Joyeful One of a Kind Friday: Arts in the Park

Ok, I am going to brag a bit. I started a local arts festival in my town 15 years ago and it is going strong! I live in a small community outside Philly. 15 years ago, I had the idea of initiating an arts festival highlighting local artists and in turn raising money for the park it was located in. It was a resounding success and has gone on to be a highlight of our community’s calendar. What I am most proud of is how this fair has united our community. Religious, ethnic, young, and old come out for it. We mingle, talk, and have a general good time.
This is from their fall newsletter about the event: ‘Planning for the first AIP, held in May, began only in March. The late Marjorie Bayersdorfer, an advocate for restoring native vegetation to the park, approached a friend and local artist, Joye Schwartz, about holding an event in the nascent park. Joye suggested having a professional art exhibit on the grounds of the park, and organized the arts part of the festival. She notes that her artist friends agreed to exhibit there as a favor to her—a far cry from today, when artists pay to enter a jur- ied contest for a limited number of exhibit booths (about 50). In addition to the art show that first year, there were also a clown, enough food to keep attendees and volunteers fed (ice cream, pizza and lemonade), a plant sale, and that quintessential feature of fundraisers, a bake sale.’
Read more about Art in the Park.

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