PIQUA — Piqua Arts Council will once again be hosting the Piqua Arts and Ale Festival on Saturday, Sept. 21, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. All events will take place in Canal Place near Winans in Downtown Piqua. The festival will be a celebration of the arts with arts and craft vendors, a painting competition, kid’s crafts and entertainment, live music, local food trucks and Ohio craft beers on tap. The Piqua Arts and Ale Festival is sponsored by the Miami County Visitor and Convention Bureau, City of Piqua, Winans Chocolates and Coffee, Hartzell Industries, and Premier Health—Upper Valley Medical Center.
The first event of the day is the Plein Air Painting Competition. Beginning at 8 a.m., artists can check in and have their canvas or paper stamped and then they will be able to travel through the area to find a subject for their painting. At 4 p.m., artists will return to the festival and have a wet paint sale along with judging. The competition will feature a prize pool of $2000.
Starting at 10 a.m., arts and craft vendor will be opening their booths, live entertainment will start, food trucks will begin serving food and beer will go on sale. Arts and Craft vendors represented at the event will feature, jewelry, pottery, blown glass, paintings and more. KayDee’s Subhut will be serving hot sandwiches and of course Susie’s Big Dipper and 311 Drafthouse, Locktender & Winans will all be options as well.
Live music for the event will be Adam “Bubs” Ranly, Kaitlyn Schmit, Cody Garrett, Mark Cantwil & Piqua’s own ReFlektion. Adam “Bubs” Ranly’s passion for music started at an Leary age, but it wasn’t until his mid 20s before he picked up his first instrument: the harmonica. After playing in a few bands and learning not every song needs harmonica, he purchased his first guitar and in a few short years started his solo career. With guitar and harmonica playing and his love for classic rock and country, he enjoys covering artists like Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Neil Young and others.
Kaitlin Schmit is from Coldwater, and is the lead singer of a band called, “Kaitlyn Schmit and The Move”. They play a wide variety of music from country, to pop and a little bit of rock. She has opened for Walker McGuire, Joe Diffie and Aaron Lewis.
9Eight Central is a country acoustic duo from the greater Cincinnati/Dayton area consisting of Nicholas Winters of Brookfield, IN on lead vocals/rhythm guitar and Mike Pettigrew of Monroe, OH on lead guitar and harmonies. Playing mostly traditional/classic country, a few select today’s country, and southern rock music. 9Eight Central has opened for The Cadillac Three, daughter of Garth Brooks, Allie Colleen and daughter of Travis Tritt, Tyler Reece Tritt. Their first studio album will be released in early 2020.
Mark Cantwil is an American singer/songwriter out of western Ohio. His small town roots are the driving force behind the inspiring lyrics found on his debut album “Last Chance Johnny” and sophomore effort “Diggin on You”. Both albums contain 11 diverse tracks that capture the spirit, the struggle and the joys of everyday life. The Americana roots of heavy topics and storytelling are the foundation of Mark Cantwil’s music.
Closing out the night starting close to 6 p.m. will be Piqua’s own ReFlektion. Jared and Justin Younce will be covering classic country hits from multiple decades.
The kids activity area will feature several activities for kids throughout the day, face painters, a magician and giant version of classic games for kids. The kids activity area will be open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m.
For more information on the Piqua Arts and Ale Festival visit the Piqua Arts Council’s website at www.PiquaArtsCouncil.org/artsfestival or call the office at 937-773-9630.
