Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown displays the framed Fine Arts Fiesta poster he received at the event’s opening ceremony on Thursday morning.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
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Tracy McDermott of Shavertown, left, and Krista Connolly of Swoyersville admire artwork on display in the Adult Juried Exhibition. Both also have artwork on display in the exhibit and won third-place awards - McDermott for her oil painting, ‘Homage to Edgar Payne,’ and Connolly for her photograph, ‘Time Will Tell.’
Liz Baumeister | Times Leader
Fine Arts Fiesta board president Ann Saxton, left, stands behind Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, who received a framed Fine Arts Fiesta poster at the event’s opening ceremony on Thursday morning.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Kitty Ortiz, a member of the board of directors of the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre, sings ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’ from ‘My Fair Lady’ on Thursday evening at Fine Arts Fiesta on Wilkes-Barre Public Square.
Liz Baumeister | Times Leader
Leo Seamans, a student of the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre’s summer camp, performs ‘If I Only Had a Brain’ from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ on Thursday evening during Fine Arts Fiesta on Wilkes-Barre Public Square.
Liz Baumeister | Times Leader
Dancers from the Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre perform on stage Thursday evening during Fine Arts Fiesta on Wilkes-Barre Public Square.
Liz Baumeister | Times Leader
Robert Vielee stands in front of the tent for The Elegant Landscape, displaying photos he took during his travels across the United States. The Elegant Landscape is one of the vendors at the 68th Fine Arts Fiesta.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Cardboard cutouts of Al Groh and Annette Evans stand beneath the Family Activity tent at the 68th Fine Arts Fiesta in Wilkes-Barre. Groh and Evans founded the event in 1956, and, earlier this spring, were both announced as inductees into the Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
Edsware Ceramics, the business of Ed Brownlee from Kalamazoo, Michigan, is one of the vendors at the 68th Fine Arts Fiesta.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
People walk through the Adult Juried Exhibition tent at Fine Arts Fiesta Thursday evening on Wilkes-Barre Public Square.
Liz Baumeister | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE — The 68th Fine Arts Fiesta was officially opened on Thursday by Wilkes-Barre Mayor George Brown, and it didn’t take long for locals to flock to Public Square and check out what the regional art scene has to offer.
Founded in 1956 by Annette Evans and Al Groh, the Fine Arts Fiesta has become one of Wilkes-Barre’s premier events.
The presence of Evans and Groh, who were both announced as 2024 Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame inductees earlier this spring, has remained in some form through the decades. This year, their likenesses were represented by cardboard cutouts under the Family Activity tent.
This year’s opening ceremony featured brief remarks from Mayor Brown, who was presented with a framed Fine Arts Fiesta poster by Ann Saxton, president of the event’s board of directors.
“This is going to go on the wall in my office,” said Brown upon opening his gift on-stage.
Brown praised the event’s organizers and expressed his excitement at having vendor representation from across the country, from Tennessee to Michigan. He said that the Fine Arts Fiesta is emblematic of Wilkes-Barre’s rejuvenation efforts paying off. Those efforts, according to Brown, were noticed by non-local vendors.
“This is your city, folks,” Brown said to the steadily growing audience. “What you see today is a city that’s on the rebound and coming back. It’s really nice when someone from out of the area says that.”
Brown ceremonially opened the Fine Arts Fiesta to the public, who had already begun exploring the extensive offerings of food and art that were spread out across Public Square.
Landscape photographer Robert Vielee, of Clarks Summit, has traveled the country, snapping photos of some of the United States’ most gorgeous scenery and sharing his work with various communities. But Vielee said there is something special about the Fine Arts Fiesta, where he has been a vendor for years.
“I do maybe half a dozen to ten art shows a year… this is the best show I do every year,” Vielee said.
Vielee said he is impressed with the organizers who run the Fine Arts Fiesta, who have always been cooperative and helpful in his experience. The Fine Arts Fiesta staff, according to Vielee, are always prepared to lend a hand if he wants to explore the event himself.
“If I need somebody to watch my booth, you just hang a sign out and [the Fine Arts Fiesta staff] will come by, watch your booth, and you get a chance to walk around and see what the other people are doing,” said Vielee.
Ed Brownlee brought his collection of ceramic pottery from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to be at the Fine Arts Fiesta. Like Vielee, he’s become familiar with the event over the years and has been happy with his experience.
“I’ve been doing [the Fine Arts Fiesta] for a few years, and it’s been good, so it’s worth coming back still,” Brownlee said.
Brownlee noted that while the Fine Arts Fiesta takes place in a smaller city than most of the shows he has attended, he enjoys the very localized clientele that it attracts.
Thought & Mind Leathercraft was represented at the festival by leather artist Spencer Zimmerman and Kelly, who was helping Spencer manage his tent. This was their first time at the Fine Arts Fiesta, and their initial impression of the event was positive.
“A lot of nice art here. I think that everyone here is very talented,” said Kelly. “And it seems like a good crowd of people.”
In addition to the vendors and food at the Fine Arts Fiesta, live performances will be running throughout the weekend. Michael Glabicki, of the Pennsylvania rock band Rusted Root, will perform as part of the Uprooted Trio at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Main stage performances during the final three days of the Fine Arts Fiesta include:
Friday, May 17
10:25 a.m. Chloe Orfanella, National Anthem
10:30 a.m. Dallas Middle Middle School Mountaineer Band/Chorus
11:45 a.m. Wyoming Valley West Middle School Spartan Singers
12:45 p.m. Wyoming Valley West Middle School Orchestra
1:45 p.m. Central Columbia Middle School Chorus & Band from Bloomsburg
3:30 p.m. Wilkes Barre Academy Glee Club
4:00 p.m. Rising Stars Performing Arts Academy
6 p.m. Brandon Brisk
7:30 p.m. Elephants Dancing
Saturday, May 18
10:55 a.m. Carl Achhammer, Jr. on Trumpet, National Anthem
11 a.m. Joan Harris Dance Center
Noon Rising Stars Theater Company
1 p.m. Katrina Lykes Music Studio
2 p.m. David Blight Dancers
3 p.m. PATAsphere
4 p.m. Wyoming Valley Barbershop Harmony Chorus
4:30 pm Mt. Zion Choir & Dancers
7:30 pm Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root Uprooted Trio
Sunday, May 19
10:30 a.m. The Wyoming Valley Poetry Society
Noon Downtime, sponsored by Price Chopper Market 32
1 p.m. Jr. Mozart Club of Wilkes Barre
2 p.m. Contra Dance/The Contra Rebels
4 p.m. Modern Ties