The Hovland Arts Festival Gets Better and Better Each Year
I moved to Hovland Minnesota on June 25,2014 from Minneapolis and a week later I was exhibiting at the Hovland Art Festival. I had never been there before but knew I wanted to be part of the arts community there. My first impression was how talented this tiny community was. At the time there were over 20 artisans all of them with something unique. The musicians played all day on both days and the crowds were constant.
Now six years later I am still exhibiting my photography at the Hovland Arts Festival. Over the years there have been some changes but all making it bigger and better. We now have a music pavilion, playground for the kids and most vendors accept credit cards. We now celebrate our 14th Anniversary and have grown to almost 30 local artisans participating. Still even now each booth has unique items and no vendor sells the same items, all crafts are made by them and no mass productions.
One remark I have heard over the years is “ I have passed this place numerous times during my trips from Thunder Bay on my way to Grand Marais or Duluth and never stopped.” No one ever said that they regretted their stop there.
This year the Hovland Arts Festival will be Friday July 5 and Saturday July 6 from 10a-4p. Refreshments and food will be sold at Hovland’s Trinity Lutheran Church right next door. The musicians will be preforming each day, all day at the pavilion in the back of the Town Hall and the playground is right there too. Local Artisans will be selling inside the Hovland Town Hall and some in the west side parking lots, The arts and crafts available will be ceramics, wood working, glass, woven rugs, bead work, photography and much more.
I know I wouldn’t want to miss this year’s festival, and neither should you. 40 minutes from Thunder Bay, you can’t miss the Town Hall because the speed limit is 40 miles there. It is well worth the drive.
By Hella Buchheim