About
Welcome to Images of Fairfield County online, produced in cooperation with the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce.
Archives
Read past editions of Images of Fairfield County magazine.
Local Advertisers
The Facts
Realtor.com
Search for a new home, get moving tips and more at the
National Association of Realtors’ Web site.
Go there...
Gardening
How does your garden grow? Get the dirt on regional gardening.
Read more...
Food
What's cookin'? Get a taste of regional cuisine.
Read more...
Education and school listings
Check out school districts, colleges and universities in the Lancaster area.
Read more...
More Information
or to request a copy of Images of Fairfield County magazine, contact the Lancaster-Fairfield County Chamber of Commerce at (740) 653-8251.
Contact Us
Feedback
Let us know your thoughts...
Advertising Info
Need more info? Looking for ad specifications?
Local Advertisers
Recreation
Summer Glow
Summer arts festival turns up heat on creativity
Not content just to observe, Lancaster residents like Matt Connell, 13, enjoy participating in the arts.Fairfield County is well known for its artistic passions.
And those passions are publicly celebrated each summer during the Lancaster Festival of Arts, an extraordinary event drawing more than 15,000 art lovers into town.
July 19-28, 2007, marks the festival’s 23rd season. More than 75 events and performances are expected to fill every niche in town.
A variety of organizations, including the Lancaster Chorale, the Lancaster Festival Orchestra and the Decorative Arts Center, come together to provide a unique mix of creativity to all who attend.
Growing out of a small Picnic and Pops event, the festival – dubbed Summer’s Sizzling Salute to the Arts – now includes a series of pops, chamber music, children’s performances, ballet, art and a host of other attractions.
A primary contributor to the annual event is the Lancaster Festival Orchestra. Begun in 1988, the orchestra grew with the festival and this year celebrates its 20th anniversary.
The orchestra’s repertoire ranges from opera to music from the movies and from classical pieces to jazz compositions. Musicians in the orchestra are recruited from all over the United States and abroad. They perform under the baton of Gary Sheldon, who also serves as the artistic director of the festival.
The Lancaster Chorale, a premier choral organization in the United States, also will be featured during the 2007 festival. Formed in 1985 as a community choir, the group became professional in 1989, and its pure sound has attracted increasing national attention. The Lancaster Chorale is Ohio’s only 32-voice professional choir and is growing rapidly, says chorale director Robert Trocchia.
“We’re exploding from three subscription performances a year to eight to 10 performances,” Trocchia says. “This year, our opening concert for the festival is outdoors. We expect 10,000 to 15,000 people to attend. It will have a patriotic theme and be fun for the audience as they picnic at tables or on the lawn.”
Not only is the festival a feast for the ears; it’s a feast for the eyes, as well. The Decorative Arts Center will sponsor exhibits, public programs and art classes during the celebration, while showcasing the architecture and heritage of its home in the Reese-Peters House.
“The center is an enthusiastic collaborator of the festival,” says Julie Clarke, the Decorative Arts Center’s executive director. “We highlight our summer exhibit then, and although the festival does not drive the choice of this exhibit, it is certainly [made] with the festival in mind.”
The 2007 summer exhibit, “Pieced Together,” will feature work by noted quilters and fiber artists from across the country. Displays will include bold, graphic and textural pieces in two entities: those made for the bed and those destined for the wall.
The annual Art Walk is another popular event. More than 40 Lancaster businesses display a variety of art – from painting and sculpture to ironworks and jewelry.
“Many of the businesses provide refreshments and music for the viewers,” says Lou Ross, executive director of the festival. “It begins on the first Friday of the Festival, and continues for the entire run.”
Story by Bridget Huckabee
Photo by Brian McCord
Additional Recreation Articles
© Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc.
All rights reserved. No portion of this Web site may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.