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UI’s 30th annual Riverfest returning to its roots

By Loren Keller

The University of Iowa’s annual spring celebration centering on the Iowa River is returning to its roots this year as it marks its 30th anniversary with three days of music, food and fun beginning Friday afternoon.

“Last year they focused on the carnival and this year we’ve going back to the roots of it,” says Riverfest publicist Jess Noelck. “When the festival started back in 1978 it was primarily a battle of the bands, hanging out listening to music, good food – we tried to bring that idea back in it this year.”

Non-UI students are welcome though most of the 4,500 expected to attend will be students, Noelck said.

This year’s main event will be a new one: the “Last Lecture” from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the IMU River Terrace, which includes a free dinner for UI seniors. Craig Just, a UI professor in civil and environmental engineering voted favorite instructor by the UI student body, will deliver a talk titled “Life as a Hawkeye Alum Will Be Just Like Guitar Hero.”

“I don’t know if that’s good or if that’s bad but it’s definitely catchy,” says Shannon Thomas, assistant director of alumni programs at the UI Alumni Association. “I think his talk is going to be really dynamic.”

Thomas says Just is “beloved by the students, and that’s not too strong a word to use with him.”

Just serves as advisor for the student group Engineers for a Sustainable World and has created a program to take students to Haiti and Mexico, usually during spring break. In Mexico, Just and his students have focused on improving the water quality for a town on a river polluted by an upstream coffee plant.

“He is really well known for going above and beyond his academic responsibilities,” Thomas says. “He’s really made a big difference in not only the lives of his students but also those around the world.

Riverfest founder Sheldon Schur, who came up with the idea 30 years ago when he was part of UI student government, will also be on hand to speak before Just delivers the “Last Lecture.”

“He was in Hubbard Park one day with his friends, and he didn’t understand why Iowa State had Veishea and why the University of Iowa didn’t have a spring celebration,” Noelck says.

But Riverfest won’t be all talk -- as usual there will be plenty of music.

The celebration begins at 4 p.m. Friday on the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU) River Terrace with the hypnotist Frankie Z followed by local rock ensemble Ephraim Zenh. Four Word Cause, who won the battle of the bands at Iowa State University's Veishea 2008 celebration, will perform at 7 p.m.

The headliner band for Riverfest is QuietDrive, performing at 9 p.m. Friday in the IMU Main Lounge. The Minneapolis-based band is best known for its top 40 cover of "Time After Time."

RiverFest events will continue at 11 a.m. Saturday around the IMU River Terrace with attractions including a rock-climbing wall, gladiator joust and fishing tournament. Local bands set to perform include Uniphonics, Hunab, Minus Six, BackDrop and The Critical Hour. Local vendors Abel's Catering, American Concessions, Aladdin Gyros, and Craig Weir Concessions will provide food at “Taste of RiverFest” throughout the weekend.

All RiverFest events and attractions are free and open to the public. Hours are 4 to 11 p.m. Friday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday. For more information and a complete schedule, visit the Riverfest web site.

The Riverbank Art Fair will take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday on the Canoe House Lawn south of Hancher Auditorium on the UI campus. Admission to the show is free to the public. Shows will continue rain or shine.

Presented by the UI Fine Arts Council, the fair will feature more than 70 artists exhibiting and selling original works in painting, ceramics, photography, woodworking, drawing, jewelry, metal and fiber. Artists from all over the Midwest apply and are selected through a jury process to exhibit and sell fine art at the fair.

The weekend will wrap up with RiverRun on Sunday, featuring a 5K and 10K race. Participants can run, walk, or wheelchair the course. The 5K and 10K races both begin at 9 a.m. on the corner of Iowa Avenue and Madison Street, with the courses winding through campus parallel to the Iowa River. Proceeds from the race will benefit Uptown Bill's Small Mall of Iowa City. Runners may register the day of the race from 6:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. in the IMU Main Lounge, or prior to the day online.

RiverRun will have a Team Theme Competition. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams who dress in a costume best related to their team's name. Other activities include a 5K Team Competition, Children's 50-yard Hawkeye Hustle at 10:30 a.m. at Hubbard Park, and Fitness Fair from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Hubbard Park. For more information visit the RiverRun web site.