Champlain Village Arts Fest to take place

CHAMPLAIN | The Village of Champlain is hosting its first-ever Champlain Village Arts Fest from May 30 to June 1. Kicking off the three-day festival will be live music by The Co-Conspirators at Red Canoe Coffee & Books at 7 p.m. The next day at 2 p.m. at the Champlain Meeting House, a Square Foot Art Show featuring 12x12 pieces of all mediums by locals of all ages will be unveiled. And the final day will feature a poetry reading at the Champlain Memorial Library at 2 p.m. "Whether you participate as an artist or a viewer, [...] it's an opportunity to gather and share creativity," said Village of Champlain Mayor Janet McFetridge. "Our goal is to foster connections and a sense of belonging." LIVE MUSIC Featuring Katherine Simons and Will Richards, this Canadian folk duo performs a variety of folk/singer-songwriter music with elements of bluegrass, country, blues and gospel. Compared to The Weavers, Ian and Sylvia Tyson and Richard and Linda Thompson, the duo has spent the last six years performing at hundreds of house concerts, folk societies, festivals, seniors and community centres, bars and restaurants across Canada and have just returned from a successful 17 date tour of the United States. The Co-Conspirators have released 4 albums to date — "Shadowing the Organ Tuner," "The Unreliable Narrators," "Half a Tank of Gas and a Full Case of Beer" and "War is a Racket and Other Irrefutable Truths." ART SHOW For this one-day show, the Champlain Meeting House will open its doors to display 12x12 works of all mediums by local artists of all ages under the theme "The River." "The Great Chazy River is beautiful and the center of the Village of Champlain, [and] water [alone] is essential to life and has always drawn humans to it for consumption, transportation and food," McFetridge said. "It seemed a perfect theme for this show, which promotes beauty and community." After seeing a version of this show done in Salem, Ore., McFetridge thought a similar one would be a perfect fit for the village. POETRY READING On the last day, there will be a poetry reading at the Champlain Memorial Library. The event is open mic, so event goers can either go and read their own poems or a favorite poem of theirs, or they can sit and listen to other people's poetry. "The beauty of old Champlain was appreciated by all, but due to floods and fires, that era is over. We believe that art can be one catalyst for revitalization and by encouraging creativity and investment, there will be renewed pride," McFetridge said about the importance of the multi-day event overall. "It won't happen overnight, but we are making progress." More information can be found on the Champlain Meeting House Facebook page. SPECIAL BONUS Also on May 31 at 2 p.m., local artist Jennifer Mallory will be hosting an open house from her studio — Champlain Village Arts, which is located in the back of Vinyl Destination on Main Street. "I will be offering the public a look at how I work and what I am working on," Mallory said, "[which is] currently fine arts oil paintings and stained glass art." The event is free and open to the public.

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Champlain Village Arts Fest to take place

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