Annual Americana Jubilee returns July 4 to Side Street Studio Arts
Side Street Studio Arts, in conjunction with Blue Box Café, Elgin Fringe Festival, and Kirkpatrick, Jones, and Herzog Insurance Agency, will host the third annual Americana Jubilee on Monday, July 4.
It will follow the Independence Day Parade, hosted by the City of Elgin and the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin. The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the studio, 15 Ziegler Court in downtown Elgin.
The jubilee will feature live music, a bake sale, pie-eating contests, bake-off competition, games and art projects for kids, entertainment, and more. It is free and open to the public, with suggested donation tickets for the dunk tank and pie tasting.
"The 4th kicks off with a bang with the parade," said Side Street Studio Arts director Amanda Harris. "And it will end with a bang with the concert and fireworks at the riverboat. We want to keep folks celebrating in downtown Elgin all day by providing family-friendly activities and entertainment. Watch the parade, then come to us for fun and games and dessert."
The call for pie bakers is still open. Bakers must submit their pie for the competition by midnight Sunday, July 3. There is a $5 submission fee to participate. Two pies must be brought: one for the public to try, and one for the judges. Pies will be judged on five categories, with 10 points possible in each: crust, filing, presentation, overall flavor, and audience favorite, with a total of 50 points possible. Two prize package and cash awards will be given: one for the audience favorite, and one for the judges' choice. To submit a pie, check out the submission form at www.sidestreetstudioarts.org, or call Amanda Harris at (847) 429-2276.
Pies will be judged by Jubilee attendees as well as a panel of judges made up of Elgin Fringe Festival favorite actor/storyteller David Boyle, Highland Elementary School Principal Steve Johnson, Elgin City Councilwoman Rose Martinez, and Downtown Neighborhood Association event coordinator Heather Muniz.
The gallery at Side Street Studio Arts will feature a visual art exhibition entitled "Generations," featuring work from a variety of artists, age 10 and older, reflecting their distinct cultural and generational points of view as individuals living in the U.S. Artists featured include Bill Van Dusen, Erin Grupp, Chris Palm, Sara Peak Convery, Gay Exoo Bouwmeester, Imogen Bouwmeester, Karl Jahnke, Roberto Martinez, Doug Hanson, Joseph J. Mora, and more. The exhibition will be on display from Saturday, July 2 through Sunday, July 10.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be games for kids, Elgin Fringe Festival Dunk Tank, and tasty food from Blue Box Café.
The public pie tasting will be held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., with the Bake-Off contest judging at 12:30 p.m.
It will be followed by a pie-eating contest at 1:30 p.m., followed by the Bake-Off awards at 1:50 p.m.
Brad French will offer roaming juggling entertainment from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Local band Oceans and Oceans will perform at 11 a.m., followed by music from Steve Barnes at noon.
Side Street Studio Arts was founded in 2013 by Tanner Melvin and Erin Rehberg as an outlet for the artists of Elgin. Currently under the direction of Harris, Roberto Martinez, Melvin, and Rehberg, its mission is to provide an accessible space, run by artists, encouraging all aspects of the artistic process from creation to curation. For details, visit www.SideStreetStudioArts.org, call (847) 429-2276 or email SideStreetStudioArts@gmail.com.