Labor Day weekend will be a celebration of art in the county seat.
Vernon’s Labor Day Festival of the Arts will take place all around the Jennings County Courthouse on Saturday and Sept. 2.
Vernon has hosted a festival on Labor Day weekend for 58 years. The festival was originally designed to celebrate Vernon’s rich art history, which included many famous artists who came to Vernon to paint and photograph Vernon’s landscape. T.C Steele, William Forsyth, Richard Gruelle, Otto Stark and J.O. Adams all created many of their works in Vernon during the late 1800s and the 20th century.
Well-known local artist Dalton Bolser was a founder of the first art festival on Labor Day in 1960. Though the early festivals were centered around art shows, eventually the concentration of the festivals became antique sales and then garage sales.
“We wanted to do something that was more about our heritage. Last year was the first Vernon Labor Day Festival of the Arts. We had over 150 artists participated and we received a lot of positive feedback, so we are doing it again this year and we are hoping for even more artists,” Vernon Mayor Dan Wright said.
Though a judged contest between participating artists will be an important part of the festival, Wright said many activities will be available for people of all ages. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
The art contest is open to all regional artists in three age divisions:
Adult
Ages 13 to 18
Ages 12 and under
The contest categories are:
Folk art (no quilts)
Painting
Scenes of Vernon
Photography
Anyone wishing to compete in the art contest should bring their entry at the information booth on the corner of Brown and Pike Street before 1 p.m. Saturday. Judging will take place between 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday and awards will be presented at 3:30.
For more information about the art contest, contact Karen Chilman at karenchilman@jcsc.org.
Saturday’s events begin at 10 a.m. and include:
Vendors and art demonstrations
Craft demonstrations, such as basket weaving, blacksmithing, cloth weaving and wood carving
Children’s activities, such as puppet shows and a tyke tractor pull
A drum circle and a performance of the Southern Indiana Taiko Drum Group
Live music will be performed from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday. Groups from the music departments at Jennings County’s middle and high schools will perform, too.
A community glow walk begins at 8 p.m. Saturday
Sundays events will begin with an outdoor church service at 10 a.m. Live music will begin at noon. Food and merchandise vendors will be available.
A Crosley Car Show is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday.
