By Rod Bacon
The Lower Adirondack Regional Arts Council (LARAC) is gearing up for its 54th June Arts Festival, which will be held the weekend of June 14-15 in Glens Falls City Park.
According to Philip Casabona, who wears the multiple hats of Executive Director, Gallery Curator, and Festival Director, it is shaping up to be one of the largest in the council’s history.
“We are expecting an estimated 160 artists, five to 10 non-profits, and 10 mobile food units,” he said. “We estimate that last year we had approximately 15,000 attendees.”
This is LARAC’s largest fund-raising event of the year. Exhibitors pay $300 for a 10-foot by 10-foot booth and $580 for a 10-foot by 20-foot booth. LARAC is responsible for all promotion and organizing of the event. The artists keep 100 percent of the revenues from anything they sell. While exhibitors literally come from all over the country, the majority are from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Vermont.
In addition to the tri-county region, the festival, which is free to the public, attracts attendees from the Hudson Valley and several New England states.
While figures have not been kept on the economic impact of the festival on the area, Casabona is convinced it is significant. Amy Collins, director of tourism and business development for the city, concurs.
“With people, especially the exhibitors, coming from a distance the lodging establishments and restaurants definitely see increased business during that weekend,” she said. “Even those just making a day of it patronize local restaurants and bars.”
Exhibitors expected this year include soap and body products, fabric and fiber, food, photography, authors, pet products, glass artists, fine art, wood working, pottery, metalworks, and floral works. Prices typically range from $5 to $15,000.
“While many artists exhibit at the festival year after year, there are typically 30-40 new artists at each one.
“Many returnees have been attending for 10 years or more, with a handful coming for over 30 years,” said Casabona. “Eric Melito, the owner of One on 1 Designs, has come every year since 1988.”
To satisfy the hunger and thirst of attendees a variety of food vendor trucks are strategically located throughout the festival grounds. While plans are still being solidified, several vendors have committed to attend this year. These include Green Mountain Concessions, The Mac Factory, Alltown Fresh, Sugar Shakers, The Mason Jar, and Upstate Coffee.
Musical artists also keep things jumping. While LARAC’s staff is still creating this year’s schedule, 2024’s roster presented 20 artists on two stages over the course of the weekend. These included Northern Borne, Bravely, Alan Epstein, PR Project, Hudson River Ceili, Mark Rabin & The Lovely Missus, Carolyn Shapiro, Travis Gray/David Rockower, Jason Irwin, John Dillon, Skinder + Sage, Cosby Gibson & Tom Staudle, Lucas Garrett, and Kari Bertrand.
Planning for the festival, which takes nine months, is done by Casabona with the help of Alyssa O’Neill, director of community outreach and grants, and Diane Swanson, program coordinator. Along with a team of volunteers, these three coordinate all aspects of the festival both before and during the event.
Casabona, who has been with LARAC for 12 years, holds a bachelor of fine arts degree with a concentration in photography from SUNY Oneonta. He worked in retail and did free-lance photography work before landing at the council as a volunteer. He was soon hired part-time as festival coordinator, later advancing to his present positions. He is also a practicing artist.
As a Statewide Community Regrant (SCR) site LARAC receives funding from the New York State Council of the Arts (NYSCA). They apply for funding on the grounds that there are enough artists and arts organizations in the area to make a positive cultural and economic impact. This year and next they will receive $100,000 from state and federal sources, which helps underwrite the work of artists in Warren and Washington counties. In addition to this they get money to help pay the salary of the person who grants that money out.
LARAC also has a Winter Arts Festival, scheduled this year for December 7 at the Queensbury Hotel. Now in its 37th year, it generally draws around 60 artists and attracts 3,000-4,000 attendees. Sponsorships make it free to the public.
“It’s a scaled-down June but it did allow us to buy the building we’re in, a beautifully restored Victorian carriage house in downtown Glens Falls,” said Casabona. “We’ve been in it for 29 years.”
The building, which has a retail shop, is open seven days a week offering workshops and seven exhibitions a year in the Lapham Gallery. There is one juried exhibition each year as well as one members-only exhibition. Judges for the juried shows in recent years have included Ann Larsen, Jenny Hutchinson, Diane Swanson, and Ronn T. Mattia.
Casabona hopes to expand the June festival in the future to 175-180 artists and more food trucks if patronage will support it.
“We’re looking to expand to a total of 190-200 artists and food vendors,” he said.