The 52nd Annual Fine Arts Fiesta http://www.fineartsfiesta.org has come to a close. In 1956 visionaries Al Groh and Annette Evans saw a need to showcase the arts in the Wyoming Valley. The people of our area are very talented indeed. There are artists, photographers, sculptors, dancers, performers, and singers. There is nothing better than our Fine Arts Fiesta to showcase the talents of our residents.

The 2007 Friend of the Arts award was given to The Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre. Older than the Fiesta itself, the theater was founded in 1923. For 84 years this smart and talented bunch has been providing drama and song and dance to our area. With no paid staff members, the group is entirely volunteer-driven. It is fitting that this group would be honored by the Fiesta Board. They chose wisely this year.

Strolling through the tents is such a treat. The adult and student juried exhibits are always an interesting surprise. The Wyoming Valley Art League proudly displays the works of their students. I frown when I see an “NFS” sign on work I love. I wish I had a place for them all in my house.

Local dance studios keep the Bandshell busy. They showcase their brightest (and sometimes littlest) dancers. The Wilkes-Barre and Wyoming Valley West school district orchestras and bands bring their best sounds to the crowds. Headliner and original Woodstock performer, Richie Havens, brought a faithful following to hear his ballads and guitar magic. Andy Kolojejchick Jazz Quartet was a Sunday highlight along with the Wyoming Valley Barbershop Quartet.

If you are on a diet during Fiesta week, cheat. Gyros, potato pancakes, fudge, and Hillside Farms ice cream make the tummy churn for some walk-around food. Every year, the Irem Temple Stewards treat us to some of their best grilling. Without a doubt, the food at the fiesta is the best food north of the Bloomsburg Fair!

What I love the most is the artists market. I save up money every year just to spend with wanton abandon on the vendors. It makes me happy to name-drop some of my favorites. H. Dennis Christie displays her glass crafts for many years now. A disappointment this year, though. She was not able to demonstrate her glass blowing craft. My heart sank when she told me it was because of liability. The lawyers ruin everything.

The Fiesta board has something against picking local vendors, but Rebecca Howell made the grade! Her clever jewelry can make even the most miserable fiesta-goer smile. Whimsical insect pins and stunning bracelets and necklaces. She’ll even make a custom gift for you.

The winner of the Best Sign of the Fiesta award belongs to Maine jeweler Laurence Craig-Green: “She Who Dies With the Most Jewelry Wins”. Enough said. I buy from him every year. I want to win.

My total favorite is the black and white photography of Dan Westfall from Maryland. This guy travels throughout Eastern Europe and finds forgotten cemeteries and turns neglect into art. The statues commissioned in life adorn the graves of the dead marking their long forgotten lives. The result is simply stunning. The way he catches them with his lens makes them eerily beautiful. He jokes and says that the “goth” types love them. I guess they would, but I do too. I have three of his pieces now and love each of them.

It is well-known locally that it rains every year for the Fiesta. I don’t know what the weather man says about this particular history, but it rained both Saturday and Sunday afternoons. My mother said that she doesn’t know why they don’t just move the dates. It wouldn’t matter. It is hard to find a stretch of any time in the spring when it won’t rain for four straight days. It happens, but it’s not easy to plan around. In the meantime, let it rain. We’ll come anyway.