FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 8 July, 2013 CONTACT Myrna Binion (253) 857-4442 myrnalb@comcast.net Gig Harbor celebrates summer with Art Festival – July 20 & 21 125 arts and crafts vendors have been accepted into the festival (Gig Harbor) Gig Harbor’s 29th annual Summer Art Festival will bring 125 arts and craftspeople to the historic downtown waterfront district on July 20 & 21. Food vendors, live music and a variety of art-making activities for kids will add to the festivities. The festival and takes place on Judson Street, which will be closed for the entire weekend. Admission is free. “We’re really pleased with the quality and variety of work we have in this year’s festival,” said Festival Chair Myrna Binion. “Our screening committee did an excellent job in making their selections.” Arcadia Montessori School and Curious By Nature Pre-school will provide free art-making activities for children. Plein air painters will be on hand to capture scenes of the festival in drawings and paintings and live musicians will perform throughout the weekend. Concurrent with the festival, an exhibition of work by PAL artists will be held at the Key Bank on Judson Street. Visitors to the show can vote for their favorite painting to win the People’s Choice award. On Saturday, festival-goers can show-off their artistic talents during the annual Chalk the Harbor event, sponsored by the Gig Harbor Waterfront Alliance. Chalk is provided and prizes will be awarded for the ‘best’ sidewalk art (see the GHWA for details). Free shuttle service will run approximately every 15 minutes from the medical center parking lot on Kimball Drive (across from the Pierce Transit park-and-ride) to the festival site and along the waterfront. This year, festival-goers can also ride on an old-fashioned trolley to the historic downtown area. Trolley rides cost 25-cents for adults; kiddos ride free. The trolley runs from Uptown shopping center, along the waterfront to the head of the harbor. Booth fees from the Art Festival support scholarships for PAL members and high school seniors who want to pursue art studies. The festival is presented by Peninsula Art League, with support from Key Bank. For information, visit peninsulaartleague.com. WHAT 29th Annual Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival WHEN July 20 –10am-6pm; July 21– 10am-5pm WHERE Judson Street in Gig Harbor’s historic waterfront district INFO peninsulaartleague.com Admission is free. The festival is presented by Peninsula Art League. Proceeds support art scholarships and artistic events throughout the year. Photo caption: This oil painting by Bruce Allison, titled “Black Dog and Bird”, is one of many artworks available at the Gig Harbor Summer Art Festival July 20 & 21. Media note: Additional high resolution images are available. Contact charlee@centurytel.net. ######## Without art, earth is just 'eh'.