The Columbia Festival of the Arts begins this weekend with free entertainment at LakeFest, an event featuring music, crafts, demonstrations and a parade of moving artwork that's bound to make spectators whip out their cell phone cameras.
Conrad Bladey of North Linthicum is participating in LakeFest's 7th Annual Kinetic Art Parade with an entry that he calls "The Fall of Adam and Eve," complete with mannequins perched atop an elaborately decorated 1994 GMC Sierra.
"You have to picture many, many people smiling, when all you are doing is driving a car," said Bladey, who is joining the parade for the fifth time. "I never drive a plain car. There are too many of them already."
The parade is among several events planned this weekend that highlight the 16-day festival founded in 1987.
"Inherent in our mission [is] to use this as vehicle to bring people together as a community," said Nichole Hickey, executive director of the Columbia Festival of the Arts.
Howard County is known for drawing major recording artists and shows to its Merriwether Post Pavilion, but the festival events are held at such venues as the Howard County Art Center, the Belmont Conference Center and Howard Community College.
For years, LakeFest had been part of the Columbia Festival's offerings, but it was discontinued in 1999, in part because of expenses. Hickey said that the cost for running the three days of LakeFest events is about $200,000.
But officials decided to resume LakeFest in 2003, and last year's event drew 30,000 people. "It was really getting back more in touch with the mission," said Hickey, "and the mission embraces both free and ticketed events."
Other LakeFest highlights include a street-painting contest, book festival, fine art and crafts sale, arts activities for children and BoatFloat — a regatta for cardboard boats. The events are free, but participants in the street-painting contest must pay $12 for the cost of chalk, officials said.
Few events of the events are as unusual as the Kinetic Art Parade, which is scheduled at 11 a.m. Saturday. The show draws decorated automobiles and bicycles, some of which compete in the parade's contest for best kinetic art entries.
Festival officials said that the parade starts at The Mall in Columbia's south entrance, then travels along Little Patuxent Parkway to the Sterrett Place parking lot. Stilt walkers and clowns also walk the route, and this year the parade will feature the No BS! Brass Band from Richmond, Va.
"You can dress yourself up and walk as art," said Hickey. "As long as you can move, you're kinetic."
Bladey will also enter two decorated bicycles. He added that his decorated Sierra isn't just for show — it's his regular means of transport. Bladey said the car is so popular that mechanics at oil-changing stations jockey to see who will service it.
"My [full-service] mechanic has fun with it," Bladey said. "He parks it outside his place, and people come by and take pictures."
twitter.com/patienceofjoe
If you go LakeFest at the Columbia Festival of the Arts
Events run from 5 p.m. today through 7 p.m. Sunday, and are held along the Columbia lakefront. All events are free. For a complete schedule and list of events, call 410-715-3044 or go to columbiafestival.com. The Columbia Arts Festival continues through June 26.