Delayed Barrington Art Walk back on schedule for September
Barrington's annual outdoor art festival, on hold since May due to COVID-19 concerns, will be held with safety precautions in place next month.
Village board members Monday night entered into a letter of agreement with Amdur Productions Inc. to produce the fest on Sept. 12 and 13. The 2020 Barrington Art Walk previously had been set for Memorial Day weekend on May 24 and 25.
About 50 juried artists, music and food vendors will be part of the event, held in the BMO Harris Bank parking lot in downtown Barrington. Safety requirements include facial coverings for artists, vendors and visitors — except for children 2 and younger — and social distancing. There will be a controlled entry into the festival area.
“It will be 50% fewer artists and only 50 attendees at a time,” said Patty Dowd Schmitz, the village's director of communications and community engagement.
Instead of just showing up on downtown streets as in past years, patrons must make free online reservations for a one-hour time slot from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. or make an advance purchase of a flexible $10 VIP daily ticket at amdurproductions.com. Company President Amy Amdur said there will be temperature screenings before entry from Cook Street and a one-way flow for the patrons in the BMO Harris lot.
Plans call for a special session from 9 to 10 a.m. on both days for those with compromised health or mobility problems.
As part of its $8,250 contract with Barrington, Amdur will be responsible for the layout, artist selection, marketing and other management duties.
Schmitz said the success of the Barrington Wine Walk on July 25 helped officials decide to allow the rescheduled 11th annual art festival.
Many suburbs hire Amdur Productions for annual art fests. Amdur said the first of the fests with the new measures related to COVID-19 occurred Aug. 1 and 2 with the Art Walk at the Glen in Glenview.
There were about 2,000 patrons over two days at the Glenview festival and a high level of cooperation, she said.
“People first thanked us for the safety protocols we had in place,” Amdur added. “When we were taking their temperatures with infrared thermometers, they were thanking us.”
Some artists have “done a pivot” by selling face coverings, she said.
Amdur will stage the 23rd annual Lincolnshire Art Walk from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Free reservations for a time slot or the $10 VIP tickets allowing flexibility are available on Amdur's website.