featuring  
Fine Arts Festival
"Community Through Rhythm"

Saturday, June 3, 2000, Noon to dark
Waukegan Municipal Beach, 201 Seahorse Drive
(847) 599-2525 for info

All Day: Sand Sculpture - featuring top Chicago-area artists and student art from 19 area schools.

1pm: drum circle – all encouraged to participate...bring a drum or “found sound”

3pm: Blues, Zydeco, Reggae
8pm: Bonfire (more drumming???)

Sand volleyball open play, food vendors, children's activities, sand soccer and more!

Evolved from Jim Harrington’s love of kids, the Fine Arts Festival (FAF) is a special event of the Beach Blast on Lake Michigan in Waukegan.  A premiere event, FAF will involve 200 kids from 19 schools creating sand sculpture on the beach.

Local artist Bernardo Marigmen will bring in 18 top Chicago area artists to view and critique the student works and then create sculptures of their own.  The focus is to spread fine art in the Waukegan community.

“We want to share with kids the difference between fine art and craft,”  Harrington said, “Fine art is oriented toward creativity.  Our vision is to get the students to interact with the professional artists.”

Each school will have a 10’x10’ area and sand.  Artists will also be working with colored sand, found objects and basic tools. 

On Saturday afternoon (1-3pm) a drum circle will convene.  All attendees are encouraged to take part in this community event.  Bring a drum or other percussion instrument or use a “found sound” such as a container filled with sand.  Drumming is a fun way to facilitate community through rhythm.  It is not culturally specific, gender specific or musically, technically specific.

Other lakefront activities include the Safe Boating Fair at Waukegan Harbor/Yacht Club (847-244-3133) starting at 10:30 am.  Featured will be a Coast Guard Cutter tour, demonstration of helicopter rescue, fire boat demonstration and more.

There is no charge for the events.  Food vendors will be on hand.  Fine Arts Festival will be have PR coverage by local television, radio, brochures and newspapers.  Beach Blast is sponsored by the City of Waukegan, Waukegan Park District.  It is supported by gifte.com, Shimer College, Lakeshore Boys and Girls Clubs, Lake County Urban League, Waukegan Public Library, Lake County Soccer Association, Midwest Generation and North Shore Printers.