RUMFORD — The Teaberry Arts Council’s second annual Art Walk is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at the north end of the Hosmer Field trail.
The paved path cuts through a wooded area along the Swift River, and there are openings and clearings for visual artists, musicians and other performers to set up. There is no charge for participants.
“It’s an opportunity for the artists to sell themselves,” said Scot Grassette, a Teaberry Arts Council member and owner of the 49 Franklin reception hall in Rumford. “It’s really a phenomenal thing to see. In a way, the performers are like buskers in the street. They can leave out a donation can or a hat for the public to give money, or artists can set up a table to sell their art.”
Food vendors will set up at the entrance to the trail, Grassette added.
Many artists and performers will make return appearances, including Nick Graham and Trish Hodgkins of Trick Photography. They provide unique photographs taken in photo booths.
Grassette said other performers and artists include Lori Grassette and Bill Hoyt, who perform as “Spoons,” Rick and JT Greene, Ronnie Russell, and James Robert Clark.
Grassette will perform music at the Art Walk.
“There is no power or electricity available down there, so all performances will be acoustic,” he said.
Authors are also welcome to set up a table to sell their books, Grassette said.
The Teaberry Arts Council, in an effort to raise money for their group, invited several artists in the River Valley to decorate wooden apple crates, display them at local businesses, and auction them at the Rumford Pumpkinfest in October.
The finished crates are due Friday, July 31, and will be displayed at several local businesses.
Grassette said that in 2014, 12 artists decorated trash cans, which were displayed in businesses throughout Rumford.
“The idea was to decorate the trash cans, put them on display and have people place bids on them,” he said. “This way, people are going into the businesses to look at the trash cans and place bids on them, and then they can do their shopping at the store. It’s a way to support both the Teaberry Arts Council and the businesses that support the Teaberry Arts Council.”
The council agreed to switch to wooden apple crates this year, Grassette said, because they are easier to paint than metal trash cans.
The council also has a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/Teaberry-Arts-Council/395236337270735.
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