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The Art Show Must Go On

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 24, 2008

TAMPA - Saturday's rains plagued the opening day of the 19th Annual Hyde Park Village Art Festival, but today's forecast for better weather still could result in a weekend attendance of 30,000 people or more.

"We can always make up attendance on Sunday," said Helayne Stillings, show coordinator for South Florida-based Howard Alan Events Ltd., which puts on similar shows in venues from downtown Chicago to Aspen, Colo. "If you get bad weather on the second day of a weekend, you are sunk."

The Hyde Park event drew 200 participants well-prepared with an array of white canvas-covered booths designed to stand up to rain and heavy winds.

On sale were earrings as inexpensive as $20 or less and sculptures and paintings with asking prices of more than $20,000.

Artist Connie Nagele of Naples put about a dozen of her oil paintings of roses and begonias on display at prices ranging from $145 to $1,500.

She generally sells four to five pieces of artwork a day at the eight or so fairs she participates in annually. The midmorning rain Saturday slowed down business, though not Nagele's spirits.

"I'm just out here hanging out and having some fun," she said cheerfully.

The wet, gloomy weather did not keep Nicole Murphy of Tampa from enjoying herself at the art festival.

"I've come to look at the photography," Murphy said. "The weather hasn't hurt one bit."

The participants are bound by contract to keep the show going.

Today's session is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m on streets closed to traffic at Swann and Rome avenues. Admission is free. Parking is available in the Hyde Park garage and some street parking is available nearby.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib .com.

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