Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts

The 2009 Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts will be held in Buffalo on Saturday, August 29^th from 10AM to 6PM and Sunday, August 30^th from 10AM to 5PM. This is the 10^th annual festival, so it should be an exciting event once again this year.

Two additions will be added the Festival of the Arts this year. First is the Festival Beer Tent which will be located at Lancaster Avenue where Buffalo's own Flying Bison Beer will be served. Also, the Skiffle Minstrels will be giving a free concert on Saturday evening at 6:30 on the Lafayette Stage.

There will be over 170 local artists selling their work in 16 different materials. These include ceramics, digital, domestics, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, mixed media, painting, paper, photography, prints, sculpture, toys, and wood. With all of these options, you'll be sure to find anything you are looking for. Browsing the art is my favorite part of the festival but there are plenty of other things to do as well.

There are three places where performances will be held throughout the weekend. On the main stage, music will be played on Saturday by: N-Dias, Them Jazzbeards, The Jim Whitford Band, Nelson Starr & The Benjamins, Stone Country Band, John & Mary and the Valkryies. On Sunday, the Main Stage will feature dance from: Festival Ballet Ensemble, Buffalo Contemporary Dance, Configuration Dance, Lehrerdance, and Janet Reed's Dancers. Music will be played all weekend in the Dance Tent for people to dance to.

If you have kids, KidsFest will allow them to get involved in hands on crafts. The theme for KidsFest this year is wheels. The Garden Parade at 4PM on Sunday will be related to the theme.

The Café will feature food from many local restaurants. To name a few, Louie's Hot Dogs, Lombardo's Pita Place, and Anderson's Frozen Custard will be there. Other stands will be spread throughout the Festival to pick up quick snacks.

If you would like to volunteer to help with the festival, there are many different positions available. Call 830-2484 or email directoreafa@aol.com.

Visit www.elmwoodartfest.org to find schedules and lists of participating artists. Applications for performers, artists, and cafés are available here as well if you are interested in participating in the Festival. The Elmwood Festival of the Arts is a great end to the summer by allowing everyone to get out and enjoy one of the nice parts of Buffalo.