By Quentin Yarolem
A new festival celebrating Iowa heritage will début in Iowa City this weekend.
The Little Festival of Iowa Legends will take place Saturday. The event will start at 7 p.m., and is scheduled to run until 9 p.m. in the Old Capitol Museum Senate Chamber.
The festival is free and will feature six readings of short plays that depict local Iowa legends, lore, and history. The plays are all written, directed, and performed by local artists, including the three cofounders, Micah Ariel James, Nina Morrison, and Sam Collier.
This is the first year for the event, and James hopes it becomes an annual tradition.
“It’d be great to bring something similar to this back in the future,” he said.
While the event is designed to give families a night of fun and relaxation, it also sports an educational element. James is passionate about the importance of passing down Iowa history and legends.
“I approach it artistically,” he said. “It’s something where students will be able to explore what has gone on in Iowa historically through the legends and lore. It’s important to give students the opportunity to explore.”
People will not only be able to learn about the history of Iowa, they will also be able to use their imagination to help create the scenery and setting of the plays.
Introducing children to the art of theater is another important facet of the event. James strongly believes in the benefits of interactive learning through theater as opposed to reading or lectures.
“I think it is good to have balance,” he said. “It is one thing to go through a history book and say, ‘These are the things that happened. These are the dates, the times, the places, the people who were involved,’ and it’s another thing to say, ‘Here’s an important place; why don’t you take the time and imagine what happened here?’ ”
Perspective is a topic that keeps being brought up in the festival. The idea is to give people a means of understanding how life was like in the past and how life has changed over the years.
“If you live in Iowa City, you don’t necessarily know what life is like in Fairfield,” James said.
The event is designed to get children interested in art and interested in history. It is often said history is taught in order to learn from the past mistakes and to make the future a better place, and it seems as if that message resides at the core of the event.
“I’m a big believer in the power of the arts to change things,” James said. “I really believe in the arts to help children express themselves, to help them see perspectives that they haven’t.