Crowds, vendors throng to 2021's Arts in the Park

062821.N.BD.ArtsinthePark1.jpg — Bill Grange works his booth at Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

By Gabriel D. Lagarde

June 27, 2021 at 7:26 PM

If there’s one takeaway from this year’s iteration of Arts in the Park, it’s that summer is finally back in Brainerd and it’s back in a deeper, more fulfilling sense than just warmer temperatures and more sunshine.

If one were to take a stroll through Gregory Park Sunday, June 27, it’s easy to see. Bright and vibrant colors abound. Throngs of happy people decked out in short sleeves, flip flops and sunglasses stream through the pavilions. Live music flits through the air. The scent of deep fried delicacies is carried by a gentle breeze. It’s summer again, but in a way it’s everyday life again, and it hasn’t felt quite this way since the pandemic first reached American shores in March of last year.

Gallery-Arts in the Park (5).JPG — People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

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“I absolutely love it,” said Tina Theisen of Brainerd as she walked her dog, ChewieLittleButt, through the bustling stream of people. “I think it's fantastic that people are out. I used to live close to here and I'm amazed at just the sheer volume of people. Years ago, it was not as popular and it really feels good to see it. I'm having a good time.”

ArtsInThePark 3.jpg — Tina Theisen and her dog, ChewieLittleButt, has their portrait sketched Sunday, June 27 2021, by an artist at Arts in the Park at Gregory Park in north Brainerd. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

Other event-goers were still mindful of their personal safety, albeit in a way that’s less at the forefront, less urgent than during the depths of the pandemic this time last year. Social efforts to collaboratively stop the virus were credited, as well as widespread vaccination among the general populace.

“It's nice to have something outdoors where you can still feel distanced,” said Lori Caddy of Brainerd. “Where you can get out, get a variety, interact a little bit, but still feel safe at the same time. We were bummed when they didn’t have (Arts in the Park) last year. This is one of our favorite events.”

Gallery-Arts in the Park (10).JPG — People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

“Just seeing people out and about, in-person, it’s much better than being cooped up in the house,” added her friend, Diane Hauschild of Brainerd.

For the Mork family, Sunday’s festivities were especially poignant. All three members of the family — Troy and Jean Mork, as well as their daughter Anna Mork — work in hospital settings and actively toiled throughout 2020 to beat COVID-19. As Troy and Jean were in town for a wedding, the fact they could spontaneously take a stroll through Arts in the Park — with little thought to crowd size, social distancing, or mask usage — is world’s away from the reality they faced last year.

“There was some hesitancy,” said Troy Mork. “It’s certainly fun and different.”

ArtsInThePark 1.jpg — Troy and Jean Mork, alongside their daughter, Anna Mork, enjoy a spontaneous stroll Sunday, June 27 2021, through Arts in the Park in Gregory Park in north Brainerd. All three members of the family work in health care, the Morks said, and so Sunday's bustling gathering was a welcome change after months of hard work, masks and anti-septic cleaners. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

“I think I had that realization ‘OK, this is pretty open,’ or ‘Well, there's only one mask,’” Jean Mork added with a laugh. “We're all vaccinated. That, in my mind, makes you feel more comfortable with the larger crowds, being so close to people.”

“I absolutely love it. I think it's fantastic that people are out. I used to live close to here and I'm amazed at just the sheer volume of people. Years ago, it was not as popular and it really feels good to see it. I'm having a good time"

— Tina Theisen, Brainerd

As for vendors, 2021’s Arts in the Park marked a return to a cherished tradition, as well as an outlet for local artisans to sell their wares and pursue their passions.

Lin Jutile, proprietor of Expressions in Nature, has been attending open-air markets, craft shows, art exhibitions, festivals and the like for more than 40 years. This year, Arts in the Park took on special significance because it marked, in an emphatic way, that life was resuming after a long hiatus with COVID-19.

Arts in the Park Gallery
“You have to do other things, occupy yourself,” Jutile said. “We didn’t know. There was a lot of uncertainty. We wondered ‘How long is this going to last?’ We were all very anxious to get going and it’s good to be back.”

ArtsInThePark 4.jpg — A school lunch lady during the winter months and a craft artist in her spare time, Paulette Juilfs said reconnecting with crowds of people Sunday, June 27 2021, after more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions had been an invigorating and deeply fulfilling experience. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

Paulette Juilfs — a school lunch lady from Princeton who moonlights as a crafter reinventing steel containers into unique, personal works of art — said it was invigorating, and a bit surreal at first, to welcome such huge crowds. Many vendors, she said, were hesitant about taking the risk — whether that risk was anemic crowds or the foreboding possibility of contracting COVID-19 itself — and while Sunday’s turnout was great, prior years have seen more vendors and even larger crowds. As such, there’s still ground to recover, she said, and Arts in the Park will continue to blossom as COVID-19 recedes in the rearview mirror.

“It's awesome. I really like doing these kinds of events. I like connecting with my customers one on one and it's just been nice to see everybody's so excited to be out and walk around,” Juilfs said. “(During the pandemic) it was really interesting, but I was really thankful for a lot of people who supported the small businesses and the handmade artisans and the support I got from my customers and friends and people spreading the word.”

GABRIEL LAGARDE may be reached at gabe.lagarde@brainerddispatch.com or 218-855-5859. Follow at www.twitter.com/glbrddispatch .

1/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

2/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

3/16: A school lunch lady during the winter months and a craft artist in her spare time, Paulette Juilfs said reconnecting with crowds of people Sunday, June 27 2021, after more than a year of COVID-19 restrictions had been an invigorating and deeply fulfilling experience. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

4/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

5/16: Troy and Jean Mork, alongside their daughter, Anna Mork, enjoy a spontaneous stroll Sunday, June 27 2021, through Arts in the Park in Gregory Park in north Brainerd. All three members of the family work in health care, the Morks said, and so Sunday's bustling gathering was a welcome change after months of hard work, masks and anti-septic cleaners. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

6/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

7/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

8/16: Jamie Lee, a Brainerd author who also moonlights as an artisan who specializes in pebble art, drilled stone jewelry and glassware, showcases her wares Sunday, June 27 2021, at her stand at Arts in the Park in Gregory Park in north Brainerd. Gabriel Lagarde / Brainerd Dispatch

9/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

10/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

11/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

12/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

13/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

14/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

15/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch

16/16: People attend Arts in the Park Sunday, June 27, 2021, at Gregory Park in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch