Article published September 24, 2008
Adrian fest gives artists a spotlight
Who needs another inscribed T-shirt? The answer is probably no one unless the design and origin are so meaningful it is impossible to pass up.
That is the reason I am wearing a new black shirt depicting an Adrian storefront labeled Chaloner & Co. Further lettering reads Art-A-Licious, for the smashing downtown festival last weekend. Gregg Perez, who designed the souvenir shirts, chose the Maumee Street storefront because he is a good friend of the owners, Carol and Duane Flint. They are a friendly couple who have the tenacity to hang on in a fledgling downtown business district.
Downtown Adrian has seen many changes, as most small town business districts have, but Chaloner’s remains steadfast. It has been in the same location since 1874, and owner Bill Chaloner was an Adrian icon, remembered for the big cigar in his mouth.
Chaloner’s store was a tobacco and magazine store, but children who weren’t afraid of the big Native American chief statue in the window also patronized it for fresh roasted peanuts and popcorn. The chief and the roasting machine are still in the window. I often stop in for a quarter pound of cashews. These days, the price is considerably more than it was in 1950 when I developed the daily habit on the downtown news beat.
Perez’s design is a linoleum relief image, one of the art mediums he is experimenting with in his Adrian studio when he isn’t traveling. A 1990 graduate in industrial design from Western Michigan University, he is president of the Lenawee Council for the Visual Arts. He supervises Federal Correctional Institution inmates at Milan, Mich., in architectural drafting.
Jennifer Compton, Adrian downtown coordinator, is accurate when she says the event embraces the abundance of community art and culture. Forty-five local artists were front and center to talk about and sell their products that range from jewelry, fashion accessories, basket weaving, Flemish glazing, and watercolors to pottery and nature photography.
Art-A-Licious wasn’t the only play on words.
The Chair-ity Auction raised money to establish an art foundation for the Boys and Girls Club of Lenawee. Twenty-two businesses designed chairs that festival-goers were invited to bid on. Old chairs culled from basements and attics were given whimsical and handsome facelifts. Judy LaPlant’s chair made a fashion statement painted in a Vera Bradley print. LaPlant, who owns Especially for You Gifts and Baby Too, not only duplicated the popular handbag designer’s print on the chair, she tied a Bradley scarf to the chair to prove it was an accurate match.
Fall and festivals go hand in hand in Lenawee County. Regulars know if they miss an exhibitor at one festival, or regret not buying something, they likely will have a chance at the next one.
The annual Fall Festival at Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton is Oct. 4. Wagon rides, scarecrow displays, and pumpkin decorating are features in addition to the usual art and craft sales. Admission is $3.
Then there’s the tongue twister in Tecumseh on Oct. 11 and 12. The Appleumpkin Festival is a combined antique show, street fair, and flea market. And for one more attempt for a cute name that most people can’t remember or spell, the Chocopalooza will be Feb. 7 in Adrian.
T-shirt anyone?
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