Mattoon Street Arts Festival celebrates 50 yearsDate: 9/5/2023 SPRINGFIELD — What started as a way to attract people to the city’s first historic district has evolved into much more as the Mattoon Street Arts Festival returns for its 50th year.
The two-day festival will liven Mattoon Street on Saturday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mattoon Street Arts Festival Coordinator Bob McCarroll said there will be 100 artists and crafters such as painters, potters and people working with fabric and glass, to name a few.
Musical artists will be performing throughout the festival, with some locals including father daughter “power duo” ALX and Adelaide Punkin, violinist Stacia Filipiak, double bassist Joel Meginsky, accordionist Paul Grzebieniowski and fifer William Hart.
There will also be food items and beverages available for purchase from Granny’s Baking Table, SouLao’d Kitchen, Wicked Whisk, Nosh, Thai Chili Food Truck, Monsoon Roastery, Vegan Pizza Land, Moe’s Dogs, P’Frogi by Irida, Island Cow Ice Cream, Allechant Macarons, CremeBru.LA, Sweet Babu’s, Vermont Vermouth, Easthampton Cider, Wicked Good Treats by Elaine, Saltbox Seasonings, Patty Cakes Gourmet Cupcakes, Everythang Sauce and Tribe Power Bites.
To recognize the festival’s 50th anniversary, tote bags have been created by the neighborhood association, along with a commemorative bookmark that will be available to purchase.
The event itself is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the TD Bank lot on Dwight Street and Harrison Avenue — about one block away from the festival.
As it is an outdoor, weather driven event, McCarroll said attendance varies every year. In a typical year — over the span of two days — the festival draws in about 4,000 to 5,000 people.
McCarroll explained that the restored brick Victorian houses lining Mattoon Street are what make it historic.
He added that the festival is the oldest arts and crafts show in the region.
The festival started in 1973 by people interested in rejuvenating Mattoon Street, McCarroll said. He shared that at the time, the street was “distressed.” As some realized its potential, people began buying houses on the street to fix up and live in. “They thought [an] arts festival was a good way to bring people to Mattoon Street,” he added.
Mattoon Street is located off Chestnut Street, near the Springfield Museums.
For additional information on the Mattoon Street Arts Festival, visit mattoonfestival.org.
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