Festival of the Arts is a Glen Ellyn tradition
Appreciating art, and buying it, while listening to an eclectic mix of music and strolling through a wooded park is a summer tradition in Glen Ellyn with the Festival of the Arts.
This year, the event comes to Lake Ellyn Park Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27, with a full complement of 80 artists bringing their singular styles to the juried show.
"We have artists from a dozen different states," said Randy Poole, festival chairman and treasurer of the Glen Ellyn Lions Club, the nonprofit organization presenting the event.
Poole said art seekers will find photography, pottery, wearable art, leather purses, oil and acrylic paintings, fiber arts and jewelry in tents set up along the pathways surrounding Lake Ellyn.
While browsing the selections, visitors' ears will be treated to music made by a variety of musicians performing on the stage set up just opposite the boathouse, he said.
Anima children's chorus gets the music started at 10 a.m. Saturday, followed by Szurko Trio, Innerspice, Dean Milano and Friends, and Bill Acuna and the Despotic Hall of Fame.
Sunday's music lineup, headlined by Chicago-area favorite Ralph Covert at 3:30 p.m., includes performances by Roger Kotecki, Logical Fleadh, and Jack Cassidy and Symbia.
Celebrating its 48th year, the festival returns for the second consecutive year to its Lake Ellyn location after a 2015 stop in Maryknoll Park while renovation work was in progress at the boathouse, Poole said.
Improvements to the boathouse further enhance the festival experience, Poole said.
"The beer garden is on the patio of the boathouse," he said.
Guests can enjoy a beer or a glass of wine, purchase food from several vendors and relax on the patio in between visits to the artists' temporary galleries.
The children's area at the festival will offer young visitors a choice of craft projects and games, he said.
The festival features free admission, free on-street parking and free parking in nearby commuter train parking lots. Poole said the park is dog friendly and leashed pets are welcome.
The festival is the Glen Ellyn Lions Club's biggest fundraiser of the year. Poole said proceeds go to the club's foundation to help fund vision and hearing screenings for residents and children attending Glen Ellyn schools.
"Our primary function is vision and hearing services," Poole said.
Funds also help support the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry, the Glen Ellyn Children's Resource Center and the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association.
If you go
What: 48th annual Glen Ellyn Festival of the Arts, organized by the Glen Ellyn Lions Club
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 26 and 27
Where: Lake Ellyn Park, 645 Lenox Road, Glen Ellyn
Admission: Free
Info: glenellynlions.org or facebook.com/GlenEllynFestivaloftheArts