Keizer Rapids Park will again be filled with Oregon artists selling wood crafts, paintings, garden art, glass works, jewelry and more during Keizer’s big May celebration.
The Keizer Art Association is holding the third annual Riverwalk Art Fair on Friday through Sunday, May 15-17, in conjunction with KeizerFEST. The art fair will be located just south of the park’s main parking lot, and the hours will be from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m Sunday.
Lore Christopher, past president of the art association, said organizers expect as many as 50 booths this year — up from about 42 last year.
The fair is exclusively for Oregon artists, and organizers especially seek to provide opportunities for “emerging” local artists, Christopher said.
“We want to give them an opportunity to be able to show their work and sell their work,” Christopher said.
This year, the art fair is adding a kids zone. Children will have art activities such as rock decorating and coloring sheets, along with photo opportunities. The latter will include large cutout boards – one featuring large iris flowers with a hole for a person’s face.
Organizers have been considering adding a kids area for the last couple of years, Christopher said, and had the capacity to do so this year. She said the zone is meant to help encourage young artists and to give kids an outlet to explore art.
Another new addition will be a Passport Raffle. Attendees can collect marks from various booths on the passports, and turn them in to be entered in a drawing for prizes. The prizes include 18 holes of golf at McNary Golf Club plus a dinner coupon, a one-night stay at The Hotel Salem with a dinner certificate, and a wine basket from Scenic Valley Winery.
Actors from Keizer Homegrown Theatre will return this year to entertain at Riverwalk. Last year the group performed show tunes, opera and some monologues.
Christopher said the actors will perform on a small stage set up in the fair.
Another returning entertainer will be street performer Recca Maze. Beyond the scheduled performers, Christopher said street musicians who want to play can do so by signing up at the main Keizer Art Association booth.
Those interested in learning art techniques will have the chance to do so during several artist demonstrations.
NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE: Don’t miss any of the news of Keizer, produced by your professional local reporters. An online subscription is $10 a month, and takes just a moment when you go HERE.
