Come crawling, sample local artwork

• Mel Needham & Val Lundgren

River Falls Art Crawl co-chairs for 2012 are Melodie Needham (left), owner of Harmony Hair and a founder of the event, and Valerie Lundgren, owner of Karma Gifts. Submitted photo

Talk about it

The 13th annual Art Crawl will be held downtown from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20.

Nearly 20 Main Street businesses and stores will host artists and their artwork ranging from oil and acrylic painting, watercolors and photography to pottery, fiber, glassware and jewelry. There will also be raku and rosemaling demonstrations.

Valerie Lundgren, owner of Karma Gifts and co-chair of this year’s Art Crawl, said there’s a seasonal flavor to the event.

“New this year is customers getting to vote for their favorite scarecrow,” Lundgren said. “Outside each (participating) business, there will a scarecrow decorated for the day. You can vote for your favorite.”

Each artist at a business will have displayed items to look at and buy. Transactions are separate from sales of store merchandise.

Lundgren asked potential art buyers to bring cash or a check to make transactions easier.

“And if you visit 18 of the stores and get your card stamped by the artists, you can then bring the card back to Karma Gifts to be placed in our drawing where the winner will receive $100 in chamber (of commerce) money,” she said.

Lundgren pointed out other Art Crawl attractions.

“There will also be caramel apples for sale at Veterans Park by the local food partnership,” she said. “Dish and the Spoon Café will be having a paint-a-pumpkin craft, Karma Gifts will have aromatherapy, and there will be live music by Sue West at Brickhouse Music.”

For 11 years the Art Crawl was held as part of the River Dazzle Extravaganza the day after Thanksgiving, otherwise known as “Black Friday.”

Art Crawl was canceled in 2010 but returned last year in October instead of late November.

“The new time went over really well,” Lundgren said. “We had nicer fall weather and people were more willing to walk around the downtown and visit all the stores and artists.”

Lundgren added that the October timing for Art Crawl avoids the “overwhelming, holiday shopping craziness” of Black Friday.

Participating Art Crawl stops are: Brickhouse Music; Zaney Janey (using upper level space at 208 N. Main St.); Treasures from the Heart; Harmony Hair Design; Fox Den Used Books; Second Star; Freeman Drug; Custom Framing; Global Made; Karma Gifts; Bo Jon’s Flowers; Riverside Quilting; Rileys Growing in Style; Mall on Main; Riverwalk Art & Antiques (downstairs at Mall on Main); Kinni Clayworks; Second Chances; and RiverWalk Mercantile.

“This will be a fun day for all,” Lundgren said. “Get a head start on your shopping for Christmas this year with keeping it local.

“There are so many items to choose from on Main Street River Falls.”

Tags: area news, arts, entertainment, events, wisconsin