 Bemidji's annual Art in the Park Festival celebrated its 50th anniversary over the weekend. Our Josh Peterson spoke with first-time vendors to find out how the Art Festival remains fresh after all these years. Since 1967 Bemidji's Art in the Park Festival has been a highlight for Bemidji residents and tourists. The annual festival showcases everything from woodwork and ceramics to clothing and jewelry. But after 50 years, one-way organizers keep the event fresh is by bringing in new vendors. We also always have new artists. I think it makes it fresh for everybody that's coming. They're looking for getting something from their favorite artists, but then they're finding something new and exciting. New vendors that were added this year feature products that were unique and different from the rest. For one first-time vendor, Art in the Park presented the opportunity to not only show his work, but to have it heard as well. Production instruments are probably not considered an art form, but when they're one-off pieces like what I do, I would consider it an art form. And it's the music world in art form. Another new form of art that was introduced was a product that you would normally find out on the lake fishing. For the creators of these fishing lures, they never imagined that they would find their niche in art and craft festivals. We started out kind of doing some shows in malls, you know, and we started going to more craft fairs, but then we got into a couple of art fairs in the area, and it turns out that's our niche. For the watermark who puts on Art in the Park, they realize the importance of the event and how it has made Bemidji a destination city every mid-July. So people do make it a destination weekend. They want to come during Art in the Park. They book their resorter hotel. They want to see the play at the playhouse that's happening in the summer. So people make it a really full weekend of activities and they focus it around Art in the Park. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. The Watermark Art Center tells us that over the weekend, Art in the Park averages more than 4,000 visitors each year. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.