55th Nescatunga Arts Festival June 5-6 at Alva Recreation Complex

More than 40 fine artists, crafters and an author will be set up and ready to make sales at the 55^th Nescatunga Arts Festival on June 5-6 at the Alva Recreation Complex.

ALVA, Okla. – It’s finally here! The 55^th Nescatunga Arts Festival kicks off Friday, June 5, from 5-8 p.m. and will open again Saturday, June 6, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. in Pete and Ruth Leslie Fieldhouse at the Alva Recreation Complex, 1887 Goldbug Blvd., in Alva, Oklahoma.

More than 40 fine artists, handmade crafters and an author will be set up and ready to visit and make sales for special occasions, holidays and more.

Entertainment from various musical genres will kick off at 5 p.m. on Friday with Cara Bradt, Nescatunga’s entertainment chair, serving as the Friday emcee.

On Saturday, a special opening ceremony will start at 8:50 a.m. with a welcome from the Alva Chamber of Commerce co-directors JoDe Bradt and Magen Lehr; the flags will be posted by local Boy Scout Troop 392, Merritt Mantz will sing the National Anthem and serve as the day’s emcee, and a prayer will be led by Steve Hamm, pastor of the College Hill Church of Christ. A lineup of varied entertainment will follow throughout the day, starting at 9 a.m.

Information about the artists and crafters, as well as bios of all the entertainment acts and more, may be found in the News section on the Nescatunga web page at www.nescatunga.org/blog.

Arts Festival Bingo New to Event

Before shopping at the vendor booths, stop by the information/registration table at the west entrance to pick up an Arts Festival Bingo card that contains the names/booth numbers of the festival vendors. Then go around to visit the vendor booths, making sure to get that booth’s “mark.” When the card is completely “blacked out,” turn the card back in at the information table to be entered into a contest for prizes donated by the booth vendors. Only one bingo card may be entered per person.

All bingo cards must be turned in by 2:30 p.m. on June 6 to be eligible to win. Winners must be present when names are announced at approximately 3 p.m. Saturday. The number of prizes is determined by the number of items collected from the participating vendors.

Food Trucks and Inflatable Fun

Cutie Pies Concession will be offering sweet and savory items, drinks, and more, and To Go Burger will serve up fun burgers and nachos.

Nam and Pops will also be set up to provide fun games and inflatables, weather permitting. Wristbands sold for $3 each will allow kids to enjoy the outdoor fun on both Friday from 5-8 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting.

Stipends Available for Student Organization Helpers at Festival

There’s still time for any student organization to sign up to work during the festival to earn monetary stipends. The form to register for days and times to help is at https://bit.ly/Nescatunga-Volunteers26. To receive this stipend, student groups must contain at least two adults and five students. The volunteers do not have to come at the same time, but at least one adult sponsor should be working with the students present. The group members must check in to indicate they are there to help represent their registered group. Only one stipend is available per student organization. Questions can be asked of Council President Heather Penner at 580-748-1905.

Gourmet Food Booth Needs Local Makers’ and Bakers’ Goodies

Anyone who would like to help the Council raise funds for scholarships, workshops and the festival is asked to donate their favorite baked goodies and snacks for the Gourmet Food Booth for both days of the festival.

Bakers donating food item(s) are asked to provide a card including their name, contact information, the kind of item they are donating, and information about ingredients that could be potential allergens, so this information can be displayed with the food item on the table.

Anyone who is willing to bring goodies is asked to contact the Council via a form at https://bit.ly/Gourmet-Food-Booth26 or Penner at 580-748-1905. Donated goodies should be delivered to the Alva Rec Center’s west entrance by 4 p.m. on Friday of the festival and 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Festival Sponsorships Available

Sponsorships are available this year for anyone who would like to help fund the annual arts festival. Sponsorship packages from $50 to $1,000+ are available with varying levels of incentives. If interested, please contact Penner at 580-748-1905. More information is available at nescatunga.org/festival-sponsorships. Donations are tax-deductible.

Council Membership Information

One-year membership fees are $25. Incentives to be a member include receiving four $5 discounts per year to workshops and events sponsored by the Council, plus $5 off a Nescatunga Arts Festival booth space. Upon payment, a membership card containing four numbers that can be checked off when attending a Nescatunga workshop, and one spot to check off for a festival booth space, will be issued, ultimately returning the $25 membership fee if all five spaces are used.

Checks may be mailed to P.O. Box 152, Alva, OK 73717, or payments may be made via Nescatunga’s PayPal account at https://paypal.me/NescatungaArts or by searching for the email NescatungaArts@yahoo.com within the service. Memberships may also be purchased at any workshop or event that the Council sponsors.

Questions?

Any questions may be directed to Penner or emailed to NescatungaArts@yahoo.com.

Additional information about the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council and the festival can be found at www.nescatunga.org.

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 Recreation Complex.

This project was also funded in part by the Oklahoma Arts Council, which receives support from the State of Oklahoma and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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