at Wichita Riverfest live. Episode 48 is Jen and Rachel recording in real time on the Main Stage at Wichita Riverfest 2026 — in front of a real crowd, with wine in hand, the wind trying its absolute best to ruin the vibe, and DJ Panda on hype duty. It did not disappoint. We played This or That with the crowd (Riverfest edition — festival food, outfit planning, local vs. national acts), dove into some of our favorite Riverfest memories, talked about what we'd already been up to Friday and Saturday, and giggled through Trend Decoder — because a live audience watching Rachel guess internet trends cold is exactly as chaotic as it sounds. 🎲 THIS OR THAT — RIVERFEST EDITION The crowd played along this week — DJ Panda held it down from the booth while Jen and Rachel revealed their answers and let the audience weigh in. A few standout moments: Front of the crowd vs. back by the bar — turns out it's a both/and situation and nobody is sorryLocal Wichita act vs. national headliner — unanimous local love (very on-brand for this show)Corn dog vs. funnel cake — deeply personal, surprisingly divisive, and both are correctFestival outfit planned for weeks vs. threw it together this morning — the crowd overwhelmingly grabbed what they could find, and we respect itDocument everything for the 'gram vs. put the phone down and live in it — turns out Broadway In Wichita taught Jen how to be present, and Rachel just trusts Jen to get the shot 🎡 RIVERFEST MEMORIES & THIS WEEKEND The conversation got good fast. A few highlights: Rachel's most vivid Riverfest memory: snow cones with Jen and the boys back around 2018, Century II, hot and sunny, outfits sourced from Von Maur the day before. Some things never change.Rachel's childhood memory: watching the hot air balloons launch at night with her dad — and the fact that she's still hoping to catch them this year (weather permitting, which, it has not been).Jen's chapter as the official Riverfest livestreamer — the backstage access, the deeper love for the festival it created, and the moment she arrived at the VIP dinner thinking Tim wasn't coming... and he was already there. Waiting. Having conspired with Julie to pull off a full surprise. There is a GIF. It lives forever.The $25 giant margarita situation: Brittany at the bar turned them onto the Una Vida Tequila margaritas with refills for the rest of Riverfest. They are going back immediately after recording.The Schooner Mates, Admiral Windwagon, the food court at the brick of fries, the Korean corn dogs — Riverfest is well-represented in this episode. Big takeaway of this year's fest so far: more collaboration, more community showing up for each other — and that is exactly what this podcast is about. 📱 TREND DECODER Rachel's Trend Decoder has returned by popular demand — specifically because Tracy from Oklahoma City mentioned it at lunch, and that was all it took. Welcome back, chaos. TREND 1 — "Can We Reschedule?"Creators pretend to receive a text cancelling plans, fake disappointment, then cut to themselves already in comfy clothes at home — relieved they don't have to go out. Rachel immediately said "cat on your lap" and "we do this all the time" and earned herself a hard-fought point. She was correct in spirit. One point awarded. TREND 2 — "Watch My Body Change"Creators use hooks like "watch my body change after giving up ____" to tease a big wellness transformation — but the reveal is them looking tired, sad, and completely over it. Rachel went deep fried pickles → food belly → Ozempic → habits → no progress, and landed basically right at the end. A point and a half. Very generous. She earned it. Running score: Rachel is getting better at this. She said so herself. We believe her. 🥂 BEFORE YOU GO One-year anniversary party is HAPPENING — July 12th at Bubbles Champagne Bar, presented by Vu Events. Watch our socials for details coming soon.Episode 50 is right around the corner. It's happening.Merch is live — Uncorked & Slightly Unhinged and Messy Is My Polished available at https://www.bonfire.com/store/so-this-happened-store/. 10% of profits from Messy is My Polished merch goes to Ballet Wichita.Find us on Spotify, YouTube, and Instagram @sothishappened_podcast. Or honestly just find us out in the city — we're not hard to spot. This episode is brought to you by Vu Events — the Sip Squad Sponsor making the magic happen, including our upcoming one-year anniversary party. Thank you, Vu Events. We love you almost as much as we love those Una Vida margaritas. So THIS happened.Support the show