CCB MEDIA PHOTO
Judy and Roger Day of ArtsFalmouth have been runnings the Arts Alive festival for 10 years.
FALMOUTH – Arts Alive is a free three-day celebration of the arts that takes place annually on the third weekend in June in Falmouth.
The event actually began more than 40 years ago, according to Judy Day, who has been running the event for 10 years with her husband Roger Day under their nonprofit ArtsFalmouth.
“The first Arts Alive was actually back in 1972 when the [Massachusetts] Cultural Council started to give money to the local cultural councils. Then the Falmouth Artists Guild picked it up and they ran it for a while as a one-day event with a wet auction,” Judy Day said.
Then Falmouth Cultural Council member Marty Tulloch took it over and made it mostly demonstrations, Day said.
“When we took it over, we added the vendors and we added all the performances,” Day said.
This year, the event takes place under three tents on the Falmouth Library lawn on Main Street on June 19 from 5 to 9 p.m.; Saturday, June 20 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, June 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
There will be more than 60 performances of theater, spoken word, dance and music for all tastes, including jazz, classical, folk, fiddle and show tunes.
COURTESY ARTSFALMOUTH
Arts Alive takes place on June 19, 20 and 21 on the Falmouth Public Library lawn in Falmouth.
The Town Dance, always a highlight, will take place on Friday night, and Saturday night is reserved for a rock fest with eight or more bands participating.
In addition, more than 50 artisans and crafts people will display and sell their wares.
Arts Alive takes place rain or shine. The following are some highlights from the schedule.
Friday, in the performance tent, will be a drum circle from 5 to 6 p.m., Falmouth Academy Jazz Band from 6 to 7 p.m. and the Town Dance with the Bart Weisman Group with vocals by Tish Adams from 7 to 9 p.m.
On Saturday, the fun begins at 10 a.m. in the performance tent with a new performance every hour. In the morning are Belle Weather and Sax Quartet.
Falmouth Theatre Guild will have a selection of its membership sing songs from past or future shows from noon to 1 p.m., and members of the Woods Hole Theater Company perform that same day from 3:20 to 4:20 p.m. Troup Isis performs from 1 to 2 p.m. and dancers from Turning Pointe Dance Studio will perform from 2 to 3 p.m. There will be Belly Dancing with Elena from 3 to 4 p.m.
From 4 to 5 p.m., Puffy Elvis, a band made up of teachers and administrators from Falmouth Public Schools, will perform. Friends of Broadway will perform from 5 to 6 p.m.
There will be an open mic and everyone is welcome to participate from 4 to 5 p.m.
Saturday evening from 6 to 9 p.m. is being billed as Rock Fest. Bands will include Sons of Beaches, Hearbreaker, The Most, Needle Beach, Just Like That, Smooch Paywell and Paradise Rock.
There will also be arts-related events, including Figure Drawing with the Falmouth Artists Guild on Saturday from 10:20 to 11:20 a.m. Artist Doug Rugh will do a portrait demonstration from 12:20 to 1:20 p.m.
On Sunday, performances take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Among the performers are the Falmouth Fiddlers who perform from noon to 1 p.m. and the Conservatory Jazz Band, performing from 1 to 2 p.m.
Also performing on Sunday are the Sonnay Fiddlers from 11 a.m. to noon and EJ Mills Brennan, wo plays Native American flute and guitar.
Listen below to Roger and Judy Day, founders of Arts Falmouth, the nonprofit that puts on Arts Alive, discussing this year’s event.
