The 9th annual FAB festival was everything we hoped for

Submitted by Bob Lawrence.

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The 9th annual FAB (film, art & book) festival was everything we hoped for: hundreds of visitors, special guest presentations, musical performances, ball room dancing/instruction with active participation from our visitors, 29 authors from 6 counties, over $2000 in prize money for the winning artists and 8 great films. In fact, this year’s art fair was the largest to date with over 101 entries from 3 states.

Next year’s Film, Art, Book (FAB) festival, the 10th annual, will add more performances including ethnic dances, live performances, three-dimensional art, puppet shows and a film production exhibit. It’s already scheduled at the McGavick Center for October 14-16, 2022 so keep those dates in mind.

I believe it’s time to share our story. All of this began with a very modest start and a desire to promote different Arts, Cultures and Classical Films in the local community. It has grown to include local and international artists/authors and performing groups. It needs to be noted that all involved in every aspect of organizing, managing and producing Artsfest are volunteers–there is no payroll.

We need to credit Judge Ernie Heller as the father of Artsfest, Phil Raschke as the father of the film fest, and Shirley Peterson & Ed Kane as the parents of the juried art displays. Some of the notables also involved are past Presidents of Pierce College, the Lakewood Elks Lodge, Dr. Joyce Loveday President of Clover Park Technical College as well as organizations such as Clover Park and Lakewood Rotary Clubs, City of Lakewood, Sisters Cities, Pierce County Library, Fort Lewis Museum, Pierce County Crime Stoppers, Nisqually Indian Tribe, and others who have helped make it all possible for this free public festival.

Lastly, we do have very talented people on our Board who also deserve some publicity: Shirley Peterson, MGen Ed Trobaugh, Dr. Lonnie Lai, Ed Kane, Phil Raschke, Chuck Mathias & Heidi Pierson. A special thanks to all who supported and participated in this 9th annual FAB.