Amidst the Year of the Arts in Mount Gretna, the 50th annual Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show celebrated a variety of art forms in the presence of artists and art enthusiasts alike on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 17-18.
The Pennsylvania Chautauqua, a Mount Gretna-based nonprofit organization, raises money for its organization’s properties and programming, as well as the Mount Gretna Community Volunteer Fire Department and community projects, by running the art show each year.
The semicentennial art show welcomed 200 exhibitors, which were divided into the categories of acrylics and oils, clay and porcelain, digital, drawings and pastels, emerging artist, fabric and fiber, jewelry-nonprecious, jewelry-precious, leather, metal, mixed media, paper, photography, printmaking and graphics, sculpture, watercolors, and wood.
Out of these 200 exhibitors, 26 were 2023 Judges’ Choice Award winners and 11 were emerging artists, or artists that are exhibiting for their first time at the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show.
There were also 20 exhibitor spaces available on Saturday and Sunday at the Chautauqua Playground for the Kids Art Show, which was sponsored by a grant from the Mount Gretna United Methodist Church. The Kids Art Show was open to artists between the ages of 10 and 18. Exhibitors under the age of 14 were required to be accompanied by a parent.
Also at the playground were stations where children, who were also required to be accompanied by adults, could participate in and observe art-centered activities like spin art and balloon art.
Throughout the weekend, art enthusiasts could purchase food and beverages from Cracked Pepper Catering, Gosia’s Pierogies, Smoky Flavors, Snitz Creek Brewery, The Hershey Pantry, The Oasis, and What If… of Hershey. The Jigger Shop was also open for business.
There were live performances by Flatpick Earth Society, bluegrass; Andy Roberts Project, jazz and original music; and No Last Call, strolling music, on Saturday, as well as Tom Hillicker Quartet, jazz, and Third Stream, legendary jazz, on Sunday.
On Saturday afternoon, the original artwork from the Mount Gretna Campmeeting water tower was auctioned off at the Mount Gretna Tabernacle, with the winning bid at $3,600.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, the inaugural Mount Gretna film festival was hosted by Kim Lemon in the Mount Gretna Playhouse. Cash prizes of up to $1,000 were awarded in the following categories: best drama, best comedy, best horror, best documentary/video essay, best high school entry, hometown spotlight, and best of festival.
Craft awards for best direction, best cinematography, best writing, best editing, best sound design, best acting, and audience choice were also awarded.
This year’s art show also featured Mount Gretna’s Luna Moth. The living art piece, which is situated in front of the Mount Gretna Playhouse for people to appreciate and take and share pictures using #lebanonvalleyarts, was created by Ryan Fretz, a Mount Gretna native. The piece was commissioned by Visit Lebanon Valley and Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show.
Behind-the-scenes
Kerry Royer, Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show director, spoke with LebTown at the main entrance on Saturday morning while guests dressed in windbreakers and carrying umbrellas entered the grounds of the Pennsylvania Chautauqua for the rain-or-shine event.
“It all comes together right here,” Royer said. “So, the organization process is the jurying of the artists, inviting them. Yesterday was the setup day, which [was] really busy. But everything is all setup and open for business.”
On Friday, Aug. 16, several cadets from the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs were on the grounds, helping set up tents that were used for exhibits, concessions, and seating areas throughout the weekend.
Royer said that community and municipal leadership such as the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services, the Cornwall Borough Police Department, and the South Londonderry Township Police Department, “all work together all year planning for the logistics of the show.”
The volunteer fire department was among the local public safety organizations that helped manage the traffic flow on the surrounding roads and the parking situation for the two-day event. They also helped art enthusiasts who requested assistance at the art show office to transport large art pieces to their vehicles.
“And we have an army of volunteers, like with all of these ticket-takers and getting people safely in and here to enjoy the show. We have [anyone] from residents to Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,” Royer said. “So, it’s a huge process. It’s great to see it all coming together.”
When asked about the timeline of the organizational process for next year’s art show, Royer responded, “It’ll start immediately afterward. We start getting things ready and securing all of our reservations with everything for next year.”
The art show is scheduled for the third full weekend in August every year, which means art enthusiasts can pencil the 51st annual Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show into their calendars for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 16-17, 2025.
Editor’s note: This article was updated to clarify references to municipal leadership and volunteers who helped with this year’s show.
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Questions about this story? Suggestions for a future LebTown article? Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you.
Free news isn’t cheap. If you value the journalism LebTown provides to the community, then help us make it sustainable by becoming a champion of local news. You can unlock additional coverage for the community by supporting our work with a one-time contribution, or joining as a monthly or annual member. You can cancel anytime.
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