About 15 miles south of Iowa City, Iowa, there's a little town called Riverside, which has declared itself the "future birthplace of Captain Kirk." Roadsideamerica.com explains:
Riverside is where interstate 380 ends and "the Trek Begins," or so says a sign as you exit. James T. Kirk, captain of the starship Enterprise, will be born here on March 21, 2233. A concrete blob behind a former barber shop marks the spot for present (and future) fans. Riverside wanted to put up a bronze James T. Kirk bust, but Paramount wanted $40K to license the image. Instead, a scale model of the "USS Riverside," which bears a remarkable (but not legally indemnible) resemblance to the USS Enterprise, is docked in the town square...Sharp-eyed residents, knowing they've got a good thing, have changed Riverside's summertime "Riverfest" to "Trek Fest."
a quote from the Iowa City paper:
"On Tuesday evening they revealed that their film project in Riverside -- the self-proclaimed and now studio-sanctioned birthplace of Captain Kirk -- was a big hoax. A prank. An April Fools' joke pulled in autumn. Shatner quickly ameliorated the nearly 1,000 residents of Riverside with a $100,000 check for community betterment, as if money always makes everything all right."
