The sixth annual Charley Creek Artsfest begins Wednesday, June 26, and runs through Sunday, June 30, with events at several Wabash locations. The Artsfest opens on Wednesday with the screening of the first of two films by Heartland Truly Moving Pictures.

The Eagles Theater will host both films, beginning with a viewing of “A Bottle from the Gaza Sea” at 7 p.m. Wednesday. T.C. Johnstone, the director of “Rising from the Ashes,” will be present on Thursday evening to discuss his film which will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Johnstone will also conduct a workshop, “Making Films That Matter” earlier in the day. Warsaw Artist Jason Rowland will also host a Stencil Creation Workshop at Dorothy-Ilene’s earlier on Wednesday.

Prior to the screening of “Rising from the Ashes,” the Harness Family Band performs a free concert at the Honeywell Center Plaza beginning at 5 p.m. The band closes its performance at 7 p.m., 30 minutes prior to the movie.

Downtown art galleries will open at 5 p.m. Friday with special exhibits, and other downtown businesses will join in this special event.  Miami Street between Market and Canal Street will be closed to automobile traffic, and music groups will perform there and at other downtown locations.

Students and instructors from the WaBass double bass camp will close a week of study and performance with an appearance on the stage of the Ford Theater at 8 p.m. The camp, one of only two such events in the United States, brings an array of talented young musicians to Wabash each summer. A reception for the performers follows at the Charley Creek Inn.

On Saturday, many Artsfest events move to the Charley Creek Gardens on North Miami Street where more than 35 artists will display their creations and offer their works for sale. Musicians, children’s’ activities and food booths will be located along garden paths. A new event to Artsfest is “Coffee & Canvas” which will give participants an opportunity to create their own summer painting. Sessions are at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

The Gardens will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. A shuttle will provide transportation between the Gardens and downtown Wabash where a wine tasting runs from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. The shuttle will also make stops at the Doctor James Ford Historic Home on Hill Street.

From 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday, three Wabash churches will be open so that visitors can view stained glass windows and hear a discussion about those windows. On Saturday night, Miami Street closes again to accommodate two bands that will play during the evening.

Sylvia McNair

The 2013 Artsfest concludes on Sunday afternoon at the Honeywell Center when soprano Sylvia McNair, twice the winner of a Grammy Award, and pianist/vocalist Kevin Cole perform songs by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, and other composers of works in the Great American Songbook.  The concert is at 2 p.m. and a reception follows.

One hour prior to the concert, Miss McNair joins Dr. Michael Sells, professor of music and dean emeritus at Butler University, in a discussion “Opera and The Great American Songbook: Friends or Foes?”

Most Artsfest events are free and open to the public.  Paid admission tickets are required for the films at the Eagles Theater, the WaBass performance and reception, the wine tasting, Coffee & Canvas, Making Films That Matter Workshop, Dorothy-Ilene Workshop and the Sunday afternoon performance by Sylvia McNair and Kevin Cole.

Information and tickets sales are on the Charley Creek Artsfest website.