Saturday’s festival to include art, music, food and retail sales
Art, music, birdhouses, great food from area restaurants, and great sales from Whitewater businesses will all be featured at Whitewater’s Main Street Festival, set for 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 2.
More than 15 art and craft booths are slated to decorate downtown Whitewater on the center of Main Street from Whitewater to 2nd streets.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Art and Communication is sponsoring the music that will be performed on First Street and invite guests to bring a lawn chair and enjoy the tunes. The music line-up is as follows: 10 a.m., Carl Cole; 11:40 a.m., Brian Lucas; 1 p.m., Dance Performance; 1:30 p.m., Derek Amin and Earthtet, and at 3:20 p.m., Jay Craggs.
Children and their families are invited to create masterpieces using chalk on the sidewalks and streets. Those interested can create art just for fun at the family/public space while the more serious chalk artists are invited to compete for awards in the beginner space ($3,) intermediate space ($5,) or expert space ($10.) Awards will be presented at 5 p.m. at the Main Stage on First Street.
Anyone who wants to have their face painted can sign up for a small image ($1,) half-face image ($3,) and full-face image ($5), allowing guests to enjoy the art on display while showing off the art on their faces.
An exhibit of art inspired by birds will be on display at Studio 84, 121 W. Center St. and Urban Forestry will have a special booth featuring free birdhouse kits that can be embellished at Studio 84. The birdhouses will be erected around the city to help turn Whitewater into a Bird City USA.
And don’t forget to visit the Farmer’s Market and additional retail sales that will be stationed on the west end of Main Street.
The historic architecture and natural beauty of Whitewater serve as a fitting backdrop for exploring galleries, local shops and restaurants and to experience the many diverse forms of the arts celebrated and supported locally.
Proceeds from the event will support the local arts environment in Whitewater including: scholarships for local high school and college students, community art programing with a focus on the youth-at-risk after-school programs, and programing in the arts for people with disabilities while also supporting creative improvements to Whitewater with public murals, mosaics, and sculptures.
The Main Street Festival is a partnership of many organizations and businesses, designed to help promote the arts and a creative economy. This collaborative event has been organized by: Studio 84, the Whitewater Arts Alliance and the Whitewater Chamber of Commerce.
Sponsors for the festival include: Nasco Arts, Studio 84, Urban Forestry Commission, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater College of Art and Communication, UW-Whitewater Student Association, Whitewater Arts Alliance, Whitewater Chamber of Commerce and Whitewater Maker Space.
For more information like “Whitewater Main Street Festival” on Facebook (www.facebook.com/wwmsfestival.)
