Fifth Annual Oregon City Festival of the Arts
COVID couldn’t stop us this year and neither could the weather! This year’s Festival of the Arts was a huge success for artists and visitors alike. The festival saw an estimated 2500 attendees. Trieste made sure to speak with all the artists on Sunday right before breakdown. She wanted to thank each one of them for attending and inquired about sales. 99% of the artists claimed it to be a very successful event financially. About half a dozen said it was the best show they had ever attended.
Trieste thanked all the volunteers that helped with this year’s event. It really takes a community of artists to present a large event. There is a lot of planning to take place behind the scenes. Planning for an event of this size takes at least a year to organize. We were thrilled to be able to open this year despite Covid restrictions and the heat. Even with the heat both days, record numbers of visitors came through both days. The strategically placed misters helped keep everyone cooler! Noticed a lot of larger art pieces leaving with our guests.
Thanks to some of the volunteers: Jeanne Cardana and Gary who volunteered for most of the day Saturday, Cheri Bosserman for lending us misters that literally saved lives throughout the weekend. Lynda Orzen who volunteered all three days, Sue Woodworth who not only managed the performers but had a booth, and Jeanne Kelly Brown also had a booth. Committee members this year were truly phenomenal – Kerry Edwards and Rochelle Rau managed the volunteers and kept the ball rolling throughout the weekend. Melody Bush, our social media point person who truly was a huge reason for our success, Cheri who kept us on budget and managed the finances, Lynda Orzen for her experience and volunteerism, Ingrid Aubry for the flyers, postcards, ads, and programs. Cathy Rowe ran the first virtual silent auction which turned out to be a huge success. Yelena – who was called on non-stop for online application help, announcements, and website. Last but not the least was Trieste family of 7 members and most importantly her husband Roger who helped her every step of the way.
This is Trieste’s last year as President and won’t be organizing the 2022 event. There will be a manual available on “How To” and quite a few members with years of experience. The more these events take place, the easier it gets through the years. We know an army of volunteers will step forward to create the 2022 Oregon City Festival of the Arts! The Festival has become a signature arts event in Oregon City! Let’s keep it growing!
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Lynda Orzen
