33rd annual Art in the Park this weekend

SOUTH PORTLAND — Art in the Park, the must-attend event of the South Portland summer season, is upon us once again, and city officials promise Mill Creek Park will be put back together just in time for the 33^rd annual event, set for Saturday.

The 10-acre park has recently undergone a $321,000 facelift, to improve pathways, rebuild pond retaining walls, and create focus areas, including a Veterans Green and a community garden.

According to Mary Perry, who shoulders administrative duties for the art show, the garden is the one area that may not make deadline. That section of the park, at the corner of Ocean Street and Broadway, is normally where food vendors are grouped, she said, which may create some minor amendments to the usual layout for the show.

“I think the park is going to be 85-90 percent ready to go,” said Perry. “They’ve promised us all of the dirt piles will be removed and the only thing we may have to struggle with is the food court.”

“Early this week staff met with the contractor [Peters Construction of Buxton] and developed a specific game plan for the week ahead assuring that projects are finished up and the contractor has moved to another section of the park,” said City Manager Jim Gailey.

In early July, Gailey acknowledged, “We had a slow start,” on park reconstruction. “There were some timing issues with getting the crews in there, and getting the subcontractors at the concrete work,” he said, promising work would be done in time for the summer concert series.

Since then, Gailey has said, “the concerts have gone on as planned without major issues.”

Although Mill Creek Park may not be up to its usual splendor this year, Perry said that shouldn’t impact the city’s signature event.

“A lot of things on our end are still the same,” she said. “We’ve sold out again with 185 artists.”

This year’s Art in the Park show runs from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday, with fine artists and photographers from across Maine and New England displaying their wares the length of the park from Ocean Street to Cottage Road. As always, works will be for sale, while artists vie for one of 10 show prizes, including the $800 Judges’ Award for Best-in-Show.

In addition, the student art tent returns, featuring work from more than 300 students in grades K-12. Each year, three student works are selected for use in promotional materials, including the Art in the Park program, poster and T-shirt, the latter sponsored by Norway Savings Bank.

Auburn artist Debra Trafton has donated a 22-by-31-inch painting of Portland’s historic Hey Building, to be raffled off to support student grants in the name of longtime show leader Mary Kahl. A South Portland resident, Kahl died last year at the age of 59. She was chairwoman of the event for 11 years, after being active in the Art in the Park since 1991.

“Mary was a big supporter of student art,” said Perry. “This is a great way to keep her memory alive and it was great of Debra to do this.”

In the end, organizers say, Art in the Park is about more than just art. It’s a family event that offers plenty for youngsters to do, as well.

As always, a kids’ activity area, sponsored by Saco & Biddeford Savings Institution, will be open near the park’s Green Belt Trail from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. In addition to face painting, youngsters can undertake projects such as sand art, scratch art, and knapsack making under the supervision of show volunteers, allowing parents to peruse the paintings.

For the second year, Town & Country Federal Credit Union is sponsoring an hour-long kids’ concert by longtime children’s entertainer Rick Charette.

Meanwhile, uptempo guitarist Jim Gallant will once again serenade attendees at the new gazebo, from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

2012 for vendors included: Breakwater Daybreak Rotary Club (serving hamburgers, hot dogs, sausage sandwiches), CVC Catering (pulled pork, wraps, whoopie pies), India Palace (authentic India cuisine), Lobster on the roll (lobster rolls, crab rolls), Friendly's Ice Cream (in a dish or on a cone), and Town & Country Federal Credit Union (Captain Eli's Soda.)

Art in the Park will go on, barring an “all-day rain event.” Should the show need to be pushed back, notice will be posted at the website www.artintheparkmaine.com.