A hot, humid Canada Day with temperatures reaching into the mid-30s couldn't slow down the crowds at Park Art, the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery's (MJMAG) most important annual fundraiser, also one of Saskatchewan's best-loved craft fairs.
"I'm loving it today, it's sunny, it's beautiful weather, and I think everybody is probably out first thing to beat the late afternoon heat," Jude Radwanski said cheerfully at her stall. Radwanski is the artist and silversmith behind Firefly Art, and this was her third year at Park Art.
"I brought lots of good, cold water, so I'll be fine for the day," Radwanski said. "I might not be able to get around to browse other stalls today unless it really slows down, but I got to visit with a few artists while we were getting set up, and meet some old friends from other shows, so that's nice."
Thousands of people were crowding through the gates, buying food, arts, and crafts, including from the every-Saturday Homegrown Farmer's Market, which saw a substantial increase in attendance for the day. There were long-time attendees like The Cookie Lady, Rob Froese, and Terri Ekvall, and a scattering of new creatives. Several attendees marvelled at the amount of artists and the breadth of creativity on display, and said they were surprised every year by what people can make.
"Park Art has been busy since we opened the gates," said Jennifer Ross, acting operations manager at the MJMAG and one of the event's main organizers. "We had lots of people waiting at the gates for us to be ready for them, so it's been a really exciting, busy day so far!"
"I guess we'll have to wait and see what the final numbers are, but it's starting to feel like we might cross that 4,500 mark, which is the attendance we were seeing pre-pandemic," commented Jennifer McRorie, executive director and curator at the MJMAG. "We're very thankful that it's a beautiful day. It's warm, but we haven't had any thundershowers so far, knock on wood.
"We're hoping to get the crowds and maybe break some numbers. We worked in conjuction with the Homegrown Farmer's Market this year, so I think with the two coming together, we're drawing more people for each other's events, which is an interesting difference this year."
Ceramics artist, writer, and teacher Rob Froese said he'd never seen so many people, although he admitted his stall was in a different spot this year, which might influence his perspective.
"I can never remember how many I've been to, it might be around 10 now, but this is my first time right outside the library, close to the gates there," Froese said. "It's a nice change of pace, nice day, and already I've met so many friends from here, it's like a studio tour or an artist's hangout kind of thing. There's lots of activity and I'm glad to be here."
