With a custom designed, hand made Tee Shirt banner flapping in a welcome breeze, CNY Arts Center kicked off its first annual Arts Fest on the River Saturday, July 9 in Downtown Fulton. More than a dozen artists set up booths in the parking lot on South First Street overlooking the river with jewelry, pottery, botanical prints, glass mosaics, paintings, sculpture, tattoo art and more. A wide variety of local talent entertained the crowd throughout the afternoon at the Downtown Gazebo and ten contestants took the stage in a talent competition.
Even with a variety of events to choose from around the area, Coordinator Nancy Fox was pleased with the turnout. “It was a great weekend to be out and about in Fulton. The family events at Holy Trinity and Granby coupled with beautiful art on a picture perfect day at the river really put the shine on Fulton.”
“Even more it was a day of exciting collaboration from many contributors coming together to make a memorable event,” Fox continued. “The tee shirts donated by Fulton Screen Printing were decorated by young artists from the Youth Advocate Program and strung to make a colorful banner over the gazebo while MF Graphics provided an eye-catching bright yellow banner to draw attention to artists set up in the parking lot.
“The media coverage was superb and really made a difference in getting the word out. Tavern on the Lock and Kathy’s Cakes served up food, drinks and desserts while the Blue Bowl Company donated sanitation facilities. Many merchants donated gifts for door prizes and were recognized throughout the day by emcee Kristin Cook who kept the entertainment going with announcements, prizes and introductions. The Village Shops and All In One Fitness supplied gift certificates for the winners of the Talent Competition while Showcase Productions supplied the sound system with Barry Dunham on mixer.”
“There are so many facets to any festival, even a small one in its first attempt. We started planning this event only four weeks before its debut and it is the support of so many contributors and volunteers that made it work, not the least of which was the city. Everyone from the Mayor to the City Clerk’s office, to Barry Ostrander and his staff were helpful, and supportive. The Police and Health Department were all very pleasant to deal with and very encouraging. Seeing the Fire Department drive by once or twice was comforting and it was just a really good day for Fulton. It showed we can work together for the good of the community. Most of all, the positive feedback we received validated the point we want to make – the arts have a place in the fabric of this community. We can work together to make it succeed.”
The group will continue to meet on Monday evenings, 6:30 at Fulton Alliance Church on Rte. 48 South. New members are welcome as plans get underway for the next event. For more information about the group visit www.CNYArtsCenter.com, or call Nancy Fox at 598-8812.
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