Barbara Arnstein
The Art Crawl in Springville, on Saturday, June 7th this year, from 3-8pm, has been an eagerly awaited annual event in Springville for over a decade. The fun includes a parade that features marching bands, art cars, floats, tractors, firetrucks and more. “It continues Springville’s Dairy Fest Community Parade tradition”, said Anna Fitzpatrick, the Performing Arts Director of the Springville Center for the Arts. “A $250 cash prize will be awarded for the float that best depicts this years’ theme, ‘Art Creepy Crawlies'”. The parade starts at Heritage Park and continues down Main, North Buffalo and Franklin, and will take place from 4-4:30pm. Following the parade, there will be performances by the Soul2Sole Dance Studio, Galaxy All-Star Cheer, the Springville Jazz Orchestra, and Steve Bell’s Drum Circle. A dozen more musical acts will perform around Springville until the end of the event.
Each year, numerous Main Street businesses display art submitted for the Art Crawl for the duration of the event. This year, over fifty artists are participating, who collectively entered over 129 works of art, and the judges are Judy Wright, Ellen Owens and Karle Norman. “Your art doesn’t have to be perfect to be accepted for the Art Crawl”, said Judy Wright, a multi-talented artist who’s won many trophies and prizes and sings with the Springville Jazz Orchestra. “This year’s art includes a little bit of everything.”
The winner of “Best in Show” will be announced on the day of the Crawl. This year, my Fine Art photo at the Art Crawl is “Tranquillity”, a photo of golden sunlight illuminating cascading water.
There will be a SPARK! tent filled with kids’ art activities, and other activities for kids, including sidewalk chalk, face painting, tie dyeing and more. At the Art Bar, adults will be able to create their own craft item to take with them. The Literary Lounge will feature bookmark-making, interactive activities and book vendors. Other vendors, and artisans, will be on Mechanic and Franklin Street, and will offer a wide variety of creations, ranging from jewelry and woodwork to needle-felted items and metal sculptures. Other intriguing areas include the Fiber Art Zone, Installations and Choose Your Own Adventure. In the Bazaar section, vendors of art and art-related items can set up on Franklin Street any time between 1-3pm. Those interested will see signs indicating the boundaries of the area. Since spaces are limited, it’s best to arrive as soon as possible.
There will be an after-party at the Springville Center for the Arts, located at 37 North Buffalo Street, from 7-11pm, where “The Art of Zoar Valley”, will be on display in the Olmsted Gallery. The exhibit includes five photos by David Lawrence Reade, photographer and author of the best-selling book, “Beyond Buffalo! A Photographic Guide to the Secret Natural Wonders of Our Region”, and two other photo books. There will be refreshments, and a cash bar, and guests will be entertained by musicians including the Wazmapolitans, Saranaide and the George Kane Quartet. Artists and their guests are admitted free. Tickets are required for entry.
The food trucks on hand for the Art Crawl will offer Yakisoba’s, Jake and the Fatman, and Coyote Cafe food. For more information about the Art Crawl, go to springvillearts.org or call (716) 592-9038.