TrekFest marks silver anniversary

Izem Simsek and her dad, Emrah, didn't want to just watch the01/906280317/1079"Star Trek" stars pass them by.

So as the original "Star Trek" stars -- special guests at this year's 25th annual TrekFest in Riverside -- made their way down the parade route, so did the Simseks.

"They saw us more than once," said Izem, 13. "It was so cool because they were like, 'We saw you back there.'"

The dad and daughter duo from Ames said they both are "Star Trek" fans.

"It's genetic," Emrah Simsek said.

"I'm glad these people came," Izem Simsek said. George Takei (who starred as Hikaru Sulu), Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) and Walter Koenig (Pavel Chekov) were part of this year's TrekFest, judging the costume contest, participating in a Q&A and meeting fans during an autograph and photo session Saturday.

Izem and Emrah Simsek said they both had hoped to see a star from the new "Star Trek" film, released in May. Riverside is mentioned by name in the new film.

Steve Miller, a former Riverside city councilor and grand marshal of this year's parade, came up with the suggestion of Riverside becoming the future birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk after "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry noted in his book that Kirk's birthplace would be a small town in Iowa.

The council voted 25 years ago this month decreeing the town Kirk's future birthplace, and the town's annual Riverfest officially changed to TrekFest to honor the town's favorite unborn son.

A family love of "Star Trek" also brought the four Roberts sisters -- Robyn, Rose, Jill and Holly -- from Mishawaka, Ind., to this year's TrekFest.

"We've been Trekkies since we were like 10 years old," Robyn Roberts said. She said their parents taped all the original episodes, and the sisters watched them together all in one summer. The sisters came in shirts they made to look like Starfleet uniforms.

"I like the sense of adventure of the episodes," Jill Roberts said. "They already have the technology to go where they want ... In real life, we're pretty much still stuck in low Earth orbit."

Dennis Cox and Adrienne LeBlanc also came in character -- Klingons Lord Kheyl and Lady Khidri of the ship IKV Phantom Cat. Numerous people asked if they could take their picture or be in a photo with them as they walked around before the parade.

They said this was their second time at TrekFest but first in full Imperial uniform.

"We like 'Star Trek,' we like 'Star Wars,'" Cox said. "We like costumes, mainly."

"It's the unity of fandom that gives us all joy and happiness in life," he said.

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