Art, Music Festival to welcome summer June 21 in Houghton

Visitors check out booths with exhibits by local artists at a previous Houghton Art and Music Festival. This year's festival will take place Saturday, June 21. (Keweenaw Now file photos)

HOUGHTON -- Celebrate the first day of summer at the Houghton Art and Music Festival from noon -7 p.m. on Saturday, June 21, on the upper parking deck in downtown Houghton. The festival, now in its 12th year, provides an opportunity to hear live local music, spend time downtown, and shop at regional artist booths. The event is free and open to everyone

Artist booths will feature many quality art items -- stained glass, pottery, jewelry, fiber art, paintings, wearable art, photography, honey products and more -- for sale.

Music is a big part of the Art and Music Festival. Here the Thimbleberry Band plays a variety of tunes at the 2012 Festival. Picture, from left, are Oren Tikkanen, Matthew Durocher, Libby Meyer and Dave Bezotte. Under the title, "What the Folk?" the duo Tikkanen and Meyer will entertain at this year's festival.

This year’s music line up is as follows: Noon, Steve Jones; 1 p.m., Backroom Boys; 2 p.m., Tom Blood; 3:15 p.m., What the Folk? Libby Meyer and Oren Tikkanen; 4:30 p.m., Viney Willa; and at 5:45 p.m. Uncle Pete’s BBQ Blues Band. Sound will be provided by Kenny Stahl with music coordinated by brockit, inc.

The Frog Hop scavenger hunt will take place at local businesses from noon - 5 p.m. The Frog Hop is a fun way to spend some time downtown and earn a chance to win prizes. The Frog Hop is for people 16 and over, while the Junior Frog Hop is for youth ages 15 and under. Get your Frog Hop cards at one of the participating businesses or, during the festival, visit each of the businesses listed on the card for a stamp, get your last stamp at the Community Arts Center booth and your card will be put in a prize drawing. Participating businesses include 5th and Elm Coffee House, The Bike Shop, Bliss Spa, The Blue Iris, Chickadees, Downwind Sports, Good Times Music, The Lunch Bag, Your Crazy Place, Pizza Works, Surplus Outlet, Swift True Value Hardware, and the Yummy Bar. Prize winners will be drawn throughout the day; you need not be present to win. (Frog image courtesy Copper Country Community Arts Center)

The Arts Center will also have an information booth with the ever popular Extreme Bake Sale.

Community Arts Center members Christa Walck, left, and Harriet King volunteer at the Extreme Bake Sale during the 2012 Art and Music Festival.

The festival will include a variety of fun and free family art activities led by local artist and art educator Melissa Hronkin: Noon - 2:30 p.m. -- Fish prints, 2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. -- Mask making, and 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. -- Painting.

Author Debbie Frontiera sells her books at the 2012 Art and Music Festival.

Festival will also feature a children’s bike decorating booth and bike parade for youth ages 3-16. Bike decorating, with art supplies and help provided by Bike Initiative Keweenaw (also known as BIKE!), will take place from 12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m., with a bike parade around the art festival from 1:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. There is no cost to participate. Children must wear a bike helmet to ride in the parade. Visit the BIKE! tent on the west side of the festival grounds on the Houghton parking deck behind 5th and Elm restaurant. BIKE! asks drivers and cyclists to share the road, reminding drivers to watch for cyclists and pedestrians and cyclists to follow traffic laws.

The Houghton Spring Art and Music Festival is an outreach effort of the Copper Country Community Arts Council with support from the City of Houghton. Sponsors are the Keweenaw Brewing Company, 5th and Elm Coffee House, Minnesota Public Radio, and brockit inc. For more information, call the Community Arts Center at 906-482-2333 or visit www.coppercountryarts.com.