Jubilee Arts Festival offers beautiful, whimsical art

Residents who made their way to the 33rd Annual Jubilee Arts Festival just before noon Saturday were greeted by the sound of melodies played by the Marlboro County High School marching band.

A little closer, and their noses could inhale the tantalizing smell of corn dogs, hot dogs and funnel cakes— provisions some say every worthy fall festival should have.

Bennettsville resident Pam Ashwood and her 6-year-old-daughter, Kennedy, were among those who attended Saturday’s events.

“The food is kind of like being at a fair,” Ashwood said while finishing a corn dog.

Waiting on the picnic table next to the mother and daughter was a styrofoam bowl filled with apple slices arranged around a center of sweet topping.

It’s caramel, cream and pecans. It’s very good,” Ashwood said offering a slice to a friend who stopped by the table. Ashwood said they attended the event primarily because of the city’s Childrens Festival which was held in conjunction with the jubilee festival for the first time this year.

“I came for the jubilee part too, but this is our first time.  You can get little Christmas gifts (at the jubilee festival),” she said. “They really have a variety here, that’s what I like.”

The children’s festival offered carnival rides and other free events while the jubilee festival offered a kaleidoscope of artistic expressions.

Among the many artists selling work Saturday was Chesterfield resident Vicky McLain, who stood quietly among her paintings and worked on a portrait of a couple.

“It really helps to be standing here painting. It draws people’s attention to your work,” McLain said. “I’ve actually gotten a few critiques.”

McLain, who was a first-time vendor at the event, said the jubilee helps local artists.

“It gives us an avenue of public display. I have a Web site but a lot of people don’t know that until they see my work,” she said.

An “eclectic collection of unique recycled items” is what attracted many to the booth of Backyard Treasures & More, co-said owner Maggie Evans of Bennettsville.

Evans, along with co-owners Susan Chavis and Nancy Zaky, uses discarded wire and bottles to create decor for the home and yard.

“They say it’s beautiful, unusual, quirky, whimsical,” Evans said. “It’s anything to make people smile.”

The three friends use a kiln to flatten or “slump” colorful bottles, transforming them into cheese platters, utensil holders or whatever the owner desires the finished product to be, Evans said.