Council supports arts festival

Times Reporter 

 

Chair of the Strathmore Regional Arts Collective (SRAC), Brandy Hebbes, came to town council with a request for continued support of the Arts and Sounds in the Park Festival at the July 16 meeting.

SRAC has already been out gathering donations and grant funding where they can for the event, which will be held in September. This year the collective is also asking artisans to pay a small entry fee to be a part of the event.   

“We do wish to keep this fee very nominal so as not want to be prohibitive or exclusive to any groups or individuals,” said Hebbes. 

“In addition to a bigger and better interactive festival on the Saturday, this year we’ll host a free to the public family friendly concert on Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.”

The concert, which will be held Sept. 26, will feature two local performers, and there will be free coffee, hot chocolate and snack for people and $2 hotdogs.  

SRAC received an Alberta Cultural Days Grant for $4,000; the grant can only be used for specific things, such as the supplies for the interactive kids’ and teens’ arts activities.

The town and Wheatland County will contribute and additional funds raised will be used to fill in the gaps that the grant doesn’t cover. After the festival an expenditure report will be given to both the town and county councils so they can see where the funds have been spent. 

Last year in the park there were approximately 43 visual and performing artists, and the Art Walk, hosted the Wheatland Society of Arts, saw about 16 artisans. The Art Walk will not be returning this year, but there are hopes that it will be back in future years once the event has grown more. 

“This year we want to take the gazebo at Kinsmen Park and make an art show per se for some artists that don’t have whole booth, maybe they just have a few pieces that way they can get in on it too, and then all around the gazebo will be working artists painting and doing whatever they are doing,” said Hebbes.

There will be an option for artists to have a full booth at the festival. Hebbes said they also hope to feature a sign-up centre where kids, teens and adults can go to sign-up for various classes being offered by some of the artisans. 

“There is opportunity for Youth Club and Say and SWAT to join together in terms of presentation but also in terms of being vendors, SRAC is looking for vendors at the park so it is an opportunity for other clubs to raise money as well,” said Councillor Denise Peterson. 

Including the youth groups in the community is something the SRAC board has thought of and is excited at the possibility of doing. 

A motion was made and approved by council to once again support the Arts and Sounds in the Park Festival with a monetary contribution of $2,500.