Powell. We have a lot to offer. The goal is to keep the charm of the town and don’t turn into Moab or Park City, but take the good things we can learn from them.” The Lunds discovered Helper like most people—on a road trip. “I saw the sign for the arts festival. And because I am a railroad buff I had known about Helper,” she says. They couple exited and fell in love with the town. It’s a common story. “We saw so much potential—like other people,” Tom says. “I’m an entrepreneur. I started thinking ‘what does the town need that is economically viable?” They asked questions, did some market research, and settled on opening the Castle Gate RV Park and Campground next spring. It was a concept that evolved from not having a place to stay whenever they came down for the annual Helper Arts, Music, and Film Festival. They bought an alfalfa field with sewer, electrical, and water hookups. The town is wired with fiber cable. “All the elements were there,” he says. Across the street at the Balance Rock Café, Matsuda meets with Kate Kilpatrick Miller, a painter who originally came to Helper for an art workshop. A year later she quit her job doing litigation support, paid off her debts, and moved to Helper to pursue art full-time. That was in 2012. And Kilpatrick Miller is still just as smitten with the town. “A draw for me was I could be a part of the community and feeling that I was making a difference,” she says. Kilpatrick Miller is involved with a local entrepreneurial accelerator group which meets weekly to help each other get past “the proverbial wall that’s in your way,” and connect each other to resources. The concept continues a thread emerging from an ongoing art project “The Faces of Helper” where she interviews residents and paints their portrait. With 45 interviews recorded, “the trend is people didn’t care if you were from Slovenia, China, or Poland, we took
care of each other,” Kilpatrick Miller says. As lunch arrives, Matsuda reflects on her own connection to the region. “I think it’s normal when you grow up to want to get out as fast as you can,” she says. “If we want our young people
to come back, we have to have a community where people want to live.” She looks out the window. Freshly installed sidewalk plaques read “Welcome friends” in 27 languages. The new saplings planted by volunteers sway slightly. “We built that,” she says.
Painter Kate Kilpatrick Miller fell in love with Helper and the ability to make an impact there.
“A draw for me was I could be a part of the community and feeling that I was making a difference,”
Kate Kilpatrick Miller
FALL 2018 I UTAHSTATE
39