Charles City enjoys 51st Art-a-Fest

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

Artists and art lovers alike filled Central Park on Saturday, Aug. 17, as the Charles City Arts Council put on the 51st annual Art-a-Fest arts festival.

“The sun came out, the weather has been beautiful, and the crowd has been lovely,” said Charles City Arts Center Director Emily Kiewel. “It’s really good that we’re drawing people from far away.”

This year’s festival featured 42 artists, six food vendors, regulars from the farmers market, kids activities, and live music throughout the morning and afternoon. With artists coming from as far as Georgia to set up for the show, there was plenty to see. Paintings, pottery, jewelry, and more were on display for the browsing – and purchasing – as art lovers perused the vendor tents.

“There’s just so much variety,” said event organizer Ashley Koebrick Schmidt. “Literally something for everyone.”

Dark clouds hung overhead for much of the morning but other than a quick spattering of sprinkles the rain stayed away through the day. The threatening morning weather didn’t appear to hamper turnout as art lovers came out in droves even while vendors were still setting up for the day.

“We started getting busy before the event even opened,” said Koebrick Schmidt.

“I was surprised at the people coming in so early,” said volunteer David Lusk. “I feel like this year is even busier and better than last year.”

This year’s mix of vendors featured both familiar faces and new arrivals to spice up the selection.

Mainstays like Bruce Litterer’s colored pencil sketches, Janiece Bergland’s watercolor paintings, and Stephen Schiller’s photographs made their regular appearances, but there was also room for new creators making their Art-a-Fest debut.

“This is my first art show ever,” said April Singewald of the New Hampton area, who brought a collection of hand-colored prints. “It’s always good to be around like-minded people who have an appreciation for art.”

“This is a beautiful park,” said Steve Hosch, who came to Charles City from Gilbert, north of Ames, for the first time to participate in the event. “This is a cool little town. I’m impressed.”

Also featured at the show were art students from Charles City High School, who had a booth sponsored by Prologue Books and Wine for the event. Featuring the work of Nyssa Salinas, Taylor Myhre, and Ellie Gassman, the group of students or recent graduates got the opportunity to sell their work alongside their adult peers.

“It’s really fun,” said Myhre. “I’m grateful that they sponsored us to do this.”

Of course, some of the best customers at the show were the vendors themselves.

Mariah Piippo, whose collection of textured landscapes is this month’s feature exhibit at the Charles City Arts Center, brought even more of her work to the show but expected to take home as much art as she sold.

“I’m having fun at all the other booths,” said Piippo.

Also having fun at the booths during the event was Kent Shankle, who was this year’s judge for the annual art vendor awards. Shankle visited each booth throughout the day to determine who had the best display of the show.

“I had a blast,” said Shankle. “It’s been a great day.”

Coming in first place for this year’s event was Andreas Soemadi of Iowa City, who uses his background in mathematics and physics to inspire his graphic artwork.

In second place was Susan Kennicott of Jesup, who makes three-dimensional mixed media; and Douglas Cole of Sumner, who brought his collection of pottery, came in third.

Honorable mentions also went to Lisa Glaser, Mike Hassig, Ann Bishop McGregor, Annette Oleson, and Mike Leedom.

Along with the numerous booths to enjoy, the festival featured live music as Christine Burns, Emily Ann Bauer, and the jazz duo of Greg Deitrick and Sam Crosser each performed throughout the day.

For the kids there were plenty of activities to entertain as the festival featured sensory bins, sidewalk chalk, giant sized yard games, and a crafts table.

All in all, it was a successful day for the vendors and shoppers alike. Along with cash sales, the festival saw nearly $2,500 in “Art-a-Fest Bucks” circulating through the event.

“That’s definitely the most we’ve ever had spent at an event,” said Koebrick Schmidt.

Koebrick Schmidt said that feedback received so far from vendors has been positive and she is thankful for the volunteers that were instrumental in bringing everything together.

“We had so many volunteers that did such as fantastic job with set-up and clean-up,” said Koebrick Schmidt. “We had so many positive comments.”

The Art-a-Fest committee is seeking out new members to either serve on the committee or volunteer for next year’s event.

“Every year when it’s over it’s such a great feeling to know that we’ve helped run the event successfully,” said Koebrick Schmidt. “We’re just going to keep building upon what we’ve already started.”