News Area artists preparing for 2nd annual Arts in the Park, June 20

Darrel Hokanson and Sarah Kreutner combined their talents, with the teenager painting an image of a Native American on the replica arrowhead the widower carved from stone he finds in Iowa river valleys.

Marvin Dretner explained his model barn and house, telling how both buildings are replicas of the first farm he bought. The barn even has 12 Holstein cows, just like the dozen he milked decades ago.

Vinton-Shellsburg High School student Amanda Dedrick displayed the painting that won Best of Show at this year's Wamac Art Fair. 

Barb Campbell, Gloria Orcutt and Lara Walker showed their latest works.

All of this took place last weekend, as the members of the Vinton Guild of Fine Arts displayed their work and exhibited their talents during Friday and Saturday of the Benton County Country Fest.

The shows were a bit of a preview of the second annual Arts in the Park Festival which takes place all day Saturday, June 20, at Celebration Park. The first annual event was the very first public event to take place after the park officially opened last year.

Hokanson lives near Urbana and works with a variety of stone. His favorite is a kind of flint called chert which he gathers from the Maquoketa River area in Delaware County. For the past several years, he has been working with rocks, and also with leather, attempting to make items the way Native Americans made them centuries ago.

Kreutner, the youngest member of the Guild, has been painting for years. Her new project is making memory book kits that people can buy to preserve their own memories.

These artists and many more will gather at Celebration Park next Saturday.

Another feature of this year’s event will be the silent auction of many of the corn statues that the Guild members have been painting.

There will be sidewalk chalk for the children, live music throughout the day, and food vendors offering a variety of items.

See more photos HERE.