Scott and Kim Finnell’s Idyllwild 2nd Saturday Art Fair has a new name and venue for its third season. The new name, reflective of the fact that it is held on multiple days on holiday weekends, is Idyllwild Art in the Park. The new location, rented from the Johnson family, is David Roy’s former carving site on Highway 243, across from the Idyllwild Community Center site.
And unlike previous years, the events will not be limited to one day a month for its six-month run. Reached by phone in Mississippi, Kim said the first event is from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, May 7, with additional dates on Memorial Day weekend (May 28 and 29), June 18, Fourth of July weekend (July 2 and 3), Aug. 6, Labor Day weekend (Sept. 3 and 4), and concluding on Saturday, Oct. 1
“Because of the configuration of the new site, we’ll be setting up as more of a village-center theme,” said Kim. “The lot lends itself to that. We’re excited that one of our artists, Rob Padilla, will be hosting a ‘Create a Mural’ participatory art event within the overall event. We’ll have paint and brushes and are excited to see how it unfolds. We’ll also have live music at each event.”
Kim stressed, “This is still a juried show,” meaning that participants are screened prior to acceptance. “We’ll have new artists and returning favorites but we will be limiting the number of participants,” she said. “Our goal with these events is to bring more visitors to Idyllwild.”