2013 Art & Balloon Festival, August 30, 2013
Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com Page 69
Lincoln Art Fair to feature 13 new artists
It is the event that started it all.
When the Lincoln Fine Art Fair
opens at 10 on Saturday morning, it
will be its 40th anniversary.
The fair began in Latham Park and
continues on its expansive lawns
under great old trees, and with a
historic band shelter at its center,
there is usually music lilting over
the milling crowds.
Many other events and activities
that have now grown up around the
art fair complement and support
each other in creating a great family
weekend -- the balloon festival,
Art of Wine & Brew, and a KCBS
barbecue competition, to name a
few.
Yet, it is the art that still stands
central.
A stroll through the park at
different times of the day yields
a different experience each time.
There is an atmosphere like
nowhere else: reserved, cultured,
intriguing, full of color, design and
wonder. A sculpture, a photo, a
painting will remind, intrigue and
bring you to dream. You look, you
see one thing; someone else looks,
they see another. A gem stirs the
soul or piques the mind.
Andi Hake of the chamber of
commerce said there are fewer
artists interested in showing at fairs
today, in part due to the expenses of
travel.
The Lincoln fair remains strong. It
is juried and offers quality art at a
midrange cost. The fair’s nearly 60
slots are filled with a wide variety
of art in every medium. This year
there are 13 new artists keeping
the show fresh. Hake said that on
average there are 11 to 16 new
artists each year.
This weekend promises to be one
of the best years to meander on
downtown and enjoy selecting a
few pieces of art while in the park.
You will probably even bump into
an old friend or two and stop to
chat.
And, while you are there, with all
the great grilling going on, you will
smell some great aromas, and you’ll
want to grab a bite to eat from
one of the many locations along
Kickapoo Street, at the Lincoln
Woman’s Club or over in Scully
Park.
It’s going to be a great weekend
to come downtown and enjoy
yourself.
[LDN]
