Mount Vernon Area Arts Council (MVAAC) will hold the Lincoln Highway Arts Festival on Sept. 23, in uptown Mount Vernon, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The festival will feature more than 40 skilled artists, as well as a variety of activities.
The artists’ tents will line First Street east of Hwy. 1 and all activities will take place on the lawn of the First Street Community Center. Traffic to First Street will be blocked between Hwy 1 and B Ave. from approximately 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The event is free and attendees will be able to enjoy the art while listening to live music and performances, participating in free children’s activities, and partaking in a variety of food offerings.
“We have something for everyone at this year’s Lincoln Highway Arts Festival from the amazing art and live music and performances to the free children’s activities and food trucks,” said Dr. Tiffany Carr, Festival chair. “Make sure to mark your calendar for Sept. 23 to come show your support of our vibrant arts community.”
Art on display and for sale will include ceramics, jewelry, paintings, drawings, printmaking, photography, basket weaving, and more. A new addition to the festival is artists’ awards, which will be independently juried and presented during the festival.
The festival will open with a live poetry reading from Mount Vernon’s Poet Laureate, Amelia Kibbie. There will be music performances throughout the day featuring The Abbe Creek Collective Band, The All Natural Band, The Laid Back Band, as well as strolling violinist Mira Gibbons. Dance Arts Iowa will have a performance. The Iowa Ceramic Center will be showcasing potter’s wheel demonstrations.
A variety of free children’s art activities sponsored by MVAAC will be offered throughout the day including sun prints with Christine Flavin, origami with Sara Lenhart, wand-making with Kim Wolfe, and face painting from Funny Face Designs.
This year’s art festival will also have a variety of food offerings from That’s So Cheesy and Floats food trucks, and Bigs BBQ, along with the ever-present uptown eateries.
Mount Vernon is a designated Iowa Cultural and Entertainment District and the Lincoln Highway Arts Festival is one of many ways that the community supports local artists.