A major hurdle in the process of sharing the story of John Wesley Powell has been cleared. ‘Let’s Go – A John Wesley Powell Story’ is the passion project of Vernal resident Jonathan Stearmer and the hurdle cleared is that after a two year process, all the songs for the production have been approved. Years ago, Stearmer began taking the John Wesley Powell journal with him anytime he and his family would explore areas on the Green or Colorado Rivers. In 2019, he realized the 150 year anniversary of John Wesley Powell’s famous expedition floating the Green and Colorado Rivers was approaching and he pitched the idea of holding a River Fest in celebration to his Uintah County co-workers who ran with it. Somewhere along the way, Steamer had the idea come to him that what the festival needed was a play about the life of Powell and, a theatre performer himself, of course it had to be a musical. Stearmer approached folk singer Alan Doyle about using his music in the production and Doyle got on board. Gaining rights to the songs, however, is a long, legal process that requires getting approval from many individuals. Hundreds of emails later and that is now a reality. While the musical will not be ready for this year’s celebration, all are encouraged to put the 2023 John Wesley Powell River Festival, being held July 27th through the 29th, on the calendar.
