Nostalgic curiosity lured me and two other aged local reporters to the Salina Art Cinema earlier this month to screen “4 Days in June,” a feature film on the Smoky Hill River Festival.
During the colorful, high-energy introduction enhanced by an amazing drumbeat, this old man perked up and paid attention. The beautiful documentary on a half-century of the outdoor Salina community’s signature celebration, proved pleasantly emotional, also more appetizing than my favorite treat of the Oakdale Park gatherings — those luscious frozen cheesecakes on a stick.
It is with high praise that I suggest everyone invade the cinema’s sanctity — 150 S. Santa Fe — sometime between July 10 and 15, and indulge in the addictive recollection. One suggestion is to bring a tissue to dab tears of happiness for what thousands have created.
FILI Creative captured the beauty of this yearly reunion full of “land rushes,” music, art, expression, and fun for all ages. It truly is an exposition of community, “common ground,” all from a joyous “walk in the park,” as the subtitle espouses.
During a time plagued by such divisive elements, you might just emerge from this film searching for someone to hug in downtown Salina. The messages of togetherness tended to soften my stubborn resolve of current events.
It made me proud to have written about chocolate-covered bacon, VIPs who patrolled Oakdale Park driving utility carts, on trash duty; the Salina executive Jamie Hall charged with providing portable potties; art from the over-zealous, outlandish, and those quiet souls capable of subtle brilliance, volunteering at First Treasures; and my favorite festival music by the Waifs, an Australian folk rock group.
This is a perfect place to praise the sand sculptures of Curt Krob and helpers.
Thanks should be unending for the quality insistence of founders and framers such as Martha Rhea, Lana Jordan, Sharon Benson, Brigid Hall and Karla Prickett, to columnist Gordon Fiedler’s exquisitely comedic daily prose plastered on the popular SJ morning pages. They included epic images. Hundreds of Salina Arts & Humanities staff, volunteers, sponsors and countless vendors, deserve much credit, much including Brad Anderson, Arts & Humanities’ passionate executive director.
Those are my memories. If you watch, expect to muster up your own memories of moments great and small.
I knew little or nothing about the Smoky Hill River Festival until we moved here in the spring of 1999, but as a local reporter, it didn’t take long to become well-versed on the event.
The three youngest of my siblings, who attended the Heart of America Basketball Camps at Kansas Wesleyan University during the late 1970s, spoke fondly of the gatherings in Oakdale Park.
They were correct, as I learned during early attempts to meld with Salina, Saline County, north-central and northwest Kansas, while the 20th century drew to a close.
Soon, our two young sons were hawking newspapers in Gatsby hats, and standing guard over the nearby newspaper parking lots while folks crowded the bridge walkway to the Oakdale paradise.
We did gigs as volunteers, toted lawn chairs, gorged ourselves on gourmet goodies, and felt welcome to Salina.
The Riverfest was, and still is, the town’s crown jewel. Being a quick study was a necessity as the local media used competitive juices to enhance coverage of the goings on in Oakdale, in print, by microphone and with moving pictures. With the park in the Salina Journal’s backyard, the location advantage was appreciated.
What made me most proud was volunteering with Journal colleagues in the First Treasures tent. The film donates significant footage to that festival feature, which is a source of personal pride. Thanks to Brigid Hall for the skilled orientation.
Perhaps most beautiful were the faces of people who gathered in their own sub-groups in portable chairs, as families, friends, former foes, and classmates.
All in all, what I saw on the screen was priceless. More is ahead, and I look forward to updates as Salina’s rich history evolves
The flick’s a good time, and smiles might persist until your face hurts.
Showings of the documentary at the Salina Art Cinema, 150 S. Santa Fe:
- 3 and 7 p.m. Friday, July 10
- 2 and 6 p.m. Saturday, July 11
- 2 and 6 p.m. Sunday, July 12
- 6:30 p.m. Monday, July 13
- 6:30 p.m. Tuesday July 14
- 6:30 p.m. Wednesday July 15
Tickets online: $13.25 ($11.25 for senior citizens and students)
Tickets at the cinema box office: $10.77 ($8.97 for seniors and students)
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Tim Unruh is a longtime journalist from central Kansas primarily focusing on agriculture, lifestyle, and the human condition.
