After closing for severe weather, OKC's Festival of the Arts reopening Sunday for last day
Sitting in front of his kaleidoscopic collection of geometric paintings, Jason Wilson pulled out a handheld gadget and officially turned a festivalgoer into a paying customer with a quick flourish of her credit card.
"They used to go wait in line, and when they were busy, the line could be 30, 40 minutes long. ... So, I like this a lot," Wilson said Saturday.
"The weather's always hit or miss. ... I'm a little concerned. From what I'm seeing, it looks like it's going to be in the afternoon. That's what my hope is, that we'll have a good Saturday morning. Then Sunday, hopefully, we'll make up for what we've missed out."
For the eighth year, the McAlester painter is among the 144 visual artists showing his work in Bicentennial Park during the Festival of the Arts, where his tent is set up this year in his usual spot near the front steps of Civic Center Music Hall.
A long-running Oklahoma City tradition, the Festival of the Arts debuted this year to big changes, including a shift to a cashless event and a new Thursday-Sunday format that trimmed the festival from six days to four days but with longer hours each day.
But one thing has stayed the same: Dealing with Oklahoma's famously unpredictable weather is a constant consideration in producing downtown OKC's "rite of spring."
"It's always a thing. This has been our weekend for 58 years ... so we deal with whatever it brings. We have all sorts of protocols in place," said Jody McAnally, the 2024 festival co-chair, shortly after the festival opened Saturday.
Festival of the Arts and Norman Music Festival close Saturday as severe weather spins through state
By early Saturday afternoon, those weather protocols led to Festival of the Arts organizers closing for the day as severe storms began developing in central Oklahoma. Norman Music Festival organizers also canceled the remainder of their three-day event shortly after noon Saturday as a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" tornado watch was issued for much of the Sooner State.
Several tornadoes tore through Oklahoma Saturday, with widespread damage and multiple injuries reported across the state. After dark, numerous tornadic storms spun through the OKC metro area. By 11 p.m., the City of Oklahoma City had dispatched public works and safety crews to several areas that had reportedly received minor damage.
But significant storm damage was reported in Ardmore, Marietta and many other communities across the state. KOCO 5 reported Sunday morning that at least one person had been confirmed dead in Holdenville after a tornado ripped through the Hughes County town. Extensive destruction was reported in Sulphur, as the Murray County Sheriff's Office issued a plea on Facebook for everyone except first responders to stay away.
OKC's Festival of the Arts set to reopen for a sunny Sunday finale
The rainy weather is expected to move out of the state Sunday morning, and in OKC, it's predicted to be sunny with highs near 80 degrees by midday.
Well before daybreak, the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon got underway early Sunday in downtown OKC, while the Festival of the Arts is set to reopen at 10 a.m. Sunday for its final day in and around Bicentennial Park.
In one of the changes to this year's festival, the grounds are opening an hour earlier Sunday to accommodate OKC Memorial Marathon participants and staying open an hour later until 7 p.m.
"Like any changes, my first reaction was, 'Oh, no, we don't want to do that. But then after I started thinking about it, I thought, 'It probably would be better to cut a day or so off, because (a six-day event) can be pretty grueling. And I'm not getting any younger," said OKC artist Thomas Stotts, who has been participating in the festival for 20 years.
"The cashless thing, I was a little leery. But the machines have worked. ... and I think in the long run, it's better."
Many artists feel positive about changes to OKC festival
Many artists showing their work at the 58th Annual Festival of the Arts said Saturday morning that they approve of the changes to the long-running event. Janvier "Mike" Ngamije, a Rwandan basket maker based in Lewisville, Texas, said he preferred the cashless format that allowed art buyers to skip the cumbersome process of getting a paper ticket, waiting in line at special booths and then coming back to the artist's tent to collect their purchase.
"It's less trouble and lines for the collectors. ... Now, they just pay here, and then they have the art in a few minutes. So, I think it made things quicker than they used to be. You could lose a sale because of writing those tickets. Maybe somebody's not patient enough," said Ngamije, who has been showing in the OKC festival for three years.
"I enjoy it here. I always like the people; they are very nice. ... They take care of us."
After working behind the scenes in the popular Pottery Place tent the past few years, OKC potter Sage Eden Smith has her own booth at the Festival of the Arts for the first time, and she made sure to have some affordable mugs, vases and pots on her shelves to appeal to festivalgoers who might be swayed by the ease of cashless purchasing.
"Customers have expressed the fact that they will love that they can pay at the booth. So, you have your different price points ... and they can grab it and they can just pay right then and there," said Smith, who has participated the past three years in the Paseo Arts Festival.
Festival co-chair Pat Lewis said the change from a six-day event to a four-day event also has been well-received, with 80 new artists joining the roster. Among the first-timers is OKC painter Alexandra Crothers.
"I have a full-time job. This isn't my full-time gig. So, it's just a lot more possible for me to do it if it's shorter. (Taking off) Thursday and Friday, no big. Tuesday to Friday gets tough. So, I was able to participate, and I've never even entered before. That was a big driver for me," she said.
Even as strengthening winds knocked over a few of her paintings, Crothers said she was impressed with the crowds that came out to the festival Saturday morning despite the cloudy, blustery pre-storm conditions.
Wilson said he's counting on the festival's many loyal patrons to take advantage of Sunday's sunny forecast and help him make up for lost sales due to Saturday's closure.
"I hated that they had to shut down because I started out real well (Saturday) morning. And with the festival being shorter, we're already going to be short a few days of possible income. ... But they basically did what they had to do," he said. "I'm hopeful that we can just pick up where we left off."
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS FINAL DAY
When: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.
Where: Bicentennial Park, Colcord and Couch drives, and City Hall lawn.
Information: https://www.artscouncilokc.com/festival-of-the-arts.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC's Festival of the Arts reopening Sunday after closing for storms
