Boulder City’s popular Art in the Park offers a place to find just about anything

Don't let the phrase "juried art festival" scare you.

This weekend's Art in the Park event in Boulder City certainly is that. But, for those of us who feel, maybe, a bit intimidated by high art, it's also a craft show, an art exhibit, a street festival, a picnic and a community celebration.

This year marks the 47th annual edition of Art in the Park, which serves as a fundraiser to benefit Boulder City Hospital, said Wendy Kyser, foundation and community events manager for the Boulder City Hospital Foundation.

The first year's event was at "one of the (hospital) auxiliary member's houses," she said. "They used to run over to the house and make coffee and run back over to sell it. It was a very homegrown event."

It still is, even if it draws, according to Kyser, between 100,000 and 120,000 people during its two-day run. The art festival sprawls across four city parks, and Arizona and Colorado streets are closed off for the event.

Art in the Park is, first, a juried art festival, where judges offer first-, second- and third-place awards, as well as a best-in-show award, in the categories of traditional crafts, fine or contemporary crafts, and fine art.

None of the works on display are mass-produced or purchased elsewhere and then resold, Kyser said. And, with such an array of items on display, Art in the Park also is a place where art and crafts lovers can find just about anything -- from pricey paintings to custom-made kids' toys to fine-knitted children's clothes -- they might crave.

"The great thing is, people come from all over to attend this event because they do Christmas shopping," Kyser said. "They can find some good deals."

In the traditional craft area alone, she noted, "you can buy something for $2, and if you want to buy a custom mural painting for $20,000, you can find that as well. It's got a little something for everyone."

For those who prefer browsing to buying, most of the artists "actually do demonstrations on site," Kyser added, displaying prowess in everything from jewelry making to glass blowing to creating Monet reproductions on sidewalks with chalk.

Art in the Park also features live music, mostly of the acoustic variety, and more than 20 food booths that offer concessions from fruit kebabs to hot dogs and sodas to mimosas.

Also scheduled is a drawing featuring prizes provided by participating artists and local merchants. More than $25,000 worth of prizes are featured this year, Kyser said, and a prize can be "something that's worth 5 dollars or 5,000 dollars. It's a huge spectrum of things available."

Art in the Park is "really just a fun event," Kyser said. "And the great thing is that all of the parks are right down in Boulder City. So even if you leave, you're just adjacent to the historic Boulder Dam Hotel, all of the restaurants and all of the antique shops. You can pretty much walk anywhere."

The event is free and open to the public. On-street parking is available throughout Boulder City, while paid parking at the old Boulder City airport costs $5, plus a shuttle ride fee of $2 per way per person (children 8 and younger are free). Nonservice animals and pets are prohibited in the parks during the show, as are skateboards, bicycles and scooters.

"People always have a great time and I think it's because the event is free," Kyser said.

"People who come, they're looking for something they can do with the family that won't cost them too much. And, even if they don't buy anything, they can still walk around and look and have lunch together."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.