Downtown Arts Market begins June 24 in Jamestown
Jun. 19—Singer Jessie Veeder headlines the first Downtown Arts Market of the summer on Thursday, June 24, in the Hansen Arts Park.
"She's been here before," said Mindi Schmitz, executive director of The Arts Center. "She's fantastically talented and she's a great crowd pleaser, and we're just so glad to have her back after the year of COVID and her issues (illness)."
The Downtown Arts Market runs from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays starting June 24 through Aug. 26. An opening act at 5:30 p.m. will be followed by a headliner at 6:30 p.m., Schmitz said.
"We've got a great lineup of performers and we are opening up to artisan vendors again this year like we had in the past," she said.
People attending the Market should bring a chair and umbrella, she said.
"We're encouraging them to patronize the local eating and drinking establishments downtown," Schmitz said.
The opening act for June 24 will be Retro Entertainment.
Unlike many events that were canceled in 2020, the Downtown Arts Market continued to be held. Schmitz said social distancing was practiced and face masks were encouraged.
"People were out and about and they were very appreciative that we had something for them to do," she said. "And they were very respectful for following COVID precautions and because of that we had a successful Downtown Arts Market lite."
This year, people can look forward to a Downtown Arts Market season that will be comparable to pre-COVID, Schmitz said.
"We always like to highlight local performers and so we do have local performers that are headlining and opening acts," she said. "We always like to bring in some sort of cultural aspect to the Downtown Arts Market. We like to involve families and so we have the Top of the Stairs (Dance Studio) dancers (who) are going to perform as well as the Jamestown Gymnastics Club. We have a polka band, we have a Dixieland band and of course, we have open mic nights."
Chalkfest kicks off June 24
Chalkfest will also kick off that night with a few chalk artists as a prelude to the main event on June 25-26, Schmitz said.
Shawn McCann is a nationally known chalk artist who will bring eight other chalk artists with him to Jamestown to create 3D chalk art pieces that look like they are "coming out of the sidewalk," she said.
"They're basically going to transform Hansen Arts Park and the street in front of the Hansen Studio here into pieces of art," she said. "Shawn and his group have been all over the world. They've been in Dubai, they've been at Epcot center in Florida, they've been in San Francisco, Maple Grove for all kinds of chalk festivals. And their art is absolutely stunning."
Chalkfest is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 25-26. People are encouraged to come and watch while the artists create their work on the street and on the sidewalk. The pieces are very large and not permanent, Schmitz said.
Children will also be able to do their own chalk art on sidewalks, Schmitz said. Music and inflatable games will also be available.
"It's really going to be a great time," she said.
Local support makes these events possible, Schmitz said.
"We couldn't do Chalkfest and the Downtown Arts Market without the support of the businesses in Jamestown," she said.
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Downtown Arts Market schedule
June 24: Jessie Veeder, Retro Entertainment, Chalkfest
July 1: Open Mic Night, Kroshus Krew
July 8: Bolder Shades of Blue, Space Dogs
July 15: The Deb Jenkins Band, Heather Rae
July 22: Matt Hodek & The Dakota Dutchmen, Buffalo City Church
July 29: Open Mic Night, Top of the Stairs Dance Studio
Aug. 5: Flickertail
Aug. 12: Kicks Dixieland band, Jamestown Gymnastics Club
Aug. 19: Blue English, Stick Ponies
Aug. 26: Open Mic Night, Sugargliders
