PHOTO STORY: Annual Thrill On The Hill event makes a splash in Buchanan

Published 1:15 pm Friday, July 14, 2023

By Max Harden

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BUCHANAN — The City of Buchanan will be the place to beat the heat over the weekend.

For three days, the large hill that runs down Front St. towards downtown was transformed into what is one of the longest street-running water slides in the country. Locals brought their own tubes and slid down the hill. 

Tickets are $10 per day and $25 for the weekend and give attendees unlimited rides down the slide. Food vendors such as El Amigo Pepe and Woodstock Grill were on site and live music acts including The 1985 and PS Dump Your Girlfriend aim to delight those in attendance.

From 11 p.m. Saturday to 1 a.m. Sunday, Thrill on the Hill’s adult-only Midnight Run will begin.

“It’s a great time for the whole family,” said Buchanan Main Street Manager/Assistant Director of Community Development Ashley Regal. “Families camp out and watch their kids slide and they tire themselves out going down again, and again and again. Because of their ticket price, you can go down as many times as you want. We have concerts for older people and kids too are welcome to go. There’s really something for the whole family and you should definitely come out and see if for yourself.”

At more than 500 hundred feet long, the slide was constructed over a period of several days with more than 500 tons of sand, 20 truckloads of large concrete blocks, 5,000 square feet of plastic liner, a massive rubber base and even some recycled wrestling mats. 

The construction team included local contractor Affordable Asphalt, Buchanan Department of Public Works, and Buchanan Water and Cemetery Departments. The Buchanan Fire Department provided the water for the slide.

“They are a gift to this community for what they’re willing to do to make this happen,” Regal said. 

For Regal, the event serves as a fun message that the city supports the community.

“It means that our community knows that their city supports them in their quality of life,” Regal said. “Not just supporting basic infrastructure, but knowing that these kind of events contribute to loving the town you’re in because you get to see the people you know, you get to have a good time and that your community loves you, too. This is something that only a city that loves you back would do for you.”

The Thrill on The Hill schedule is as follows:

Friday

Noon – Open

4 p.m. – Three Shots

6:30 p.m. – Red Hot Voodoo

8:30 p.m. – The 1985

10 p.m. – Close

Saturday

10 a.m. – Open

Noon – DJ Big Perm

6:30 p.m. – The Tentakills

8:30 p.m. – PS Dump Your Boyfriend

10 p.m. – Hill Shut Down

11 p.m. – Adult Only Ride

1 a.m. – Close

Sunday

10 a.m. – Open

8 p.m. – Close

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