Strike Up the Band Music & Arts Festival celebrates

Artists Young And Old

By Katie Giffin

The Westerville Music & Arts Festival returns to Heritage Park on July 8 and 9 for its 49th year celebrating local art of all kinds. Featuring 125 fine art and craft vendors, local performers and artists, food vendors as well as youth and adult activities, the festival continues its tradition of being a summertime community highlight.

“Most of our musicians and artists are from central Ohio, so it’s a celebration of creativity and community. We are bringing people together to have a good time but also to support the arts in our community,” Sta- cey Rusterholz, communications and community outreach manager at the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce, says.

Then and now

First starting in 1974 as a way for the Westerville Chamber to give back to the community, the festival has grown from a humble street fair with 50 artists to attracting around 3 million visitors over the past 49 years. After bouncing around from Otterbein University’s campus to Uptown Westerville, the festival landed at its current home in Heritage Park in 2000, says Teri Hicks, former event coordinator with the Westerville Chamber.

The festival is scheduled for July 8 and 9 and admission costs $1. The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. Saturday concludes with an evening concert headlined by local performers, the Reaganomics, with an opener from CYNTsation. Beer sales from Rhinegeist Brewery and Zaftig Brewing Company are available from 5-9:30 p.m.

Food trucks bringing classic fair food, such as kettle corn and hot dogs, will be available as well as community favorites like Schmidt’s Sausage Truck and 101 Smokehouse on Wheels. Parking is available at the Westerville Sports Complex parking lot, The Point at Otterbein and the Westerville Senior Center parking lot with a free trolley running from the sports complex to the festival.

The festival includes three different musical performance areas: A singersongwriter tent which features intimate solo performances, a main stage in front of the Everal Barn and Homestead for larger concerts and a community stage that provides relaxed entertainment around the eating area.

“Columbus is home to so many gifted songwriters and musicians, and we get flooded with performance applications. I only wish we had more stages so we could accommodate all the creative talent in our community,” Chris Minton, music manager for the festival, says.

Outside of musical performances, the festival also hosts a Youth Art Exhibit sponsored by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which is open to kids ages 3-18 featuring jury-selected artists across art mediums. The art is displayed on the second floor of Everal Barn.

The festival also features a silent auction with donated pieces from local artists and craft vendors with all proceeds going toward funding the festival as well as arts and craft vendors for kids and adults.

What’s new?

This year, the chamber is introducing a new event to the festival: Battle of the Bands. The musical competition will feature teen musicians competing to earn a performance on the main stage. The preliminary competition will take place in the park behind the Westerville Community Library. The winner of that performance will progress to the main stage to perform for a larger audience.

“It’s a really neat opportunity for them to get some additional exposure in the community,” Rusterholz says. “Especially for a teen artist interested in getting their music out there.”

In addition to the performance, a free trolley will run from Heritage Park to Uptown Westerville on Saturday. Festival-goers are encouraged to visit the farmers’ market in Uptown Westerville as well as the other local businesses there. The chamber is also introducing a bike corral along the main street entrance for this year’s festival to accommodate more festival-goers.

“The Music & Arts Festival is a community tradition that has evolved over the years. As a lifetime resident, I attended the festival as a child. I volunteered and even served as the Chair of the Festival. … Today I can proudly say I have worked with my team to plan and execute the festival for the last 30 years,” Janet Tressler-Davis, president and CEO of the Westerville Chamber, says.

Katie Giffin is a contributing writer at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.

By Grady Libertini