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Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce’s Final Art in the Park Event of 2014 Held Saturday, Oct. 4

By Madison Fisler Lewis

Sept. 30, 2014. The 2014 season of Blowing Rock’s Art in the Park series comes to a close after the final event on Saturday, Oct. 4. The popular event brought thousands of visitors to the High Country to enjoy the work of more than 90 artists and craftspeople at each show.

imgres306The event, sponsored this year by Modern Automotive, was founded by Edith Carter Robert Snyder in 1962 to add something special to the beautiful town of Blowing Rock to attract more tourists and engage them in a special activity. Since then, Art in the Park became one of the first juried outdoor art shows in the High Country to showcase local talent. This year, the weather was a lot less wet, and in turn folks flocked to the event each month.

“I think this year was better than last year, with the weather being better,” said Terri Bailey of the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce. “Our estimates were about 5,000 attendees at each event, and an overall total of 35,000 people attending over the course of the summer and fall.”

Art in the Park attracts artisans from all over the Southeast to exhibit their wares in a series of six shows throughout the summer and fall months. With one show each month May through October, the quality of the exhibitions routinely draw thousands of arts and crafts lovers to the area each month.

“All of our artists are high quality, it is the best place to find high quality artwork and crafts,” Bailey said. “There aren’t as many galleries around here as they used to be, so it is a good event for that. We don’t just let anything in, it is all juried so we only have the best. Most of the artists are from North Carolina, but we also have some from Florida, South Carolina and even Canada.”

This month, the featured artist is Judson Guerard. Shows are open to the public from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and there is a free shuttle trolley service available to all patrons.

For more information about Art in the Park, click here.