EMMAUS, Pa. — Emmaus' SnowBlast winter arts festival was set to take place this Saturday, bringing more than 50 artists, vendors and art activities to dozens of locations.
Unfortunately, due to the weather, it's been postponed to Saturday, March 4.
- The 16th annual SnowBlast winter arts festival has been postponed
- The new date will be Saturday, March 4
- It was set to feature dozens of art activities and vendors, as well as a special augmented-reality experience created by students at Emmaus High School and those at JuxtaHub
According to a statement made by the Emmaus Arts Commission, the decision was made over the safety and health concerns of the vendors, community members and volunteers.
In March, the free event will bring food trucks, live music from local bands, local breweries and different community groups to the Emmaus Triangle, all with a fun gnome theme.
The 16th iteration of the festival also will feature a special augmented-reality showcase by local students and the nonprofit JuxtaHub.
SnowBlast will still take place at the Emmaus Triangle.
Organizers from Emmaus Arts Commission say the activities are meant for all ages.
"The most important thing is just raising visibility and awareness for the arts and Emmaus," Emmaus Arts Commissioner Lindsey Kleinberg, the event's co-chair, said.
"There will be tents and vendors all throughout the parking lot as well as the park."
The activities planned for tomorrow included a community art project involving a glass pane painting set in the triangle for attendees to participate in the creation.
Emmaus Arts Commission, which organizes the event, is a group of volunteers appointed by the borough that operates via community donations and sponsorships.
Other events organized by the group included the Emmaus Student Film Fest and the Paint-A-Hydrant program.
A map of vendors can be seen here:
In addition to the locations and vendors downtown, Let's Play Books, Soul Sisters Studio and the Emmaus Public Library planned various art activities throughout the afternoon.
The library's slate of events had included:
- 10:30 a.m. Storytime with the Ice Princess
- 11 a.m. Fire & Ice w/ Mad Science Lehigh Valley (requires RSVP)
- 1 p.m. Smallfoot (animated film)
- 3:30 p.m. Children's yoga, storytime & crafts with Larissa Noto
"Lots happening around the town, it's usually a great day, usually a great turnout and hopefully it's not freezing," commission President Karri Schreppel said, of the festival's original date.
It is uncertain whether the original slate of events will occur in March. Vendors may change due to the postponement.
A techy spin on winter decorations to be introduced
Planned for the festival this year is a first-of-its-kind augmented reality presentation from both the JuxtaHub arts nonprofit and Jasper Learning Initiative at Emmaus High School.
QR codes will be present at many participating businesses throughout the area of the festival that, when scanned by a smart device, will let a computer-generated 3D image of that business' mascot be seen superimposed on the view of the real world.
"Lots happening around the town, it's usually a great day, usually a great turnout and hopefully it's not freezing,"Emmaus Arts Commission President Karri Schreppel
The mascot then can be resized to match a scene, from which a screenshot can be taken.
A demo is available on the JuxtaHub website here.
"We’re thrilled to work with our local school district and business owners on a demonstration project that we believe is the first-of-its-kind in the nation,” project technical advisor and JuxtaHub board member John Oetting said in announcing the initiative.
After-parties were planned to be held at Yergey Brewing and Funk Brewing in Emmaus. Rising River Brewery in Wescosville also planned to hold its one-year anniversary party, and will donate $1 to EAC for each attendee who mentions Snowblast or a "secret" phrase, "Gnome sweet gnome."
