VICTOR, Idaho — As Mayor of the City of Victor, Sue Muncaster is taking a holistic approach to what she called “some much-needed healing for the community.”
“There’s been a lot of divisiveness about the wastewater treatment plant, the resignation of the previous mayor and my nomination, Erica Linnell’s nomination, the AJ trail — and I really believe that getting everybody together offline and having fun together is the best thing for our community right now,” she said.
That idea eventually evolved into the first annual VictorFest, a free community party happening this Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. in Sherman Park. The fest will feature skateboarding, live music, contests and more.
Muncaster connected with Tim Eberly and Jeff Cominsky from the Victor Skate Park Foundation, who have been eyeing an opportunity for a proper Grand Opening since the tape came down and kids could drop into the bowl this past July. The skate park has since seen daily skaters.
“The Driggs skate park, from my understanding, sees the most traffic of any recreational space,” Cominsky told Buckrail as he described the enthusiasm for the skate park from the valley skate community and reinforced the demand for more alternative sport options.
Cominsky shared that a 9-foot granite ledge will be installed in the park, donated through Cannon Skate Shop in Idaho Falls. With plans to add more perimeter features in the coming spring, the momentum keeps dropping in.
The skate park’s final vision helps fill out all of the recreational opportunities planned for Sherman Park, which also includes a horseback riding arena, a baseball diamond, a dog park, a playground, a frisbee golf course, a pump park and a pathway that’s also groomed for Nordic skiing behind the Kotler Ice Arena. Nearly all those activities will be celebrated Friday as VictorFest spotlights Teton Valley’s best feature: community.
Bike activities on Friday include free bike safety checks from 4 to 6 p.m., Jump Jam registration at 4 p.m., the Jump Jam at 4:30 p.m., bike games at 5:15 p.m., and open “Bike With Us” time from 6 to 8 p.m. At the skatepark, open “Skate With Us” sessions begin at 4 p.m., Teton Juggler performs at 5 p.m., and the Best Skate Trick competition begins at 5:45 p.m., followed by open skating from 6 p.m. on.
Mountain Roots Education will host a foraged tea workshop, Second Act Thrift Store is bringing a photo booth alongside many others hosting games, adaptive sports and other hands-on activities. City of Victor Public Works and Teton County Fire District will host Touch-a-Truck from 4 to 6 p.m. Kids can also create “Mud Monsters” for the City’s septic truck to vacuum up during demonstrations.
“Jeff and Tim are really who attracted all of the bands and some of the beverage providers; they’ve really created the kind of stoke that I’m not able to do on my own,” Muncaster said.
The live music lineup offers the perfect pairing of garage rock and new wave for pump and skate park antics: Ditch Cat (on at 4:45 p.m.), the Sunday Killers (on at 5:45 p.m.) and Church Bats (on at 7 p.m.). High school outfit Parasomnia will make its debut with a short set at 4 p.m.
“It’s a great opportunity for these kids to experience a run of show,” said Cominsky. “And Mike from Sunday Killers has been helping them a lot.” With the assistance of Mike McGiboney, the budding rockers are learning to develop set lists, plan for load-in/out and other event considerations.
The laid-back, volunteer vibe wasn’t originally going to be an urban park party. Muncaster said she originally envisioned more of a harvest festival with farmers, but the alternative plan is shaping up to be the community get-together that Muncaster was searching for.
And some things are getting resurrected, like Shenanigans. Originally a Teton Valley Trails and Pathways program predating Mountain Bike the Tetons, Shenanigans were part of bike events hosted in Sherman Park and included things like adults riding tricycles and performing tricks like cycling backward.
Muncaster said most of everything at VictorFest is free, though some booths might have some items that are not. Funding support for VictorFest comes through the local option tax, “which is the lodging tax, essentially … that’s specifically to improve the quality of life and improvements in the city.”
One of the ways improvement occurs is through partnerships with the Victor nonprofits and an annual grant fund. Muncaster explained that park improvements are generally paid by a combination of grants, Impact Fees for capital improvements (paid by new developments), Local Option Taxes (paid by overnight visitors), private donations to non-profit partners, and the new Parks and Recreation District.
