Registration is now open for the 53rd Nescatunga Arts Festival and third Sugar Show planned for May 31 and June 1 in the Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse at the Alva Recreation Complex just south of Alva. The early registration deadline is May 3. The fees will double after this date.
Fine artists, crafters and book authors will showcase their items and be ready to make sales on Friday, May 31, from 4-9 p.m. and Saturday, June 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An opening ceremony is planned for Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Entertainment of various types also is planned for both days, along with food trucks, the quilt show, family fun and the annual “Gourmet Food Booth” on Saturday.
The entry form may be found online at www.nescatunga.org. Spaces for 10x10 booths are available either inside or outside and are $40 for the first space and $25 for each additional space.
Members of the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council festival committee noted that there is no extra storage space inside the facility to house additional items that won’t fit inside the respective booth spaces. Also, all entries must be created by the person showing and selling their work.
Students wanting to display their arts or crafts items may register for one free booth. If extra booth spaces are needed, each additional space will be $25. Teachers who would like to show their students’ work collectively, may register for one free booth.
Fine Arts categories include oil/acrylic, watercolor, pastels, mixed media, graphics/pen and ink/pencil, printmaking, photography, pottery, sculpture (wood, metal, mineral), fiber arts like quilting/weaving/basketry, and designer arts/jewelry.
Craft categories include wood toys/furniture, ceramics/glass, clothing, soft toys, decorative items, jewelry, craft food, repurposed items, home goods/accessories, and others.
Fine artists are eligible for one award of cash and ribbons in each category. The awards will include a Best of Show prize for $200; first place $150; second place $100; and third place $75. The festival judges may award any place to an entry based on merit, and if, in the opinion of the judges, none of the entries in a category meet the standards of excellence, no award will be given.
Student artwork will be judged by the overall exhibit for a possible first-place prize of $25.
Artists and crafters should provide their own display setup, tables, chairs, tent, etc.
Sugar Show sees a few changes
Sugar artists will be able to create sugar art, decorated cakes and decorated cookies in the “Cake” section of the third annual Sugar Show, as well as a few new items in the “Bake” section of the contest.
The new contest section will allow even more people to enter the event and show off their baking skills as the categories include Fruit Pie, Homemade Bread, Sweet Breads (i.e. muffins, cupcakes, loaves, cinnamon rolls, etc.) and Fudge/Candies. This section of the contest will take place on Friday during the festival.
New to the “Cake” section this year will be a theme that the contestants will need to adhere to. Decorated cakes may be edible or non-edible dummy cakes and must have at least two tiers, and bakers should prepare at least a dozen decorated cookies for the contest. Sugar Art consists of anything that is not cake, but it can be something to decorate a cake like a cake topper or other decorative pieces like delicate sugar flowers to intricate cookie decorations. This section of the contest will take place Saturday morning.
Entries will be accepted from:
Professionals -- those who sell their items or have won the Aspiring Sugar Artist category at a previous Sugar Show
Aspiring Sugar Artists – those with intermediate skills who are still perfecting their craft
Professionals will compete against professionals and aspiring artists against aspiring artists for first place, respectively, in the cake and sugar art categories. Professionals and aspiring artists will compete head-to-head for first place in cookies and in the “Bake” section categories.
The entry fee for Professionals and Aspiring Artists is $25 for the first category and $15 for each additional category. Any students entering the various contests will pay $10 for one category and $5 each for each additional category.
Entry fees will double after the May 3 early registration deadline.
The first-place winners in the “Bake” section will receive $25 for each of the four categories. The first-place awards for Cakes and Sugar Art in the professional and aspiring divisions are $50 for each. A first-place prize of $50 also will be given to the winner of the best overall cookies.
All Sugar Show contestants also are encouraged to create and donate something for the festival’s Gourmet Food Booth and include a business card/note.
Questions about the Sugar Show should be directed to April Ridgway at (580) 748-4880 or maxandapril@hotmail.com.
Questions about the event
More detailed information on the arts festival and Sugar Show along with registration forms can be found at www.nescatunga.org. Questions may be sent to NescatungaArts@yahoo.com. Social posts can be seen on Facebook and Instagram using NescatungaArts. People interested in making something to donate to the “Gourmet Food Booth” should contact Nicki Chaffee at (580) 430-5450. And, those who’d like to share their quilts with the Festival audience should contact Rose Mary McFall at (580) 829-3011.
Anyone interested in the arts is encouraged to help the committee with this year’s festival. Annual dues for the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council are $25 and can be mailed to P.O. Box 152 or paid online via PayPal at https://paypal.me/NescatungaArts. Donations are welcomed to help defray costs for the festival and other activities of the Council. Donations and registration payments also may be paid via the Paypal link.
The Nescatunga Arts Festival is sponsored by the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, Inc., in cooperation with the Alva Chamber of Commerce, the City of Alva Tourism Committee, the City of Alva and the Alva Recreational Complex.
First Friday Workshop/Art Show April 5
Space is still available for the Council’s workshop on Basic Crocheting from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Runnymede on April 5. The fee is $15 and is limited to 15 people. Dr. Mary Riegel and Dr. Jenny Sattler, will be leading the workshop. Please register to attend by April 4 by emailing NescatungaArts@yahoo.com.
Also, as part of the First Friday events that evening, will be the annual winners' show from winning pieces at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University Art Society Art Show. The art display is free and open to the public from 6-8 p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
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