Lanesboro Arts is proud to present the 38th annual Art in the Park fine art festival on Saturday, June 16, 2018, in Lanesboro’s Sylvan Park with 90-plus fine art and craft booths and live music. Renowned for quality, variety and value, Art in the Park is a family-friendly art fair that attracts thousands of regional patrons to Sylvan Park each year.
The center piece of Art in the Park is of course the art! Fine art and fine craft artist booths encircle Sylvan Park underneath canopies of shade, featuring a wide variety of artist-made work by over 90 artists from the tri-state region. There will be paintings, photography, fine jewelry, textile rugs and quilts, hand thrown ceramics, stained glass, original paintings, blown and fused glass sculptures, artworks utilizing reclaimed wood, stoneware clay pottery, metalwork, woven baskets, whimsical welded yard art, and more.
Starting off the day at 10 a.m is The Prizefighters, a Minneapolis six-piece dedicated to keeping the sound of ‘60s Jamaica alive and loud since 2006. Traditional ska, rocksteady, early reggae and sweet soul music is the name of their game, and the Prizefighters play to win. The band breathes life into an often overlooked genre of music, picking up where essential Jamaican groups like the Skatalites and the Upsetters left off.
Taking the gazebo stage at noon is Annie Mack, a roots, blues and soul singer from Rochester with a powerful voice that demands your attention. A dynamic vocalist and charismatic performer, Annie and her four-piece backing band take audiences on a journey; from velvet lined melodic depths to exciting, gritty, full-bodied church hollers.
Performing at 1:45 p.m. is Siama’s Congo Roots, a Minneapolis based trio led by Congolese guitarman Siama Matuzungidi that performs feel-good acoustic music from the heart of Africa. Backed by Tim O’Keefe on percussion and harmonica and Dallas Johnson on vocals, Siama and company add a touch of American roots to his classic soukous songs — a style of upbeat guitar-driven Afro-pop heard in bars and clubs across Central and East Africa.
The Mayer Brothers Band, the final musical act of the day at 3:30 p.m., perform a mischievous and danceable mix of original rock, Americana, blues, Cajun, and reggae flavored songs. The eponymous brothers leading this veteran La Crosse quintet, Kit and Hans Mayer, have been making music together since they were able to pick up guitars.
Attendees will enjoy delicious and locally prepared foods at booths hosted by volunteers from local organizations. Back by popular demand, Lanesboro Arts will host the “Mediterranean Booth,” serving locally prepared falafel and gyro pita pockets, in partnership with Pedal Pushers Café of Lanesboro. Also available will be pulled pork sandwiches (Friends of Lanesboro Library), brats, hot dogs and pickles (Lanesboro Area Chamber of Commerce), and tacos (Lanesboro Public Schools’ Tex-Mex Trip). Jean Luc Rondreux of La Crosse will be selling crêpes, galettes, and pâtisseries made from scratch. The Farmers Market will offer fresh food and healthy snack stands, and the Lanesboro Community Theater will sell ice-cold pop, lemonade, and water. Lanesboro Arts will also host the famous pie and ice cream booth, serving fresh pies including peach, cherry, blueberry, rhubarb, and apple (and coffee and ice cream to go with your slice of pie). Returning to Art in the Park in 2018 will be craft beer provided by Kinney Creek Brewery of Rochester and Island City Brewery of Winona.
In honor of Father’s Day Weekend and to promote artistic creativity, Lanesboro Arts will host an art activity booth for kids and families of all ages with all supplies provided. A henna artist and face painter will have their own booth set-up. Additional exciting participatory arts experiences, like the String Box Art Shanty from NewStudio Architecture, are also in the works! Sylvan Park contains a brand new playground as well, and ponds on the north side of the park are known for good fishing.
Art in the Park is presented by Landsboro Arts, sponsored by Wisconsin Public Radio, Thrivent Financial – Walter Bradley and made possible by support from the City of Lanesboro and the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund. For more information call (507) 467-2446 or visit www.lanesboroarts.org/aip.
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