April 4, 2022
An entire day of arts, crafts and entertainment are scheduled for the Alva, Oklahoma, downtown square Saturday, June 4.
The 51st Nescatunga Arts Festival will kick the day off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. followed by the Salt Fork June Jam that will take over the square at the close of the arts festival until 9 p.m.
Registration for the arts festival is open to fine artists and crafters, and a form may be found online at www.nescatunga.org. The early registration deadline is May 20. Booth space for fine art or crafts is $25 for the first space and $15 for each additional space. Booth space fees will double after this date.
Fine arts categories include oil/acrylic, watercolor, pastels, mixed media, graphics/pen and ink/pencil, printing making, photography, pottery, sculpture (wood, metal, mineral), fiber arts like quilting/weaving/basketry, and designer arts and jewelry. Book authors also are welcome.
Craft categories include wood toys/furniture, ceramics/glass, clothing, soft toys, decorative items, jewelry, craft food, repurposed items, home goods/accessories, and other items.
Fine artists are eligible for only 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 judge may award any place to an entry based on merit, and if, in the opinion of the judge, none of the entries in a category meet the standards of excellence, no award will be given.
High school and college student artwork will be judged for a possible first place and a $25 prize. No registration fee is charged to students.
All work must be that of the exhibitor, and artists must be in attendance for work to be judged.
Artists and crafters must provide their own display setup, tables, chairs, etc. All booths will be set up on the north side of the courthouse lawn. Arts festival planners ask that booths remain in place until 3 p.m. but are welcome to stay through the evening during the June Jam.
Food booths help fund festival, scholarships
Rather than having a variety of food booths on the lawn at the festival, this year a breakfast-themed booth will be offered that will start serving at 8 a.m. on the square.
The Gourmet Food Booth serving up baked items from several volunteers will be back as this booth is one of the committee’s biggest fundraisers. Local bakers who would like to donate a baked item to the booth should contact Nicki Chaffee at (580) 430-5450.
These food booths help the organization fund scholarships to local arts students each year, as well as help fund the arts festival, the Sugar Show, First Friday Art Walk at the Runnymede and other activities.
Family Fun Activities
Several family fun activities also will be available on the downtown square during the day. Available will be face painting by CAKE FACE Face Painting, an inflatable obstacle course, train rides, Port-A-Petting with Bradt’s Menagerie, oversized Jenga sets and multiple corn hole sets.
Quilt Show at the Courthouse
The annual Quilt Show will take place in the Woods County Courthouse on the downtown square that same day. Anyone interested in displaying a quilt should contact Rose Mary McFall at (580) 829-3011 by May 20.
Sugar Show is new attraction
A new attraction to the arts festival this year is a Sugar Show contest to allow food artists to create decorated cakes, cookies and cupcakes. Decorated cakes should have at least two tiers, and a dozen decorated cookies and cupcakes should be created.
There will be three divisions: Professional, who may enter with non-edible “dummy” cakes; and Aspiring Artists and Students, who will enter edible items.
Items will be judged on six criteria: Overall Appearance, Number of Techniques Used, Precision, Originality of Design and Level of Difficulty.
There will be one first place prize in each category, plus a People’s Choice award. The entry fee for this contest is $10 per category or free to students. The prize will be $50 for first place in each category for professionals and aspiring artists, or $10 for the first place student entry.
Questions about the Sugar Show should be directed to April Ridgway at (580) 917-0101 or maxandapril@hotmail.com.
Entertainment being scheduled
Naicee (Gugelmeyer) Sutter has scheduled several entertainers for the day including:
The Vintage Wildflowers, an Irish, Celtic trio that features many different instruments and vibrant harmony vocals from Tulsa, as well as the Cheyenne Tribal Dancers and Borderline Bluegrass group. Local favorites include Nick and Cara Bradt, Fred Riggins, Miss Kim’s Dance Studio, Drew Faulkner, Angie May and Emma Cline.
Questions about the event
For additional information on the arts festival, contact the Alva Chamber of Commerce at (580) 327-1647 or email the Festival committee at NescatungaArts@yahoo.com. More information also is available on the website or by visiting the festival’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/nescatungaarts.
Questions about the June Jam should be directed to the Graceful Arts Gallery and Studio at (580) 327-2787 or gracefulartscenter@gmail.com.
The Nescatunga Arts Festival is sponsored by the Nescatunga Arts and Humanities Council, Inc., in cooperation with the Alva Chamber of Commerce and the City of Alva Tourism Committee.
Nescatunga Committee’s Next Meeting
Anyone interested in the arts is encouraged to help the committee with this year’s festival. The next meeting is set for Tuesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. at the Runnymede (across from the Alva Police Department) in downtown Alva.
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