An art festival has sprouted at a former agricultural site in Wassaic

WASSAIC — More than 80 artists, 25 bands and a slew of poets, dancers and filmmakers took part in the third annual Wassaic Project free arts festival Aug. 13 to 15.

The annual festival is held in the hamlet of Wassaic, in several buildings that include a former Maxon Mills grain mill.

Event Co-director Bowie Zunino estimated that several thousand visitors attended the event — including many who set up tents in a field next to a barn that used to be the site of livestock auctions.

“It was a lot of fun,â€� said Tim Rand, who was taking down his tent with the help of his girlfriend, Ashly Simmons, on Sunday morning. They came up on the Metro-North train line; both said it was the first time they’d traveled the entire line,  from New York City to Wassaic.

In addition to artwork and performances, there was also plenty of food, including what looked like an ice cream truck selling boiled crayfish all weekend, and a wagon trailer selling jars of fruit jams on the honor system. The price per jar? Shoppers were asked to leave whatever amount of money they could afford or whatever they thought was a fair price.

“They all look good,� said Marc Richardson of Katonah, who was picking out just the right jar for his family’s lunch, with the help of his 3-year-old son, Anthony.

The Richardsons were at the festival last year and were excited to see another good turnout for 2010.

“I think it’s great,� Richardson said. “It’s free and there are just enough off-the-beaten-path pieces to keep the kids interested, like the cardboard.�

The cardboard he was referring to was the work of local artist Henry Klimowicz. His installation took up the entire top floor of the former grain mill. Every inch was covered by corrugated cardboard shapes that several people said made them feel as though they were standing in the middle of a giant beehive.

Wassaic residents got into the spirit of the festival. A few children set up lemonade stands. The festival organizers offered a special sneak peek the night before the festival opened to the general public. That evening was a fundraiser for the Wassaic Fire Company and highlighted the Tri-state artists featured in the show.

The art itself was diverse, including everything from a series of pieces inspired by doughnuts to a pile of firewood that had mirrors taped to the ends, making it seem as though the logs were hollow.

“I don’t know what to make of a lot of it,� said Frank Ingrim, who said that he and his wife just happened to be driving along Route 22 and were intrigued by signs advertising the event that they saw along the roadside. It was the first art show in “many years� for the elderly couple, and they said that it was nice that the whole thing was free.

“It’s probably a good thing that I don’t get it,â€� he said with a chuckle, adding that,  “My father couldn’t stand Elvis.â€�

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