The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Community connects to celebrate festivals
Decisions, decisions… Go to the Geauga Park District’s 26th Annual Nature Arts Festival or attend the 37th Annual Chardon Arts Festival on “The Square”?
For the hundreds of festgoers on Aug. 6, the answer, “Both!” proved to be a viable choice, with Lolly the Trolley serving as the means to get everyone interested to both of the free arts destinations.
A five-minute ride was all it took to take people from Chardon Square to Big Creek Park at 9160 Robison Road and back again.
This year was especially noteworthy as Nature Arts Festival returned to its original location, a homecoming of sorts, said GPD Special Events Coordinator Teresa Runion.
“It was held at Big Creek Park for the first 11 years, 1992-2002, then moved to The West Woods for 13 years, 2003-2015, before returning ‘home’ to Big Creek Park last year. We are always excited to promote the arts and local artists in our beautiful parks.
“Now that our festival has returned to the county seat, we all get very excited for the day when these two great Geauga festivals make Chardon a regional hub for great artwork, food and family fun,” she said.
At Big Creek Park, regional artists were juried for primarily wildlife- and nature-inspired artwork. The festival also featured blacksmithing demonstrations, chalk art, make-n-take projects workshops, writing contest winner readings, music, food and entertainment.
Runion said although both shows have been promoted together through the years, moving the Nature Arts Festival back to Chardon from Russell Township involved some additional logistics with shuttling and signage.
“It allowed us a broader opportunity to promote the two festivals together. The Big Creek Park venue still allows for some indoor spaces, as well as expanded space outdoors.
“We have a great connection to Chardon Arts Fest, so it is likely that we’ll stay in Chardon,” she said. “Both festivals have been long-running favorites in Geauga County and promoting Chardon as an ‘arts destination’ means that visitors will have an opportunity to view/purchase a larger variety of artwork.”
Chardon Mayor Nancy McArthur called the day “fantastic,” adding that the trolley rides provided more exposure to two cultural events.
“This is a fantastic coordination,” she said. “It’s great we have both of these events on the same day. A lot of people not from Chardon or even Geauga County attend. That’s special, I think, so many non-residents showing up to find unique things here.
“It’s certainly built up over the years, with more visitors and more vendors. It’s also got a great reputation, too, with so many juried artists of great quality who want to return every year. You can always see and find something new at these festivals.”