Captain “Kirky” was unveiled Saturday afternoon at the Voyage Home Museum in Riverside during the 33rd Annual Trekfest. Photo by Sam McIntosh.
Another year is in the books for Riverside’s Trekfest and there were some new attractions with this year’s festival, from a reconstructed demolition derby pit, to the unveiling of the Captain “Kirky” Hawkeye statue at the Voyage Home Museum.
Trekfest Director Kevin Meller describes his post-Trekfest feelings, “Tired but happy. I think it turned out really well. You always have a couple hiccups, but we were able to blow through them, and really we had great turnout.”
With the high temperature in the mid-70s on Saturday, it was a cooler than desirable time for events like the kids water fights. Overall, Meller says turnout improved for events including the demolition derby and the 5K run. Meller mentions the feedback he received over the weekend, “A few town people flagged me down to tell me how much they enjoyed it this year. You know that was kind of our focus was to get the town back involved and help some other groups make money. It looked like that succeeded, and now we can continue to grow both sides of the event now that we have a stronger financial base.”
Meller and Marketing Director Lisa Skriver say they hope next year to book another solid lineup of bands and to get Star Trek celebrities to appear as well.