Award-Winning Community Arts Festival

The spotlight is on some of Oklahoma’s best creative talent at the 7th annual Art on Main

The spotlight is on some of Oklahoma’s best creative talent at the 7th annual Art on Main, Saturday, October 9. This is Jenks’s biggest outdoor, family-friendly festival, hosted by Jenks Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation. For one day the entire downtown district will be transformed into a cultural arts fair with shopping, fine artwork, music, festival food favorites and wine sampling.

A juried panel selected approximately 125 artists to display and offer their fine art for sale. Mediums include pottery, original oils, sculptures, jewelry, ceramics, drawings, glass, watercolors, fiber, photography, metal smith, woodcarving and more. Art on Main stands out from other shows by giving the audience a rare opportunity to meet the artists, get to know the stories behind some of their works, and purchase custom pieces directly from the people who created them.

According to Chamber of Commerce President Annette Bowles, customers line up long before the 10 a.m. opening to get the best selections and first dibs on many one-of-a-kind items. It’s not unusual for regulars to do most of their Christmas shopping that day. Prices range anywhere from $5 to $1,000 or more.

A new addition to this year’s festival food lineup is Seigi’s smoked bratwurst and kraut from F&J. Samples of Oklahoma wines from Tidal School, Summerside Vineyards, Stable Ridge Winery and Black Sheep Winery will also be available.

Headlining the musical entertainment is popular recording artist Mary Cogan. She blends pop, rock, blues and folk to present a show that the whole family will enjoy. Other local musicians will be on the AEP-PSO stage throughout the day.

Art on Main welcomes the Oklahoma Aquarium and Bounce Pro as co-sponsors for the enlarged children’s area. Several local churches will assist in the supervised area, where kids will have their own art exhibit for ages 6 and up, make-and-take projects, washable tattoos, face painting, and large inflatables to bounce and play while parents shop.

“The people of Jenks all pull together to make this a successful event,” says Annette. The Jenks police and fire departments keep families safe and traffic moving smoothly around the expanded festival area. This year, Main Street will be closed from the railroad tracks to 3rd Street, thus making it accessible from all directions. And the Boy Scouts provide a unique service that vendors say they find nowhere else. Scouts assist all vendors with setting up and taking down their booths, often carting heavy loads with a friendly conversation and a smile.

This type of drawing together of people in the community earned Art on Main the 2009 Outstanding Community Initiative Award, presented in March by the Oklahoma Community Institute. “It was such an honor to even be nominated among some nationally recognized organizations,” Annette recalls. “But then we actually won!” Since then word has traveled throughout the state that Art on Main is a happening venue. As many as 15,000 people, the largest crowd ever, are expected. Art on Main 2010 also was awarded a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council.

There is no admission charge. Families are welcome to just sit and enjoy the scene without spending any money.

Community sponsors for this year’s event include premier sponsor AEP-PSO and BancFirst, Arvest Bank, Tulsa Oilers, and Tulsa Technology Center.

Art on Main begins at 10 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. on Saturday, October 9. For more information, contact the Jenks Chamber of Commerce at (918) 299-5005 or eat0@eau0eav0eaw0.

For more information, contact

Art on Main

(918) 299-5005

eat0@eau0eav0eaw0