By Elizabeth Vander Ven
Every year on the last Saturday in September, crowds fill the streets of Otsego for the Creative Arts Festival.
Now in its 39th year, this year’s festival is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26, with activities taking place throughout downtown Otsego.
“The Creative Arts Festival is really about bringing our community together and celebrating the people, businesses, organizations, artists and creativity that make Otsego and Plainwell special,” said Miranda Beltran, executive director of the Otsego-Plainwell Area Chamber of Commerce.
“Now in its 39th year, the festival has grown into a tradition that gives families a reason to come downtown, supports our local businesses and vendors, and creates opportunities for people throughout the community to be involved.”
One of this year’s additions will be an art exhibit at the Otsego Area Historical Society museum featuring the work of members of the Otsego Arts Council.
But that will be just one part of a full day of activities.
The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature more than 60 artisan and craft vendors, along with a classic car show, motorcycle show, antique tractor show, kids carnival, pony rides, food trucks and downtown shopping.
The festival parade is scheduled for 12:45 p.m., with other activities including the Otsego Rotary turtle races, free face painting, a kids makers market and family activities. Admission to the festival is free.
For the Arts Council, this year’s festival provides a new opportunity to showcase the work of local artists.
The historical society invited the Arts Council to display artwork at the museum after Otsego Public Schools, which had showcased student art there since 2004, decided not to participate this year.
“We felt that we wanted to continue with art at the museum, and they were the logical place to start,” a historical society representative said.
The exhibition will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and feature the work of approximately 10 local artists.
The public is invited to view paintings, sculptures, ripped-paper art and photography, with many of the pieces available for purchase.
Beltran called the exhibit “a perfect addition because it brings the ‘creative arts’ portion of the festival even more to life.”
The Otsego Arts Council is pleased to have the opportunity to spread the beauty of art within the community while also raising awareness of the council itself.
“It gives local artists another opportunity to showcase their work while also inviting festival attendees into the museum and connecting them with another part of our community,” Beltran said.
Members of the Otsego Arts Council will be present throughout the day to answer questions and provide information about the council and its upcoming events for the 2027 season.
Order forms will also be available for this year’s 4-foot-by-4-foot holiday card boards.
The giant cards can be purchased by businesses, families or individuals for display along Otsego’s River Walk during the holiday season.
The cards are designed and hand-painted by members of the Otsego Arts Council, with proceeds going toward the organization’s annual events. Those include the Otsego Arts Competition, Otsego Artisan Market and a summer rock-painting night.
The mission of the Otsego Arts Council is “to create, support and celebrate the arts in the wider Otsego community.”
Each year, the Creative Arts Festival provides one way to do that, and this year’s exhibition offers an even greater opportunity to bring art to the community and bring the community in contact with art.
“I think arts, be it music, painting or drama, always have a place in the community,” a historical society representative said. “This community is a big sports-minded community, and I think it is important to have cultural things available, too.”
Beltran sees the different aspects of the community as complementary rather than separate.
“In a community like ours, art doesn’t have to exist separately from our businesses, schools, history or community events,” she said. “It can be woven into all of those things, and I think that makes our community stronger.”
