Established in 2015, Blixt Locally Grown provides innovative programming, education, and high quality arts experiences to communities across Nebraska. Past projects include Winter Without Mama, The Dream Switch, and Captain Soapman. This is the third visit to Red Cloud for Blixt artists, who have led youth theater workshops at the Red Cloud Opera House since 2020.

Becky Boesen is a Nebraska-based playwright, lyricist, theatre artist, cultural consultant, speaker, coach, and community builder. Whether developing new work for the stage or working alongside communities to leverage local creative assets to build vibrant places, Boesen specializes in unleashing potential and possibilities through arts-based innovation. She is the author of the book and lyrics for three original musicals written alongside composer David von Kampen: Catherland, The Dream Switch, and Puddin' and the Grumble. She has also penned several plays which have seen multiple productions in Nebraska and beyond. Boesen also creates curricula and engagement programming in response to original artistic works that maximizes the impact of theatre as a catalyst for good. She is the iexecutive director and co-founder of a nonprofit, Blixt Locally Grown, and a consultant for Nebraska Community Foundation. Boesen was recognized by Lincoln Journal Star as a “Top 20 Under 40” business leader for her work in arts entrepreneurism and was recently honored nationally as a Chime Changemaker, is an NEA award recipient, and is a member of ASCAP and the Dramatists Guild of America.

Opened in 2018, the Valley Child Development Center offers first class childcare and education to families in Red Cloud and surrounding areas. The center cares children ages six weeks to twelve years old, and their services are guided by a philosophy that promotes each child’s positive self-image, independence, learning and development while supporting families’ diverse needs and interests. Each summer the Valley Child Development Center hosts week-long summer camps for children's educational and social enrichment while school is not in session.

Meggan Messersmith has been the executive director of the Valley Child Development Center since July of 2020. An elementary school teacher with a Master's degree in Administration, Meggan has been an asset to the center and the Red Cloud community, and she knows how to make learning fun for the children who attend the center.

Dr. Christopher M. Strickland is an artist, educator, creativity and educational consultant, as well as an autoethnographic and arts-based researcher. He holds a BFA in Fine Arts and Art Education from the University of Southern Maine, an MEd in Arts Integration, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Lesley University. Dr. Strickland taught K-12 visual arts education for sixteen years, was an Assistant Professor at Hastings College, holding a dual appointment in the First-Year Seminar program and Department of Visual Arts, and starting in the Fall of 2022 will be Assistant Professor in Art Education at the University of Nebraska Kearney.