“We are excited to take over the ownership and management of this important summer event,” says Cindy Larsen, president of the Muskegon Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce.

The event is being renamed the Lakeshore Art Festival and will be held July 5 and 6, 2013 in downtown Muskegon. The name has been changed to the Lakeshore Art Festival because it will not only include the traditional juried “Art in the Park” event in Hackley Park, but also an enhanced major craft fair with food, children’s’ activities and much more. It will be held in conjunction with the new music festival taking place at Heritage Landing.

“It is important that we attract the best artists and crafters to participate,” says Larsen. For this reason, the chamber is hiring an experienced professional event coordinator to manage the art festival. Carla Flanders, owner of CMF Marketing, LLC in Norton Shores has been selected to manage the event. “Carla is the perfect person to pull this off,” says Larsen. Flanders has already contacted the loyal volunteers who originally built the event and will make them a part of her planning team. CMF Marketing is currently involved with the Seaway Run Expo, Muskegon Retail Incubator, and the Zeeland Pumpkinfest. In addition, CMF Marketing has experience coordinating large-scale events including the UICA Art Prize opening, Tulip Time Festival, National Food Carving Competition, concerts, parades and more.

More details related to the Lakeshore Art Festival will be released after the first of the year. Look for more information as it becomes available on the Art Festival website: www.lakeshoreartfestival.org and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/LakeshoreArtFestival. For Art Fair inquires, email: artfest@muskegon.org.