After a week of stormy weather, people flocked to Fallasburg Park yesterday to soak up the sun as well as the sights and sounds of the annual Fallasburg Arts Festival.
If you missed it yesterday, you can still head out to the park from 10am-5pm today, September 15, to catch more music, enjoy some food and support small businesses and local non-profits.
Here’s what to expect if you go:
Parking is in the field across from the park’s main entrance on Fallasburg Park Dr. It’s free to park, but the teens who help direct traffic would appreciate your donation to their organization. On Saturday, students from the Lowell High School Interact group were the ones on hand to greet cars and funnel them to open spots. Once you park, it can be hike in, but volunteers with golf carts are roaming the field and offering rides to those who need them.
Once there, head straight back from the pedestrian path to reach the main stage and eating area. Live music runs from 10:15am to 5pm.
Surrounding picnic tables are food booths run by various local non-profits. Each is raising money for its organization or mission. For instance, the Lowell Women’s Club — which is selling Italian sausage hoagies and pumpkin pie, among other things — uses its earnings to fund scholarships for student members who are Lowell High School seniors. Check the back of your map (available at the main LowellArts tent) for a complete list of food vendors and their menus.
In the middle of the eating area, LowellArts has a large information tent where you can also buy raffle tickets. More than 90 prizes will be given away at the end of the event. Each art vendor donates a prize, and the items above are just a sample. The main prize is a handcrafted quilt.
Vendor tents radiate out from the eating area. Wander through them, and you will find artwork all kinds, including glasswork…
…metalwork…
…ceramics…
…textiles and more. While some vendors are local, many artisans come from afar to show off their wares at the Fallasburg Arts Festival.
Inside the park pavilion, demonstrators are showing off their origami, woodworking and yarn spinning skills. Visitors can walk away with a bookmark embellished with their name in calligraphy or a mosaic magnet as well.
Younger visitors may want to take some time to explore the park’s large play structure.
However, the play structure isn’t the only thing at the Fallasburg Arts Festival for kids. There is also a children’s area where pumpkins can be decorated, masks colored and scarecrow puppets made. Girl Scouts are helpfully stationed at the entrance to point out the activities as visitors enter the area.
The children’s activities area is sponsored by Meijer, and Arts in Motion Studio lends support as well. The Lions of Michigan are also offering free on-site eye screening for infants and children ages 6 months to 4 years.
For more information on the Fallasburg Arts Festival and the day’s activities, visit the LowellArts website.
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