BELVIDERE IL - The Boone County Arts Council sponsored the 7th annual Fifth Grade Arts Festival that took place on October 22, 23 and 24 at the Belvidere Community Building, 111 W. 1st Street. More than seven hundred fifth graders participated in the day long event which began with a music program, “Old Songs & New People” presented by Mark Dvorak of the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.
Students then broke out into forty-five minute sessions and worked with artists with various skills and disciplines. Mary Read taught dance, Norm Knott has the groups create junk art, Dan Holmes taught theatre improv, Gary Tate brought students into the world of puppetry, while Bill Ecklund and Jeremy Schultz worked with students on photography.
The Belvidere High School Band directed by Dan Foste,r and the Belvidere North High School Band directed by Steve Wolfgram, each gave a performance.
“We are so fortunate to have so many talented artists willing to work on this project each year,” said Karen Shifo, Boone County Arts Council Treasurer. “We also luck to have so many in our community lend their support to the event.”
The Fifth Grade Arts Festival is sponsored by the Boone County Arts Council with support from the Boone County Community Foundation, District 100 Foundation for Excellence in Education, Rockford Area Arts Council, Belvidere IOU Club and Dick and Kathie Curlee. The program is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
In attendance were fifth graders from Lincoln Elementary School, Seth Whitman Elementary School, Caledonia Elementary School, Washington Academy, St. James Catholic School, Perry Elementary School, Meehan Elementary School and Immanuel Lutheran School.
“We had around seven hundred twenty-five fifth graders join us this year,” said Shifo. “And with the support of our founders we were able to provide a day-long interactive event for around nine dollars per student. We’re pretty proud of that."
For more information phone 815 544 6242 and visit the Boone County Arts Council at www.boonecountyarts.com.