Letter: A beautiful weekend

To the Editor:

What a beautiful weekend for a community festival!

The Oswegoland Park District was delighted to host our 33rd year of PrairieFest. Families, neighbors, and friends found each other over the weekend and had a wonderful time.

Thank you to our integral partners at the Oswego Fire Protection District and the Oswego Police Department. Our close work with them over this festival weekend is a keen reminder of how fortunate our residents are to have their service.

A full weekend of free entertainment is not possible without sponsors. Many of our businesses returned to supporting the festival after a tough year of their own. We are so grateful to FNBO, HQC, Groot, Meijer, Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce, and the Oswego Brewing Company, for their Premier Partner support.

Part of being a community festival means the community helps host. I love our volunteers! Once a year I see Marty. He takes two vacation days from work to help out at PrairieFest. I also see Rodger, who has volunteered for 18 straight years. I catch up on the kids with Diane and Kennedy. I also meet tons of teenagers that will challenge the reputation of today’s youth. They are kind, respectful, and very hard working. These folks remind me of why I love living in this community.

Amy Poehler once said, “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life forever.” The staff at the Oswegoland Park District is beyond inspiring. This week they will return to their regular jobs coordinating youth sports, wrangling campers the pool, assisting you with registration, and hosting historical programming. They will make sure all of their tasks are done with professionalism and a smile. PrairieFest is both safe and amazing because of them.

Thank you to all of Oswegoland for having so much fun with us. PrairieFest is always a great way to kick off a wonderful summer. The Oswegoland Park District hopes you enjoy the rest of yours – and we’ll see you back at PrairieFest Park June 15-18, 2023.

Kristie Vest, CPRP

Oswegoland Park District

Superintendent of Events and Cultural Arts

Oswego