Photos by Ellen Nelson
This year’s Evergreen Fine Arts Festival reaches its 60th year, a milestone in its proud history of showcasing quality art and offering a family-friendly, engaging community experience. The two-day festival, August 22 and 23 from 10 am-5 pm, is a free event that transforms Buchanan Field into an immersive scene of juried artworks, kids’ activities, and live music, with plenty of food truck choices, beer, wine and nonalcoholic beverages.
High school volunteers and student artists will host a kids’ tent featuring face painting and interactive art activities. This fun, creative experience is perfect entertainment for youngsters while parents enjoy other aspects of the festival. The gathering is completely volunteer run and organized, with an emphasis on supporting aspiring artists and art teachers.
Investing in the Future: Scholarships and Grants
“At its heart, the festival is committed to supporting and encouraging young talent,” said Stephanie Roberts, co-chair of this year’s event along with artist Julie Sims. “Proceeds from booth fees plus food and drink sales go directly toward scholarships for students entering college to pursue visual arts.” This year’s scholarship recipient is Carter Taylor, a Clear Creek High School graduate bound for the Visual Arts Institute of Chicago to study concept art.
Further encouragement is given to emerging artists, who have never before exhibited at a festival. They receive discounted booth rates. Local art teachers benefit from special grants to foster growth and innovation despite limited funding for school arts programs.
The Artists: Returning Favorites and New Creatives
A juried event, the Festival highlights fine arts and ensures excellence across 15 categories of art media. Visitors can peruse 100 booths featuring mixed media, painting, sculpture, woodworks, jewelry and more at a broad spectrum of price points. Artists are more than happy to spend time speaking with attendees about their creative process and inspiration.
“Our artists love speaking with folks who visit their booths,” said Roberts. “Our festival is a tradition for many returning artists, in part because of the beauty of Evergreen and because we make artist hospitality a priority, making sure our creatives feel welcome and supported during their time with us.”
Many of the artists who were awarded at the 2025 festival are returning this year to display their works. Be on the lookout for them:
• Best in Show: Dona Bollard – Photography
• 2-D Design (Drawing/Mixed 2D/Digital Art): Andrew Barker
• 3D (Metal, Sculpture, Mixed Media 3D): Meghann & Kevin Haase
• Painting (Oil/Acrylic/Watercolor): Hana Felix
• Ceramics: Don McWhorter
• Fiber/Functional/Leather: Sherry Kromka
• Jewelry: Shana Bertetto
• Photography: Dona Bollard
Musical Lineup: The Weekend’s Soundtrack
Live music is an essential part of the festival, with Andy Potter curating the 2026 lineup. The stage will host a diverse array of performances throughout the weekend, creating an energetic complement to the overall experience. Here’s the schedule:
Saturday, August 22
• 10 – 10:20 am: Elzer McReynolds
• 10:20 – 11 am: Something Indigo
• 11:15 am – 12:45 pm: Dr Joe
• 1 – 2:30 pm: Family Recipe
• 3 – 5 pm: Kyle O’Brien Band
Sunday, August 23
• 10 – 11 am: Lena K
• 11:15 am – 12:45 pm: Lake People
• 1 – 2:30 pm: Sarah Bauer Band
• 3 – 5 pm: Rio Rosa
An Invitation to Celebrate
If you’re seeking an uplifting family outing, a chance to explore diverse artistic media, or simply crave reasonably priced food and live music, the Evergreen Fine Arts Festival will welcome you to a weekend of beauty, inspiration and joy. For more details about the festival, including parking and free shuttles, go to evergreenfineartsfestival.com.
