NAC’s ‘Art in the Park’ set for this Saturday

This post was written by Elise Pearlman.

Visitors to Northport Village Park will literally feast on a smorgasbord of the arts this Saturday, July 13, when the Northport Arts Coalition hosts their annual ‘Art in the Park’ festival.  The free, family-friendly event will take place in Northport Village Park rain or shine from 10 am to 5 pm. 

According to NAC community liaison Lauren Paige who is overseeing the day-long artistic extravaganza, more than 30 artists, both local and from across the tri-state area, will be exhibiting original work.

“There will also be dancing, musical entertainment, and poetry readings,” said Ms. Paige who is proud to see how the event has grown over the years.

Asharoken artist Marge Kawaller, who coordinates the art portion of the festival , will be showing  unique handbags of her own creation. Visitors can expect to see fine art, photographs, jewelry, pottery, handcrafted toys, and dolls as well as charming hand-cut silhouetted vignettes by Peter the Paper Cutter and so much more.

The booth of Jo-Ann Corretti,  known island-wide for her resplendently colored paintings, will include views of local landmarks,  beaches and lighthouses. She will also be exhibiting  her color-enhanced photographs, which she refers to as ‘dreamscapes.’

Award-winning Northport photographer John Ellsworth will be displaying some new nautical pictures as well as a collection of “back road” images that he took on a trip to Idaho last fall. These photographs showcase the imperfect beauty of weathered structures and vehicles that have stood the test of time.

Photographer Rich Iaboni will be on hand with his effusively colored images of Long Island landmarks and landscapes. Some of his most sought-after photos were taken in Huntington and Northport. He also specializes in eye-catching shots of fauna and flora.

Northport resident Mary Ahern will be exhibiting her large-scale fine art digital mixed media paintings. This avid gardener’s body of work includes lovingly detailed portraits of flowers, fruit and  seashells.

 Connoisseurs of  stunningly unique jewelry can look forward to seeing  the creations of Marsha Scherer of East Northport. She  fashions  pendants, tiny vases and even mezuzahs  from fused dichroic glass  and her pieces glow with rainbow-like iridescence.

Entertainment portion of the event, directed by Larry Moser, kicks off at noon with an exhibition of Middle Eastern dance by Roni Yaari of East Northport’s Inner Spirit Yoga Center and her students. The group will be dressed in exotic costumes, and the audience typically joins in on the fun.

The Huntington Children’s Chorus, founded and directed by Laura Pomerantz, will sing at 1 pm. The young singers  represent  public and private schools in the greater Huntington area.

At 1:45 pm, Rich’s Stein’s quintet, The Counterclockwise Ensemble, comprised of Mr. Stein on guitar, violinist  Dr. Andrew Perea, cellist Rebecca Perea, bass player Glen Saunders and percussionist Jim Mansfield.

It is classical crossover, Mr. Stein said of the music. “It’s fun, exciting and accessible. We have the classical background, but the spirit of a rock band.”

“Northport is a fantastic place. It is one of the most picturesque spots on Long Island. It is an honor to perform there,” Mr. Stein indicated.

Singer and guitarist Bill Lauter will entertain the crowd with folk, country, blues and popular songs while songstress Andrea Cetlin, who plays the mandolin and the guitar, will be serving up some contemporary folk music.

At 4 pm, celebrated poet Barbara Reiher-Meyers will host poetry readings near the Robert Krueger bandstand.  The featured poet is Nassau County Poet Laureate Mario Susko, whose new 40 page poetry pamphlet collection was recently released by the University of Salzburg, Austria. There will also be an open mike. For information, and directions, visit www.northportarts.org.