Austin – Valerie's Voice

We went to the 15th annual Austin ArtWorks Festival last weekend. It was a nice fair…your typical pop-up canopy tents set up in an open area of downtown, with lots artists displaying their different forms of artwork: painting, photography, glassworks, ceramics, and jewelry. It was fun to walk around to see it all.

There were food trucks of course, and a small area set aside for local author’s talk, but what was different from other art fairs I’ve been to was an area designated for kids. They had a few craft tables set up for kids of all ages to try printing, calligraphy, painting. Plus, there were two activities that were unique and stood out.

A car was parked on the road and one could line up to get paint and a brush to paint on the car, or one could choose a small bucket of paint to the throw on the car. Kids had fun doing this unusual activity. (I wondered if it was washable paint and if the car could be cleaned afterwards …I hope so.)

A large mandala on the street of Austin.

The other fun project was a young woman chalked a large mandala on the street and offered colored chalk for kids to color in the different areas of the mandala. I was the first kid (the big kid in me) to color in a star. I thought this was a great idea…the chalk will eventually wash away in the rain, but for a few days it will decorate a street in downtown Austin.

I was the first to chalk in a star with blue chalk.

It was inspiring to see these creative ideas helping to get children involved in art…

Antique, pull-down maps, chalk boards, pictures of George Washington and Abe Lincoln, and an aged, class photo decorate an old, country school building converted to a restaurant in Mantorville, Minnesota.

Front view of the Old School Cafe with bell tower.

The old school house is now the Old School Café, with good cooking, and a popular spot for town folks to eat. The portions were generous and the food was tasty and the ambiance was nostalgic and cheery.

Outside was also inviting. There were old wooden benches and a school desk on the wide, front porch. There was a bell tower with the bell intact and rope hanging from it. Sculptures of children were placed around the grounds…a lovely idea for a school house yard.

The children on the slide was my favorite sculpture.

Another sculpture of children at a drinking fountain.

There were many, pretty flower pots scattered throughout the yard. On one side of the café was a charming, old wooden house dated 1855, that looked occupied, and the other side of the cafe was a garden area. It was fun to look around, and a delightful way to start the day.

I love whimsey. This little troll was attached to the 1855 house outside wall.

An outdoor seating area along side the cafe, between the cafe and the old house.

There always seems to be a kitty cat hiding in gardens.

Our next stop was the Spam Museum in Austin, Minnesota.

A well-done sculpture of a farmer and two pigs, outside the SPAM Museum.

An interesting, fun (and free!) museum dedicated to the story of Hormel’s specific product SPAM. Hormel began in the late 1800’s but SPAM was created in 1936 and became popular in WWII when the military ordered lots of SPAM to provide for the armed forces overseas… because it was convenient, and the shelf life was lengthy.

A life-size figure, a screen projection, was lamenting how he felt he had an overabundance of SPAM while in the army.

Some in the military might say the government overused SPAM. But it continues to sell today and there are multiple flavors of SPAM, and it is sold in multiple countries all over the world.

An interesting story on how SPAM got its name.

Free samples of SPAM were offered. We tasted the hickory smoked version and it was very good.

Of course, there is a gift shop featuring all things “Spam”, including flip flops that spell out SPAM when you walk in the sand!

Tag: Austin

Austin ArtWorks Festival

Old School Cafe and the SPAM Museum