Organizers of the 2017 Brockport Arts Festival held August 12 & 13 are calling the popular annual event a success and are already working on the 2018 event.
“Many people came to enjoy the art, crafts, music, food, and children’s activities in our beautiful Victorian village on the canal,” says Kathy Kristansen, co-chair of the 2018 Brockport Arts Festival and a village trustee.
The 2017 Festival featured 115 vendors, a cruise-in, artist demonstrators and non-profit exhibitors.
In addition to BISCO (Brockport Integrated Service Clubs Organization), which has sponsored the festival since it’s inception more than two decades ago, Wegmans, Walmart and The College at Brockport sponsored the 2017 festival. The 2017 Duck Derby raised over $12,000 for community projects and the Towpath Lodge, Kristansen says.
“The (Duck Derby) race includes up to 10,000 yellow plastic ducks that are dumped into the canal to ‘race’ to a given pick-up point,” she says. “Winners are the first and last 11 ducks to reach the pick-up point.”
Duck Derby sponsors in 2017 were: Wegmans, Maxwell Thaney, DDS, Bateman Orthodontics, Lowe’s, UR Medicine – Strong West, Five Star Bank, Lions International, Kiwanis International, Rotary International, Express Mart, Sweden-Clarkson Recreation, ESL Federal Credit Union, Runnings, Farmer’s Insurance, Country Max and Helen Smagorinsky.
The list of Duck Derby winners included Jean Arieno, who had the first duck to reach the pick-up point. She won a $1000 Wegmans gift card. Jeanne Wolcott also won a $1000 Wegmans gift card for having the last duck to reach the pick up point.
BISCO will again sponsor the 2018 Arts Festival, Kristansen says. “Proceeds from the festival have and will go towards purchases to benefit the youth of the Brockport community as decided by the BISCO board of directors. Some of those purchases are playground equipment for Barry Street and Corbett Parks, the equipment needed to create a disc golf course for the Camp Abilities program, and numerous other projects.”
Work is currently underway planning the 24th Brockport Arts Festival, Kristansen says. It will be held August 11 and 12, 2018, with the Duck Derby on Sunday. 2018 co-chairs are Kristansen and Art Appleby.
“Our committee is presently in the process of recruiting artisans for our 2018 festival, as well as getting the advertising, entertainment, etc. locked in,” Kristansen says. “The 2018 committee consists of representatives from the three service clubs – Lions, Rotary and Kiwanis – community and business members, interns and volunteers from the college and community. We welcome volunteers who would like to join the 2018 Brockport Arts Festival planning committee.”
More information is available at www.BrockportArtsFestival.com .
