So what’s in a name? How did Riverside get its name? Obvious, it is situated near a river. What about North Riverside? It happens to be north of Riverside.
We can only imagine the many towns sharing the name Riverside are also near rivers. There are towns named Riverside in California, Texas, Missouri and Kansas to name a few, presumably all located near rivers. The small town of Riverside, Mo., north of downtown Kansas City, boasts a population of 3,000 and is currently looking into revitalization of its downtown. Sound familiar? Maybe we can learn from their efforts.
The best (next to our Riverside) goes to Riverside, Iowa, south of Iowa City in rural Washington County on Highway 22 near the English River and, according to the 2000 census, has a population of 928.
While our Riverside reveres Olmsted, the Iowa Riversiders look up to James T. Kirk, captain of the Starship Enterprise as their claim to fame. Yes, I’m talking about the character portrayed by William Shatner.
According to Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek in his book “The Making of Star Trek,” Captain Kirk is scheduled to be born in Riverside, Iowa on March 22, 2233.
The fact was noted by a city councilman who had read the book, and from there it was history. The town sought and received Roddenberry’s permission to proclaim the town as the future birthplace and home of Kirk. Capitalizing on its “famous” son to be, the town has erected a stone monument and a wooden statue of Kirk behind the Riverside Area Community Club, the site of a former beauty shop. It is believed this will be the future Kirk homestead.
Originally the town wanted to have a statue of William Shatner as Kirk but a $40,000 licensing fee requested by Paramount Pictures put a damper on the project, hence the change in plans. A local bar and grill has a plaque under one of its pool tables, which leaves room for plenty of discussion.
Murphy’s Bar and Grille held a birthday party on March 22 in honor of Kirk. Needless to say, the guest of honor was not there, since he isn’t.
In deference to their future son to be the annual River Fest is now the Trek Fest, and will be held this year on the last weekend in June. If you decide to go you might want to go, pack appropriately as many visitors show up as their favorite Star Trek character.
While the fest may have a a new space-themed name, there will still be the all-time favorites-a demolition derby and the tractor and truck pull. It sounds like fun, honestly, but I don’t think it would play here.
Now if you can’t get to Riverside, Iowa but would still like a bit of the local flavor, for the mere sum of $3 you can purchase “Kirk Dirt” dug from the future birthplace. It’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping.
Has William Shatner (Captain Kirk) ever visited Riverside, Iowa? He sure did, in 2004. Shatner’s appearance was to learn the reaction a town would have if a sci-fi flick were to be filmed there, which wasn’t going to happen. We know what happens when a movie is shot in town-traffic is tied up and people mill around hoping to get discovered or see a real movie star.
So there you go, readers, something to brighten your day. You never know when Riverside, Iowa could be a trivia question or a Jeopardy answer. This is also good when there is a lull in the conversation!