Barbara Leaheey and Su Crawford of Avon Lake carry off a Santa door they purchased at the Festival of the Arts Friday evening. (West Life photo by Larry Bennet)

Arts festival attracts 35,000
By Kevin Kelley
Westlake
Published Jan. xx, 2007

Artist and exhibitor Dan Makey examines his glass artwork. (West Life photos by Larry Bennet)

It’s a sure sign of summer’s apex on the Westshore.

St. John West Shore Hospital’s Festival of the Arts, which marked its 15th anniversary this year, saw over 35,000 people visit the facility’s park-like front campus this past weekend.

Thomas Ebersol was one of the more than 200 artist-vendors who showed their works during the three-day festival.

Ebersol, of Louisville, Ohio, just east of Canton, makes wooden birdhouses under the name Nestled in the Wood. Most are made out of cedar wood, he said, and take two to three weeks to complete. The birdhouses are priced between $50 and $150.

“Sales, like last year, are always good,” said Ebersol, who marked his fourth year as a festival vendor.

“I like the clientele and I like the layout,” he said. “It’s like a street fair on a walking path.”

Painter Marilyn Shaker (West Life photo by Kevin Kelley)

Painter Marilyn Shaker, who has exhibited at a total of six SJWS festivals, described sales as “good to moderate.” This festival includes more crafters than some of the other art shows where she exhibits, she said.

“They always have a great attendance,” Shaker told West Life. “The people are probably the friendliest. It’s a lot like a family atmosphere. It’s just an enjoyable show to do.”

The artists who traveled the farthest to attend the festival probably were Rosemary and Larry Heuvelman of Pensacola, Fla. Under the name Take Apart Art, the couple designs and creates block wood carvings of various animals — from kangaroos to turtles to dinosaurs — which are then cut into various jigsaw pieces. Most sell for between $30 and $60.

While some of the pieces are made of maple, others are made out of exotic woods imported from Africa. Larry said he was taught to be a wood worker by his father, who owned a millwork that dealt with exotic woods.

This was their first year attending the Festival of the Arts.

Why did they come all the way from Florida for the festival?

“The truth is we heard such nice things about St. John West Shore Hospital,” said Larry, who added that he learned about the festival from an artist magazine.

He said the festival lived up to his expectations.

“We had wonderful weather,” he added.

Patty and Dr. David Tolentino, M. Tabbaa, Jennifer Smith and Gabriella McCarty enjoy the food and music at the Festival Patron Benefit Friday evening.

At the patron’s benefit Friday evening, hospital Interim President Cliff Coker announced that the festival set new records this year.

“The record is we’ve raised more money than in the history of this event,” he said. “Our net proceeds are going to be well over $120,000 to support community health and women’s breast health.”

The festival had 51 corporate sponsors this year, Coker noted.

A new record — 220 — was also set with the number of artist-exhibitors.

“We have now exceeded the capacity of our campus today with the number of exhibitors on our waiting list,” Coker said.

Coker said the festival was the institution’s way of giving back to the community by putting on the biggest event in Westlake.

Ardis Radak, the festival chairperson, thanked the hospital administration, staff, festival committee and volunteers for supporting the event, which she declared a success early on.

“The party is always a success,” she said. “The vendors all seem pretty happy at this point in their lives.”

Sister Judith Ann Karam, CSA, president and CEO of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine Health System, said the Festival of the Arts is important in supporting the hospital’s health care ministry and mission.

“All of you mean so very, very much to the mission,” Sister Karam said to the hospital’s staff and volunteers, “because it’s really about taking care of the patients, one patient at a time. And all that we are doing today really supports that.”