Vestey Festival needs more volunteer participation in 23

“The Reel Story — Let the Memories Roll” is the tentative theme for Superior’s 2023 rendition of the Lady Vestey Victorian Festival.

The theme honors a former Vestey Festival chairman and one of Superior’s biggest boosters, the late Lew Hunter.

Hunter died earlier this month of COVID related complications. His cremains are being returned to his home area and many of his friends and family members are expected to be here for Memorial Weekend.

The plans are still coming together but the family plans a public dance in his honor that weekend and a showing of a documentary film about Hunter entitled, “Once in a Lew Moon.” The film was first shown here during the 2016 festival. It helps to explain who Lew Hunter was and his impact on the film industry.

A handful of festival supporters met in the Superior Chamber of Commerce office Monday to review past festivals and make plans for the 2023 festival. From now until the festival the planning committee will be meeting at least monthly.

From the conversation at that meeting, it was evident more helpers are needed if the festival is to continue and thrive. The Superior Chamber of Commerce office serves as festival coordinator but the chamber’s manager can not pull off a festival with out the help of many others.

Events from past festivals were discussed and the planners would like to bring many of those activities back for 2023 but volunteers are needed.

It was noted the original festival plan was not to entertain the people of Superior but for the people of Superior to showcase their town and entertain out-of-town visitors.

The festival date was picked to coincide with the annual Superior High School Alumni Banquet and Memorial Day activities at area cemeteries. At that time, it was thought people were returning to Superior for the weekend and would enjoy activities where they could meet and visit with others in the community for similar reasons. It was also hoped by scheduling it on a three-day weekend people without ties to the community would make the trip to Superior, to take in the festival and perhaps camp at Lovewell Lake.

However, since then, the Superior High School Alumni Association has dissolved and the annual Saturday night banquet is no longer held. Graduating classes still try to schedule reunions for that weekend but the community has a limited number of venues available to host the individual class gatherings.

Suggested committees that need members and chairmen include the Victorian Tea, historical tours and a multitude of games, contests and entertainment.

Among the ways all local residents can help create the festival atmosphere is by wearing Victorian costumes, entering the parade and attending the events.

We are only two years away from the 150th anniversary of the founding of Superior. It is time to start planning and organizing for that event. Neighboring communities who have already observed their 150th anniversary have set the bar high. We can use the 2023 and 2024 Vestey Victorian Festivals as training sessions.

After holding 30 some festivals, it is alarming to hear local residents say they have never attended or they always plan to be out-of-town at festival time.

The original organizers of the festival proposed the festivals as a way all local residents could help the community expand the local tourism industry and help recover from the loss of such major employers as the cement plant, cheese plant, alfalfa mill, serum plant and bottling works. Those companies all aided the local economy by producing or distributing products that brought in money from elsewhere. Each year Lovewell Lake brings thousands of dollars to Superior from outside. Properly promoted, Superior’s Victorian Heritage can do the same thing. The festival has won state awards and the Nebraska Legislature recognized the community’s Victorian heritage by naming it the Victorian Capital of Nebraska.

For a number of years, Lew Hunter, one of this year’s honorees, brought people to Superior to attend his screenwriting colonies. A number of his friends from around the world are expected to be in Superior for the festival and his memorial service.

Those visitors can be counted as tourists and will be responsible for the addition of many dollars to the local economy.

This week, Jason Tuller, a University of Nebraska at Lincoln extension agent responsible for community development, distributed to newspapers in his service area the following column about how rural communities can boost tourism. His thoughts align with the thoughts of the instigators of the first Vestey festivals.

If you would like to help with the festival, please convey your willingness along with what you would like to help with to the folks at the Superior Chamber of Commerce office.