|
 In spite of this, it didn’t stop artists and visitors from coming
out, though possibly not in the large numbers the Chamber was hoping
for.
This year, one definite improvement was the placement of certain
aspects of the festival. This year, the Logan County Board agreed to
permit the serving of wine in the park, giving the wineries and the
food events an opportunity to set up in shaded areas and get away
from the heat of the street.
For those who attended the Corks & Courses event on Friday evening,
the move was a positive one that made the evening very pleasant in
spite of evening time temperatures that still exceeded 80 degrees.
Lincoln Mayor Marty Neitzel said she attended the Corks and Courses
and found it to be a very enjoyable evening. She commented that
under the trees, there was a gentle breeze that made it comfortable.
She said the food was excellent, and she really did enjoy being
there. The food once again this year was provided by Cooper’s
StrEATside Bistro and featured samplings of some of their gourmet
cuisine. Tina Simpson of the Chamber said she too had enjoyed the
food on Friday night. She noted there was one item on the menu that
she was a bit skeptical of, "the fish," but when she took that first
bite it was delicious, and she enjoyed it very much. Tomato Confit &
Ahi Tuna Cucumber Bite was part of the menu for the evening.
 Each of the four courses was especially prepared by the Bistro for
the Arts in the Park event with Lasata Wines hand selecting and
serving a glass of wine they felt, based on their knowledge of the
food and wines would best complement the dish.
On Saturday morning, the day began hot and didn’t cool down until
well after dark. Vendors to the art show were hot and tired from
their setup work before the day even began. However, with plenty of
shade, they toughed it out and were rewarded with a slow but steady
pace of visitors.
Food vendors were also on hand, set up at the northwest corner of
the park with access to electricity for their cooking equipment.
Again, crowds were slow but steady, and while some may have wished
for a busier day, all of them were able to do some business at the
park.
The Bistro truck arrived in time for noon meals, and other vendors
on hand were the Popper Pod, The Stove Shop: “Wood Fired Pizza!” and
Grandma Nana’s Kitchen. Several folks enjoyed grabbing a slice of
wood-fired pizza which was reported to be very tasty. There were
also folks enjoying the great ‘grab and go’ Mexican dishes such as
the extra-large burrito and a “man-sized” Nacho plate.
At Gramma Nana’s Kitchen, the order of the day had to have been the
handmade ice cream sandwiches. Gramma Nana aka Peggy Serpette was
baking cookies on site. She plopped a large serving of rich vanilla
ice cream between two cookies and wrapped them in plastic so
customers could eat and walk without getting terribly messy at the
art show.
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Peggy’s husband, Tim, talked about the event and coming to Lincoln,
with nothing but good things to say. He too noted that they had
hoped to be a little busier, but when it came down to finding a
great town to go to, nothing beats Lincoln. The Serpettes' are new
to their business, but in their career, this is the third time they
have come to Lincoln. He noted they were at the Balloon Festival
last year and were amazed by the number of people they served,
selling out completely on both days at the airport. They returned
this spring for the Pigs and Swigs Festival, and again they did very
well.
Serpette noted that what they enjoy the most about coming to Lincoln is the
manner in which events are organized and the lengths that Chamber staff will go
to be accommodating. He said that he and Peggy have been to several communities
with their food wagon, and many festival organizers could take lessons from the
Lincoln Chamber. Noting that when he and Peggy arrived on Saturday morning,
there had been a snafu with the electricity, Tim said Chamber Director Cathy
Wilhite had wasted no time in tackling the issue and getting it resolved, so the
little cookie and ice cream factory didn’t skip a beat in their efforts to serve
festival goers.
In the park, there were fewer artists this year, but the quality of items being
shown and offered for sale was outstanding, and those who braved the heat to
come out shopping, generally found at least one thing that they had to claim for
their own.
Again, with the heat being a deterrent, the wine tents started out pretty slow,
as many avoided sampling in the heat of the day. However, bottles were offered
for sale that folks could take home and enjoy later, and several people were
interested in learning more about the different types of wine being offered.
Vendors were happy to visit with everyone who came along.
At 1 p.m., five artists were recognized as being the top artists in this year's
show. Dr. Pamela Moriearty, representing Logan County Arts, served as the
coordinator for the judging with Jen Grimaldi, Jason Hoffman, and Chris Tice
being the judges. Awards were given out by Moriearty and Kari Adams of the
Chamber to Gary Webter, Randy and Joy Turner, Scott Sternberg, Herb Brown, and
Alice Jaeger-Ashland. (Read more about the artists and the judges in the next
segment.)
Live entertainment on Saturday included Dueling Pianos-Fun Pianos by 176 Keys
and art lessons provided for children and adults by local artist Jody Phillips.
For those who wished to escape the heat, the Lincoln Public Library once again
this year held their buck-a-bag book sale in the basement of the Carnegie
Building, just a short walk from Latham Park. Look for more on that event in
another segment in today’s edition of Lincoln Daily News.
[Nila Smith] |
