By KATHY CHANG
Staff writer
METUCHEN — The ninth annual Junebug ArtFest is set to begin this weekend.
In previous years, festivities were held on Friday nights, but they have been shifted to Saturday nights this year — June 4, 11, 18 and 25 — from 6 to 10 p.m.
“We chose to move the festival to Saturdays in order to give both the participating artists as well as our visitors a calmer, safer experience … and to avoid the busy Friday night rush-hour schedule,” said Lynda Woodworth, Junebug publicity coordinator.
Also new this year, Main Street will be closed on June 18 during Junebug in order to create additional room for live performances and featured events and for visitors to peruse the exhibits, Woodworth said.
Jennifer Daro, planning committee chair for Junebug, said they hope the decision to move to Saturdays and the closing of Main Street on June 18 will bring even more visitors to downtown Metuchen for the event.
Opening night on June 4 will feature a fencing demonstration, henna tattoo art, a Lollipop Land scavenger hunt and the unveiling of the festival’s sculpture on Main Street in front of the Metuchen Savings Bank.
It is an eight-foot-tall, vibrant and mischievous wooden masterpiece created by humorous illustrator and designer Chris Reed.
Community members of all ages are invited to feast their eyes on creativity of all types at various locations set up along Main Street including works of art in oil, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, photography, sculpture, glass, precious stones, textiles, rock and jazz music, dance performances and open mic sessions.
This year’s Junebug also features a Window Gallery Competition, an event that the downtown Metuchen businesses will serve as the host to. The window displays will showcase the work of established artists throughout the month of June.
The “Best in Show” will be awarded by two museum curators at 8 p.m. on the main stage, June 18.
The Junebug ArtFest is sponsored by the Metuchen Area Chamber of Commerce and the Metuchen Cultural Arts Commission. Junebug is just one of the ways Metuchen is working to maintain its status as the “Gateway to the Arts” in Middlesex County.
For more information visit www.junebugartfest.com.