Arts Festival to feature all-day interactive activities, theatrical performances, more at River Campus

The Summer Arts Festival once again will transform the Southeast Missouri State University River Campus grounds to a celebration of art and the arts Saturday.

Rhonda Weller-Stilson, director of the Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts, said this is the fourth festival, and it's grown every year.

"We had over 3,000 attendees last year, and we're anticipating about 3,500 this year," Weller-Stilson said.

Weller-Stilson said the idea is to keep popular activities as well as add new ones. Highlights this year are a magician; live music; a chalk-art competition run by Craig Thomas, who will create an original art piece; Lazy L Safari's petting zoo; bouncy houses; and the art tent, where children can enjoy 10 interactive stations and can make and keep art.

"It's a little crazy," Weller-Stilson said.

Ty'maya Thornton blows a bubble out of soap June 18, 2016, during the River Campus Summer Arts Festival.Glenn Landberg

Multiple performances will be inside the facility throughout the day, she said, including displays by dance companies both local and from as far away as Little Rock, Arkansas.

This year, Southeast's agriculture department will participate, with live demonstrations and displays, Weller-Stilson said, which is a first for the festival.

Tickets for performances of two-man comedy show "Greater Tuna," children's musical comedy "Dear Edwina Jr." and quirky comedy "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" are available at the River Campus box office, online at rivercampus.org/tickets or by phone at (573) 651-2265.

There also will be an instrument petting zoo, she said, where children can experience a musical instrument, such as a trombone or drum, up close and personal.

There will be a regular ticketed performance of "Greater Tuna" in the Rust Flexible Theatre on Saturday night, she said, but events during the festival's hours of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. will be free, including admission and parking.

Izzy Wissmiller, right, and Lily Pennington work on a chalk drawing June 18, 2016, during the River Campus Summer Arts Festival.Glenn Landberg

There will be food trucks, but beyond those and vendor and artist sales, everything else is free, she said.

"Because of the sponsors, we're able to offer everything for free," Weller-Stilson said. "It is a great gift."

Every inch of the campus has something going on, she said. The map and schedule will be available at three locations on the fairgrounds so people can enjoy what they want.

"There's just something everywhere," Weller-Stilson said.

There will be writing workshops and storytellers, Weller-Stilson said, and Cape Girardeau's National Public Radio affiliate KRCU will have a booth for people to tell their personal stories into a recorder.

Ellie Douglass sprinkles colored sand while creating art June 18, 2016, during the River Campus Summer Arts Festival.Glenn Landberg

"It's a fun day for all ages," she said. "You don't have to have kids with you to have a good time."

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

---

Entertainment stage

10 a.m.: Suzuki Players (Music Academy)

10:30 a.m.: Magician Rob Huff

11 a.m.: Chestnut Mountain Gang — folk

11:30 a.m.: Steve Schaffner and Derrick Irwin — Americana

Noon: Magician Rob Huff

12:30 p.m.: Chestnut Mountain Gang — folk

1 p.m.: Steve Schaffner and Derrick Irwin — Americana

1:30 p.m.: Mike Renick ­— contemporary

2 p.m.: Jerry Ford Combo — jazz

2:30 p.m.: Jonathan Patterson — accordion

3 p.m.: Mike Renick — contemporary

3:30 p.m.: Jonathan Patterson — accordion

4 p.m.: Jerry Ford Combo — jazz

Magician Rob Huff will roam, except for 10:30 a.m. and noon shows

Art Tent

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Art activities and rub-on tattoos for children all day

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Spray Paint Galaxy — Cub Scout Pack 4020

Avenue of Art

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Artists of all ages will participate in creating chalk art

Craig Thomas will create a piece for the festival

Explorer RV in Southwest parking lot

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: “Missouri’s First Inhabitants” exhibit

Interactive Yard

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Lazy L Safari Petting Zoo

Art studios and booths

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Demonstrations and art for sale

Ceramics students’ demonstration

Printmaking T-shirts

Justin Miller in painting studio

Louise Bodenheimer in art studio

Photo booth

Multimedia Center and Arts Guild

“You Aren’t Really Here?”

Community booths

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Multiple community groups will have activities

Food and drinks

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Chartwells booth outdoors on the back patio

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Kona Ice Truck

Dexter Queen Food Truck

Melting Co. Food Truck

Outdoors play areas in Seminary Quad

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Moon Walkers — Bouncy houses and obstacle course

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Art and Geometry (Tammy Randolph and bubbles)

Cultural Arts Center

Atrium and Community Theatre

10 a.m. - noon: “All by Myself” by Robert Scott — River City Players

Cultural Art Center Atrium

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Girl Scouts and Erin Schloss

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Southeast Missouri State University admissions — Erica Ury

Crisp Museum

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Biennial Faculty exhibit

Rust Flexible Theatre

7:30 p.m.: Production of “Greater Tuna”

Bedell Stage

10 a.m.: Production of “Dear Edwina Jr.”

12:30 p.m.: Dance performances by Dance Consortium/Dance Intensive Camp

3 p.m.: Production of “Dear Edwina Jr.”

Dance Studio CAC157

10 a.m.: Aerial Arts Performance (The Edge, Your Fitness Advantage)

11:15 a.m.: Kids’ Aerial (Mindy Held — The Edge, Your Fitness Advantage)

Noon: Jazz Dance (Jessica Parra)

1:45 p.m.: Country Western (Irene Reynolds — Irene’s Country Dancers)

2:30 p.m.: Buti Yoga (Chelsea Aldrich — The Edge, Your Fitness Studio)

3:15 p.m.: Aerial Arts Performance (The Edge, Your Fitness Studio)

CAC 155 Rehearsal Room

11:30 a.m.: Percussion Camp — Drum set and hand-drumming demonstration

3 p.m.: Percussion Camp — drum set and hand-drumming demonstration

CAC 144 Costume Shop

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Mask making with Deana Luetkenhaus

Seminary Building

Arts Resource Center

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Bookmark making

10:45 a.m.: Story time with Leah McAllister

Noon: Story time with Leah McAllister

1:30 p.m.: “Using and Writing About Popular Culture in Fiction and Poetry” writing workshop with James Brubaker and Dan Crocker

3:45 p.m.: Story time with Leah McAllister

Practice Room

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: KRCU — “Dear Heartland,” recording personal stories to build connections with the people of Southeast Missouri and to share the value of listening.

River Campus Art Gallery

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Summer Fun: An experiential and interactive coloring mural designed with all ages in mind and Postcards to Go

11 a.m.: Button Zen tangles for tweens

2 p.m.: Button Zen tangles for tweens

Shuck Recital Hall

11 a.m.: Vocal Arts Boot Camp performance: “Sing Out!”

1:30 p.m.: Vocal Arts Boot Camp performance: “Sing Out!”

3 p.m.: Ivas John — cool jazz/guitar

4 p.m.: Southeast Sings

Dobbins Center

Acting/Directing Studio

10:30 a.m.: Acting Laboratory Camp performance

1 p.m.: Acting Laboratory Camp performance

3 p.m.: Stage-combat exhibition — Bart Williams

4 p.m.: Stage-combat exhibition — Bart Williams

Dobbins Center Rehearsal Hall 120

10 a.m.: Percussion Camp — Steel Drum Band and Percussion Ensemble

2 p.m.: Percussion Camp — Steel Drum Band and Percussion Ensemble

Dobbins Center Hallway

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Musical Instrument Petting Zoo

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Center for Regional History — Adam Criblez

Dobbins Center Atrium

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Color Changing Chemical Quilts and Molecular Sculpture Building — chemistry (Rachel Morgan Theall and Alpha Chi Sigma)

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Agriculture station — Julie Weathers and Missy LaPlant

RCC 119 Dance Studio

11 a.m.: Swing Dance (Dan Beeson — Cape Ballroom)

11:45 a.m.: Zumba (Jessica Lopez)

1:45 p.m.: Contemporary Dance (Thomas Proctor — Ashleyliane Dance Company)

2:30 p.m.: The Conservatory Dance Intensive Studio performance

3:15 p.m.: Princess Ballet (Ashley Stettes and Emilia Schempp — Southeast Dance)

4 p.m.: Jazz Dance (Jessica Carlson — Leverage Dance Theatre)

Food and drinks

10 a.m. - 5 p.m.: Chartwells at St. Vincent’s Commons

Pertinent address:

518 S. Fountain St., Cape Girardeau, Mo.