ArtFest draws crowds, signals summer

By Mandy Walton

Tuesday, May 12, 2009 | 10:25 a.m.

I love ArtFest. It’s become a holiday to me, almost like Christmas, because I look forward to it every year. The weather doesn’t seem to hit “hot” until ArtFest comes. For me, the event is sort of an unofficial first day of summer in Henderson.

The new amphitheater in the Civic Center Plaza in front of city hall is a great addition to ArtFest because of the built-in shade structures for attendees to enjoy. The water-play feature attracts kids and even some parents to run through the spraying streams of water for a quick cool-down.

This was the 12th year Henderson has hosted ArtFest. Up until about two years ago, the food court and main concert stage were always located in front of city hall, when it used to be a parking lot. Now, the front lawn of the convention center has been designated as the seating area for those wanting to eat or watch the concerts happening on stage. This was a great move by the festival organizers. Utilizing the shade from the mature trees, and the cooling effect of the convention center lawn makes the temperature feel about 20 degrees cooler.

There always seems to be a trend of artwork at ArtFest each year. One year I saw many people leaving the festival with iron weather vanes. Another year it was puppets on a string (of which I bought one). This year, I saw girls walking around with parasols. These are points others probably don’t even notice, but because I’ve attended the event every year since its inception, I tend to have a knack for noticing.

My absolute favorite part of ArtFest, however, isn’t what you’d call art. My favorite thing is the Navajo Taco! Some call it Indian Fry Bread Taco. It consists of a paper-plate sized piece of Indian Fry Bread topped with refried beans, ground beef, cheese, lettuce, and pico de gallo.

I told my mom I hadn’t eaten any junk food and had limited carbs for a week so that I could splurge on my Navajo Taco. The thing costs a whopping $9 but is well worth it. My 18-month old took to my mania for the taco as well because he scarfed down half the thing himself.

As we sat under the trees of the convention center, eating our Navajo taco and listening to a wonderful jazz ensemble, I couldn’t help but feel very content at the moment. Life is good when you’ve got jazz, shade, and a Navajo taco.