Art Fair
by Jeannie E. Roberts
—near the shores of Lake Pepin
Down Great River Road
past the family cottage
and clear-cut memories of lighthearted days
a train whistle blasts
and Saturday shines as only the third
Saturday in July can.
At Stockholm’s Village Park
artists / musicians / and fair-goers
merge
fuse
with the unity of gathering
lighten
with the poetry
of place.
CREDIT: “Art Fair” appears in Beyond Bulrush (Lit Fest Press, 2015) and was first published in Goose River Anthology (Goose River Press, 2012).
PHOTO: Lake Pepin by Jeannie E. Roberts, all rights reserved.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Pepin and Stockholm are villages within Pepin County, Wisconsin, USA. Great River Road (Highway 35) is a Wisconsin state highway running north-south across western Wisconsin, USA.
NOTE: Lake Pepin is a naturally occurring lake on the Mississippi River on the border between Minnesota and Wisconsin. It is located in a valley carved by the outflow of an enormous glacial lake at the end of the last Ice Age. Lake Pepin is now a corridor for water, highway, and rail transportation. Known as the birthplace of water skiing, it hosts a variety of recreational activities. For over 40 years, artists have been filling Stockholm Village Park overlooking Lake Pepin on the third Saturday each July for the Stockholm Art Fair.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jeannie E. Roberts has authored six books, including The Wingspan of Things (Dancing Girl Press, 2017), Romp and Ceremony (Finishing Line Press, 2017), Beyond Bulrush (Lit Fest Press, 2015), Nature of it All (Finishing Line Press, 2013), and Rhyme the Roost! A Collection of Poems and Paintings for Children (Daffydowndilly Press, an imprint of Kelsay Books, 2019). Her work appears in North American and international online magazines, print journals, and anthologies. She is poetry reader and editor of the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, you can find her drawing and painting, or outdoors photographing her natural surroundings.
POETRY and PLACES 