By Alicia Kelso
The Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce will stick to a tried and true formula when it presents the 37th annual Music and Arts Festival.
The event is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 10 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 11 at Heritage Park/Everal Barn and Homestead, on the corner of Cleveland Avenue and Main Street.
“We will stick to a traditional format. It has worked well for us,” says Lindsay Brown, events coordinator for the Chamber.
She should know. A Westerville native, Brown has attended the event since she was a kid, and is looking forward to shifting from attendee to planner.
“I’m very excited to see this all come together and to know I helped. I grew up going to this event with my parents, and then with my friends as I got older, and it’s fun to have it sort of come full circle,” says Brown, who has worked with the Chamber since September. “It’s a very special event for me and others who call Westerville home.”
As usual, the festival will have a heavy local focus and will feature a bevy of entertainment. Saturday’s headliner Karate Coyote, an independent pop-rock band from Columbus, plays from 5:30-7 p.m. From 3:30-5 p.m. Sunday, KHASMIR, a smooth jazz trio also from Columbus, takes the stage.
Brown promises more special entertainment slated for Saturday, in addition to the diverse lineup of musicians playing R & B, country, solo guitar, bluegrass, Celtic and classical.
And while plenty of music will permeate the air throughout the weekend, the event’s spotlight also shines on art. The juried event boasts 150 fine artists from throughout the United States and Canada.
“Arts and crafts are obviously a big deal at the festival, and artists’ work will be judged during the event, so we’ll have a ‘Best of Show’ announced. People always look forward to that,” Brown says.
Local artists also get an opportunity to showcase their work with the Westerville Walkway, a relatively new space featuring creative types from Central Ohio.
“This area is very popular, and we’re proud of it because it allows local artists to get their feet wet at the festival scene,” Brown says. “It’s not as simple as setting up a tent, and the walkway gives them the opportunity to learn how to approach events and get their art careers started.”
The Music and Arts Festival also entails a Civic Corner, with Westerville non-profit organizations touting their causes; hands-on activities and entertainment for kids; a silent auction; and a Heritage Area, with crafts, demonstrations and characters dressed in period costumes.
For more information about the festival, visit
www.westervillechamber.com
.
Alicia Kelso is editor of
Westerville Magazine.
When You Go …
The Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce’s 37th Annual Music and Arts Festival
When:
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 10; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 11
Where:
Heritage Park/Everal Barn and Homestead, 60 N. Cleveland Ave.
Cost:
$1 for adults; children 16 and under admitted free