54th Nescatunga Arts Festival, 4th Sugar Show Planned for June 6-7
- News About the Nescatunga Arts Festival
- Apr 11
- 6 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
April 11, 2025
Registration is now open for the 54th Nescatunga Arts Festival and fourth Sugar Show planned for June 6-7 in the Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse at the Alva Recreation Complex just south of Alva, Oklahoma. The early registration deadline for booth space and Sugar Show entries is April 30. 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, June 6, from 4-9 p.m. and Saturday, June 7, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An opening ceremony is planned for Saturday at 8:30 a.m. The Sugar Show also will take play on June 7.
Entertainment of various types also is planned for both days, along with food trucks, the quilt show sponsored by the Peace by Piece Quilt Guild, 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 is $25. Teachers who would like to show their students’ work collectively, may register for one free booth. Students are encouraged to be present if displaying within a group setting.
There are eight Fine Arts categories for judging including
Designer Arts & Jewelry (created by artist in glass, wood, mineral, etc.)
Digital Art (New Category - Computer-generated artwork)
Fiber Arts (Quilting, Weaving, basketry, knitting, crocheting, etc.)
Graphics (Pencil, Pen & Ink, Pastels, Printmaking, etc.)
Mixed Media
Painting (Oils, Acrylics, Watercolors)
Photography
Pottery / Sculpture (may be ceramic, wood, metal, mineral, etc.)
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 one possible first-place prize of $25.
Craft categories include wood toys/furniture, ceramics/glass, clothing, soft toys, decorative items, jewelry, craft food, repurposed items, home goods/accessories, and others. Craft booths will not be judged.
Artists and crafters should provide their own display setup, tables, chairs, tent, etc.
New this year for the fine artist’s booths OR crafter’s booths will be a “People’s Choice” award based on the votes from the patrons attending this year’s festival. One booth winner will receive a $50 prize.
Fourth Sugar Show adding two young people categories
Sugar artists will be able to create decorated cakes, decorated cookies and decorated cupcakes in the fourth annual Sugar Show. This year’s theme is “Games.” The competition this year will take place in the middle of all of the booths, so vendors and the public can all witness the contest.
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
Young People (ages 13-17)
Younger People (ages 8-12)
The decorated cake category is only open to professionals and aspiring sugar artists. Pros may create either non-edible dummy cakes or edible, but aspiring sugar artists will create edible cakes. All cakes must have at least two tiers.
All four divisions may enter the Cookies and Cupcake categories. Bakers should prepare at least a dozen decorated cookies for the contest, but are encouraged to make additional treats to donate to the “Gourmet Food Booth” fundraising effort for the Council.
Professionals will compete against professionals, aspiring artists against aspiring artists and the two younger divisions against those of their same age brackets.
All divisions will compete head-to-head for a Best of Show from among all items entered in the show. Other awards will include a People’s Choice Award, Best in Class (professionals-$150), Best in Class (aspiring - $100). Best in Class awards also will be presented in the two young people divisions for their overall entries.
The entry fee for Professionals and Aspiring Artists is $25 per category. Entry fees for the two young people divisions are $10 for each category.
Entry fees will double after the April 30 early registration deadline.
Questions about the Sugar Show should be directed to April Ridgway at (580) 748-4880 or maxandapril@hotmail.com or emailed to NescatungaArts@yahoo.com.
Quilt Show sponsored by Peace by Piece Quilt Guild
The annual Quilt Show sponsored by Peace by Piece Quilt Guild will take place again this year during the festival. Something new will be a People's Choice Award where those viewing the quilts may vote for their favorite. The winner will receive a $50 prize. Quilts currently are included in the Fiber Arts category for the Fine Arts judging but must be in a booth space to be considered for a Fine Arts award. If anyone would like to show a quilt in the annual show, please contact Debbie Schwerdtfeger at diamondiq@sbcglobal.net.
Gourmet Food Booth Fundraiser, Food Trucks, Volunteers
Once again, volunteer bakers and snack-makers are asked to donate their best goodies for the Council’s biggest fundraiser – the Gourmet Food Booth. Although the festival will take place over two days on June 6-7, the Gourmet Food Booth will only be available on Saturday, June 7, from 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Items should be delivered to the tables just inside the west entrance no later than 8 a.m. on that Saturday. This booth helps help provide donations to student groups, as well as an annual scholarship to an arts-related high school student from Alva High School.
Bakers donating food item(s) are asked to provide their name, contact information, the kind of item they are donating and information about ingredients that could be possible allergens so this information can be displayed with the food item on the table.
Heather Penner, council president, will head up this area. Those who would like to bring goodies for the food booth should contact her with any questions at (580) 748-1905 or hlpenner91@gmail.com.
Penner also is the contact for any food booth vendors who would like to set up at the festival. Contact her to find out the specific requirements.
She also may be contacted if any school groups or individuals would like to help volunteer during the event, which council members said is a big help to make the festival run smoothly.
Nescatunga sponsorships
Any individual or business who would be interested in being a monetary sponsor of the various “People’s Choice” awards or “Best of Show” awards would be welcomed.
The Best of Show and People’s Choice prizes for the Sugar Show are $100 each and can be cash, Alva Chamber Bucks, gift cards to the sponsoring business, etc.
The “Best of Show” award for fine arts entries is $200.
Monetary sponsors also are welcome to help with the festival’s marketing efforts for advertising, radio spots, and more.
All monetary sponsors will be publicized.
Nescatunga membership
One-year Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council memberships are $25 and help support the various things the Council does during the year. Issued upon payment will be a membership card containing five circles at the bottom. Members will receive a $5 discount to four Nescatunga workshops as well as $5 off a Festival booth space, ultimately returning the $25 membership fee if utilizing all five spaces.
Membership fees and donations to the Council are tax deductible.
Dues, donations, booth payments, etc., can be mailed to P.O. Box 152, Alva, OK 73717 or paid online via Nescatunga’s PayPal account at https://paypal.me/NescatungaArts by searching for the email NescatungaArts@yahoo.com within the service.
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.
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