Oakwood Art Fest goes on despite rain

By Lauren ZeugnerStaff WriterEarly morning rain didn’t deter many of the artists who are participating in the Oakwood Fine Arts Festival, which was held Saturday, Aug. 25.Tammy Cotton, executive director of Chautauqua-Wawasee, said 24 artists were expected with 22 showing up. “The goal is to have about 30 artists,” she said. “The ones setting up this morning were troopers.”Several of the artists set up their tents Friday night and were ready to go when the festival opened around 10 a.m. Cotton said the festival started a bit late due to the weather, but “at 10 a.m. we had patrons coming. It’s been good to see people still coming out.”Clay artist Elizabeth Wamsley said, “It’s been a wild day.” She put a packing blanket down in front of her booth, covering a large mud puddle, while the artist next to her said he had water flowing through his booth earlier in the day.Along with a wide variety of art, patrons enjoyed live music and refreshments from local food trucks.Kosciusko County Community Foundation had a children’s art station called the Lil Philanthropist Art Booth. There children ages 4 and up can create a piece of art with the intention of giving it away.The festival was located on the lawn in front of the Events Center at Oakwood Park.