April 23, 2024
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Oswego officials look for ways to stage popular community cultural events in 2021

Planning continuing for literary festival and LunaFest film festival

By Shea Lazansky

FILE PHOTO: Poetry, fiction and non-fiction authors set up shop in Oswego's Village Hall in September 2019 to sell their books and tell their stories to visitors at the eighth annual Oswego Literary Festival. The event featured authors, live readings and entertainment. (Shea Lazansky)

As area residents look forward to 2021 Village of Oswego officials remain hopeful they will be able to stage the village’s popular annual Oswego Literary Festival and LunaFest film festival safely amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic.

Hosted by the village’s cultural arts commission, the Oswego Literary Festival, or LitFest, is typically held at the end of September at Village Hall. It highlights local authors and authors from across Illinois. The event features readings, raffles, entertainment and other attractions for readers.

“LitFest is usually held at the end of September. Our department is currently working on developing an annual calendar of events, anticipating that many organizations in town will want to move some of their major events later in the year,” said Jenette Sturges, the village’s community engagement coordinator.

“We anticipate doing some virtual engagement with our authors and the Oswego community leading up to a fall event, but details are still emerging,” Sturges said

One of the other events the village is looking to hold this year is LunaFest.

A traveling short film festival, LunaFest features films written by, directed by and about women, to promote women in the film industry. The festival, typically held in February at Village Hall, also features entertainment, a market for handmade goods and discussions about the films.

“LunaFest will likely happen,” Sturges said, but not in February.

“We’re investigating lots of different options for how to present a LunaFest this year. However, the LunaFest organization extended last year’s season because of the pandemic, and that has pushed back the timeline for 2021′s LunaFest season,” she said.

“Once they have some more details worked out, we’ll be able to develop a presentation of LunaFest for the Oswego community,” Sturges added.

One possibility, she continued, includes a summer outdoor event similar to the village’s Movies in the Park series, including the “great extras that we usually have at LunaFest.”

“As you may have surmised, a lot of details are still up in the air, but our dedication to engaging Oswegoans with the film and literary arts is as strong as ever,” Sturges said. “In any case, Village of Oswego events held in 2021 will follow state and local guidelines to ensure the health and safety of our staff, patrons, and the entire Oswego community.”