Time again for Summer Festival of the Arts

An estimated 15,000 are expected to attend this year’s Summer Festival of the Arts.

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

111More than 15,000 people are expected to flood the YSU campus for this free celebration of the arts, which begins Saturday at 10 a.m. and Sunday at 11 a.m.

“The Summer Festival of the Arts offers up a wonderful collection of all types of art,” said festival coordinator Lori Factor.

“Young and old alike will find something appealing here,” she said.

Forte on the Fifty, a music and fireworks extravaganza, is one of the festival’s main events.

The combination of entertainment provided by Forte on the Fifty will hit all the senses with performances by the YSU Dana School of Music All-Star Band and by headliner band Ricochet, plus a fireworks display by B.J. Alan Phantom Fireworks to top off the night.

Though music and fireworks are a large part of the weekend, the heart of the festival is the artists’ marketplace.

The marketplace showcases the work of more than 60 local, regional and national artists selling original, hand-crafted pieces such as jewelry, paintings, sketches, sculptures, glass, wood and textiles.

Family activities are central to this event as well and include the popular hands-on art tent.

At this particular tent, children are encouraged to create various pieces of artwork under the guidance of a professional art teacher.

“The Summer Festival of the Arts is intended to be as much an art show as it is to be an educational event,” said Factor. “By creating their own artwork or participating in a drum circle at the SMARTS [Students Motivated by the Arts] tent or interacting with the artists, children learn about art at a young age and then grow to have a positive appreciation for it,” she said.

Dozens of family activities, more than 60 musical, dance and theatrical performances and activities by local cultural and religious organizations are all set to fill up the calender of events.

The Festival of Nations ethnic fair and the Smoky Hollow 5K Run and One-Mile Family Fun Walk are just a few more of the annual activities to add to the SFA list.

Wick Avenue, the main thoroughfare at YSU, will be open as the festival welcomes a new partner, the Wick Avenue Festival, sponsored by the Mahoning County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Almost every organization along Wick Avenue has prepared a family activity, and tents will be located along both sides from the Arms Museum, where a scavenger hunt will begin, to the Youngstown Board of Education offices.

The Wick Avenue Festival will start Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Companion events also include the All-Alumni Reunion, St. Nicholas Greek Summerfest, and Downtown Jazz Festival.

“The greater variety of activities we offer to the community, the greater the number of people who will participate. These new events will help us all to succeed while having a great time doing so,” said Factor.

XFor more information on the SFA visit www.ysu.edu/sfa.