The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 920 Third Ave. S.

The festival will feature several artist vendors, such as Lisa Glazer, Denny Dunbar, Jill Sneed, Jessica Nemechek, Gigi Koppen, Fort Dodge Pride Group, Evelyn Ruhnke, Delayne Segar, Fred Tyre, Roberta Bochtler, Terry Kisling, Catherine Rosengren, the Humboldt Arts Council, and Rodney Minter.

There will also be musical performances by Chad Elliot and the Bad to the Bone Brass Quartet.

This event is free for the community.

-Messenger file photo
Toby the Kid, of Fort Dodge, makes a balloon animal for Aubrey Dillingham, then 7, of Barnum, during the annual Blanden Arts Festival in 2025 in Fort Dodge.

This annual event is a family friendly setting where the Blanden can connect the community to its artistic side while highlighting those in the community that allow the Blanden to be the beacon of Fort Dodge’s creative expressions.

“The art festival is really geared towards embracing the arts within the community,” said Museum Director Eric Anderson. “It’s centered on not only individual arts, but also family and kids, bringing them all together into a common area. It connects the community with local and regional artists.”

The festival will have several events for kids.

“We will have music on a performing stage that will be going on throughout the day, along with in the morning, we’ll have free kid art activities, where they can come and make artwork.” said Anderson.

“They’ll have a chance to throw pottery on a pottery wheel or make spin art using a bicycle,” he added. “We’ll have Nathan Moore, who will be teaching kids how to use the pottery wheel, and they can be throwing their own little pots, and then we have the Iowa State Extension 4-H that will have a bicycle that they have modified, and on the back they can do spin art. Someone will pedal, and you can make your own art that way.

“And then Angela Ayala, our art educator here at the museum, she’ll have activities for kids to make original artwork as well. We’ll have a couple different things. Toby the Kid, who makes twister balloons, will be here, so kids can line up and get some balloon art made for free,” he continued. “We’ll have a lot of different art vendors that will be set up underneath our big tents, and they’ll have their own tents, so people can walk around and buy original artwork from local and regional artists, and we’ll have a couple food vendors available for people to grab some food.”

“It’s a free, community-minded event that highlights artistic talents, creativity, and imagination, and it’s been proudly sponsored by a lot of local businesses to help support this event, along with the Blanden itself,” he said.

The Blanden has been the cornerstone of the artistic side of Fort Dodge for the 93 years that it has been open.

“I see the Blanden’s role as being very central in not only supporting, but also promoting local, regional, and Midwestern art,” Anderson said. “Fort Dodge really does have a long history with the arts, not only the visual arts, but also performing arts have been another side of the Fort Dodge community. The Blanden’s role in all that is to, one, provide a place for artists to be able to show their work, two, a place where their work can be preserved and carried on and shared with future generations, and three, try to inspire the next generation of artists. We do that through providing access to art classes through our art education center, by connecting the community to visiting artists through our receptions and art talks that we do, and by having three galleries open for the public to come and see amazing art, not only from our permanent collection, but also visiting artists from the area.”

Anderson said that along with the festival, the museum will have plenty of camps, workshops and classes this summer.

People can check out the Blanden website for the class information, and they can register online. The museum also has a small gift shop where people can purchase original artwork throughout the year.

If You Go

What: Blanden Memorial Art Museum’s Art Festival

When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Blanden Memorial Art Museum, 920 Third Ave. S.