Star Trek’s Captain Janeway monument completes fundraising, will head to Indiana
A new monument to Captain Janeway is headed to her fictional birthplace of Bloomington, Indiana. Earlier this year, I told you about a crowdfunding campaign raising money for the monument, which would commemorate the fictional birth of Voyager’s captain, who was born in Bloomington on May 20th, in the early part of the 24th century. Now, an article in the Herald-Times Online out of Bloomington says that the campaign reached its goal, and the monument is expected to be unveiled in May 2020.
The crowdfunding campaign’s goal was $12,500, which is to be matched by Indiana Housing & Community Development. Peter Kazmarcyk, who led the campaign with his wife Mary Beth, said, “Since we announced we hit our goal, people just seem amazed that we pulled this off. [...] We’re not the first people who had this idea, but we’re the first ones who really carried it through.” He credits some of the campaign’s success to timing: 2020 is the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Voyager, and the monument will be a fitting commemoration.
According to the Herald-Times piece, “On May 23 — three days after Bloomington-native Janeway’s fictional birthday in the 24th century — a bust bearing the likeness of actress Kate Mulgrew will be unveiled in downtown Bloomington, thanks to many local partnerships and the permission of CBS. Included in the design is a limestone base in the shape of the Starfleet insignia; and an informational table with information about the USS Voyager captain, series writer and producer Jeri Taylor and their local connections. Taylor is also a Bloomington native and earned her bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in 1959.”
While Janeway’s birthday is said to be May 20th, unveiling the monument on the 23rd, a Saturday, will allow organizers to plan for more attendees, and for additional events throughout the week, tied in with the unveiling.
To keep up with the latest on the project, head to JanewayCollective.org, home of the Captain Janeway Bloomington Collective, the campaign’s organizers.
And a big thanks to Jason, for letting me know about this story.
