Mixed media weaving by Irene Estrin. Photo courtesy Heather Greene.

Celebrating the Solstice

Spend the longest days of summer at a brand new arts festival in Vida June 21 and 22

Whats-Happening by Emma J NelsonPosted on

If you’re driving past the McKenzie River Community Track late June and hear the whirring of chainsaws, it’s not loggers you’re listening to — it’s artists. The McKenzie River Solstice Arts Festival in Vida features many Oregon-based artists, including a live demonstration by Cottage Grove chainsaw artist Brittny Hughes. Heather Greene, the festival’s event director and designer, says that while this is the first iteration of the McKenzie River Solstice Arts Festival, she’s hopeful it becomes an annual event. “We hope to support more artists and performers each year,” she says. “The goal is to honor our connection to each other, community and exhibit and explore the many ways we can express ourselves creatively while enjoying some laughter and dancing along the beautiful McKenzie River.” The two-day festival invites experienced and new artists — including young artists — to sell their works. Greene says there will be a youth arts booth, where kids 12 and under can sign up for free to sell their own creations in a two-hour time slot. No festival is complete without live entertainment, and the McKenzie River Solstice Arts Festival boasts a mix of music, comedy, dance and more. Performances begin at 11:30 am each day and go late into the night, either at the main stage or the unplugged sundial stage. The sundial is an “interactive center at the festival,” Greene says, that the Lane Arts Council and McKenzie schools have put together to “engage youth and the young at heart.” There is something for everyone this Summer Solstice, Greene says, and “we are certain this will become a yearly favorite for community members and visitors to the McKenzie River Valley.”

The McKenzie River Solstice Arts Festival is 10 am to 7 pm Saturday, June 21, and 10 am to 6 pm Sunday, June 22, at the McKenzie Community Track & Field, 51326 Blue River Drive, Vida. Individual adult single-day passes are $10, and two-day passes are $15. Family passes, which include five people, are $25 for a single day and $40 for two days. Children under 13 and seniors over 65 enter FREE.