WILLIAMS - The newest event to hit Williams is shaping up to be a successful one, according to organizers. The 2009 Multi-cultural Arts, Crafts, and Antiques Expo is the first in what organizers hope will become an annual event in the Williams area. The event, to be held Friday through Sunday in the parking lot of the Williams and Forest Service Visitor Center, will offer music, food and arts and crafts - something for everyone in the family, said Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce Event Coordinator Sue Atkinson. She said over 25 vendors have already signed on for the expo.
"We have art vendors, we have oil paintings, we have Native American jewelry, we have art demonstration booths, where kids can make crafts, do Chinese origami, make little Mexican flowers, there's Native American music," Atkinson said. "It's the first annual fair, brought to you by Inspirations, the Williams Chamber, the Multi-Cultural Alliance, sponsored in part by Sam's Club."
The expo will get started Friday beginning at 3 p.m. and go until dusk. The expo will be open Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until dusk. Besides the expo itself, a teen family dance will also be held at the skate park as part of the fair, Atkinson said. The dance will be held at the skate park next to the Williams Recreation Center beginning at 7 p.m. A DJ is scheduled for the dance. The dance is free to the public. Other events during the expo include an art expression wall, Atkinson said.
"There's an artist from Flagstaff with a huge canvass that he is going to put on the entire fence on the east side of the rec center where that little playground is. Kids can come up and paint on it. Another local here does spray paint art. He's signed up and has a booth. We have some informational people coming in from Flagstaff. All of the crafts and everything that is going to be in there: the crafts are handmade. We'll have art demonstrations, pottery making, a kid craft table, food vendors. We've got Indian fry bread, we have Greek food, we have Chinese food with egg rolls and wraps, so it's going to be kind of a cool thing."
Antique dealers will be on hand during the fair, Atkinson said. Entertainment will also be provided for the event. According to Atkinson, entertainment will be offered every hour during the course of the two and a half day event.
"The Folklorico Dancers are going to do a demonstration. Barry Davis does classic rock and Christian rock, Kerry Lynn does blues and jazz. We're going to have Hopi dancers, folk music," Atkinson said.
Other entertainment will include Hawaiian music, dancers and much more, she said.
"We have all this going on all weekend," Atkinson said, adding that local David Bixby, with the Historical Reenactment group, coordinated the music for the event. Bixby will also emcee the fair.
Sue Tamulevich, with Inspirations, Inc., said artists would hail, not only from Williams, but also from Prescott, Flagstaff and other areas.
"The important part of it is that the kids, Junior Inspirations and some of the other kids in the community, we've got seven kids that are going to be youth ambassadors for this event. They're going to be acting as hosts and hostesses, representing Williams," Tamulevich said. "It's a paid position for these kids that we've gotten grants for. They've been attending a leadership training (class). Inspirations and the Williams Alliance partnered on the youth leadership training, which included the 40 developmental assets as they relate to leadership skills. We have seven kids in the community who are being paid for being youth expo ambassadors."
Tamuelvich said the idea behind the expo was to provide an event for the entire community.
"The idea behind the expo was to create a safe, family environment with activities for youth and families," Tamulevich said.
