Huss Future Festival 2011
Activities
We have plenty of activities planned throughout the day ... join in the fun!
- 9:30 am: Magnet Crafts
- 10:30 am: Free Bike Tune-Ups
- 11:30 am: Kickball
- 12:30 pm: Stamping & Recycled Jewelry Making
- 1:30 pm: Compost Workshop
- 2:30 pm: Community Mural Projects
- 3:30 pm: Lawn Games
Live music
Join us in our temporary coffeehouse for coffee, baked goods and live music!
- 10am: Tracy Kiel
- 11am: Jeff Keefer
- Noon: Schwartz Family Band
- 1pm: Grant Elgersma
- 3pm: bernelle
Press Release
Second annual Huss Future Festival to feature art, food, family activities
THREE RIVERS - The Huss Future Festival is back and the second annual event promises to be bigger and better than last year. Festival chairperson Julie Keefer is excited about the additions to this year's festival, which will take place on July 30 from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. "We'll be offering activities for people of all ages throughout the day, including a free bike tune-up, kickball, ping pong, art projects and art workshops," said Keefer. "Last year, we were glad to see people coming to the Festival and staying all day because they were enjoying themselves so much. This year, we plan to offer even more activities and food options."
For those looking for something to eat, the Three Rivers Area Faith Community will hold a Fish Fry from noon to 4:00 p.m., with proceeds benefitting the annual Back to School Celebration, which provides free school supplies to over 400 local children. In addition, Triple Ripple Community Gardens volunteers will be offering locally-produced sausages, pesto and vegetable kabobs. "We're looking forward to partnering with these local organizations to help support their activities, because collaboration will be a primary value we hope to cultivate at the Huss property," said Keefer. In another new partnership this year, the Three Rivers Artists Guild will be holding a sale featuring bargain prices on art and art supplies, as well as unique secondhand items and antiques.
*culture is not optional (*cino), a local non-profit organization that educates and equips people to practice their faith values in everyday life, purchased the Huss School property in 2009. The vision is to collaborate with local organizations to create a community center focused on art, agriculture and social justice. The center will include residential space to house college students for an off-campus semester and church groups who want to learn more about community development. Since 2009, the organization has hosted nearly a dozen service groups and attracted 13 college students and recent graduates to the Three Rivers area to serve as volunteer staff. A group of dedicated volunteers has also launched Tripple Ripple Community Gardens on the property, which donated 1,000 pounds of organic vegetables to families in need last year and plans to double the yield this year.
Last year's Huss Future Festival, the first major event *cino sponsored at the property, drew over 350 visitors from the local area and four states. "I think it was good for people to begin learning about *cino's plans for the property and to experience some of the kinds of imaginative, community-building activities we hope will happen there all the time once the building is renovated," said Rob Vander Giessen-Reitsma. He and his wife Kirstin are the co-directors of *cino and co-founders of World Fare, a non-profit, volunteer-run fair trade store in downtown Three Rivers. "The 'future' aspect of the festival is really two-fold," explained Vander Giessen-Reitsma. "We're raising money for the future of the building, including current maintenance needs and the work we need to do with an architect to begin writing grants. But at the same time, we're seeking to demonstrate and communicate the future vision for the property, which will include lots of art, good food, fun and relationship-building."
An array of activities from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 30 will all help raise funds to preserve the historic property and provide for its future. Artists selling their handmade creations will donate 10% of their sales to the school project. A secondhand clothing sale will feature items for the whole family, much of it for just $5 per bag. A bake sale will serve as another fund raiser, but will also be the backdrop for a room that will demonstrate the spirit *cino hopes to cultivate in the space, with free fair trade coffee and tea and plenty of seating to stop and sit a while and live music. The second floor will feature a variety of artistic and participatory displays that will help visitors imagine the future possibilities for the space. Volunteers from Triple Ripple Community Gardens will be on hand to show this year's project and talk about the garden project for coming years.
Those who are interested in supporting the Huss Future Festival 2011 can participate by:
- Donating baked goods, extra garden produce, gently used clothing, hangers and plastic grocery bags
- Signing up to be one of the individual art vendors who donate a percentage of sales
- Volunteering on an open work day (July 22, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.) or on the day of the event
- Attending in person and bringing friends
"I'm excited to see how this year's event will bring the community together and support the vision for an important, historic building in our city," said Keefer. "The activities that *cino has been doing on the property already have brought a lot of hope and creativity and I'm looking forward to seeing how things will continue to grow in the future." Interested participants can contact Keefer at jmkeefer@yahoo.com or (269) 823-3038.
Links for more information: