The Mahlon S. Kemmerer Memorial Park Center in Jim Thorpe was the setting for the first ever Jim Thorpe Fine Art Festival held over the weekend.

“It’s just been in my mind for a long time,” Matt Davenport, one of the show’s organizers, explained about why he helped start the festival. “You know, nothing exists like this in town. We’ve been here 13 years, and this is the first one, so we’re just excited to do it.”

The festival featured 22 art and craft vendors, food vendors, and the Big Creek Winery was selling glasses of their wines.

Festivals like this help artists to showcase their creativity and inspire others to be creative.

Lauren Pollman, of 138 Blooms & Mossworks in Mountain Top, was inspired by seeing artistic creations using moss and flowers.

“I had seen something like this down south, and I thought, you know what? I really want to try this,” she said. “And it was just very calming to my mind. It was a little bit of peace at the end of a really chaotic day, and it took off. So you know, something so chaotic led to something so beautiful that I get to share with everyone in the long run, and it really it makes people happy.”

Sandra Riddle describes herself as a creative photographer, and came all the way from Long Island, New York, to share in the festival. While she has been a photographer for years, she only started doing it more professionally over the past two years.

“I’ve always loved taking pictures,” Riddle said. “I had a lot of friends tell me I was really good, so I got I got a new Canon 5D and I started taking pictures. I started a professional site on Instagram, and then I got involved with galleries. And I’m in two gallery shows right now in Long Island.”

The pavilion on the grounds was host to live entertainment, featuring Dee Dasher, and Naomi & Alex on Saturday, then Geraldine Patry, and Matt Feiler & Tom Storm on Sunday.

Kemmerer Park has been a hidden gem in the historic section of Jim Thorpe. It was donated to the town by the Kemmerer family in 1927. Many people were not familiar with the park; however, events like the Jim Thorpe Fine Arts Festival are bringing the park to the attention of people near and far.

“One reason doing these kind of events is to let people know this is here,” Davenport added. “Not a lot of people know about the park, so it’s a way to bring more art to town and also highlight the beautiful park.