When J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot launched last month, I wrote about my lifelong Trek experience, including in the mid '80s when Riverside, Iowa--just a few miles down the road from my own hometown--declared itself the future birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk in 2228. Inspired by an offhand mention by series creator Gene Roddenberry in The Making of Star Trek book (that Kirk was born in Iowa) and led by Steve Miller, the town elders contacted Roddenberry's people and got the official go-ahead.
(It turns out, the greatest hero of the Federation and Starfleet will be born in the empty lot behind a small former barber shop. The new film does, alas, remove the "birth" part of the place--in the
new continuity young Jim Kirk is born in space but still
grows up raising hell in Riverside.)

A few years later, Riverside began holding its annual TrekFest the last weekend in June and has continued to host TrekFests every year now for several decades. Of course this was a very big year--Abrams' successful feature film reboot has Star Trek back in the public's eye, spawning a new generation of fans, and removing some of the (both fair and unfair) geek tint from loving Trek.
Plus, this year saw the Fest pony up the dough to bring in some of its biggest Trek stars so far: George Takei (Sulu), past Fest attendee Walter Koenig (Chekov), and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura). As a result, it's believed Riverside's TrekFest had its biggest attendance numbers this year.
(No, the original James T. Kirk, William Shatner, has never attended the actual TrekFest proceedings. As I noted in my piece last month, the Shat did drop by Riverside a few years ago as part of a SpikeTV reality show hoax called Invasion: Iowa, which is now finally available on DVD. Also, none of the new Trek film stars have popped in...yet...)
Black-market phaser sales: "Okay now listen, I've filed the stun pin off this baby, so I'm not even supposed to be selling it. But I'm going to let you have it cheap. No waiting period, no paperwork..."
At TrekFest you can buy baked goods alongside tribbles, watch a talent show of Sparkle-Motion-esque dance routines or a costume contest that includes dozens of rubber Vulcan ears and half-naked green Orion slave girls. There was a pet show that sought to crown the animal that looked the most like Mr. Spock. Plus there was a demolition derby, a street dance with a party-rock cover band, and for the first time, a rodeo (tagged "Kirk's Stomping Grounds"). The parade featured, like all small-town Iowa parades, more Shriners than Vulcans, more tractors than tractor-beams.
The sentient Tractors of Orion, from the award-winning Trek episode "Who Plows the Star Fields?"
A few years ago, a big, new casino opened in Riverside and it's done a
lot to pump up the town's economy. But in fact, TrekFest has been
raising Riverside's spirit and pride for more than two decades now.
It's a totally goofy and fun thing, even when 90-plus degree
temperatures make wearing any sort of polyester--not to mention full
body costumes--a near-fatal error.
Klingons
on Parade. The male sports the rare Shades of Mauk-to 'Vor, gained from
killing a worthy foe in battle. The female appears to be holding either
a sno-cone or a fuzzy-tipped pen.
This was my first time stopping by TrekFest since I moved to Chicago more than a decade ago and I have to say, it truly warms my heart to see the festival still going strong, still embraced by even those Riversidians who couldn't care less about what my father used to mistakenly call "high sci crap." I've been to my fair share of small-town festivals, and a few comic-book conventions, and it's a hoot to see the two worlds mesh bemusingly and charmingly in the middle of June Iowa heat, surrounded by cornfields.
Join me over the jump for more photos!
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