Victorian Christmas Dec. 5

Make plans now to celebrate Christmas in Bolivar during the Victorian Christmas event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, sponsored by the Downtown Bolivar Association.

Carolers will put shoppers in the holiday spirit with performances throughout the day. Carriage rides will be given by Shires for Hire for a small fee, and all other events are free.

First-, second- and third-place prizes will be given for entries in a gingerbread house decorating contest. Gingerbread houses must be dropped off in the basement of the Polk County Courthouse between 10 and 11 a.m. Dec. 5. Judging starts at 11. The houses will be on display throughout the day and must be picked up between 3 and 4 p.m.

A Victorian costume contest is at 1 p.m. in the courthouse. Prizes will be given to the winners.
Santa Claus will be at the courthouse from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., and the Grinch also will make an appearance.

Store windows will feature live mannequins, and a prize will be given to the business with the best window display.

Featured artists

Here's pictures of the featured artists who demonstrated their talents in different businesses on the square.

It's a success!

Turnout was good for the first Art in the Alley Saturday, May 9, in downtown Bolivar. From kids' activities to the loft walk, everyone who came had a good time. We're already thinking about changes we want to make next year to make the event even better. Were you there and have an idea for making it better? Send an e-mail to us at downtownbolivar@gmail.com.

And in case you missed it, here's some photos from the event.

Big thank you to our sponsors!

We want to give a BIG thank you to these businesses for their monetary and in-kind donations to make the first Art in the Alley event possible: Citizens Memorial Healthcare, Bolivar Herald-Free Press, KYOO Radio, The Country Hearth and Tea Garden Café, Village Boutique/Munchkin Outfi tters, Roy Blunt YMCA of Bolivar, Polk County Genealogical Society, Family Institute of the Ozarks, Roweton’s Home Center, Douglas, Haun & Heidemann, Horton’s, We Frame It & More and Studio 106.

Special art exhibit

Creative Images Portrait Gallery, a sponsor of Art in the Alley, will be open Saturday at 207 E. Jackson St. and host paintings from two local artists: Elaine Ballard, featuring nature scenes, and Jenni Bayless, a Bolivar High School graduate and former art teacher. Several of her featured pieces were created while her son, Granton, underwent treatment for SCID, a rare genetic disorder in which the immune system fails to develop.

Gearing up for Art in the Alley, rain or shine

Some banners are up on the Bolivar square in preparation for Saturday's Art in the Alley event. As of now, it looks like the rain is going to miss us on Saturday. But if it doesn't, still come on down because we have a rain plan. Artwork will be set up inside Center Stage Dance Academy, 218 E. Jackson St.

Artwork registration still open

So we set April 10 as the deadline for artwork registration. Well, we've extended it. So feel free to submit your artwork for display that day. Just remember it needs to be family friendly art. See previous post about artwork registration to download a copy of the registration form. Cut off the portion with your registration information and keep the middle part. Those are the tags for you to place on your artwork.

Have fun choosing your artwork to display!

Downtown Bolivar loft walk

As part of the Art in the Alley celebration in downtown Bolivar Saturday, May 9, five loft apartments will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for tours.
“We want to feature the unique character of downtown lofts in our community,” said Justin Ballard, owner of four of the apartments on the tour and coordinator of the loft walk. “I have had a lot of people asking me when they will get to see the apartments. This is an opportunity to see a variety of downtown lofts including the recently renovated ones.”
Tickets cost $5 per person and are available at the Tea Garden, Roweton’s Home Center and Village Boutique on the square, as well as the Bolivar Herald-Free Press office on South Springfield Avenue. Tickets also can be purchased the day of the event. Proceeds benefit the Downtown Bolivar Association, sponsor of Art in the Alley and the Bolivar Loft Walk.
During the loft walk, ticket holders will present their ticket at any one of the loft locations in exchange for an armband that will allow entry to all lofts.
The lofts included in the walk are at 114 S. Springfield and 120 S. Springfield Ave., owned by Justin and Ashley Ballard; and 104 W. Jackson St., owned by Randy and Renee Bowman.
“Many people don't even know there are loft apartments in Bolivar,” Ballard said. “Second-floor apartments are not reserved for large cities. It's a trend that the DBA hopes will keep growing in our community.”
For more information about the loft walk, contact Ballard at creativeportraits@windstream.net or 327-2687.

Booth space available

Booth space is available for the first Art in the Alley festival from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in downtown Bolivar sponsored by the Downtown Bolivar Association.
Artwork will be displayed in the alleys on the west and east sides of the Bolivar square.
Businesses and organizations from throughout Polk County — not just downtown Bolivar — are encouraged to set up booths in the parking lots behind the two alleys, with an emphasis on kids’ activities behind the west alley and more sophisticated activities behind the east alley.
Set up begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, May 9. Cost is $25 for a 10x10 booth and $30 for a 10x10 booth with electricity, though the number of booths with electricity are extremely limited. Deadline is Friday, May 1. Booth space is free with a sponsorship or if the booth will have a free “make-and-take” craft for children. Arts and crafts items sold at the event must be homemade.
To reserve a booth, contact Susan Sparks at (417) 770-1989.
The DBA is producing the event that coincides with the semi-annual Bolivar Kiwanis Club Pancake Breakfast and a loft walk that will feature loft apartments in downtown Bolivar.

Register artwork by Friday, April 10

Local artists are being asked to provide up to three pieces of artwork to put on display in an alley on the Bolivar square. Registration forms are available at the Bolivar Herald-Free Press, 335 S. Springfield Ave.; KYOO Radio, 205 N. Pike Ave.; or the Polk County Genealogical Society Library, southeast corner of the Bolivar square. It also is available for download at downtownbolivar.blogspot.com.
Children’s artwork (ages 18 and younger) will be displayed in the alley on the west side of the square, while artwork for adults will be in the east alley. The Polk County Artists' Association will have a display in the basement of the Polk County Courthouse, and artists will be demonstrating their work in select stores on the square.
Guidelines
1. Artwork will be displayed outside in an alley. Children’s artwork (up to age 18) will be in
the alley on the west side of the square (next to Country Hearth), and adult artwork will be displayed in the alley on the east side of the square (next to the CMH Administrative Center). The Downtown Bolivar Association is not responsible for damage to the artwork by theft , wind,
rain or other natural elements and will make an eff ort to have someone watching the artwork at
all times.
2. You will be responsible for checking in and hanging your artwork between 7:30 and 8:45 a.m. Saturday, May 9. Artwork should be matted or mounted and ready to hang with a wire or hook on the back and tag from at right attached to the lower righthand corner of the artwork.
3. Artwork will be released at 3 p.m. Please pick up your artwork at that time. Artwork that is not
picked up by 4 p.m. will be disposed of by the DBA.
4. Any artistic media is welcome as long as it is your original piece of art and is family friendly.
5. Limit of 3 pieces per person.
6. For more information, call (417) 770-1989 or send e-mail to downtownbolivar@gmail.com.
7. Booth space is available for an extra fee.
8. In the event of rain, arrangements will be made for indoor display of artwork.
9. Artists may off er artwork for sale.
Click here to download the registration form.

Welcome!

Welcome to the new Internet presence of the Downtown Bolivar Association, a grassroots effort to maintain the economic viability of the downtown area in Bolivar, Mo. The association is in the process of filing for articles of incorporation and 501(c)3 status. In the meantime, we are planning a new event in Bolivar — Art in the Alley — for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 9. More details will be made available in future posts.

The association also sponsored the Victorian Christmas event on the Bolivar square in December 2008 and will be sponsoring monthly car cruise-ins on the third Saturday of each month from May through October.

Look for more details about, well, everything coming soon. In the meantime, if you want more information, please send an e-mail to downtownbolivar@gmail.com.