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Art by the River draws 6,000 people By Ron Giofu After having been cancelled last year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Art by the River made its return this year. The 54th ever arts and crafts show was held under hot and steamy conditions at Fort Malden National Historic Site of Canada. The event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Gibson Gallery. Art by the River co-chair and publicity chair Candice-Rose Gagnon quipped they wished they could have ordered cooler weather, but was pleased overall with the event. “We’ve had a lot of people comment about it being their first event of the summer,” said Gagnon. “People are excited about us being here.” It was a smaller than usual Art by the River, as Gagnon pointed out they capped the number of vendors at 100 this year. On a good year, she said they normally have about 170 vendors. In the end, they had 6,000 patrons stroll through the grounds of Fort Malden. “We are so proud that the Gibson Gallery board came together to create a safe and respectful show this year,” said Gagnon. There was “a lot of back and forth” with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) in planning the 2021 event, Gagnon added, and it was WECHU that suggested there be one-way foot traffic around the grounds of Fort Malden. That actually brought some positive comments, she added, as people stated they were able to see more of the vendors this year as some would be missed in year’s past as they were looking at one side of a row and not the other. The event organizers also had to implement mask and physical distancing policies, but Gagnon said most people were adhering to them. There were also capacity limits of 3,750 people at one time but Gagnon said they didn’t approach that. There were lineups in the mornings before the gates opened, but those were the only times people had to line up.
Diane Montcalm from her Windsor-based “You’re Sew Sweet” business was one of the vendors at Art by the River this year. The 54th arts and crafts show celebrated the artists and artisans but had to cap it at 100 this year due to COVID-19 health guidelines. RTT Photo by Ron Giofu
“Aside from that, it’s been a steady flow all day,” she said Saturday afternoon. The two-day event will likely return to its regular format in 2022, Gagnon added, assuming COVID-19 health protocols are lifted. Local artist Madison Young said she was in a different location than previous years but liked how this year’s Art by the River was organized. “I like the way it was set up so that the traffic flows around,” said Young. Young said she looks forward to the event every year and was surprised how many people came this
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year, given the heat and humidity as well as the COVID-19 health protocols. “A lot more people came than I expected,” she said. Ashley Colarossi of Windsor returned as a vendor this year and was “amazed” by how things went. “I’m blown away by the support,” she said. “Even with the heat, it’s crazy how many people came out.” Colarossi said it was a dream to exhibit in Art by the River. “I walked through it as a kid and now I’m a vendor,” she said. “It’s amazing.”
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