By Jim Newell
Managing Editor
jnewell@mihomepaper.com
LAKE ORION — Floral scents will fill the air and artwork will decorate the streets of downtown Lake Orion this weekend for the Orion Art Center’s annual Art & Flower Fair.
The Art & Flower Street Market runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, on Broadway and Flint streets with more than 108 vendors displaying their goods, said Holly Nicosia, executive director of the Art Center.
In addition to flower and art vendors, the Entertainment Garden will have activities for kids, including DIA Kids Crafts, Ervin Glassworks glass blowing demonstrations, children’s entertainment crafts and other artistic delights. The Entertainment Garden is in the Children’s Park parking lot off Anderson Street and runs throughout the festival hours. All activities are free.
“This year is one of our biggest year’s for art and flower vendors. We’re really trying to focus on the community aspect of getting everyone into the downtown area as a kickoff of the warmer weather and welcoming in Spring and Summer with this fun event,” Nicosia said. “I think this year is going to be one of our biggest years.”
Typically, 4,000 to 5,000 people attend the Art & Flower Fair each year.
“We have a lot of new artists that are coming this year that haven’t done the event before, so there’s a lot of new things to check out, which is exciting to see,” Nicosia said.
The Art & Flower Fair is one of the Orion Art Center’s biggest fundraisers of the year. The Art Center’s mission is to bring art to the community through art classes, exhibits, workshops, scholarships, camps and special events.
“The proceeds all go to the Orion Art Center to help us bring art and creativity into our community,” Nicosia said.
Beer Tent
The Beer Tent in the Children’s Park parking lot off Anderson Street will have live music beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday with the band One Ton Trolley, and again at 7 p.m. on Saturday with Itchycoo Park, a 60s/70s tribute band. There is no cover charge to enter the tent.
The Flower & Art Fair has a hippie theme this year, said Nicosia, with a Hippie Costume Contest at 9 p.m. on Saturday in the Beer Tent.
Mystery Art Stroll
Kicking off the weekend activities is the Orion Art Center’s third annual Mystery Art Stroll on Friday.
The Mystery Art Stroll VIP event has become a town favorite, with attendees picking up their clue sheets at 6 p.m. at the Orion Art Center on Anderson Street and then strolling through 10 downtown businesses where local art is displayed, and guests solve the clues in an art hunt.
The last stop on the stroll is at Motor City Granite, where guests will have a ‘Taste of the Town’ from local restaurants, door prizes for those who answered all the riddles, a signature cocktail and two tickets for drinks at the beer tent on Anderson/Flint streets.
Tickets are $50 per person, with proceeds benefiting the Art Center’s arts programming. Tickets are available at Orionartcenter.org.
Street closures and parking
Vendors will line Broadway and Flint streets during the fair. Broadway Street will be closed from Shadbolt Street to Front Street and Flint Street is closed from Lapeer Street to Anderson Street.
Parking is available in the municipal lots off Shadbolt Street (by 313 Pizza), at the Slater Street lot next to Lake Orion United Methodist Church and at the public lot on Lapeer Street across from the Ehman Center. The Lake Orion Community Schools Administration Building parking lot is under a shared-use agreement with the Lake Orion DDA and is available for public parking on the weekends. Parking is also allowed on village streets throughout the day.
The Children’s Park parking lot on Anderson Street, the lot on the corner of Front and Anderson streets is closed for the event.