Minglefest to usher in new Saxonburg tradition
After 36 years, Saxonburg’s original Festival of the Arts is no more. Starting this September, a new arts festival — Minglefest — will fill the void.
The inaugural Minglefest will feature a “Celebration of Visual Art” — courtesy of Saxonburg Visual Art — serving as the successor to the former arts festival. The show kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 8, and will run through the weekend at Saxonburg Memorial Presbyterian Church on West Main Street.
The Saxonburg Area Business Association conceived Minglefest as a last-minute replacement for the old Festival of the Arts, which had been canceled earlier this year.
Stan Walchesky, who has been involved with Saxonburg’s art shows since the very first Festival of the Arts, is confident that attendees will not notice a difference from the old arts festival.
"It's the same old thing, except they dropped the name of ‘Arts Festival,’“ said Walchesky. ”The venue’s the same, the date’s the same, but the name has changed.“
There will be three categories of art submissions accepted: professional, non-professional and student, the last of which is for artists ages 12 to 18. There are also two optional themed categories – “Things That Fly” and “Historic Saxonburg.” The show will award ribbons and cash prizes for each category.
Each artist is allowed to enter up to five pieces of art, and that art must be traditional — oil, acrylic, watercolor or other means. It will cost $7 per piece to enter the show for artists over 18, and $3 per piece for artists ages 12 to 18.
In addition to paintings, photographs also are allowed to be entered at the Minglefest show.
Also on display at the art show will be Shirley Winkler’s “Ichiyo School of Ikebana” exhibit, featuring the art of Japanese flower arranging. Winkler’s exhibit has been part of Saxonburg’s art shows for decades, since she first took interest in the art form during a six-year stretch living in Japan.
Aside from the art show, Minglefest will feature live music on two different stages — one in front of the South Butler Community Library, and one behind Heritage Wine Cellars.
As with arts festivals of the past, Minglefest will take place concurrently with Sprankle’s Octoberfest, which is the same weekend. Carriage and trolley rides will take guests back and forth between the two events.
