Art show, sale in Somers Point’s Kennedy Park
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK
Sentinel staff
SOMERS POINT — What’s better than strolling through an art show on a beautiful summer’s afternoon? Strolling through an art show at a picturesque park overlooking Great Egg Harbor Bay.
Better still is that all of the art — both paintings and photographs — is for sale and the event will include children’s activities, live entertainment, food and drinks and a lovely shady setting with plenty of open space.
The 5th annual Art in the Park, sponsored by the Somers Point Arts Commission, is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 26, at John F. Kennedy Memorial Park. For those not familiar, it’s on Broadway behind the popular restaurant The Crab Trap.
Arts Commission member Kathleen Arleth believes the park is a natural draw and obvious choice for such an event.
“‘Art in the Park’ has a nice ring to it,” she said, calling JFK Park an iconic place in Somers Point and the scene of a couple of great events.
The city hosts the annual Good Ol’ Days Festival there to wrap up summer each season but the view of the bay and beauty of the park draw people any time of the year. There also is a boat ramp and sometimes a beach, depending on the tide.
The day-long event features a competition for professional and amateur painters and photographers.
This year artists submitted traditional two-dimensional work in the following categories: oil/acrylic, drawing/pastels, watercolor, hand-pulled prints and mixed media/collage, as well as photographs.
Prizes will be awarded for first and second place and honorable mention to both painters and photographers.
Attendees will also have a chance to judge a piece of art by voting for the popular People’s Choice Award.
Area merchants and organizations that provided prizes were the Somers Point Unique Experiences Club, Passion Vines Wine & Spirits Co., South Jersey Jazz Society, The Clam Bar and The Tilton Inn.
Children of all ages will be treated to an array of art experiences including the ever-popular Cardboard Construction, Collage Corner, Collaborative Painting on canvas, Creative Mask-Making, Free-Expression Graffiti Art, Haiku Happenings and more. A children’s clothesline art exhibit featuring the work of students from Dawes Avenue School will be on display.
Attendees will be entertained by the energetic Budesa Brothers featuring Chris Aschman on steel drums and trumpet. Vocal and dance performances will be presented by Chartertech High School for the Performing Art at 2 p.m.
Food vendors include Jay’s Crab Shack, Dukes Dogs, Mr. Ice Cream Man and Boardwalk Peanuts.
Art in the Park is free and open to the public. Kennedy Park provides handicapped parking. Shuttle bus transportation provided by Atlantic County will begin at 10 a.m. with stops at Groveland Avenue and Exton Road, Bethel Road and the bike path and at Somers Point Village Apartments.
Contributors to Art in the Park and Somers Point Arts Commission 2021 programs include the city of Somers Point, Somers Point Business Association, Sturdy Savings Bank, South Jersey Jazz Society and Republic Bank.
Arleth said no event was held in 2020 but that did not seem to harm participation this year.
“We have not seen a drop-off. The missing year was last year and we got right back together and we are getting more artists than we had previously,” Arleth said. “We are getting a good return of people who are signing up for their art display, actually from all over South Jersey, not just the immediate area.”
Arleth said she did not know how many people to expect.
“We felt that 2019 was our best year and had about 400 people,” she said, noting that’s throughout the day and not at one time.
Arleth said the Arts Commission is planning the inaugural Poetry in the Park for later this year.