Celebration: A Festival of the Arts Set for April 30, May 1 and 2 at EIU
Apr-20-2004The return of spring means Eastern Illinois University's annual Celebration: A Festival of the Arts is only days away. This year's festival makes its return to the Charleston campus April 30, May 1 and 2. This year marks the festival's 27th year of presenting a wide variety of arts programs to the people of east central Illinois.
No matter what their age, visitors will surely find something of interest during Celebration. The festival offers live musical performances, an arts fair on Saturday and Sunday, demonstrations, children's activities, a theatre production and a delicious line-up of festival foods.
Best described as a "Smorgasbord of the Arts," Celebration's primary purpose is to celebrate the role -- and the array -- of art forms available in our society. For many local residents, Celebration weekend might be their only opportunity to experience certain art forms in such a direct and up-close manner.
According to festival director Dan Crews, many of the events at Celebration are unique compared to activities typically found at other fairs and festivals. "What we try to do is present the arts--no matter what form they take." Crews added that festival organizers enjoy presenting a variety of programs and activities.
On Saturday and Sunday, Celebration will present a fine arts fair featuring one of the best lineups of artists and craftspersons. This year, more than 40 booths will fill the Booth Library Quad with artists selling their own hand-made works of arts. Festival visitors will find everything from pottery to jewelry, paintings to prints. According to Crews, this is the largest gathering of artisans for any one festival in east central Illinois, and all art sold at Celebration is created by the artists at the festival.
In addition to artists selling their works, the festival features a number of demonstrations. This year, Loralei Sims of Charleston will be demonstrating her blacksmithing skills and how iron is molded into usable and functional items. Cliff Thomas and De Davis will be demonstrating how marbles are created. Davis is also a stained glass artist and will have samples of her work displayed. For those interested in learning the fine art of pewter casting, Ernie Whitworth will be demonstrating on both Saturday and Sunday.
Another highlight of Celebration is the music performances scheduled throughout the event. Crews said the festival doesn't focus on one particular style of music. During a typical weekend, visitors will hear everything from bluegrass to classical and rock to jazz. "We try to program for a variety of tastes, which results in an eclectic mix of musical styles," he said.
On Saturday, Eastern's Department of Theatre Arts will present "The Arkansas Bear" in Seventh Street Underground, located in the lower level of the University Union.
Other events scheduled for the weekend include jugglers, a children's activities area and sketch comedy by the Hello Dali comedy group.
And no festival is complete without a wide array of delicious foods. Food selections will range from Greek, Mexican and Cajun cuisines to popular festival favorites like corndogs, curly fries, funnel cakes and lemon shakeups.
Mark your calendars now and make plans to celebrate the arts and the return of spring to east central Illinois. There is no admission charge to the festival and the grounds are handicapped accessible. There are a number of convenient parking lots located near the festival grounds.
Celebration: A Festival of the Arts is hosted by Eastern's College of Arts and Humanities and sponsored by the City of Charleston; the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Consolidated Communications; and the Campaign for Celebration. For information, contact the Festival Planning Office at (217) 581-2113 or visit the website at http://www.eiu.edu/festival.
