Jennifer Flemings said she couldn’t break children’s hearts again.
Twice in the last five years, the Plum Creek Literacy Festival at Concordia University was canceled. The festival invited authors and illustrators to Seward to meet students and give presentations to students and teachers. Students looked forward with excitement to meeting them, and when the festival was canceled, hearts were broken.
Flemings, the media specialist at Seward Elementary, started talking to others about what could be done. Was there a way to start something new that would continue the literacy legacy Seward has become known for?
“We went from what if to why not,” she said.
And the Great Plains Literacy Festival was born.
“Seward has developed a reputation among children’s authors and illustrators for being a community that celebrates children’s boooks,” committee member Julie Owens said. “We didn’t want to lose the momentum.”
The name Great Plains Literacy Festival also looks ahead. Organizers hope to send illustrators and authors further into the Great Plains in the future.
With the success of the Plum Creek Literacy Festival, Seward has become “a magnet for a really exciting meeting of authors, illustrators and children,” Owens said.
“We want to keep the literacy spirit alive in Seward,” Flemings added.
Flemings said Plum Creek spread by word of mouth, with authors and illustrators recognizing the excitement in Seward and wanting to be part of that. After the festival was canceled last year, Flemings said, she wanted to help keep the tradition alive.
The name reflects the Seward area and Nebraska, Owens said.
They are planning a two-day festival covering schools in the Educational Service Unit 6, Milford, area. Parochial schools in the area will be invited to participate as well.
As the committee started talking about putting the event together, their excitement spread.
“People are so excited,” Flemings said. “We started looking for volunteers, and my inbox was flooded.”
It was daunting at first, Flemings said. But group members were able to cover all the necessary areas.
The first day of the festival, Wednesday, April 23, will focus on the Seward schools – Seward Elementary, Seward Middle, St. John Lutheran and St. Vincent de Paul.
Thursday, April 24, will see the presenters visiting other schools in the region. Thursday night will be a community event in Seward where parents can meet the presenters, as well. Orgzniers are hoping to have it downtown.
“We’re working with businesses to celebrate our town and how special it is,” Flemings said.
Flemings has asked the Seward and Centennial EdRising groups, as future teachers, to help lead the literacy events. She’d like to get retired teachers involved, too.
“With the family events, you bring in the younger kids, too,” Flemings said. “That encourages the love of literacy at a young age.”
Flemings said they’re excited about the community event, to see families make connections with the presenters.
The committee has been working on this since October. Organization kicked up a notch last month, and the last couple weeks have seen details fall into place, Owens said.
The fundraising has also come together. Owens said the festival is at 75-80%. They estimated $25,000 to stage the festival. Fundraising is being done through Seward County Bridges as a 501(c)3 organization, so it is tax-deductible.
Anyone who would like to donate should contact Bridges, Owens said.
The Seward County Visitors Bureau is planning to help with dinners. Drivers are lined up to transport the presenters from place to place, and they already have places to stay.
The presenter line-up has been finalized. Illustrators Vanessa Brantley Newton and Mike Lowery and authors Kirby Larson and Dusti Bowling will headline the event.
Brantley Newton has illustrated books like “Mister and Lady Day” and “Let Freedom Sing.” Lowery is known for “Random Illustrated Facts” and “The Everything Awesome” series.
Larson’s debut novel “Hattie Big Sky” won the Newbery Honor, and she has written the “Dogs of World War II” series. Bowling wrote “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” and “Across the Desert,” among other books.
Seward teachers spend time teaching about the illustrators and authors and the books they’ve worked on, Owens said, and that makes it even more exciting when those authors and illustrators visit.
Flemings said the visitors are treated like celebrities when they visit Seward Elementary, and that’s not a common occurance for them.
“A lot of them shared that it is special to feel that,” she said. “I’m glad we have a part in that. Everyone should feel special for a couple days.”
She said the authors are thrilled to see Seward continue to do something related to children’s literacy.
With this the first year, organizers didn’t want to bite off more than they could chew, Owens said. They decided to go with four presenters with the hope to expand in the future.
