Following a successful inaugural year, Arts in the Park is returning to Columbia this Sunday, allowing the community to come together and get a good taste of the artistic talent Monroe County has to offer.

Arts in the Park is one of several events and programs organized by the Monroe County Arts Alliance to allow local artists the opportunity to show off their skills.

Arts Alliance President Marcia Braswell spoke about the event and the group in general, noting that the alliance began back in 2015 as several bands and other performing groups came together to support one another.

“We began with a group of representatives from various Monroe County performing organizations… all getting together and deciding we would like to form an organization that would serve as a network organization for all of us, be able to share possible projects together, to be able to support each other’s audiences,” Braswell said.

One of the alliance’s first big projects was a bicentennial celebration for the county in 2016, though there have been other events over the years.

Recurring programs today include the annual Chalk-A-Lot in Waterloo in the fall – this year will be the fourth – and the photo contest for amateur photographers with judging taking place each spring.

Braswell also noted the alliance’s annual $1,000 scholarship available for high school seniors in the county who plan to pursue a degree in the arts.

Arts in the Park is among the larger events that the alliance has organized, looking to treat guests to live entertainment while also placing a special focus on the visual arts.

Braswell noted that the event consists of four main areas: the stage, the high school showcase, the artist venue and the creative area for kids.

Just as it was last year, the main stage at Metter Park will be busy throughout the day with a variety of performances during the entire event.

Musical, dance and theatrical performances will be showcased as MASC, The Waterloo Municipal Band, Singers Company,  Thunder and Lightning Cloggers,  Kaskaskia Trail Chorus,  Actors Attic,  Band Room Brass,  Waterloo German Band, Swing Dancers and Premiere Dance Academy each take the stage.

The park’s bandstand will once again serve as a display for the community’s young artists, where folks can step inside to enjoy the variety of art created by high schoolers throughout the county.

Braswell noted the tremendous quality of work that the bandstand featured last year.

“We will have a beautiful display of the things those students are working on,” Braswell said. “Last year, it was a beautiful display. There are some really great things going on in our art departments at county schools, and we really wanna highlight that.”

A key part of the event is the venue for local artists to share and sell their work.

Braswell pointed out that the emphasis here is placed on visual artists rather than craftsmen who tend to have an easier time finding their place at area farmers markets.

With a great many places for performing artists to share their talents throughout the year, Arts in the Park is a unique occasion for visual artists to showcase their paintings, sculptures or other works.

The showcase of artistic talent is, of course, core to the event, as Braswell explained.

“I think one of the main reasons we wanted to put this together other than, of course, the opportunity for all of us to get together and do something collaboratively was to highlight the amazing artists that are already here in Monroe County, both at the adult level and the student level,” Braswell said. “What I’ve seen is an amazing amount of talent being developed in the high schools and I’m sure in the junior high schools before that throughout the county, and I’m seeing the amount of artists that already live or work or are nearby to Monroe County who do amazing things and devote so much of their time and talents to their craft.”

Even younger members of the community also have a place at Arts in the Park, as one of the pavilions will be dedicated for kids to draw and create their own masterpieces.

The final big part of the event is the varied collection of food stands that will allow guests to really enjoy their day in the park, surrounded by all the talent the county has to offer.

Along with thanking the City of Columbia, Dorothy Weinel Eppinger Foundation and her fellow Arts Alliance members for their support, Braswell remarked on the success of last year’s event and the great support that the community as a whole showed.

“We were very, very pleased with the response from the community in 2024,” Braswell said. “They supported it with their attendance and participation, and we hope to see even greater attendance and participation this year.”

City of Columbia Community Relations Coordinator Marla Rose also commented on Arts in the Park, saying that an event highlighting local artistic talent was something she had been interested from the moment she started in her position.

“It’s a vibrant festival held here in Columbia, and it just brings out that artistic spirit in our community, fosters our high school artists and celebrates not only the fine arts but also the performing arts,” Rose said. “It’s a great combination of all these different things.”

With high hopes for the turnout and weather come Sunday, Braswell said she and her peers are very much interested in making this an annual event moving forward as they work with participating artists and groups to make sure Arts in the Park gets better and better.

“I think we will just be planning to do an event next year,” Braswell said. “Arts in the Park will hopefully be a continuing event, and each year, we will address what we think needs to happen for the following year.”

Arts in the Park takes place at Metter Park in Columbia this Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.