Nearly 200 people attended the two-day Whitewater Storytelling Festival held this year in Flat Iron Park, according to Katy Wimer, a co-chairperson of Discover Whitewater, a brand of the Whitewater Area Chamber of Commerce, the organization which, along with the Whitewater Arts Alliance, co-sponsored the event.
Activities kicked off Friday with an open mic, offered inside the Whitewater Cultural Arts Center, which is located adjacent to the park, with some 40 people attending, Wimer said.
Friday night’s activities continued with live entertainment provided by Nazario Chickpeazio, a husband-and-wife performance-based group from Milwaukee, featuring classical instruments such as the oud and latva, and a second musical act called “County Craic Irish Fiddling.”
Indoor and outdoor activities continued Saturday, with children’s games found on the lawn, storytelling, an outdoor vendors market, and lunchtime food truck options found parked along North Street.
Inside the Whitewater Arts Alliance gallery, housed in the Cultural Arts Center, event-goers found an opening reception for the Wisconsin Regional Artist’s Program (WRAP) exhibition, during which several winners were announced, along with a watercolors demonstration offered by Barbara Mathews.
Saturday’s activities were attended by some 150 event-goers Wimer said.
The WRAP show will remain available for viewing through Sunday, May 26, gallery organizers said. The show can be viewed during the gallery’s regular hours of operation, Thursdays through Sundays, between noon and 4 p.m. The theme of this year’s WRAP show is “Art Through Stories.”
Photos from Saturday afternoon’s storytelling festival activities follow.