A group of Woodford County High School students is taking a lesson in local activism to the streets of Versailles this month, with hopes of igniting downtown energy though their own newly organized festival, Spark Versailles.
The name symbolizes what the young organizers hope occurs in Versailles – “a powerful, new force for downtown,” said Adrian Teegarden, Woodford County High senior and member of the advanced placement class Community Activism, where the festival idea was hatched. Teegarden calls it a different kind of classroom experience in which students work with local politicians and property owners “to get something done in our town,” she said.
The festival, to be held April 17-19, will feature food trucks, displays, a variety of music, vendors and more, but Teegarden hopes it goes beyond the predictable “tents, barbecue and kettle corn.” She hopes to see 5,000 to 7,000 people from Woodford and surrounding counties attend the event.
“I was excited about the idea but was skeptical at first,” said Versailles’ Mayor Brian Traugott, who thought the festival would be tough to pull off . “I don’t think there has ever been an event-planning situation like this.”
That was before Traugott met with the activism class.
“That is about the most impressive group of kids that I have ever seen. They seem to have their stuff together,” he said. “This is exactly what Versailles needs — the energy of these young people.”
The class divided into committees to focus on tasks ranging from site selection to public relations. Students have handled all aspects of festival preparation, ranging from the construction of seating from upcycled wooden pallets to the development of the festival logo, which was designed by Woodford County High senior Tristian Easley. They have posted their planning process on the festival’s website, www. sparkversailles.com, along with updates on their progress and available sponsorship opportunities.
The event has been developed solely by the student group and is neither officially sponsored nor sanctioned by the City of Versailles or the Woodford County Chamber of Commerce. Don Vizi, executive director of the Chamber, said that prior to planning the festival, the students volunteered their time on Chamber projects and also took an active role during the development of Versailles strategic plan.
Vizi said the students followed government procedures in applying for street closings, insurance, public restrooms and other necessities. They also gained permission to use two empty buildings at the corner Lexington Road and Main Street. Teegarden said the students plan to showcase these vacant properties and others in hopes that a business owner or developer at the festival might become interested in them.
“I’ve been very impressed with them. They’ve asked a lot of good questions,” said Bart Miller, the Versailles public works director. “I know the mayor is interested in getting more young people involved in the community and events.”
Traugott commended the high school students’ teacher, Kyle Fannin, for “letting them sink or swim on their own. But I think they’ll swim for the most part.” The community will find out in mid-April.
“If it shows promise this year, we’ll learn some things about how to do it better next year,” Traugott said.